Sinking Feeling

"This meditation shit is a joke. If I could just eat essence all day, I'd probably hit Golden Core in no time," Li Wei mutters, standing and stretching his stiff limbs. His joints crack audibly from staying in one position too long. He shakes out his arms and begins pacing the cave. The thought of continuing this tedious routine makes his fists clench in frustration.

He grabs a small handful of bone essence and dumps it into a cup. After adding a bit of water, he drinks it down. The taste is dull, and the effect is noticeably weaker than before. Days of absorbing Qi from it through meditation have drained much of its potency. He clicks his tongue in annoyance. "This crap's barely doing anything now."

Li Wei's mind drifts to alternatives—anything that could boost accumulating cultivation faster. An idea flashes in his mind. Bone parasitism. He's been curious about testing it], and anything that increases Qi is worth trying. He pauses, narrowing his eyes as another thought forms.

"The shopkeeper…" he mutters, recalling the man he extorted last time. "That guy… he can still be useful."

The thought of using the shopkeeper for bone parasitism excites him. He's been looking for a suitable test subject, and the man fits perfectly. Li Wei's smirk deepens. "Time to pay him back… and screw him over at the same time," he says quietly, already planning his next move.

Without hesitation, Li Wei closes his eyes and focuses. The bone slave responds instantly, moving as if it were an extension of his body. No sound, no wasted motion. It slips through the cave entrance, disappearing into the light.

Li Wei senses every step, every movement. The connection between him and the bone slave is seamless, as if he's feeling through its eyes. It glides through narrow paths and quiet passages, unseen by the occasional disciples wandering the sect grounds. The air is cool, the atmosphere calm, but the bone slave moves with purpose, weaving between shadows without drawing attention.

Minutes pass as the bone slave nears the market. The scattered stalls are dimly lit by flickering lanterns, casting long shadows across the worn stone paths. Disciples mill about, trading cultivation resources—herbs, pills, manuals. Li Wei directs the bone slave carefully, feeling every movement as if guiding a blind man.

"There," he mutters as he locks onto the familiar, erratic Qi signature of the shopkeeper. The man stands behind a small stall, nervously arranging his wares. His Qi feels weak, jittery—just like last time. Li Wei senses the tension in the air as outer disciples notice the bone slave's approach. They step aside quickly, their eyes wide with fear. No one dares to question or interfere.

The bone slave doesn't hesitate. It moves directly toward the stall, ignoring the frightened whispers of nearby disciples. Before the shopkeeper can react, its hand shoots out, grabbing him by the shoulder in a crushing grip. The man lets out a startled cry, but Li Wei doesn't slow down. The bone slave pulls the struggling shopkeeper away without ceremony, dragging him through the narrow alleys of the sect.

No one dares to follow. The sight of a bone construct hauling someone off is enough to make the disciples avert their eyes and mind their own business. Li Wei feels every jolt, every panicked movement of the shopkeeper through the link with the bone slave. The man struggles, but the grip is unyielding.

"Keep moving," Li Wei mutters, maintaining his focus as the bone slave continues its relentless pace toward the cave. He senses every motion, tracking the exact route as it drags the struggling shopkeeper through the sect's quieter paths. By the time they arrive, Li Wei is already waiting, arms crossed, watching with mild amusement.

The bone slave hurls the shopkeeper onto the cold ground. The man gasps for air, his chest heaving, eyes darting around the dimly lit cave in panic. He scrambles to speak, voice trembling.

"Senior, please! Spare me! I haven't done anything wrong! That thing… with Senior Chu, it was a misunderstanding!"

"Who the fuck is Senior Chu?" Li Wei thinks, raising an eyebrow. A smirk creeps across his face as he watches the man tremble. "Stupid idiot," he mutters under his breath.

He steps forward slowly, his face blank, his tone cold. "Enough," he says flatly.

The shopkeeper flinches, falling silent immediately, too terrified to pander further.

The shopkeeper flinches, lowering his head as if bracing for a blow. His eyes dart around nervously, trying to make sense of what's happening. A few seconds pass before his gaze locks onto Li Wei, recognition dawning in his wide, frightened eyes.

"M-my lord…" His voice trembles, barely above a whisper. "Do you need more bone pills? I've got some with me. You can have them for free!" The words spill out in a rush, desperate. "Actually, I have more than last time at my shop. Please, just don't kill me!"

Li Wei crouches down slowly, pulling out a Grade 1 bone pill and holding it loosely between his fingers. He studies the man, who can barely hold his gaze. "I'm not here to extort you. I'm here to repay you."

The shopkeeper's face contorts in confusion. He starts shaking his head rapidly. "No, no, senior! I don't mind! There's no need!" His voice wavers, a mix of fear and disbelief.

Li Wei ignores his protests, his tone calm but unyielding. "Bring other outer disciples here. Quietly. No fuss."

The shopkeeper nods quickly, his head bobbing up and down like a puppet on strings. "Yes, yes, of course, my lord. I'll bring them right away!"

Li Wei places a firm hand on the man's shoulder, gripping just tightly enough to keep him steady. His expression remains unreadable, calm, as though nothing unusual is happening. He doesn't want the shopkeeper to feel even the slightest hint of what's about to happen.

As he speaks, Li Wei murmurs, "Did you know the hardest things to break are the ones already broken?" His tone remains calm, almost contemplative, offering nothing for the man to respond to. Meanwhile, he focuses intently on his fingertip. A thin bone shard begins to emerge, growing silently from the tip of his finger. He exerts careful control, ensuring the shard extends gradually, its surface smooth and unnoticeable. The shard elongates steadily, inching towards the man's shoulder, ready to implant unnoticed.

Li Wei's attention narrows entirely on the process. He regulates his Qi flow meticulously, ensuring the shard's structure remains stable and flexible. His breathing slows, his grip steady. The shard makes contact with the man's skin, pressing into the flesh without breaking it—just enough to create a small opening before slipping deeper into the muscle and bone.

The shard slides inward with no resistance, guided by Li Wei's absolute focus. He feels the faint sensation of bone merging with bone, the shard embedding itself securely. He adjusts the angle slightly, ensuring it locks into place where it won't shift or cause any noticeable discomfort. The entire process takes only a few seconds, but to Li Wei, it feels like an eternity.

Just as the shard anchors itself fully into the man's shoulder, Li Wei feels the familiar tug of Qi stabilising within the shard. The process is nearly complete, everything proceeding as planned. But then, without warning, something shifts.

A sinking feeling washes over him, sudden and inescapable, like being pulled into deep, dark water. For a fleeting moment—barely more than the blink of an eye—he senses something foreign pressing against his mind. It's cold, detached, and utterly distinct from either his own Qi or the shopkeeper's. The sensation is distant yet impossibly intimate, as if it's brushing against the edges of his awareness while watching from far beyond his reach.

The presence vanishes almost instantly, leaving Li Wei questioning whether it was even real. "The fuck was that?" he thinks, his grip tightening. His mind races, but he can't dwell on it now. He has to finish the job without giving away his unease.

The tightened grip causes the shopkeeper to wince slightly. "S-senior…" he mutters, his voice strained.

Li Wei eases his grip, retracting his hand smoothly. The entire process is seamless. There's no sign of what he's done—no wound, no discomfort apart from his grip, nothing out of the ordinary. The implant is perfectly hidden, and the shopkeeper appears completely unaware that anything has happened.

Li Wei steps back, masking the unease still gnawing at him. "Was I imagining things?" he wonders. He can't shake the feeling, but there's no evidence to confirm what he sensed. Whatever it was, it's gone now.

He takes a slow breath, forcing his mind to refocus. The shard is in place, the task complete. He watches the shopkeeper closely for any reaction but sees none. The man remains as clueless and terrified as before.

"Good," Li Wei says, keeping his voice steady and devoid of any emotion. The lingering unease sits at the back of his mind, but he pushes it aside. He doesn't have time to dwell on it now. There are more pressing matters to handle.

He fixes his gaze on the shopkeeper, who stands stiffly, clearly doing everything he can to avoid making the wrong move. "What's your name?" Li Wei asks abruptly.

The shopkeeper stammers slightly before answering. "Jiao Han, my lord."

Li Wei nods slowly. "Listen, junior Jiao. You don't have anything to worry about, provided you don't screw up. Do as you're told, and you'll walk out of here alive, maybe even richer."

Jiao Han swallows hard and nods quickly. "Understood, my lord."

Li Wei steps closer, pulling out a Grade 1 bone pill and a small vial containing a strength potion. He holds them out, placing them into Jiao Han's trembling hands. The man's eyes widen, his fingers tightening around the items as though afraid they'll vanish. He stares at the strength potion, hesitating.

Li Wei steps closer, his expression unreadable. "You're going to sell this strength potion," he says flatly.

"My lord…" Jiao Han's voice falters, barely above a whisper. "Outer disciples aren't meant to have things like this. If someone sees it…" He trails off, his hesitation clear.

Li Wei's eyes narrow. His tone turns cold, almost bored. "Then don't get caught. Sell it quickly. Doesn't matter who—just make sure someone buys it. That's your problem, not mine."

Jiao Han hesitates, the tension clear in his stiff posture. After a brief pause, he lowers his head, clutching the items tightly. "Understood, my lord," he says quietly, his voice strained but obedient.