The guard's announcement hung in the air, thick with a new kind of tension. The Patriarch of the Yan Clan, the most powerful man in this entire region, was on his way. Master Feng and Captain Gao immediately stiffened, their expressions a mixture of relief and immense stress. Young Master Lu just looked towards the door with wide, nervous eyes.
Li Xuan, however, remained impassive, leaning his head back against the cot. He processed the information not as a cause for alarm or excitement, but as a data point—one that didn't add up.
He let the silence stretch for a moment before his weak but cutting voice sliced through it. He fixed his blurry gaze on Captain Gao.
"The Patriarch is coming now?" he asked, his tone flat, almost conversational, which made the question all the more piercing. "His only heirs, the future of his entire clan, were on the verge of having their souls extinguished for the last hour. And he wasn't here."
Captain Gao flinched as if struck. The question was so sharp, so direct, it laid bare a truth no one had dared to voice.
Li Xuan pressed on, his voice laced with a cold, analytical curiosity. "Tell me, Captain. What could possibly be more important to the leader of the Yan Clan than the lives of his own bloodline?"
A heavy, uncomfortable silence descended. Captain Gao's face was a grim mask, his eyes avoiding Li Xuan's. "The Patriarch's affairs are… complex," he grumbled, the answer clearly evasive. "He was dealing with an urgent clan matter that could not be ignored."
'A lie,' Li Xuan thought, though his expression remained unchanged. 'Or at least, an incomplete truth. Interesting.' The incident had planted a new seed of mystery in his mind, a thread to be pulled on later.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the young man in silk robes decided it was time to formally break the ice. He stepped forward and gave Li Xuan a deep, respectful bow, an act that would have been unthinkable just an hour ago.
"Master Li," he began, his voice earnest. "We have not been properly introduced. My name is Lu Wen. I am the youngest son of the Lu family of Xiang City. I am only here in this humble town to learn the Dao of Alchemy from Master Feng."
'Lu Family of Xiang City,' Li Xuan noted internally. Xiang City was a major provincial hub, a hundred times the size of Yan Town. This boy's background was significant. 'A useful connection.'
Li Wen looked up, his face sincere. "Master Li, please, do not call me 'Young Master.' After what I have witnessed today, it is I who am the student. For you to call me 'master' would be a deep insult to your knowledge. Please, just call me Wen."
Before Li Xuan could respond, Master Feng, who had been standing by reverently, quickly chimed in. "He is right, Master Li!" the old man said, bowing his head again. "And I am your servant. To call me 'Master Feng' is improper. Please, just call me Feng."
They both stood there, the talented scion of a great city clan and the most respected alchemist in town, looking at him with the eager, hopeful eyes of students awaiting their teacher's acknowledgment.
Li Xuan let out a quiet, weary sigh. The sheer amount of effort required for these mortal pleasantries was exhausting.
'Fine. Wen. Feng,' he thought. 'Whatever. It's less of a mouthful to say, anyway.'
"Do as you wish," he said aloud, his voice flat. He then turned his attention to his new, self-appointed servant. "Feng. Find me a quiet room. I need to rest." He paused, then added, "And bring me the herbs from my list. The work on my eyes begins as soon as I have the strength to stand again."
"Yes, Master!" Feng said, his face lighting up with purpose.
Just as Feng and Wen were about to scramble to obey his first commands, the sounds from outside the apothecary grew louder. The murmur of the crowd, the sharp calls of guards clearing the street, and the heavy, rhythmic tread of armored feet approaching.
Captain Gao peered out the door, his expression instantly becoming grim and formal. He turned back.
"He's here."
A large, imposing shadow fell across the doorway, blocking the morning light. The Patriarch had arrived.