Yun stands before a large cauldron, the sleeves of his navy-blue dopo robe rolled up. A scabbard sits neatly to his left, finely chopped scallions to his right. When a draft through the gap in the door makes the flames flicker, he lowers the heat first, then looks up.
A drop of broth falls from the tip of the ladle. Beside the cauldron, the training schedule for thirty disciples lies open, with a small star drawn and redrawn several times beside one name. Yun moves to cover the paper, then stills his hand.