An Old Friend

I sat inside the healer's establishment, tapping my foot on the ground with a constant rhythm. An exhale made its way out of my mouth as I waited for the healer to tend to the woman. I wondered if I'd made the right decision for a moment before I shook my head and went back to waiting. Soon enough It was our turn as a man walked out of the building with heavy eye bags under his eyes.

Ignoring him, I picked up the woman and went in. Letting her down on the bed, I waited for the healer to arrive. When she arrived, I was left a bit surprised. I knew her. She gave me a look over.

"You don't seem from around here, the both of you." She asked, eying me.

"Well, we aren't." I sighed, this woman and her antics.

"I see… and who you might be? If I may ask, of course." she asked and blinked innocently.

My lips twitched.

She chuckled with a hand on her lips, "No, seriously, who are you?"

"Can we not do this?" I asked exasperatedly.

She shrugged, "Sure, why not. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her."

I explained the situation a bit and she asked me to wait outside since she needed to tend to the woman who's name I didn't know.

As asked of me, I went outside and wondered if this was even worth it. What if it turned out that this wasn't the trope I thought it was? Or a trope at all? It would be a waste of time then. I knew my thoughts were a waste of time, so I pushed them aside and waited patiently.

I overlooked the streets of the town. A strange feeling bubbled up in my gut. I'd been dehumanizing everything and everyone, fitting them into tropes till now, what if they all turned out to be just normal people and I was simply doing it to feel some sort of control over my own life that had seemingly spiraled out of hand recently? I shrugged; it could be that. My thoughts drifted off as I entered into a meditative state.

Time passed until I noticed a bit of ruckus in the town. People hurried about with a mixture of excitement and anxiety painted on their faces. It didn't take long for the source of the commotion to reveal itself—a young man, ostentatiously dressed in extravagant robes adorned with intricate patterns. An air of arrogance and entitlement followed as he came toward me—more specifically the healer's establishment—well, isn't this the unmistakable mark of the "young master" archetype.

As he strutted into the healer's establishment, his eyes scanned the room until they landed on me. I met his gaze with an indifferent expression. He was a walking embodiment of the trope I'd seen in countless stories: a spoiled heir, seeking to assert dominance wherever he went to feel good about himself.

The young master's entourage followed him, a group of lackeys seemingly eager to carry out his every whim. Ignoring them, I turned away, my intention clear—to distance myself from the impending trouble I knew would be coming since the fucker was here. I knew a cliche situation of "you dare" and "courting death" would be coming, so I wanted to avoid it if possible. However, just as I began to move, a voice dripping with condescension halted me in my tracks.

"What do we have here?" the young master sneered, his tone laced with arrogance. "Another commoner trying to make a name for themselves?"

Huh, the fuck?

I sighed inwardly, this fucker had all these people, and his eyes settle on me? The fucking luck. It took me no less than a few seconds to realize how I caught his attention; I wore robes, although nothing too much, they were still quite extravagant. They were dirty, so it was understandable why he would misunderstand me.

Fully aware of how this situation would unfold, I sighed yet again. The urge to roll my eyes was strong, but I maintained my composure. It was tempting to engage, to give him the satisfaction of a reaction, just to crush him until he pissed his pants using my trinket, but I knew better. This wasn't my fight, and I had no interest in participating in this worn-out narrative.

Turning to face him, I responded with an uninterested tone, "Just passing through, nothing more."

He laughed as his lackeys started circling me… Sigh…

"Passing through, you say? In that case, how about you pass through with your pockets turned inside out? A toll for the privilege of gracing our presence."

Seriously? I gave him a deadpan.

I weighed my options. On one hand, I could comply and avoid unnecessary conflict. On the other, I could refuse and watch this interaction devolve into the clichéd scene it was destined to become. I made a decision very quickly when I considered how I could benefit from all this.

"Is that so?" I mused, my voice calm and measured. "I suppose you missed the memo that this town isn't under your thumb."

The tension in the room escalated as his entourage bristled at my defiance, "You dare talk back to the Young Master of the Cloudy Peaks Sect, Yun Ren?! Bow down a thousand times and grace his presence with everything so he may grant you a quick death!"

Ah, here comes the introduction, I thought unamused by the whole situation as I watched the words caressing the kid's ego further as he threw his nose in the air, his face contorting with a mix of anger and surprise—clearly unaccustomed to anyone standing up to him. His fingers curled into a fist, his knuckles whitening with the strain.

"You dare to speak to this Young Master of the Cloudy Peaks Sect like that? You're nothing but a stray dog. Courting death!" he hissed.

Typical bullshit, also… "What is the Cloudy Wheat Sect again?" I asked with the most deadpan voice I could muster. I knew he should be stronger than I was, but my confidence in the trinket plus the memories of Ryujin—who was nothing short of a ruthless bastard, also, badass—I couldn't care less of this sect that I'd never heard of.

The "Young Master" did his best to impersonate a tomato about to burst open. How angry, oh my, I shivered in my boots.

Shaking my head, I took a step forward, my gaze steady. "And you're just another spoiled child throwing a tantrum."

His lackeys moved closer, a palpable threat hanging in the air. "You'll regret those words, and what do you mean by memo?! Is that an insult?! How dare you!" he spat, his voice seething with venom.

The young master trope played out just as expected—egotistical bluster followed by threats and posturing. I had no doubt they would cause some sort of trouble to assert their dominance. That is precisely why I was inciting them even more.

I allowed a small, almost imperceptible smile to tug at the corners of my lips. It was all going according to plan. My words had struck a chord, provoking exactly the reaction I anticipated. The young master's lackeys bristled and shifted, hands twitching, no doubt itching to prove their loyalty through violence.

"Is this how you treat everyone you meet?" I continued; my tone laced with mock concern. "No wonder people love having you around. Your charisma is truly inspiring."

I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears as he struggled to process my "audacity." His fists clenched and unclenched, his face contorting with a mixture of anger and confusion. The lackeys exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed. They were used to blind obedience, and my refusal to conform was throwing them off.

Seeing their hesitation, I decided to press the advantage. "But you know what they say about empty barrels, right? All noise and no substance." I let out a low chuckle, barely concealing my amusement at the spectacle before me.

The young master's face turned a deeper shade of red, and it was evident he was on the brink of exploding. "You're playing with fire, you insolent worm!" he spat, his voice quivering with suppressed rage.

I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Oh, I'm well aware. But isn't that your specialty?" I activated the trinket just for a second. The young master as well as his lackeys cowered. "Playing with things you don't understand?" I mean, I was an Elder of the sect that ruled this whole demonic land.

His lackeys shifted uncomfortably, exchanging uneasy glances. It was clear that they were caught between their loyalty to their master and their growing uncertainty about the outcome of this confrontation, and my identity since I was so blatantly stepping on their young master's feet, something that should be unheard of, for them.

Let's see, they're probably from one of the branch sects, hmm. I can take advantage of this.

My goal with these idiots was to rile them up, enough to get them jumping at me. Then I'd use the trinket and teach them a lesson. They go back home, return with the elder brother or whoever was next in line, and the guy recognizes me given I was not some unknown schmuck.

However, said plan got a bit delayed as the door to the healer's establishment swung open, and the healer herself stepped out. Her gaze swept over the scene, taking in the standoff before her. She had a calming presence, and her arrival seemed to momentarily defuse the tension in the air.

"What's going on here?" she inquired, her tone authoritative but not unkind.

The young master straightened, a flicker of realization crossing his features. He quickly regained his composure, though his expression remained a mask of simmering anger.

Ah, is this "Healer" persona someone important? Could be, healers aren't exactly common.

"Just teaching this commoner his place, healer."

The healer's eyes shifted to me, and I met her gaze with a calm demeanor. "Is that so?"

I nodded. "Just a friendly discussion about social etiquette. Your esteemed guest here was enlightening me on the finer points."

The healer's lips twitched, as if she were suppressing a smile. "Well, I appreciate the effort, but I think our time would be better spent on more productive matters."

She turned back to the young master, her gaze unwavering. "Yun Ren, was it? I trust you've gotten your point across. Now, let's allow everyone to go about their business, shall we?"

The young master's expression twisted in frustration, but he didn't defy the healer's words. With a curt nod, he signaled his lackeys to stand down, and they reluctantly backed away. He shot me a final venomous look—a glare that probably cut my head off a few times in his head—before turning on his heel and walking away with a harrumph, his entourage trailing behind him.

The healer turned to me, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You certainly know how to stir up trouble."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I just have a knack for spotting those who take themselves too seriously."

She chuckled softly. "Well, you're welcome to stay in my establishment until you're ready to move on. And who knows, perhaps your unique skills might come in handy around here."

Unique skills? Also, this persona really is someone that I need to look into. The kid seemed to be showing her enough "face". He didn't seem too keen on offending her.

A quick [Identify] to check if I could find any information, I got nothing but her name which I already knew, rest was blank. Fuck this useless perk. I sighed as I considered her offer for a moment before offering a genuine smile. "I appreciate the hospitality. Perhaps I'll take you up on that."

As the healer returned to her establishment, I glanced over at the departing figure of the young master. Despite failing to make this reach its conclusion right now, I knew this dude would be coming back for me one way or another. I could wait