Dusk had fallen, painting the high slopes of Cloud-Split Peak in bruised shades of purple and grey. Lin Wei, his body aching but his spirit fortified, carried a heavy bucket of water toward the outer disciple dormitories.
He found Jian Lei exactly where he expected him, lounging on a stone bench with his two cronies, sipping a clear, expensive spirit wine.
"Look who finally showed up," Jian Lei drawled, spitting wine onto the ground. "Did you bring my payment, Dirt-Scraper? Did you realize you can't steal from your betters and get away with it?"
Lin Wei set the bucket down, keeping his gaze low. "I brought your robes, Disciple Jian. They are clean." He laid the pristine, perfectly folded Elder's robes on the bench.
Jian Lei laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "The robes are merely compensation for your existence, scum. I'm talking about the Spiritual Stone."
Lin Wei felt a spike of hatred, quickly smothered by the icy calm of his newly strengthened spirit. "I do not have a Spiritual Stone, Disciple Jian. I am a servant."
"Still lying!" Jian Lei surged forward, his speed the result of Qi Condensation training. He slapped Lin Wei across the face. "Perhaps a few broken bones will remind you of your place."
As Jian Lei raised his fist for a full-power strike, Lin Wei acted. He didn't fight back. Instead, he channeled the dark green Qi from his core, not into his fist, but into his legs and core, bracing for impact and dodging by a hair's breadth—a feat utterly impossible for a 'Mortal Root' servant.
Jian Lei's heavy fist, aimed for Lin Wei's head, struck the stone bench instead. Crack! A low-grade defensive inscription carved into the bench shattered, and Jian Lei let out a cry, clutching his bruised knuckles.
"You—you moved!" Jian Lei stared at him, bewildered and enraged.
"I apologize, Disciple Jian," Lin Wei said, his voice level. "I was startled."
Lin Wei knew Jian Lei was too arrogant and foolish to suspect a sudden breakthrough. He would only see a lucky fluke. This was the lesson the Edict had taught him: Don't show your strength directly. Use it subtly.
Jian Lei, unwilling to lose face in front of his cronies, lunged again, this time aiming a clumsy kick at Lin Wei's shins. Lin Wei, utilizing his newly heightened senses and speed, allowed the kick to connect, but channeled his Qi to his leg, minimizing the damage. He collapsed, clutching his shin and moaning piteously.
"Enough, Jian Lei," one of the cronies muttered nervously, seeing the display of raw bullying. "Elder Gu will hear this noise."
Jian Lei, satisfied that the "scum" had been put in his place, sneered. "Next time, the stone, or I break every bone. Now get out of my sight!"
Lin Wei, still feigning crippling pain, crawled away, clutching his side. He had taken a beating, but he hadn't been defeated. More importantly, he had used his Qi without revealing his breakthrough.
They want me to be a worm, Lin Wei thought, limping down the path. Fine. I'll be a worm that drinks the essence of dragons.