Something smells really good.

"Hello there."

Ah, the physician is here.

"Would you like a bite to eat? I'm not allowed to give you much, but my lord said that a little would be fine."

He's actually allowing him to feed me?

It didn't make any sense. Especially since the man wanted to torture him until he could figure out a way to kill him off for good.

"I'm not too sure why he's decided to allow you food. My lord does not normally reconsider his words," the man said as Yuen felt something warm press against his lips.

"Best to eat it while it's hot. It's not the best after it's cooled some," the man said, making Huang slowly force his lips apart. Or, at least, that's what he thought he'd done.

"Not quite there yet, it seems. Don't fret, I'll help you," the physician said as the offering was removed and, after a few short moments, returned to his lips in tiny shreds.

The simple gesture was appreciated. He was pretty sure that he'd choke if he was given any kind of decent sized piece. Since he was still blindfolded, he waited patiently for each morsel to be offered, never once leaning forward to try and find it quicker. He was extremely hungry, as his growling stomach voiced excessively, but he would not lose his control over such a thing. He hadn't expected to get fed anything at all, so he would be patient and appreciative of whatever amount he got.

After a few bites the man began examining him. Checking his recently-sealed wound, first. Huang had used all of the energy he'd been given previously by the man to just-barely seal off the large hole in his chest. It still hurt terribly and would be very easy to reopen if he moved much, or if anyone messed with it, but it was at least healed up enough to prevent insects or infection from taking hold there.

"You are quite a wonder, young man," the physician said as Huang felt him feeling around the damaged area, but not touching the worst parts.

"I'll leave that be. You—" the man's words were interrupted by the sound of the tent flap opening.

Huang could hear the man get to his feet as familiarly-loud footsteps began to approach, but he didn't bother moving himself in response. Mainly because he couldn't, but simply turning his head, which he felt was likely all he could do at that moment, would have accomplished nothing of use, so there was no reason to bother. He could not see the man with the blindfold on, and he doubted that Lee Shaan cared about the acknowledgement, anyways.

"My lord, he is conscious and has eaten a small amount," the physician said as the footsteps drew to a halt close by.

Normally, he'd have alarms bells going off in the back of his mind with an enemy being so close, but there was no energy left to even stress about the situation, so he simply focused on keeping his breathing steady and listening to the two converse.

"And his injuries?" came Lee Shaan's deep voice, its baritone echoing off of the stone walls the tent was built against.

Yuen heard the physician hurry closer to him, then felt hands quickly but gently move against his skin.

"The main wound has healed over, but it's just-barely sealed. It's actually more of a barrier than actual flesh currently covering it, but it should work well enough to allow for an eventual recovery," the man said, then went about showing Lee Shaan a few of the other bad injuries Huang hadn't quite gotten around to healing yet.

Of course, his body was doing what it could for all of his injuries, but after taking so much damage, there was no way that his system could simply begin healing everything at once.

"Why is his right arm still bleeding?" Lee Shaan asked, making the physician quickly redirect his attentions.

Huang wasn't really sure why it would be bleeding, but he did feel quite a bit of stabbing pain from the area.

"Ah, it's broken. I apologize, my lord. I did not notice the fragments that seem to be cutting into his skin from underneath," the man said as he gently turned Yuen's arm, then laid it against something soft but firm. His lap? It was that or a hard pillow, but either way, he knew that the action was likely done to allow for the other man to view it better.

There was silence for a moment before he felt large, rough fingers press down near the damaged tissue. The pain that suddenly flared there actually outweighed any of his others at that moment, making him unintentionally hiss in a breath.

The sound seemed to pause the man's fingers, but after a few moments Lee Shaan continued his task. To Huang's surprise, however, his skin began to feel colder than normal. Which was honestly saying something, because he was used to being quite cold after having ripped part of his soul out years ago.

He waited quietly as his entire arm went numb, realizing what the man's intention was after he returned to messing with the limb.

He numbed it because of the pain?

"Do not think so highly of yourself," Lee Shaan said as he continued his work with the physician, no doubt, helping right at his side.

I think nothing of myself, my lord, Huang replied with a small bit of attitude to his thoughts.

He'd been suspicious about the man being able to read his mind for quite some time since it was common knowledge that he was also a curse master. A sudden jerk to his right arm made his heartbeat stutter for a second before he calmed himself.

Two sets of hands now bound the injured limb, wrapping cloth carefully around the injury until it was properly sealed and set to begin healing.

"Thank you for your assistance, my lord. I will keep a close eye on it to make sure it hasn't already gotten infected," the physician said a bit too cheerfully for the current situation.

That man doesn't seem like most of the others in his tribe.

He felt a faint pressure in the back of his mind after his comment, making him realize that Lee Shaan wished to respond telepathically instead of verbally. Since he really didn't have any kind of energy to form a barrier, the man simply let himself in after a few moments of silence.

Once he had entered, he could feel everything that Huang was feeling, but only to a degree that he wished. He had no doubt that the man quickly tamped down the terrible sensations of pain, hunger, and thirst, and then quickly began sifting through what he could find of his muddled thoughts.

When he finally seemed content with his examination, Huang heard the man's voice echo inside of his aching head.

He is not of our tribe. He came here several years ago after having found me injured after a fight. I did not need assistance, but he'd been persistent and even followed me all the way back to my tribe.

Yuen felt his lips tilt the slightest amount at his words. It was quite humorous to think that a man more stubborn than Lee Shaan could exist.

He felt an abrupt pressure on one of his other injuries, but Lee Shaan had clearly not thought through his punishment, because he'd already numbed that area, too. Just to humor him, however, Huang mumbled a bored ow inside his own mind.

Thankfully, the other man ignored his poor humor, clearly focusing on whatever he was doing around the right side of his rib cage.

"Cut the robe away," Lee Shaan muttered before Huang heard the sound of a knife removing the top half of his tattered garment.

To his surprise, he also felt something mess with the thick chain around his neck, eventually freeing him from it with a bit of excessive force. He'd been chained to the rock wall for quite some time, and the length of the metal hadn't given him much room to lie down or shift positions.

"Much better," Lee Shaan said as Huang felt his body gently guided to the ground by careful hands that he knew were the physicians.

When the back of his head settled against the hard surface, however, he felt such an abrupt, stabbing pain that he nearly blacked out. He was thankfully lifted up again, then gently pulled backwards a small fraction until he was settled against something firm but much more giving than the rocky wall or ground.

As soon as he was situated one of Lee Shaan's hands pressed against the back of his damaged scalp, spreading a comforting chill throughout the area.

"Turn him a bit more," the man said right before the physician's hands returned to carefully move his body so that he was leaning against whatever he was resting on and against, with his left side instead of back.

"He likely has a bad concussion or possible fracture to his head from your fight, too. There's no way for me to check that unless he's more conscious, though..." the other man said, his voice sounding upset at the realization that he'd missed something else.

Huang was only half able to pay attention to his words because he was still feeling lightheaded with quite a bit of pain radiating around his skull, even as Lee Shaan numbed the back portion with his ability.

"It is fine. You cannot do everything," the larger man said as he made some sort of gesture, making his body move just enough for Huang to realize that he was not just sitting against something... he was sitting against, and in the lap of, someone.

You will survive.

He wanted to roll his eyes at that statement.

Is it not your goal to make sure that I don't? he replied sarcastically, earning a scoff from the man as he felt the physician's hands return to continue working on his many other injuries that needed tending.

Rest. I will have him bring you some food and water later.

He wouldn't have believed the man's words, except for the fact that he'd already allowed him to eat a tiny bit, and he'd also had his physician directly transfer some spiritual energy to him the first time he'd awoken after their bout, allowing him to seal his worst wound.

Why?

It was a question he'd wanted to ask since he'd first opened his eyes with his head still attached to his body. Why had Lee Shaan not torn him apart, like he had many of his other enemies?

I had planned to do so, and had even walked in earlier to do just that, but then you told me about the link between that guard and his highness.

His mind was beginning to blur, not allowing him to connect the man's words as well as he'd like to as he began to be pulled down into the darkness of sleep.

Just rest. You gave me information that stopped me from doing something I would have gravely regretted, so I gave you leniency and some energy to help your wounds. You will still die by my hands, but until I figure out a way to disconnect you and that little guard from my Qi, you will have to remain alive.