Transfer of Ownership

"Creak."

Shen Mu pushed open the courtyard gate. Outside stood a clerk from the real estate agency and a burly, middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man stood a full two meters tall. Shen Mu barely came up to his shoulder.

He wore a loose black robe, but even that could not hide his burly build.

This guy's probably a martial artist, and he's already reached the ranks.

Shen Mu kept his expression calm, but alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Sir, this gentleman is interested in your house, so I've brought him over for a look."

The clerk said with a beaming smile.

"Then come on in and have a look."

Shen Mu smiled and nodded, then pushed open the courtyard gate.

"After you, sir."

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

The entire courtyard was barely a hundred square meters. The middle-aged man had looked over everything in almost no time at all, then nodded to the clerk.

The clerk's eyes lit up at the sight. He seemed surprised the deal was going so smoothly—he hadn't even needed to spend time singing the house's praises.

He turned to Shen Mu and said, "This gentleman is interested in buying your house. When would you be free to handle the title transfer?"

He'd already decided?

Shen Mu couldn't help but pause in surprise. But then he thought about it: to a true martial artist, spending sixty taels of silver on a house was probably as easy as eating or drinking.

"I can make some time tomorrow morning,"

Shen Mu said with a smile.

"Then how about we meet at the government office tomorrow morning to transfer the deed?"

The clerk glanced at the middle-aged man and asked.

The middle-aged man nodded, still saying nothing.

The clerk looked back at Shen Mu and smiled. "Sir, let's meet outside the government office tomorrow. Just remember to bring the deed. How does that sound?"

"Sure. Thanks for the trouble,"

Shen Mu said with a smile.

"Great, then it's settled. Get some rest, sir. See you tomorrow."

After saying this, the clerk turned and left with the middle-aged man.

"Take care."

Shen Mu saw the two of them out, called after them, then closed the gate again.

"Heh, I didn't expect selling the house to go so smoothly."

Shen Mu couldn't help shaking his head.

In his previous life, selling a house had been like surviving eighty-one tribulations. He'd seen every sort of bizarre buyer there was.

This middle-aged man hadn't even tried to haggle. He'd simply nodded and agreed, which really took Shen Mu by surprise.

What Shen Mu didn't know was that people in this era were deeply attached to their homes in the city. They would never sell unless they had no other choice.

Especially now, with a curfew in the city from midnight onward, forbidding people from lingering in the streets. It made ordinary folk realize all the more how important it was to have a home to shelter in.

The real estate agency had only Shen Mu's house on the market. The middle-aged man hadn't had any other options.

"Once I sell this house, I'll need to find somewhere else to stay."

Shen Mu fell into thought.

He had two options: rent a place or stay at an inn for the time being.

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

Renting a place like the one he lived in now cost only three or four taels of silver a year.

But Shen Mu was busy tempering his body and had no time to look for a place.

"I'll stay at an inn for now. Once I reach First Stage Boiling Blood, I'll ask Luo Tao to rent a place in his name."

After thinking it over for a moment, Shen Mu made up his mind.

Renting a place required filing the paperwork with the government office. As soon as the house was sold, Shen Hong, a constable at the office, would know about it.

If Shen Mu rented a place himself, Shen Hong could also find out where he lived through the government records.

Then Shen Hong could simply use his status as Shen Mu's blood uncle, claim he was helping keep Shen Mu from squandering his silver, and take it by force under the pretext of looking after it...

Could Shen Mu really go report him?

Shen Hong was a constable at the government office himself. No one would uphold justice for Shen Mu if he reported him. They'd only take Shen Hong's side.

So even if he had to spend more money staying at an inn, Shen Mu absolutely couldn't let any of that happen.

Shen Mu glanced around the courtyard. Aside from some pots, bowls, tables, and chairs, there was nothing else of value, which saved him the trouble of moving.

He packed up his clothes, then collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Shen Mu got up early. First, he went out to meet Luo Tao. He didn't tell him he was going to the government office, only asked him to request a day off from Mao Shouzhuo on his behalf.

The Firewood Gang was lax about managing its outer members. Body tempering was entirely up to each person, so Shen Mu wasn't worried about displeasing the instructor, Mao Shouzhuo.

After that, Shen Mu tucked the deed away and headed straight for the government office.

When he arrived, he saw that the clerk and the middle-aged man were already waiting there.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, house sales and title transfers had to be finalized and recorded at the government office. The buyer also had to pay a five-percent deed tax.

It took only half an hour for Shen Mu to complete the transfer. He also learned the name of the middle-aged man who'd bought his house: Gu Cang.

When Shen Mu left the government office, he had fifty-seven taels of silver tucked away. Three taels had gone to the real estate agency as a commission.

"Do you want the things inside the house?"

Gu Cang looked at Shen Mu and asked in a deep, muffled voice.

"No."

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

"Fine."

Gu Cang said no more and disappeared into the crowd in the street.

"Hey, what's this guy's story?"

Watching Gu Cang's retreating figure, Shen Mu couldn't help asking.

"I don't know."

The clerk shook his head, puzzled. "That guy's a real closed book. He walked into the agency last night and said he wanted to buy a house in the city, so I took him to yours."

"That buyer really is a straightforward fellow. He only took one look before deciding to buy your house."

"Judging by his clothes, he's probably a martial artist from the jianghu. Maybe he got tired of all the fighting and decided to settle down in Cloud Dragon County."

Shen Mu's heart stirred. He asked, "Hey, do you think there's a chance this man is Gu Yunfan, the one from the jianghu who got the Extreme Profound Scripture?"

The clerk froze at that, then laughed. "Word is that Gu Yunfan, the one who got the Extreme Profound Scripture, came to Cloud Province. But Cloud Province is huge, with over a hundred counties. The odds of him turning up in Cloud Dragon County are pretty slim, aren't they?"

"Heh, true."

Shen Mu nodded and smiled. "I was just saying."

The clerk changed the subject and smiled. "Sir, now that the deed transfer is complete, our business is finished."

"Let me wish you success in your martial path!"

The clerk admired Shen Mu for being willing to sell his house to pursue martial arts. He was even a little envious. His own father would never sell the house to fund his training.

"Heh, I'll take your good wishes."

Shen Mu wasn't stingy. He took ten copper coins from his pocket as a tip.

"Thank you for the tip, sir. I'll take my leave."

The clerk said goodbye, then disappeared into the crowd as well.

Shen Mu, now carrying all his silver, left the city and found a secluded spot.

First, he walked around the area to make sure no one was nearby. Then he dug a hole in the ground and buried ten taels of silver in it.

Next, he did the same thing again, choosing four secret spots nearby and burying forty taels of silver in all. He kept just over nine taels on him.

Shen Hong's visit last night had really opened his eyes. Carrying so much silver now was like a child walking through the market with gold in his hands.

That way, even if Shen Hong learned that Shen Mu had sold the house and found where he was staying, he could only take the silver on him. He wouldn't be able to steal all his savings.

Only after taking care of all this did Shen Mu head back into the city and make his way to the Firewood Gang headquarters to begin tempering his body.