Damon really did go train.
Not to prove anything to Ester, although part of him admitted that made the situation a little more pleasant. Nor to test the ancestral connections or check whether some new ability would appear after his recovery.
He simply wanted to hold a sword without thinking about broken ribs.
Jian Yue was already in the courtyard when he arrived. She noticed the way Damon rotated his shoulder before he even drew the sword.
"Ester cleared you?"
"Yes."
"Combat?"
"Gradually."
Jian Yue smiled.
"So no."
"She said gradually, not forbidden."
"What was her definition of gradually?"
Damon remained silent.
Jian Yue sheathed her own sword.
"Thought so."
"Generalized betrayal."
"I'll get wood."
"No need."
"Wood."
Damon watched her walk toward the rack where the training weapons were kept.
"All of you are becoming authoritarian."
Xue Mei, sitting on the nearby wall, replied:
"Maybe you're the problem."
"Unlikely."
