Li Wei thinks to himself quickly, "Every word counts." The severity of Senior Huo's wrath and the ease with which he could end him is clear.
Yet, a sliver of hope flickers within him. "If he wanted me dead, it would have already happened by now," Li Wei realises. His heart pounds, but he latches onto this thought. It's a thin thread to cling to, but it's there.
His mind is on edge. "One misstep, one wrong word," he tells himself, "and I could be killed." He can't afford mistakes.
"Senior, please... forgive me," he says. His voice is clear, the words spoken with a weight of sincerity. "I have failed you." There is a tremble in his voice, a human quiver that speaks of genuine fear and regret.
"I'm not worthy of life." His words spread into the room, filled with the depth of his realisation. He knows the gravity of his situation.
Senior Huo speaks. "To dare to steal under my nose, you have balls." His voice is steady. It does not rise. It does not fall. It is a statement.
After a moment of silence, Senior Huo fixes his gaze on Li Wei. "I am not beyond forgiveness," he states, his voice even and composed. The room seems to grow quieter with his words.
Li Wei feels a flicker of hope at these words, yet he remains cautious, aware of Senior Huo's unpredictable nature. He waits, not daring to interrupt Senior Huo's contemplation.
"But forgiveness must be earned".
"You must do something for me," Senior Huo continues.
Li Wei responds quickly. "Anything, Senior." His voice is eager. It is filled with relief.
"You must kill an outer disciple named Xue Feng."
"I understand, Senior Brother," Li Wei replies. His affirmation is soft but firm, a verbal seal on the pact he has implicitly made with his superior.
Li Wei stands attentively as Senior Huo's words resonate with a firm and clear promise through the room. "If you succeed," Senior Huo declares. "You will have the honour of becoming my servant."
"Yes, Senior Brother, it will be done," Li Wei states.
The side of Li Wei's face throbs. He presses his hand more firmly against it, but the blood continues to seep through, creating a steady drip. He adjusts the cloth, hoping to find a position that might better stem the flow, but the blood finds its way through, relentless in its escape.
The room around him is silent, save for the soft sound of blood hitting the floor.
"Drip, drip, drip."
The rhythm is constant. Li Wei feels the warmth of the blood as it trails down his skin despite the pressure he applies.
Amid the tense silence, Senior Huo reaches into the folds of his robe. He produces a small coin pouch, the material of it making a soft noise as it moves through the air. With a flick of his wrist, he tosses it toward Li Wei.
"I'll even reward you for doing it," Senior Huo states plainly. The pouch lands with a dull thud on the floor near Li Wei, the weight of the coins inside giving it a solid presence. "Half now, half later."
Li Wei, still kneeling, momentarily distracted from the pain by the unexpected gesture, looks at the coin pouch lying before him. Bloodied and trembling slightly, his hand reaches out to pick it up. The fabric of the pouch is coarse under his fingertips.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," he says, his voice steady despite his turmoil.
Senior Huo eyes him with a piercing gaze, questioning, "Now, who told you about Bone Fire?"
Li Wei carefully considers his words.
"I saw it, Senior Brother," Li Wei begins, his tone laced with respect and feigned naivety.
"Late at night, I walked past the senior brothers' rooms. A bright light shining from under a door caught my attention. I peered through the gap. Inside, a senior brother was busy with a pill furnace, refining bone ash."
"Underneath the furnace was a white fire, not like regular flames. I had never seen it."
"When I saw Seniors embers i stole it and attempted to emulate it in my cave,"
Senior Huo, his features obscured by the play of shadows, absorbs the tale. His expression remains a stoic mask, giving nothing away.
Li Wei cautiously approaches Senior Huo, his heart racing. The senior's gaze is piercing, making Li Wei feel exposed. "Take out the ember from your robe," Senior Huo commands in a tone that brooks no argument.
With hesitant movements, Li Wei reaches into the depths of his robe. He carefully extracts the piece of coal, its surface harbouring a faint trace of the white fire. The once vibrant ember now seems almost deceivingly ordinary, save for the subtle glow that hints at its hidden power.
His attention is briefly piqued, and Senior Huo instructs Li Wei in a voice devoid of concern, "Press it to your ear." Li Wei's hand, trembling slightly, obeys without question. As the coal, still carrying a vestige of the white fire, makes contact with his skin, a sharp sizzle fills the room.
The pain is immediate and overwhelming. Li Wei clenches his teeth as the ember burns into his flesh, the smell of singed skin permeating the air. It's an acrid, unsettling aroma reminiscent of cooked meat and quickly fills the chamber. Li Wei's eyes water from the pain and the stench, but he dares not remove the coal.
Senior Huo observes with a clinical detachment, his interest seemingly in the reaction of the flesh to the fire rather than in Li Wei's well-being. His fingers, which had briefly handled the coal, show a sense of familiarity with such objects but no empathy for the person enduring their effect.
Despite the searing pain, Li Wei notices that the bleeding from his ear has ceased. The intense heat from the coal, with its lingering white fire, has cauterised the wound. The realisation brings a twisted sense of relief amidst the agony.
After Li Wei presses the coal against his flesh, its glow fades, and the ember goes out, turning into a dull, lifeless chunk of coal. Senior Huo, observing this, commands in a detached tone, "Give it to me." Still reeling from the pain, Li Wei hesitates for a moment before quickly complying.
Li Wei hands over the extinguished coal to Senior Huo. Senior Huo takes the coal in his palm, showing no particular emotion. To Li Wei, Senior Hou merely holds a piece of charred wood.
Without any obvious gesture or movement, the coal in Senior Huo's hand sparks back to life. A burst of white flame emerges from the coal, lighting up the room. Li Wei watches, his eyes widening in surprise. The ember, which had seemed dead and cold in his hand, now burns with a vigorous white fire.
Still, in Senior Huo's palm, it blazes as if it had never been extinguished. The flame crackles softly, its sound clear in the quiet room.
Li Wei is left to wonder how Senior Huo achieved this. To him, senior Huo's action is a mystery. There had been no indication, no visible sign of what Senior Huo did to reignite the coal.
The flame burns steadily.
"The Bone Fire you so desperately seek," Senior Huo's voice is steady, almost contemplative, "is a basic technique for those who have reached the Foundational Establishment."
Holding the coal with the white fire burning steadily, Senior Huo turns his attention back to Li Wei. The room is illuminated by the soft, flickering light of the flame, casting long shadows on the walls. He extends the coal towards Li Wei, the white fire still crackling quietly in his palm.
As Li Wei takes the coal with the white fire from Senior Huo, the senior brother adds, "If you succeed and become my servant, I will reward you more. The Bone Fire and gold coins will seem like trinkets in comparison." His voice, though calm, carries an undercurrent of promise, suggesting rewards far greater than Li Wei has yet known.
"Now go, I have things to do,"
Li Wei, understanding the cue, nods respectfully. "I won't bother you anymore, Senior Brother," he responds, acknowledging Senior Huo's authority and the privilege of the time granted to him. Further lingering is unnecessary and could be seen as a sign of disrespect.
Li Wei rises from the floor. The joints of his body straighten as he stands to his full height. With the meeting at its end, he brings himself to stand.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for giving me this chance," he says. His voice is steady, his words measured.
He does not turn his back to Senior Huo. That would be a breach of etiquette, a sign of disrespect. Instead, he steps backwards, his feet careful and sure against the stone floor.
"He could still change his mind and kill me on the spot," Li Wei thinks to himself. "I'm not safe yet. Not until I'm far away from here. Every moment is a risk."
He reaches the door and turns just enough to push it open. The hinges move without sound, are well-maintained, and are causing no squeak that would disturb the chamber's silence. He steps through the doorway, and the door closes behind him; there is a soft thud as the latch falls into place.