"I don't feel any changes," Yao Shen says.
"Are you sure you were supposed to drink it?"
Yao Shen nods. "Yes, I'm positive, Meng Po said so."
He turns the vial around in his hand, inspecting the engravings and its shape. It doesn't look any different than all the others he saw in Meng Po's house, but maybe there's something small he isn't noticing.
"Show me Yan Shuyi's vial."
Xin Hulei opens his closet doors and takes out a beautiful lacquered box. Inside it are three small drawers. He pulls open the first one, which has only enough space for Yan Shuyi's memory vial and a beautiful, white jade waist token.
The waist token catches Yao Shen's attention. The white silk tassels hanging from it are wrapped carefully around the jade ornament. Clearly Xin Hulei values it highly.
It sends a sour pang of jealousy through Yao Shen to see such a stark reminder of how much Xin Hulei still treasures his shizun.
