Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin

"How did you get up there, when you can't even see?" The old man questioned as he gave the very wet Mingyu a napkin. "You could have gotten hurt."

They had not been far from their destination, when Mingyu had decided to ditch them, which then ended with him falling into the water.

So when he was rescued, he was put back on the boat, and when they finally got to their destination, the peddlers assisted the old man to get Mingyu off the boat, before they bid them farewell.

Mingyu kept his gaze straight ahead, still keeping up the pretense of being blind as he patted his face with the napkin. I have gotten myself in deep trouble. My powers are gone. He whined internally.

I have to switch bodies as soon as I get even the smallest amount of my powers back. But for now, I'll have to keeep bring Yinzhi, a poor, blind man.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, sir." He apologized to the man in a meek voice.

"It's fine." The man said with a dismissal wave of his hand. "You must be starving. Let's go find ourselves something to eat."

Mingyu lightly tied the blindfold over his eyes so he could see through the tiny space, and with the help of the man, he was led to a food stall along the roadside. He was left to sit at a table, while the man ordered what they were going to eat.

"Enjoy your meal!" The owner of the stall said with a beaming smile, as she placed a bowl of steaming chicken on the table.

The aroma infiltrated Mingyu's nostrils making his stomach growl in response. Lowering his head, he peaked from the tiny space of the blindfold in order to see what was on the table.

His couldn't help widening at the sight of the chicken. Not out of excitement, but out of disappointment. Why did it have to be chicken? As an assassin, I'm not allowed to eat anything that has blood.

"I got us chicken. I'm sure you are going to love it." The man enthusiastically said, while ripping out one of the chicken laps.

"I'm not hungry.." Mingyu said, but by the time he spoke, the man had already shoved the chicken into his mouth, forcing him to chew.

Mingyu's eyes widened as the first bite of the chicken melted in his mouth, the savory flavors dancing on his tongue. Despite his initial hesitation, he couldn't help but grab unto the chicken lap, eating it with relish.

The tender meat's juiciness intensified with each bite, and he instinctively pulled the bowl closer, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be blind.

The man on the other hand didn't even give any thoughts to Mingyu's actions, and only looked at him with a pitiful smile as he said, "You have suffered a lot. I really don't want to send you there, but I've no other choice. No other place agreed to accept a blind person." 

Mingyu who continued to munch on the chicken, paused for a brief moment. "You are sending me where?" He asked, eyeing the man from behind the blindfold.

….

After their meal, Mingyu silently followed the man as he led him into the most popular brothel in Huayang—the Golden Lotus. 

Mingyu's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he kept mute, deciding to see how things were going to play out.

The owner of the brothel was busy at the lawn, and the man took Mingyu to the lady, who then stopped what she was doing to welcome them.

She smiled at the man and they exchanged pleasantries like they had already known each other.

The man patted Mingyu on the shoulder. "This is the young man I was telling you about. He is a blind orphan, who was taken in by an old woman. But she got sick, and has now passed away. So I've brought him to be sold. Take care of him, I'll be going now."

"What?!" Mingyu exclaimed, as he quickly held unto the man's hand to prevent him from leaving, while looking at an opposite direction to keep up the act of being blind. "You can't sell a blind man to a brothel."

"All the best, Yinzhi." The man simply said, and yanked his hand from Mingyu's grasp, before running out of the brothel like his pants were on fire.

"Mister!…" Mingyu yelled, but the man was already gone in a flash. 

Mingyu's face contorted in anger, and his grip on his walking stick hardened. I can't believe he treated me to a nice meal, only for him to sell me off in the next minute!… Once I get my powers back, I swear, I'm going to find you and break your…

"You are too skinny." The lady suddenly said, interrupting Mingyu's thoughts as she observed his frame with her gaze. "But you are still undeniably attractive, especially your red hair which represents hot passion. I wonder if you will even look much better if you get chubby."

"Are you sure your eyes are working fine? How can you call me attractive?" Mingyu said, chuckling in amusement. "Chubby or not, I'm sure no one would bother to spare me a glance. I'm just a useless blind man who can't work in a brothel. So go collect a refund from that man, or sell me to somewhere better."

"You speak quite eloquently. Hopefully you would be able to work as well as you talk." She said, ignoring all Mingyu had said to convince her that he was useless.

She moved closer to him, intending to walk him inside the brothel when a stench suddenly assaulted her nose. She had to cover her nose, before she could speak, "Let's get you washed up first. You stink."

Mingyu was already pissed that his attempt to make himself look bad had failed, and then the woman's last comment added more brimstone to the flame. "Didn't you hear a thing I said? I can't work here!" He said, shrugging off her hand as she tried to guide him.

The woman was taken aback by Mingyu's behavior, and her face twisted in displeasure.

'She's definitely going to kick me out now.' Mingyu rejoiced in his head, expecting the woman to call the guards to bundle him out of the brothel, but instead…

"Ouch!" Mingyu winced as the woman pinched his cheek, like a mother, scolding her child.

"I see you've got a bridled tongue. I'm older than you, and I'm your boss, so you will show me respect. You must also be respectful to the customers as well." She warned, while Mingyu foamed in anger, glaring at her from behind the blindfold.

Just you wait. I'm going to kill you as well. Mingyu thought.

The woman let go of his cheek, and patted his head sweetly, like she hadn't just scold him a few seconds ago. "A lot of powerful people come here. Even the 'Four Pillars' of Huayang also frequent the Golden Lotus."

Mingyu who had calmed down a bit after she had patted him on the head, raised a brow in confusion. "The four what?" He asked.

"They are from the four most powerful families of Huayang, and they shine brightest among their peers. And so, they are called the Four Pillars." She explained with gleaming eyes that showed her admiration.

"Yan Ruyi, the daughter of the Yan family, who is as beautiful as a peach blossom in spring."

"Lin Xiaowei, the heir of the Lin family, and future leader of Jinxing."

"Feng Zhenyu, the extremely smart genius of the Feng family, who is also the charming heartthrob of many women, and men alike."

"…And last but not the least, there is Jiang Yichen, the only child of the Jiang family, who is as dazzling as winter snow. They are the Four pillars of Huayang."

She then leaned in to whisper into Mingyu's ear, "One of them is actually secretly hiding here at the moment. He…" 

Something, or rather, someone caught her attention, making her forget what she was saying, as she let out a gasp.

"Here comes Young Master Lin!" She excitedly said, leaving Mingyu as she ran to Lin Xiaowei who had just passed through the entrance of the brothel.

Mingyu also looked at the entrance, and saw Lin Xiaowei dressed in regal blue robes. If he is the heir of the Lin family, then he must be Lin Xiaoyan's nephew.

Mingyu's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dugged into his flesh. Lin Xiaoyan!… He was there that night.

Mingyu's mind travelled back to a scene which happened many years ago. A scene he could never forget!

He was just four years old at the time. All members of his household had been slain, while he was hiding behind a large wooden trunk. He couldn't remember all the details of that day, but he could never forget the face of the man who had stabbed his father — Lin Xiaoyan.

Lin, Yan, Feng, and Jiang… All four families were present that night.

Lin Xiaowei and the lady walked past him, and Mingyu felt his blood boil with killing intent. "The Four pillars, huh?" He muttered with gritted teeth, "Once I regain my powers, that would be the end of it all. I will make your deaths be as grand as your names."

——————

A/N: Mini Theater

Lin Xiaowei: Why does it suddenly feel chilly in here (proceeds to rub his arms)

Brothel owner: What are you talking about? We are currently in the winter season, so of course, everywhere is chilly

Lin Xiaowei: (reduces his voice to a whisper, while shivering in fear) It's a different kind of chilly. The deadly kind.