Liam left the brothel entirely after the experience, instead settling on its roof, puffing from his pipe while the night sky accompanied the revolutions in his mind.

Much, if not all, was falling into place. Liam’s perspective had changed, and, with that, his view on many of his memories. Clearly, Joel had been in the know since the very beginning, and the same went for his Master and the Disciplinary Elder.

Actually, probably everyone had realized what was happening ever since Melissa first clung to Liam’s elbow.

And things didn’t stop there.

Everything had a proper shape now and was connected. Lust and love were different, but Liam could see them both as separate entities and intertwined forces.

The courtesans’ behavior fell into categories Liam could finally understand, and that perspective stretched to past events that had left him utterly clueless.

’Toy with a maiden’s heart,’ Liam recalled words that had confused him for months. ’Did Lucy like me? Like me in that way?’

Alicia, the female disciples’ behavior in the Roaring Thunder Sect, and even Elder June, after the talent test, had all played into the aspect of life that Liam had only just realized.

’Grace calls me handsome,’ Liam thought, ’But that’s probably the money speaking.’

Liam had to believe that his suspected popularity with women came from status. Both Alicia and Elder June had wanted the nine-spiritual-roots genius, while the Roaring Thunder Sect’s disciples and the courtesans had been after Master William.

As for Lucy, that had likely been real, but Liam hadn’t been ready. His mind had been more of an animal than a man back then.

Actually, the comparison probably was with a child. It had taken Liam much more to mature into a man.

’But even if I had known ...,’ Liam considered.

Liam liked Lucy, but he had never thought about her in that way. He had never thought of anyone but Melissa in that way.

Melissa was special to the point that Liam’s own cluelessness had been powerless against her. If that wasn’t a sign, Liam wouldn’t know what was.

And, unknowingly to Liam, Grace never entered that reasoning. It was strange, but he couldn’t consider something he didn’t notice.

The isolation didn’t last throughout the night. Dawn was still far away when Liam’s perception updated him on something and made him store the pipe.

Soon, a familiar figure reached the red street below but decided to climb to the roof instead of entering the brothel, performing a polite bow as soon as she reached Liam.

"Master William, you have arrived," Isabel greeted. "May I join you?"

Liam had to admit that he did a double-take. The realizations about what the women in his life had been up to made him hesitate toward Isabel’s request, but the feeling was short-lived.

"Sure," Liam agreed, and Isabel sat down, summoning a jug of wine and two cups before filling both.

"If I may ask," Isabel said, offering a cup to Liam, "Were you unsatisfied with this establishment’s courtesans? It’s my understanding that Young Master has good taste."

"They ...," Liam sighed. "They just weren’t her."

In hindsight, Melissa had accomplished the impossible. She had won against such deep stupidity in a way that Liam could only see as perfect. All her methods had stemmed from a profound understanding of how Liam was before he could even realize that himself.

’I made things so hard for her,’ Liam realized, ’And I left her anyway.’

Isabel threw a look at Liam, hiding how pleased she was by that reply behind her cup, but also completely misunderstanding it.

"I wish Young Master experiences the same love one day," Isabel admitted. "Chief Grace is beautiful, isn’t she? I’m glad she has such a devoted partner."

"She is," Liam honestly replied. "I’m lucky to have her."

Liam didn’t think much about why Isabel had mentioned Grace. His mind was just too heavy that night. The comment about Lancelot clicked, but only because it involved the ancestral bloodlines.

"Senior, you care about Senior Lancelot, don’t you?" Liam asked.

"Please, Master William, just Isabel," Isabel reassured. "We are asking much from you. It would be disrespectful to require formalities."

Liam nodded under the hood, while Isabel adjusted her sitting position, crossing her legs while staring at the starry sky.

"Young Master is a true genius," Isabel exclaimed. "He is the future of the Secret Jade Sect. I may take liberties to manage him, but it is a great honor to accompany him in his journey."

With the Qi expressing more of a core’s nature at the higher stages, Liam couldn’t even fathom what Lancelot would be able to do if he overcame his bottleneck. His fire almost resembled spells already in the end.

’And I should be even stronger,’ Liam considered, recalling how he had almost hurt Grace in the carriage. Despite the scare, his Qi seemed to have mimicked a weaker but proper version of the Poisonous Breath.

"He might sound and act eccentric," Isabel continued, "But many of those shortcomings are from Ancestral Phoenix’s lineage. Aside from those, he is a loyal companion, both to the Sect and his allies."

Isabel took a small sip before adding something. "I hope you’ll give him a chance to earn your trust. Few are more deserving than he in the cultivation world."

The praise hid something that Liam couldn’t fail to smell, not now that his mindset had broadened so much.

"What are you asking me to do?" Liam questioned.

"Master William, have you been introduced to our teammates?" Isabel answered with a question.

"I have," Liam confirmed.

"Fellow Daoist Robert is a true lone cultivator," Isabel stated. "Capable, incredibly so despite his status, but alone in his mind."

"Fellow Daoist Julian is cryptic," Isabel continued. "I won’t judge someone on a past I don’t know, but I won’t trust him, either."

"You want an ally," Liam declared.

"I know Young Master has angered you in the tournament," Isabel commented, "But Master William, you are a decent man. That’s more than I can work with compared to our other companions."

"Do you expect problems?" Liam wondered.

"I don’t know," Isabel admitted. "I’m merely doing what I can to ensure the Young Master’s safety. With you, it would be three against two instead of two against three."

Protection was something Liam understood very well. It was one of the core pillars of his entire being, and Isabel’s concerns weren’t too unreasonable.

Liam, Robert, and Julian were unaffiliated cultivators, while Lancelot and Isabel had a Sect near the Inner Circles as a backer. They had enough wealth to finance that whole mission, and Liam had even obtained part of it already.

If the inheritance proved too difficult, or even if the team ended up claiming it, Lancelot and Isabel could become an additional source of profit, which the numerical advantage would make obtaining easier.

Betrayals were common. Liam knew that well, too.

"I don’t like tricks," Liam announced. "I won’t try to pull any against Senior Lancelot."

Besides, Liam had been angry, but if he had truly wanted to kill Lancelot, he would have done it in their battle, uncaring of the interruption.

As much as Liam cared for his Master’s cloaks, he had still been the one to join a battle wearing them. He had merely snapped temporarily due to the Hatred he had inherited, the very Hatred he had to learn to use to complete the second layer of Qi mastery.

"Danger and wealth change minds," Isabel pointed out.

"Not mine," Liam declared, placing the cup down and standing up, looking at Isabel. "Senior Lancelot said you were purchasing the ingredients for products I had to concoct."

"I have them with me," Isabel confirmed. "Master William, we booked a room that should suit your needs. Do you wish to start immediately?"

"Yes," Liam responded. The night had been full of too many thoughts already, souring his mood in ways he had just learned were possible, and he wanted alchemy to take over them all.