William rubbed his stomach as the hunger pangs started to grow stronger. The previously inaudible growls were getting loud enough that Wang Xiaoling could hear them.

“You’re strange, Wei Liang,” Wang Xiaoling commented when she heard his stomach growl again, “Most brats your age would be whining about wanting food by now.”

William didn’t doubt that, but he wasn’t a thirteen-year-old mentally. That did bring up a thought that he had been ignoring all this while. What happened to the boy that owned this body? There wasn’t any phenomenon of suddenly gaining a decade’s worth of memories when he arrived in this world.

If that had happened, William would have come to terms with the reality of being a transmigrator much faster than he actually did. William vaguely remembered a man mentioning that he had been summoned for the sacrifice when he first gained consciousness. Yang Hua was his name, if William recalled correctly.

If that memory was accurate, it was likely that the original soul inside this body had long been eradicated. William was strangely relieved by that. He didn’t know if he was ruthless enough to steal a kid’s body from him if there happened to be a fight. Then again, didn’t that make him seem even worse?

“Hey! Wei Liang, are you ignoring me?!”

William blinked and could barely dodge the hand aiming for his head. “I didn’t mean to. What did you say?”

Wang Xiaoling pointed at a tiny dot in the distance. “We’re almost at Xuanjing City. Since you’re working for me, I’ll treat you to a meal to celebrate when we arrive.”

“A meal?” William asked as another growl emanated from his stomach, “Sounds good, but I hope you haven’t forgotten to pay for the medical fees.”

Wang Xiaoling pursed her lips and lightly touched her coin pouch. Her guilt pushed her to assure Wei Liang that she would cover his medical costs. Still, the merchant in her was whispering ways to avoid the unnecessary expense.

“What are you thinking?” William asked warily when Wang Xiaoling started to get a weird look in her eyes, “I won’t be able to work if I’m not healed.”

That seemed to erase whatever thoughts Wang Xiaoling had.

“Fine,” Wang Xiaoling sighed, “But you better work hard for me!”

William nodded, happy that moving around wouldn’t be torture soon. He wondered if regular food would increase his health like in an RPG. And if a good night’s sleep would fully heal him. If the tutorial was available, William was sure he would already have the answers to those questions.

[SAFE MODE has turned off the tutorial for the user’s safety]

William impatiently erased the alert from his vision. He had already received that canned answer before and didn’t need to be reminded of it again.

As the dot that was Xuanjing City grew larger, Wang Xiaoling pestered William with repeated instructions on how to act with the guards at the entrance. Most of her advice was to shut his mouth and behave like a mute, but William wasn’t offended. He was blatantly unfamiliar with the culture in this world, let alone the Tianxia Empire.

The pestering tapered off as the grand archway into Xuanjing City came into view. William expected the buildings in this world to stun him due to the fact that cultivators that strived for immortality walked the land. If they wished for something grandiose, it would be unmatched with their powers.

However, William didn’t expect to be stunned by a structure built by what he had assumed to be an empire controlled by mortals.

The grand archway was made of white marble, with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and golden accents adorning the arch itself. The two pillars had golden dragons coiling around them before their heads extended away to glare at all who entered the city.

Even at this distance, William could see the incredible detail put into the carving of the dragons. The scales almost looked lifelike as they glinted gold from the light shining off them. If he didn’t know better, William would have thought that two real dragons were protecting the city.

… On second thought, he didn’t know enough to know better.

“Wang Xiaoling?”

“What is it, brat?” Wang Xiaoling replied between yelling at the increasing number of people to get out of the way. The road was no longer as clear as it was in the countryside. The proximity of the city crowded it greatly.

“Are those dragons real?”

“Hm?” Wang Xiaoling looked away from the road in confusion before laughing when she saw what William was pointing at, “They’re just statues, Wei Liang.”

“Then why does it feel like I’m being stared at?” William felt a shiver run through his body every time he met either of the dragon statues’ eyes. It was like he was being looked at by a predator.

“The empire’s experts are said to keep a close watch over the city. There’s a reason Xuanjing City is the trading center of the empire. As long as you pay the proper fees, all transactions are guaranteed by the officials, no matter who you are.”

William’s interest stirred. This was the first time Wang Xiaoling mentioned anything about experts existing within the empire. Perhaps the cultivating world wasn’t hidden like he had assumed.

“Experts?” William didn’t hide his curiosity.

Wang Xiaoling hummed in confirmation as she went back to directing the wagon to the long line that looked to be for merchants. “The experts are the true power behind the empire, and it’s rumored that the emperor himself is the strongest.”

“Oh,” William frowned, “So you’ve never seen any experts yourself?”

“The day I see them is the day I lose my little life!” Wang Xiaoling glared at William, “Wei Liang, haven’t I told you to act like a mute? What good reason would an honest merchant like me meet an honored expert?”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” William raised his palms in surrender until Wang Xiaoling calmed down.

“Hmph,” Wang Xiaoling snorted lightly and muttered, “This must be karma for injuring you. Who told you to be so weak?”

William felt his ribs throb in pain as if to emphasize how injured he was due to Wang Xiaoling. He noticed how slow-moving the line was and estimated that it would take at least a few hours to get to where the guards were running security checks.

“Is this going to take as long as it looks?” William asked as he stared into the distance.

“Welcome to the life of a lowly independent merchant, Wei Liang. Without powerful backing, it’s best to follow the rules and avoid trying to cut corners. The benefits aren’t worth the risks.”

William might have got off to a terrible start with Wang Xiaoling, but the more she shared about herself and how she viewed the world, the more he respected and liked her personality. She might be an ill-tempered hothead and possibly a bit too naive, but she kept proving to him that she was knowledgeable where it mattered.

Wang Xiaoling noticed that William was staring at her and assumed he was worried about not getting to the clinic in time. “Relax, Wei Liang. Your injury won’t worsen if we’re delayed by a few hours.”

William nodded when he realized he had been looking at Wang Xiaoling with unblinking eyes. He didn’t mention why he was really staring at her. Even if he now had a higher opinion of her, that didn’t mean she still wasn’t ill-tempered.

“The real problem will be where you can sleep. I don’t want to pay for another room just for you….” Wang Xiaoling tapped her chin thoughtfully before her eyes lit up, “Wei Liang, I think one of your responsibilities will be to look after my goods during the night!”

“No,” William denied flatly, leaving no room for negotiation.

“I’ll pay you extra coppers!” Wang Xiaoling threw what she thought was an ignorant kid a bone.

William didn’t know how much coppers were worth, but if Wang Xiaoling was willing to pay him that instead of getting another room, it couldn’t be much.

“Are you going to force me to do it anyway if I say no?” William asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering if Wang Xiaoling was stingy enough to do so. The look she gave him wasn’t promising for his sleeping situation.

When Wang Xiaoling opened her mouth to reply, William conveniently found something that would distract her while also giving him a healthy dose of nervousness.

“Wang Xiaoling, why is that guard walking right to us?”