Panting heavily as he struggled to catch his breath, Chi Cheng shut his eyes painfully. With clenched teeth and a hand bunching the Grandmaster's robe as he gripped it, he suppressed the urge to scream.
'You've faced worse than this…' Chi Cheng reminded himself, resting his forehead against the Grandmaster's shoulder. 'But this body isn't as strong as my old one…'
Seated on the bed in his own room, Han Xuelian tried to calm Chi Cheng as the healer they summoned attempted to pry the arrowhead from the younger male's shoulder.
"It's not an ordinary arrow," the healer declared, using a sharp metal tool to grip the exposed part of the broken arrow that was embedded in Chi Cheng's shoulder. "The tip has ridges, it's going to hurt and damage more of his flesh."
Embracing Chi Cheng so that the younger male could lean against his firm physique, Han Xuelian brushed his hand down Chi Cheng's hair and over his back; like soothing a child. He scowled distastefully after hearing the healer's words.
'What was that Shan wench trying to accomplish?!' Han Xuelian almost blurted out, but he was certain he would give the female Shan disciple her due punishment.
However, he had yet to investigate and conclude whether her actions were intentional or accidental.
"You're a healer, figure something out." The Grandmaster shot the healer a darkening glare. "You can't think of a way to do it?"
"Brat." The healer clicked his tongue irritably, setting down the metal tool on the bedside. "Yi'er, come here." He signalled for Han Yijun who was leaning against the room door with his arms folded, frowning the entire time as he observed the scene.
Approaching the bed, Han Yijun quirked an eyebrow as he looked at the healer questioningly. His gaze trailed over to Chi Cheng encased in Han Xuelian's arms, feeling a flicker of annoyance stir inside him but with one brief glare from his uncle, he turned away.
However his eyes lingered over the grazes and gashes across Chi Cheng's back; a heartaching reminder that they were a result of his brutish actions. Inhaling a deep breath to calm his nerves, he afforded his attention to the healer.
"What do you need me for?" Han Yijun questioned.
"Numb his shoulder for me, I didn't bring my anaesthesia pills." The healer instructed, retrieving a single red pill from a pouch. "This one is to assist with pain relief." He handed it to the Grandmaster.
Grimacing from excruciating pain, Chi Cheng fought to stay conscious. He felt the Grandmaster's hand gently slip under his hair, his fingers reaching into the younger male's hair to cup the back of his head. He carefully brought Chi Cheng's head away from his shoulder, still holding him close.
"Open your mouth for me, Chi Cheng," Han Xuelian said softly, brushing his other hand against the younger male's cheek. "It will be over soon."
With trembling lips, Chi Cheng slowly parted them. Han Xuelian slipped in the red pill and the younger male's expression contorted from the bitterness, but he forcefully swallowed it.
"Good." Brushing the pad of his thumb across Chi Cheng's lower lip, the Grandmaster complimented. He brought the younger male's head to rest against his shoulder again. "Proceed and be quick about it." He ordered the healer sternly.
Nodding to Han Yijun, the healer rolled up the sleeves of his robe. Han Yijun placed his hand on Chi Cheng's shoulder a few inches away from the wound. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he channelled his energy to form a thin layer of ice around the wound, spreading it a little further down Chi Cheng's back.
Chi Cheng gasped, feeling the stinging cold sensation chill his body and he began to shiver, but the Grandmaster continued to soothe him by rubbing the lower part of his back.
The technique created a numbing effect which slowed down Chi Cheng's nerve impulses, temporarily dulling the sensation of pain.
"I'm going to try and add a layer of ice internally around the arrowhead." The healer's hand hovered over the area of the wound. "It will reduce the damage to his flesh but he's still going to feel some pain so keep him distracted and awake."
"Try to stay awake with me, Chi Cheng." Han Xuelian threaded his fingers into the younger male's hair, tilting his head backwards a bit so he could look at him better. "Focus on me, ok? I would distract you with a conversation but I doubt you can speak in this state."
With a bowl of water in one hand, the healer used his other hand to draw out small streams of the liquid and combine it with a few swirling strands of his blue Qi. He controlled it precisely to dampen the surface of Chi Cheng's shoulder wound, softening the flesh for better access and smoother extraction of the arrowhead.
Chi Cheng clenched his teeth, fighting back tears that couldn't be contained. Although he was induced with a numbing effect around the wound, he could still distinctly feel the healer's movements.
The area of the wound was a bit swollen, purplish and blue as it oozed a black substance when the water dampened it.
"A paralysis elixir…" The healer eyed the black liquid warily. "Thankfully it isn't poison, he'll be fine."
The healer drew out more streams of water which he directed to penetrate the surface of Chi Cheng's wound. The swirls of water seeped in through the crevices in the injury like threads in a weave, reaching the tip of the serrated arrowhead.
Forming a cluster of water molecules around the arrowhead, the healer condensed them to solidify and create an ice coating that fitted the shape of the arrowhead. Except it didn't conform to the serrated shape, replicating a less sharper ice covering that moulded around the arrowhead.
Chi Cheng could feel the strange movement deep within the wound. Despite the water softening his flesh, it still inflicted him with pain that was similar to thin needles embedding themselves into an open raw wound. There was an icy sensation amongst the pain which only made him grit his teeth harder.
"You're going to shatter your teeth." Han Xuelian frowned. He loosened his hand free from Chi Cheng's hair and brought it near the younger male's mouth. "Bite if it eases your pain. Don't hurt yourself."
Han Yijun's blood boiled at the sight, unable to comprehend how his uncle could treat another person so tenderly. As if Chi Cheng was the most fragile thing in the world and the Grandmaster disliked seeing him with blemishes.
'Hah!' Han Yijun resisted the urge to sneer, wanting to laugh at his own foolishness and feelings of envy. 'You'd seduce anyone to get what you want, Chi Cheng…'
Disorientated and with a severely weakened body, Chi Cheng didn't have the sensibility to refuse or even have any awareness of whose arms he was in. Parting his lips, he bit down on the side of the Grandmaster's palm.
Sinking his teeth till the skin broke and he could taste blood on his lips, Chi Cheng was able to mildly endure the pain while the healer swiftly pulled out the arrowhead. He felt the ice covering graze against his flesh on the inside, but it was significantly better than having the serrated edges slice through his skin's tissue.
A spray of blood and black substance oozed out immediately after the arrowhead was extracted. Chi Cheng's emerald eyes lit up with a faint red hue hidden in his irises when a few droplets of the Grandmaster's blood trickled down his throat.
The change in Chi Cheng's eyes took Han Xuelian by surprise. Before he could get a closer look, the red glint faded when the younger male released his hand; exhaling a deep breath in relief.
'I've seen something similar when Yijun cornered him before…' The Grandmaster recalled. 'Do you truly have no Qi at all flowing in your body?'
"I thought you were going to bite it off," Han Xuelian said teasingly, staring at the bloody state of his hand which now had a deeply imprinted bite mark.
The healer shook his head, sighing as he began to clean Chi Cheng's wound and treat it. "Good job, Yi'er." He complimented. "You would make an excellent ice healer."
"Not interested," Han Yijun stated curtly, turning away to make his leave.
"Get yourself treated," the Grandmaster called out after him. "You weren't in good shape either."
Han Yijun dismissed him with a hand gesture before making his way out.
Chi Cheng had already lost himself to unconsciousness and was silently asleep against the Grandmaster's shoulder.
"You did well." Han Xuelian smiled. "Now, get some rest."