Three days after the hearing formally closed, Yuan found himself back in the small walled courtyard where Han had first taught him to find the ember behind his ribs, except this time the lesson had nothing to do with cultivation at all — or at least, not entirely.
"You're distracted," Han observed, watching Yuan fumble through what should have been a simple exercise for the third time in a row. "More than usual, and your usual is already considerable."
"I have a lot on my mind," Yuan admitted, feeling heat rise in his face that had nothing to do with the exercise itself. Han, thankfully, did not ask him to elaborate.
