Qiao Zhi immediately lowered the sword and released the intent. The pressure vanished. The pine branches began to move again, and the water in the jar rippled. She exhaled slowly, aware that her heart had begun beating harder. Using the Nameless Sword Intent was not physically exhausting in the way a great expenditure of qi could be, but it demanded a kind of attention that left her feeling as if she had reached toward something vast and then pulled herself back before it noticed her fully.
Nobody spoke at first. Qiao Zhi looked at her mother. "Was that enough?"
Xan Min took a moment to answer. "Yes. That is enough for today."
