Transcending Dreams - D2 - Chapter 35

“Sold! To our impatient guest!” Xia Qing cheered, though she didn’t forget to add a slight admonishment. “For future lots you wish to bid on, please wait until I officially open the bidding.”

William winced when a hand firmly gripped his shoulder. “Senior Yang, I can return most of the Spirit Stones.”

“Is that what you think?” Lan Yang sounded suspiciously calm. He glanced at the older cultivator’s expression to see the frightening blankness it possessed.

“The next lot will be brought on stage after a short break! In the meantime—”

“Come with me, Junior Wei,” Lan Yang might have made that sound like a request, but how he practically dragged William showed this was not an option.

With the way most people on the Red Floor were staring at him, William wasn’t sure what was safer. To stay out there or enter their reserved room for more privacy with a clearly infuriated Lan Yang.

… He was trying to fool himself. Of course, it was better to be where there were plenty of witnesses. Of all the stupid things he had done, having the audacity to spend thousands of Spirit Stones when clearly instructed not to might top the list.

Especially when the Spirit Stones were borrowed.

William tensed when the door shut behind them, and Lan Yang turned to face him. This time, his expression wasn’t blank. It showed a nearly murderous rage.

“Mentors are supposed to welcome their juniors into the Inner Court,” Lan Yang said with clenched fists. “Only I have had the pleasure of a junior having the confidence to rob me blind.”

“I know this looks bad, but I have a plan, Senior Yang,” William backed away, terrified that fists would be thrown. Rightfully so.

“Three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones,” Lan Yang gritted out. “An amount that most would literally kill for. If you weren’t my junior, I would have taken your life… I still might if you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation.”

He didn’t want to point out that he was trying to explain but wasn’t being heard. That would just be poking an already enraged dragon.

“I know the owners of the martial skill! It’ll be fine if I can talk to them,” William blurted out.

That gave Lan Yang some pause, his anger no longer rising to new heights. He opened his mouth briefly before shaking his head and changing his mind.

“Go. Now. The owners can leave immediately since the auction hall pays them the winning bid from my deposit. If you can’t fix this before the bracelet—” Lan Yang took a deep breath. “I recommend you make yourself scarce until I don’t feel like taking your head. Give it a hundred years.”

With that, Lan Yang turned away in disgust and stormed back to the bidding area, leaving William alone.

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[Quest: Recover Lan Yang’s Spirit Stones]

[Information: You have been reckless and used Lan Yang’s Spirit Stones for your own benefit. Instead of exacting deserved punishment, Lan Yang has given you a chance to return enough Spirit Stones for him to get the item he desires. Do this before Xia Qing brings the Soul Binding Bracelet on stage.]

[Reward: ?]

[Penalty: Loss of Lan Yang as mentor | Loss of reputation with Lan Yin | Loss of reputation with Elder Yu]

[Accept: Y/N]

[Warning: Declining the quest will be the same as failing the quest]

He skimmed the details as he rushed out of the room toward the lower floor. He didn’t need the quest to tell him there was limited time to act.

[Quest Accepted | Recover Lan Yang’s Spirit Stones]

William didn’t have an option other than to take the quest. He exited the hallway and entered the main chamber, ignoring the crowd mingling during the auction break. His eyes searched for Fatty Xu, the most noticeable of the trio that he had seen from the Red Floor.

“Hey, you’re the one that just won the Heavenly Thunder Scripture.”

He frowned as he glanced at the man speaking to him, not in the mood for pleasantries.

“I was wondering why Senior Xia let your poor etiquette go so easily. You’re one of us!” The man continued to speak.

William had disabled the basic status the system usually showed him due to the sheer number of people in the auction hall. The absence of it above the man’s head made him want to facepalm.

That would be one way he could find them quicker. He turned it on.

It was a mistake.

The burst of blue text was so jumbled up that he could barely read the letters if they were too far from him. Entirely useless for finding Wang Xiaoling, who wasn’t in his line of sight.

“Look, how about we make a deal. I have some seniors at Sentinel Peak who will really appreciate that martial skill. You know how hard it is to gain their ear. This is your chance.”

William blinked, having completely forgotten about the man trying to talk to him. If it wasn’t for the idiotic sentence he had just heard, he would have walked away without paying closer attention.

Blue robes. No marks on the sleeves. Slightly pudgy face with a comically untrustworthy look in his eyes.

This man wasn’t part of the Jade Healing Sect. And he was making a hilariously lousy attempt at swindling him. Forget that there were so many red flags, William didn’t even have the martial skill yet for him to take.

“Get out of my way,” William shoved past the man, ignoring the indignant squawk he let out.

William would have wondered why someone like that was inside the auction hall, but he didn’t get the chance. He saw plenty of people looking his way, having far too similar looks in their eyes.

Seemed like there were swindlers aplenty in the auction hall, and nobody batted an eye. He followed suit and ignored them as he returned to searching for his targets.

More of the swindlers tried to get his attention, but he knew better than to waste his time to listen. It took a few seconds before he finally found the large form of Fatty Xu.

He was near the exit.

William moved as fast as he could without sprinting. He was aware he drew some looks, but he was more concerned that Fatty Xu would somehow disappear.

A silly fear, but Fatty Xu was a strange being in the first place. He didn’t forget that the large man was one of the few living beings for which the system didn’t show a basic status.

William smiled when he had an unobstructed view of Fatty Xu. Li Jie and Wang Xiaoling were right beside him.

“Sister Xiaoling!” William called out happily, for many reasons.

One is that Lan Yang wouldn’t murder him out of anger after he got the Spirit Stones. And the other, the look he expected from the queen of misers as she handed him her precious money. It was her own fault for taking startup money from him.

“Brat?!” Wang Xiaoling said with shock, stopping William in his tracks.

He had forgotten how abrasive the woman was. What an excellent way to greet him after so long…

“Brat?” William’s smile turned into a smirk as he brushed his shoulders, drawing attention to his sleeves. “Is that how you greet an inner disciple of the Jade Healing Sect?”