Otherworld Mortgage

The next day!

Lin Yan received some news at home.

Wei Hai, the leader of the Three Heroes Gang, along with Deputy Leader Liu Song and over a dozen core members, had been wiped out overnight.

Upon hearing this, the image of his master immediately surfaced in Lin Yan's mind.

His master had told him not to worry about the Three Heroes Gang. He had originally assumed his master simply didn't hold them in high regard, but he hadn't expected that his master had already decided to take action against them back then.

It seems I am still too kind!

Lin Yan was certain that if it wasn't his master who had struck, it must have been one of his senior brothers from the martial arts hall.

There aren't that many coincidences in this world; he had killed Zhao Kui and informed his master, and that very night, the Three Heroes Gang was annihilated.

"What a pity, another source of sponsorship gone."

While feeling grateful for his master's protection, Lin Yan also felt a sense of regret.

With the Three Heroes Gang destroyed, he didn't know who he would look to for sponsorship in the future.

As of now, he still had one hundred and fifty taels of silver left.

This money was far from enough for three rounds of skin-toughening.

Although his master had waived the cost of three jars of secret medicine, three jars were nowhere near enough. Furthermore, three rounds of skin-toughening required not only external application of secret medicine to recover the tendons and vessels but also internal consumption of medicinal pills to force qi and blood into the vessels, continuously expanding them.

"The matter of the third round of skin-toughening cannot be rushed. With the north side of the city becoming increasingly chaotic, it is time to consider moving."

Relying on his strength as a second-round skin-toughening practitioner and his status as a martial arts hall disciple, those gangs wouldn't collect protection money from his home. However, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; it would be best to take his aunt and younger brother to live in the east or south of the city.

When Lin Yan informed his aunt, Liu, she remained silent for a long while, but this time, she did not refuse.

After her nephew began making progress in martial arts, neither the original Clear Water Gang nor the Three Heroes Gang had collected protection money from them. However, the neighbors with whom they had once had good relations had changed their attitudes, and there was no shortage of gossip behind their backs.

Some things the neighbors didn't say to her face, but children couldn't keep secrets. Mo had heard plenty from children his age on the street and would come back to tell her.

"Don't buy anything too big. There aren't many of us; as long as it's enough to live in, that's fine."

"Don't worry, Aunt, I have a plan."

Lin Yan agreed. Moving house wasn't something that could be settled in a moment; getting his aunt's consent was the first step, and finding a suitable house meant that moving would likely be a matter for after the New Year.

"Little brother, how are your studies going lately?"

Lin Mo, who was planning to sneak out, shuddered at these words and put on a fawning smile. "Brother, the teacher says I'm very good now, even faster at recognizing characters than you were back then."

Lin Yan's mouth twitched. When the teacher taught him, there were several others learning alongside him, so he didn't receive special attention. But the teacher was certainly attentive to his younger brother; if he were still slower than Lin Yan after that, he would have to wonder if there was something wrong with his brother's intelligence.

"Recognizing them isn't enough; you must also be able to write them."

Making his younger brother read and write wasn't just for his future martial arts training, but also to temper his character.

The family is poor; the eldest son walks the path of danger, the second son walks the path of stability.

His own martial arts path could only be forged through struggle, but his younger brother wouldn't have to suffer such hardships; he just needed to move forward steadily.

"It's so cold, and I still have to write?"

Lin Mo was somewhat reluctant, but under Lin Yan's stern gaze, he finally returned to his room obediently.

Liu watched from the side, a look of relief in her eyes.

The Lin family was left with only the two brothers, Yan and Mo, and Yan, as the eldest, was effectively playing the role of a father.

The original Yan hadn't been mature enough, but ever since he started practicing martial arts, his actions had increasingly resembled those of his eldest brother from years ago.

Watching his younger brother write for a moment, Lin Yan didn't continue to hover. Instead, he said goodbye to his aunt; he still had two acres of the medicinal field he was responsible for guarding in Qingtian Town that hadn't been harvested yet.

Before leaving the city, Lin Yan went to a property agency in the east of the city and found an agent to take him to see houses in the east.

His martial arts hall disciple uniform ensured he didn't encounter any snobbery.

"Young Master, this house is the most suitable. Although it is only a single-courtyard layout, it has four rooms, which is enough to meet your requirements."

"The price of houses in the east has been changing daily recently. If we wait until after the New Year, I'm afraid it will rise even further."

Lin Yan looked at the quiet house; it was indeed very suitable, but the price made his heart ache.

A single-courtyard house cost two hundred taels, and all the money he had wasn't enough.

"Is there something you are dissatisfied with, Young Master? I can find you something better," the agent said, seeing that Lin Yan hadn't committed.

"I'm satisfied with everything except the price."

The agent's mouth twitched. "Young Master, this price is truly the lowest in this alley. If you want something lower, you can only choose a more remote location."

"Let me look around some more."

Lin Yan was noncommittal; a salesman's mouth is a liar's trap.

"Young Master, you are a martial artist. If you don't mind the trouble, I do have a cheaper house for only one hundred taels."

Seeing Lin Yan look over, the agent explained, "There is another house in this alley. The original owner offended someone, leading to a restless household. However, since you are a martial artist, if the house is in your hands, those thugs certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble, so you don't need to worry."

"No need."

Lin Yan refused directly. If thugs were still causing trouble in the south of the city, the person behind them was no ordinary figure. Although he was a martial artist, there was no need to make enemies over a house.

The agent was somewhat speechless, remaining silent for a few breaths before saying, "Young Master, if your finances are currently inconvenient, given your strength, you could pay one hundred taels upfront. As for the remaining hundred, as long as it is paid off within a year, no interest will be charged. If it exceeds a year, an annual interest rate of ten percent will be applied."

A mortgage in another world?

Lin Yan was speechless. He had finally arrived in a world of martial arts, only to end up saddled with a mortgage.

However, with a one-year interest-free period, this loan was manageable.

"Fine."

Following this, Lin Yan accompanied the agent to the agency to pay the money and sign the deed, with both parties keeping a copy.

As for the property deed, it was simple; the original owner had already left it at the agency, making it a "white deed."

The entire deed already recorded several previous owners of the residence, functioning somewhat like a ledger.

Common folk mostly used white deeds for private transactions, with the agency acting as guarantor and witness. If one wanted to convert it into an official deed, they would have to go to the government and pay a deed tax.

Lin Yan did not intend to pay this. With the martial arts school as his backing, even if he encountered trouble later and someone refused to acknowledge the deed, he could take it to his master, who would stand up for him.

"When I return next time, I want the residence cleaned thoroughly."

"Rest assured, Young Master Lin. I will arrange for people to clean it immediately, and I guarantee you will see a spotless house when you arrive."

Qingtian Town.

With Lin Yan's return, only Ji Ming and he remained of the entire town's guard team.

"Lin Yan, the employer has already increased your compensation, and it will be issued in a couple of days."

Ji Ming poured tea for Lin Yan with a smile: "If it weren't to wait for you, I would have returned to the city early this morning."

"Sorry for the trouble, Captain Ji."

"There is no need to be so distant between us; just call me Brother Ji."

Ji Ming's attitude toward Lin Yan was noticeably warmer. Lin Yan didn't consider Ji Ming mercenary; people were just like that.

To be treated with closeness, one must demonstrate their own value.

"There are only twelve days left until the New Year. If you have many family matters, there is no need to stay here. Just have the herb farmers send the remaining two acres of herbs to the warehouse when the time comes; nothing will go wrong."

The herb farmers in Qingtian Town had been working for the Tang Family for years and knew what they should and shouldn't do. Plus, with the final check at the warehouse, there was no fear of them acting recklessly. At most, without supervision, a few hundred coins' worth might be lost.

But for a martial artist who had completed the second skin-refining stage, the Tang Family would not pursue such a small loss.

"Thank you for your understanding, Brother Ji, but I must still stand this final shift."

Lin Yan accepted the goodwill Ji Ming extended, but he did not intend to return early. It was only a matter of a few days, and since he had accepted the guard duty, he would see it through properly.

After the two finished a pot of tea, Ji Ming truly departed, leaving Lin Yan as the sole member of the Qingtian Town guard team.

"I'll refine the Martial Fruit first, then try to make a trip into Great Fog Mountain."

Back in his quarters, Lin Yan looked at the Martial Fruit belonging to Zhao Kui in his mind.

[Martial Fruit: Four years, nine months, thirteen days]

"Zhao Kui is worthy of having attempted the second skin-refining stage twice; this is the longest duration I have harvested so far."

Lin Yan was very satisfied with the time contributed by Zhao Kui. With a thought, the Martial Fruit fell from the tree.

Spring departed and winter arrived, four cycles in total.

Lin Yan gradually gained enlightenment. The silver leaf in his mind belonging to the Mountain Splitting Fist began to have golden threads continuously spreading across its original veins, gradually dyeing more than half of it.

The next day.

The Tang Family indeed sent someone to deliver Lin Yan's monthly stipend and a bottle of Tendon Changing Pill.

In addition, there was an invitation for Lin Yan to attend the Tang Family's year-end banquet.

After seeing the Tang Family messenger off, Lin Yan took one Tendon Changing Pill and continued his cultivation.

However, after an hour, his meridians began to ache faintly.

The third stage of skin-refining focused on the meridians. The exertion and breathing techniques differed from before, requiring one to guide blood and qi into the meridians.

Applying the secret medicine prepared by his master, a cooling sensation seeped through his skin into his meridians, and the pain slowly dissipated.

By the end of the day, the growth of the Martial Dao Tree was minimal.

At this rate, relying solely on secret medicine and Tendon Changing Pills, he feared it would be difficult to complete the third stage of skin-refining within two years.

Money is still the problem. I wonder if Master can find me a good marriage so I can live off my spouse.