That night, at Jinxing, precisely at the Lingsi chamber, where Mingyu's body was being preserved, Lin Xiaoyan and his aide, Wen Ting were alone, standing before the ice-slab on which Mingyu's body was kept.
"How long do you plan to keep Mingyu's body here at Jinxing?" Wen Ting asked.
Sighing, Lin Xiaoyan replied, "If what we guessed was wrong, and Mingyu actually succeeded in moving his soul into another body… He will come back for his sword." His eyes strayed from Mingyu's body to the silver sword that was placed on a table in the corner.
"He will come here, looking for his body." He continued, "Let's see how things turn out."
….
Back at the Jiang residence, Jiang Yichen, who had taken a nice bath and was supposed to be in bed, was standing in a room that wasn't his, and he wasn't alone.
"Your father's room is always empty, yet it is strangely dust-free." Madam Wang said, as she stood beside Jiang Yichen.
A quiet sigh then left her lips. "I wonder when he will return." She muttered, but it was still loud enough for Jiang Yichen to hear.
Jiang Yichen, on the other hand, kept quiet and was busy staring at a large portrait of a beautiful woman on the wall.
Silence reigned in the room for a while before it got broken by Madam Wang once again. "The colors of your mother's portrait are starting to fade. We should call a painter to restore it's once vibrant colors."
Jiang Yichen still remained silent, warranting Madam Wang to glance at him from the side. She saw the restrained emotions in his eyes, and that caused her expression to soften.
Understanding that he most likely wanted to be alone at the moment, Madam Wang quietly left him to be alone in the room.
Once Jiang Yichen heard the sound of the door being opened, and then closed, he let loose the turbulent emotions he was feeling, as he walked closer to the portrait.
His eyes didn't leave the portrait of his mother. A woman he never got to meet, but had heard so many stories about, while growing up—many of which weren't pleasing to the ears.
He had heard malicious rumors spread about, painting his mother as a deceitful wife. They claimed she had betrayed her loving husband, Jiang Renxing, with a secret lover, and that Jiang Yichen was the illicit product of that affair.
According to the whispers, Jiang Renxing had loved his wife and had tried to bury his wife's secret, but her death during childbirth was his breaking point.
The great master Jiang Renxing had been angered and deeply pained, causing him to seal the spiritual core of the bastard child of his wife, but the confusing thing was that he still chose to let the child be in the care of his household, and bear his own name.
And then, like the wind, Jiang Renxing disappeared and never showed his face from that moment onwards. He left without giving any explanations, leaving the people to give his actions whatever speculations and interpretations they wanted.
Jiang Yichen had had to live his life in desolation while growing up. No one, no matter how powerful, wanted to go against his father to remove the seal that had been placed on him, but still, he stubbornly tried to prove that he was worthy to be acknowledged as Jiang Renxing's son.
He diligently trained himself along with his friends, Lin Xiaowei and Wei Zhenyu, with the hopes of getting his meridians unlocked by the leader of Jinxing, Lin Xiaoyan.
Before his eyes, he watched both of his friends learn spells, while he was cast aside, even with his devotion and hard work towards proving himself. Until one day, he decided to no longer be silent…
"I memorized all the books you told me to read. Now, teach me how to practice spells just like you taught Zhenyu and Xiaowei." An eighteen-year-old Jiang Yichen openly challenged Lin Xiaoyan in front of the other Mages of Jinxing.
Lin Xiaoyan simply raised his right arm in a silent command, and his aide came forward, presenting a sword with a striking black and gold pattern along it's length, to Jiang Yichen.
"That sword belongs to your father." Lin Xiaoyan said in a tone that beheld no emotions. His face was blank as well. "Unsheathe the sword."
Jiang Yichen collected the sword from Wen Ting, his eyes locking onto the blade as he slowly turned to face Lin Xiaoyan. "You know there's a spell on this sword, and my spiritual core is sealed, thereby preventing me from unsheathing it." His voice trembled, barely contained.
Lin Xiaoyan's expression remained unyielding. "You can't even pull out your own father's sword. How do you expect to learn spells?"
Jiang Yichen's gaze flashed with anger. "You could just undo the spell placed on me!"
Lin Xiaoyan's response was curt. "I cannot."
Jiang Yichen's jaw clenched, but he refused to back down. "Then find me another master."
Lin Xiaoyan declared, his voice devoid of empathy, "No one in Huayang will agree to go against your father and unseal your spiritual core. We believe he had a good reason for doing so."
Jiang Yichen's eyes reddened in anger and disbelief. "Are you saying I should do nothing, and just accept that I'll never practice spells?"
Lin Xiaoyan's tone remained resolute. "That is your fate, decided by your father."
Jiang Yichen's control snapped. "Bullshit!" he exploded, throwing the sword to the ground. "Who does he think he is to decide my fate? No one considers him my father anyway!"
Tears threatened to spill as Jiang Yichen continued, his voice cracking. "I'll shock you all. I'll find a master who will relieve me of this spell, and teach me to be the best I can be. Then I'll return, take out this sword, and break it in two!"
With that defiant vow, Jiang Yichen kicked the sword, which lay on the ground, and stormed off, leaving Jinxing behind. Tears streamed down his face, a testament to his suppressed anguish.
Jiang Yichen sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts as a wry smile appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Mingyu who couldn't sleep as he couldn't stop thinking about the plaque he saw, happened to be passing by, and had seen Jiang Yichen through the window of the room.
Held by curiosity, Mingyu stood by the window, wondering what Jiang Yichen was up to. His eyes then landed on the portrait in the room.
That must be his mother. Mingyu thought to himself, and his gaze softened as he remembered a certain conversation he heard at the Golden Lotus, while he was being taken to his room by Li Mei.
"I heard young master Jiang Yichen got expelled from the Shoa sect." A lady had whisper-shouted to her gist partner.
The other lady's interest was immediately caught, as she let out an exaggerated gasp. "Why does the son of the great Master Jiang always get himself in trouble?"
The instigator of the gist scoffed, and said, "Maybe because he actually isn't Master Jiang's son. Master Jiang's late wife, Zi Yu, slept with another man and gave birth to Jiang Yichen."
That was all Mingyu was able to hear before he was dragged away by Li Mei.
"I doubt the rumor is true." Mingyu mumbled to himself, while still peeking through the window.
Remembering the reason he came out of his room in the first place, Mingyu shook his head and made his way to Jiang Yichen's room.
"The plaque should be here somewhere." He said as he began searching every corner of the room, including the the drawers and cabinets.
"Where the hell is it?" Mingyu frustratedly hissed under his breath, at his unsuccessful search for the plaque.
The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he immediately turned to face the door, only to see a shadow slowly approaching.
With widened eyes, he frantically looked around for the best hiding spot, and when he heard the sound of the door being slowly opened, he didn't think much of it, and just hid himself in the first place that came to his head.