When Zhou Chen returned to his quarters that evening, he closed the door behind him with a heavy sigh. The excitement of the market, the strange meeting with the old man, and the constant buzz of new discoveries still churned in his mind like storm clouds refusing to settle.
He sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed, exhaling slowly as he tried to calm himself. The dog still nameless curled up in the corner, lazily chewing on what looked like the tassel from Zhou Chen’s robe. Zhou Chen let it be. His thoughts were elsewhere.
He placed both hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and circulated his qi. Instantly, rivers of energy rushed through his meridians, fierce and unrestrained. It was a torrent rather than a steady flow. He pushed it down, guided it toward his dantian, but instead o
