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Even with the little shadow, Yan Sha found the library to be a bit lacking as she had read most of these poison scriptures with her father. She was not an expert by any means when she had still been Bingquing, but nothing felt suitable for her to choose as a good base to build upon. With such lean pickings, the library was decimated quickly until only the scrolls at the very tops of the columns at which small grooved were built were available. Each student chose both a distilling method and a base ingredient scroll which they would be tutored via individualized study

This made Yan Sha nervous as she did like that there was someone other than her in his cavernous place. But, she knew that purpose outweighed comfort in more ways than one. Her identity would be revealed if she spent too much time with other people, especially gossipy girls.

She shook off her anxieties as she started up a swinging rope ladder to the very top of the library. All the easier methods had been utilized by the quicker students and she knew people had avoided this ladder as it seemed the most likely to break. She didn't much care if she broke bones as the cave was full of healers and it would be blissful to spend some weeks in bed. Maybe they would let her go to Yan Ming or Zaiyuan. She missed the company of others.

She peeled through the thick layers of cobwebs as several spiders reared their legs at her. She was gentle in relocating them as she made an opening big enough for herself to fit through. She heard a gasp below her, "Did Guo not say that ladder was off limits due to the venomous spiders that nest in there?"

Yan Sha had no such limitation placed on her so she kept going. As she fitted herself through the opening she saw two black scrolls giving off the air of malaise. As she touched them a purple poison began to infect her hands. She looked at her blackened fingers and shrugged—-she had come too far to back down so she placed the scrolls under her arms and made her way back down the ladder. The masked children all seemed like leering ghosts to her as she walked up to the teacher and placed her selections into her bony outstretched hands.

The poison she noticed did not transfer unto teacher's hands. Yan sha looked at her own blackened palms and sighed as the instructor pulled her forwards to a waiting Guo.

Guo stroked his beard as he saw her two chosen black scrolls. "Do you know what poison that is? It's made from the maggots that feed off corpses and the venom and silk of spiders. This is one of the worst methods known to our sect. We don't even teach it to our older students. It's impossible to teach and difficult to master. Why would you choose this?"

The teacher took off her mask and Yan Sha saw it was the woman who had greeted her when she had first come to the school. She touched Yan Sha's hands and sucked them into her mouth. Yan Sha made a face as the old woman's spit started to burn against her hands. The woman's tongue pushed her fingers out and she was surprised to see the poison had been removed from her hands.

"It's not impossible. Eleven summers have we? A girl who has been touched by Langhua and survived to become her daughter. Her path will be different from those we train here. Her path will be free of the martial realm. Her hands and body are softer than the ruffians you have here. She is well-learned and supple to a guide that I can give. She is mine, Master Guo."

Guo eyes seemed almost to pop out of their sockets. "She is much too young to learn those arts. She must be weaned. Let her become a woman before you decide to teach her the flesh arts. A lion should not be a dancer or entrance men. Choose a snake, she cannot hide in the market if she is marked already. She will be found. No."

Yan Sha spoke up. "I want to learn a bit of everything . . . My position is best if I understand all the pieces on the board."

Guo nodded at her. "You may need to have placements across the kingdom. You're quick so first let us prescribe to your method. Learn the art you've chosen and we will show you how to use them."

Yan Sha nodded and the scrolls were placed back into her hands. Although they did sting a bit, she could see the immunity already allowing her to touch. An arm guard let her back into her room before locking the door behind her. She took off her mask and hung it on the side of the bed and placed her scrolls on the side of the table. She was tired.

Like a spider, Ning Zhuo dropped down onto the bed behind her and placed his hands around her shoulders. She let him as she wanted to see whether the shallow cuts on his arms had healed. The sluggish blood had dried to scabs which made her feel better. At least something was progressing normally.

"What did you do today? These black scrolls are dipped in poison so I assume they're teaching you my favorite thing."

Yan Sha moved forwards and turned to face him. "Master Guo said this morning you were kicked out of here. Tell me why?"

Something flickered in the prince's eyes. The black cloth he had wrapped around his face was coated in his sweat which was creating almost a fungal smell. Yan Sha wondered if the wounds on his back were poisoned. "I left. You know that is possible. Father sent me here so I could take over his spy network. You know Guo tells you all about learning how to play Go with countries. I got sick of it so I beat him at his own game."

"How?"

"I murdered some people and I slipped away. It's nothing too serious. I can use my wits to get my way. Then I went home and proved myself to father with some borderland I expanded. I have the crown if he dies. You know he almost did die recently. I could have had a throne if I wanted it. I could have had it all but I'll wait a few more years."