For a time, Lan Wangji continues to speak with the cadence of waves lapping at a shore. "Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind rest at peace." So often, words fail him when he needs them the most, as if his meaning hides beneath a thousand layers of silk. These words are easy and true. These words set him loose from his body, sending him along the curving waterways of Caiyi and the lotus lakes of Yunmeng, letting him unwind an endless ribbon from Wei Ying's hair, escorting him down the white, white paths of the Cloud Recesses as the mist clears and the mountain stretches down toward the land. These words hold him in his body, in this room that smells of sandalwood, as he listens to Claudius' breath while it deepens and holds the awareness of Claudius' qi while it moves within and without him.

"The ten thousand things rise and fall while the self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature." He slips into silence then, to see if Claudius can endure it.