Chapter 7
Now, most people would call Aiden stupid. He knew people were really strong in this world, and he’d just seen this kid riding a literal sword like some kind of martial hero from a chinese novel. So the way he just rushed him and grabbed his robes can be interpreted as very idiotic.
And sure. It was. But several things. First, people in certain situations either responded by running or fighting, and Aiden was never a runner. Second, he didn’t scare easily by anything. God Himself could be in front of him and all he’d do is ask why the fuck He thought Australia was really necessary. Third, he’s also very impulsive. The combination of lack of fear, his predilection of running towards danger, and careless, impulsive habits instilled into his bones through years of reckless behaviour...well, that made him do things the average person would think twice before doing.
His first thought at seeing the person who killed him was revenge. Not whether he could actually beat him, not fearing he’d die a second time. His singular thought was of repaying the favor. Slowly. And regardless of whether he could, he’d certainly try.
Worst case? He was killed again. This time permanently. Didn’t matter much to him, really. Or maybe he’d just wake up in bed again. At that point, sure. He’d avoid the guy. He wasn’t so stupid and unreasonable that he’d keep going after the kid and get killed again. But for now, he’d fight!
And surprisingly, it looked like the kid wasn’t that strong anyway. The hands grabbing hold of Aiden’s arms in an attempt to free himself were weak and almost girly. Long and thin fingers that were as fine and graceful, with nails glossy like pearl. Not that it mattered. Point is, he was even more out of shape than Yuuji!
By the way, Yuuji was so out of shape himself that just shaking the guy like this already tired him out. Well, he did have shaky arms thanks to the earlier workout so he shouldn’t be surprised. But still.
“Wait! W-What do you want from me!? Please stop, let’s talk this out!”
“Talk this out? You fucking killed me!” Aiden snarled.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about! Aren’t you alive? You’re alive, aren’t you? Oh gods, uness...unless...a-are you... a Spirit Body?!” His face turned ghost white. He started bawling, howling to the heaven’s in absolute fear and misery. ““Please, Venerable Master, wait, please think about it! it couldn’t have been me! I’m innocent! Look at me, I’m not even at the mid Houtian stage! Just an aspiring Qi Refiner! Not capable of harming you at all! M-Maybe it was a member of my family...y-yeah, that must be it! Surely! D-Do.you want revenge? I’ll help you! No, please let me help youuuuuu~~!!” He cried.
AIden stopped dead in his tracks at the youth’s mad ravings. Then, “You’d betray your own family? What unfilial scum! Just die!” And started shaking him again.
“I was just kidding...i was kidding, okay?! Of course I’d never sell out my family to someone like you! I’d die before I help you!”
“So you won’t help me after all! You lying son of a bitch, you’re useless to me as expected! Just die already!”
“Balls! What do you want me to say then?!” He screamed pitifully. “Wait. Hold on. I think I’m going to--bluurggh.” The youth’s pale face turned yellow. Moments later, he hurled.
All his anger vanished, replaced by disgust. He dropped the youth and hurried away. But alas...his shoes were in ruins.
“Fuck.” He swore.
“Oh...my breakfast…” The youth coughed and spat, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. His legs couldn’t support him and he fell to his ass.
Aiden was miffed. This was...a bit too comedic, wasn’t it? This is the one who killed him? This milk baby? Hell. Look at him. Aiden couldn’t believe it. He sighed. No matter.
AIden took up the greatsword that had fallen to the ground. Actually, it wasn’t even a greatsword anymore, but a regular broadsword just three feet long. As such, it wasn’t very hard to lift.
“Well...sorry, kid. But it’s the principle of the thing.” No matter what, he still died to this careless asshole crybaby. And thanks to the weird misunderstanding, whatever it was--though he could guess from the context that the boy thought him some great, powerful master.. Probably due to that one high stat he had--this is the perfect chance.
He was just a kid, but Aiden had died. So fuck it. Morals were for better men than Aiden.
However just as he was about to raise the sword for a beheading...his rational half took over. Finally. If he thought about it, Naoko and the brat were right behind him. He could hear them coming over, even. And he was going to kill someone, seemingly over just a small accident that wasn’t even his fault.
...Yeah, okay. Not a good idea. Let’s not come off as a psychopath and be imprisoned for manslaughter, shall we?
Aiden therefore planted the sword into the ground and offered the youth a hand. Which was suspiciously stared at.
“M-Master?”
“Grab it.”
“...Yes.”
With that, Aiden pulled him off the ground. Aiden then patted the dirt off of him and gave a smile. “You okay?”
You could see the kid’s head spinning. “Um...uh...what?” The treatment from now and earlier was just too different for him to handle, Aiden supposed.
“Yuuji~!” Naoko called out. “What’s going on? You just ran off!”
Aiden caught sight of her running barefoot over the sandy flatland, high-heels in hand.
“I was just checking to see if he was okay.” Aiden smoothly lied. Though anyone with a brain would question why Aiden would think the boy was the one who needed to be checked on, considering he wasn’t in any way disturbed and it was them who were nearly ran into by a flying demon horse. Or whatever that thing was.
But thankfully either Naoko was a bit more airheaded than most, or she was just that trustnig of Yuuji’s word that she accepted his weird reason without question.
“I see. Well, is he?”
“Yeah. Just a bit in shock. He was just scared, thought we got hurt ourselves and started freaking out. Right?”
“Er...yes. That’s right. Yeah.”
“See, he even threw up.” Aiden pointed.
“Didn’t I see you shaking him?” Rumi questioned doubtfully. She was running closely behind her mother in practical sneakers and reached them at the same time.
“Nope.”
“But--”
“Anyway, he’s fine.” Aiden talked over her.
“Thank goodness for that then.” Naoko nodded. “By the way, you are…?”
The youth blinked. His eyes shot towards Aiden for a moment before answering.“Oh...this one is known as Bai Hong.”
“Bai Hong, I see. A nice name.” Naoko decided. “Pardon me, sir Bai...but those robes...I take it that you’re a Daoist?”
“Ah, yes!” The youth confirmed.
“Daoist Bai, then.” She nodded once more.
His eyes widened. “Oh no, Miss! I’m actually not anyone great, I’m really just a fledgling cultivator. Barely that, even! Please simply refer to me as Brother Hong, Miss, I implore you.” The sincerity on his face caused Naoko to laugh.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do that then.”
“And Miss would be…?”
“I’m Naoko.” The woman replied. “This is my daughter, Rumi, and my...nephew. Yuuji.” Naoko introduced, pausing just a moment when she refered to Aiden as her nephew. Bai Hong’s humble, genial smile stiffened.
“This Venerable is...is your nephew?”
Naoko raised a brow. “Venerable?”
Aiden stared at the boy.
“No, um, I didn’t say any such thing. Pardon me, I was actually dropped on my head as a child and sometimes say random nonsense. Think nothing of it.”
“...Right. Okay. Well, given the situation I won’t keep you.” Naoko announced. “It was good to meet you Brother Hong.” She gave a shallow bow. “ I hope you luck in retrieving your wayward Bicornaclops. If I recall his temperament correctly, Old Bai will surely raise a fuss if you don’t return with it soon.”
The youth blanched. “You don’t know the half of it, Miss! The old coot, he’s gotten even meaner in his old age. Once, when his Seven Treasure Octadic Chicken escaped he thrashed my father up and down the…” He stopped. “Wait, you know my--?”
Naoko merely let out a smile. “Come, you two. It’s time we set off.”
Aiden couldn’t help giving her a glance. It seemed like this woman liked to act a bit mysterious, eh? He wondered who this “old bai” person was, and why the kid seemed surprised at her knowing him. Not that it really mattered.
Turns out though he didn’t actually have to wait long till his idle curiosity was appeased. Because as they walked back to the car Rumi took the initiative to say, “Old Bai is the revered Ancestor of the great Bai family. He’s lauded as one of the world’s strongest existences.”
“Didn’t ask, but okay.” Aiden shrugged. Then a thought occurred to him. “ Hold on, why does your mother seem to know him then?” Something didn’t seem right with that. On the surface she was just a widowed housewife, no? It’s too weird if she personally knew a figure like that old Bai.
The girl snorted. “Well because she used to be one of the Tachibana family’s--”
“Rumi.” Her mother interrupted. “Don’t gossip.”
“I wasn’t,” Rumi said defensively.
Tachibana….
Wasn’t that Yuuji’s family name? Aiden sent the woman a look. “That name. It sounds familiar.”
A snort. “Well of course it should sound familiar, the Tachibanas--”
“Are figures from my past only,” Naoko firmly interrupted. “Best to leave them there.” She finished mildly. It was obvious she wanted to hide who these people were by her reaction. And from what Rumi was about to say, it seemed her mother used to be affiliated with the Tachibanas in some way. She could have been someone important too, judging by her knowing a person like this Old Bai. Which could explain why she was with Yuuji.
[Heir to the Tachibana Family name]
Aiden checked his status window once more to confirm. An heir, huh. Aiden hadn’t thought of it much before now, but Yuuji must not have been an ordinary individual after all. The son of a fallen great family, perhaps? Yet Rumi’s reaction made it seem like they might still be alive and kicking.
So not a fallen family, maybe, but a disgraced member? And for some reason Naoko, who used to be affiliated with his family, was taking care of him. Monitoring him? Or protecting? Hm. From the title Yuuji carried, the situation might be that there was a coup within the family. Yuuji may have been forced to leave and go into hiding with Naoko, or maybe by then she had already left the family and she was someone he turned to for help.
There were several explanations possible here. He felt that a coup was the most likely, but hell maybe the boy had done something really shady and had been expelled for that. Either way, he’d need more information. He should ask Rumi about the Tachibanas later when her mother wasn’t around.
Let's be clear. Aiden didn’t plan to get involved with Yuuji’s family. He wasn’t about to try and take on the boy’s problems if he could help it. Whether he was wronged by his family or some other thing, it sure as hell wasn’t Aiden’s responsibility to take care of it and he sure as hell didn’t know why anyone would want to take on that kind of annoyance either.
But this could still affect Aiden in some way later on, so it was good to find out all he could so he wasn’t blindsided. Since Naoko was willing to bring him out in public it looked like it was okay for him to do so, but if he attracted too much attention and the Tachibanas were hostile towards Yuuji it could mean trouble.
To avoid that kind of nonsense family drama, Aiden had to at least know more than he did now. Maybe be more, too…
Cultivator, eh? Seems interesting.
"Can we stop by a mall or something first? My shoes have vomit on them."
***
A half hour later and Naoko pulled into check point. After flashing a black card the guard buzzed her in, opening the gate for us to enter. The space beyondt was a large, open area full of green grass, colorful flowers, and a man-made lake. The parking lot was situated behind a giant building of glass and concrete, about five stories tall in total but very wide with a few other buildings attached by a short sky bridge. You could see several people passing through the bridge from the windows. Some even sat down on seats and looked down at those below or read from books.
Aiden saw a few men or women jogging around the lake.
“This area is open to the public.” Naoko glanced back. “But the building from the second floor and up is private. It houses the best equipment and personal trainers in the city. I think you’ll like it here.”
“Maybe.”
Rumi mumbled something he didn’t catch and sped up, distancing herself from them.
“Rumi, wait up!” Naoko called out. “You have to...oh, that brat!” She sighed in exasperation as she disappeared inside the largest building’s doors. The woman picked up her phone and moments later she was speaking sternly into the speaker. “Listen here, missy, you wait for Yuuji in the second floor lobby. I’ll introduce him and send him up momentarily, so don’t you dare think about leaving him behind! Otherwise you can say goodbye to your allowance for the rest of the year!” A pause. “And don’t ‘but Mom’ me.”
“Hmph!” Naoko hung up and made a sound of annoyance. “This girl is so unruly. But nevermind her. Let’s go, Yuu-kun.”
Naoko led the way inside and came up to a pretty receptionist. The woman greeted us with a smile. Or did, until she saw me. That’s when the smile faltered just a bit.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
Naoko showed the previous black card. “I’d like to speak to Miss Yuuna. Tell her Naoko’s here.”
“Oh, yes. She’s expecting you. Go ahead and take the elevator to my left.”
Nodding, Naoko silently walked away with Aiden in tow.
“Yuna’s the founder of this place. She’s also the head manager. We’re old friends so I could have just come to see her whenever I wanted, but I didn’t want to cause her trouble so I went ahead and scheduled an appointment.” Naoko explained as they went up.
The doors opened to a hallway at the end of which was a door. Upon walking up an opening it a great office greeted them. The entire place was open to the world since all three walls were made of glass. There were sofas at either side of a long wooden coffee table. Further beyond was a glass desk. And behind that was an ass.
To clarify, it was a very nice ass. For further clarity, there was a plush leather chair pushed to the side while the woman bent down to touch her feet. Obviously she was stretching.
The woman was a blonde. An hourglass figure in black yoga pants and a white tank top. Her head was between her legs and she saw us come in. “Oh!” She exclaimed and rose from her position. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. She took a towel from her desk and and started wiping.
“Naoko! You’re here!” She laughed. “Sorry, I was just doing some stretches. Sitting down all day isn’t good for the back, you know? And I wasn’t expecting you so soon! Come on, come in.” She beckoned with a grin.
Her gaze slid towards Aiden and froze momentarily, then returned to it’s natural state. He had to give her props for the fast recovery. “What brings you? I haven’t heard from you in ages.”
Naoko chuckled. “Sorry about that. We’ll catch up later, I promise. For now I’m here to talk about getting a membership.”
“Ah...for this young man, I take?” She turned her eyes to Aiden once more.
“You guessed it.”
“I see. And he would be…?”
“Yuuji. My nephew.”
Miss Yuuna sent her a quizzical look. “I wasn’t aware you had siblings.”
“It’s not exactly a blood relation,” Naoko explained. “But I am his legal guardian.”
“So that’s how it is. Okay.” The woman extended a hand. “Greetings, Yuuji-san. I’m Yuuna, Kogarashi Yuuna. Nice to meet you.”
“My pleasure.” Aiden gripped her outstretched palm confidently. “This is a beautiful place. I heard you’re the founder? I have to say, you did a fine job. I can’t wait to see everything it has to offer.”
Aiden felt Naoko’s eyes on them. Yuuna gave a plain smile and took back her hand after a short shake. He noticed how she gripped the towel hanging over her shoulder, almost as if wiping her hand on it.
He almost snorted but held it in. He might still have that Shady title, but he’s clean, alright?
“Oh, quit it, you. Compliment the architects and landscapers, not me. But thanks. It is my pride and joy. I’m sure you’ll love it. Say, why don’t you go ahead and look around while Naoko and I handle the paperwork?”
Naoko nodded. “I brought Rumi, she’s waiting to take him on a tour. In fact I’m planning to come here myself from now on.” There was something in her tone just then. A heaviness. Aiden had felt it once before today on their ride over. It was a bit disconcerting. He didn’t know why she was suddenly like this, though. He hadn’t done anything but greet the woman.
“That’s great to hear! Let me just give him a pass so that he can walk around unhindered. You’ll be issued a permanent one later and the guards will be sent a picture of your face so that they know you’re a member, but for now this will do. Just wear it around your neck.”
She took out a lanyard from a cabinet to the side and threw it to him.
“Thanks.” He replied shortly. Without further fanfare, he walked out.
***
Aiden found Rumi easily enough. Though she did keep a few feet of distance, she still led him around properly.
The first stop was a mountain climbing area. There were teams of two climbing walls of varying difficulty. Second was the spa area where people went to relax. Third, the massage parlor. Fourth, they visited an indoor tennis court. A basketball court. A room dedicated to pilates. A weight room. One place even housed a team of chiropractors.
After nearly an hour of walking around she finally took them to the cafeteria. “The food is free, just get what you want.” She said before leaving him behind. “Ten minutes. We leave separately. Don’t talk to me.”
Aiden raised a brow at her retreating back. He wasn’t even hungry. Instead he grabbed a member of the staff.
“Does this thing give me the right to use the equipment?” He asked.
“A temporary pass? Yes. Those are issued to prospective new members so of course they allow you to use the equipment. You can enjoy any of the services, in fact.”
With that confirmation, Yuuji doubled back to the weight room. The place had caught his eye immediately. They seemed to have everything from treadmills to pec decks and all the stuff in between. In particular he was interested in the leg presses.
He hadn’t been in the room for two before someone came up to him. It was a tall, buff man with short brown hair, a black tribal shoulder tattoo, and the kind of shit-eating grin you’d find on smug playboys who thought the world revolved around their dicks. He recognized the type.
The guy walked up to Aiden with that fake grin and said, “Hey!”
“Hey.” Aiden acknowledged.
“New?”
“Yeah.”
“From that pass around your neck, I thought so.” He chuckled. “Well, if you’re looking to get in shape you picked the right place. I’m Dong-jun, Kim Dong-jun. I’m one of the instructors here. Are you interested in applying for a membership?”
“That’s already being taken care of. I’m definitely joining.” Aiden explained, wanting the guy to hurry up and go so he could start stretching and get to work.
“Oh, no. Excuse me, that’s not what I mean. Of course you’re joining the Center, but you can also apply for a personal trainer from any of our training facilities, like our weight room here. So, what do you say...interested?”
“I think n--”
“Jun!” He was interrupted. A woman ran over lightly, a black pontytail swaying back and forth as she approached. She was very pretty, a classical beauty with a delicate face and nose. Her thin round glasses made her baby-blue eyes seem larger and even more stunning than he estimated they would regularly. “What’s up, why aren’t you working?”
“Ah, manager. Good timing! I was just talking to this fellow here. He’s going to be joining the Center soon and might be interested in a PT. “
“Oh?” The manager looked him up and down. Her eyes narrowed. “Hm.”
Aiden had little patience. “What is it?” He bluntly asked.
“It’s just that most members are people of certain...financial means. Pardon me for saying, but you don’t seem to fit that image. Being wealthy isn’t the only way to become a member here as long as you know someone, but a PT is expensive, you know? it’s a minimum of 10k per month.”
Aiden almost laughed out loud. 10k? They should at least offer blowjobs on the side for that kind of cash. Hell, he'd be able to find prettier women who’d do much more for far less money than that. Several, in fact.
“I’m not interested anyway.”
“I see.” Her tone turned colder. “Well, that’s fine. But you’ll be on your own in here. If you get injured, we aren’t respons--”
“Whatever, kid.” Aiden walked away and waved her off.
“Kid!” Manager Su Hee-Ra exploded after the boy had left.
“Heh.” Instructor Dong-jun let out a smug laugh. “Looks like not every man is a slave to the charms of our beautiful Manager Su.”
“Oh shut up!” She snapped. “That guy...who does he think he is, treating me like air? He’s too poor to even afford a PT, yet he acts so arrogant! How hateful!”
“Speaking of, how do you think he got a membership opportunity? His clothes looked like a pauper’s. All faded and frayed.”
The manager put her hands on her hips and spoke dismissively. “Probably just the lackey of one of the Young Masters here. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s got in by sucking up to one of these brats. Ugh. I can’t believe such a rude, disgusting fatso is going to be coming here from now on.”
“Well, don’t bother with a guy like that. Obviously he has an attitude problem. Just leave him to his own devices.”
“Hmph. You’re right. That’s what I’ll do. Just looking at him makes my skin crawl anyway.”
Dong-Jun nodded with that smile of his. He was already barely paying attention. Instead his focus was back to his various clients. Women, every one. One in particular led his mind astray with a nicely rounded ass just beckoning at him. His grin widened.
“Oh, just go already! Damn pervert, all you do is think with your dick.”
The manager swatted at his arm.
“Isn’t that what you like best about me? Aren’t I your highest earner?”
“Hmph. You’re pretty arrogant yourself these days.” Manager Hee-Ra sneered. But moments later she stiffened. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and she schooled her face to stillness as she felt Instructor Dong-Jun’s hand on her ass.
“I’ve a right to be, though, don’t I?” He leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. From below his fingers pressed between her thighs.
“ Just a bit. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She struggled to keep her voice even as he continued to massage her. Manager Hee-Ra’s nipples started to harden.
Satisfied for now, Dong-Jun released her. “I should get back to work.” He stepped back and looked for his next target. The women here came for more than just a good workout. And to make sure they kept the cash flowing, Dong-Jun made sure they got their money’s worth.
“Mrs. Song. “ Dong-Jun waved. “Do you need a partner?”
***
“Oi~! Fatty! Psst~!”, Aiden heard a familiar voice call out to him just as he finished his third rep with the ten-pounder in his arm.
It was Rumi. She used her hand and bade him to follow. Aiden took his shirt and wiped the sweat from the brow, then went after her. She stood outside the room hiding behind a vending machine.
“I’ve been looking for your everywhere! Come on, mom’s waiting.” She sniffed and held her nose. “Jeez, you reek!”
Aiden shrugged. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
“What? Why?”
“Bathroom.” Was all he said.
Aiden jogged away while Rumi gagged. “TMI! Ah, now I have that image in my head...damn fatty, so gross!” Rolling his eyes, he ignored her.
Aiden found the bathroom completely empty and went into one of the stalls. He’d had a big breakfast today. Now, let’s all agree on something: Potty time is sacred. Okay? It’s a time that should offer peace. A moment of relief from life’s stresses
This should in no way be disturbed by a couple of cunts who want to get their sex on.
Aiden says this because not even five minutes since he entered, a new couple also came into the picture. At first he thought nothing of it. Then the stall next to him burst open, slammed shut, and various muffled moans came into being.
Aiden let this go on for a few minutes. Then, when he thought it the right time, he furiously banged on the wall to his right.
“Shut the fuck up! I’m trying to shit here!”
The shriek that came in response was music to his ears.
Pricks.