When Ashen found the young man, he was sitting upon a boulder. With legs crossed and mind stilled in meditation, his entire form seemed to radiate a brilliant, multi-colored light. A barrier of invisible radiance appeared to envelop his body, blending him seamlessly into the surrounding landscape until he was one with the light and dust. Had one not looked with the utmost care, it would have been impossible to tell where he was.
Ashen was startled. *How is it,* he thought to himself, *that this person seems scarcely older than the likes of us, yet I feel as though his depth is unfathomable?*
Dragging his injured frame—fearing lest any sudden movement should tear the wound upon his back—A'shen slowly climbed upward, leaning on a walking stick, and called out, "Young Hero Shi, might I trouble you for a moment?"
Chapter 126