Renting a House

The inn's soundproofing wasn't great; the walls were practically nonexistent.

However, after a day of traveling, enduring the cold, and cultivating, Lu Ming was already exhausted.

So, the creaking sounds and ghostly wails didn't affect him.

Instead, he slept exceptionally soundly.

The next day, Lu Ming woke up naturally. After stretching, he quickly circulated his internal energy, confirming it was still there, which put his mind at ease.

The wisp of internal energy within him was still very weak, providing almost no enhancement.

Therefore, he was still an ordinary person.

But there was no rush; he had already made a start.

He walked to the window and glanced at the sun. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurried to check out. Ignoring the innkeeper's strange look, he quickly walked out.

He was going to rent a place.

In the eastern corner of the city, near the city walls, there was a small, dilapidated area separated by a small river.

It was originally a village, but due to the city's construction, it became unsuitable for living and gradually fell into disrepair, until now only a few dilapidated houses remained.

Lu Ming came here immediately after leaving the inn. If the original owner's memory was correct, there was a family here who desperately wanted to sell their house but couldn't due to the poor conditions.

He knew this because the owner was a worker at a well-known restaurant in the city. The original owner had overheard him complaining to his companions while begging at the restaurant's entrance.

Now, Lu Ming could only hope the house hadn't been sold yet.

He arrived at the bank of the small river and happened to run into the person he was looking for – a young man carrying a bundle, seemingly about to leave.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Brother, please wait."

"Do you need something?"

Startled by the sudden stop, the young man jumped.

Lu Ming cupped his hands and quickly said, "I want to rent a house. Do you know if there's anything available for rent around here?"

He pointed across the river.

"Rent a house?"

The young man looked Lu Ming up and down upon hearing this. Seeing that Lu Ming's clothes were of good quality, he was puzzled as to why he would come to such a place to rent.

Lu Ming could naturally see the man's confusion and explained:

"My family has fallen on hard times. I came here with a merchant caravan and plan to settle down, but I've almost run out of money."

As he said this, he showed a look of embarrassment at just the right moment.

"I see."

The young man seemed to accept the explanation. "Then you're in luck. I happen to have a house to rent. Follow me."

With that, he turned and led the way.

Lu Ming quickly followed.

Following the man's footsteps, they soon crossed a wooden bridge and reached the other side of the river.

The road here was very broken, overgrown with weeds, and clearly rarely traveled.

"There are only two families living here: myself and Old Man Zhao. I mostly stay at the restaurant and rarely come back," the young man explained as they walked. In a blink of an eye, they arrived at a fence-lined courtyard. Inside, an old man with white hair and beard was lying on a lounge chair, basking in the sun.

Perhaps hearing footsteps, the old man opened his eyes and looked over, asking gruffly, "Young Man Li, why are you back so soon after leaving? Who's that you've brought with you?"

"Someone looking to rent a place," the young man replied casually, pointing to the old man for Lu Ming's benefit. "This is Old Man Zhao."

Lu Ming cupped his hands towards the elder upon hearing this. "Greetings, old sir."

"En," Old Man Zhao nodded at Lu Ming, acknowledging the greeting. Then he said to the man named Li, "Your house hasn't been lived in for a long time and is falling apart. Don't cheat the person."

The young man gave an awkward smile and retorted, "Come on, Old Man Zhao, don't talk nonsense. My house might be a little run-down..."

However, before he could finish, the old man waved him away. "Alright, alright, hurry up and go. Don't disturb this old man's sunbathing."

The young man snorted and strode forward.

Lu Ming cupped his hands towards the old man again, thanking him for his good intentions, and then quickly followed.

After a dozen steps, they arrived at another small fenced courtyard. As Old Man Zhao had said, it was very dilapidated, and the courtyard was even overgrown with weeds.

"This is it."

Seeing the courtyard full of weeds, the young man also looked a bit embarrassed and explained:

"Don't mind that it's a bit run-down. The kitchen appliances and such are all complete, so you won't need to buy them. Also, there's a small grove behind it where you can pick firewood for burning, so you won't need to buy that either."

Lu Ming followed the direction indicated and indeed saw a grove of over a dozen trees. Passing through the woods led to the city walls.

Actually, the location was quite good, with water in front and woods behind, making it very secluded.

However, it was too close to the tall city walls, and from above, the courtyard was completely visible, lacking privacy, which was why no one had been interested in it.

"How much do you rent it out for, Brother Li?"

Lu Ming took a general look and was quite satisfied. In fact, if it weren't for the rule against private construction within the city, he would have wanted to build his own house in the woods.

"This..."

The man was momentarily unsure. After some thought, he said:

"How about six copper coins a month?"

"Six copper coins?" Lu Ming compared it to his memory and knew that the price offered was very fair.

After all, this was a world of martial arts, where martial artists could earn money with ease. Hunting a single demonic beast could fetch a considerable sum.

They might lack large sums of money, but they wouldn't lack small amounts.

They would casually spend thousands of taels.

This led to a very distorted price structure.

Now, being able to rent a house, a small courtyard at that, for six copper coins a month was indeed very cheap.

However, he still pleaded, "Brother Li, you know I'm not very wealthy. Could you make it a little less? I'll rent it for a year first."

"Rent for a year?"

The man frowned upon hearing this, but he didn't outright refuse. Then, he waved his hand and said:

"Forget it, forget it. I was planning to give up on this place anyway. Consider it a good deed. Five copper coins a month for you."

"Thank you, Brother Li."

Lu Ming rejoiced and quickly thanked him. Then, they signed a document, and since Lu Ming was illiterate, he merely pressed his thumbprint.

The transaction was complete.

"Now, I finally have a home."

After seeing the man off, Lu Ming looked at the small courtyard with its fence and let out a breath of white mist with some emotion.

Without delay, he began cleaning the house.

Time flew to noon. After more than half a morning of cleaning, the courtyard was finally presentable.

Now, Lu Ming was not only exhausted but also starving.

He went to the kitchen, which he hadn't started cleaning yet, and found it covered in cobwebs, with a rusted pot. It was clear the stove hadn't been used in a long time.

"Never mind, I'll go buy some things first."

Lu Ming washed his face and, with his remaining three taels and seven copper coins, walked out of the courtyard. As he passed Old Man Zhao's house, he noticed the lounge chair was empty and the person was nowhere to be seen.

Without thinking much of it, he quickly walked towards the log bridge.

It wasn't until about half an hour later that Lu Ming returned, laden with bags. He had bought a bag of ordinary white rice and some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

He also bought a few sets of spare coarse cloth clothes.

His money had decreased by another one tael, two copper coins, and three fen.

However, this bag of white rice would be enough for him to eat for over a month.

Passing Old Man Zhao's courtyard again, there was still no sign of anyone. However, he did see cooking smoke rising. Without disturbing him, he went straight back to his own home.

After putting away his purchases, Lu Ming changed into the newly bought coarse cloth clothes. Then, he picked up a wooden bucket, intending to fetch more water to clean the kitchen.

The well was behind the courtyard. According to the man surnamed Li, this well was formerly shared by the entire village and was the main water source.

As for the ditch, he also heard from him that there was a brothel upstream, and the women there often dumped foul things into it, so he should avoid using it.

Lu Ming naturally complied. Carrying the wooden bucket, he arrived at the well. This spot was actually closer to Old Man Zhao's courtyard, and the old man himself was also drawing water.

"Old Uncle Zhao."

Lu Ming greeted him.

"It's you, little brat. I almost didn't recognize you with your new clothes."

Old Man Zhao was lowering the rope with the bucket into the well. Hearing the greeting, he looked up at Lu Ming and asked, "Did you rent a place? How much did it cost?"

"I rented it. Five copper coins a month."

Lu Ming replied as he walked closer.

"Young Man Li was quite decent."

Old Man Zhao nodded, then his gaze shifted back, "By the way, I saw you wearing nice clothes earlier. Why did you change into these?"

Lu Ming continued his previous explanation, "My family has fallen on hard times. I'll save where I can from now on."

"Is that so? No wonder you chose to rent this rundown place."

Old Man Zhao didn't ask any further questions and prepared to draw his water.

Lu Ming saw his graying beard and instinctively took a step forward. "Uncle Zhao, how about I help you?"

"You?"

Old Man Zhao paused, surprised, then smiled and shook his head. "No need. With your scrawny body, you probably weigh less than a bucket of water. I'd have to pull you out of the well later."

Lu Ming realized this too and chuckled awkwardly.

"Watch closely. Don't let my old bones fool you, I still have strength."

Old Man Zhao spoke again, and to Lu Ming's stunned amazement, he lifted the full wooden bucket of water out of the well with one hand.

Before it could even fall, he caught it with his other hand.

Even more incredible, not a single drop spilled during the entire process.

It didn't even sway.

"What are you gawking at? Go get your bucket."