"Cleaning first, the ember second," he continues, setting his strategy firmly in his mind. He reassures himself, "Can't let it go out."
He picks up bottles, checking for cracks or leaks before returning them to their proper place. The room slowly comes back to order. Li Wei works methodically, ensuring everything is as it should be. The floor is swept, the surfaces wiped down, and the tools cleaned and stored away.
As he works, the room transforms from a place of chaos to a place of study and craft. The job is simple but requires attention. Li Wei gives it that attention, knowing that his day's end is near.
With the room clean, Li Wei steps back to survey his work. Everything is as Senior Huo likes it. The room is ready for another day's work.
He edges close to the pill furnace. He crouches down, the warmth from the dying fire hitting his skin.
He retrieves a scrap of cloth from his robe. It's a calculated risk, repeating his previous act of thievery, but necessity drives him. The foundation of his future cultivation could be strengthened by this one act.
With a quick glance over his shoulder to affirm his solitude, he carefully reaches with the cloth, wrapping the ember to avoid burns. The heat seeps through the cloth into his palm.
He tucks the ember into his robe and goes to leave.
Li Wei reaches for the handle of the room's only door. His fingers wrap around it, preparing to push it open and step out. Still, before the door can swing away from him, Senior Huo's voice halts his departure.
"Why so quick to leave?" Senior Huo inquires from just beyond the threshold.
Li Wei releases the handle, leaving the door closed. He doesn't need to open it to know that Senior Huo is standing outside; his voice is close, clearly indicating his position. There's an undercurrent of expectation in the air; Senior Huo is not merely passing by – he has stationed himself deliberately outside the door.
Li Wei steps back as the door opens, and Senior Huo enters the room. Senior Huo steps past Li Wei.
Li Wei watches the door swing shut behind Senior Huo. The click of the latch sounds definitive, a clear end to the notion of leaving.
"Let's talk, Junior Brother," Senior Huo continues, his voice steady, betraying no sign of impatience.
It's a command, not an invitation.
Senior Huo moves past Li Wei and goes behind his desk.
He gestures to a spot in front of his desk. "Stand there," he says. Li Wei does so.
The room is quiet. Senior Huo looks at Li Wei. Li Wei waits. He does not speak. He waits for Senior Huo to talk. Senior Huo takes his time. He looks at Li Wei. He seems to think.
Li Wei stands still. He looks at Senior Huo. He does not try to guess what Senior Huo thinks.
Senior Huo speaks. "You work well," he says. "You do your tasks. You follow orders." His voice is still calm. "But you always seem in a hurry. You leave as soon as you can." He watches Li Wei. "Why is that?"
Li Wei thinks before he speaks. He must be careful. "I like to finish my work quickly, Senior Brother," he says. "I want to do a good job."
Senior Huo nods. "You want to do a good job," he repeats. "Efficiency is good, but haste leads to errors."
Senior Huo's eyes lock onto Li Wei's, a hint of suspicion in his voice as he says, "Perhaps you're avoiding me?"
Senior Huo's voice breaks the stillness, a sharp note against the silence. "It's surprising that you need more bone fire. Did you fail to keep it alight?" His tone is probing.
Li Wei freezes, a chill creeping up his spine. He turns slowly, facing Senior Huo, the question hanging heavily in the room. ""I'm not sure I follow, Senior Brother," he stammers, a feigned confusion lacing his voice. "I wouldn't dare..." His words trail off, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Senior Huo's displeasure is palpable in the room's charged stillness. His body is motionless, yet his presence fills every corner of the space. His gaze, fixed on Li Wei, conveys a deep disapproval.
Senior Huo raises his hand slowly. A slender, sharp bone point emerges from his fingertip, a precise and deadly extension. The bone gleams faintly in the dim light of the room, a testament to Senior Huo's mastery over his own body and the elements of cultivation.
With a suddenness that belies the earlier calm, Senior Huo lashes out. The bone point slices through the air with lethal intent, aimed at Li Wei. Instinctively, Li Wei tries to recoil, but the confines of the room and the proximity of Senior Huo offer no escape.
The bone point makes contact, but not where Li Wei expects. Instead of a slash across the face, there is a sharp, searing pain at the side of his head. Li Wei's hand reflexively goes to his ear, and he feels a warm gush of blood. The realisation of what has happened doesn't dawn on him immediately; the shock of the attack and the rapid onset of pain momentarily cloud his understanding.
For a few heartbeats, Li Wei fears the worst. He thinks he might be dying, the severity of the injury unknown, his mind racing with panic. The sensation of blood trickling down his neck, warm and unsettling, amplifies this fear. It's only when the initial wave of pain begins to crystallise into a throbbing ache that he realises the extent of the injury: his ear has been cut off.
Li Wei stands frozen, the realisation setting in. He can't help but wonder if this is just the beginning and if more grievous harm is to follow. His only option is to remain still, to accept whatever comes next, as any reaction might provoke further violence from Senior Huo.
The room is silent save for the faint sound of Li Wei's blood hitting the floor. Senior Huo's expression remains unreadable, his posture one of calm authority, the bone point now retracted back into his finger as if it had never been.
Li Wei stands motionless, a statue in the dim room, as the reality of his situation descends upon him. He looks around in confusion and shock. Behind him lies a piece of himself, severed —his ear.
The room seems to contract around him, the walls pressing in as the sharp pain radiates from the side of his face. It pulses with every beat of his heart, a rhythmic reminder of the violence that has just occurred.
His hand moves to the side of his head, pressing against the wound. The pressure is instinctual, a desperate attempt to stem the flow of blood that now warms the side of his neck and stains his clothing. His palm is wet, and he knows without looking that it is covered in his blood.
Li Wei lowers to the floor, his knees meeting the cool stone with a soft thud. His movements are deliberate and controlled despite the panic that threatens to rise within him. He is performing a kowtow, a sign of respect, submission, and humility.
One arm remains pressed against his head, the hand applying pressure to where his ear once was. The fabric of his robes soaks through with blood, but he does not waver in his efforts to keep the bleeding at bay. The other arm stretches before him, his forehead nearing the ground in the traditional posture.
Li Wei's breath comes in short, ragged gasps, each one a battle against the pain and the shock. He can feel his energy waning, blood loss draining his strength. Yet he remains in the kowtow, his body bent in a physical manifestation of the apology his lips cannot form.
The room is silent save for the sound of his breathing and the soft dripping of blood onto the floor. Time stretches, each second a lingering moment of suffering and realisation. Li Wei knows he cannot rise and speak until Senior Huo permits it. He is at the mercy of the Senior Huo, his fate held in the hands of one who has shown he does not hesitate to wield power with a brutal hand.
As he kneels there, the initial shock of the injury giving way to a dull throbbing agony, Li Wei understands the precariousness of his position. He is vulnerable, exposed, his life hanging by the slenderest of threads.
For now, all he can do is wait, the pressure of his hand against his head a feeble defence against the tide of blood, his body bent in a kowtow that is both penance and plea. He waits for a sign from Senior Huo to indicate what will come next.
Senior Huo's eyes narrow, the air around him growing more dangerous. "You're even more unsightly without your ear," Senior Huo remarks, his voice low and threatening. "I will kill you if you lie again." His hand rests on the table, fingers drumming lightly.