William stared after the disappearing wagon. He should have assumed that Wang Xiaoling wasn’t much for goodbyes, and he should have also assumed that Li Jie wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

The man had confidently claimed a few minutes ago that Zhang Biao and Zhou Chou were acting alone, and what happened was a last act of desperation for them. If that was the case, why did Li Jie arrive with ten subordinates and set off on the journey with Wang Xiaoling to act as her escort?

Whatever Wang Xiaoling had done to get this level of loyalty from Li Jie, William saluted her for it. Perhaps Li Xinyue didn’t acknowledge Li Jie because of this simpering behavior.

“Here you are. Five Copper.”

William turned to see Wu Chang, who looked confused. The man was offering the deposit he had paid at the start for the room.

He pocketed the offered coins before saying, “Looks like Sister Xiaoling isn’t completely heartless. She must have been embarrassed to tell me she paid for my first night before leaving.”

“Ah, that’s not it,” Wu Chang denied awkwardly, “She paid the very night she arrived, but I always believed she would ask for it back, so I didn’t return the deposit until she left.”

William blinked at the innkeeper and nodded slowly. “Thank you for being honest, Innkeeper Chang. This must be why Sister Xiaoling stays here.”

“No, that’s because she beat me down on price till I agreed.”

William gracefully ignored the aggrieved muttering and left for the clinic after a quick goodbye. He could barely hold himself from sprinting but was aware his Stamina wasn’t high enough to unnecessarily use his energy.

He noticed the wary looks most people gave him as he walked by and thought back to what Li Jie had revealed. His assumption that most people were heartless for not helping him yesterday was too harsh. Apparently, word of mouth spread faster than he could walk in his weak state.

Someone had seen him kill the two bandits, and that had quickly spread. However, with how unreliable information was when spreading by word-of-mouth, most were under the impression that William was a murder-crazed psychotic teen that had no limits to depravity.

With that description stuck to him, he considered it lucky that a mob hadn’t formed and hunted him down to put an end to his apparent terror.

And even though the rumors were ridiculous, William couldn’t help but think there was the slightest hint of truth in them. Not because he suddenly felt the urge to go on a killing spree but because of his reaction to killing the two bandits, or rather, the lack thereof.

Wasn’t it normal to have some sort of traumatic response after killing someone, even in self-defense? All William had felt was anger and shock in the immediate aftermath and a sense of relief that he was the one that left that encounter with his life. He had expected last night’s sleep to be full of disturbance, but it had been one of the most restful he had experienced in either of his lives.

He didn’t think he could be so callous, but he was happy about it. If a deserved death caused William to react in a way he thought was sensible, he would have a terrible time in this world. Instead of cultivation, he would have to spend most of his time searching for nonexistent therapists.

William entered the clinic and smiled at Li Xinyue. “Morning, Sister Li!”

“Wei Liang,” Li Xinyue greeted, “Master is waiting, but before you meet him, make sure to greet my Senior Brother and Sister from the Sect. They were displeased when you ignored them yesterday.”

William had forgotten about Lan Yin and Lan Yang. He shouldn’t have, but they were the last thing on his mind after everything that had happened at that point. But something stuck out to him from what Li Xinyue said.

“Sect?”

Li Xinyue blinked, realizing that she had never mentioned this before. “Master and I are part of the Jade Healing Sect.”

“Oh,” William murmured as he followed Li Xinyue to the back of the clinic. He supposed it made sense for the Jade Healing Clinic to have support behind it.

As they walked through a surprisingly plain hallway, Li Xinyue continued, “I’m sure my Seniors will be happy to tell you more about the Sect. And make sure you are respectful to them. From what I remember, they are ones to follow formality.”

William nodded, filing that away in his mind as they entered a room.

He was confronted with a disordered space where broken cauldrons were positioned along the walls, and half-finished ingredients were strewn about the tables. In the center of the room, a cauldron was boiling over the flames, releasing a concerning amount of smoke. William had to fight the urge to vomit all over the floor when the noxious fumes entered his nose.

“Master, Seniors,” Li Xinyue respectfully announced, “I’ve brought Wei Liang.”

“Good,” Huang Jingyi said after peering closely at William, “And you’re handling the fumes well. Very good!”

William wasn’t sure if this could be called handling it well. He tried to stop the smell from assaulting his nose by breathing with his mouth, and that was a massive mistake. Somehow, he could taste the foul-smelling odor, which now lined his throat.

Lan Yang chuckled, “It’s satisfactory. The mortal will be able to care for all the plants in your Garden if he can withstand this, Elder Huang.”

“I agree,” Lan Yin said coldly, “Get rid of the stench, brother. He passed.”

Lan Yang smiled as he threw a fistful of a colored powder into the bubbling cauldron before dousing the flame. A thick, white plume of smoke billowed out and quickly dissipated throughout the room, ridding the previous fumes that caused the stench.

As William greedily took in the clean air, he recollected Li Xinyue’s advice. He bowed deeply to Lan Yin and Lan Yang and said, “Thank you, Seniors. And I apologize for not greeting you yesterday. It was far too eventful for me.”

“It’s no matter. We understand,” Lan Yin answered for both of them, though she made it sound like she didn’t care much about it.

William didn’t mind that. It wasn’t like he expected every cultivator to be as kind as Huang Jingyi, and eventually, Li Xinyue had been.

“Good!” Huang Jingyi repeated with a smile, “Lan Yang, make sure Lan Yin doesn’t work Wei Liang too much. I expect him to be returned in good condition.”

It felt odd for William to hear Huang Jingyi talking about him like he was something to be loaned out.

“Yes, Elder Huang,” Lan Yang bowed his head slightly while Lan Yin pressed her lips flat.

Huang Jingyi chuckled at Lan Yin’s expression, making her turn slightly red and hide behind a curtain of silky black hair.

William blinked as he stared at the suddenly appealing Lan Yin before he was brought back to the present by a nudge Li Xinyue gave him. He quickly looked away and was thankful nobody else noticed. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t realized it before, but Lan Yang and Lan Yin were the classic examples of how cultivators were described.

Perhaps William had become too accustomed to Li Xinyue’s striking beauty. Still, the Lan siblings were by no means lacking in looks. Lan Yang possessed a chiseled jawline and sharp, defined features as though he had been crafted from pure marble. In contrast, Lan Yin displayed a more gentle, rounded beauty, with delicate features that still shared similarities with her brother. What caught William off guard the most were their eyes, a dark shade of green that appeared almost black.

“Wei Liang,” Huang Jingyi interrupted his internal admiration, “You won’t be able to visit the clinic for the next month, but I expect you to continue after returning to Xuanjing City.”

“Yes, Elder Huang,” William agreed firmly. He had only been able to complete the side quest once, and there was no way he would willingly give up such an easy way to gain experience.

Huang Jingyi nodded and said, “Lan Yang, Lan Yin, start as soon as possible. The Qi stones needed will rise the longer you delay.”

William was confused about what that meant until he stood in the middle of a complicated drawing that was occasionally adorned with glowing stones at the edges. The Lan siblings were standing in the circle with him, looking unperturbed by how the stones increasingly released wisps of silvery aura.

“Goodbye, Seniors! I’ll see you in a month, Wei Liang!”

William could only answer Li Xinyue with a nod before a bright flash of light filled his vision.