The House Deed

At the other man's words, Lu Wanyuan's heart surged with excitement. He hadn't expected to find such a perfect place.

It was an entire estate, about twenty mu in size. A wall surrounded it, and there was a Spirit Field in the back courtyard, along with flower beds, a pond, and a Rain Pavilion out front.

And a place like this cost only 3,500 Spirit Stones.

He didn't know much about property prices in the area, but if he could own such a large estate in the market for around 3,000 Spirit Stones, it seemed like a good deal.

If Chu Tianxing had offered him this price before, it would have been astronomical. Back then, he couldn't even scrape together a hundred Spirit Stones. For the sake of his safety, he had barely managed to rent a tiny room in the market—and it was only a single room.

There was no helping it. He was poor and had no money; he couldn't afford any more Spirit Stones. For a penniless rogue cultivator like him, just having a place to sleep in the market was already good enough.

But now, he had 3,054 Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag. He had originally earned 3,450 Spirit Stones from selling five mu of Yellow Bud Wheat Spirit Grass, but he had spent some of it, mostly on Silver Moon Spirit Carp, which had cost him 500 Spirit Stones.

When he bought them, he'd thought he wouldn't need to spend a large number of Spirit Stones again. After all, in a few months, the Yellow Bud Wheat Spirit Grass would be ready for another harvest.

But now, this opportunity had fallen right into his lap.

Yet a mere few hundred Spirit Stones stood between him and the estate, leaving him in a bind. He thought of every possible solution, but couldn't find a way to make up the difference.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, you surely know my situation. I haven't been in Yangmei Market for long, but I really like this house. I've only been here a little over a month, yet I've spent most of that time here and at my rented place. I've grown quite attached to it."

"Now that you've given me this opportunity, I couldn't ask for more. It's just that I can't possibly come up with that many Spirit Stones right now. 3,500 is a lot for me. If I could pay in installments, I could accept that. At the very least, if I worked hard, I could repay you within a few years."

Lu Wanyuan immediately played the sympathy card, hoping Chu Tianxing would lower the price a little.

"Mm!"

Chu Tianxing knew his circumstances. He had originally wanted Lu Wanyuan to come and look after the estate, since it had fallen into such disrepair. But then his Lineage's affairs kept him from returning, so he decided to sell it. He hadn't wanted to come in person; he had planned to entrust the matter to someone else.

But this estate held many childhood memories for him. So this time, he had taken the time to come back and revisit those scenes. They were still vivid in his mind, stirring deep emotions—especially seeing the once-dilapidated estate full of life again, with Spirit Fish swimming in the old pond.

He remembered how he and his clansmen used to toss feed to the Spirit Fish from the Rain Pavilion. Those joyful, festive scenes came flooding back.

After a moment's silence, Chu Tianxing said, "Your proposal could work, but if you pay in installments, the price certainly won't be the same. I offered that price because I saw how sincerely you'd cared for this estate."

"Given that, I'll give you one more chance. If you can pay 3,000 Spirit Stones all at once, I'll hand you the Deed now. Otherwise, I'll give the house deed to the Market Management Office and have them sell the property for me. What do you say?"

As he spoke, Chu Tianxing fixed his eyes on Lu Wanyuan.

Seeing the other man's troubled expression, he wondered if he'd set the price too high after all. For a penniless rogue cultivator to come up with 3,000 Spirit Stones would be incredibly difficult. Of course, that would be different if Lu Wanyuan had some backing. But judging by his Cultivation Realm, if he had connections, he wouldn't be working as a gardener in the estate's back courtyard.

"All right! Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Chu. I'll get the Spirit Stones for you right now!"

At those words, Lu Wanyuan was overjoyed and immediately took out 3,000 Spirit Stones and handed them over.

He had to strike while the iron was hot and make sure Chu Tianxing didn't change his mind.

Looking at the pile of Spirit Stones, their spiritual energy swirling around them, Chu Tianxing was stunned. He hadn't expected the young man to actually have 3,000 Spirit Stones.

As Lu Wanyuan handed them over, Chu Tianxing took them without thinking and put them in his Storage Bag. Then, with a thought, he took out a black sandalwood box. He opened it, pulled out a Deed made of beast hide, and handed it over with some reluctance.

"This is the Deed to the estate. I'm giving it to you now. I hope you'll take good care of the place. You can take the Deed to the Ancient Management Office and have the ownership transferred."

"I will, Fellow Daoist Chu. I promise I'll take good care of it. Thank you for letting me have a home in this market!"

Lu Wanyuan looked at him and spoke with heartfelt emotion. He could hardly believe it: he really owned a home in Yangmei Market!

It felt like a dream. He thought of the rogue cultivators who had built their own shacks outside the market. With the surrounding area so dangerous, they lived in constant fear. He had once expected to live just like them.

Fortunately, he'd gritted his teeth and found a room in a secluded part of the market. That had kept him and Baili Qiuyue from living in fear, letting them work and live in peace.

Only then had he gotten the chance to meet Chu Tianxing—and come into this good fortune!

He kept stroking the Deed in his hand, again and again. With it, he was no longer rootless; he had a place to stay in Yangmei Market and would never have to worry about being driven out. He believed he could make it—as long as he had hands and feet and could work.

Chu Tianxing watched Lu Wanyuan lovingly stroke the Deed again and again, as if afraid it might slip away.

"Oh, you said earlier that you wanted to learn how to raise Silver Moon Spirit Carp?"

"When raising Spirit Beasts, there are two things to consider. First, what to feed them so they can fill their bellies; second, how to improve their rank and grade."

"What do you mean by that?"

Lu Wanyuan asked, confused.

Chu Tianxing looked at him, nodded, and continued:

"First, you need to find out what the Silver Moon Spirit Carp eat to fill their bellies. In other words, you need to study their diet. Second, their current rank and grade are rather low. A high-grade Spirit Beast would be much more useful."

"The Silver Moon Spirit Carp eat Yellow Bud Wheat Spirit Grass. But if you want to raise their grade, you'll need Spirit Nurturing Pills. They can quickly purify and evolve a Spirit Beast's bloodline."

"Those pills are quite expensive, though, and not always easy to find."

Lu Wanyuan was immediately excited. He hadn't expected the Yellow Bud Wheat Spirit Grass growing in the back courtyard to have this use.

Of course, the man before him had been the one to give him the grass, so it wasn't all that surprising.

Lu Wanyuan clasped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Chu. You've saved me from a lot of pointless effort!"

"May I ask which city your Lineage is based in? If I get the chance and I'm able, I'll visit you."

"Haha, you're too kind. There's no need to mention it! Our Chu Family is based in Luozhe City, a city twenty thousand li east of Yangmei Market. Once you get to Luozhe City, you'll surely learn what our Chu Family does."

Chu Tianxing said with a smile.

"All right. If I get the chance, I'll be sure to pay you a visit, Fellow Daoist Chu!"

"Very well. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Chu Tianxing took one last look at the estate and then left.