Three successive nights the Golden Witch had spent wide awake, trawling through lady Ouyang''s manuals with a candle in hand. Not a single thought entered her mind other than the ones described in countless words etched onto the aged pages, even as the delight of solving the puzzles that tormented her for so long threatened to overwhelm her concentration.


    With bloodshot eyes she had finished the old woman''s work and hid the books back under the bed. She rested her golden haired head on the pillow and, satisfied beyond measure, promptly fell asleep. After only a couple of hours she was woken up by the presence of her rival, her wrinkled face sternly peering in from the doorway, waiting for them to begin their usual day.


    The Golden Witch stood up and began to ponder her next step. She figured that her best course of action was to first cover her tracks, but as to how to go about it, her ideas were few. Therefore, she had decided to delegate the task.


    During her routine time in lady Ouyang''s study, while scrawling herself some notes about her progress, she wrote the words "it''s done, take them away" on a piece of paper that she inconspicuously hid into her long sleeve. At noon, she had decided to make the rare appearance during lunch. Ever since their game began, she and lady Ouyang had seldom dignified the dining room with their presence, for one of them had little need for food, and the other had to maintain an obsessive watch over the competitor.


    The Golden Witch had then sneakily flicked the piece of paper into her disciple''s lap. The young man tucked the message into his pocket and conducted himself innocuously for the rest of the meal, like he hadn''t noticed anything at all.


    Afterwards, for the sake of insurance, she made lady Ouyang chase her around the swamp as she pretended to look for various herbs and beast venoms. Though the main goal was to divert the old madam''s attention from household affairs, the Golden Witch had also taken the opportunity to assemble the resources she believed she would require in the future.


    When she went to sleep that day, she couldn''t feel the bump beneath her bed. The books had been taken away. A foolish grin emerged on the woman''s face.


    "That Bai Guo of mine... It really was him. Just how did he pull this off?" She pondered. In her elation over her disciple''s deeds, from the excitement for the work that was to begin tomorrow, the Golden Witch could hardly force herself to fall asleep.


    When the two women met each other again the next morning, lady Ouyang had noticed immediately that something was off about her foe. There was a confidence in her eyes that she hadn''t seen ever since she first arrived. The woman''s unease continued to grow when the Golden Witch embarked upon her work with an assertive hand.


    In the labyrinth of a thousand different turns, she had suddenly began to sprint unerringly along every right path. Her progress flowed like a tumultuous river, sweeping every obstacle out of its path.


    Though the three tomes hadn''t held the formulas the Golden Witch was looking for, they meticulously recorded every step of lady Ouyang''s journey as a practitioner of the poisonous arts. They may not have been the treasure itself, but they were the map that showed her where to find it.


    The Golden Witch made tremendous breakthroughs over the following days. The many scattered discoveries she had made over the course of her amateurish experiments had merged and solidified into a foundation as firm as stone. Her knowledge advanced by leaps and bounds.


    Lady Ouyang was greatly alarmed by her progress. She knew that her opponent had been suffering from bouts of sleeplessness as of late, so at night, she inspected the secret compartment in sister Lai''s room that contained the secret manuals meant for Ling Ling''s training. She found them still in place. Both the books and the locks that secured them were untouched.


    The true answer hadn''t even crossed her mind. Lady Ouyang would rather ascribe her opponent''s sudden headway to sheer talent, even if it meant admitting that the Golden Witch was far more gifted than herself, than ever consider the sole remaining alternative.


    And though it pained her to admit it, over the course of their match, lady Ouyang''s expectations for the blonde woman had been gradually shifting until they became as tall as a mountain. Even before her current bouts of sudden advancements, the possibility that someone could have progressed as far as the Golden Witch had, practically on their own and from next to nothing, would have never been considered in the old woman''s mind.


    Though befuddled, lady Ouyang had little left to do but continue to observe. She hoped that the Witch''s sudden inspiration would run out, but with each passing day her hopes were dashed.


    It also became obvious to her that the Golden Witch had began to derive a great deal of enjoyment out of her work. Now that she had learned how to approach the many mysteries of the art, the many hurdles became satisfying to ponder and to resolve. Her enthusiasm was so infectious that it had gotten to the point where Ouyang herself had become gradually drawn into the woman''s research as a practitioner of the arts rather than her referee. Even she was beginning to learn something new, rounding out the rough edges of some of her personal untested theories, and awakening her hibernating passions for the discipline of poisons.


    By the end of the month, the scope of the work had narrowed down so much that the Golden Witch had gone back to using Cui Shen''s miniature alchemy set, wandering the swamp for the remaining pieces of the puzzle.


    At some point, it had dawned on the tall woman that truly recreating lady Ouyang''s Five Venoms would remain a daunting task that would take her far longer than the single year she had initially bragged about. But she had also realized that there was no need to recreate it fully to counteract its effects.


    Though her understanding of the Five Venoms was very rudimentary and fundamental, she believed it was enough to create a working antidote.


    Kneeling down by the tiny table, she heated and mixed powders and poultices, watching them change colors with such interest that she barely remembered to even breathe.


    At the conclusion of one such experiment, the Golden Witch somewhat uncertainly exclaimed, "I think I did it!"


    She urgently turned her head towards lady Ouyang. Her yellow eyes glimmered with joy. There was not a trace of spite on her youthful face.


    Lady Ouyang hesitantly rose and approached. In that moment, she saw nothing more than a child begging for approval. The old woman observed every step of her process, so she already knew the answer. Even so, just to pacify the Golden Witch, she pretended to carefully inspect her work over the woman''s shoulder.


    "It''s correct. Well done." Lady Ouyang declared. There was no resentment in her voice. It had even been tinged with a drop of pride.


    The exultation on her face when she heard those words was like nothing lady Ouyang had ever seen before. The Golden Witch turned back to gaze at the smoking powders arranged on the table. A fulfilled sigh escaped her lips.


    Unbeknownst to her, lady Ouyang''s eyes were still glued to her back. The woman''s green eyes were heavy with indescribable emotion. She stared unmoving for a long moment.


    Her right hand flickered to her belt. A bare dagger glinted in the rays of the afternoon sun. She thrust directly into the other woman''s back to cut through the heart hiding beyond.


    But lady Ouyang had never learned that the Golden Witch could see without eyes.


    The white robed figure shifted rapidly. Before lady Ouyang could even finish her stab, she found the yellow eyes staring back at her once more, glaring with such primal hatred that she seemed no different from a wounded beast.


    A long arm whipped out towards her, striking the weapon out of her hand. The limb continued undeterred, the nails slashing the old woman across the eye. They cut through her flesh like a knife, spraying the dirt with bright red blood.


    Lady Ouyang was thrown to the ground by the blow. It happened so fast, so suddenly, that she needed a moment to regain her wits. How the Golden Witch went about detecting her silent strike utterly mystified her. That the Golden Witch had such reflexes seemed unfathomable to her.


    But before she could afford that precious moment, she had been lifted out of the dirt by her neck. Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground as she was once again forced to behold the furious woman. The Golden Witch squeezed her neck in bitter rage, and lady Ouyang hadn''t had the strength to pry apart her iron grip.


    Lady Ouyang could do nothing. Those long arms seemed to stretch on and on forever. Her hands hardly reached past even the woman''s forearms; not even her legs could make any contact with her body. No matter which pressure points along the long limbs she squeezed her fingers into, it was to no avail, as though the arms were made of metal rather than flesh.


    The old woman found the light fading from her eyes. As her vision turned dark and her head began to turn purple, she was unceremoniously dropped back into the mud.


    Knocked back into consciousness by the fall, lady Ouyang frantically gasped for air.


    "Stay down if you want to live." The Golden Witch ordered, her eyes directed elsewhere. It was like she couldn''t even bear to look at her anymore.


    "You should have just finished it." The old woman hatefully sputtered, clutching her wounded eye. "You undid my life''s work. What reason do I have to keep going?"


    Lady Ouyang felt a great coldness as the yellow eyes glanced at her. Ouyang couldn''t endure it, and averted her gaze.


    "You''re right. Now that I''ve unraveled your Five Venoms, you have nothing to offer me." The Golden Witch peered down at her with immense disdain. "But I promised Cui Shen I wouldn''t hurt you. He''s the only reason you still live."


    Lady Ouyang silently wallowed in the mud.


    "And you know what?" The Golden Witch continued. "Now that we''re done, after I leave this place, your life will still depend on him. Bury the hatchet. Tell him he can live out the rest of his days here if he so chooses. Take care of him. I will check in every once in a while."


    The old woman snorted in contempt. But she kept silent.


    "Make it convincing. I know he has no other place to go, so if he decides not to remain here, I''ll kill you." The Golden Witch inspected her bloodied nails, which were still perfectly intact. "I''m giving you one last chance to continue your clan''s legacy. If you aren''t happy with my terms, then don''t bother coming back."


    The woman assembled the alchemical set and scooped up the fruits of her labor into a little pouch.


    She then dashed off with great strides, leaving lady Ouyang alone.


    The residents were greatly surprised - and worried - to find the Golden Witch returning by herself, with blood on her hands.


    "Master!" Bai Guo ran up to her, voicing a question that the shocked Ling Ling next to him wasn''t brave enough to voice. "What happened? Why is there blood?"


    "Nothing worth mentioning." She replied impassively, making her way to Tao Geming''s room.


    Ling Ling finally couldn''t take it, raising her voice. "What happened to mistress Ouyang?"


    "She''ll be back soon."


    The taciturn remark brought the girl some semblance of relief, but she was still anxious and suspicious.


    The Golden Witch entered the room and tossed the pouch into the lap of the pale man sitting on the bed. He sluggishly opened his eyes. His usual scowl seemed awfully weak. He inspected the contents, and found a few small pills within.


    "Take one now," The Golden Witch said. "And then one every morning until you''re cured."


    From the unprecedented confidence in her voice, he could tell that this was the one. Tao Geming could also tell that the woman was in a truly foul mood.


    The sitting man grunted arrogantly. "Don''t go thinking that you won just yet. I finally realized how to overcome this on my own."


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    Her yellow eyes widened. Flabbergasted, she took some time to ponder his words.


    "You idiot." She exclaimed. "You''re thinking you could build up an immunity over time, just like Cui Shen did."


    Tao Geming smirked.


    Her eyes were still wide. "It''s true, you could do it that way. But you''d end up crippled just like him. You''re really going to go that far just to spite me?"


    With a sigh, his confident facade crumbled. "Though it pains me to admit it, there would be no point in it. I didn''t come here just to show you up. I came here to place you in my debt. But since you were able to resolve this without my help, I blundered."


    He popped one of the pills into his mouth. "And to make matters worse, now I even owe you."


    His concession brought the Golden Witch an unexpected amount of relief. She watched him bitterly chew on the pill.


    "Well?" Tao Geming asked. "What are you gonna use the favor on?"


    The blonde woman sighed and looked away. She silently thought about something for a while, and, very hesitantly and slowly, words began to leave her mouth. "Forget it. You couldn''t overcome the poison, but you did teach me something valuable. I doubt I could have done it without you."


    "Which was...?"


    "You don''t owe me anything. Let''s just leave it at that." She hadn''t answered his question. "But what I said before holds true - if I catch you following us again, I''ll kill you. So stay away from me."


    The man said nothing. In his shame, Tao Geming wanted to speak as little as possible.


    "Stay a few days to make sure it works, then get out." The Golden Witch declared, taking her leave.


    At that time, Lady Ouyang returned, nursing her maimed face.


    Ling Ling ran up to her with a wail. "Mistress Ouyang! What happened?"


    The old woman glared bitterly at her disciple.


    Ling Ling was beside herself. "It''s bleeding! We must treat it right away! Sister Lai, please come quickly and help! Mistress Ouyang, what happened?"


    The scorn in lady Ouyang''s green eye slowly softened as she watched her frantic disciple.


    "A beast attacked me." She eventually said. "It''s nothing worth mentioning."


    But her words had done nothing to soothe Ling Ling. The other residents all rushed her inside, and sister Lai and the disciple both tended to her wound.


    "Mistress Ouyang, it doesn''t look very deep. Your eye might heal." The young woman said, but her master seemed to pay the matter little heed.


    "Ling Ling, go tend to our guests." The mistress ordered. "You''ve helped with the worst of it. Let sister Lai take care of the rest."


    Though greatly hesitant, she could not disobey. After a bow, she left, leaving lady Ouyang alone with the old nun.


    When she was gone, lady Ouyang spoke. "When were you going to tell me, Lai Jie?"


    The nun seemed to understand her question, but said nothing. She kept wrapping the bandage around her face.


    "It was because of that boy, wasn''t it? I heard the rumor. But I assumed that if it had any merit, you would handle it. But if it was that serious, you should have told me."


    Lai Jie shook her head and gave the woman a stern look.


    They glared at each other. Lady Ouyang soon sighed in bitter defeat. "Of course, I would have done something drastic. And just like with Meili, I would have lost her too. Is that what you''re trying to say?"


    Lai Jie grabbed her hand. Lady Ouyang was on the brink of tears.


    "And that stupid traitor is supposed to be my successor?" She lamented. "At least tell me those two haven''t gone too far."


    Lai Jie shook her head again. The mistress brushed her eye with her sleeve.


    "Since I dared to show my face around here again, I might as well stick with the path I have chosen." Lady Ouyang stood up unsteadily, helped by the nun. "Time for me to go preserve my legacy."


    Meanwhile, in the guest rooms, Cui Shen addressed the Golden Witch. "Those injuries did not look like they were left by a beast. What exactly happened?"


    "When I discovered the antidote, she attacked me. I retaliated on instinct." The Golden Witch succinctly explained the situation. "I hope you won''t hold it against me."


    "I suppose if lady Ouyang doesn''t wish to make a grudge over it, then neither should I."


    When he spoke of the Five Venoms Devil, she suddenly appeared.


    "Cui Shen," Lady Ouyang began. "After the other guests leave, I would like you to remain here. Because I''ve heard that you have made no other arrangements for yourself."


    Bai Guo was surprised on multiple levels. "We''re leaving?" He first asked his master.


    "That''s right." She confirmed. "We''ve changed the terms of our contest. I won''t be her disciple anymore, so we have no reason to remain after Tao Geming has been cured."


    They then all turned to Cui Shen, who seemed unable to find his tongue.


    Lady Ouyang continued. "I would like to put the enmity between us to rest."


    "There''s... no need." Cui Shen hesitantly replied. "There''s no need. It really was my fault. I accept your blame. And I won''t burden you with my presence anymore."


    "You don''t understand." Lady Ouyang shook her head. "I am earnest in my intentions."


    Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and knocked her forehead against the wooden floor again and again.


    "I will not accept that our grudges have been settled until you accept my offer! To prove my sincerity, this Ouyang Chen will kowtow until either you agree, or her head has been dashed against this floor!"


    "No!" Cui Shen urgently exclaimed, rushing to raise her kneeling figure. "I accept! I''ll stay here, so stop this, master!"


    As Bai Guo observed in complete shock, he felt his master dragging him away by the arm.


    "What in the world happened?" The young man asked, stupefied.


    "Looks like Cui Shen found himself a good place to live out the rest of his days." His golden haired master replied with a smirk as she observed the vast flower field outside.


    "Did you do it? Just how did you convince her, master?"


    But the Golden Witch had merely regarded him with an enigmatic smile. Bai Guo, realizing that he had also had some things he couldn''t explain while they remained in this place, smiled back.


    "Get our things ready." She said. "We''re leaving soon."


    When Ling Ling later learned that Bai Guo was planning to leave, she became inconsolable. Unable to maintain the pretense of mere politeness, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out.


    By next morning, Tao Geming was already gone. He left much sooner than they had all anticipated.


    The Golden Witch scoured the area to make sure he wasn''t merely hiding somewhere in the vicinity, ready to trail them again. Her suspicions were sated by noon.


    They were ready to embark. All of the residents came to see them off. Even Ling Ling had come out of her room, though tears still welled in her red eyes.


    "Will you ever visit us again?" She asked, her voice quivering.


    "Of course." It was the Golden Witch that spoke, throwing a glance towards Ouyang Chen. The old woman''s bandaged face remained unmoving.


    "Was there anything else?" Lady Ouyang asked, not quite as unwilling to part as some of the people present.


    "There''s only one thing." Bai Guo said. He approached Cui Shen and bowed deeply. "Sir Shen, please accept me as your sworn brother!"


    The man was pleasantly surprised. "Though I''d love nothing more, are you sure you wish to go through with this? In my state, I will not be a useful brother, and neither will I remain one for very long."


    "I don''t care even if it''s only for a day!" Bai Guo exclaimed. "It would still be my greatest honor!"


    The two men exchanged kowtows and accepted each other as brothers. And then, they bid each other farewell.


    Bai Guo bowed again. "I hope to see you again soon, elder brother!"


    Cui Shen returned the gesture. "Brother Guo, I am grateful for everything you and your master have done for me. It is my great loss that my ailing body will not allow me to accompany you any further."


    Then Bai Guo approached Ling Ling. They suddenly found each other tongue tied. They exchanged stiff bows.


    "Thank you for taking care of us, sister Ling." Bai Guo managed to force out. Ling Ling could only bitterly nod.


    Though loathe to part, they had eventually forced themselves to.


    Master and disciple had finally left the swamp and took in the dearly missed fresh air of the peaceful, endless plains.


    The Golden Witch asked, "Just how did you do it, Bai Guo?"


    "It was all Ling Ling." He humbly explained. "I just nudged her a little in the right direction."


    "Is that so?" The Golden Witch chuckled. "She looked like she really liked you."


    "She''s quite nice herself." Bai Guo smiled a little.


    "It almost looked to me like you didn''t want to leave." The woman teased.


    "Sister Ling is nice and all," Bai Guo glanced at his master. "But girls aren''t what I set out on this journey for. I''m wholly committed to you, master!"


    He suddenly bowed. Flatfooted by his earnestness, the woman nervously brushed a hand through her long hair.


    "Good to know..." She muttered in acknowledgment.


    As Bai Guo rose, he asked a question in turn. "I have to ask, master, what was it that Tao Geming had taught you?"


    "He taught me to trust you." The Golden Witch beamed with a smile. "He was right that I still haven''t developed that cunning he talked about, so I decided to leave it to you, just like you asked."


    It was Bai Guo''s turn to be embarrassed. But he was also incredulous. "Y-You knew I would persuade Ling Ling to help us, master?"


    "I didn''t know what you''d do. I just knew that you would do something. You said it yourself, right? To rely on you when I''ve got a problem I can''t solve."


    He smiled and kept prattling. "Well, still, in the end, it was master''s talent that got us out of that house..."


    "Would you stop trying to avoid my praise? It''s not a blade..."


    They walked for a time.


    "Where are we going next, master?" Bai Guo asked.


    "We don''t have any money, so perhaps we should look for a way to earn some." The Golden Witch suggested.


    "So long as it does not involve robbing people." Bai Guo''s reminder caused his master to frown, but she didn''t argue.


    Luckily, they were graced with a solution only a few days later.


    While passing through a town, the Golden Witch grabbed a poster and pushed it into his chest. "Bai Guo, look!"


    His eyes skimmed it. It was the announcement of a martial arts competition.


    "Master Tan of the Kunlun Sect is looking for a talented disciple." Bai Guo narrated. "There will be three separate tournaments as tryouts, one for the fist, the sword, and the saber. The winner of each tournament may become eligible to be master Tan''s disciple... and earn a prize of ten golden taels for every contest!"


    Though energized at first, as he read on a bit more, his hopes suddenly deflated. "But, master, only those younger than 18 are eligible to participate."


    "I wondered about that. How does one prove their age?"


    "Well, you just need an identification document. I have my papers on me, for example. They''re from the Wuyi, but I''d be surprised if they were picky about it."


    "You''re still not 18 yet, right?"


    The question frightened him. "...Master, are you saying that I should join this?"


    She observed his reaction with a smile. It appeared that that was exactly what she implied.


    Bai Guo erupted into protests. "I don''t stand a chance! For that kind of money, half the world will be attending! And you know my skill level as well as I do, master!"


    The Golden Witch took the poster from him. "It says it''s taking place in two months from now. That leaves us with some time to prepare. Perhaps it''s about time for you to learn some real martial arts, Bai Guo."


    Before the woman''s mischievous grin, Bai Guo was helpless.


    He dreaded the days to come.