Honestly, he had completely forgotten about him, which was understandable.

William had only seen Lan Yang a few times, most of which were spent silently while traveling to the Garden. After that, he disappeared, leaving him with Lan Yin for company.

“I guess you were right in the end, Young Master. Sentinel Lan is your mentor.”

Lan Yang’s easy smile didn’t falter as he raised an eyebrow at Mei Lingxi. “Ah, Junior Wei assumed my sister would be his mentor?”

She gave him a slight shrug in reply, allowing William to finally get over his surprise. Not only at Lan Yang’s appearance but also at what the system showed him.

[Name: Lan Yang | Level: 199]

He glanced at Lan Yang’s sleeves, seeing one with two filled gold circles and the other blank. The older cultivator wasn’t an alchemist or a healer… obviously.

He vaguely remembered that Lan Yang was supposed to meet him in Xuanjing City after he had gotten the attention of Prince Yuan, but that had been canceled due to something about protecting some shipments for the sect.

“Good to meet you again, Senior Lan,” William said with a small wave.

“So you remember me?” Lan Yang's smile grew slightly, “I hope you have forgiven me for how I acted when we met before.”

That helped to ease some of the worries that he had. Mainly of Lan Yang being as difficult and standoffish as before, no matter how he was smiling currently. He was the same when Elder Huang was around, and once he wasn’t, the smiles dropped.

“I barely remember that since it was so long ago, so it isn’t a problem. Besides, I’m sure you were busy then, Senior Lan.”

“Not really,” Lan Yang chuckled, “At that time, you were a mortal. A favored mortal, but still, just a mortal. It wasn’t worth the effort.”

William’s eye twitched in irritation. He was trying to make the greeting pleasant by being friendly. He knew that this was likely why Lan Yang didn’t bother to speak to him more than necessary. After all, Lan Yin, his sister, did precisely the same.

Only when he joined the Jade Healing Sect did she change her tune, willing to speak without sounding dismissive. Obviously, he had assumed that Lan Yin’s brother felt the same way.

Still, it wasn’t necessary to say that out loud.

“I offended you,” Lan Yang had the gall to sound surprised.

“May I, Young Master?” Mei Lingxi interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure what she was asking permission for, but he didn’t want her to speak for him, if that was her intention.

“It’s fine,” William shook his head and turned to Lan Yang, “Senior Lan, my time as a cultivator is measured in months. I don’t like hearing how little everyone thinks of mortals.”

Lan Yang laughed. “I see that my sister was telling the truth.”

“Hmm,” Mei Lingxi agreed, to his displeasure, “If she was talking about the Young Master having a bleeding heart, then yes, she was.”

“She was telling me of how some mortal almost swindled Junior Wei,” Lan Yang chuckled, “Not to worry, this feeling will pass in time, just like it did for all of us.”

“Right,” William broke into their little session of patting each other on the back, “I doubt it’ll change, Senior Lan. You were sent here to guide me?”

It was abrupt, but he was done with the conversation. He was mostly done with Lan Yang, too, but he needed the cultivator to show him around the Inner Court.

“Yin’er is going to murder me,” Lan Yang mumbled, the smile finally off his face, “Junior Wei, let’s start over and pretend none of that happened. I want us to get along, and before you say anything, do you really want my sister to be disappointed when she returns?”

William blinked in surprise. “You’re going to use Senior Sister Yin against me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Lan Yang asked earnestly, “Yin’er will nag me to death if you hate me for a reason as silly as mortals—”

Mei Lingxi cleared her throat.

“Right, anyway, we started off terribly,” Lan Yang nodded firmly before leaving the Teleportation Hall.

“… What?” William wasn’t sure what was happening.

“I’m not sure,” Mei Lingxi whispered and seemed to be on the same boat, “Was his sister equally as strange?”

“No?” Lan Yin could be a little intense, but he couldn’t think of anything to this extent.

“Ah! You must be Junior Wei! I’m Lan Yang, your mentor. You can call me Senior Yang.”

William stared at Lan Yang, who reentered the Teleportation Hall as if it was the first time. “Really?”

“Of course!” Lan Yang smiled brightly as he moved toward him, “I look forward to showing you around the Inner Court.” He patted his shoulder firmly before turning to Mei Lingxi, pulling out a familiar purple pass, “You are Attendant Mei, correct? Elder Yu told me about you, but I’m afraid I’ll need to be alone with Junior Wei today. How about you enjoy the entertainment district? My gift to you.”

Before William could try to grasp the sudden change in mood, Mei Lingxi was looking to him for permission. She didn’t even try to hide the desire to be allowed to leave him with Lan Yang. He knew what she was trying to do, return to the teahouse on Lan Yang’s dime.

That reminded him of the cost of the tea. A smile formed on his lips.

“Go ahead, Sister Lingxi,” William said brightly, “Have some fun for me too.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Mei Lingxi had snatched the pass from Lan Yang and was already heading to the exit.

He was a little jealous that she would get to enjoy the tea without him, but when he saw Lan Yang’s suspicious expression, he decided it was worth it. It was petty revenge, but revenge all the same.

“Hm, I suppose I’ll regret that,” Lan Yang commented before shrugging, “No matter. Let’s go, Junior Wei. I have something exciting to show you.”

He saw that Mei Lingxi hadn’t been stopped by the guards when she left. The arrival of Lan Yang or the pass she held had been enough.

They left the Teleportation Hall soon after. Lan Yang turned to the guards and nodded his head slightly. “I’m sorry for the trouble, seniors.”

The most significant reaction was a grunt. Not very talkative, these guards.

They were going in the opposite direction of the entertainment district and the dwelling area. This would be something new. William forgot some of his dissatisfaction with Lan Yang as he eyed his surroundings.

A surprising number of disciples were walking in the same direction, all dressed in their sect robes, but some in the center of large groups wearing rather expensive-looking spirit artifacts in the form of rings, outer cloaks, jewelry, and ornate swords that were sheathed.

Unlike Xuanjing City, where there were clear lines that separated the wealthy from the poor, the quality of the buildings never really dipped. Which made sense. This was in the Inner Court of the Jade Healing Sect. Not a mortal city.

“Where are we going, Senior Yang?”

“Hoh? Finally willing to speak with me?” Lan Yang smiled.

“It would be childish of me to hold a grudge when you didn’t do anything wrong,” William replied, mainly because Mei Lingxi’s spending made him consider them even.

“Interesting,” Lan Yang raised an eyebrow, “very mature of you, Junior Wei. Then, it’s only fair for me to apologize for being insensitive.”

“Thank you, Senior Yang,” William smiled, still thinking of Mei Lingxi sipping on tea.

“Good! As for where we’re going,” Lan Yang pointed to a towering building in the distance, “To the auction house! The annual auction starts today!”

William matched Lan Yang’s increased speed as he glanced at the disciples wearing the expensive spirit artifacts.

They must be the high rollers in the auction. All of a sudden, his excitement was raised to another level. He wanted to see if this was as ridiculous as it often was in cultivation novels.