“Young Master, what was Elder Yu going to reveal if you didn’t pass the written test?”

William’s eye twitched in irritation, not in the mood to be reminded of that. Nor did he ever intend to answer that question. He would take the name ‘Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons’ to the grave.

“Not the time, Sister Lingxi,” William scowled.

“There’s nothing else to do other than talk,” Mei Lingxi countered, and she was right.

Apparently, they wouldn’t be allowed to leave the Teleportation Hall until his assigned mentor arrived to receive them. The core formation realm cultivators guarding the hall refused to say anything else, which led them to this predicament.

It wasn’t the welcome to the Inner Court that William had been expecting. The only good thing was that Ren Bo wouldn’t find out about it after, something he was thankful about after his impromptu failed bragging. It would make him want to avoid the kid for years from the embarrassment.

“Alright then, let’s talk about Prince Yuan.”

Mei Lingxi’s expression, normally in some combination of teasing and happiness, turned frighteningly blank.

“I’m afraid that’s the one thing I can’t speak of, Young Master.”

William winced at his stupidity. There was no teasing tone in her voice this time, not even a hint.

“Sorry… the contract?” It had only been mentioned once, and after he found that it worked like an employment contract instead of anything resembling servitude, he had promptly forgotten about it.

Mei Lingxi nodded, “Yes, I’m barred from speaking of my time working for Prince Yuan.”

“So, like a non-disclosure agreement,” William said to himself.

“It’s exactly that,” Mei Lingxi replied with surprise, “Have you been researching contracts, Young Master?”

“Er, yes,” William chuckled awkwardly, “Just a little.”

He hadn’t really, but this might be one of the things that Sophia had brought over from Earth, though it seemed that an NDA in this world seemed to have much harsher penalties than a lawsuit or a fine.

“Forget I ever mentioned that, Sister Lingxi. Would it be fine if I ask about your past, other than the prince?” William asked cautiously.

“My past?” Mei Lingxi’s expression relaxed almost immediately, “Go ahead, Young Master. I’m an open book.”

“Did you really skip the entrance tests for the major sects?” William asked bluntly, remembering what the Grand Elder mentioned in the teahouse. It had been hard for him to forget that, especially since he remembered Mei Lingxi talking about how jealous she was about him being a member of the Jade Healing Sect.

“… Not exactly,” she replied with an awkward look. “When the Grand Elder said I never attended the entrance tests, he was correct, but it wasn’t on purpose.”

He already knew what was about to be said... or thought he did.

“The first one I traveled to was the Jade Healing Sect. It made the most sense because it was so close to my home in Qingyun City. Plus, it is highly regarded in the Empire. When I was halfway to the testing site, my horse suddenly decided that it would be best to try and eat every grass stalk it could see.”

Mei Lingxi must have seen the incredulous look on his face because she laughed. “That’s the same look I had. I later learned that my cousin had given the horse some pills that gave it endless hunger. It literally ate itself to death… on grass.”

“… I see,” William said hesitantly, “You didn’t try to get there some other way?”

“I was a mortal,” Mei Lingxi said as if that explained everything. “I gave up and went back home. Later, I learned that bandits raided the group I was traveling with, so it was a boon in the end.”

He stared at her. It was all he could do. He expected something like this, but hearing it was difficult to fathom. “Did something like this happen when you tried to join the other sects?”

“It did,” Mei Lingxi shifted uneasily. “I felt like I should have fought harder to get to the testing sites, but I have a different view in life. If a sect was meant for me, I would have gotten to their testing site smoothly. I never did, so I simply gave up.”

That repeated in William’s mind.

I simply gave up.

She said that so easily. So if something doesn’t go her way, her instinct is to abandon course and do something else. That… was concerning.

He didn’t have many requirements with the people he wanted around him, but the flakey behavior Mei Lingxi admitted to was a huge concern. Wouldn’t that mean she could leave whenever she felt this no longer fit her?

“That’s an interesting way to lead your life, Sister Lingxi,” William was proud that he didn’t show his sudden doubts. “How did you end up in Xuanjing City after all that?”

“I ran away from home,” Mei Lingxi shrugged. “My cousin tried to give me the same pills she gave my horse, so I decided that was that.”

This time, he didn’t bother to hide his thoughts. He stared at her like she had a few screws loose in her head, to which she rolled her eyes.

“I knew what she was trying to do, Young Master. I just couldn’t be bothered dealing with the jealous pig that happened to be my cousin. I had bigger plans for my future than marrying the magistrate's son and becoming a wealthy housewife, lording over some weak mortals. She can have that life. I am meant for greater things.”

William stared at Mei Lingxi for a different reason this time. She may be flaky, but she was terrifying in her own way.

“Have you contacted your family since then?”

“Why would I?” Mei Lingo asked, confused such a question was directed at her.

The definition of flightiness, but ruthlessly decisive in her own way. So perhaps it wasn’t the issue of her abandoning him whenever it benefitted her that should worry him, but stabbing him in the back when it best suited her.

William needed to have a talk with Elder Yu and take a close look at the contract. After Zheng Tao, he was out of trust. If Mei Lingxi turned out to be steadfastly loyal toward him, then this can just be a practice to keep exercising caution.

“You have had an interesting path, Sister Lingxi,” William smiled, “The Grand Elder was right when he said your decisions were fascinating.”

Mei Lingxi shrugged, “That wasn’t what the Grand Elder meant, but close enough, Young Master.”

The talk about the Grand Master reminded him of the teahouse. He wanted to bring up her promise of treating him to another cup of tea, mainly to lighten the atmosphere from talking about her past. However, soft murmurs stopped all of that.

The core formation guards posted outside never spoke with each other, so they were talking to someone who just arrived. William couldn’t hear anything clearly, but he was trying to see if the new voice was feminine, which would confirm his suspicion that Lan Yin was his mentor.

“Young Master, didn’t you say Sentinel Lan would be your mentor?”

“No, but I said I strongly suspected it,” William replied, still trying to eavesdrop on the conversation outside.

“You’re right, but it’s still not the person you were thinking of.”

He turned to Mei Lingxi, who had a full-blown smirk on her face. That didn’t bode well for him.

The door to the Teleportation Hall opened.

“I apologize for making you wait, Junior Wei.”

William turned back to the entrance to meet dark green eyes. Oh. It was Lan Yang.