It was then that Lord Zhao finally noticed him.
Lord Zhao was a man of contradictions; respected in the imperial court for his cunning strategies, married to several wives who had borne him many legitimate children. Yet dark rumors whispered in the inner chambers spoke of his hidden appetites, a craving for beautiful young men of delicate, refined beauty.
At first, he paid Li Wei little attention. But as the boy's physique blossomed like a willow that bends yet never breaks, the lord's gaze began to linger during inspections. One sultry evening, he ordered his attendants to bring Li Wei to his private bedchamber, a lavish room draped in heavy silk hangings, scented with sandalwood incense, and dominated by a wide bed covered in embroidered quilts.
Li Wei entered innocently and bowed low. "This humble servant greets my lord. You summoned me?"
The conversation began harmlessly.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Li Wei, my lord."
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen, my lord."
"Do you have someone you like? A village girl, perhaps?"
"No, my lord. My heart belongs only to duty."
"What do you plan for your future?"
"To serve honorably as a loyal retainer."
"And what if I make you my personal attendant, closer to me than the others?"
Li Wei answered politely, believing it a genuine promotion.
But Lord Zhao's tone shifted like a snake sliding through grass. He stepped closer, his hand brushing Li Wei's arm as if inspecting muscle tone, the way one might examine a fine horse. "Strong enough," he murmured.
Li Wei remained still, until the hand slid lower, boldly cupping his buttock with a firm, possessive squeeze.
Shock struck like heavenly lightning. Memories flooded back in an instant; the lustful eyes of the Stone Age women, the betrayal by Eva and Kane, the cold emptiness with Meera. But this, from a powerful man with wives and heirs, a pillar of Han society? Disgust and immortal pride surged violently within him.
For a split second, the divine soul of the Pure One broke through. With unnatural strength he seized Lord Zhao's wrist and twisted. A sharp crack echoed through the chamber. The lord screamed in agony as bones shattered.
Reality crashed back instantly. "What have I done…?" Li Wei whispered, mortal terror flooding his veins.
Lord Zhao's face twisted into demonic rage. "Guards! Drag this filthy slave away! Beat him until he begs for death!"
Armored retainers rushed in, hauling the struggling boy to the cold stone dungeons beneath the mansion. For days they whipped him mercilessly with bamboo rods. Dark bruises bloomed across his smooth skin like poisonous flowers. Blood trickled from split flesh with every strike. Li Wei endured in silence, his mind remaining untouched even as his body grew weaker.
Lord Zhao visited once, his broken hand bound in silk and a sling, eyes cold as winter frost. "Cooperate, boy. Submit to me, and I shall forgive everything. You will live in luxury, silk beds, fine foods, my personal favor."
Li Wei, chained and battered, looked up and laughed, a sharp, mocking sound that cut deeper than any blade. "You? A worm who craves what he cannot possess honorably? I would rather die a thousand deaths than soil my soul with your disgrace."
It was deliberate. A spark meant to end the torment quickly.
Enraged beyond reason, Lord Zhao spat his final order; "Execute him in the worst manner possible. Cut him limb from limb, then cast the remains to the wild beasts outside the city walls!"
The hulking executioner dragged Li Wei to the mansion's outer courtyard under the indifferent gaze of the moon. With cold efficiency he raised his heavy axe. First the arms, severed at the shoulders in sprays of hot blood, Li Wei's screams tearing through the night. Then the legs. Finally, with one brutal swing, the head rolled free. The mutilated corpse, still twitching, was tossed beyond the city walls into the wild jungle where wolves and tigers descended in a frenzy, tearing flesh from bone and scattering the remains into the darkness.
Lord Zhao soon forgot the incident. Within weeks he took a new, frail and beautiful young man from another batch of purchased boys as his latest favorite.
But the soul of the Pure One, still untainted and virgin, slipped free once more.
The challenge remained unbroken.
The Wheel of destiny turned relentlessly, pulling him toward the next life as faint whispers of lust's curse echoed through the void like distant, mocking laughter from the Peak of Eternal Desires.