Chapter 29: Heartbeat
The Lan River entered the city from the south, but it began further out, past the outer wall, through the flat farmland that fed Lanyu's population, and beyond that into a stretch of forest the city had not yet consumed.
I could feel the difference the moment we passed through the outer gate.
The ambient field thickened although it was still weaker than the ambient Qi that surrounded Hekou's river fork, where the current carried qi with density.
We followed the river upstream along a track worn by fishermen and foraging parties until the outer wall was out of sight behind the tree line and the city sounds had thinned to almost nothing. The river here moved over stones rather than stone walkways, the current continued on unhurried, the banks soft with grass and root.
I stopped.
Xu looked at the trees and the river that stretched beyond, "So, is this is where you train people?"
"This is what I train people near," I clarified. I crouched at the water's edge and pressed two fingers to the ground and expanded my senses as well as my awareness. This was less of a technique and more of a sense that you develop over time. I excelled had detecting the presence of ambient Qi over time due to my proximity near Hekou's river, but it was an ability that any could learn if given a sufficient enough of time. "Lanyu's river is older and the energy here is more stilted but it'll do." I stood.
She had already moved closer to the bank.
"Where is the equipment?" she asked.