The courtyard stirred with life—slow, quiet, but constant.
Tian Shen moved through his morning drills with the calm of someone who'd finally accepted his life would never be peaceful... but could still be centered.
His bare feet brushed the dew-wet stone, blade humming as he traced lazy arcs in the morning light.
He inhaled. The air was clean. Birds chirped from the edges of the courtyard. A squirrel perched on the fence post stared at him with open hostility—until Drowsy turned her head.
The squirrel fell off the post with a terrified squeak.
"Cluck~," said the Chicken Empress.
A clear warning. This domain was hers.
Tian Shen didn't miss a beat in his sword flow.
From behind him, soft footsteps padded against the flagstones. A blur of red fur wrapped itself around his ankle like a moving scarf.
"Master!" Little Mei chirped. "You forgot to stretch!"
"I'm mid-drill," he said.
"That's why you stretch before!"
