Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin-Chapter 32: Poisoned [III]

"What was the poison?" Lin Xiaoyan asked for umpteenth time, his face twitching in anger, and ebbing frustration as he looked at Mingyu who remained stubborn and refused to answer.

They were currently in the underground dungeon of Jinxing, and Mingyu’s wrists were bound by a thick rope, which left him hanging painfully, with his feet inches from the ground.

His lips were bruised, and he had blood stains on his forehead and cheeks, his robes weren’t spared either. He was also sweating profusely, while breathing haggardly, but still, he remained silent.

"Keep going." Lin Xiaoyan ordered the other Mages that were in there with him.

"But he might die, my lord." Wen Ting reasoned, seeing the messed up state Mingyu was in.

"Yichen is dying!" Lin Xiaoyan countered, "It’s already been two hours. We only have an hour left to find out what poison he ingested."

"My lord!" A physician called out as he ran into the dungeon.

Panic settled upon Lin Xiaoyan at the sight of the physician. "Did... did something happen to Yichen?"

"Master Zhang has removed the poison. Young Master Jiang is safe now." The physician reported.

Lin Xiaoyan was finally able to breath easily in relief. "Was he able to concoct the antidote?" He asked.

Mingyu opened his eyes which were closing, as his body was slowly giving in to unconsciousness. He was very much interested in the answer to the question Lin Xiaoyan had asked.

There was a slight hesitation from the physician. Coughing to clear his throat which was clogged with nervousness, he said, "No, my lord. Master Zhang removed the seal from Young Master Jiang’s spiritual core."

Some minutes ago at the infirmary. Madam Wang couldn’t hold back her tears as she watched the young master she had served and taken care of from birth, slowly lose his life.

Jiang Yichen was sweating a lot, and his body was scalding hot to touch. The surprising thing was that he didn’t seem to be in pain and instead, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but to them, it was more like the sleep of death.

"Young Master Jiang..." Madam Wang cried as she hugged her unconscious young master.

Looking up at Master Zhang who was standing beside her, next to Jiang Yichen’s bed, she begged, "Please, unseal his spiritual core. That’s the only way."

But Master Zhang stood still in silence, looking conflicted.

"Why are you hesitating?! There isn’t much time left." Madam Wang screamed. She went down on her knees, and clutched the hem of his robes. "Please save him." She begged, "I’m sure that is what Master Jiang Renxing would have done in this situation."

Master Zhang closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. Finally coming to a decision, he opened his eyes and placed his palm on Jiang Yichen’s chest, muttering a spell under his breath.

A faint defiant smile spread across Mingyu’s bloody lips when he heard the physician’s answer.

Seeing the smile on Mingyu’s face agitated Lin Xiaoyan who was still in shock from what he had just heard. Irrationally, he charged forward, intending to land a hit on Mingyu’s face.

Before the blow could land, Mingyu’s eyes rolled back, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

....

An hour later at the infirmary, Jiang Yichen’s eyes slowly fluttered open. A light gasp escaped his mouth as he felt a strange surge within him.

"Young Master Jiang! Are you awake?" Madam Wang who had insisted on staying by his side, rushed to him with joy.

Jiang Yichen tried to sit up, but he still felt weak, so Madam Wang had to assist him into sitting up. "What happened?" He asked in a weak voice. His memories were jumbled up together.

"You barely made it out alive. Master Zhang was the one who saved you by unsealing your spiritual core." Madam Wang explained.

Jiang Yichen weakly turned his head to look at Madam Wang. Due to his lack of strength, he could not fully express his shock. "He unsealed it?"

Madam Wang nodded. "Yinzhi, that lunatic refused to tell us what kind of poison you took. Master Zhang didn’t have any other option other than unsealing your spiritual core, in order for him to be able to remove the poison."

Jiang Yichen’s memories were slowly becoming clearer, and he remembered how he was poisoned. They know he is the one that gave me the poison. They wouldn’t just let him go scot free. Jiang Yichen thought as his mind drifted to one of Mingyu’s last words to him.

"It’s going to be pretty painful for the both us of, but I assure you, it’s going to be worth it."

"Where is he?" Jiang Yichen asked in alarm.

"Why would you want to know?" Madam Wang refused to answer at first, but after Jiang Yichen adamantly pressed her on, she reluctantly divulged the details.

Jiang Yichen immediately got off the bed, and left the infirmary, heading to the dungeons, while turning a deaf ear to Madam Wang’s protests.

Getting to the dungeon, his eyes widened when saw Mingyu’s battered form, still suspended from a rope, his body limp and motionless.

"Yinzhi!" Jiang Yichen called out in worry, but he got no response from Mingyu. He immediately went to the hook on the wall, and untied the knot that secured the rope, causing Mingyu to collapse to the ground.

"Yinzhi!" Jiang Yichen rushed to Mingyu’s side, and urgently untied the bindings from Mingyu’s wrists. He gently lifted Mingyu into a kneeling position, their faces inches apart.

Mingyu’s consciousness slowly kicked in as his eyes opened halfway. A small smile crossed his lips when his vision cleared a bit, and he was able to see Jiang Yichen’s face.

Jiang Yichen sighed. "Both of us could have died, just like that. What are you smiling for?" He scolded.

"Hope it wasn’t too painful?" Mingyu weakly asked.

"You are the one to talk about pain." Jiang Yichen scoffed, "I only felt a bit of discomfort which didn’t even last a minute, thanks to the sedative you gave me. But you?... The agony you must be enduring, after the torture they inflicted on you."

"Are you worried about me?... My student." Mingyu joked as his consciousness faded again, and his head fell forward, resting on Jiang Yichen’s shoulder.

Jiang Yichen wrapped his arm around Mingyu’s back, hugging him. "Of course I’m worried about you. My crazy master."