Gu came up the orchard path carrying a narrow bundle wrapped in brown cloth. A loose panel from the shrine’s storage room had been tucked beneath his arm. Yan met him at the clinic steps and took the panel while Gu shifted the book to his other hand.
“Found a door inside a wall?” Yan asked.
“Found a panel behind a shelf. The wall was innocent.” Gu nodded toward the shrine. “Auntie Zhou is waiting for us to bring it back.”
They returned together. The shrine custodian had opened the small room and set a lamp on the floor. Dust lay undisturbed along the shelves except for the marks where the panel had been. Auntie Zhou watched Gu unwrap the manual.
The cover read Hollow Heart Meditation. Smaller writing named it a later version of an older practice. Its binding had softened, but the inner pages were dry. Yan leaned over the table, interested in the careful diagrams.
“Someone left it here after an illness,” Auntie Zhou said. “The family wanted the book kept safe. I closed the room because I could not tell whether it was useful or dangerous.”
Gu showed her the marks behind the panel. “It was hidden well.”
