Ji Yun (Part 3)
Aiden knelled on one knee in front of her, sitting on the ground and rubbed her head, making her stop trembling.
"I won't leave you, don't worry. So... you really can't talk." - she tried to say something, opening her mouth like a fish washed ashore, but failed to produce even a single note. - "Stop forcing yourself, when we are back we will figure something out, okay?"
She nodded, hanging her head low.
"What is your name?"
She shook her head and looked at him with a sad face.
"Okay, I will give you a name, how does that sound?" - she nodded and Aiden looked at the sky through the window. - "Ji Yun. So you remain pure and unblemished like you are now in this world and have a life as light and untainted as the white cloud in the sky. I will call you Yun'er if you don't mind." - he turned around to her and saw her lost look. - "You don't like it?"
Yun'er finally woke up from her inner turmoil full of unknown emotions and energetically shook her head.
"Okay, from now on you will be a student of Shrek academy with me and I will help you become someone, who even most powerful people in the continent will respect. As for your inability to talk, we will figure something out with that." - he smiled at her, stood up, and took her little stiff hand in his to lead away from this place.
When they appeared in the corridor many males, most old and fat or sinister and arrogant, gave looks of lust and envy, but didn't dare try anything inside the auction. Aiden found all that idiotic. Don't they have anything better to do?
"Oscar, her name is Ji Yun, she will be our new junior sister. Be good to her and help if she needs anything. And no, Oscar, I don't mean your damned sausages. If I see you feeding her your elongated shits, I will make it so you can never take out even one sausage for the rest of your life!"
"Of course!" - Oscar was stunned by her cuteness, but after registering what Aiden said nodded like a hen. Fast, powerful, accurate, and very convincing. He worked hard.
"Oscar, you are scaring her with that 'perverted uncle' look on your face." - Aiden gave him a hand chop on the head. - "Yun'er, don't mind this senior bro of yours. He is a good guy. But you shouldn't take anything from him. Especially food."
Ji Yun nodded with a very serious look and stared at Oscar. She was trying to remember him. After several seconds she nodded again and wrote several words on Aiden palm.
"Oscar. Sausages. Danger. Understood." - she looked at Aiden earnestly, awaiting further instructions. It made him smile. The girl has character, can't deny that.
"Ouch... sorry little sister Yun, don't worry, no one will bully you with both of us protecting you." - Yun'er nodded and remained glued to Aiden hand.
The main reason Aiden was so shocked is not because of her age, beauty, or cultivation level, that was actually very low as no one bothered to help her cultivate, but because he saw her spirit and knew what it was right from the start.
Divine White Tiger.
One of the Guardian martial spirits of this world. It looked small and weak, but features of White Tiger are easy to see through for him. Especially when his Tree of Life gave a reaction of resonance.
Later in the academy, he entrusted her to Liu Erlong, and the latter immediately developed very close relations with Yun'er after hearing her story and finding her inability to speak. She was so sad for the girl that cried while hugging her, making little cat girl melt in warmth.
Now it was calm before the storm, and time to start secluded training. A year later they will start the true battle among academies, and Aiden will never believe that Dark Spirit Hall won't make a move to weaken humanity.
'Nexus, are you sure this place is deep within Sunset forest?' - Aiden was packing things inside the spirit ring.
= According to records, Setnaroth, the City of Ashes, is at the very core of Sunset forest. At least its entrance is. But, Master, you need to know that what you want to achieve there might be impossible. And even the city itself might be just a silly legend.
'Risk that I'm willing to take. And I'm not going there in near future. It will take too much time and if you are right, too dangerous at my current level. The Anchor, huh... who would have thought?' - Aiden was deep in thought while talking to Nexus.
= Master, Anchor is a mysterious object. There are no records about what it is. It can even be a living creature, an artifact, or even a special art.
'As long as it has the abilities you mentioned, it can even be a roll of toilet paper for all I care.'
= Ruthless. But I like it.
'Oh, please, don't start.'
= Fine.
"Third. I'm going out for a month or two. While I'm out, I need you to supervise the Dragon Fang branch here with Seventh. Compile a report to me. I want to know everything about the Imperial family. Every prince and princess, every their hidden power and moves they make. Especially the current Crown Prince. No, wait... try to track down also another person. Qian Renxue. She is a Saintess of the Spirit Hall and a biological daughter of the Supreme Pontiff Bi Bi Dong." - he was deep in thought and needed to prepare properly for future events. For that, he direly needs information about every single person involved. - "Also, investigate Tang Hao and the jury of the upcoming ranking competition. Also, some forces of Spirit Hall and Dark Spirit Hall. I will give you a list of names."
Not long ago, Aiden decided to divide Spirit Hall into two separate entities. Corrupted and not. To his surprise, it worked wonder giving the incoherent mess they have a logical structure of two lines of command within the same organization.
He still doesn't know who among the ruling few belonged to which side. But he was sure that disagreement at the top plagued the current Spirit Hall with internal conflicts.
Thus Dark and Light Spirit Halls were born. Both of them might be his enemies. Or not.
Aiden moved to take out paper and wrote some orders on it.
"Pass that to the Seventh. He will know what to do."
"Yes, Sovereign."
"You can go. Oh, wait. Take it. Eat it with your son."
"What is this, Sovereign?" - she was calm, but perplexed.
"Birthday cake, what else?" - smiled Aiden and waved her off before she could tell anything.
Third stood there for a couple of seconds but later disappeared without a word. The cake was gone, though. Aiden smiled lightly. That woman is too focused on revenge and current work. So focused that she forgets to take care of herself and her son properly.
She thinks that by struggling for power and seeking justice for them both, she takes proper care of the boy. In some sense, it is not wrong. In this world, people without strong parents tend to get a rough childhood. However, the perspective of a little kid is different. He will prefer a mother near him. He doesn't know all that complicated adult issues.
"It is open." - Aiden said when his senses registered a knock at the door.
"Are you going?" - Liu Erlong entered with a stack of papers and an insignia. On it, there was a sword with a western dragon encompassing it. A perimeter was notched with seven claw marks. When Aiden saw it he was expectant.
That was the overall written report about the entire Dragon Fang organization. A very dangerous document if it ends up in bad hands.
"In a week. I need time to create enough artificial rings for everyone. Aunt Erlong, do you have a list of requested skills?" - Aiden nodded with a serious face.
"Yes, it is here, all up to Saint rank." - Aiden took it and hid in the spacial ring.
"They seem to grow enough to start operating on field missions." - he said receiving another paper.
"Indeed. Your work of several years eventually bore fruits. We have establishments in nearly every city and some sizeable villages. If you need access to the intelligence network, you can easily do it in any of the places. Also, Shadow Division and Ghosts Division expanded, however, the Slayers Division still falls short on high leveled masters. Here is the list. I don't touch your Numbers, though. They are your private force and extricated from Dragon Fang's commanding hierarchy. Everyone knows that they represent you, though. Also, here, take those badges." - she gave him several insignias with a sword and a dragon carved on them.
"What are those?"
"You. Any person with this badge can be equal to you in commanding rights."
"Got it. I will modify them a bit to create a blood binding. They won't change outwardly." - he then looked through the report Erlong gave him. - "Three Spirit Douluos in Slayer Division, yet no real pinnacle experts..." - Aiden nodded. - "I'm leaving all this money for you. Start with bounties on crucial members of the Legion and Dark Spirit Hall, aim at Divisions if possible. Oh... and give me some worthwhile targets."
"List is there with rough bounty calculated according to threat level and significance to the Legion." - Liu Erlong looked at him with a tinge of worry. It was very clear deep within her kind gaze where one can even find a kind of motherly love. - "Aiden, take care of yourself, okay? I know that now you will involve yourself in something very dark and dangerous."
She walked closer and hugged him.
"Take care of yourself." - she said and stepping back fixed loose strand of hair.
"Don't worry. I'm not the one to be killed easily."
"Neither are they. Aiden, throughout these years Dragon Fang had several clashes and the battle power of their masters, especially from the first three Divisions made even my hair stand on end. They all are several notches above any geniuses and masters you can find in this kindergarten we call tournament." - she even had a glimpse of disdain at all those geniuses right now except for some Shrek students.
"Killing kids with the potential, refinement of citizens for blood pills, corrupting, performing rituals, and slaughter of the worthy humans... Dark Spirit Hall really acts to pave a smooth road for invasion. If it will go on, in five years humanity will essentially be crippled and defenseless. Also, what about the search of people with traits and circumstances like I described?" - Aiden sat by the table and spread papers looking serious. Third knew information only on the scale of this city. Erlong was different, she was someone many people of the Dragon Fang call Empress. She acted on a worldwide scale.
"Once confirmed, four potentially can have what you seek."
"Confirmed? Explain please."