At Tang Xiadan's request, the three founders offered a gentle bow in his direction. Meng Song and Han Bai offered Yang Qing a parting apology along with a few words of gratitude and the promise to see him later. Fan Jie, surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly given his mercurial nature, thanked Yang Qing for the Silver Ice Tear Guava before he left. What was surprising wasn't the gratitude itself but the politeness with which he offered it before excusing himself. He looked quite genuine.
Though surprised and secretly counting it as a small win, Yang Qing didn't let it go to his head. After all, there was every likelihood it hadn't been genuine at all. While Yang Qing believed himself skilled at telling something authentic from something born out of affectation, he wasn't one to overestimate his own abilities. Fan Jie was an old viper with years on him when it came to masking his true thoughts beneath a veneer of friendliness.
