A quick check as I exit the shack shows that the body of the scum is still there, with some rats having a feast.

That’s probably not healthy for the local area. I’ll figure it out after this is done.

I consider taming the rats, but I really don’t want to tame those rats after they’ve been eating… him.

A peek back through the door shows Ai testing out her strength by jumping and moving around. It’s actually quite sweet seeing her try stuff out and then going through another hugging session. I take the time to move the body to a corner of the alleyway and once done; sitting just outside the door. A quick check to my status reveals the below.

James Delinion

Male, 27

5 Rose Man–Spiritual Root

Mana: 80/80

Transferred Gifts:

Passive Scan: Max

Active Scan: Max (Increased Strain)

Healing Aura: Level 3 Exp: 59/80

Beneficial Taming: Level 1 – Exp: 0/10

Healing Constitution

Proficient Languages: Common Speech (English)

Literate Languages: Common Speech

From what I can tell, the breakdown for XP for healing is: 5xp for serious conditions; 1xp for “regular” conditions. Ai had 72 conditions, with three of them being serious. Lin had 23, with 2 being serious. Serious appears to mean out of the normal human range. Things like bloodline defects, curses, or the like.

Even if I’ve received experience for this, I still believe that it is worth it for me to heal good people, regardless if I receive benefits for it. As someone once said, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I refuse to do that.

I still feel a bit exhausted from the stress of all of this. I just… need a moment.

My eyes slowly close, and I somehow catch a little sleep. In what seems to be only a moment, I overhear my name float out from inside the house and open my eyes.

A slight wind blows as I open them and look back into the house. Strange. I thought I felt something like hair in my face, for a moment there. A quick check to the scum corner shows him exactly as I left him. Dead. Good.

I head back into the rundown shack. Lin and Ai are facing each other, holding hands. I barely catch Ai’s narrowed eyes looking at me. Almost immediately after, she glances back at Lin.

Lin, who still hasn’t noticed me in the doorway, is apparently excitedly speaking on how “stupid/naïve” I am, based on everything I had been asking her earlier. Which is quite humorous.

However, it warms my heart as she follows up with how kind I was during the healing. She also tries to explain how bones were moving into place and how amazing it looked. It’s pretty clear she is trying hard to show me in a good light and clear Ai’s suspicions.

Honestly, I can’t blame her for being suspicious. A strange man comes into your home, kills someone, and then heals you of a mortal disease. I’d be wondering what the catch is.

However, it appears Ai realized her quietness was making Lin nervous and her back straightens. Taking a seat on her mat again, she adopts a cool, mature air.

Is this her Elder Sister side?

Lin’s words slowly drift away as Ai motions for her to come over to join her on the ground. They slowly adopt a position, with Ai holding Lin’s head in her lap.

Slowly rubbing Lin’s head, I can softly hear Lin say, “Mmm… jiiiieejieee.”

O-okay. I should probably just ignore this and act like its normal.

Looking up at me with a more settled air, she addresses me directly.

“So. Young Master…”

“Just call me James.”

She quickly shakes her head. “I couldn’t, that would be too presumptuous of me.”

“No seriously, please just James.”

Lightly moving her sister away, she slowly kowtows completely on the ground, her arms splayed ahead of her. Lin looks shocked “J-jiejie?” Without looking up, Ai quickly says to Lin, “Get on the ground, quickly.”

“O-oh okay.” Lin also splays out similarly, but obviously sloppily.

Ahhh, this is definitely not what I want.

“Please, please get up! There’s no need to do something like this!” I rush over and lift her and her sister up, though Ai struggled to stay down. “No, we must do this! You have no idea what me and my sister have been going through this whole time!” she yells.

Suddenly being yelled at, I accidentally release my grip and she resumes her position. Realizing that she could be out of line, she quickly adds, “I’m sorry for raising my voice to you, my lord. Please punish me and not my sister, as you see fit.” “Ai…” her sister looks over, her eyes blurring.

“Look… I-I just wanted to help my friend Lin here. I’m no lord. Hell, I’m not even sure what I am honestly. You don’t have to apologize or bow or anything like that. So, please… just… get up.” I gently try to lift her up again.

She once again holds to the ground fast. “My lord… there must be something you want from us, to have gone so far for people you don’t know.”

I already can get an idea of the person she is from this interaction. She probably assumes I’m a cultivator of some sort, looking to take advantage of them. If not that, she most likely believes that I want something for helping them.

Considering what their lives must have been like… and from some of the conditions I saw on Ai’s body, she must be used to giving things up to survive. Give and Take. ‘Nothing comes for free’, is what I can imagine her thinking.

This is just too sad.

This isn’t just limited to the cultivator world, but even the poorer nations back on Earth.

Survival by any means. Not being able to trust anyone.

Just by thinking of this, my heart hurts a bit for them.

I want to help them. I don’t want them to be living like this anymore. I don’t know how to handle these situations, at all. Maybe, I can try something… to lighten the situation up a little.

Hopefully, they’ll understand what I mean by it.

“Ai… You said?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Noticing a change in my tone, more authoritative, she responds more readily.

“There actually was something I wanted from you two, that is extremely important to me. Could you raise your head, so I can tell you?”

Lin looks at me in shock and a slightest air of feeling betrayed.

Ai quickly raises her head, her presumed assumptions confirmed. Her eyes dart over to Lin in sadness, while flickering to me in readiness.

“What do you wish for, my lord? I only ask that if you want our bodies, that you allow me an impertinent request to allow me to serve you with this reformed body of mine, rather than this unsatisfactory sister of mine. While I may not be much, I have some experience pleasing men,” Lin’s eyes shake as she hears this and is about to protest.

A harsh and cold voice rings out from Ai, “Lin. Stop and let me handle this.”

Lin’s voice catches, as she looks down… confused and defeated.

“Are you ready Ai? It’s not an easy one, after all.,” as my eyes stare as unwaveringly as I can hold on hers.

Matching mine with a fearlessness, she nods. “Yes, my lord. Please state your request.”

Taking a deep breath, “The only thing I want from you two, is to try to live happily.”

Her eyes go blank.

Lin’s breath catches and then exhales slowly in apparent relief.

I continue to sit in silence, still staring solemnly at Ai. Her eyes quickly refocus and she bows quickly, “I greatly apologize, my lord! I believe I may be still adjusting to being well now and completely misheard you. I am enormously incompetent, for making you speak again. Could you deign to repeat that again?”

I continue to hold my staid tone and look. “I forgive you. I shall say it again, so listen extremely carefully.”

Her eyes focus on my lips and it is clear that I have her complete attention.

Wow, she truly believes she misheard me.

I sort of want to mess with her.

“Ai.” Her eyes fixate back up to mine.

“The only thing I want from you two…”

Her breath holds.

“Is for you to focus on one thing only. Only one thing. A crucial thing. Something so important, that you may not be able to fully understand it.”

With every phrase, it is easy to see her getting wound up from the tension. She clearly doesn’t see that I am playing with her. Lin, on the other hand, already sees where I’m going with this and is barely holding in her laughter from the ridiculousness of it all.

“I want you to live happily.”

Once again, her eyes blank out, this time in disbelief, but now clearly understanding, that I really had said that earlier. In the distance, I hear a high-pitched laugh, a loud thud, and barely audible cursing. A quick glance outside shows a blur of a giant spider leg going back up the wall, before disappearing.

Looking back at Ai, I can see her mouth opens. Closes. Looking at Lin and then back to me. Then back at Lin. She obviously is trying to come up with words to say. What she finally comes out with is,

“Is he an idiot?”

At this point Lin bursts out laughing, rolling on the ground. You know, we are making quite a bit of noise now. As I glance at the outside of the ramshackle hut, I see the shadow of a giant leg on the alleyway wall. Shaking, probably with laughter. Clearly, we have some fans. I don’t get a bad feeling from her though, so I hope it’ll be okay.

Ai, clearly irritated, places her fingers on the bridge of her nose. “Listen here, you…”

With a sly smile, “I thought it was supposed to be, my lord?”

I can hear the echo of a snort in the distance.

Ai’s teeth, however, grits in irritation, “My lord, what you’ve done isn’t simple. My condition, is… wasn’t simple. Thus, there must be something you want in return.”

I pause in clear contemplation, “Well, there was one thing.”

Once again, she becomes serious again. Lin, who seems to get the flow of things better than her sister, is holding her laughter. It’s probably fun for her to see this side of Ai. I think this might already help to distract them a bit.

 “That one thing…”

Dramatic pause.

“Is my personal happiness.”

Her eyes furrow, but as they slowly relax, it seems she can accept it as a real response.

Before she can follow up on it though, I act like I’m suddenly enlightened by a thought, “OH! But my happiness only comes when you two are happy.”

Ai freezes and then throws her hands up in frustration, “WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Another loud sound outside the hut erupted, but this time “whoever” it is seems to not be hiding their laughter this time. Lin is rolling on the ground, with tears in her eyes. A bright smile is on my face from the shenanigans I’ve caused with this.

Looks like my silliness has prevailed again. Hopefully, this helps to get their minds off us killing that man outside… and maybe everything else. If only for a little.

After wringing her hair in frustration, she eventually calms down after seeing everyone have a good time, albeit at her expense. I see the hint of a smile as she looks at Lin, still on the ground, rolling around in laughter. Smoothing out her clothes and hair, she tries to regain her “jiejie” air.

“Lin, just where did you meet… this… this man again?”

Lin, still not fully in control of her laughing, giggles “I met him,” she catches her breath slightly. “In front of Meng’s place, that noble trinkets store.”

Finally getting control of herself, she adds, “At first, I thought he would be an easy mark, but he managed to trap me. He even avoided my sure-hit kills on men!”

Her words remind me of the many kicks she tried to lie upon my personal jewels. It’s a good thing I automatically assumed she would go for those.

Continuing, “However, after he gave me a stupid amount of money, he only asked for information. And really basic stuff at that.”

Gesturing over to me, “You really don’t need to worry about this one, jiejie. He’s just a stupid, naïve idiot who doesn’t even know how to whalomph.”

What the hell is a whalomph?

At that, Ai looks at me “Not even a basic whalomph, huh?”

Okay, seriously. I want to know.

Before I can ask, she queries me, “So. Where are you from then?” This question gives me pause, because it is likely not a good idea to spread it around that I’m from another world. If I’m considering that dollar from before, I don’t want to become someone’s cultivation ingredient.