"Lao Wen," he admonishes reflexively, brow furrowing, and that's how he knows the person standing before him is really his Lao Wen. "When will you learn to care more for yourself?"

He lowers his blade, then, and walks forward, step after measured step to close the distance between them. Zishu stops when he's close enough that he has to lift his chin, tilts his head contemplatively. "Wen Kexing," he says quietly, "Where have you been?"