Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin-Chapter 27: Reduced To Nothing

In front of the palace gates, a number of people had gathered.

News had gone round that the assistant leader of the Huo sect had caught Mingyu’s men that had tried to recover Mingyu’s body from Jinxing, and so, when they heard that the said body was going to be burnt in front of the palace gates, for all to see, the curious ones immediately gathered.

A pyre, made of wood, had been prepared, and on it, Mingyu’s body had been laid. The body, after not being preserved for some days, wasn’t looking too good–almost unrecognizable.

Among those that were present, Feng Zhenyu was also present and he was standing alongside Lin Xiaowei.

Seeing Mingyu’s body about to be set ablaze was making him feel emotions he couldn’t fathom, but he could only stand there, holding unto the flute he had found on Mingyu, while reminiscing about the time they spent together in the past.

Is that truly you? He internally asked, filled with doubt.

Not being able to stomach watching the cremation of his possibly ’first love’, Feng Zhenyu eventually left, followed by Lin Xiaowei, who had noticed his foul mood.

Meanwhile, the only person who could give Feng Zhenyu the answers to his question, was standing at the opposite side, helplessly watching from the sidelines.

He had just suffered a blow from the realization that he had been abandoned by the Yewang, and not even an hour later, he heard the news of how his body was to be cremated in public.

"Begin!" Yan Jianyu, who was seated comfortably at a high seat that had been prepared for him on a stage-like podium, commanded.

"Yes, my lord!" Two men, holding torches, answered in unison, and immediately moved closer to the pyre, setting it ablaze from the bottom.

Mingyu bit his lips, closing his eyes as he forcefully willed himself to stay still, if not, he was sure that he would run to the pyre to retrieve his body, which would be a reckless move on his part.

"The Mages of the Huo sect caught Mingyu’s men when the almighty Jinxing failed?" The people began speaking amongst themselves.

"The Jinxing Mages should be ashamed of themselves."

"Yan Jianyu was the mastermind behind it. He really should be promoted to the position of the leader of the Huo sect."

"Who’s Yan Jianyu?" A woman asked.

"How could you not know him? He’s the one over there on the special seat."

Mingyu, who had been silently enduring the crowd’s rants, looked up at the mention of the name Yan Jianyu. He was familiar with the name, although he rarely heard it, as the Yewang never spoke of the assistant Huo sect leader.

He then observed the said Yan Jianyu, who was sitting there as though he were a king. How amazing it must feel. Mingyu sneered. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Having had enough of looking at Yan Jianyu’s stupid face, he looked away. But something, or rather, someone caught his attention, making him look back at Yan Jianyu.

Standing beside Yan Jianyu, was a man clad in purple robes. A man Mingyu had seen, not even up to an hour ago—Jingwei.

Everything made sense now.

So the Yewang was Yan Jianyu, the assistant leader of the Huo sect, all along. Mingyu couldn’t help gaping in shock. No wonder my body landed in the hands of the Huo sect. They were the ones who broke into Jinxing nd stole it in the first place.

Mingyu felt conflicted. Heck, he didn’t even know what he was feeling at the moment. He just felt... empty.

His gaze traveled back to the burning pyre, watching how the fire slowly rose, already beginning to engulf his body in it’s inferno.

I’m burning... just like how my family got burnt that night. Mingyu closed as his eyes, as the unpleasant memories of his childhood were brought to the surface at the sight of fire.

After his family had been slaughtered, the perpetrators had set everything ablaze, including their house.

Four years old Mingyu had waited for the Mages to leave, before he eventually left his hiding place, his face wet with his tears.

While he was crying, a stranger who was clad in black robes, and was wearing a hat which shielded his face, came to him.

Going down on his knees and stretching out his hand to little Mingyu, the man had said, "Come with me. I’ll give you power, so you can avenge them.

Boom! The pyre suddenly exploded, pulling Mingyu out of his thoughts.

The explosion startled most of the people that were present, and the ordinary people immediately fled the area in fear.

Yan Jianyu rose from his seat in alarm, and his men immediately surrounded the fire.

"The assassin has risen from the dead!"

"He’s going to kill us all."

The people screamed as they ran, while the Mages stood their ground, ready to go on the defense if things were to go awry.

But nothing happened. After a while, the raging fire simply went out, and all that remained for them to see were ashes.

"Risen from the dead, my foot!" One of the Mages spat in mockery.

"More like he has been reduced to nothing." Another said, and most of them laughed at his joke, as they left.

Almost everyone had left, including Yan Jianyu, but Mingyu was still rooted on the spot, looking lost.

"You will draw attention to yourself if you keep standing here." A familiar voice spoke from behind him.

Without turning to look at the person, Mingyu already knew who it was.

Heaving a sigh, he said, "Young master Jiang. As you can see, I could do nothing other than stand by and watch my body get burnt. There’s nothing I can do for you either."

There was silence for a moment, before Jiang Yichen leaned closer to Mingyu from behind, whispering in his ear, "I found your sword."

Mingyu’s eyes stretched wide in disbelief, quickly turning around to make sure Jiang Yichen wasn’t fooling around, and behold, right in Jiang Yichen’s hand was his beloved sword... Moon Shadow.