THE TECHNIQUES PART 2

By late afternoon, the siblings were drenched in sweat, their breathing heavy from hours of maintaining both techniques—the Breath of the World to blend with their surroundings, and now this Permission Barrier to prevent detection even under direct investigation.

"Your final lesson for today," Lady Xu stepped forward, her movements flowing like water through ever-changing channels. Where Lady Wei taught harmony and Lady He taught denial of self, Lady Xu's presence suggested something else entirely—as if she existed slightly out of sync with reality itself.

"Both concealment and barriers have their limitations," she began, her voice carrying subtle echoes as if speaking from multiple locations at once. "True masters learn to hide in the folds between spaces." She gestured, and the air around her seemed to bend slightly. "Watch carefully."