Chapter37:- Wei Shiyan's Decision 1
Wei Shiyan remained silent.
The courtyard was quiet, yet the silence pressed down like a mountain. Even the faint bubbling of the teapot on the side table sounded too loud, too sharp, cutting into the stillness.
He sat there, motionless, his back straight, eyes lowered, as if the entire world could pass him by and he would not care.
Pighead Ma fidgeted. His thick fingers rubbed nervously against each other, the fat around his neck trembling with each gulp he forced down. Sweat pooled on his forehead, dripping slowly, rolling down his cheek until it was lost in his beard.
"Lord Wei," Pighead Ma finally spoke, his tone a strange mix of eagerness and fear. His lips quivered slightly, though he tried to smile. "What do you think of my business proposal?"
The words lingered in the air, unanswered.
Wei Shiyan did not speak. He did not even look up at first. His fingers rested calmly on the table, unmoving, like stone. His expression was a mask of stillness, cold and unshaken.
Pighead Ma's heart thumped heavily. He shifted again, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, regretting every second of silence.
At last, Wei Shiyan's gaze lifted. His eyes, dark and calm, fell upon Pighead Ma.
"This business opportunity of yours…" he said slowly, voice devoid of warmth, "…is quite good."
Pighead Ma's lungs emptied at once. His breath rushed out in relief, his shoulders sagging. He chuckled weakly, nodding quickly as if agreeing with his own survival.
But Wei Shiyan's next words froze him mid-motion.
"However, I won't be participating."
Pighead Ma's smile died on his face. His round lips quivered, but no words came at first. Then he stammered, voice high-pitched.
"Lo… Lord Wei, wh–why? Y–you…"
But before the sentence could even form, Wei Shiyan's tone cut through him like a blade.
"Liu will take action in my place."
Pighead Ma blinked. His jaw dropped, hanging like a door off its hinges. His mind spun, and he finally stuttered out—
"B–but Liu was cri—"
"Don't concern yourself," Wei Shiyan interrupted, his tone sharp, leaving no opening. "Liu will heal. He will be restored. Within three months, he will reach the Dao Unity Realm. I am certain of it. So you have no reason to worry."
The words were spoken like iron, unbending, undeniable.
Pighead Ma froze in place, staring wide-eyed. The confidence in Wei Shiyan's voice carried no trace of hesitation, as though what he said was not a possibility but an inevitable fact.
"When the secret realm opens," Wei Shiyan added, still calm, still steady, "Liu will go with you. He will represent me."
Pighead Ma's round body stiffened, a shudder racing down his spine.
How could he argue? Wei Shiyan's words left no space for doubt, no room for resistance. He only lowered his head, hiding the disbelief in his eyes.
Wei Shiyan reached forward. The porcelain teacup was lifted between his slender fingers.
He sipped. The bitterness of the tea spread across his tongue. His face remained cold, impassive.
Pighead Ma sat there, swallowing hard, his throat dry.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
The two spoke further, a long discussion unfolding, but Wei Shiyan's voice never once softened. Pighead Ma laughed nervously when needed, nodded quickly when pressed, and agreed to everything with the air of a man standing on the edge of a cliff.
At last, the meeting ended.
Pighead Ma rose, bowing so low his round stomach nearly touched his knees. He muttered polite words, forcing a smile, and turned quickly.
The female guide followed him, her movements measured, respectful, as though afraid her very steps might disturb the air around Wei Shiyan.
The door closed behind them.
Silence reclaimed the chamber, heavy and suffocating.
Wei Shiyan sat unmoving, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the walls, beyond the room, into the unseen void. His mind churned with thought, yet not a flicker of emotion reached his face.
After a long moment, he rose. His robe shifted lightly as he moved, brushing across the polished floor. He walked down a side corridor, each step measured, soundless, steady.
The room he entered was large and quiet. The faint smell of herbs lingered, bitter and sharp, mixing with the sterile air of sickness.
On the bed lay Liu. His skin was pale, his body thin, every breath ragged and shallow. His hair clung to his damp forehead, sweat soaking the pillow beneath him.
Wei Shiyan approached without speaking. He drew a chair beside the bed and sat, his gaze settling on Liu.
For a long time, he only looked, his expression as cold and unchanging as stone.
Then, his hand rose.
The air rippled.
In an instant, countless materials and treasures manifested, floating in the space around him.
Glowing herbs still wet with dew.
Crystalline ores pulsing faintly with light.
Jade bottles filled with thick, shimmering liquids.
Fragments of rare metals that hummed like caged beasts.
The chamber shuddered faintly beneath the weight of their combined power.
Each treasure radiated violent ripples, chaotic energy filling the air until the room itself felt suffocating. The temperature shifted, hot one moment, cold the next, as though the chamber was being torn between seasons.
Wei Shiyan lifted a finger.
A vast seal appeared, ancient and heavy. Runes carved in light spun into a wheel, expanding until it enveloped the floating treasures. The violent aura stilled instantly, pressed down beneath the seal's might.
The treasures trembled faintly, like wild beasts forced into submission.
Then, Wei Shiyan flicked his finger once more.
Liu's body lifted from the bed. His arms dangled, head slumped, but his body floated weightlessly, drawn into the center of the hovering treasures.
Another flick.
A blaze erupted.
Fire surged into being, violent and furious, roaring with the force of a storm. The flames devoured the treasures, their brilliance merging with the blaze.
The herbs shriveled instantly, their juices hissing as they burst.
The ores melted, glowing rivers pouring into the air.
The jade bottles cracked and shattered, their liquids exploding into vapor, only to be consumed by the fire.
Yet the blaze did not destroy.
It transformed.
The treasures melted together, merging into glowing molten liquid, a swirling current of essence burning with unbearable intensity.
Liu's suspended body trembled violently. The fire licked at his skin, but it did not char him. Instead, the molten energy forced its way into him.
His veins lit up, glowing beneath his skin as the liquid essence surged through. His bones groaned, cracks echoing faintly, as if they were being reforged in a furnace.
His eyes fluttered open. They widened.
A scream ripped from his throat.
"AHHHHHH!"
It was raw, broken, filled with pain that no man could endure. His body convulsed, arching against the invisible force binding him. His fingers curled, nails digging into his palms until blood trickled.
The liquid burned its way deeper, flooding every meridian, setting every thread of his body aflame.
His scream grew hoarse, then faltered. His strength failed, and his consciousness slipped. His head dropped, his body slack, but the ritual did not stop.
Wave after wave of molten essence entered him, tearing him apart and rebuilding him, piece by piece.
The smell of scorched flesh mixed with the metallic tang of blood and the sharp bitterness of burned herbs. The chamber reeked of alchemy and agony.
Wei Shiyan did not move.
His gaze was cold, unwavering, as his fingers shifted again. More seals formed, each one more complex than the last. They struck Liu's body, glowing runes embedding themselves into his flesh, locking the molten essence inside, forcing it to spread deeper.
His lips moved faintly, words spilling in a low murmur.
"I will not let a physique like yours be wasted."
His eyes narrowed, sharp light glinting within.
"A primordial chain physique… to die in obscurity? No. Serving under me will be your true worth."
The chamber trembled with each surge of flame. Runes danced in the air, covering the walls, weaving into a grand formation that sealed the power within the room.
The molten liquid within Liu began to calm. The violent surges slowed, condensing into streams that flowed steadily through his meridians. The cracks in his bones sealed with faint golden light. His pale skin darkened with life, blood rushing stronger.
His breathing steadied.
Wei Shiyan's hands slowed, the last seal pressing firmly into Liu's chest. The runes sank in, disappearing beneath the skin. The chamber grew quiet once more, save for the faint hum of energy resonating within Liu's body.
The fire dwindled. The last embers faded into nothing.
The smell of smoke lingered, heavy and acrid. The once-floating treasures were gone, their essence completely fused into Liu.
He lay suspended, body faintly glowing, like a furnace that had finally been tempered.
Wei Shiyan's gaze lingered on him. His face remained unreadable, but his voice was low, quiet.
"This will do."
With a wave of his hand, Liu's body lowered gently back onto the bed. The sheets crumpled beneath his weight, though his chest now rose with slow but steady breaths.
The room fell into silence again.
Wei Shiyan sat back, his cold eyes watching the sleeping Liu. His thoughts remained locked behind that impassive mask, but his aura carried a weight that seemed to say—
Everything had gone exactly as he intended.
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