For Mingyu, It was like time suddenly froze, and everything around him became non-existent.
The only sound Mingyu could hear was the loud thumping of his heart, as his mind reeled from the words that had just been spoken from Jiang Yichen's mouth.
Jiang Yichen had called him by his name – Mingyu!
How was he supposed to react to that? And, more pressing still, how had Jiang Yichen discovered his true identity in the first place?
Mingyu's eyes twitched involuntarily as his thoughts spiraled into chaos.
"Hehe," he forced an awkward laugh, while his right hand slipped smoothly into his robe, to retrieve the dagger he had 'borrowed' from Jiang Yichen's room. "Nice joke, Young master," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, despite the turmoil brewing inside him.
"Is this the face of someone who is joking?" Jiang Yichen asked, his serious expression unwavering as he pointed to his own face.
Mingyu's lips parted in stunned silence, his eyes locked on Jiang Yichen's. He couldn't help, but wonder if the young man's boldness was a sign of bravery, or plain stupidity.
How could Jiang Yichen so brazenly confront an assassin in hiding, revealing that he knew Mingyu's true identity, and yet, expect that Mingyu would let him walk away unscathed?
"Alright then." Mingyu said with his lips curling into a sly smirk, dropping his innocent facade. "I might have to shut you up earlier than I expected."
Without warning, he brought out the dagger from his robes, unsheathing it at a fast speed, before pointing the tippy point of the dagger at Jiang Yichen's neck.
Jiang Yichen flinched back, and when his eyes settled on the dagger in Mingyu's hand, he couldn't help chuckling in amusement. "You are really going to kill me with my own dagger?"
Mingyu's face darkened. "Shut up!" He pressed the dagger closer to Jiang Yichen's neck to frighten him, but instead of fear, he saw admiration sparkling in the young man's eyes.
What the hell? Mingyu's blood boiled in infuriation, a deep scowl forming on his face. "You think I don't have the balls to do it, huh?"
Jiang Yichen raised his hands in a calming gesture, shaking his head in response as he said, "Of course you do. You're the infamous Shadow Assassin, after all. But we're currently at Jinxing. You can't harm me and expect to go scot free."
Mingyu sneered. "I can take down your cowardice of a leader in seconds." He arrogantly bluffed, taking Jiang Yichen last comment as Jiang Yichen undermining his skills. But beneath his bravado, he knew Jiang Yichen spoke the truth, especially now that his powers were gone.
But no one is here. I could just end him quickly, and sneak my way out before anyone notices.
Distracted by his own thoughts, while still keeping his eyes focused on Jiang Yichen, Mingyu failed to notice the door of the building, opening. The sound of footsteps approaching where they were even escaped his notice.
It wasn't until he heard the whir of a blade, cutting through the air, that he reacted, his eyes widening in alarm.
Mingyu instinctively tried to dodge, but Jiang Yichen was faster. Jiang Yichen seized the opportunity, grabbing Mingyu's wrist and moving the dagger away from his neck. He then wrapped his other arm around Mingyu's waist, and pulled him into a tight hug.
As Jiang Yichen gaze met with that of the person that had just tried to attract Mingyu, a glint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "Feng Zhenyu?" he said in disbelief, and he could have sworn that he had felt Mingyu's body, stiffen in his embrace, at the mention of Feng Zhenyu's name.
Feng Zhenyu's eyes mirrored the shock on Jiang Yichen's face. "What are you doing here?... And who's that?" He asked, his sword still pointed at the pair, as his gaze shifted between Jiang Yichen and the red-haired man in his arms.
"Ah, right." Jiang Yichen smiled, releasing Mingyu from his chocking hug. "This here, is my new manservant, Yinzhi."
Mingyu turned around to face Feng Zhenyu, their eyes meeting.
"Yinzhi?" Feng Zhenyu repeated, his eyes fixated on Mingyu's face, especially his captivating and strikingly familiar grey eyes, which were looking back at him with conflicting emotions dancing in them.
"You can put your sword away, you are scaring him." Jiang Yichen's voice was what pulled Feng Zhenyu and Mingyu back to earth, especially Mingyu who was deep in thoughts, and couldn't seem to take his eyes off Feng Zhenyu.
"Oh, sorry." Feng Zhenyu said, as he lowered his sword and sheathed it.
"Yinzhi, are you alright?" Jiang Yichen asked with gentleness brimming in his eyes, but to Mingyu, he saw it as Jiang Yichen mocking him.
"Yes, I'm fine… Young master." Mingyu answered with much difficulty.
"Jiang Yichen?" Another voice called, and they all turned their heads to see Lin Xiaowei walking towards them.
"What are you doing here?" Lin Xiaowei asked with a baffled expression.
"I came to see the leader," Jiang Yichen explained, "but a fight broke out, so I took cover here."
POW! A slap from Lin Xiaowei suddenly landed on the side of Jiang Yichen's back. Albeit playful, it was still painful, causing Jiang Yichen to wince as he rubbed the stinging spot.
"What was that for?" Jiang Yichen cried out, begrudgingly. His facial expression appearing like he was really going to burst out, crying the very next second.
"You saw a fight break out, and you decided to hide in here? You disappoint me." Lin Xiaowei mocked, shaking his head like a father, disappointed in his son. "Oh, wait. Now that I think about it. You made the right choice to hide. You wouldn't have lasted a minute on that mini-battle ground."
Lin Xiaowei laughed as he patted Jiang Yichen's back soothingly, but Jiang Yichen shrugged Lin Xiaowei's hands off of him.
"I wasn't hiding. I was chasing my servant here, because he was scared when he saw the chaos, and just ran, leaving his master behind." Jiang Yichen lied through his teeth.
On the side, Mingyu had been silently planning his escape from Jinxing.
He intended to annihilate Jiang Yichen and Lin Xiaowei, while only knocking Feng Zhenyu unconscious. But before he could think of a good enough plan, Jiang Yichen's big lie suddenly snapped him out of his reverie.
"That's not true." Mingyu said, glaring at Jiang Yichen.
"Eh?" Lin Xiaowei said, only noticing Mingyu when he had spoken. "Who's this gorgeous red head over here?"
Gorgeous? A vein in Mingyu's head ticked, painfully.
The word gorgeous had never been used on him before, and he liked it that way. He preferred the ones he used to hear from his secret admirers back when he was still in his original body. Hottie, dangerously sexy, Hunk, Greek god… those were the names he liked.
Lin Xiaowei's eyes then landed on the dagger, which Mingyu was still holding. "What's with the dagger?" He asked, "Were you…" he then paused, staring at Mingyu with an unknown expression, which made Mingyu and Jiang Yichen exchange glances, while holding their breaths.
"Were you trying to protect your weakling of a master?" The question finally rolled out of Lin Xiaowei's lips, and he moved closer to Mingyu to pat his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."
Grasping the opportunity, Mingyu nodded with a smile. "That's right. As a loyal servant, I was protecting my young master."
It was Jiang Yichen's turn to glare at Mingyu. "No, that's not true." He said as he grabbed Mingyu's hand, and forcefully took the dagger from him. "As your master, I should protect you instead."
Briefly forgetting the presence of the other two men in the room, Mingyu and Jiang Yichen began a sudden glaring competition. Non of them refused to be the first to look away.
"Yinzhi! You shouldn't glare at your master like that. When I talk, you should look down submissively." Jiang Yichen said, his eyes darting towards his friends in a silent message. Do you want them to get suspicious?
Mingyu understood the message, but he was still stubborn, and didn't look away immediately. It only took a high level of control before he was able to wipe the glare off his face, masking it with a sweet smile which suited the gentle features of his new face. "Pardon my manners, Young master."
"All is forgiven." Jiang Yichen said with a smile, and turned to face his two friends who were looking at them with different expressions.
One was looking at them like he found them interesting, while the other didn't have any expression on his face.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Jiang Yichen asked, "How are things outside? Has the dust settled?"
Lin Xiaowei was the one who answered. "No. It's still chaotic. Mingyu's body has gone missing."
A flicker of surprise danced across Mingyu's face before he suppressed it. I knew it. The Yewang must have sent them. Now, all I need to do is safely get out of here. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought.
"Ah, what a pity." Jiang Yichen said with a sad sigh, turning to face Mingyu. "Mingyu, the Shadow Assassin. I never got the chance to meet him, and I was curious to see if he looked as breathtaking as so many stories have described him to be."