"Going out, huh?"
Wang Chen's voice carried a faint note of contemplation, his brows furrowing slightly as he studied Li Mei.
Just moments earlier, she had expressed her wish to leave the dojo—her tone respectful but unwavering.
Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been a matter worth much thought. But Wang Chen wasn't dealing with an ordinary disciple.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, the old wood creaking beneath him as he regarded her in silence. The courtyard was calm, sunlight filtering through the leaves of the bodhi tree, painting golden patches across the stone tiles. Yet beneath that serenity, a faint sense of unease filled his heart.
Li Mei, on the other hand, stood quietly with her hands clasped before her, her gaze distant, lost in thought.
Her mind wasn't here. It was already back in the small village she intended to return to—the place that, for her, held both opportunity and ghosts of the past.
