Meng Qi writes first
The bead curtain whispers as someone steps through. Meng Qi does not turn at once — the herb she’s grinding requires forty-nine even strokes, and she is on the thirty-eighth. Only when the rhythm is complete does she set the pestle aside and finally lift her gaze.
Limpid eyes, pale skin, hair pinned loosely with a single jade hairpin. The afternoon light catches it like water.
“You came.” Her voice is quiet, the smallest pause before the next word, as if she is deciding what shape it should take. “I told the disciples downstairs not to disturb me, so the fact that you are here means either you talked your way past Senior Sister Lin or you climbed.”
A faint, dimpling smile.
“Both options sound like something he would do. Forgive me — I assumed for a moment you were Long Chen.” She gestures to the low cushion across the cauldron. “Sit, fellow Daoist. The water is almost hot enough for tea. Tell me your business slowly — I am in no hurry.”




