Transcending Dreams - D2 - Chapter 42

“I’ll follow you in a bit, Sister Wang.”

Wang Xiaoling waved Fatty Xu off. “Take your time. The auction will be over soon anyway.”

“Very well,” Fatty Xu nodded, glancing at him. “If you accompany Sister Wang again, I’ll treat you to a Starry Night Cake. Eating good food is the main reason to live, and you are not living.”

“I agree,” William nodded rapidly. “Thank you, Brother Xu.”

The moment they walked away from the stall, which had far happier customers now that they would get their food, he asked the question weighing his mind.

“What’s a Starry Night Cake?”

“No idea,” Wang Xiaoling shrugged. “Fatty Xu always comes up with a new dish, and desserts are one of his specialties. I’m sure it’ll be as good as his past attempts.”

He looked forward to it. It would make up for the unfortunate fact that he wasn’t able to eat more of the delicious rabbit meat. Even though there were no restrictions on the quantity his body could consume, there was only a limited amount to go around.

Even Wang Xiaoling only ate one skewer’s worth, so when Fatty Xu declined to make him more, he could only sulk in silence.

[Side Quest Accepted | Fatty Xu makes delicious food with miraculous effects. Keep him nearby]

[Information: You have had one taste of Fatty Xu’s cooking and require more. Find a way to keep him inside the Jade Healing Sect so you are not limited to that one taste.]

[Reward: Access to Fatty Xu’s cooking | ?]

[Penalty: N/A]

[This side quest was automatically accepted due to having no penalties for failure]

William welcomed the quest. He had already been trying to come up with an idea to do exactly that when he gained those attribute points from the kebab. This just added extra motivation.

“Merchant Wang, do you have other items for sale in the auction?” Lan Yang asked.

“Nope,” Wang Xiaoling said, ending the word with a pop. “That headlining item looks pretty interesting to me. There was a customer from the Sunrise Kingdom who seemed interested. I might make a play for it if it goes for cheap.”

“… I see,” Lan Yang gave him an alarmed look, silently asking for help.

If he had to make a choice between helping Lan Yang and Wang Xiaoling, he would pick the latter without hesitation. Not only did they have a greater history together, the woman had just given him a treasure trove of Spirit Stones to save him.

In this case, he would prefer not to do anything to prevent her from getting what she wanted. Though, a selfish part of his mind pointed out the obvious.

This could be an opening to convince her to spend more time inside the sect.

“Sister Xiaoling, what would you say about skipping the end of the auction?”

Wang Xiaoling looked at him strangely. “You have something better for me to do?”

“… Maybe,” William said unsurely. He turned to the hopeful Lan Yang. “Do you think I could meet Elder Yu right now?”

“I can’t say for sure. Your best bet would be to go to the Administration Peak and ask for her.”

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“That’s the best advice you have for me?” William stared.

“Do I look like I have a way to track elders?”

“Fair enough,” He nodded begrudgingly said. “It will probably still be worth the try, Sister Xiaoling.”

“Hm, as you say, Little Liang.”

That made William feel worse even though he genuinely thought this would benefit her more. They passed the nascent soul realm guard before Lan Yang broke the silence.

“We’ll split up there then. Junior Wei, you know the way to the peak, correct?”

He nodded. It was one of the few places he had visited at the common grounds.

“Good,” Lan Yang nodded to Wang Xiaoling. “Merchant Wang, it has been an honor.”

“Same here, Yang.”

Lan Yang’s eye twitched, but he gave her a tight smile before swiftly walking toward the auction house.

“… So, brat, are you finally living up to your title as a scammer?”

William laughed involuntarily, not expecting the title she stuck on him at the start to make a return.

“You laugh, but I know you’re working with that Yang against me.”

“It’s coincidental, Sister Xiaoling,” William reassured. “Senior Yang does want those bracelets, but it would be a better use of your time to speak to Elder Yu.”

“Is this about Qingyun City?” The suspicion in her lessened significantly.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “I could talk to her by myself, but you will be able to explain the specifics better. And if the sect needs something in return, we can use my shares.”

“No,” Wang Xiaoling stopped him with a glare.

“What?”

“Your percentage of the merchant house isn’t up for grabs. I won’t allow it, especially when dealing with a sect.”

“… That closes off my surest way to convince them if necessary,” William frowned. “Are you sure your mind can’t be changed, Sister Xiaoling?”

“Like I said, brat, it’s out of the question. There are plenty of other ways to deal with this instead of directly jumping to giving up a portion of the merchant house… You know what? It’s good that I’m coming along.”

“Alright,” William settled on simply agreeing. Wang Xiaoling’s current mood was at the worst he had seen so far. It looked like she was legitimately angry at him, with no hint of teasing anywhere in her expression.

Even his revelation of the ‘debt’ he had taken on had brought up less intense emotions from her.

“I’m not good at business, Sister Xiaoling,” William conceded. “I’ll follow your lead when we get there.”

“Hm, let’s take the scenic route. I need to think of a plan on the way there.”

“Alright,” William nodded, “but remember that I can’t guarantee we will meet Elder Yu.”

“It’s fine,” she waved his warning off. “I will be able to tell you what to do later if needed. It’s all the same… as long as you don’t blurt out something stupid like giving up part of your shares.”

He laughed awkwardly as he started to lead her to the Administration Peak.

When Wang Xiaoling said she needed to think of a plan, she wasn’t joking. That was all she did, not bothering to take in the sights on the scenic route that she requested him to take.

William had no problem doing that in her place. The trek back to the teleportation hall was short. With no crowds rushing to the auction house, there was nothing to slow them. Instead of heading directly to the residential area, he took a turn to see a new part of the common grounds.

Lan Yang was a piss poor guide, but that didn’t mean he had to stay ignorant of what the common grounds had to offer. The buildings here were much larger, looking like they could easily fit hundreds at one time.

“It’s a shame there won’t be another lecture on formations for a week. I heard the Elders Chen were the ones who came down from the peak for the lecture a few days ago. They just had to do it on the first day of the auction.”

William’s ears perked up when he heard some familiar names and came to a stop, making Wang Xiaoling almost walk into him. He ignored her grumbles and stared at the two disciples sitting under the shade of a tree.

“I keep forgetting they aren’t just the masters of White Crane Peak. Healing might be their specialty, but formations are a close second.”

“Don’t speak as if you’re the only one who knows this, Zhou. This is common knowledge.”

“So? It’s still interesting! You don’t have to ruin the mood by being annoying, Xin!”

Wang Xiaoling stared at the bickering disciples and then at William. Eyebrows raised in question.

“Well, you did say the scenic route,” William defended. “That could involve me talking to others.”

“I would say that’s a stretch, but go ahead,” Wang Xiaoling shrugged.

He immediately made his way toward the arguing disciples and took a look at their basic status.

[Name: Ningyu Zhou | Level: 163]

[Name: Liu Xin | Level: 159]

“Excuse me?” William interrupted their sniping.

“What!” They turned in unison and growled. However, the girl, Liu Xin, immediately turned apologetic.

“Oh, a newcomer,” Liu Xin winced. “Sorry about that. You didn’t deserve that anger. How can we help you?”