The First Bloom 41

Jianyu rolled his shoulders, still feeling the lingering strain from the fight. His entire body ached, but he wasn't about to complain—not when Zhenfeng, as usual, looked completely unfazed. Except…

Now that he was paying attention, there was something.

Zhenfeng wasn't breathing as steadily as he usually did after a fight. His stance, always rock-solid, had the tiniest fraction of a give. And when he turned to walk back toward the guild's training ground, Jianyu noticed the almost imperceptible tension in his shoulders.

Not obvious. Nothing that anyone else would pick up on. But Jianyu wasn't just anyone else.

Zhenfeng was tired.

Not to the point of collapse—nothing like before—but it was there.