Chapter 384 The Power Behind Arianwen
James couldn't care less about that fancy honorary professor title.
"Edwin, I haven't even passed the medical license exam. Me teaching students? That's just setting them up for failure," James refused without hesitation.
Edwin wasn't having it. "You're looking at it all wrong. With your skills, you're more than qualified to teach at the med school. The license? I can handle that with one call."
"Edwin, seriously, I'm not trying to be difficult. I just don't think I'm the right guy for this," James insisted.
Before James could say more, Edwin cut him off, "Don't be so final. How about this, Mr. Smith? Just give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, we'll figure something else out. Deal?"
Edwin had laid it on thick. If James kept saying no, it would be kinda rude. With a heavy sigh, James reluctantly agreed.
The gig was set for the next morning. James would head straight to the med school, where Edwin would be waiting.
Edwin genuinely wanted to share his medical knowledge, and James respected that. He didn't have a solid reason to turn him down.
But being a professor and teaching college kids was so not his thing.
Since he had already agreed, he figured he might as well check it out.
When he got back to his apartment, Arianwen wasn't home. She was probably out on a mission.
Over the years, Arianwen had become a total badass, especially with that intense killer vibe she had. Sometimes, even James felt a bit uneasy around her. It was clear she'd taken out a lot of people.
James might have been better at martial arts, but when it came to killing, Arianwen was in a league of her own.
With Arianwen out, he had some time to himself. He hit up the market for groceries and cooked by himself. Honestly, his cooking skills were pretty solid. Back when he was with the Johnson Family, he did most of the cooking and got really good at it.
After enjoying the feast he made, he caught up on the news for a bit and then headed to his room to meditate.
Since surviving that fire, his energy center had doubled in size. With a lot of practice, he'd filled it completely. It was no exaggeration to say that it would be tough to find someone in the country as strong as him.
Arianwen came home late, looking pale and with her clothes all messed up, clearly fresh from a brutal fight. The strong smell of blood on her said so, too.
James frowned and said, "You've got enough money to last ten lifetimes. Why do you keep taking on missions every day?"
Arianwen chugged some water, took off the sword from her back, and set it aside before saying, "Without missions, I have no purpose."
"How can you say that?" James snapped. "You're a human, not a machine. You've got emotions. You can't just be on missions all the time. Arianwen, you need to give yourself a break."
Arianwen didn't answer right away. After a long pause, she finally said, "The organization I serve needs me."
"Is there seriously no one else but you?" James asked, exasperated.
Arianwen kept going, "My teacher, on his deathbed, asked me to protect the members of the organization."
James slapped his forehead. "Come on, your teacher wanted you to lead the organization, not to labour."
Arianwen's eyes showed confusion at his words.
Seeing her puzzled look, James realized she’d never had proper guidance.
"Alright, listen up. I'm your master now. I order you to take a break and stop taking missions. Besides, who are you protecting that needs you to kill people every day? Mercenaries?" James asked, frowning.
He'd been wanting to ask her this for ages but never got the chance.
"No, not mercenaries," Arianwen shook her head. "The people I protect are those who kill bad guys. The ones they ask me to kill are all people who deserve to die."
James frowned even more. This organization behind Arianwen sounded super shady.
"What do you mean by 'people who deserve to die'? Who decides that? Is it your call, or do they admit it themselves?" James pressed.
Arianwen replied, "The organization I serve says so."
James continued, "Alright, so what are their standards for who deserves to die? Or do they just take money from employers and then tell you the targets deserve to die? Sounds like you're working for an assassin group, right?"
"No, the people I protect are all good," Arianwen said, looking serious.
After all that, it felt like they were back to square one.
James sighed. He realized that while Arianwen was a martial arts genius, she wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed and was pretty stubborn.
"Now, I'm your master. I want you to rest and stop taking missions. Will you listen to me or to them?" James said firmly.
Arianwen remained silent, looked up at James, then lowered her head, repeating this a few times before finally saying, "I'll listen to you."
"Alright then, come with me to the medical university tomorrow. I'll show you what college life is like," James said with a smile.
"Okay," Arianwen agreed.
"That's my girl." James pinched Arianwen's cheek, which was as soft as a freshly peeled egg.
That night, James felt restless. After dinner, he had a strong urge to check on Jennifer at the Hall of Benevolent Medicine.
'Is she off work by now? How's she been lately?' James wondered.
Twenty minutes later, he found himself at the entrance of the Hall of Benevolent Medicine. It was still open, and Jennifer was inside sorting herbs.
Even though he had disguised himself perfectly, changing his appearance so much that even close friends wouldn't recognize him, he still didn't dare to go in. He just watched Jennifer quietly from across the street.
Last time, despite his perfect disguise—changing his height, voice, and appearance completely—Jennifer still recognized him.
This time, he couldn't guarantee he could fool her.
He didn't dare to take the risk.
Ironically, someone known for his bravery was now too scared to face a woman.
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