“A cultivator saved me and gave me the pill,” William admitted truthfully.

“Really?” Huang Jingyi’s wizened face formed a smile, “What’s your name, boy?”

“… It’s Wei Liang.”

“Wei Liang,” Huang Jingyi repeated slowly, “Same as the Wei Clan from Qingyun City?”

William shook his head warily, worried his new surname might cause problems.

“That’s a surprise,” Huang Jingyi muttered, “The Wei Clan is full of wastrels, so it wouldn’t surprise me that they used immortal pills in this manner.”

“I never heard of the Wei Clan before,” William insisted again, this time verbally.

“I believe you,” Huang Jingyi started to stroke his beard again, “That makes what you claim even more curious. Tell me, what did this cultivator look like? What did he save you from?”

William hesitated, wondering if this could be considered as betraying Daoist Chen’s confidence. But that thought didn’t last long. With Daoist Chen’s level of cultivation, William doubted that there was anything he could do that would get his disapproval.

Unless it was wasting the potential of his master’s cultivation method. William was sure Daoist Chen would erase him from existence in anger after how long it had taken to find a successor.

William started to tell the story of Daoist Chen swooping in and saving the day while leaving out some critical information. He wasn’t stupid enough to utter a word about the system he now possessed and certainly didn’t say anything about being a transmigrator. Who knew if saying those things could lead to disaster? Of course, he also made sure not to mention Daoist Chen’s name.

However, William made sure to emphasize the kindness Daoist Chen showed him and the time he spent personally making sure William was left in a safe spot… if being put in the path of Wang Xiaoling’s wagon was considered safe.

Huang Jingyi's heart rate had increased, but he remained composed as he hummed thoughtfully. From what was described, he could immediately tell that the mysterious cultivator was a senior. Not once did Huang Jingyi think William was fabricating the story since he would never believe a mortal would dare to lie to someone like him. Besides, it also made sense why William was able to stare directly at his disciple.

With the aura that one with Li Xinyue’s constitution exuded, only three types of people could look at her. Cultivators, mortals with extraordinary potential on the path to immortality, and mortals with exceptional potential to be lustful wretches.

With William not falling into the former two categories, Huang Jingyi couldn’t be blamed when he assumed that William was a lustful wretch. However, it seemed that Huang Jingyi had wronged him with that assumption. Not only that, but there was something in him that a wandering senior saw that made it worthwhile to part with a Vitality Restoration Pill.

Still, there was one thing that he didn’t understand.

“Wei Liang, was it? Did that senior say anything when he gave you the pill?”

William knew this was the chance to show off Daoist Chen’s apparent wealth and, in turn, make himself seem more important. “I’m not too sure.”

Huang Jingyi sighed, disappointed at the answer but not at all surprised considering the near-death experience the mortal went through. It was already surprising that the boy remembered what he did. That was until William continued speaking.

“I think I heard him say that he didn’t have a lower-grade pill to give me. Maybe he was disappointed he had to give me something that valuable?”

Huang Jingyi thought the opposite. If the lowest grade Vitality Restoration Pill the senior possessed was of the third grade, it hinted at his high cultivation. A Core Formation Elder like Huang Jingyi himself would have pills of the first and second grades purely for convenience and cost-effectiveness, but once a cultivator ascended into the Nascent Soul stage, those pills would be useless.

Whoever this senior was, Huang Jingyi could comfortably assume that he was in the Nascent Soul stage at the least.

“You’ve made my day a little more interesting, Wei Liang,” Huang Jingyi said loftily, “I feel that you deserve something in return.”

William blinked, not expecting any benefits from his storytelling. The most he hoped for was to be allowed to leave without harm.

“That’s not necessary,” William said politely, “Getting my injuries healed is more than I deserve.”

“Nonsense!” Huang Jingyi frowned, “If I say one deserves a reward, who would dare decline?”

Huang Jingyi reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a jade token that William recognized. It was similar to what the guard, Li Jie, had handed him before entering the clinic. However, there was a fundamental difference.

The token Li Jie handed him was made of dull green jade. Huang Jingyi was offering William one that was lavender in color.

“The token you had previously only allows for a one-time visit, but this will allow you to visit the clinic whenever you wish.”

William stared at the valuable jade token blankly, wondering what was happening. Didn’t the old man threaten to flay him alive a few minutes ago, or was that his overactive imagination?

Side Quests (2):

Return to Jade Healing Clinic and make Huang Jingyi kneel with your superior cultivation

No, that side quest confirmed that William was still supposed to come back and humiliate Huang Jingyi in the far future.

As if he had heard William’s doubts, Huang Jingyi sighed regretfully. “You must be thinking about Yue’er. Her actions were too aggressive.”

“Not at all!” William said in a rush, not wanting the girl’s overprotective master to get any strange thoughts, “I appreciate the gift, elder. Thank you.”

“Good!” Huang Jingyi smiled, “You can give Yue’er some company. Not many people in the city are qualified to visit my clinic.”

William kept his mouth shut, swallowing the protest of being that monstrous girl’s playmate. He didn’t want to deny the equally monstrous master.

“… Thank you, elder,” William said with a strained smile, “I’ll be sure to visit as much as I can.”

“Two or three times a week should be fine,” Huang Jingyi said casually with a wave of his hand. “Off you go. I spent too long chatting with you.”

[Side Quest added: Visit Jade Healing Clinic 2-3 times a week (Repeatable)]

The smile on Huang Jingyi’s face stayed until he saw the boy leave the clinic. After that, it dropped off to be replaced with a pondering expression.

“Master? Why did you give that boy another token?! You saw that he looked at me!”

“Hush, Yue’er,” Huang Jingyi turned to pat his disciple’s head, “The boy isn’t a lecher. Wei Liang had an encounter that could be the start of his destiny. That was the only reason he was able to look at you. It will do no harm to give him a small visiting token.”

Li Xinyue pouted and huffed at having to see the mortal again. “But why did you say that he could give me company? I rather read pill recipes than talk to the stupid boy!”

Huang Jingyi sighed at his disciple’s protest. Nothing was wrong with what she said, and most masters would love to have a disciple so dedicated to cultivation. Still, he was coming to recognize that Li Xinyue was socially deficient.

No matter how talented she was at cultivation, what was the point if she didn’t have anyone to share it with? Huang Jingyi didn’t think he was ready to see his beloved disciple with a dao companion. However, a beloved friend would be perfect.

That was where Wei Liang came in.

If Wei Liang was favored by destiny like Huang Jingyi suspected with the interest the senior had in him, the boy would serve as a good, long-term friend for his disciple. If that wasn’t the case, Wei Liang would be a mortal who would teach Yue’er how to form a friendship before she moved on to people with real worth.

Either of those options would be acceptable for Huang Jingyi.

“Yue’er,” Huang Jingyi said sternly, “Take this as an order. When Wei Liang returns, I expect you to do your best to talk to him. Understand?”

He had to fight the urge to backtrack when his beloved disciple looked at him with teary eyes. Yue’er might be socially deficient, but she had perfected the art of manipulating her master. However, Huang Jingyi wouldn’t fall for it this time.

“Fine!” Li Xinyue agreed through clenched teeth before turning around to ignore her master.

Huang Jingyi didn’t mind her antics and smiled, glancing at Wei Liang’s figure walking out of sight in the distance. He couldn’t deny that he was eager to see if his suspicions were true.