Soulbound: Chronicles Of A Shadow Assassin-Chapter 41: The Underground Passage

"Yes." Lin Xiaowei answered enthusiastically, while serving himself another generous cup of the blissful wine, its sweet aroma wafting up to tease his senses. "According to Li Mei, Yinzhi was blind when he was sold into the brothel, but could suddenly see just fine when he escaped."

Lin Xiaowei gulped the wine down in one swift motion, the liquid gold sliding smoothly down his throat, and smacked his lips in satisfaction, the sound echoing through the room. "This wine is really so good, you are missing out," he said, his words slowly becoming slurred—a telltale sign of him already being tipsy, his inhibitions loosening with each passing moment.

A small, knowing smile crept onto Feng Zhenyu’s face, but he ignored Lin Xiaowei’s wine-induced ramblings, and still kept talking about the topic at hand, his voice steady and focused.

"He seems to be able to deceive people quite well," Feng Zhenyu continued, his brow furrowed in thought. "He lied about being blind, and also said he poisoned Yichen, without batting an eyelash." He stroked his chin mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as he pondered the implications. "He did not even speak while being tortured, not a single word, determined to keep the truth buried."

The slightly tipsy Lin Xiaowei chimed in, his eyes forming crescents as he spoke, his voice filled with a mixture of amusement and admiration. "There’s definitely more to him than meets the eye, on the outside, he just looks cute and naive, but I suspect there’s a whole different story hidden beneath the surface."

"He seems to be hiding something," Feng Zhenyu said in all seriousness, his voice low and measured.

Lin Xiaowei’s smile dropped at the seriousness he heard in Feng Zhenyu’s voice, his expression turning somber as he realized his friend was not just joking around. "There you go again with your overthinking," Lin Xiaowei said, shaking his head, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

He just wanted to enjoy some good wine, and wasn’t about to give himself a headache from thinking too much, especially when the mystery surrounding Yinzhi seemed to be growing more complex by the minute.

Rolling his eyes, Lin Xiaowei picked up the jar to pour himself another cup, but only a few drops came out from the jar, a mere trickle of the sweet, golden liquid that had flowed so freely just moments before.

Lin Xiaowei raised his head to look at Feng Zhenyu, his eyes almost teary and his lips pouted in disappointment, like a child who had been denied a favorite treat. "How come?" he asked, his voice laced with a mixture of confusion and dismay.

Feng Zhenyu’s response was deadpan, his expression unyielding. "You finished it."

Lin Xiaowei picked up the jar and turned it upside down, even looking into the jar to confirm its emptiness, as if hoping that some miraculous refill would occur while he wasn’t looking.

Feng Zhenyu could only shake his head, an expression of amusement on his face. Lin Xiaowei had already passed the stage of ’slightly tipsy’. He was outright drunk, his senses dulled.

The sound of footsteps suddenly echoed in the library, loud and deliberate, like the ominous drumbeat of an impending storm. They were so loud that it sounded like someone was stomping hard on the ground with the aim of bringing down the building.

Feng Zhenyu’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he turned to Lin Xiaowei. "It seems your uncle is on his way here, so I’m guessing you are doomed." He joked as he picked up his empty cup, turning it upside down on the table with a flourish. "I did not drink a single drop," he said as a matter of fact. With that, he stood up to leave, his movements swift and decisive.

Lin Xiaowei, who had suddenly sobered up at the mention of his uncle, reached for the hem of Feng Zhenyu’s robes, his hand grasping for the fabric like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline. "You can’t leave me like that," he said, half-plea, half-command, his voice laced with desperation. But before he could grasp Feng Zhenyu’s cloth, the latter had already scampered off, taking the back exit with a speed that belied his calm demeanor.

"Zhenyu... Zhenyu," Lin Xiaowei could only helplessly call out, almost whimpering as he stood up to follow after him. Alas, he had run out of luck that day.

"Xiaowei!" Lin Xiaoyan yelled when he saw Lin Xiaowei standing up to leave the table where the empty jar laid together with cups, his voice like a thunderclap on a stormy night.

Lin Xiaowei happened to be drinking wine at the same time his wine went missing—It couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it?

"Oh gosh," he mumbled, subconsciously raising his hands in surrender, while his legs began trembling as he watched his uncle approach him, a look of righteous anger on his face.

"I’m dead," he thought to himself, his mind racing with the consequences of his actions.

"It was you, wasn’t it?" Lin Xiaoyan asked the obvious as his eyes scanned the table, his gaze lingering on the empty jar and cups. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"No," Lin Xiaowei answered without hesitation, but his palms, which were rubbing together in a pleading manner, said otherwise. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for an escape route or a plausible excuse, but his uncle’s expression left no room for doubt.

"You brat! Come here!" Lin Xiaoyan charged like an angry bull towards his nephew, his face red with rage.

Despite his still trembling legs, Lin Xiaowei took off running, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum. But instead of running out of the library, he ran around the table, resulting in them doing a roundabout chase for a while, their footsteps echoing off the walls as they zigzagged through the room.

Finally, Lin Xiaoyan lost his breath, collapsing to his knees while cursing Lin Xiaowei under his breath, his face purpling with exertion.

....

At the Huo sect, Jingwei casually strolled through the dimly lit halls leading to Yan Jianyu’s private library. The two guards stationed at the entrance bowed their heads to him, acknowledging his position as their leader’s very trusted person and unofficial aide.

Jingwei paid no attention to them and headed straight for the library. As he walked in, his eyes focused on a part of the wall in the room which had the symbol of the Huo sect largely imprinted on it.

The symbol was intricate and complex, with swirling patterns and markings that seemed to shimmer in the dim light. Just one look at it, and a seasoned and knowledgeable mage would immediately be able to tell that it was no ordinary imprint, but a key to unlocking a hidden secret.

Jingwei strode to the front of the part of the wall, his movements confident and purposeful. Set to the side of the wall was a crystal ball placed on a stand, its surface smooth and unblemished.

Jingwei placed his palm above it, muttering a spell under his breath, the words barely audible but full of ancient power. The once lifeless ball lit up at once, a soft blue glow emanating from it, and it wasn’t just the ball—the symbol on the wall as well lit up, the light spreading until it formed the shape of a door on the wall.

In the blink of an eye, the stone wall disappeared into nothingness, revealing a hidden path that laid beyond.

Jingwei walked in, climbing down the staircase which he could see with the aid of the few lit up candles that were attached to the walls of the secret underground path.

The air grew colder as he descended, and the smell of damp earth filled his nostrils.

As he walked down, he could hear distant screams of agony, the sound echoing off the stone walls and sending shivers down his spine. The scream was so chilling that it made him quicken his steps, his curiosity getting the better of him.

On getting to the bottom of the staircase, he could finally see the source of the chilling screams. His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him.

Yan Jianyu was down there, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a smirk on his face as he watched a man whose features were hidden with a heavy-looking black cloak, do something Jingwei couldn’t fathom to three other men who were bound by thick ropes.

The atmosphere was tense and foreboding, and Jingwei could sense the weight of the situation. Two of the men were already unconscious, their bodies unnaturally twisted and their skin sunken and bluish in color—their bodies almost unrecognizable as those belonging to humans.

Their faces were contorted in a mixture of pain and terror, their eyes frozen in a permanent stare. Only one of the men was still alive and well, but... not for long.

With his hand outstretched with the intention of touching the man’s head, the cloaked man moved closer to the last man standing—or in this case, the last man kneeling.

"Please, let me go. I beg of you!" The man pleaded, trying to scoot away from the cloaked man, but it was of no use. He was heavily bound by a rope, limiting his movements.

His eyes were wide with fear, and his voice was shaking with desperation. "I promise a single word won’t get out." He continued, referring to the deaths of the other men he had witnessed, "I have a family that needs me. Please."