Zhao Kun's "check" wasn't as strict as Lin Che had feared—he only had each apprentice hold out their palms to glance at their palm lines, then casually asked, "Do you have any marks different from others?" before leaving Rusty Iron Workshop with his men.
Lin Che leaned against the door of his hut, his back soaked with cold sweat. He'd kept his left hand hidden behind his back the entire time, using only his right hand to comply. But he knew this was just a temporary reprieve. Now that the Zhao family had spread word of looking for "someone with a special mark" to even lowly workshops like this, they wouldn't give up easily. Next time they came, it might not be so easy to fool them.
"What secret are you hiding?" Lin Che sat on the edge of the bed, rolling up his left sleeve again by the moonlight. The pale silver birthmark lay quietly on his wrist, like a miniature star, still carrying a faint warmth from his earlier practice. He brushed his fingertip over it, and Zhao Kun's cold, probing gaze flashed through his mind—sharp as a needle, making his skin prickle.
Suddenly, he remembered the Concentrating Herbs Su Qing had given him. He'd only had time to drink one cup before Zhao Kun's sudden arrival; the rest were still hidden under his bed. Now that the night was quiet, it was the perfect time to practice again—maybe he could find a clue about the birthmark through his arcane cultivation.
Lin Che carefully pulled the paper packet from under the bed. When he opened it, the faint fragrance of the green herbs wafted out, their fine hairs still visible on the leaves. He took one and placed it in his rough porcelain cup, pouring warm water over it. The herb unfurled slowly, tinting the water pale green, like melted jade.
He lifted the cup and drank it in one gulp. The cool liquid slid down his throat, instantly turning into a gentle energy that flowed through his meridians. Lin Che closed his eyes, following the arcane flow diagram in Su Qing's manual, guiding the energy through his body.
In the past, his arcane energy had been like a carriage stuck in a narrow alley, always jolting to a halt. But with the help of the Concentrating Herb, this cool energy glided smoothly past the meridian nodes that usually blocked it—even stirring the weak arcane energy in his body