With a flare of answering fondness, Lan Wangji meets Claudius' gaze. "Internal alchemy," he says, and that will have to be enough of an exploration of the nuances of the translator for now. He doesn't intend to allow them to become distracted. As such, he presses on.

"Shut your eyes. Continue to breathe, slowly, with me, and drop your hands when you are ready." For a collection of breaths, he is silent, his own breathing deep and even. He listens in turn, to be sure that Claudius is with him. "Think only of each breath. When other thoughts come, release them without fighting them. In this room, you need to do nothing but nourish your body with breath and nourish your spirit with qi. Where there is one, the other follows."