This time, the hand gripping his shoulder was weak, pathetic. The memory of Xiao Feng's boot in his back, the agony of the fall, burned behind his eyes.
You want to remind me of my place? Jian thought, a chilling, silent smile spreading beneath his mask. Very well. Let me remind you of yours.
He allowed Xiao Feng to hold his shoulder, feigning a slight flinch, a tremor of vulnerability. But as Xiao Feng’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction, Jian subtly adjusted his stance, his body becoming a conduit, his Heaven's Blood Immortal Root stirring within. He channelled a minute, almost infinitesimal, amount of his refined crimson Qi into the hand Xiao Feng held, not outwardly, not offensively, but inwardly, into the core of Xiao Feng's palm.
Simultaneously, Jian lowered his head further, bringin
