Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 The Life of the World’s Greatest Assassin

The boy let out a huge sigh of relief, ignoring his wounds entirely as he strode toward the door. For some reason, at this moment, this seemingly ordinary house felt far more terrifying than the Guard Department's prison cells. Even so, he maintained his caution. He pushed the door open, peered warily around, and only stepped outside after confirming no Guard Department officers were near. He was free. That was the most honest thought in the boy's mind. But the second his foot crossed the threshold, a hand clamped down on his collar, yanking him roughly back inside. The owner of the hand was incredibly strong. Had he been uninjured, he might have struggled. But now... the boy found himself back in the room once more. He looked up dazedly at Yu Sheng standing opposite him, his eyes filled with confusion. Yu Sheng shut the door casually, his expression as calm as ever: "I never restricted your freedom, so... this shouldn't count as false imprisonment anymore." "At the very least, you left this room once." "Yeah, that's how it is." Finally, Yu Sheng even nodded his head to confirm that his words made perfect sense. ... The boy had lost count of how many times he'd broken down in the past half hour. Yu Sheng's youthful face looked as terrifying as a devil's in his eyes. "Have a seat, anywhere." "Your wounds are serious—you'd better not move around too much. And remember to clean up the blood on the floor for me." "I'll be upset if you don't." After giving these two instructions, Yu Sheng tucked the medicine from the cabinet away casually, sat down on a nearby chair, and drifted off into his usual daze. The boy stood frozen in place, dumbfounded, unsure whether he should rest for a moment or clean the room first. "So it wasn't an illusion." Yu Sheng sat in the chair, lost in thought. Every time the boy's emotions crumbled, wisp after wisp of pale gray energy rose into the air and sank into the scroll in his mind. And the dragon-patterned rod in the scroll looked a little more solid than before. Progress was slow, but it worked. In other words, this energy came from other people's emotions—and those emotions had to be caused by himself? Yu Sheng seemed to figure something out, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the boy. Meanwhile, the boy, dragging his badly injured body to clean the floor, felt a chill run down his spine, as if countless thorns were pricking his back. Worst of all, the gash on his chest was still bleeding profusely. Every time he wiped away a little blood, more would drip onto the floor, an endless stream. Seeing the boy's breathing grow heavier and heavier, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment, Yu Sheng stepped forward thoughtfully: "Your wounds are too serious. Any more strenuous movement and you'll die." Under the boy's disbelieving gaze, Yu Sheng went to the bathroom, took out a bar of soap, and handed it to him: "Sulfur soap cleans blood better. This way, you can rest sooner." The boy took the sulfur soap numbly, his heart empty of all joy or sorrow. He dropped to his knees and scrubbed the floor mechanically. Yu Sheng watched as the gray mist drifting from the boy's head grew thinner and thinner until it vanished entirely. He froze for a second, then stood up at once and walked back to the boy. "On second thought, sulfur soap is bad for your hands." He snatched the sulfur soap back in one move. When he saw the gray mist rise from the boy's head again, he sat back down in his chair, satisfied. "I agree!" As if having made a momentous decision, the boy took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at Yu Sheng solemnly. "Give me paper and a pen. I want to leave a suicide note before I die." Yu Sheng stared at him blankly, confused. "Even if I don't kill myself, I'll bleed out and die anyway." "I might as well die with some dignity." "You said I owed you my life, right? Now I'm repaying it." The boy lifted his chin proudly. In this moment, he was just like he'd been that bright sunny afternoon when he'd resolved to become the world's greatest assassin—bold, spirited, a dashing young man. An assassin should fear no death; he should even dare to face it head-on. So that's how it was... without realizing it, he'd forgotten his original heart. Fortunately, at the very last moment, he'd found his dignity as an assassin again. "You can't die." Yu Sheng shook his head firmly, without the slightest hesitation. It would be a terrible waste if such a steady source of energy died. "No, I have to die!" "Only death can defend my dignity as an assassin." But the boy shook his head stubbornly: "Forget it. Since I'm going to die anyway, there's no need for a suicide note. An assassin... has no emotions." As he spoke, a tiny blade suddenly appeared between his fingers. He slowly raised it to his neck and prepared to slice it open. He closed his eyes gently, and as all doomed men do, he replayed his life in his mind once more. Six months ago: resolved to become the world's greatest assassin. Three days ago: received his first mission. This morning: scouted the target. This afternoon: struck. Defeated. Fled. Stumbled into a lion's den. Died. It wasn't a perfect life... but it was an assassin's life, all the same. Before he knew it, a look of relief spread across the boy's lips, curving into a faint smile. Yu Sheng stood up, his brow furrowed. By the moonlight, he studied the boy's face carefully for the first time, then said in a puzzled tone: "Are you really an assassin?" "You've never even killed anyone. There's not a hint of bloodlust on you." The boy's eyes flew open, and he glared at Yu Sheng furiously: "I just failed! Given time, I'll be the world's greatest assassin sooner or later!" "Forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained!" Filled with disdain for Yu Sheng, he closed his eyes again and began to relive his life once more. "You're aiming wrong. The spot you're going to slice is your windpipe—you won't die instantly." "And it'll be extremely painful." Yu Sheng kindly pointed it out. The boy's hand, gripping the blade, froze mid-air. He hesitated for a second, then adjusted the blade's position slightly. Damn it, now I have to start replaying my life all over again. The boy cursed inwardly. "This spot's no good either. You'll spray blood everywhere." "The room will get dirty, and it'll be a nightmare to clean." Yu Sheng frowned, clearly displeased. ... "I'm about to die! Do you know what death means?!" "Can you stop interrupting me?!" "AH???" Veins bulged on the boy's forehead as he roared at Yu Sheng! He'd exerted himself too much, and his wound split open again, worsening his injuries. The pain sent him crashing to the floor. He clutched his chest, wanting to let out a cry of agony, but he forced it down to maintain his dignity as an assassin. "The meaning of death?" "I don't understand it." Yu Sheng fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head: "Next time before I kill someone, I'll ask them about it."