Buying a House

When Jiang Che came over, Sun Yong smiled and said:

"Brother Jiang, where did you go to have fun?"

"Nowhere, I just... took a casual stroll." Jiang Che's gaze darted away slightly.

"Hengsha City is indeed prosperous. Next time we come, we can stay a few more days. But for now..."

Sun Yong lowered his voice. "We're carrying Black Crystals, so we should head back early, lest the night grow long and dreams multiply. What do you think, Brother Jiang?"

"That makes sense." Jiang Che nodded.

Having just killed a servant from Li Estate in self-defense, Jiang Che had no idea whether anyone would come after him. He could not wait to leave.

Once everyone had gathered, the convoy slowly set off.

Along the way, Jiang Che constantly watched his surroundings and remained alert at all times.

"It's fine. There are constables in the city, so no one would dare rob us of the Black Crystals. Besides, apart from our escort agency, no one knows you have a Black Crystal."

Seeing Jiang Che being so cautious, Sun Yong found it rather amusing.

He secretly sighed. Though this kid could kill a Stone Skin Realm Black Beast with one punch, he was still too young in the end.

"Chief Escort Sun is right..." Jiang Che smiled awkwardly.

What Sun Yong did not know was that the constables were precisely what Jiang Che feared.

Though he had been forced to fight back, he had still killed someone within the city.

Even if that man had looked strange and clearly was not a good person, the authorities did not know that.

Soon, the convoy reached the city gates.

Jiang Che secretly let out a breath of relief.

But when it was their turn, the guards suddenly stopped them.

One of the guards held a portrait and began inspecting them one by one.

Jiang Che was startled, and his heart began pounding fiercely.

How could they be this fast? It shouldn't be because of me...

Other than that servant, he was certain that no one had seen his face!

Yet when he considered all the strange things in this world, he could not be completely sure.

As the guard drew nearer and nearer, Jiang Che's heartbeat grew faster and faster.

However, when the guard passed Jiang Che, he merely gave him a brief glance before moving on.

Only then did Jiang Che breathe easy.

"May I ask who you are searching for?" Sun Yong stopped the guard and asked.

"Ah... Martial Artists have been disappearing one after another in the city lately. Someone accidentally saw the culprit and remembered this portrait.

"If you see him, please report it. Anyone who provides a clue will be rewarded fifty taels of silver by the authorities!"

The guard then showed the portrait to everyone.

The portrait depicted a middle-aged man with upturned eyes and a somewhat vicious-looking face.

"Never seen him."

Everyone shook their heads.

"Alright, you may pass!"

The guard waved a hand and let them through.

On the way back, Jiang Che secretly remained on guard against his surroundings.

But all was calm and peaceful. Nothing happened.

Because of the previous Black Beast incident, everyone's impression of Jiang Che had changed greatly, and people came up to chat with him from time to time.

Jiang Che was not good with words and could only respond with a smile.

No one minded. They thought that perhaps this was simply the bearing of an expert!

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the familiar city gates, the tension in Jiang Che's heart finally eased.

Upon arriving at the escort agency, Sun Yong immediately went to find Manager Wang.

Inside the accounting room in the rear courtyard, Manager Wang listened to Sun Yong's account while looking toward Jiang Che, his eyes full of shock.

Then Sun Yong left the accounting room and called Jiang Che over.

After Jiang Che entered, the shock in Manager Wang's eyes had already subsided. However, his attitude had become even more enthusiastic, and he could not hide the admiration in his eyes.

"Brother Jiang truly is a young hero. You killed that Stone Skin Realm Black Beast with a single punch. I am deeply impressed!"

Jiang Che scratched his head and smiled. "Manager Wang overpraises me. If Chief Escort Sun had not held it off in front, I would not have found an opportunity to strike."

Seeing that Jiang Che had not the slightest bit of arrogance, Manager Wang was even more satisfied.

After all, those who achieved success at a young age often had some pride. Yet he could not see the slightest trace of it in Jiang Che's eyes.

With his experience, he could tell that Jiang Che's humility was not an act. Deep in his bones, Jiang Che simply did not think himself all that remarkable.

Jiang Che then handed over the Black Crystal.

Manager Wang carefully accepted it and inspected it closely.

"Not bad. It is indeed a Stone Skin Realm Black Crystal!"

Manager Wang nodded as he examined it.

He then carefully placed the Black Crystal into a wooden box lined with silk and locked it securely.

Next, he opened a drawer, counted out five portions of Gold Leaf, and handed them over.

When Jiang Che took them, he discovered that Gold Leaf was not actually shaped like leaves, but like pages from a book.

It was a rectangular sheet of thick gold paper, folded over and over into something like a small booklet.

One portion of Gold Leaf was worth one hundred taels of silver. Five portions meant five hundred taels.

Jiang Che was thrilled. He finally had money!

He carefully put them away and tucked them into the inner pocket against his chest.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!"

Manager Wang took out another ten taels of silver and handed them over.

"This is your share from this escort job."

Jiang Che nodded and accepted it.

Adding the eight taels of silver he had left from before, he now had five hundred and eighteen taels of silver.

After leaving the escort agency, Jiang Che did not go home. Instead, he decided to look at houses first.

His previous house was simply too rundown, and the surrounding environment was chaotic.

There were not only Green-Eyed Monsters and gang members, but also quite a few refugees.

Though the refugees would not pose much of a personal threat, they might climb in to steal things when no one was around.

Back when his family was poor, there had not been much worth stealing.

But now, Jiang Che carried a huge sum of money, and he would often buy supplies to keep at home in the future.

After all, he could not carry all his belongings on him at all times.

What would it look like if he had a whole string of dried meat hanging from him while practicing martial arts?

Moreover, he needed a spacious place to practice his lightness skill.

The Martial Arts Hall was absolutely out of the question.

He had not even mastered the Layered Cloud Fist yet. If he dared practice martial arts from another sect at the Martial Arts Hall, would his master not expel him from the sect?

Therefore, owning a safe and reliable house with a large courtyard had become increasingly urgent.

East District, Government Front Street.

This place was not far from White Cloud Martial Hall, and because it was where the Yamen was located, public security was generally good.

A short, fat old man dressed in an indigo cotton robe was unlocking the door of a house.

A leather counting pouch hung from his waist, containing an abacus, while a ring of keys dangled beside it.

"This house fits your requirements very well. The courtyard is large, the walls are high, the doors are sturdy, and there is a Yamen and Martial Arts Hall nearby. There are not many refugees around either."

Behind the old man stood a tall young man with a well-proportioned build.

He wore a fitted white martial outfit. His black hair was tied into a high ponytail, with several loose strands falling before his forehead, lending him a somewhat unruly air.

His features were rather handsome, his eyes bright and lively, and his temperament steady.

Though he was not especially brawny, he stood straight and walked with the wind at his feet. One glance was enough to tell that he practiced martial arts.

This person was Jiang Che, who had come to buy a house.

After breaking through in Qi-Blood, and with the Exotic Beast Meat he had been eating lately, he had unknowingly grown quite a bit taller.

He was vaguely already over one meter eighty.

His features also seemed to have matured somewhat, shedding some of their childishness and gaining a touch of a young man's heroic vigor.

Once inside, the first thing he saw was a spacious courtyard. The ground was packed yellow earth, leveled smooth and flat.

There was a small pavilion in one corner, with a well beside it.

Though it was not as large as the Disciple Courtyard of White Cloud Martial Hall, it was enough for Jiang Che to practice martial arts.

Jiang Che nodded slightly, already imagining where he should set up the stance posts for his training.

"Look at this courtyard. It's big enough, isn't it? In our city, houses with courtyards this large are not commonly seen!" the old man said with a smile.

"Let's look inside as well," Jiang Che said.

"Please!"

The two then entered the main house.

Before them was a hall with yellow wooden flooring.

At the head of the hall stood two grand chairs, while two armchairs sat on each side.

On either side of the hall were two wing rooms.

Jiang Che crossed the hall and pushed open a narrow door at the back.

Outside was a small path paved with cobblestones, connecting two small buildings.

There was also a small vegetable patch, about one and a half fen in size—roughly ten square meters in Jiang Che's previous life.

"What are these two small buildings for?" Jiang Che asked.

The old man walked over and pushed open the doors.

"This side is the latrine, and that side is the kitchen. Don't worry, they've both been cleaned thoroughly! And there's even a small vegetable patch. You can grow some vegetables in your spare time. How convenient is that?"

Jiang Che looked around and felt that it was indeed quite good.

Though it was not luxurious, it was clean and spacious.

Not only did it have a large courtyard where he could practice martial arts,

it also had many rooms and its own well, making it convenient to draw water.

Not to mention the small vegetable patch.

"It'll do. What's the price?" Jiang Che asked.

The old man smiled broadly and held up five fingers.

"Five hundred taels!"