Chapter 3: The First Law
The overseer's name was Bo. He was a large man whose spirit had been broken long ago, and now he found pleasure in breaking others. The return to the Herb-Gathering Division after the storm was a miserable, muddy affair, but Li Wei carried a new secret inside him. The humming awareness was a constant companion, a shield against the cold and the taunts.
Two days after his discovery, Bo decided it was time to remind the former prodigy of his place.
"The new cripple is too slow," Bo announced to the other gatherers, his eyes fixed on Li Wei. "He thinks his delicate hands are still for holding a spirit sword. Let's remind him what they're for now."
He tasked Li Wei with cleaning the mud from everyone's boots. When Li Wei moved too slowly, Bo backhanded him across the face.
The sting was sharp. The humiliation was hotter. But as his head snapped to the side, the new awareness inside him flared. A line of text, visible only to him, shimmered in his vision.
Kinetic Impact Absorbed. 5 Joules Stored.
The pain was real, but it was less than it should have been. It was as if part of the force had simply vanished into a reservoir within him. He looked up at Bo, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. He said nothing.
Bo laughed. "See? He learns." He turned to walk away, then spun back, aiming a heavy kick at Li Wei's side. "A final lesson for the day."
It was a cruel, lazy kick, meant to knock the wind out of him and leave him bruised. But Li Wei was ready. He braced himself, not with Qi, but with focus. He imagined himself as a deep, still lake, ready to absorb the stone of Bo's kick.
The boot connected.
Thud.
Bo let out a sharp cry, not of triumph, but of pain. He stumbled back, clutching his foot. It felt as if he had kicked a solid block of granite. The bones in his foot vibrated with a deep, shocking ache.
Li Wei had barely moved. The impact had been a wave that crashed against him, and his new power had drunk it deep.
Kinetic Impact Absorbed. 45 Joules Stored.
"You... you little snake!" Bo snarled, his face red with rage and confusion. He wasn't smart enough to understand what had happened, only that the cripple had somehow hurt him. He drew the short, weighted club he carried at his belt. It was a tool for threatening spirit beasts, not for disciplining servants. The other herb-gatherers watched, their eyes wide.
"This ends now," Bo spat, and he swung the club in a hard, horizontal arc aimed at Li Wei's head.
This was no open-handed slap or a kick. This was meant to crack bone. This was lethal.
Time seemed to slow. Li Wei saw the club moving, saw the rage on Bo's face. He had no technique, no form. He only had the law. The law of transfer.
He brought his own arm up, the rusty herb-gathering sickle still in his hand, to block the blow.
The club met the sickle with a deafening clang.
And Bo's club shattered.
It didn't just break. It exploded into splinters, as if it had been made of dry kindling. The force of the blow that Li Wei had absorbed and instantly redirected back through the metal was too much for the crude weapon to bear. The shock traveled up Bo's arm, and he screamed, dropping the shattered handle, his fingers numb and bleeding.
Li Wei stood, unharmed. The rusty sickle in his hand was unmarked. A faint wisp of steam rose from the blade.
Total Kinetic Energy Released: 50 Joules.
The clearing was utterly silent. The rain had stopped. The only sound was Bo's ragged, pained breathing.
Li Wei looked from the shattered club to Bo's terrified face. The man was no longer an overseer; he was just a frightened bully who had encountered something he couldn't understand.
Li Wei took a step forward. Bo flinched back, falling into the mud.
"Tell the others," Li Wei said, his voice calm and low, but carrying in the stillness. "Tell them the mountain is learning to hit back."
He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked away, leaving the stunned gatherers and their broken overseer behind. In his mind, the interface, cold and logical, presented its analysis.
Combat Data Recorded. Opponent Biomechanical Weaknesses Analyzed. Threat Level: Negligible.
It was only the beginning. But for the first time since his fall, Li Wei walked with his head held high. The war had its first, small victory.