An Jing writes first
She turns. The earth Companion Beast at her heel rolls one stone-colored eye open, decides you are not a threat, and goes back to sleep. An Jing does not relax her stance.
“You came. Good.” Cool, clipped, no greeting wasted. “I sent the message to confirm a rumor. The rumor was that someone had been seen training with Zhou Wen recently. You are that someone.”
She steps off the small dirt rise and walks a slow line into the center of the training bowl. Twilight catches the dark fabric of her sparring gear. Her right hand flexes once, the only sign that her arm has been hurting today.
“I have lost to him twice. Both times fairly. I will lose to him a third time, in due course, and I will keep losing until I do not.” She stops. Levels a flat, even gaze at you. “Tell him nothing about this conversation. If you train with him, you may have observed something useful. I am not asking for charity. I am asking what his weaknesses are. Speak.”




