Safe and Sound

(Adjusted the chapter order; the latter half from last night is in the previous chapter.)

Shen Hui carved the jade tokens one by one and lined them up neatly on the stone table, twenty-three in all.

Their bluish-green jade gleamed in the dim hall, while the cinnabar Thunder Talisman markings flickered faintly, lending them a cold, solemn air.

After examining them for a moment, he tucked every last token into his sleeve.

Just then, someone exhaled behind him.

Shen Hui turned and saw Hu Cheng slowly open his eyes, his expression somewhat dazed, as if he had just dragged himself free of a shallow dream.

He raised a hand to wipe his brow. His palm came away damp, covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"How was it?" Shen Hui asked.

Hu Cheng hesitated for a moment.

He looked down at his lower abdomen, then back at Shen Hui. After carefully choosing his words, he said in a muffled voice,

"This disciple... This disciple had his eyes closed. At first, everything before me was black. Then, somehow, there seemed to be the tiniest bit of warmth in my lower abdomen, though maybe there wasn't. This disciple... This disciple can't say for certain..."

The more he spoke, the less confidence he had. His voice gradually dropped, as though he feared saying something wrong.

Shen Hui nodded slightly.

"This is a sign that your sense of qi is on the verge of forming. Your acupoints are blocked, yet you achieved this result on your first meditation session. That is already not bad."

Though Hu Cheng did not show much joy, the corners of his mouth loosened slightly.

Shen Hui then took another jade token from his sleeve and handed it over.

"Take it."

Hu Cheng accepted it with both hands and lowered