Before the morning sun had fully risen over the low ridge behind the Body Sect, Tang Wulin's door was shoved open from outside.
He was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, regulating his breathing. At the creak of the hinges, he opened his eyes and saw Du Busi standing in the doorway. His dusty gray short jacket had been replaced with another equally dusty gray one, though the cloth belt around his waist was new. He carried two coarse pottery bowls, steam still rising from their rims.
"Up?" Du Busi entered and set one bowl on the table, then took a sip from the other. He added vaguely, "Breakfast. Have it while it's hot."
Tang Wulin got out of bed, thanked him, and picked up the bowl for a look. The broth was clear, with several thin slices of some unknown medicinal herb floating on top and chunks of tender, stewed meat and bone resting at the bottom. It carried a pungent herbal scent.
He lowered his head and took a sip. The warm broth slid down his throat, and warmth immediately spread through his stomach. Even the Soul Power circulating through his meridians seemed to speed up a little.
"I added some thousand-year tiger bone and a few herbs that warm the meridians." Du Busi set his empty bowl on the table and leaned against the doorframe. "You youngsters have plenty of Bloodline Power, but that trip to the Far North still chilled you to the bone. This is just what you need."
Tang Wulin's hand paused slightly around the bowl as he looked up at him.
Du Busi did not explain how he knew Tang Wulin had gone to the Far North. He merely brought out the hand he had been holding behind his back and