The iron bands clung to his wrists and ankles like shackles.
At first, Lian thought he could endure them. But by the second day, even lifting a bucket of water made his arms feel like stone. Every step burned his legs as if he were dragging mountains.
He did not complain.
He could not complain.
To the others in the Chu mansion, he was nothing more than a servant boy. Complaining would only bring ridicule—or worse, punishment.
That morning, he staggered through the courtyard, carrying two buckets of water balanced on a pole across his shoulders. His knees shook. Sweat soaked through his ragged clothes.
A group of servants laughed as he stumbled.
"Careful, weakling, don't spill it!" one sneered.
Another added, "He looks like he'll collapse any second. What useless trash."
Even Chu Feng, passing by with his practice sword, smirked at the sight.
"Pathetic," he muttered before striding away, not even sparing Lian another glance.
The buckets tipped, water sloshed over the ground as Lian fell to his knees. The laughter around him grew louder.
But inside, behind his lowered eyes, Lian smiled faintly.
Yes, laugh. Mock me. To you, I am a stumbling dog… but these chains are forging me into something you cannot imagine.
With trembling arms, he forced himself back to his feet. His body screamed, but he did not stop.
That night, in the silence of his servant's room, he sat cross-legged. His breaths came slow, steady, following the hidden breathing art the old man had taught him.
With each inhale, he guided the faint spark of Qi deeper into his dantian. With each exhale, he pressed the energy down, compressing it, refining it.
His limbs ached. His shoulders burned. But the fire within him only grew hotter.
Chains may weigh me down… but they will also raise me higher.
By dawn, his arms trembled so violently he could barely lift his bowl of porridge. A fellow servant laughed, pointing at him.
"Look at him! He can't even eat properly. Useless."
Lian lowered his head, swallowing the thin gruel in silence.
But deep in his core, beneath the mask of weakness, the Qi spark flickered brighter than ever.
End of Chapter 6.