Chapter 91: Rivalry and Animosity
The smallest actions often reveal the truest character. A moment of impulsive kindness may accomplish what years of careful planning cannot. Watch not what people do when they have time to consider, but what they do when instinct alone guides their hand.
—Master Yan Hui, Teacher of Common Wisdom
Su Yin slammed another useless manual shut, sending a puff of dust into the air. The ancient texts surrounding her in the dimly lit archive held thousands of herb descriptions, but none matched what she sought. Her grandmother’s permission to access the restricted section should have given her an advantage, yet time slipped away like sand through her fingers.
The memory of Lin Xiulan’s perfect answers burned in her mind. A complete novice—according to whispered conversations with other disciples—had outperformed years of dedicated study. The rumors painted an alarming picture: violence in Elder Chang Liu’s combat class, attacking senior disciples, and now this inexplicable mastery of rare herbs.
“Breathe.” Su Yin exhaled sharply and reached for another bamboo scroll. The delicate paper crackled under her touch as she unrolled it.
During the test, when Grandmother Wang displayed three extremely rare specimens that no one in their class should have heard of or learned about.
She had recognized one thanks to her Grandmother’s personal tutoring. Victory had seemed certain.
Then Xiulan identified two.
Su Yin’s fingers tightened on the scroll’s edges. “How?” The word escaped as barely more than a whisper. Her grandmother’s teasing laughter echoed in her memory, along with the passing of the archive key.
The shelves of ancient manuals loomed like silent sentinels. Somewhere within lay the answer—it had to. Grandmother wouldn’t have directed her here otherwise. Su Yin closed her eyes, picturing the precise details of the inked illustrations from the test: the distinctive branching pattern of the tree, the unique leaf arrangement of the herb.
Su Yin traced the inked drawings in her mind again. Xiulan couldn’t have accessed these archives—she’d checked the entrance logs herself.
The tree resembled a sect treasure, too valuable for common knowledge. The herb offered more promise.