A Grand Mansion!

For the entire day, Fang Chen diligently practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist.

[Tiger Subduing Fist Proficiency +2]!

[Tiger Subduing Fist Proficiency +2]!

His proficiency steadily increased.

With the elixir, each practice of the Tiger Subduing Fist now added two points to his proficiency, making it much faster than before.

Fang Chen didn't slack off at all, still treating every practice session with focus and seriousness.

After each practice, he would do his best to digest the insights that emerged in his mind, striving to do better next time.

During this time, Fang Chen gave Luo Shuiling some pointers once, earning ten taels of silver.

He left earlier than usual today.

His fellow disciples were somewhat surprised, as Fang Chen usually stayed very late.

Fang Chen didn't offer much explanation.

He planned to go look at a house today.

He had previously contacted a real estate agent to help him find a suitable house, waiting until he had enough money to buy one.

He had originally thought he would need to save for a while to afford it.

He hadn't expected that killing Lu Jie yesterday would directly bring him over four hundred taels of silver.

Coupled with the one hundred taels in banknotes Wang Yanshan lost, He now had over five hundred taels of silver!

Enough to buy a nice and comfortable large house!

A while later, Fang Chen, following the real estate agent Old Zhang, stopped in front of a house with blue bricks and gray tiles.

The gatehouse was simple, exuding a sense of stability.

Old Zhang skillfully unlocked the door and pushed it open:

"Master Fang, take a look! A courtyard house, the main house has three bright rooms, and the east and west side rooms each have two. It's enough to live in! The best part is the backyard—"

He led Fang Chen through the courtyard and pushed open the back door.

The view suddenly opened up.

A courtyard nearly twice as wide as the front courtyard came into view!

The ground was flat, packed yellow earth, with a few jujube trees in the corners. The surrounding walls were high and thick, clearly reinforced.

"Look!"

Old Zhang pointed to the backyard, "The previous resident was an old fist master. He just wanted a yard big and private enough to practice his fist techniques and blade work without anyone outside seeing!"

"If you want to practice martial arts, this is absolutely perfect! Pave it with flagstones, and it'll be a ready-made training ground!"

Fang Chen's gaze swept across the open courtyard, and he was satisfied.

This size was enough for him to practice the Whirlwind Blade Technique!

He said calmly, "Let's go inside and take a look."

Old Zhang quickly agreed and led him for a detailed inspection.

The main house had three rooms: the hall was square, the east room was suitable for his father, and the west room was bright. Fang Chen planned to live here.

The two rooms in the west side wing would be for his sister, Fang Ting. The east side wing could be used for storage or as a spare.

The house had some age, but the beams and pillars were solid, the tiles were intact, the windows were secure, and the doors and windows were heavy.

A well was in the corner of the courtyard; the water was still quite clear.

"Price," Fang Chen said concisely.

Old Zhang rubbed his hands and smiled:

"Master Fang is straightforward! This house has a good location, and the yard is large and practical! The original owner asked for two hundred and eighty taels! I'll knock some off for you, two hundred and sixty taels! Including the transfer of ownership!"

Fang Chen calculated in his mind, his expression calm:

"Two hundred and twenty taels. The agent's fee and deed tax will be paid separately. We'll sign the deed today."

"Oh, Master Fang!"

Old Zhang's face contorted into a grimace, as if Fang Chen's offer would cause him a great loss.

"This price is too good... Can you add a little? Two hundred and fifty taels?"

Fang Chen didn't speak, and touched the waist token of the Three Rivers Gang steward at his waist.

Old Zhang squinted at the waist token, swallowed, and was secretly surprised, "When did he become a Three Rivers Gang steward?!"

Old Zhang pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Fine! I'll be Master Fang's friend! Two hundred and twenty taels! I'll get the deed now!"

He then trotted off.

Fang Chen stood alone in the hall.

Sunlight streamed through the lattice windows.

Finally, he had a truly stable home.

Because he had revealed his identity as a Three Rivers Gang steward, signing the deed was very smooth.

However, it took some time.

When Fang Chen returned home, Father Fang and Fang Ting were already eating dinner.

They were both puzzled as to why Fang Chen was back so late today.

Fang Chen smiled at them and said, "I bought a big house. We'll move tomorrow."

Father Fang's eyes widened upon hearing this, feeling a sense of disbelief.

Fang Ting, standing beside him, looked even more surprised. She asked uncertainly, "A Chen, you said you bought a big house, right?"

Under their astonished gazes, Fang Chen nodded.

Seeing their disbelieving eyes, Fang Chen smiled.

He took out the deed from his embrace and handed it to them to see.

This time, the two finally believed him completely!

It wasn't that they didn't believe Fang Chen's words, It was just that such a thing felt too dreamlike for them!

Father Fang and Fang Ting looked around at their dilapidated old house, And felt a sense of emotion for no reason.

Fang Chen hadn't been practicing martial arts for long, yet so many changes had come to their family.

Their lives were improving at a speed they could hardly believe.

Thanks to Fang Chen, they had both become managers, their status much improved from before.

And tomorrow they would be moving into a large house, which filled them with joy.

Inside the small room, The dim lamplight couldn't hide the smiles on their faces.

The next day, The new house.

Father Fang's rough hands stroked the solid door frame, the cool well platform, Finally stopping at the spacious backyard.

He looked at the flat Kitsuchi, his lips trembling, his voice tight:

"A Chen... this house... this yard... how much silver did it cost? Our family..."

He habitually reached for the old cloth bag on his waist where he kept loose change, but his hand stopped in mid-air.

Sister Fang Ting's eyes sparkled:

"Dad! Look how bright this west wing is! A Chen, the backyard is so big, you can practice martial arts to your heart's content!"

She had already begun to imagine planting some easy-to-grow vegetables along the wall.

Fang Chen looked at the complex emotions in his father's eyes – a mixture of joy, unease, and disbelief.

He looked at the long-lost relaxed smile on his sister's face.

Fang Chen felt a sense of peace in his heart.

He walked to his father's side and patted the thick courtyard wall:

"Dad, Sis, from now on, this is our home."

The matter of moving house was handled by Fang Chen, who had Li Hu and the others help out.

The new residence wasn't too far from their old home, just in a safer, more bustling area. It was also currently within the territory he managed. This meant he could have Li Hu and the others help keep an eye on his family day-to-day, preventing any troublemaking ruffians or local thugs from causing issues.

He had to admit, with his status and position elevated, some minor matters became much simpler.

It was just the silver…

Fang Chen felt that silver really didn't last long. Buying such a large house had cost him so much money. Although the house was indeed good and worth the price, Fang Chen, perhaps having been poor for too long, felt a pang of inexplicable heartache seeing so much silver disappear at once.

"Kill and set fires, get a golden belt" – money certainly came fast that way. But it wasn't something that happened all the time. Currently, he held a position in the Three Rivers Gang, earning twenty taels a month. Coaching the wealthy Luo Shuiling brought in ten taels per session. It was better to deal with the wealthy…

Fang Chen shook his head and thought to himself, "Ultimately, this isn't stable. I still want to buy inner lining soft armor, hidden weapons, and poisons… there are still many places that require money."

"I need to find a side business."

"Junior Brother Zhou said he would help me find an escort agency; I wonder if he's found one yet."

After handing over the moving arrangements to Li Hu and the others, Fang Chen returned to the martial arts school.

At the martial arts school, Zhou Hai saw Fang Chen arrive and immediately stopped what he was doing. He smiled and asked, "Senior Brother, you're buying a house, why didn't you ask me to help?"

Fang Chen smiled and shook his head. "I already asked you to help me find an escort agency before. Such a small matter as buying a house, how could I bother you again?"

Zhou Hai laughed heartily. "I was just about to tell you about the escort agency matter!"

"The Tian Yuan Escort Agency is currently in need of escorts. I recommended you to them, and they agreed not long after."

"Senior Brother, you should find some time to meet with their escort leader and see when they need someone to escort a shipment!"