The next morning, Lin Yan ended a night of Entering Samadhi and opened his door, feeling refreshed.
The moment he opened it, he saw Wing standing outside like a statue. Who knew how long he had been there?
The gentle yet appraising expression he had worn yesterday was gone. In its place was something far more complicated: shock, confusion, but above all, a deep solemnity and... respect.
"Good morning, Mr. Wing." Unsurprised, Lin Yan greeted him calmly.
He knew that after the commotion he had caused, there was no way this orthodox heir of Shingen-ryu could have failed to notice anything.
"Good morning, Lin Yan."
Wing came back to himself and gave Lin Yan a slight bow, greeting him as an equal.
"Forgive the intrusion, but could I take a little of your time? Could we... talk?"
"Of course."
Lin Yan nodded and stepped aside. "Please, come in."
Rather than inviting Wing into his room, however, he pointed toward the open-air balcony at the end of the corridor.
The Qi-Gathering Formation was still running in his room. It was his central secret, and he was not yet ready to reveal it fully to an outsider.
Wing clearly understood. He asked no questions and followed Lin Yan onto the balcony.
The morning sunlight fell over them, carrying a hint of warmth.
From there, they could take in a panoramic view of the city below Heavens Arena.
The two stood at the railing in silence for a while. In the end, Wing spoke first.
"Lin Yan."
His voice was slightly hoarse. "Forgive my presumption, but late last night, I sensed something unusual in your rooms."
He made no attempt to beat around the bush.
Before someone like Lin Yan, probing and scheming would only have been pointless.
"I saw the state Gon