Settling Down

Passing through the enormous archway, Chen Xuan and the others finally stepped into Green Mountain City. Yet none of the prosperity they had imagined appeared before them; even the flow of people within the city was sparse.

Low buildings surrounded them, and one glance was enough to leave anyone disappointed.

But Chen Er Shan, Zhang Chunhua, and Xiao Shitou were clearly not included among them.

"So many people!"

Chen Er Shan muttered to himself, as though he had forgotten everything that had happened before.

"People, so many people!"

Xiao Shitou bounced happily on the donkey cart as well.

Zhang Chunhua looked around at everything with even greater curiosity.

To the three of them, Green Mountain City was undoubtedly unfamiliar.

Not to mention Zhang Chunhua had never been here; even Chen Er Shan had never come before.

Everything here felt novel to them.

"Er Gou, where are we going next?"

After a moment, Zhang Chunhua looked nervously at her son and asked in a quiet voice.

"We'll go to the brokerage first."

"First, we'll find somewhere to live."

Chen Xuan spoke softly.

His gaze rested on lines of text before his eyes.

Since he had planned to head to Green Mountain City, Chen Xuan had naturally used the system to simulate everything about entering the city long ago.

He had even considered how every step should proceed, all to prepare for any eventuality. Thinking of this, he subconsciously touched the two bundles he carried.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Zhang Chunhua nodded. Though her expression was somewhat puzzled, she did not ask further.

Led by Chen Xuan, the family soon arrived at a certain place.

"We're here. Mother, Second Uncle, wait here for me. I'll go find us somewhere to live first."

After reminding his second uncle and mother, Chen Xuan set down the flatbed cart and walked toward the place ahead.

"Get lost, get lost!"

"This is a brokerage, not a charity shed!"

Chen Xuan's actions quickly caught the attention of the attendant at the entrance. Before Chen Xuan could even step inside, one attendant spoke impatiently.

"Um, I want to rent a two-courtyard residence in the west of the city. Do you have anything suitable?"

Faced with the attendant's attempt to drive him away, Chen Xuan did not mind and directly stated his purpose.

A brokerage was a commercial firm or middleman that brought buyers and sellers together in the market, introduced transactions, and took commissions.

In this world, brokerages handled nearly every form of intermediary business, and they were the only intermediaries. Green Mountain City required all home sales to go through brokerages, and rentals were the same.

"A two-courtyard residence?"

The attendant froze for a moment, then looked at Chen Xuan with disdain.

But before his contempt could spread, Chen Xuan merely opened his bundle slightly.

The attendant's expression instantly changed.

"Hahaha, sir, I was only joking. P-please come in!"

The attendant's face immediately turned fawning as he hurriedly led Chen Xuan inside.

Chen Xuan smiled and followed the attendant into the room, where tea was served to him.

A moment later, a middle-aged man entered with a smile.

"Young master, my surname is Du. I heard you wanted a two-courtyard residence. What area are you looking for, and do you have any requirements regarding the price?"

The middle-aged man spoke with a genial smile, while his peripheral vision could not help but inspect Chen Xuan's bundle.

"As long as it's quiet. As for silver, Boss Du, do you think this will be enough?"

Looking at the man before him, Chen Xuan spoke slowly as the money in his arms was revealed at the same time.

This was the money Chen Xuan had taken from Chen San Ye's home: gleaming silver, thirty ingots of ten taels each, along with some loose silver, amounting to no less than four hundred taels in total.

This was all of Chen San Ye's family wealth.

Over the years, he had surely earned more than this, but supporting a son in martial arts training consumed a truly terrifying amount. If Chen San Ye's eldest son had not also been engaged in a business without capital, he would likely have been drained dry long ago and unable to afford it.

The fact that so much had remained might even have been because of Chen Xuan.

"With four hundred taels, young master must be planning to buy. There is a place, though the location may be somewhat remote. Still, that happens to fit young master's request for quiet."

The man was somewhat surprised, but after pondering for a moment, he replied.

"Oh? Then can we go take a look?"

Chen Xuan nodded and asked.

"Of course!"

"If it is convenient for you, young master, we can go have a look right now!"

The man nodded.

The two soon walked out of the room.

Led by the middle-aged man, the group headed toward the west of the city.

Green Mountain City was not divided into an Inner City and an Outer City, but into east and west.

East of the City was similar to the Inner City. Its living conditions and public safety were undoubtedly far better, while the west was essentially the Outer City—far more chaotic and impoverished by comparison.

Given Chen Xuan's current circumstances, it was naturally difficult for him to live in East of the City.

Even after obtaining Chen San Ye's and Clear Wind Stronghold's wealth, that little money would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean if scattered across all of Green Mountain City.

Though he still had his Conceptual Ability.

After considering it, Chen Xuan had still given up on it.

The Conceptual Ability might be able to accomplish it, but rice had to be eaten one bite at a time, and roads had to be walked one step at a time.

Taking too big a stride could tear one's balls.

Of course, the main reason was that his next target of action lay in the west of the city.

For quite some time to come, he would likely be staying at Overlord Blade Martial Hall. The closer the place where he settled his mother and younger brother was, the better.

Naturally, no one else knew any of this.

Not even the middle-aged man knew that everything Chen Xuan said had been prepared in advance.

Before he had even seen the house, Chen Xuan already knew where it was and what it roughly looked like.

The system's power was no joke.

So when the middle-aged man brought them to the courtyard and was about to launch into an endless stream of words, Chen Xuan directly interrupted him.

"I'll take this one. How much silver will it cost to buy?"

Chen Xuan asked with a smile, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man.

"Y-you've decided?"

The middle-aged man was a little stunned. For a moment, he failed to react and instinctively asked in return.

The house before them was indeed decent, but its location was truly somewhat remote. He had been thinking about how to persuade Chen Xuan, yet he had not expected him to agree immediately.

"Yes, this place is fine. How much silver?"

Chen Xuan smiled as he confirmed his words once more.

"Four hundred and fifty taels, four hundred and fifty taels!"

The middle-aged man answered instinctively.

"Four hundred and fifty taels?"

"Then it's settled. Handle the relevant deeds for me as well and send them over!"

Chen Xuan nodded, then took another twenty taels from his clothes and handed them to the middle-aged man together with the previous sum.

"G-good!"

The middle-aged man accepted it blankly.

He answered without thinking.

Only after the money was in his hands did the middle-aged man come back to himself.

"Y-you really want it?"

He asked instinctively, somewhat dazed. Since entering the brokerage business, this was the easiest deal he had ever handled.