[ 11 ]
Old Tengfei had been in touch. He wasn't having any success in finding what such poison was called, but he was able to, through the report ShuNing sent him on the children, analyse the potency, effects and timescale of the toxin.
That's why ShuNing found himself in the jade-level library. His current time was divided by either practising his distillation of herbs, creating various medicines that were used to help the eight poisoned children, or wrapped up in thick books trying to find out any information about popular yet life-threatening elixirs. Which was limited due to the level of the library.
From what Tengfei told him, the poison's toxicity was highly dependant on how much is given to the target. Himself, for example, Tengfei suspects he was given this poison in fragments over a few years which slowly withered away at his immune system. Because of how small the dosage was, it went by undetectable if you weren't aware of its presence.
As for the children, from the vial that the expert medicinal and herbal cultivator inspected, Tengfei believes that it was the same in terms of little and often before whoever giving the orders became impatient, and ordered for the dosage to be increased. Because of that, it resulted in the quick crash of physical health from the children.
This confused ShuNing more so, as he knew it was XeWife that was pulling the strings- but what was there for her to fear? Though she was married to a highly unpredictable man, who showed her no favouritism, she still maintained a solid status within the Clan. The woman was smart, deadly..but for some reason she was beginning to act rashly. She appeared almost desperate to cull the illegitimate children of XeLeader.
Perhaps her position was wavering more than she wished people to know.
Book after book was closed and pushed to the side, words that brought him no closer to figuring out what it was killing the innocents. Though Tengfei guaranteed that he had years to live as he hadn't taken the poison lately, he couldn't say the same for those who were teetering on the edge.
This applied an abundance of pressure onto ShuNing's shoulders. More than he had ever experienced before, in this world and in his original. Looking back, he lamented how he look his easy-going life for granted. Never had he been presented with such challenges. His life, in actuality, couldn't be any further from what the victim Shu Ning had to live.
For one, Fahren's mother cherished him. He was the youngest of three sons, his older brothers easily outshining him in every aspect. The stereotype of the third child getting away with everything couldn't have been more prominent in his family. Whilst his brothers welcomed the pressures of society, utilising it to drive them onwards, Fahren decidedly battered it away and moved at his own pace.
This came with a price, as he was deemed lazy by his siblings who thought him a nuisance and over the years that rift increased. Much to their mothers grief.
The enchanting youth who sat in front of a desk within the jade-level library, felt his chest tighten as his thoughts tumbled down the route of reminiscing. Though he wasn't an overly-emotional person, they were acute when it came to his family. He missed them.
No doubt if his brothers were here, they would have mapped everything out to the finest details. It was likely their SpiritCore's would be elemental-cultivator level.
Snapping out of it, before he got lost in depression, ShuNing rubbed his temples before standing up to walk around the library. This would be the third time he had looped around but he shook that knowledge away and acted as if this were his first glance. Taking in each books titles, even some that he had to wipe the dust off of, he found himself walking up the stairs.
Though there wasn't much on the second floor in terms of what he was looking for, he still remained optimistic. If Tengfei couldn't identify this poison on his own, all he could rely on was ShuNing. The wise man wasn't particularly shocked when ShuNing asked for this to be kept under-wraps, at least for the time being.
The blind man understood, from his many years of working in and around XeClan, that some people were willing to do anything for power. Which included poisoning innocent children, who were non-the-wiser about their heritage. More specifically, the one that they would never amount to because of their less than impressive SpiritCores.
When he reached the end of another bookcase, that was stacked full with books that were meaningless to him, he cursed his life. Why did he have to take all the weight on his shoulders? He knew that he had a personality that easily gave up on things. Which is why he never mastered an instrument, or another language, but this was too much. If not for System acting all Eagle-Eye by monitoring his every movement, he would have fobbed the task off in the earlier stages, instead choosing to cocoon in his new cloak and munch on the cute little cakes that Mianmian liked to make for him.
Instead he had opted to take on the task of ridding this clan of all their toxins, which meant every other person. These people, although born to this fantasy world, were still more intelligent than himself. When he died, he was only twenty-three and was only barely able to figure out how to pay his taxes, let alone orchestrate a scheme to unearth XeWife's black-hearted nature, find and potentially have some part in creating an antidote, all whilst faking a smile to those higher of status as if he were some pure of heart lotus. Mess up any of those? He may quite literally loose his head.
Sighing sorrowfully, ShuNing wished he could just find a broad chest to snuggle into and forget about all these issues.
The sound of a page turning alerted the grumbling young man to his surroundings. Looking over his shoulder, to the seating area, his eyes landed on an elegant figure. A gasp left his mouth as he turned entirely to face the familiar man. It was the same person that ShuNing often encountered when he visited this library. By encountered, he meant receiving a glance of acknowledgement by the other man who appeared completely uninterested in him.
ShuNing couldn't control his curiosity, "How did you.."
When the other man lifted his attention from the book in his grasp, ShuNing gulped. This was the closest he had ever been to the man, since he was looking through the books that were nearest to the seating area. As for his blurted question, it was valid. The man sat as if he had been there the entire time, which ShuNing knew was not the case. He also wouldn't have not heard the broader man if he had approached only moments before.
Though, with such closeness he was able to pick up on the finer details of the other man's appearance that he wasn't able to see the other times. Such as the handsome man's obscure-coloured eyes, which from a distance looked a common black, but up close you could see various specks of purple on the iris. The colour looked similar, if not accurate, to the light robe he wore over his shoulders; the very same one he always discarded on the back of his seat.
Realising he had been staring, as he always ended up doing when coming face to face with the stranger, ShuNing lowered himself into the respectful greeting. Though this particular action was reserved for those of higher-status, the stranger never once dismissed his formal greeting, which meant ShuNing was correct in assuming the man was of much higher class but chose to reside within this library. For whatever reason.
"Forgive my tardiness, elder brother, although your presence is great your movements are as silent as a mouse."
Expecting the usual dismissal, ShuNing lifted his head and stood upright before intending to move.
"What is a mouse?" Tone flat, but a question nonetheless ShuNing was taken aback.
"Ah..um.." He ridiculously sounded, his brain momentarily fizzled out before quickly grasping it for a less-embarrassing response. "Answering elder brother, a mouse is a small creature..." he trailed off in realisation that a definition of a mouse wasn't going to sweeten their relationship. He was quietly confident that the opposite individual, in all his gloriously eye-catching form, wouldn't take a liking to being compared to a rodent.
"..a small creature, who is highly intelligent and stealthy, that is also considered one of the greatest-looking of all the little beasts." ShuNing added quickly.
The stranger was unmoving as he absorbed this new information. Eventually his book closed with a soft thump and the handsome man regarded him with a new expression. Although not smiling, which ShuNing guessed the man rarely did, the strangers expression appeared much lighter than before.
"We do not know each other, and yet you believe me intelligent, stealthy and good-looking?" Though it would appear the man was being confrontational, ShuNing wasn't convinced. The handsome man who sat with his back straight and a flat-ish expression seemed to just be genuinely curious.
The younger of the two felt that he could breathe a little. He even took a little step towards the ethereal beauty of the raven-haired aristocrat. "I can only predict that you are intelligent, elder brother, by your constant presence in the library. Plus, at just a glance, I can see that the level of your chosen writings are beyond that of jade-level. Your stealthiness I only just confirmed, as I did not hear you approach, which for even an individual with the lightest of steps could not master." ShuNing cocked his head ever so slightly, wondering if he should continue. But as the man didn't exude any air that he should consider dangerous, he continued.
"As for your appearance, young master, I am not visually-impaired. From the first moment I spotted you I was able to deem you quite enchanting."
The purple eyes watched him closely, regarding his words. After a short silence, the attractive man released a 'hmph' and sat back in his seat with the book he was reading now on his lap.
"You are as good with your words as I remember."
"Elder brother?"
"Formalities don't suite you, just call me Zhang Feng." The man responded, oddly just with his first and most personal names, completely leaving out his family one.
Getting this far was an achievement for ShuNing, so he didn't linger on the obscurity. He bobbed his head in acknowledgement. ZhangFeng, ZhangFeng, ZhangFeng. Even his name was far more masculine than his own.
"Have we met before elder-Zhang Feng?"
"Mm. I watched your trial, I was impressed by your performance."
ShuNing became wary, perhaps this man truly was too intelligent. "Performance?" He dared ask.
This man, Zhang Feng, sat comfortably as he watched ShuNing's every twitch. When he noted the younger man's slight tension in his shoulders, he decided to speak again. "It was commendable. At such a young age, you possess the foresight to know that many of the people within the top-branch of XeClan can be blinded by their own egotism. Your body language, your words.. you played them well. Whilst you did not commit such a crime, I doubt you are so innocent." ZhangFeng's words dripped with confidence. Daring ShuNing to negate his suspicion.
The light expression that once masked ShuNing's face evaporated to a more neutral one. His pink-hued lips were in a flat line as his half-lidded eyes returned the stare originating from his interrogator.
"Is anyone so innocent in this world anymore?" ShuNing enquired. The man opposite suddenly appeared more interested. One of his naturally-narrowed brows lifted as he mulled over the question. Though, it was mostly rhetorical as both knew the answer.
"I'm sure XeLeader is aware of the facade I played that day, because everyone around him plays the same one. Though, the difference between my own and theirs is that mine is purely for survival."
"And you don't want anything else?"
ShuNing understood that this sceptic would hardly be won over so easily. "Survival is a basic term. So what if I can guarantee my life, but then I have to live with being part of a clan that deliberately oppresses their subjects? Survival isn't hard to achieve, anyone can grasp that if they have the foresight, but what many cannot achieve is freedom. How come I have to live here, where I have received nothing but hate, but yet, I cannot leave? I'm an illegitimate son of XeLeader, I possess his magnificent blood, and yet my worth is equivalent of a servants' in his eyes. Freedom is all that I can hope for, but not only just for myself. For my other half-brothers and sisters who have been subjected to the injustices of this clan's laws. And before we're all wiped out, there needs to be a change."
It took ZhangFeng awhile to respond, as he processed the bulk of information ShuNing had just laid on him. "Those are some strong views. What stops me from going to XeLeader and telling him them?"
ShuNing smiled. "Whilst you appear to have been observing me, I have been doing the same. As I am here a lot, trying to learn all that I have missed out on over the years, as are you. Though, for what reason would someone of such status, where they're able to walk right up to XeLeader, be doing in the jade-level library? It's perplexing, but it almost seems like you're hiding."
Both men then lapsed into silence.
"You're correct. No top-branch official is willing to be seen in the lowest-level library, so no one deemed of worth will find me here. It's peaceful." He revealed, running his hand over the front of the book on his lap. He appeared to caress the item, lost in his own thoughts.
And then he opened the book and started reading again. As it seemed, their little confrontation was over. The younger of the two appeared a little lost in what to do. Glancing around, he decided to begin his search all over again starting with downstairs. Making a move to head in that direction, he was stopped once again by ZhangFeng. "You are looking all over for a certain book, if you tell me the genre then perhaps I can point you in the right direction."
The purple-eyed man didn't even lift his gaze when he spoke, evidently quite confident in his words. ShuNing could have pouted, he felt in a similar position to that of when he was with his brothers, when they looked down on him. "I'm looking for a book that can help me identify a toxin."
That caught his attention.
"Books on poisons and how to create them are on the top-level library, understandably making it hard for the average person to attain them." ZhangFeng revealed and it wasn't that surprising to ShuNing. He had guessed as much, but he at least thought there would be something pertaining to such elixirs in the vast jade-level library.
"I have no desire to create anything poisonous, I only wish to learn about their properties and possible antidotes."
ZhangFeng closed his book. "Someone you know has been poisoned?" He enquired.
"Yes, me." Was his swift response.
ZhangFeng seemed to ponder something, all whilst opening his mouth to speak, only to close it a moment later. ShuNing stood innocently in front of the man, his fingers laced together in front of his lap. He certainly didn't exude the air of someone who was poisoned.
"..And you don't know what type of poison it is?"
ShuNing shook his head, "My health has become one of my main concerns since I now have a semblance of control over my life. I had one of the healers check me over to see if there was any long-lasting damage to my SpiritCore from mistreating my body, they then found a dormant toxin in my system. Whilst I'll be fine for the near future, I am still expected to die in the long-run."
"That is unfortunate. Do you have any idea how or who administered it?"
"I'm afraid not, this was a bit of a shot-in-the-dark."
"Shot in the dark?"
"I was being hopeful, though I don't know what else I can do now." ShuNing touched his fingertips to his chin, making it appear that he was deeply complexed. "Perhaps they have a library in XeTown." He murmured.
"They have a public library. One that contains only a fraction of the quality that the jade-level does."
"I see. Can you recommend anywhere?"
"No, but I could bring you the books you desire from the gold-level library." He suggested, appearing like it was an easy decision for him, even though ShuNing had witnessed the man having a silent moral-debate to himself.
"What would you ask of in return?"
ZhangFeng raised his angular eyes to fix on the youth in front of him. He didn't bother hiding his exaggerated look of the boy from head to toe. Though he had no such inclinations, he didn't mind the other withholding some anxieties around him. Of course, he had an image to uphold.
ShuNing, instead, suppressed his intrigue at the older man's lingering eyes. Though he was in this world for a pretty important reason he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to get hot-and-bothered with an extremely good-looking partner.
"I'll think of something." ZhangFeng added whilst ShuNing lowered himself into a bow.
Though both intelligent yet different from one another, they mutually kept their secrets close to their chests. They both had plans for their futures which simultaneously included both survival and freedom.
Though, they were currently non-the-wiser as ShuNing internally curved his lips, pleased with himself that he had succeeded in manipulating the man into retrieving the gold-level books that he needed. All whilst ZhangFeng felt mutually pleased with himself, disguising it as he once again went back to peacefully reading his book.
[ TBC ]