Cold River City's morning was far quieter than imagined. Most of the townsfolk who had endured the beast tide's assault last night were still asleep. Only a scattered few early risers were out on the streets, cleaning up the aftermath. When they saw Shen Xiu and Liu Qingyan walking side by side, they stopped what they were doing and nodded to them from afar. No one came forward to speak, as though everyone tacitly understood that the young man who had just emerged from the rift needed rest.
When they returned to the small courtyard serving as their temporary lodging, the soup on the stove was still warm. Liu Qingyan ladled him a bowl. The broth was clear, with a few slices of ginger and goji berries floating within, its steam rising into a cloud of white mist in the frigid air. Shen Xiu took the bowl and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, drinking it mouthful by mouthful. Warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, slowly driving away the chill buried beneath the ice. Liu Qingyan sat across from him without asking anything, simply keeping him company in silence. Every so often, she lifted a hand to tuck the loose strands of hair the wind had tousled behind her ear.
After finishing the soup, Shen Xiu set the bowl on the stone table, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness.
Within his sea of awareness, two Thunderheart Fragments floated in the void like two tiny stars, radiating a gentle golden glow. The golden liquid within the first fragment flowed steadily and calmly, as though it had already completely merged with his sea of awareness. The second fragment trembled faintly, like something newly awakened from slumber and still adjusting to its new