Chapter 14 The Pressure Of First Steps

• The late summer air was warm and heavy, carrying the subtle scent of ripening fruit and the earth’s slow exhale as it shifted toward autumn. The village was alive with its usual buzz of preparation for the upcoming season, but today, all attention was on the mat laid out in front of Xueya’s humble dwelling. There was something new in the air, a quiet anticipation that whispered through the village like the wind rustling the leaves.
• Xueya stood on the mat, guiding an apprentice’s hands to the correct position on a patient’s body. Her movements were smooth, graceful, and deliberate, as if she’d been practicing the art of acupressure her entire life. The crowd of villagers gathered around her seemed spellbound by her ease with the technique, her ability to blend the art of healing with such calm confidence.
• At the back of the group, standing apart from the others, was Elder Harkan. His appearance betrayed the hard edges of experience and wisdom—dark hair just beginning to show the first streaks of silver, and eyes sharp as a hawk’s, set against a face that still retained a youthful strength. His presence was imposing, though his expression held a curiosity that softened his usual stern demeanor.