Buying a Courtyard

Chen Mo returned to his temporary lodgings with a head full of questions. The door closed softly behind him, muffling the patter of rain outside.

Standing by the window, he watched the unbroken curtain of rain beneath the gray sky. His expression shifted in the gloom.

Being able to leave Linhe County had Chen Mo's full support, but Yue Shan hadn't said where they were going to evacuate.

For now, all he could do was take things one step at a time.

"Strength... I'm still not strong enough!" Chen Mo clenched his fists. If his cultivation could reach Yue Changkong's level, perhaps the situation would be completely different.

At the thought, he stopped dwelling on it and went to sit by the bed. He took a Red Sun Blood Crystal, about the size of a pigeon's egg, from his travel bag.

After opening the first Yin Aperture in his dantian, his cultivation speed with the Yin Sha Bone-Tempering Method had doubled, but his consumption of Red Sun Blood Crystals had increased as well.

The second stage: tempering the bones until they became steel!

As the name suggested, it meant further tempering the bones, which had been infused with Baleful Intent, until they were as tough as steel.

"The risks are great, but so are the rewards." Chen Mo drew a deep breath, gripped the Red Sun Blood Crystal, and enclosed it in his palm.

Following the second-stage formula, he began to circulate the technique slowly.

Yin and yang worked together, giving rise to the power of tempering.

This process was far more perilous than the first stage. He had to maintain a precise balance; the slightest mistake could burn his meridians or corrode his bone marrow.

Chen Mo's mind was as still as an ancient well as he sensed the changes deep within his bones... Aches, numbness, itching, stabbing pain, alternating heat and cold. The Red Sun Blood Crystal shrank rapidly, its surging energy sustaining this hammering that was remaking him from the inside out.

Jin City, on the edge of the old quarter, in Renshou Lane.

The neighborhood was a jumble of late Qing remnants and haphazard structures thrown up in the early Republic.

The lanes were narrow and winding, and most of the paving stones were broken. Courtyard walls rose and fell on either side, with signs of weathering between the black tiles and gray bricks, as well as fresh patches of cement and red brick.

Chen Dachuan stood before a courtyard gate with Liu Qingru and Yuanyuan.

The gate consisted of two black-lacquered wooden doors. The copper studs had turned a dull green with verdigris, and the pair of lion-head knockers had lost their shine.

The courtyard walls were built of blue bricks and capped with black tiles. A few clumps of roof moss looked desolate in the autumn rain.

"This is the place." A short, plump middle-aged man in a worn silk jacket and a melon-shaped cap spoke beside Chen Dachuan.

He was Old Sun, a property broker who specialized in rentals and sales in this neighborhood.

Old Sun took out a key and struggled to open the huge, rust-spotted copper lock. Then he pushed open the creaking wooden gate.

"Have a look, Master Chen. It's a proper single-courtyard quadrangle. It may not be as grand as those big mansions, but it's a private residence, so you'll have plenty of privacy."

The courtyard came into view.

The open central space wasn't very large, perhaps two zhang across. Moss grew thickly between the flagstones, and a stone slab covered an old well in one corner.

Three main rooms stood across the courtyard. The middle one was the main hall, with bedrooms on either side.

There were two wing rooms on each side. The eastern wing was slightly larger, the western wing a little smaller, and both had covered verandas.

All the buildings had gray-tiled roofs with gables, wooden lattice windows, and mostly torn window paper.

The house had clearly been empty for a long time, and looked deserted and dilapidated. Still, the beams, pillars, and walls seemed solid enough, with no major tilting or collapse.

Chen Dachuan touched a veranda pillar, knocked on a wall, then looked up at the ridge and eaves.

"The tiles need sorting, the doors and windows need replacing, the inside needs a thorough cleaning, and the walls need repainting." He assessed the place in his mind. "But the courtyard's square, and there are enough rooms. The eastern wing could become my paper-offering workshop... and there seems to be a narrow passageway at the back, along with a storeroom?"

"You have a sharp eye, Master Chen!" Old Sun laughed. "There's a narrow passage at the back, leading to a small rear courtyard. The previous owners used to pile firewood and odds and ends there, and there's a tiny outhouse, too."

"The original owner was descended from a minor official of the previous dynasty. His family fell on hard times, and now he's in a hurry to head south and join relatives, so he's willing to sell."

"The market price used to be at least three thousand silver dollars. Now it's only fifteen hundred... As you can see, the house is old, but the location's decent. It's not too far from the old market, nor too close. Peaceful despite being in the middle of town."

The price was nearly half that of other repaired courtyards in a comparable location.

Fifteen hundred silver dollars?

That was absurdly cheap.

Renshou Lane in Jin City wasn't the best location, but a tidy single-courtyard quadrangle like this would fetch at least twenty-five hundred to three thousand silver dollars at market, even in poor condition.

Nearly half off? There had to be something fishy.

"Mr. Sun, isn't this price... a little too low?" Chen Dachuan turned around and looked sternly at the broker. "Is something wrong with the house? Is the ownership unclear, or... is there something else going on?"

He didn't finish the question, but his veiled meaning was clear.

Old Sun's smile stiffened for a moment. Then he rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice. "Master Chen, you're a sensible man, so I won't hide it from you. This courtyard has been empty for quite a while. It's had several tenants, and none of them stayed long."

"There's some gossip among the neighbors. They say the place feels a little cold, and that strange sounds can sometimes be heard at night. But that's just ignorant women and children wagging their tongues. You can't take it seriously!"

Seeing Chen Dachuan frown, he hurriedly added, "There's absolutely nothing wrong with the house! The land deed and ownership documents are all in order, and they're registered with the district office. The original owner is truly desperate for money, which is why he's willing to sell at this price."

"Master Chen, you make paper offerings for a living and deal with funerals year-round. You've got plenty of yang energy—you can keep the place in check!"

"Plenty of refugees from the south have been coming to Jin City to make a living. Rent has already gone up by thirty percent lately, and courtyard prices will follow soon. Miss this chance, and you won't get another!"

"If you're not convinced, I, Old Sun, will stake my brokerage's good name on it. If there's really a serious problem, you can tear down my sign!"

Chen Dachuan fell silent and looked around the empty courtyard once more.

There was something off about the place. Its qi felt heavy and gloomy.

But Old Sun had a point. People in Chen Dachuan's line of work weren't particularly bothered by such things.

More importantly, all the money he had came to around eighteen hundred silver dollars, at most.

If he bought this courtyard, he'd still have some money left over for emergencies after making basic repairs.

If he bought another one, he wouldn't have enough money—and it might draw more attention, too.

After hesitating for a long while, he remembered Chen Mo had told him to buy a courtyard as soon as he arrived. In the end, Chen Dachuan gritted his teeth.

"Fine. This one, then. But the terms need to be clearly stated in the contract, Mr. Sun. If a serious defect inherent to the house makes it unfit to live in, you'll be responsible."

Old Sun thumped his chest. "Of course! We can add that to the contract! You're a decisive man, Master Chen!"

The transaction went smoothly.

The original owner appeared briefly, looking pale and worn. After signing and taking the money, he hurried away, as if he couldn't bear to stay another moment.

Chen Dachuan signed the contract under the alias Chen Chuan and insisted that Old Sun sign and seal it as the guarantor.

The deed was transferred and the money handed over. The little courtyard at 13 Renshou Lane officially changed hands.