Ling Qi: Our main character. Baroness, Head of the Southern Emerald Seas Ling Clan, and retainer to Cai Renxiang. Member of the Argent Peaks Inner Sect.

  Ling Qingge: Ling Qi’s mother. Formerly of the He clan before being disowned.

  Ling Biyu: Ling Qi’s three year old half-sister. Very adorable.

  Bai Meizhen: A member of the ruling White Serpent branch of the ancient Bai ducal clan, rulers of the Thousand Lakes province, and daughter of Bai Meilin and Hou Zhuang. Ling Qi’s best friend.

  Cai Renxiang: The current heiress to the Cai, the ruling ducal clan of the Emerald Seas, and daughter of Cai Shenhua. Liege and friend to Ling Qi

  Gu Xiulan: A scion of the Gu vicontiel clan of the Golden Fields province. Ling Qi’s friend. Unhappily engaged to Fan Yu.

  Xuan Shi: Friend to Ling Qi and a scion of Xuan ducal clan of the Savage Seas province. A powerful craftsman and lover of literature

  Li Suyin: Friend to Ling Qi, Craftsman of Creepy things, Apprentice to Bao Qingling

  Bao Qingling: A scion of the Bao comital clan and younger sister to Bao Quan. Li Suyin’s mentor. Recently seen chatting with Bai Meizhen

  Ruan Shen: A scion of the Ruan baronial clan. Former music tutor to Ling Qi. The Ruan are subordinate to the Bao comital clan, but the cultivation stage reached by members of the Ruan means they can potentially take up the vicontiel rank.

  Shen Hu: Friendly with Ling Qi. Scion of the very recently created Shen baronial clan.

  Sun Liling: Scion of the Sun Ducal Clan and great-granddaughter of Sun Shao, King of the Western Territories. Opposed Cai Renxiang and her faction in the Outer Sect.

  Ji Rong: Baron, Former member of a street gang. Joined up with Sun Liling

  Kang Zihao: Scion of the Kang comital clan of the Heavenly Peaks province. His father is the current head of the Imperial Guard. Former ally of Sun Liling. Bai Meizhen plans on killing him for his insult regarding her dead mother, Bai Meilin.

  Yan Renshu: A craftsman who viciously hates Ling Qi after she ruined multiple of his bases in one night. He attempted to poison Zhengui. He was crippled by Wen Cao in his first year at the Sect. Entered the Sect two years before Ling Qi’s year did.

  Yu Nuan: A fellow musician who Ling Qi challenged and defeated in a contest of music.

  Liang He: A swordsman who Ling Qi challenged and defeated in single combat.

  Liao Zhu: Rank 2 member of the Inner Sect. Former tutor to Ling Qi and current mentor in the Scouts

  Bian Ya: A scion of the Bian vicontiel clan. Former tutor to Ling Qi in Wind and Wood qi. Seemingly interested in Ruan Shen. The Bian are directly subordinate to the Cai ducal clan, but the cultivation stage reached by members of the Bian means they can potentially take up the comital rank.

  Wang Chao: Scion of Wang comital clan.

  Meng De: Scion of the Meng comital clan

  Luo Zhong: Scion of the Luo comital Clan

  Gan Guangli: Retainer of Cai Renxiang

  Su Ling: Friend of Ling Qi and Li Suyin, her former roommate. She is the daughter of a powerful Spirit Beast, a cyan level fox who seduced and killed her human father. She is a very capable pill crafter. Very grumpy

  Ma Jun and Lei: Former guards of Ling Qi. Friends with Su Ling

  Xiao Fen: Bai Meizhen’s handmaiden and member of the Black Viper branch of the Bai ducal clan.

  Liu Xin: Talented commoner, and Xiao Fen’s friend

  Han Jian: Scion of the Han Marquis clan of the Golden Fields province. Friend of Ling Qi. Rejected Xiulan. Second year Outer Sect member.

  Han Fang: Han Jian’s adopted cousin. Mute after taking a knife meant for Han Jian

  Fan Yu: A scion of the Fan comital clan of the Golden Fields province. Friend of Han Jian. Xiulan’s fiance. Second year Outer Sect member.

  Lu Feng: Vassal and ally of Sun Liling and Scion of the Lu comital clan of the Western Territories. Friend of Ji Rong

  Chu Song: Baroness. She is descended from the fallen Chu clan, a comital clan which was purged by the Cai after attempting to oppose the new Ducal clan’s reforms.

  Huang Da: Scion of the Huang comital clan of the Ebon Rivers province. Blind. Had a crush on Ling Qi and Li Suyin, which was emphatically not returned

  Hong Lin: The unfortunate fiancee of Huang Da

  Wen Ai: Scion of the Wen comital clan of the Ebon Rivers province. Lost to Gu Xiulan in the New Year’s tournament. Formerly blackmailed after Ling Qi stole her love letters.

  Gu Yanmei: Recently Promoted. Xiulan’s Older Sister. Scion of the Gu vicomital clan of the Golden Fields province.

  Guan Zhi: Ling Qi’s commander in the Sect military training program. Member of the Scouts. Niece of Elder Zhou

  Elder Sima Jiao: Grumpy occasional mentor to Ling Qi. Head of the Talisman department. Former Minister of Integrity under Emperor An. Married to Xin

  Xin: Wife, and bonded spirit to Elder Jiao. She is the Archivist of Vice, a powerful prism Hidden Moon spirit.

  Elder Guan Zhou: Commander of the Sect Militaries and initial teacher of Physical Cultivation to Ling Qi

  Elder Hua Su: Initial teacher of Spiritual Cultivation to Ling Qi. Head of the Medicinal Department.

  Elder Hua Heng: Teacher in the Inner Sect. Father to Hua Su, and very old.

  Elder Ying: Helped deal with the Spirits unleashed by the cloud shaman. Taught Ling Qi how to raise Spirit Beasts

  Sect Head Yuan He: Slayer of the Great Khan Ogodei. Head of the Sect

  Zeqing: A powerful Ice Spirit who lived at the peak of White Cloud Mountain (The Outer Sect Mountain). Tutored Ling Qi in Music, Cold and Darkness. Mother to Hanyi. Currently Deceased

  Hidden Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the new moon. It hoards secrets and knowledge. Xin is an aspect of the Hidden Moon. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi

  Dreaming Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the waning gibbous. It represents Dreams, and creation. Sixiang is an aspect of the Dreaming Moon. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi

  Grinning Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waning Crescent. It represents mischief, thieves and cleverness. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi

  Bloody Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waxing Crescent. It represents Vengeance and Justice. It oversaw a Dream Trial in the Inner Sect set during a Weilu Civil War.

  Reflective Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Twin Half Moons. It is linked to self-reflection, contemplation, peace and togetherness. Diplomats often invoke this moon.

  Guiding Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Full Moon. It represents travelers and sailors, and is strongly associated with revealing mystery.

  Mother Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waning Gibbous. It represents the family, motherhood and fertility.

  Cai Shenhua: Duchess of the Emerald Seas province. She holds the title after overthrowing the previous ducal clan, the Hui.

  Diao Linqin: Matriarch of the Diao Count clan. Prime Minister of the Emerald Seas. Cai Shenhua’s lover

  Ai Xiaoli: Mother of Gu Xiulan

  Bai Suzhen: Heiress to the Bai Ducal clan, Aunt to Bai Meizhen

  Bai Meilin: Bai Meizhen’s Deceased mother. Died as a result of being blamed for an Imperial Prince’s Death

  Hou Zhuang: Bai Meizhen’s father, and Spymaster for Bai Suzhen

  Emperor Mu An: The previous emperor. He was a reformist who created the Ministry of Integrity to clamp down on corruption as well as the Great Sects. He recently ascended to become the death aspected Great Spirit Inexorable Justice.

  Empress Mu Xiang: The current empress. Former member of the Ministry of Integrity. Her Mother was an imperial consort to Emperor An and a White Serpent Bai. Her mother was assassinated by the Bai because the ruling faction of the White Serpents opposed closer relations with the Imperial Family

  Bonus: Snake and Spider 1

  It was the taste of corrosion in the air which drew Bai Meizhen’s attention. A familiar scent, which reminded her of home. Where she would sometimes lurk about in the alchemy district to avoid her more aggressive cousins’ attentions. A glance to her side revealed the source. A young woman a year or two her elder, who it had taken her a moment to recognize.

  The odd Bao daughter, the one who did not fit that clans mold. Bai Meizhen knew of her, but only in the sense that she was vaguely aware of the names and positions of every noble member of the Inner Sect. She studied the girl out of the corner of her eye as they joined the little path leading up to Cai Renxiang’s rented pavilion. It was the silk of her rather mannish clothing giving off that scent. What was…… ah, that was interesting.

  “Venom infused silk? That is hardly a common style in this region,” Bai Meizhen commented idly, a single sliding step carrying her into polite speaking range. Through her parted lips she tasted the composition of the toxin on her tongue. It was odd, one she didn’t recognize.

  The reaction to her words was interesting. A sort of full body twitch too minute to notice without close attention, and a sort of rustling motion in the girl’s qi as she jerked her head to the side. Bao Qingling’s eyes came to rest on her face, but it was subtly awkward, not quite natural. Blindness? No, that wasn’t quite right.

  “Not anymore,” Bao Qingling agreed curtly, her tone indicating disinterest.

  Bai Meizhen shifted her stance slightly, leaning her head to one side as if examining the other disciple. Sure enough, another twitch and a slightly delayed movement from the girl’s eyes. A nonstandard perception art? That was interesting. It was rare outside old spirit blooded clans like her own. “I see,” she replied, and considered ending it there, but with so much posturing awaiting her, speaking on an actual enjoyable subject seemed tempting. “Is it your own work?”


  “Yes, spider silk, with my own custom toxin,” she replied, turning her gaze back toward the path. “I am not accepting commissions at this time.”


  How difficult, Bai Meizhen mused. “I would not wish to commission incomplete work regardless.”


  That drew a sharp look. “And what about it is incomplete?” She asked coolly.

  “The corrosion effect is too strong, the silk will decay in a matter of days,” Bai Meizhen replied matter of factly.

  “.……The shelf life is a month at minimum. I don’t know what you’re getting at,” Bao Qingling was starting to scowl.

  “I am Bai, do not question my mastery of venoms,” Meizhen sniffed. Really, she had been hoping to discuss the girl’s mixing process and perhaps give some pointers, there was no need to be…… huffy.

  This time Bao Qingling stopped, staring hard at her through squinted eyes, and Bai Meizhen raised an eyebrow, stopping as well. “.……So you are,” she said after a long second. Her tone was grudging.

  “I do not doubt the quality of the work, but the intensity is rather high,” Bai Meizhen replied as they resumed walking. “The quality, texture and toughness of the silk is significantly divergent. How is the retention of toxin potency?”


  “Seventy five percent,” she replied gruffly. Her fingers twitched with nervous energy. “Still needs workshopping, but progress has been satisfactory so far.” Or so she thought, her tone seemed to say.

  The set of her shoulders was less closed off and hostile now though. It seemed she was not so dull as to not recognize actual expertise when it was given. Still, perhaps she had phrased her own criticism poorly.

  “The work reminds me of the crafts of certain family artifacts. The quality is not quite there, obviously, but it is an intriguing project, the use of treated spider webbing rather than traditional silk is an interesting twist however,” that should smooth any ruffled feathers.

  Indeed, the slouching girl straightened up in obvious pride. It seemed that she was aware of the shadow she worked under. How nice. “You’re too kind. The works of Bai Xiong are treasured masterworks for a reason.”


  They were approaching the entrance now though, and the conversation needed to be on hold. Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi were there, greeting guests.

  “Miss Bai, Miss Bao,” Cai Renxiang greeted formally as they stepped inside. “Welcome to my hall. You honor me with your presence.”


  “Thank you very much for coming,” Ling Qi echoed. “I hope that you find the afternoon enjoyable.”


  “And I am honored by your invitation,” Bai Meizhen replied evenly, she could not help but give Ling Qi an amused look, remembering the sloppy ragamuffin which she had shared her home with a year ago. Some things truly did change. She did her best to ignore the niggling pain in her heart.

  “As am I,” Bao Qingling added stiffly, dipping her head with a twitchy jerk. “You’ve outdone yourself, Lady Cai.”


  “Thank you for your kind words. Please partake as you will of refreshments while the other guests arrive,” Cai Renxiang replied, gesturing that they were free to pass.

  All four of them exchanged the necessary pleasantries and motions as they stepped past. She would have to speak with her friends later, they would be busy for some time, and it would be rude to monopolize the host’s time. Which meant……

  She could worry about her duties later. She

  been having a pleasant conversation.

  “I would be interested to see the reaction of your silk to some Bai venoms,” Bai Meizhen resumed as they approached the refreshments. Poison craft was something of a hobby of hers. While all Bai were instructed in the basics of the art in order to make the cultivation of their arts more efficient, it was a little beneath a White Serpent to perform material alchemy past childhood. Although, not unacceptably so if it was for personal use.

  “Is that so,” Bao Qingling replied, sounding slightly suspicious. “I don’t mean any insult to your knowledge, but why the sudden interest?”


  Because she was lonely, a quiet part of Meizhen’s mind whispered. Because she saw how Ling Qi flitted between groups of friends, and she wanted that too. Why shouldn’t she have someone to discuss her hobby with. “Poison crafting is not a much honored art in Emerald Seas. It is not something which I have had much opportunity to discuss or practise with peers.”


  “Well, not going to refuse advice from a Bai,” Bao Qingling said grudgingly, accepting a cup of cider from the server at the table. “If you’re right about the silk anyway.”


  “I shall expect your message in three days time then,” Bai Meizhen said, smiling thinly.

  “Hmph,” the girl grumbled. “Well, I need to go Miss Bai. I have things to do at this…… party.”


  “I as well,” Meizhen sighed as they turned away from each other. She did hope that Bao Qingling would contact her.

  ***

  “I believe I have discovered the source of the issue,” the dangerous creature standing over her work table said placidly.

  Bao Qingling felt the shift in familiar air currents as the other girl moved, even as she worked on the skein of silk forming on her loom. The fact that her work

  been flawed still stuck in her throat like a bitter pill with a flawed casing. “Is that so,” she said flatly. “Well, what is your insight?”


  Bao Qingling did not like being off balance. She did not like uncertainty. She did not like

  Usually this was not a problem. Her fellow disciples assumed that her brusque manner implied a lack of understanding, of simplicity.

  No, she understood most of them perfectly well. That was why she held them in such contempt. However, Bai Meizhen was refusing to be categorized properly, and it irked her.

  “It is a flaw in your approach to the subject as a whole,” The girl said, speaking words which effortlessly and openly insulted her. Yet there was no malice in them. Bao Qingling’s fingers twitched in agitation as she spun on her heel, looking down at the pale white blob occupying her lab. If that were her only sense, then she would have shot back a barb of her own.

  But Bao Qingling had stopped relying on her eyes a long time ago. The delicate sense-threads of Qi which radiated from her meridians shuddered and vibrated. The nigh invisible hairs of her body prickled despite the thick clothing she wore. All because she had focused on that girl.

  She was an abyssal vortex, descending into the depths, and her current commanded both attention and respect. Bao Qingling was the stronger of them, for now, but she was pragmatic enough to know the power of blood. This was a temporary state of affairs at best.

  “Explain,” she said curtly. She did not understand this woman’s purpose. She was not interested in a commission. She was not interested in denigrating Bao Qingling, else she would have voiced the flaw at the party. She did not seem to simply be bored and playing, as some highborn individuals seemed to do.

  Everything Bao Qingling understood about social interactions indicated that she was merely seeking to indulge a shared hobby, but that was absurd. There was obviously some factor she was missing. Were the Bai seeking something in regards to the routes which ran through Bao lands? If so, this was an odd way to go about it. What were……

  “You began from the basis of a medicinal cultivator. This has resulted in a serious flaw in your mixtures. You treat poisoncraft as an extension of medicinal arts,” Bai Meizhen replied, derailing her thoughts.

  Bao Qingling narrowed her eyes, her foot tapping impatiently. Replies tripped over one another in her thoughts as she examined the words for meaning, picking them apart. Discard condescension, habitual affectation. Implication of some insight available to the Bai not available in the public archives which had formed her own foundation. “How is it not?” she asked bluntly. “Poison is merely the principals of medicine turned to harm.”


  “Not inaccurate in some ways, and sufficient for most projects. Certainly both crafts require a similar understanding of the anatomy of body and spirit,” Bai Meizhen replied. There was a whisper of moving air, and then Bao Qingling scented the faintly acidic smell of her fourteenth test batch. She must have unsealed a vial. “However, this mindset leads to you having integrated the concept of excess into your mixtures. This batch in particular, your final mix, is merely a heart soothing medication with it’s potency raised to the point where it will cause a fatal slackening and loss of pressure in the veins.”


  Bao Qingling’s foot stopped tapping. Bai Meizhen’s voice was pleasant when tinged with excitement. Discard. “.……The corrosion is caused by the inclusion of the concept of excess. Despite all of the safeguards.”


  “Indeed so,” Bai Meizhen replied. There was a faint sizzling and a fluctuation in qi as the other girl drew the venom from the vial with a flick of her finger, a glittering cord of liquid visible in Bao Qingling’s spirit senses. “So while the quality and potency of the toxin is high, it is unsuitable for the task of envenoming organic fiber. Such a conceptual element is incompatible with materials with lives shorter than stone or metal.”


  Such a simple but fundamental error. So much wasted time. “It should be possible to reinforce silk to have a similar lifetime,” she said slowly. “But the conceptual excess will constantly damage such safeguards. It would be possible to counteract this but it would be……”


  “Inefficient,” Bai Meizhen said, overlapping her words.

  She stared at Bai Meizhen in silence for several seconds. “And what is the secret I am missing, then Lady Bai,” this was likely the end of it. Her curiosity satisfied, Bai Meizhen would take her leave, and Bao Qingling would have to begin reconstructing her projects from the ground up. Again. Perhaps this time Father could be persuaded to make the purchases which he had previously rebuffed, even with her increased allowance she could not afford the texts she wanted without dangerously curtailing her cultivation.

  “Oh, the root of it is simple enough. It is hardly a secret. You must develop your venoms from the beginning with only the intent to harm and no thought to any beneficial effects; to inflict suffering and cripple to the exact extent which you desire and no more,” there was a shift in the pale blob, and an odd vibration through her strands. “It will require some shift in mindset, but I am willing to assist you, should you desire.”


  That was…… self consciousness, at the end there. As if accepting her offer of assistance as a scion of the Bai was Bao Qingling doing

  a favor. Nonsensical.

  But could she really afford to reject it, no matter what plot lay beyond?

  Bonus 4: Growing Unease

  Han Jian restrained the urge to put his head into his hands as Yu stomped away from the table of their shared abode, a glower on his face.

  Why had he volunteered to be sent to the Sect again? He had promised himself that he would be more dedicated in the future of course, but couldn’t he have done that at the training yards and meditation halls of his home? Surely coming out here where his only points of familiarity were a boy who regularly got on his nerves and a girl who he really, really should have been keeping his distance from.

  He knew perfectly well that the situation between the three of them was untenable, even if Yu was outwardly oblivious to it. Xiulan…… he still remembered their first meeting, and the mutual childish affection that had bloomed there. They were past the point of putting such things aside though. He just wished she could see that. He doubted Yu was so dull that he would miss the way Xiulan looked at him forever. Their families had made the arrangement and that was that. Han Jian was still unengaged, but that was only because Father bucked tradition a bit, and saw no reason to finalize arrangements that wouldn’t be resolved for decades yet. Han Jian would probably end up betrothed to a nice woman a few decades his senior when the time came, or perhaps someone with a good political connection or two at a younger age if they could be found.

  Of course, that wasn’t even the only problem anymore. Fan Yu had failed Elder Zhou’s test, and it felt like oil had been poured on the fire. Xiulan had never exactly been…… friendly, toward her fiance, but the fit of self pity Fan Yu had sunk into afterward, with his arm crippled by a confrontation with a Bai of all things, had magnified her dislike into outright contempt.

  Then of course there was Ling Qi. She was a nice enough girl, in her own odd way, but something about her irked him. He didn’t regret his kindness, not the least because an excuse to spend a few precious hours away from Yu were welcome in those early weeks. Yet…… she had asked after him less and less. In the wake of Elder Zhou’s test, he saw her only at training, she was apparently in the sphere of that Bai. He was a scion of the Han family, marquess’ of the Ashen Wastens. He was not as far below the great ducal families as most…… but it left him feeling useless, knowing that even his charity could be one upped so effortlessly.

  Han Jian blinked as a calloused hand fell on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked up, and met the steady gaze of his ‘cousin’ Han Fang. The taller boy offered him a crooked smile, and made a few signs.

  Han Jian let out a short bark of laughter, straightening up his shoulders. “You’re not wrong, beating up some targets on the training field might help.”


  Han Fang just nodded amiably, stepping back to give Han Jian room to push out his chair and stand up. He made another sign.

  “It’s nothing you need to worry about,” Han Jian assured him. Han Fang was the one person from home who he could rely on implicitly. The good feeling soured as Han Jian’s eyes traced the scar on his cousins throat. Of course, he didn’t deserve even that.

  Han Fang gave him a curious look, and Han Jian shook his head. “Sorry, woolgathering again. It’s just one of those days.” He deliberately turned his thoughts away from the memory of the boy lying still in a pool of blood, and the screams of the assassin as his father tore apart the room and scoured the flesh from the man’s bones in a howling dervish of sand and ash.

  Even if it seemed useless, with all these talents standing above him, he couldn’t let himself backslide. He’d made a promise to himself that he’d pay back that devotion by being someone worthy of it. He was putting everything he had into improving and cultivating. He was behind, that was true, but surely that effort had to count for something?

  “Why don’t we go hunting afterward?” He suggested as he headed for the door, not betraying his thoughts on his face with the ease of long practice. A consequence of his lacklustre efforts in past meant that his allowance was…… less than optimal. It stung that his Father didn’t trust him to wisely use more expensive resources. He would have to supplement it in these last few weeks before the mail opened back up.

  Han Fang nodded enthusiastically as they left the house, signing animatedly.

  “.……What is with you and bears,” Han Jian laughed. “I know we don’t have them at home, but you’re being a little silly now,” he knew the other boy was mostly trying to lighten the mood, but he didn’t see any reason not to play along.

  As they walked toward the exit though, Han Jian found his smile once again becoming strained as he saw what lay ahead of them in the street. There was a small crowd around the entrance, at the center of which stood Kang Zihao. Who stood chatting with several other boys, with a smile on his handsome face.

  Han Jian felt a stab of envy, Kang Zihao was in a lot of ways everything he wanted to be. A dedicated and talented cultivator, and a leader who attracted followers easily. Something about the other boy pissed him off though, even if he couldn’t quite put the finger on why. It wasn’t purely a matter of envy, or so he hoped.

  Kang Zihao, looking over the heads of the other boys met his eyes then. “Sect Brother Han, I hope the day finds you well. Did you catch word of the gathering I was planning?”


  “I’m afraid not, Sect Brother Kang,” Han Jian replied back smoothly as the group around Kang parted seamlessly to allow him to step forward. “I have been focusing on my cultivation, I was just about to go on a little hunting trip with my cousin is all.”


  “Admirable dedication Sect Brother,” Kang replied, a slight patronizing edge to his tone that set Han Jian’s teeth on edge. “I was just instructing some of our less well off brothers, before we took a trip of our own. It is important that everyone remain on guard for the ne’er do wells in our midst after all. You are welcome to join us.”


  “Thank you for your offer,” Han Jian replied evenly. “It is admirable that Sect Brother Kang would take the time to help our other brothers so,” it was a fairly standard tactic, find the somewhat talented commoners, offer them scraps and build a sense of loyalty. Not too dissimilar from what he had done, now that he thought about it……

  That was different though, he hadn’t helped Ling Qi for that reason. No one wanted to come back to Golden Fields anyway.

  “I will have to decline however, my cousin and I are looking into more dangerous game,” the lie came easily. Han Jian just didn’t want to deal with other people right now, and Kang Zihao even less.

  “A shame, Brother Han,” Kang Zihao comisserated, though it didn’t sound very genuine to Han Jian’s ear. “Perhaps another time then.”


  “Perhaps,” Han Jian replied, offering a small bow before resuming his walk. Han Fang remained behind him like a silent shadow. Han Jian envied his cousins ability to fade into the background during social situations sometimes.

  Though that wasn’t really an option for him, Han Jian supposed. In any case, they would soon be away from people and their troubles. Han Jian looked forward to the more straightforward challenges the wilderness brought.

  Who knew, perhaps Han Fang really would get to wrestle a bear this time.

  Bonus: Macabre

  Li Suyin hummed tunelessly as the bone under her fingers shifted like wax. The ribs flattened and widened, shifting from the contours of a quadruped to a biped. The rest of the horse skeleton she was working on lay neatly across her table, carefully organized for transformation and reassembly. Three more like it were stacked in the crates beneath the table, courtesy of the stablemaster of the town. He was such a kind man, Li Suyin thought, providing her with the remains without charge. She would have to see about crafting a gift when her project was done.

  She pressed her thumb against the sternum of the ribs, smoothing away the last imperfections, and turned her eyes toward the spinal column. Already molded into bipedal shape, it lay split open vertically across her workbench, its internals now clean and dry, stripped of nerve tissue and emptied of marrow.

  Li Suyin snapped her fingers, and the hammocks of webbing which hung overhead twitched. A steel etching stylus descended into her grasp on a narrow thread of webbing. Tucking her hair behind her ear as she bent low to begin carving the first formation symbols into the bone, Li Suyin said, “Prepare extracts seven, twelve, and sixteen please.”


  ,

  whispered the tinny voice of her companion. A many legged shadow skittered across the table as Zhenli’s body passed in front of the lantern, scurrying for the supply cabinets.

  A long moment passed, and Li Suyin glanced up. “Zhenli?”


  The cat-sized spider had paused above the cabinet, three smoked glass vials held to her abdomen with two legs. A full body twitch traveled through her legs as the spider ducked her head.

  Li Suyin blinked in surprise. Already? She had not been expecting her senior sister for several hours yet. This was highly unusual. Bao Qingling was extremely punctual. “Set the extracts on the work table then, Zhenli. You can begin etching the tertiary formations while I am out.”


  Zhenli murmured a quiet agreement as Li Suyin set her tools down. She was glad that her spirit was so dutiful and neat; it made her projects go so much faster to have such a helper.

  Leaving her main workshop behind, Li Suyin approached the front door of her sect dwelling and opened the door, peering out curiously. “Welcome to my home, Senior Sister. Did something happen? Our meeting was not scheduled for two hours yet.”


  Bao Qingling shook her head briskly. She was still wearing her work clothing with its thick apron and leather gloves. The crystal goggles that covered her eyes in the lab hung loosely around her neck. “Unfortunately, I have a meeting I cannot refuse. It was very sudden,” Bao Qingling said dully. “My apologies for interrupting your own work. It was my assumption that you would prefer this to cancelation.”


  “Of course. Come in,” Li Suyin said, stepping aside to give her room. There was no point in asking who had forced a meeting on her. If Senior Sister intended to tell her, she already would have. “Thank you for coming out despite the problem. There is a project I require your advice on before I move to the next step, so a delay would be problematic……”


  “Understandable,” Bao Qingling grunted, stepping past her. Her teacher was always difficult to read, but her words lacked that extra cutting edge that indicated her temper. The upcoming meeting must not be bad then. “Which workshop?”


  “The basement workshop,” Li Suyin said, easily falling back into old habits. There was no need for extra words with Bao Qingling.

  “Lu Wei’s work has held up?” Bao Qingling asked as they began to make their way down the hall.

  “Yes, Senior Sister. Thank you for your recommendation.” She was glad that the elders had given her special dispensation to add to her dwelling in light of her projects, even if the funding had come out of her own reserves.

  Bao Qingling made an affirmative sound in the back of her throat as they reached the end of the hallway where she had installed the trapdoor. It was a heavy thing cast from blood-wrought iron, much like the lining in the basement’s walls. The sealing effect was really very good. Tapping her foot on the floor, the trapdoor rose of its own accord, revealing the narrow black tunnel that descended into the bedrock of the mountain.

  Her mentor cocked her head to the side. “No climbing apparatus?”


  “I did not see the point,” Li Suyin said. “The walls are trapped of course, and the landing is keyed to only myself and four others.”


  Bao Qingling made a noise of approval and stepped out into the hole, vanishing into darkness. Li Suyin smiled, pleased at her approval, and followed after.

  The basement workshop was lit with pale green light and filled with the sound of bubbling liquid. Its walls were damp, approximating the humidity of the fungal forests she had found below. Spread across the far wall was the carefully sketched diagram of the anatomy of the beetle creature Ling Qi had helped her harvest, done from memory and aided by her vivisection of one of the captured embryos. Across the work table set against the right wall were the remains in various states of cataloguing and processing.

  Her actual project, however, floated in a bubbling tube roughly one and a half meters wide and tall enough to reach from floor to ceiling. It was one of the beetle beasts, stripped carefully from its egg without harming the partially developed creature. Bubbles periodically emerged from the spiracles on its side, rising through the faintly glowing medical solution and sending the light dancing.

  Bao Qingling observed this all without expression as Li Suyin nervously took up a place beside her. “You see……”


  “You’re attempting to modify the beast into something more tractable.” Bao Qingling said bluntly.

  As expected of her senior sister, Li Suyin thought. “Yes, I want to modify and raise it myself for loyalty, but, um, I’m not entirely certain where this sort of spiritual surgery falls—legally, that is.” Li Suyin wrung her hands, voice shrinking with each word. “I’ve looked such things up, but the laws are vague on the matter of beasts.”


  Spiritual modification was a restricted subject outside of certain common procedures necessary for cultivation, and performing such operations on any person other than yourself required approval and the presence of an official of the Ministry of Integrity. “Could you guide me on the matter, Senior Sister?”


  The older girl was silent for several long moments. “Show me your plans. I doubt the elders would allow you to have gotten this far if it was a legal problem, but you need to watch out for tripping over ‘polite’—” Bao Qingling pronounced the word with disgust “—sensibilities.”


  Li Suyin breathed a sigh of relief. She was very much looking forward to this project.

  Interlude: The Cobbler and the Viper

  Liu Xin fled through the woods, his robes flapping in the wind.

  He heard the snap of a twig to his right and the flash of steel. Immediately, he dipped his hand into a sewn on pocket and flung out the contents, channeling a trickle of qi. The fine grained sand that he had flung hissed white hot, the cloud expanding to engulf the boy that had come bounding out from the trees.

  The boy howled, the sword dropping from his hands as he clawed at his face, and Liu Xin darted in, fist already drawn back for a punch. The heated grit in the air stung his skin but didn’t burn. One hard jab, strike under the ribs, push through. When he stumbled, strike the knee. The boy toppled over, and Liu Xin fled past him.

  It was a good thing that even before the Ministry had come, he had learned to fight. The rootways were a rough place; you had to be a little rough to get by. Liu Xin was more than a little rough. He bounded over a fallen log, the strength of cultivation in his legs launching him a good three meters before his feet touched the forest floor.

  He’d had to get rougher in the last year after his shitty old man had caught him experimenting with Tanner Shou’s son and disowned him. Liu Xin’s tight expression curled into a scowl as he took a sharp left away from the sound of crashing feet and tearing underbrush.

  Dammit! This was all because he couldn’t control his mouth. He’d heard that sluggard Hou Jin complaining about how unfair the elders were, and a comment had just slipped out.

  Hou Jin had a lot of money and just as many ‘friends.’


  His feet beat against the forest loam, and he felt something snatch at his ankle. Running as he was, he could only curse as he saw the rootlet that had curled around his ankle, sparking with qi. He rolled as he hit the ground, managing not to land flat on his face but only just. Brambles tore at his robe and his shoulder cracked against a tree trunk before he sprang to his feet.

  They had him surrounded. He counted eight of them, including Hou Jin himself. He scanned his surroundings, noting the knives, swords, and clubs readied in their hands. One of these clowns, he could take, maybe even two or three. He hadn’t been slacking off in the elder’s lessons after all. But eight was too many. Maybe he could break to the left……

  “Such a desperate little rat.” Hou Jin was red faced, his cheeks quivering with outrage and exertion, but the fatty still walked with a swagger that set Liu Xin’s teeth on edge. “Your beating is going to be so much worse now. You should have known your place and accepted your punishment.”


  That earned some dark chuckles from his thugs, and Liu Xin glanced around, the rough bark of the tree at his back scraping against his robe. Hou Jin had demanded his month’s spirit stones for the insult. As if the damn silk pants needed them.

  “Right, right, how foolish for this humble peasant to ignore your lordship’s kindness,” he said dryly. His eyes darted back and forth trying to determine which of the thugs would go down the easiest. He still had one more pouch of burning sand.

  The fucker didn’t even acknowledge his sarcasm, merely cracking his knuckles threateningly. “Indeed. You should have known better than to cross this young lord,” he sniffed. “So give thanks for the lesson.”


  Liu Xin bared his teeth. He had already hidden the stones and the pills he’d scavenged. “If Sir Piggy is so great, I don’t see why we need the audience,” he sneered.

  Stars exploded in his vision, and his head cracked against the back of the tree. Liu Xin tasted blood in his mouth. Hou Jin looked down at the flecks of blood on his knuckles in disdain. Liu Xin hadn’t even managed to react.

  It wasn’t fucking fair. This whining fastass had started so far ahead, and he dared complain about their lessons?

  “Taking out the trash is what servants are for, fool,” Hou Jin said coldly. One of the thugs raised his club. They wouldn’t kill him, but this was going to suck all the same. It was now or never. Liu Xin’s hand dipped into his pocket and……

  Facing as they were, only Liu Xin saw the strip of shadow peel away from the tree.

  Everyone heard the horrifying noise as the arm of the boy raising the club jerked to the side and fell limp at his side, dislocated and useless. His startled scream had the others wheeling. A black blur streaked across a disciple’s face, deforming his nose and sending teeth flying. A girl with a knife stabbed out at the blur, and her wrist bent backward with a hideous crack. The tallest of the thugs, a boy half again Liu Xin’s height, went down with a falsetto scream as a dainty knee drove three times into his groin, ending with a sickening pop.

  “W-who dares!” Hou Jin bellowed, even as a jeweled sword appeared in his hands, the shimmer of a defensive art crackling in the air.

  The blur resolved, and Liu Xin stared blankly at the slender girl standing there in the middle of the four sobbing disciples. Her robe was plain and black, only the silver lining marking her as a disciple. Her skin was unearthly pale, but for the gleaming dark scales that marked her brow, and her long hair was a lustrous black.

  Her pale yellow eyes fell on him, and Liu Xin swallowed hard.

  He had met this girl before. She was part of the elder’s advanced lessons, and they had been paired for sparring several times. She was a cruel and vicious fighter, and rumor had it she was part snake, a member of some powerful family from another province. He was always left on the ground after their spars, barely able to walk. But that hadn’t been unusual early on. She at least gave real pointers. He got the feeling she didn’t look down on him more than anyone else either.

  “Liu Xin, you are late for tea.” Her voice was cold and brusque without a hint of emotion.

  But for the groans of the wounded, a pin drop could have been heard in the clearing. Ah, that was right. Yesterday, she had approached him and stated that they were going to take tea together. He’d found it bizarre, and he’d kind of thought he was being pranked by an illusion, but today’s events had put it out of his head.

  “Excuse me! What do you think you are doing, assaulting us like this?! You cannot expect to just……” Hou Jin began to snarl.

  Her eyes flicked in his direction, and the words died in Hou Jin’s throat, his face going a blotchy red and white. “Hou Jin, fifth son of the fourth son of the Head of Clan Hou, Counts of the Eighth Peak in the Celestial Peaks. Prospects: mediocre. Status: Irrelevant. Be silent when your betters are speaking.”


  Liu Xin felt laughter bubbling in his throat as Hou Jin sputtered and the remaining disciples milled in confusion and fear. “I was a little held up.”


  “I see this. I will forgive your slight given the circumstances. You will improve yourself in the future,” Xiao Fen said seriously. “Come. I will not extend our reservation again.”


  “Lady Xiao -” Hou Jin began again.

  Xiao Fen’s form blurred, and his words cut out into a wet gurgle as her tiny fist buried itself in his throat. Hou Jin fell to his knees, gagging violently as the veins on his neck blackened and crackling frost spread across his skin.

  “I said ‘be silent,’ trash. It was not a request,” Xiao Fen said harshly. She turned without a further word to leave.

  Liu Xin stood straight and took a step to follow her. None of Hou Jin’s friends moved to stop him. He met the closest boy’s eyes, and it was the other disciple who lowered his head. He hurried to catch up to Xiao Fen.

  “Thank you for the assist,” Liu Xin said carefully, as he caught up, eying her warily.

  “Thanks are unnecessary. Continue cultivating so that you do not require assistance against such worthless individuals again,” Xiao Fen replied.

  Liu Xin nodded, his thoughts spinning as he tried to figure out just what the hell was going on. He hit upon an idea, a very worrying one. He wondered if his mouth was going to get him beaten anyway. “Just, uh, so you know. I’m not inclined to women.” He’d heard noblewomen sometimes did things like that, and however strong Xiao Fen was, he didn’t intend to be anyone’s toy.

  “Of course outsider nobles would be so disgusting,” Xiao Fen said with contempt. Her eyes turned toward him, and Liu Xin flinched. “As a Xiao, I have no use for carnal relations outside reproduction,” she said without a hint of embarrassment.

  “Oh, uh, that’s good,” Liu Xin said awkwardly as they walked through the forest. “So…… why?”


  “My Mistress ordered that I make a friend,” Xiao Fen said matter-of-factly. “Having reviewed the disciples present this year, I have determined that you will be my friend. Your battle instinct and drive are admirable.”


  “Thanks, you’ve got a mean jab,” Liu Xin said blankly, processing the crazy girl’s words. “So you mauled a comital scion because I’m your friend?”


  “I silenced trash because he did not know his place,” Xiao Fen answered. “I stepped into the situation because you are my friend. Having spoken with my Mistress on the subject, I determined that this was correct action. Do you believe I erred?”


  She was completely nuts, Liu Xin thought faintly. “N-no, friends are supposed to help each other out.”


  “Very good,” Xiao Fen said, finally showing an emotion, a touch of satisfaction showing in the upward quirk of her lips. “Now, tea. It is necessary for friends to share their non-vital interests.”


  “Right,” Liu Xin said dizzily as they stepped out of the woods. Just what had he gotten himself into?