I did not sleep. I sat with the blade of grass all through the long, cold night. The moon arced across the sky, a silent, silver witness. The stars wheeled in their eternal dance. My body grew stiff, my muscles cramped, but I did not move. Yue's words had carved out a space in my mind, and I was not yet ready to leave it.
You must love it enough to let go of your own need.
I had never loved anything without needing something in return. I needed my mother's approval, my father's protection. I needed Shi's strength. I needed my power to keep me safe. Every act of love I had ever known was a transaction, a desperate exchange for security. But the blade of grass asked for nothing. It simply was.
