There's still a slight chill in the morning air. Ch'en is helping Mikhail split firewood. She looks at the pile of wood at her feet. 'That should be enough.' She exhales, loosens her shoulders, and starts thinking about what to do next. This morning she'll stop by the newly repaired workshop and bake cookies with Svetlana, as she promised. And then... Well, Mikhail has invited her to his house for lunch. She plans to ask the old artificer to fix her Steam Knight model while she's there—it was a gift from a Victorian. In the afternoon, she and Mikhail are going to check the fields, which, unfortunately, are plagued by insects. The two of them have spent days figuring out how to modify her water-gun to spray pesticides, and today is the day to test out their invention. In the evening... ah, right, the Messenger is coming to town today, which means the letter from Dossoles should have arrived. The people there are even nicer than she expected. They often write to her with updates. She intends to draw up a new training plan for them. And of course, she should write a letter to Madam Fumizuki to let her know she's safe. 'So much to do, so little time.' With that thought, she takes a step forward, when a young man blocks her way. It's Svetlana's son, a member of the town's defense corps. Some time ago, Ch'en had helped out with some work for the defense corps. Ever since then, the young boy had been begging her to take him on as a disciple. 'Tell me how I can become strong like you, Miss Ch'en!' he says. 'Go back and keep swinging your sword every day,' is her reply. She is not deceiving him. Sword practice was once the most important thing in Ch'en Hui-chieh's life. Back when she lived in Lungmen, she always found time to train, regardless of the weather, and no matter how many other duties had piled up. 'But you've been living in our town for so long, and I've never once seen you practice.' His words catch her off guard. She suddenly realizes she really hasn't practiced in quite a while. At some point, she's not sure when, sword practice no longer seemed as important—or rather, as pressing to her as it once did. Today's list of errands feels just as important to her as sword practice. It suddenly dawns on her—the old Ch'en Hui-chieh would never have thought this way. But when she thinks of that younger her, always with something to prove, she finds within herself a confidence that she finds hard to explain. Chi Xiao must be sharper than ever. No, her sword must be sharper than ever. 'Shall I give you a demonstration?' 'Huh?' Ch'en shifts her stance ever so slightly. Miraculously, a 'sword' appears in her hands, seemingly out of thin air. This 'sword' gives the young boy an overwhelming sense of foreboding. He feels an urge to run, but finds himself unable to move, forced to watch as the 'sword' swings toward him. Reflexively, he shuts his eyes. Of course, the 'sword' does not strike him. Instead, Ch'en only pats his shoulder. 'Come on. Your mother is waiting for us.' The young man opens his eyes. Off in the distance, his mother, Svetlana, is waving to them from the ridge, calling them over to the workshop. Ch'en walks toward her, and the boy hurries after her. 'Miss Ch'en, if I keep swinging my sword every day, will I be able to do what you just did?' he asks, his voice teeming with excitement. 'No. Just swinging your sword is not enough. You must also walk many, many miles.' Ch'en lifts her head to the sky. The sun is shining brightly today. A fine day for a journey.