Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin-Chapter 47: Dirty-minded Punk!

Mingyu felt a surge of panic, his heart racing with anxiety as he struggled to process the implications of Master Zhang’s words. ’Has Zhang Renyi really come across the real owner of this body?’ he thought to himself, his mind racing with possibilities and doubts.

The question seemed to hang in the air, taunting him with its uncertainty. But on the outside, he quickly collected himself, scoffing in disdain as he tried to deflect Master Zhang’s attention. "I was an orphan, abandoned in a desolate village," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a hint of desperation. "How would I have been able to afford being treated by you?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but his words were laced with a subtle tension that betrayed his growing unease.

Master Zhang hummed, his eyes still fixed on Mingyu’s ear with an unnerving intensity. Remembering how rude Mingyu had been to him, an idea crossed his mind, and a sly smile spread across his face. "This ear still looks so familiar, though," he said, and squeezed Mingyu’s ear, yanking it harshly before slapping him across the back of his head.

The sudden pain was like a jolt of electricity, and Mingyu let out a pained sound, his eyes wide with shock and indignation.

"Sweep the yard properly," Master Zhang said, pointing his finger at Mingyu before turning to leave.

Mingyu let out a huff of breath, holding his ear as he murmured, "He almost ripped my ear off." The pain was still throbbing, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge in the level of resentment he felt towards Master Zhang.

The physician’s gentle voice interrupted his thoughts, a soothing balm to his frazzled nerves. "I know it hurts, but bear with it. He is angry with Young Master Jiang and is taking it out on you."

Mingyu waved him off, his expression resigned and his eyes cast downward. "It’s normal for the strong to pick on the weak. That’s how the world works. I can do nothing but just stay quiet," he said begrudgingly, his words laced with a fake sense of hopelessness.

The physician smiled warmly, his eyes filled with a deep understanding. "If that’s the case, try not to resent him. He gave almost ten years’ worth of spiritual power to help your young master heal faster," he said, delivering the bombshell with a casual air, his tone as light as a feather, but the weight of his words settling like a boulder on Mingyu’s shoulders.

"Make sure to rest once you’re done." He nodded at Mingyu before entering the infirmary, leaving Mingyu to process the revelation.

Mingyu froze, his mind reeling with shock as the words sank in. "Ten years’ worth of spiritual power?" he muttered to himself, the words echoing in his mind like a revelation, each syllable ringing with a newfound significance.

....

Jiang Yichen sat at a table in his room at the infirmary, staring at the tray of wild ginseng tea and dried roots with an air of expectation. His fingers tapped impatiently against the table, betraying his growing frustration at Mingyu’s tardiness.

The door slid open, and Mingyu burst in, looking more than a little excited, his eyes sparkling with an intensity that seemed almost palpable.

Jiang Yichen didn’t notice, too engrossed in his own thoughts to acknowledge Mingyu’s excitement. "What took you so long?" Jiang Yichen asked, his tone laced with a hint of irritation, but he didn’t wait for an answer. "Come here. This is wild ginseng tea. I want you to try it," he said, his words tumbling out in a rush, but before he could complete what he was saying, Mingyu rushed to him, and pulled him up to his feet through his robe’s collar.

The sudden jolt left Jiang Yichen stunned, his eyes wide with surprise as he struggled to regain his footing. Jiang Yichen was beyond shocked and rendered speechless, but Mingyu’s next action forced the words out of his mouth.

Mingyu yanked the belt which was holding the waist of his robe, unbuckling it with a swift motion that seemed almost careless. "What the hell, Yinzhi!" Jiang Yichen exclaimed, his voice rising in protest as he tried to get Mingyu’s hands off him, but Mingyu didn’t budge, and tried to part away Jiang Yichen’s outer robes.

Jiang Yichen also didn’t give in, his face reddening with embarrassment and frustration as he pushed Mingyu’s hands away. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Stay still," Mingyu said, irritation evident in his voice. The scene quickly devolved into a comical hand fight, with both of them slapping at each other’s hands in the air like a pair of awkward dancers.

"This wasn’t what I had in mind when I brought you here." Jiang Yichen said, his face turning a deeper shade of red as he could only think of dirty things when trying to figure out why Mingyu was acting so roughly with him, trying to undress him. But there was something about Mingyu’s rough-handling behavior that sparked a low-key excitement within him, a flutter in his chest that he couldn’t quite explain nor admit.

"Yinzhi, this is wrong. I just became your student. Stop it," Jiang Yichen said, his voice firm but laced with embarrassment, his words tumbling out in a rush as he tried to regain control of the situation.

Mingyu held both of Jiang Yichen’s arms, restraining them above his head, his grip firm but not ungentle. Glaring at him with barely contained disgust, Mingyu said, "Can you just stay still for a minute? Dirty-minded punk!" The words hung in the air, and Jiang Yichen felt a surge of indignation at the unfair accusation.

Much to Mingyu’s relief, Jiang Yichen finally stopped struggling and went as still as a statue, his arms still raised even when Mingyu let go of them.

Dirty-minded punk? Mingyu was the one who barged into the room and began rough handling him, not in an attempt to kill him, but to undress him, and he was called dirty-minded? The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Jiang Yichen, and he felt a wry smile tug at the corner of his lips.

Mingyu didn’t have a care in the world what was going through Jiang Yichen’s head. His goal was to confirm what he had just heard from the physician earlier, the physician’s words still echoing in his mind like a revelation.

Mingyu parted Jiang Yichen’s outer robe, revealing the thin, almost transparent white fabric of his inner robe. He then placed both of his palms on Jiang Yichen’s stomach, and closed his eyes in concentration, his face a mask of calm focus.

"What are you doing right now?" Jiang Yichen asked, managing to find his voice as he stared at Mingyu in confusion, his eyes searching for answers.

"I’m checking for your spiritual core," Mingyu answered, his voice low and soothing, his eyes still closed.

"Are you doubting that it has been unsealed?" Jiang Yichen asked, his words tumbling out in a nervous rush, but Mingyu cut him off, gently this time.

"Shh. Breath properly," Mingyu ordered, his voice a gentle whisper, and Jiang Yichen complied, taking a few deep breaths as Mingyu closed his eyes to continue concentrating.

As a mage who was once powerful, Mingyu knew what he was searching for, his mind attuned to the subtle energies that flowed through Jiang Yichen’s body. He could feel a surge of energy moving about in Jiang Yichen’s body, far exceeding what was expected of someone who had just gotten their spiritual core unsealed after more than twenty years.

Mingyu opened his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "It is indeed there." He said, his smirk turning into a full-blown smile, "You are one lucky man."

Jiang Yichen, still confused, was a bit creeped out by Mingyu’s words and that smirk on his face. "That’s enough, now," he said, his voice firm but laced with a hint of discomfort, and he slightly pushed Mingyu away from him so he could close his robe. "What’s inside of me?" Jiang Yichen asked, curious and nervous.

Mingyu’s smile didn’t falter, and he answered Jiang Yichen’s question with an air of confidence. "A massive storage of spiritual power." He said, his words laced with awe, "Zhang Renyi transferred a great deal of spiritual power to your spiritual core."

Jiang Yichen’s eyes widened in shock, and he repeated Mingyu’s words in disbelief, his voice rising in surprise. "A great deal of spiritual power?" he asked, his mind reeling with the implications. He subconsciously rubbed his belly like a mother who had just learned of the baby in her womb, his hand moving in a gentle, soothing motion. The idea that he possessed such a vast amount of spiritual power without having to work hard for it was almost too much to comprehend.