Buying a House and Moving

The next morning, at dawn.

Zhou Muyun and a man entered a residence on the outermost edge of East Market in the Inner City.

"Master Zhou, what do you think of this place? I carefully selected it according to your requirements."

The man rubbed his hands together and spoke to Zhou Muyun with a smile.

His name was Xin Wei, and he was a property broker—what would have been called a real estate agent in Zhou Muyun's previous life.

Xin Wei looked at the boy, who was much younger than himself, and recalled Constable Lu's instructions.

"My Brother Zhou has only studied martial arts for half a year, yet he has already reached Viscera Refinement. You must treat him well and not slight him."

There was a little more envy in his gaze as he looked at Zhou Muyun. It was not as though he had never considered practicing martial arts.

But how could one simply learn it whenever one wished?

He had met plenty of people who had trained for over a decade without even touching the threshold of becoming a martial artist.

"Let me take a look."

Zhou Muyun turned his gaze toward the courtyard. The residence had the same layout as his old home in Withered Well Alley—a front courtyard and rear rooms.

Its walls were brick, its roof tiled in blue-gray. There was even a well in the courtyard, with flowerbeds on either side that could be used for growing flowers or vegetables.

He crossed the courtyard and entered the house.

Xin Wei hurriedly followed, introducing the place as they walked. "Though this house is small, it has everything one could need: a kitchen, a bathroom, a main hall, and two inner rooms.

"It also backs onto the riverbank, with a rear door leading straight out there, making laundry very convenient.

"Especially in summer, when the river breeze blows in waves, it is wonderfully cool."

After hearing Xin Wei's introduction, Zhou Muyun inspected the house's structure to see whether it was sturdy and whether there were any hidden dangers.

Once he had confirmed everything, he was quite satisfied.

Compared to the house in Withered Well Alley, this place was better by far more than several times over. Laundry and water would both be convenient, and his mother and sister would surely like it.

Most importantly, the residence had both front and rear doors. If anything happened, they would not be trapped with someone blocking the entrance.

"How much is this residence?"

Lu Ming had introduced Xin Wei, so Zhou Muyun was not worried that he would quote some outrageous price—unless Xin Wei no longer wished to make a living in East Market.

"Master Zhou, to be honest with you, I would not sell this residence to anyone else for less than four hundred taels.

"But since you are the one buying it, three hundred and fifty taels. That is absolutely the lowest price!"

Xin Wei patted his chest and spoke with a smile.

Though it pained him a little inside, he thought it was well worth it.

Not only could he curry favor with Lu Ming, but he could also build goodwill with this Master Zhou before him.

Losing a few dozen taels was more than worthwhile.

Business could only last with connections. That was the lesson he had learned over so many years.

Three hundred and fifty taels was not expensive.

Zhou Muyun had looked into it before. A small courtyard in the Inner City like this could sell for five hundred taels without being overpriced.

It seemed his Brother Lu had indeed played no small part in this. Of course, Xin Wei also knew how to handle people.

But thinking of the mere two hundred taels he had, Zhou Muyun tentatively asked, "Could I pay two hundred taels first?"

Upon hearing Zhou Muyun's words, Xin Wei immediately realized that this Master Zhou probably did not have that much money yet.

"Master Zhou, you only need to pay the full amount within half a year. I'll make the decision today: give me the two hundred taels, and I'll transfer the deed to you immediately."

Xin Wei's words both preserved Zhou Muyun's dignity and resolved his problem.

Zhou Muyun could not help but praise him inwardly. This was what professionalism looked like.

"Thank you. Then shall we transfer the deed now?"

"No problem. This way, Master Zhou."

The two left the residence and returned to the property office. After signing the deed, Zhou Muyun handed the money to Xin Wei and received the property deed.

Without saying much else, he walked straight out of the shop and headed home.

No time like the present. They would move today!

Before long, Zhou Muyun returned home.

Xu Rou and Zhou Tong were at home mending clothes to supplement the household income.

With the Leng Household's monthly support of thirty taels, the Zhou Household no longer needed to earn money this way.

But Xu Rou believed that people should not sit idle. If they could work, they should work. A little extra money was always good.

After trying to persuade her several times and seeing that his mother still insisted, Zhou Muyun said nothing more.

"Mother, little sister, we're moving to the Inner City today."

Hearing Zhou Muyun's words, the two stopped working. Xu Rou was especially astonished. "Yun'er, this... did you buy a house?"

Zhou Muyun had discussed moving to the Inner City with Xu Rou long ago, but she had not expected her son to be able to buy a house so soon.

After all, houses in the Inner City cost hundreds of taels at the very least. Otherwise, Zhou Yanming's family would not still be living in the Outer City.

"Of course I bought one. Look, Mother."

Zhou Muyun took the deed from his pocket and handed it to Xu Rou.

Xu Rou had studied for several years, so she could naturally read. Looking at the deed in her hands, her eyes reddened, and she was speechless for a long time.

After a while, she folded the deed and clutched it in her palm. Her voice choked as two streams of tears rolled from her eyes.

"My son has made something of himself, he truly has... I'm not dreaming, am I? Your father will surely be happy in heaven too. This is such a happy occasion, so why am I crying?"

"Mother, don't cry. We're going to live in a new house!" Zhou Tong reached out and wiped the tears from Xu Rou's face.

Zhou Muyun naturally understood why Xu Rou was crying.

Her husband had died young, leaving her to raise two children alone. Only she knew the bitter hardships and tears of all those years.

Now that the bitter days had finally passed, perhaps these tears were sweet amid the saltiness.

"Mother, you're not dreaming. We have a new home now." Zhou Muyun stepped forward as well and comforted her.

With the two comforting her, a smile bloomed on Xu Rou's face once more.

The family happily began packing. Fortunately, they were poor and had few possessions, so they finished quickly. Xu Rou even took the time to return all the clothes she had mended.

Once they moved to the Inner City, she naturally would not be able to continue that line of work.

The family carried their luggage outside. Xu Rou locked the front door.

After taking one final look at the house where she had lived for more than a decade, she turned around and bid it a complete farewell.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Yuan came to the door. Seeing the luggage in their hands, he asked, "Little Yun, Sister Xu, what is this?"

"Brother Yuan, we're moving to the Inner City." Zhou Muyun answered with a faint smile.

"You brat, you've made something of yourself! I'm happy for you."

Zhang Yuan first looked incredulous, then stepped forward and punched Zhou Muyun lightly in the chest as he laughed.

"Brother Yuan, how have you been lately? Has everything been going smoothly at the docks? And Brother Gu San—I haven't seen him in quite some time."

"I'm doing great. My wife joined that World-Saving Sect and can collect money every month. A couple days ago, she even brought back some kind of Body-Strengthening Pill and insisted I take it.

"And you know what? It really works. Not only have I been feeling much more energetic lately, but I've also gotten much stronger. I can haul quite a bit more cargo every day.

"As for Gu San, you know how he is. His money must have run out, so he went looking for Gu Zheng."

Zhou Muyun naturally knew Gu San's habits, but the Body-Strengthening Pill piqued his interest.

It sounded like a weaker version of Qi-Blood Powder. Was the World-Saving Sect really that wealthy? They not only handed out money but medicine as well?

"Brother Yuan, do you still have any of those Body-Strengthening Pills? I'd like to take a look."

"There's one left at home. Wait here, I'll go get it for you."

Zhang Yuan turned and went back inside. Before long, he came out holding a red pill and handed it to Zhou Muyun.

"Little Yun, you practice martial arts. Why don't you take this medicine and eat it? I know martial arts training requires medicine."

Looking at the red pill in his hand, Zhou Muyun held it beneath his nose and sniffed it.

The instant he did, his heart skipped a beat.

Though he did not understand pharmacology, this medicine smelled exactly like Bloodforging Powder, only much weaker.

And Li Qingliang had warned him never to take Bloodforging Powder.

Could this Bloodforging Powder have been created by the World-Saving Sect?

But what was it for? Zhou Muyun could not fathom the World-Saving Sect's purpose at all.

Zhou Muyun shook his head and returned the pill to Zhang Yuan. His expression turned solemn as he lowered his voice. "Brother Yuan, if you trust me, I advise you not to keep taking this medicine. As for the reason, I cannot tell you."

"Ah..." Seeing Zhou Muyun's serious expression, Zhang Yuan knew he was not joking. "All right, Little Yun. I'll trust you this time. But my wife gave it to me. What should I do?"

"Just keep it, then find a chance to throw it away. Do not let anyone know that I told you not to take it."

What a joke. His wife was already a sect follower. If he openly refused to take it, would that not only invite suspicion?

Zhang Yuan nodded repeatedly. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two bid each other farewell.

Before long, Zhou Muyun arrived at the gate of the Inner City residence with his mother and sister.

He took out the key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

Turning sideways, he smiled at the two of them. "Mother, little sister, this is our new home."