Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin-Chapter 28: We Are Both Useless

"You said you would be able to retrieve your powers if you get your hands on your sword." Jiang Yichen said as he placed Mingyu’s sword on a table.

He had taken Mingyu to the Golden Lotus brothel, and had paid for a private use of the pavilion in the garden area.

Li Mei, seeing such a huge amount, immediately agreed without any fuss, closing off the pavilion to the other customers.

Mingyu just stood there, looking at his sword with hesitation. Doubt was starting to fill his mind on whether his sword could truly restore his lost powers.

"Why are you standing still? Pick it up and unsheathe it already." Jiang Yichen impatiently said, after patiently waiting for while.

Compelled by Jiang Yichen, Mingyu took hesitant steps towards the table, but when he got close to the sword, Moon Shadow began emitting a silver glow, and it slowly rose from the table, floating in midair.

At the sight of this, Mingyu’s heart pounded erratically against his chest in excitement.

"Woah." Jiang Yichen exclaimed in awe. "An excellent weapon really recognizes its master." He said, and held his breath in anticipation as he waited for Mingyu to unsheathe it.

A smile crept on Mingyu’s face when he heard Jiang Yichen’s words, and his hesitation was immediately replaced with confidence as he reached for his sword.

When his fingers were only but a few inches closer to his sword, Moon Shadow suddenly released a wave of energy, sending Mingyu flying backwards, before the sword then fell back on the table.

Eyes wide with shock, Mingyu and Jiang Yichen both stared at the sword which was no longer overflowing with spiritual power.

Recovering from the shock, Mingyu ran to the sword, quickly picking it up, and this time, Moon Shadow didn’t push him away.

But it refused to be unsheathed.

Try as he might, he still couldn’t budge his sword from its scabbard. It was as though the blade had been cemented to the scabbard.

Witnessing this, Jiang Yichen’s euphoria immediately came crashing down. His hopes were shattered, leaving a hollow, gnawing feeling within him.

"You are too weak to even handle your own sword?" Jiang Yichen said as he let out a tired sigh. "You are just as powerless as me... We are both useless."

Mingyu still continued to struggle with his sword, and the pathetic sight of this only seemed to further arouse Jiang Yichen’s frustrations. "That’s enough. Forget it, and just leave."

Mingyu’s struggle finally ceased, and he slowly lifted his gaze to meet Jiang Yichen’s, his eyes red-rimmed and brimming with utter despair.

Jiang Yichen still continued on, speaking out of the many emotions he was feeling. "I doubt you would be of any threat Jinxing or any other Mage out there,... and to the public, Mingyu is already dead, so just continue to live your life as Yinzhi."

Mingyu’s eyes twitched involuntarily as Jinag Yichen’s words settled in. He always thought of himself as someone who didn’t care for what people had to say about him, but for some reason, hearing those words from Jiang Yichen stung him.

He lowered his head, clutching unto his sword tightly as he said, "I’d rather die than live like this."

"Then do just that!" Jiang Yichen spat in anger, only realizing what he had said after he could no longer take it back.

Without taking one last glance at Jiang Yichen, Mingyu turned around, slowly walking away like he were a walking corpse.

Jiang Yichen felt conflicted as he watched Mingyu slowly leave. His lips twitched, wanting to say something, but he held himself back, allowing Mingyu leave.

Mingyu left the Golden Lotus, his footsteps echoing through the empty hallway as he made his way out. On his way, he completely ignored Li Mei, who had tried to approach him to ask what was wrong.

She had called out to him, concern etched on her face, but Mingyu had simply walked past her like she wasn’t there, his eyes fixed on some point ahead. He continued head-on, straight out the door, leaving Li Mei staring at him in confusion.

Li Mei stubbornly followed after him, her footsteps light on the pavement. "Are you really going to ignore me like this, after all we’ve been through together?" she asked, her voice tinged with hurt.

"I thought we were pals." She continued to pressure him into talking, but Mingyu remained adamantly silent, his jaw clenched and his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Mingyu noticed that Li Mei wouldn’t give up easily, so he took to his heels, heading for a certain place he had in mind.

"Wait! Yinzhi!" Li Mei called after him, but he ran way too fast for her to catch up. She stopped, panting, and watched as Mingyu disappeared into the distance.

"Hold on a sec," Li Mei said to herself, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the direction Mingyu had run. "Why is he heading towards the Crystal Cove Lake?" Her eyes stretched wide as an assumption came to her head, and she immediately turned back, running to the Golden Lotus.

When she got there, she ran straight to where Jiang Yichen was, almost out of breath. "Young Master Jiang!"

Jiang Yichen looked at her with raised brows, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Great timing," he said, "I’m done. You can open this place to—"

"Is there something wrong with Yinzhi?" Li Mei cut him off, her voice laced with concern.

Jiang Yichen was caught off guard, not knowing what answer to give to Li Mei’s unexpected question. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Sensing that he was somewhat uncomfortable with the question, Li Mei explained the reason for her inquiry.

"He looked so out of it when he left earlier, and he didn’t say a word to me," she said, her brow furrowed. "He’s also heading towards the Crystal Cove Lake as we speak. I’m worried that he..."

She didn’t get to finish what she was saying before Jiang Yichen breezed past her, with a look of urgency on his face.