Transfer of Ownership

"Creak."

Shen Mu pushed open the courtyard gate to find the agency clerk standing outside with a rugged-looking middle-aged man.

The man stood at least two meters tall, making Shen Mu look a full head shorter in comparison.

He wore a loose black robe, yet it could not conceal his burly, imposing physique.

This guy is likely a martial artist, and one who has already entered the ranks at that.

Shen Mu kept his expression neutral, though alarm bells were ringing in his heart.

"Sir, this gentleman is interested in your property, so I brought him over to take a look."

The clerk said with a beaming smile.

"Then come in and have a look."

Shen Mu nodded with a smile and pushed the gate open wider.

"After you, sir."

The clerk led the middle-aged man through the entrance.

The entire property was barely a hundred square meters, so the man finished his inspection in an instant and gave a nod to the clerk.

The clerk's eyes lit up at the sight, seemingly surprised that the deal was going so smoothly without him needing to waste any breath on sales pitches.

He looked at Shen Mu and said, "This buyer is interested in purchasing your house. When would you be free to handle the deed transfer?"

He's already decided?

Shen Mu was taken aback, though he quickly realized that for a true martial artist, spending sixty taels of silver on this house was likely as simple as eating or drinking.

"I can spare some time tomorrow morning."

Shen Mu smiled.

"Shall we meet at the government office tomorrow morning to finalize the transfer, then?"

The clerk glanced at the middle-aged man before asking.

The middle-aged man nodded, still not saying a word.

The clerk turned back to Shen Mu and smiled, "Sir, let's meet outside the government office tomorrow. Please make sure to bring the property deed. How does that sound?"

Shen Mu replied, "That works. Thank you for your trouble."

"It's a deal, then. Get some rest, sir, and we'll see you tomorrow."

With that, the clerk led the middle-aged man away.

"Take care."

Shen Mu saw them out, offered a parting word, and closed the door behind them.

Heh, I didn't expect selling the house to be this smooth.

Shen Mu couldn't help but shake his head.

In his past life, selling a property was like going through eighty-one trials, and he had seen every kind of eccentric buyer imaginable.

This man hadn't even haggled; he had simply nodded and agreed, which was completely beyond his expectations.

What Shen Mu didn't know was that in this era, the common people had such an obsession with owning a home within the city walls that they would never sell unless absolutely forced to.

Especially now that a midnight curfew was in effect, forbidding people from lingering on the streets, the importance of having a secure home was even more apparent.

Since this was the only house currently listed for sale at the agency, the middle-aged man had no other options.

Once I sell this place, I'll need to find a new place to stay.

Shen Mu fell into deep thought.

He currently had two choices: rent a place or stay in an inn temporarily.

A room at an inn cost about thirty to fifty copper coins per day, which would add up to roughly two taels of silver a month.

Renting a house similar to his current one would only cost three or four taels for an entire year.

However, Shen Mu was busy with body tempering and had no time to go house hunting.

I'll stay at an inn for now. Once I promote to the first stage of Boiling Blood, I'll entrust Luo Tao to rent a place under his name.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Mu made his decision.

Renting a house required registration at the government office, and once his house was sold, Shen Hong, who was a constable there, would know immediately.

If he rented a place himself, Shen Hong could easily find his address through the office's records.

At that point, Shen Hong could easily use his status as his uncle to claim he was "safekeeping" the money to prevent Shen Mu from squandering it, and then use force to seize it...

And what could he do, report it to the authorities?

Shen Hong was a constable himself; reporting it would yield no justice, and the office would only side with him.

Therefore, even if it meant spending more money to stay at an inn, Shen Mu could not let that happen.

Shen Mu glanced around the courtyard; aside from a few pots, pans, tables, and chairs, there was nothing else of value, which saved him the trouble of moving.

He packed his change of clothes and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Shen Mu rose early and met up with Luo Tao, though he did not tell him he was heading to the yamen, merely asking him to request a leave of absence from Mao Shouzhuo on his behalf.

The Firewood Gang was quite lax in its management of peripheral members, as body tempering relied entirely on self-discipline; Shen Mu was not worried that this would incur the dissatisfaction of the instructor, Mao Shouzhuo.

Shen Mu then tucked the property deed into his robes and headed straight for the yamen.

Upon arriving at the yamen, Shen Mu saw that the waiter and the middle-aged man were already waiting there.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, the sale and transfer of property deeds had to be settled and registered at the yamen, which also collected a five-percent deed tax from the buyer.

In just half an hour, Shen Mu successfully completed the transfer of the property deed and learned the name of the middle-aged man who had bought his house: Gu Cang.

When he walked out of the yamen again, he had fifty-seven taels of silver in his pocket; three taels had gone toward the agency's commission.

"Do you still want the various things inside the house?"

Gu Cang looked at Shen Mu, his voice dull and heavy.

"I don't."

Shen Mu shook his head and said, "If you don't like the furniture, just throw it away."

"Fine."

Gu Cang said nothing more and merged directly into the flow of the street.

"Waiter, what's this guy's background?"

Watching Gu Cang's retreating back, Shen Mu couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know."

The waiter shook his head, puzzled, "This guy is a real mute. He walked into the agency last night and said he wanted to buy a house in the city, so I took him to your place to look at it."

"This buyer is certainly a straightforward man; he took one look and decided to buy your house."

"Judging by his attire, he's likely a martial artist from the jianghu, tired of the fighting and killing, and has decided to settle down in Cloud Dragon County."

Shen Mu's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask, "Waiter, do you think it's possible this man is Gu Yunfan, the one from the jianghu who obtained the Extreme Profound Scripture?"

The waiter was startled by the words, then laughed, "The rumors say that Gu Yunfan, who obtained the Extreme Profound Scripture, came to Cloud Province, but Cloud Province is so vast, with over a hundred counties—the odds of him just happening to appear in Cloud Dragon County are far too low, aren't they?"

"Heh, that's true."

Shen Mu nodded and smiled, "I was just saying it casually."

The waiter changed the subject and smiled, "Sir, since the property deed transfer is complete, our business is officially concluded."

"I wish you prosperity on your martial path!"

The waiter admired, and even envied, Shen Mu for daring to sell his house to practice martial arts; at the very least, his own father would never sell their home to fund his training.

"Heh, then I'll take your kind words."

Shen Mu was not stingy, taking ten copper coins from his pocket as a tip.

"Thank you for the reward, sir. I shall take my leave."

The waiter bowed and merged into the crowd.

Shen Mu, carrying all his silver, left the city and sought out a secluded spot.

He first circled the area to ensure no one was around, then dug a hole in the ground and buried ten taels of silver.

He then repeated the process, selecting four more secret locations nearby to bury forty taels, leaving only about nine taels on his person.

Shen Hong's visit last night had truly served as a wake-up call; for him to carry such a large sum of silver now was no different from a child walking through the market holding gold.

This way, even if Shen Hong later found out he had sold the house or tracked down where he was staying, he could only steal the silver on his person and would be unable to take his entire fortune.

After finishing all this, Shen Mu returned to the city and headed to the Firewood Gang headquarters to begin his body tempering.