Jin Rui reached the clinic first, holding one wrist with the other hand as if he could still the tremor by force. Fenna came in behind him, pale and breathing too quickly. Their faces were flushed, and their cultivation channels showed the same uneven pulse beneath the skin.
Qinghe cleared the nearest bed. “Sit down. Don’t try to circulate anything.”
Jin Rui lowered himself onto the cot. Fenna stayed standing until Jessa moved a stool behind her. She sat, then gripped the seat when her hands shook again.
“How many cycles?” Qinghe asked.
“Once,” Jin Rui said. “I stopped when it started to burn.”
Fenna looked at the floor. “Twice. The first one made me feel stronger, so I thought the next breath would settle it.”
“Did you take any other medicine, wine or stimulant?” Jessa asked.
“No,” Fenna said. “Just water.”
