Jiang Yichen finally had his bath, and then it was time to move on to the next phase—Dinner.
Mingyu had served him a tray filled with so many dishes, and Jiang Yichen made sure to complain about each and every one of them, to the extent that some of the complaints sounded so ridiculous.
"Oh, it's too salty."
"It's too sweet."
"Too spicy."
"It's too long. What kind of taste is this?"
"Why does the water smell weird?"
"I'm not hungry anymore."
Mingyu was so, so done with Jiang Yichen's excesses, but still, he didn't fully crack, and still went along with his 'dutiful servant' act.
It was finally down to the last phase of the day—Bedtime.
"Young master, your bed is ready." Mingyu said to Jiang Yichen who was busy reading a book.
Jiang Yichen looked up from his book, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Ah, excellent. You may leave now." He said, but when he looked at the blanket, he smiled, "Yinzhi?"
Mingyu who had already internally rejoicing, paused in his tracks, hot tears forming in his eyes. "Yes, Young Master?" Mingyu replied in a weak voice.
"Change the blankets. I don't like the color of this one."
Mingyu's eyes flashed with irritation, but still, he nodded obediently. "Right away, Young Master."
As Mingyu changed the blankets, Jiang Yichen watched him, impressed by the Mingyu's composure despite his efforts to make him give up the act.
Finally, Mingyu finished and stepped back. "Your bed is ready, Young Master."
Jiang Yichen slid into bed, his gaze never leaving Mingyu's face. "Thank you, Yinzhi. You've been... tolerable today."
Mingyu's expression remained neutral, but his eyes betrayed a glimmer of the resentment he was feeling.
"Get some rest, Yinzhi," Jiang Yichen said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tomorrow will be... interesting."
Mingyu bowed, his movements stiff. "Yes, Young Master." He said and immediately left the room.
As he left the room, Mingyu's mask slipped, revealing the seething anger he had hidden.
But he didn't even have the strength to be angry. He could only drag his feet on the ground as he made his way to his room to sleep, praying in his mind that the following day would be much better.
….
The next day came faster than Mingyu expected, and it wasn't even a tiny bit better than the previous day.
It was as if Jiang Yichen had taken note of Mingyu's resilience and decided to push him even further.
The workload was staggering, ten times that of yesterday, with tasks piled upon tasks, each one designed to chip away at Mingyu's resolve.
Jiang Yichen had already taken two baths—one in the morning and one in the afternoon—keeping Mingyu on his toes all day, constantly fetching water.
Not to mention Jiang Yichen's extravagant breakfast and lunch that had Mingyu putting in a lot of work.
The other servants, who had lost count of the number of times they had seen Mingyu make the trip to, and from the young master's room, with buckets of water, and trays filled with mouthwatering dishes, couldn't help but pity him, casting sympathetic glances his way.
However, their pitiful glances only fueled Mingyu's inner rage.
Soon, it was nighttime, and Jiang Yichen still insisted on having another bath, making it a total of three times that day.
Hmph! Mingyu let out a puff of breath as he harshly dropped the tenth bucket of water he had fetched that day, to the floor.
I take back what I said yesterday. I think I would be better off, living in the streets.
"He didn't even do anything, and just lazed around his room all day, yet, he decided to wash three times today!" Mingyu vented out loud, while looking straight at the main building where Jiang Yichen's room was, with unhidden animosity in his eyes.
"Just you wait! Once I regain my powers, you will be the first one I'll kill." Mingyu swore to himself.
Letting out a sigh to calm himself, he then picked up the bucket of water, and head in for Jiang Yichen's room.
He went directly to the bathroom area, expecting to find Jiang Yichen waiting for him there. "Young Master, I brought some cold…" Mingyu's words were cut short, as he froze at the sight before him. Jiang Yichen already soaking himself in the bathtub, with his back facing the entrance.
"It's not needed anymore. The water already cooled to my desired temperature." Jiang Yichen answered, without sparing Mingyu a glance. "I guess your hard work was just in vain." He continued, and chuckled mockingly.
Mingyu fell on his knees in exasperation, his grey eyes turning vicious as he looked at the back of Jiang Yichen's head.
Without looking away from Jiang Yichen, he dipped his hand into the water in the bucket. If only I had even a fraction of the power I used to have. He thought to himself, as his mind wandered into dreamland.
Mingyu glared at Jiang Yichen from behind, a sinister smirk appearing across his dangerously handsome face.
Swirling his hands above the bucket of water with deep concentration, he muttered a spell. The water began bubbling, and some amount of the water, floated up to his palm, forming a ball which swirled in response to his hand movements.
In a matter of seconds, the water in the bathtub also began to bubble vigorously, to Jiang Yichen's surprise. "What's going on?" He screamed in a high pitched voice, filled with terror.
But that did nothing to help. Instead, the water went from simply bubbling, to rotating at a fast speed. The rotation created a deep whirlpool that sucked Jiang Yichen in, and his body was helplessly drawn to the center where there was a gaping void.
Water infiltrated Jiang Yichen's mouth and nostrils, flooding his airways. His screams were muffled, and then eventually silenced, as the churning water overwhelmed him, rendering him unconscious.
Seeing the bane of his nightmare in such a state, Mingyu's face brightened up with a proud smirk.
"What's the reason for that creepy smile?"
Jiang Yichen's question immediately snapped Mingyu out of his imaginations.
Blinking his eyes, Mingyu saw that Jiang Yichen was still alive, and that Jiang Yichen was looking at him like he had just seen something terrifying.
"Huh?" Mingyu asked, shaking his head as he tried to regain his composure. He had been way into his imaginations, that it all felt too real for a moment there.
"It's nothing." Mingyu finally said with a forced smile, as he removed his hand from the bucket of water, "The water was just so cool and refreshing to touch." He lied through his teeth.
Coughing to clear his throat, Jiang Yichen said, "Go fetch me my clothes."
"Right away, Young Master." Mingyu said, quickly getting up to leave the bathroom to get Jiang Yichen's clothes.
Once Mingyu was out of sight, Jiang Yichen shivered in the water. "Gosh, that creepy smile scared the shit out of me." He mumbled to himself as he got out of the bathtub.
I had better tone down the way I order him about, or he might just outright murder me in my sleep.
Mingyu brought in Jiang Yichen's freshly prepared clothes to the bathroom, and as he was about to hand Jiang Yichen the clothes, he noticed something beneath the clothes which caught his interest—A plaque with the symbol of the Jinxing sect.
"Is there a stain on the robe?" Jiang Yichen who was waiting for Mingyu to hand over his clothes asked when he saw the look of interest in Mingyu's eyes.
"Ah, no… I was just distracted by the beautiful embroidery on the robe." Mingyu said, and handed the clothes to Jiang Yichen.
"You may leave now. Get some rest." Jiang Yichen said, feeling wary of Mingyu, ever since he saw that evil smirk.
"Yes, Young Master." Mingyu immediately said, and quickly left the room, before Jiang Yichen would decide to change his mind and send him on more errands.
Mingyu was a bit surprised that he was set free a bit earlier than the previous day, but his mind was more focused on the plaque he had seen, so he wasn't really able to rejoice.
On getting to his room, all he could think about was that plaque and couldn't sleep a wink.
"That spirit plaque will grant me entrance into Jinxing." He said to himself as he rolled on his bed, "But that would be too reckless, as I don't have my powers yet."
Mingyu was put in a dilemma as he thought of what he could do. Then all of a sudden, as if a light bulb switch in his head had been turned on, Mingyu abruptly sat up on his bed.
"My sword!" He exclaimed as he remembered his glorious silver sword adorned with ethereal patterns that danced across the blade like starlights. "I might be able to get my powers back if I find my sword."
All Mages had a connection with their weapons as their weapons were usually an external means, through which they could channel their spiritual power. So, Mingyu was counting on this connection to get his powers back.
"Moon shadow." He called out the name of his sword, "Daddy is coming to get you."
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A/N: I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has taken the time to read the book up to this point. Your support means the world to me!
If you have a moment, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could leave a review for the book. Your feedback and thoughts are invaluable in helping me continue to improve and create an enjoyable reading experience for you all.
Best regards, Diamond_sunshine