Disowned

Silence descended on the table as everyone watched the Serious man. The only exception was the blond beauty who continued to drink his booze without care. "A pleasure to see you again Eran, how's it going?" He said casually.

"Return the money you stole Ren." The serious man said menacingly.

"Jeez, melodramatic much? It's not exactly stealing, I just borrowed a little starting capital from mother's supply. It's the least family can do." Ren's pretty lips smirked as he placed down cash equivalent to what he'd taken.

Eran snatched it up and counted it instantly with his spirit sense.

'Spirit Ascension Realm!' Raul cursed as he realized Eran's realm. He could judge who was or wasn't a cultivator based on clothing and rings, but he didn't know how to perceive cultivation realms like Marina or Ellen. He could only tell when they released their aura.

"Snort, at least you still have some sense left." Eran confirmed the amount was correct, but his hostility didn't decrease in the least. His spirit sense kept watch over the rest of the bar and he chose his next words carefully.

"Please do not refer to the elder in such an inappropriate manner when you have no relation with her, I'm only letting this slide due to her benevolence. Give me the remaining things, you know the agreement made to bring you here." He said coldly.

"What you mean my insignia?" Ren questioned loudly while jangling the little emblem attached to his cuff, not giving a damn about the onlookers. "Tell mother to come get it herself. If she's going to disown me, it should at least be in person don't you think?" He sneered.

His words caused gasps to go around the table. Clearly this was news to more than just Raul.

Eran glared at him with gritted teeth while still observing the bar. He didn't wish to air the Family's dirty laundry publicly.

"Who do you think you are to demand a meeting with the Elder? If she wanted to meet with you she would've. Don't make things complicated, give me the insignia and swear to never use the Singh name again as agreed. No one cares what you do with your miserable life afterwards." He said in a low, warning voice.

"I swear to never use the Singh name again." Ren said without a moment of hesitation. "As for this, I happened to be raised very traditionally. I'd be scum if I returned a lady's gift to anyone but her." He gestured to the insignia with a smile.

"Ren…" Eran's aura smothered the table. Raul's eyes couldn't help popping open as he felt the force of a Spirit Ascension's hostility for the first time.

"Oh? Are you picking a fight, little Eran?" Ren's playful voice sounded as he tapped the table. A red glow spread across it and shattered all the glasses.

'The hell? How am I feeling this much danger when I'm not even the target?' Alarm bells went off in Raul's head like crazy as he felt an unprecedented threat near him.

He could feel that Ren was just a Refining Realm Cultivator like him from the aura released, but the threat he exuded complete dwarfed Eran.

"You wouldn't." Eran took a step back, his eyes now radiating fear.

"Try me." Ren smiled.

"You will regret this." Eran snorted coldly while still backing away slowly as if facing a savage beast. He all but ran out of the bar once he got far enough.

"Yo! barkeep! Sorry about the mess, I'll cover the costs. Tell the server to pass a drink to everyone on me, we're going to need it to keep this party going!" Ren's clear voice rang through the now silent bar.

The barkeep knew enough to leave well alone and didn't create any problems for them. Soon they were back to drinking. While the mood of the bar gradually picked back up however, the table stayed eerily silent.

Soon, one of them made an excuse to leave. Then another, and another. Ren didn't say anything to the leaving men, but his smile slowly fell more and more. Soon, it was just him and Raul left at the big table. Ren's smile was completely gone now as he drank hard and fast.

Raul drank slower, but continued to accompany him. It surprised him how well he held up. While not quite a lightweight, he was far from a strong drinker, but surprisingly he wasn't even feeling tipsy yet.

'Is this another perk of cultivation?' He wondered. He was only half right in his assumption. While cultivation really did raise tolerance, it wouldn't change much from just the Refining Realm. Most of the credit went to his Natal Physique increasing his body's ability to resist and remove toxins and impurities.

"You can go you know? I won't stop you." Ren finally said.

"What are you talking about brother? How can I stop when you haven't?" Raul smirked and downed his drink in one go.

He didn't want to leave Ren alone after what he just witnessed. There were many times growing up that the elders led him to believe he was close to getting disowned as well, and he couldn't help sympathizing with Ren.

Ren stared at him in stunned silence. He suddenly threw his head back and roared in laughter, creating an enchanting contrast with his feminine looks.

"Good brother!" He downed his own drink and then stopped Raul from pouring another. "I've been saving this for a special occasion." An elegant bottle appeared on the table.

"This is vintage stuff. Cloud Grapes grown in perfect conditions by a Grade six Brewer in his early years. Crushed with his now signature technique, and carefully fermented over a hundred years under different conditions and spatial treasures." Ren caressed the bottle gently.

Raul waited patiently as Ren explaining how he'd come across such a rare find. Personally, Raul felt it was all the same once drunk, but he knew to go along with it due to Tai romancing a few bottles too. Thanks to those experiences his nod and smile game were on point.

Ren sighed in reluctance, but still popped the cap off the bottle. He filled their glasses slowly, careful to not spill a drop.

Ren raised his glass and Raul mirrored him. "A toast, to new beginnings, and new brothers."

"To new brothers." Raul echoed before finally getting a taste of the drink.

'Tasty!' his ears perked up as the refreshing and mellow flavor filled his mouth. It was entirely different from any wine he'd ever had, and he could feel the vibrant qi coursing through it.

He had to stop himself from gulping it down, Tai always got upset when he did that with the "good stuff". Pacing himself turned into a battle of will that he teetered on the edge of losing. Luckily Ren was too busy savoring the drink to notice.

A small heat began to build inside Raul as he worked his way through his glass. Worry shot through him. He didn't know what would happen if he got drunk in this new city. Would he even make it back home?

His eyes widened in surprise, however, when the heat started receding, along with the hunger that gnawed at his stomach the last few hours.

'? Is the qi in this some kind of Nourishing Qi?' Raul guessed in excitement. Not only could he keep drinking without worry of getting drunk, he could sate his hunger at the same time! He started pouring himself a second cup.

"You're really fierce brother." Ren couldn't help commenting with bulging eyes at Raul's tolerance. "I'm not some lightweight however." His speech slightly slurred, and his cheeks were flushed a rosy red, but that didn't stop him from also pouring another glass to enjoy.

The bottle may look normal, but ordinary people wouldn't even be able to lift it. It worked on the same principles as shrinking bags and held much more than it appeared.

The two slowly worked their way down the bottle while having a grand time.

…

Eran rushed into the hotel with furious steps. A simple fetch quest and he'd failed. How dare that waste threaten him! Does he still think he's worth something? Once the Elder's through with him, he'll wish he'd given the insignia over.

"Oh? Where are you heading in such a hurry Eran?" A pleasant voice called out from the hallway.

Eran immediately froze in his tracks as cold sweat began to trickle down his spin. "Sorry Young Master Akito, I didn't see you." He turned and bowed to the figure.

"Ahahahaha, there's no need to be so serious. Ahhh, now that I think about it, you were sent to recover the things that guy took. You must be heading to mother to give them to her, right?" The figure asked with a playful smile.

Eran trembled in fear as he looked at the figure's expectant smile. He had gorgeous blond hair and beautiful soft features that made them look like a descended angel. But Eran knew he was before a devil.

The Elder wouldn't blame him for his failure, but this person was different. The usually respectable Young Master became completely irrational when it came to that person.

"Oh? Is it possible you failed?" Akito's cheerful voice prodded.

"I successfully retrieved the stolen funds Young Master, but he refused to give the insignia to anyone but the elder." Eran hastily replied.

"So you did fail." A sudden pressure caused Eran to suck in his breath in fear before it disappeared. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. The exam is pretty soon and that guy can be troublesome. It's not your fault Eran" Akito rubbed his chest unconsciously while keeping his light tone.

That said, I can't say I approve of you actually going off to disturb mother over something so trivial."

"Of course not Young Master!" Eran quickly answered, hearing the trace of menace in the statement. "I simply planned to ask for some help from the Pillars before tracking him down."

"Now, now Eran, you know that's no good. Their test starts in a couple days, what would happen if one of them gets hurt?" Eran started sweating as he tried to come up with a reasonable answer. Normally he'd just say the Pillar Realms would have no trouble with a Refinement Realm, but Ren wasn't normal.

Bell like laughter rang through the hall. "Relax Eran, I'm just messing with you. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of this." Akito walked up and pat him on the shoulder assuringly.

Eran face paled instantly. "But Master Akito, if you were to get injured–" The rest of his hasty words died in his throat as the pressure around him exploded in intensity.

"Are you implying that I could ever be injured by that trash?" Akito's hand gripped Eran's shoulder tightly while al warmth left his voice.

"Impossible! There's no way the Young Master would even receive a scratch against someone like him." Eran answered immediately, sweating like a man before the gallows.

"Good." Akito's grip weakened and the smile returned to his face. "I'm counting on you to find him for me. Bring the news directly to me when you do, there's really no reason to bother mother over this."

"I-I won't let you down." Eran stuttered out.

"I know you won't, you've always been reliable." Akito smiled warmly before returning to his room, leaving Eran struggling to remember how to breath.