Renting a House

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

However, after a day of traveling, being exposed to the cold, and his recent cultivation, Lu Ming was already exhausted.

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

Instead, he slept exceptionally soundly.

The next day, Lu Ming woke up naturally. After stretching, he quickly circulated the qi within his body, confirming it was still there, which finally put his mind at ease.

The wisp of Inner Qi in his body was still very weak, offering 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. Without paying attention to the innkeeper's strange expression, he quickly walked out.

He was going to rent a place.

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

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

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

He knew this because the owner was a waiter at a famous restaurant in the city. When the original owner was begging at the restaurant's entrance, he had overheard the waiter complaining to his companions.

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

He reached the bank of the small river and coincidentally bumped into the person he was looking for – a young man carrying a travel bag, 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 fists and quickly said, "I want to rent a place. I was wondering if there's anything available for rent around here."

He pointed across the river.

"Rent a place?"

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 why Lu Ming would come to this area 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 spent most of my 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 lucky. 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 steps, they soon crossed a log bridge and arrived on the other side of the river.

The road here was very rough and overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that few people walked here.

"Only two families live here, myself and Old Man Zhao. I'm usually staying at the restaurant and rarely come back," the young man explained as they walked. In a blink, they arrived at a courtyard with a fence. Inside, an old man with white hair and beard was lying on a lounge chair, basking in the sun.

Perhaps sensing their footsteps, the old man opened his eyes and looked over. He asked gruffly, "Young Man Li, why are you back so soon after leaving? Who is that you've brought with you?"

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

Lu Ming cupped his fists towards the elder upon hearing this. "Greetings, elder."

"Mm."

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

The man chuckled awkwardly and replied indignantly, "Come on, Old Man Zhao, don't talk nonsense. My house, although a bit run-down..."

Before he could finish, the old man waved him away. "Alright, alright, hurry up and go. Don't disturb my sunbathing."

The young man snorted and quickly moved forward.

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

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

"This is it."

Seeing the weed-filled yard, the young man also felt a bit awkward and explained:

"Don't mind that it looks a bit run-down, but the kitchen appliances and everything are all there, so you won't need to buy anything new. Also, there's a small grove behind it; you can pick firewood there for your daily needs, so you won't need to buy that either."

Lu Ming followed the direction indicated and indeed saw a grove made up of more than a dozen trees. Passing through the grove led to the city wall.

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

It was just too close to the tall city wall, and being looked down upon from above, the courtyard was completely exposed, lacking privacy, which was why no one had been interested in it for so long.

"I wonder how much Big Brother Li is renting it for?"

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

"This..."

The man couldn't decide for a moment. 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 already very fair.

After all, this was a world of martial arts, and it was not difficult for martial artists to earn money. Hunting a Demonic Beast casually could earn a lot.

They might lack money, but they only lacked large sums; they didn't lack small amounts.

They would casually throw around thousands of taels.

This led to extremely distorted prices.

Being able to rent a house, even a small courtyard, for six copper coins a month was indeed quite cheap.

However, he still pleaded, "Big Brother Li, you see, this little brother isn't very well-off. Can you make it a bit cheaper? I'll rent it for a year upfront."

"Rent for a year?"

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

"Forget it, forget it. I was planning to give this place up anyway. Let's just consider it a good deed. Five copper coins a month for you."

"Thank you, Big Brother Li."

Lu Ming was delighted and quickly thanked him. Then, he signed the contract with the man. Since Lu Ming was illiterate, he only left 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 in front of him and exhaled a breath of white mist with some emotion.

Without delay, he began cleaning the house.

Time flew by until noon. After more than half the 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 rusty pot, clearly unused for a long time.

"Forget it, I'll go buy some things first."

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

Without thinking too much, he quickly walked towards the single-plank 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 rough cloth clothes for changing.

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 by Old Man Zhao's yard again, there was still no sign of anyone. However, he did see cooking smoke rising. He didn't disturb him and went straight back to his own home.

After putting his things away, Lu Ming changed into the newly bought rough cloth clothes, then 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 used to be shared by the entire village and was the main water source.

As for the ditch, he also heard that there was a brothel upstream, and the women there often dumped dirty things into it, so he advised him not to use it.

Lu Ming naturally obeyed. He carried the wooden bucket to the well. This spot was actually closer to Old Man Zhao's courtyard, and the old man himself was 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 wooden bucket into the well. Hearing the voice, he looked up at Lu Ming and asked, "Did you rent the house? 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 fell back on Lu Ming, "By the way, I saw you wearing clothes of pretty good material earlier. Why did you change into this outfit all of a sudden?"

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

"So that's how it is. No wonder you chose to rent this run-down place."

Old Man Zhao didn't ask any more questions and prepared to fetch water.

Seeing his white beard, Lu Ming instinctively took a step forward and said, "Uncle Zhao, let me help you."

"You?"

Old Man Zhao paused in surprise, then shook his head with a chuckle, "No need. With your scrawny body, you probably weigh less than a bucket of water. I'd have to fish you out of the well later."

Lu Ming realized this too and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Watch this. 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 easily lifted the full wooden bucket of water out of the well with one hand.

Before it could even fall, it was caught by his other hand.

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

It didn't even sway.

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