Circulating Airflow

That night, Lin Chen lay awake for a long time after going to bed. The current inside him did not gradually settle as it usually did during rest; instead, it continued to maintain the circulating pattern it had formed in the stone chamber during the day. Lying in bed, he felt that layer of airflow slowly pass through the area between his shoulders and chest, circle near his ribs, then flow down along his spine. He turned over and felt the direction of the airflow change with him, as though his shifting posture had altered the entire path of its flow.

By the time he woke, it was already light outside. The light beyond the window was brighter than usual, as if there had been no wind the night before and the dust had settled through the night. After getting dressed, he felt that the airflow within him had returned to calm. It was different from the day before, as though a full night's adjustment had made it more stable.

At breakfast, Mr. Popo sat beside him, holding a bowl of clear water without drinking from it. "Go in once more today. This time, you will stay longer than last time."

When he arrived before the stone door, a faint glow shone through its crack, as though it had been waiting for him. He slipped inside sideways, and the stone door gently closed behind him. The light in the room was slightly brighter than before, while that even circulating airflow still moved slowly along the walls. He walked to the center of the space and stopped. Without deliberately adjusting his stance, he simply stood there and felt the airflow within him slowly synchronize with the circulating airflow around him.

He closed his eyes and sensed the fine dust in the