It was the tenth day since Liu Sanxian, Cheng Du, Yan Xiao, Song Yanrong, and Feng Xiaobao had stood side by side on the road to the Yellow Springs, almost running out of space.
Two days ago, Ji Xue had paid a visit and delivered one thousand taels of silver.
She said it was to thank Shen Xiuhan for his help in preventing Ji Wen from becoming a wandering ghost.
Shen Xiuhan did not decline much and accepted it.
On this morning, Liu Chong had someone bring a message saying there was progress on the house.
Shen Xiuhan immediately requested leave and rushed to the prefecture capital, following a broker surnamed Wu toward the east of the city.
The house was located in Yongning Ward in the east of the city. The location was not the most bustling, but it was quiet and peaceful.
As the broker, Wu, pulled out the keys to open the door, he introduced, “This residence originally belonged to a silk merchant surnamed Zhou. Now that his business has grown, his entire family has relocated to Cangzhou. When he left, he entrusted someone to clean and maintain it, so it is extremely well-preserved.”
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Shen Xiuhan looked up, and a wave of appreciation immediately welled up in his heart.
It was a square, two-entry courtyard.
The front courtyard was paved with green bricks. In the corner, a pomegranate tree leaned outward, its branches still hanging with a few unpicked, dried fruits.
Passing through the hall, the central courtyard opened up. Against the wall stood a piled Taihu stone rockery, with green moss growing between the rocks and several clumps of slender bamboo jutting out from the crevices.
A stream of running water was channeled to the foot of the rockery. The gentle current gurgled around the stone steps, flowing into a small pond in the corner of the courtyard.
The pond water was crystal clear, and about a dozen red carp lazily wagged their tails, occasionally blowing a string of bubbles.
A hexagonal pavilion was built by the pond, complete with a stone table and stone benches inside. A few withered vines climbed over the top; in the spring and summer, it would surely be covered in dense shade.
There were three main halls, two wing rooms each on the east and west, and a small row of rear rooms.
The doors, windows, beams, and pillars were all made of high-quality old elm wood. Although the lacquer finish had some fine hairline cracks, it only added a touch of ancient charm.
Shen Xiuhan pushed open the doors to inspect the rooms one by one. Most of the furniture was still inside, and although it wasn't made of precious wood, everything was wiped clean. He could move in immediately with just his bags.
“It's a nice house,” Shen Xiuhan stood in the central courtyard, looking at the red carp in the pond, and praised it from the bottom of his heart.
“Of course...” Wu, the broker, approached with a beaming smile. “Young Master, look at this rockery and this running water. It's rare to find such features in a two-entry courtyard in the prefecture capital.”
Shen Xiuhan nodded, then changed the subject. “And the price?”
Wu's smile grew even more obsequious as he held up a finger. “One thousand two hundred taels!”
The smile on Shen Xiuhan's face froze.
One thousand two hundred taels!
When he bought his courtyard in Changyun County, which even came with a small storefront, it had only cost him a little over twenty taels.
Yet here in the Nanxiang prefecture capital, they dared to ask this much for a two-entry courtyard. This was more than a dozens-fold increase!
Seeing that Shen Xiuhan seemed dissatisfied, Wu quickly said, “Young Master, for the location and quality in Yongning Ward, this price is truly not expensive.”
“You are a disciple of the Star-Plucking Sect and a friend of Young Master Liu. I wouldn't dare deceive you.”
“If you don't believe me, feel free to ask around. Land prices in the prefecture capital have been rising year after year. Good houses are snapped up as soon as they hit the market. Even with money, you might not be able to buy one.”
Shen Xiuhan naturally knew that housing prices in the prefecture capital were high.
But for someone who had been deeply impoverished, spending this much money was still painful.
He looked back at the pond, where a red carp floated to the surface, lazily blowing a bubble, looking completely carefree.
Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and counted out four hundred taels from his storage bag. “Let's finalize the transaction today.”
Wu took the banknotes, his smile growing even wider. “Young Master is indeed straightforward! Young Master Liu has already advanced eight hundred taels. I will go to the magistrate's office right now to process the deed for you and guarantee it will be delivered to your hands before evening.”
Once the broker left, Shen Xiuhan turned his gaze to look around the autumn scenery filling the courtyard, sighing, “It really is expensive... but having a place of my own in the prefecture capital makes it worth it.”
“In the future, I can also bring Mother and Momo here to stay for a while and enjoy a comfortable life.”
After obtaining the property deed, Shen Xiuhan stayed in the house for a day.
He specifically left some money behind, commissioning someone to continue cleaning and maintaining the residence every other month.
Early the next morning, he headed toward the Star-Plucking Tower in Nanxiang Ward.
“Senior Brother Shen?” Just as he entered the door, a familiar voice called out.
Shen Xiuhan looked over. It was Xu Susu, the outer court female disciple he had met last time.
“Are you here to find Manager Liu, Senior Brother? What a coincidence, he went to the entertainment houses early this morning to listen to music. Should I go call him...”
“No need, no need,” Shen Xiuhan quickly interrupted the girl and stated his purpose. “I came to ask if the tower has any hidden weapons, like flying darts, for sale?”
The Liu Family Sword Shop specialized in forging, repairing, and selling swords. Although they did some business unrelated to swords, it was mostly sabers and spears; they absolutely did not carry hidden weapons or flying darts.
That was why Shen Xiuhan had specifically come to the Star-Plucking Tower to ask.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xu Susu immediately said with a smile, “Of course we do!”
She led Shen Xiuhan to the third floor and opened a compartment. Inside was a dense display of exotic hidden weapons, gleaming with a cold, sharp light.
Xu Susu said, “What kind of darts do you want, Senior Brother? Although the tower has a rich variety of hidden weapons, we might not have some of the rarer or more obscure ones.”
“Copper coin darts, flying needles, and... a few throwing knives.”
These were all quite common hidden weapons. Xu Susu let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “We have all of those. Please wait a moment, Senior Brother.”
She deftly searched through the shelves and quickly brought out several trays, lining them up.
There were prismatic darts, including three-sided and four-sided darts, with tassels at the ends to distract the target's vision or balance their flight trajectory.
There were also various types of flying needles—round-headed, sharp-headed, tailed, and tailless. The selection was highly comprehensive, each serving a unique purpose.
There were also the common willow-leaf darts with sharp angles, as well as barbed tail needles that locked into the flesh upon impact, impossible to remove without carving out the meat.
In addition, there were cross darts, meteor darts, and copper coin darts.
The most valuable among them were the throwing knives!
Their blades were pitch-black and shimmered with a faint, dark luster. They were forged with high-grade Geng-iron, making them the most expensive of all!
Shen Xiuhan picked for a moment, taking a few boxes of each type of dart, and selected five throwing knives.
Xu Susu's fingers flew as she rapidly clicked her abacus, saying in a crisp voice, “Since you are a core disciple, Senior Brother, you enjoy a twenty percent discount. These items come to a total of fifty-six taels.”
Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly. This price was quite acceptable. “Very well!”
After settling the bill, Shen Xiuhan did not head straight back to Thousand Pools Island, but instead detoured to Tingquan Island.
He wanted to pay a visit to Wen Qingye to personally report his comprehension of sword-qi and his killing of Liu Sanxian.
First, Master Wen had treated him very well. In the past, it wouldn't have mattered.
But now that even Gongsun Bei knew about it, there was no reason for Master Wen to remain in the dark!
Second, if Master Wen knew, he would surely value him even more. When the time came, he could naturally bring up the matter of the upcoming opening of the Blessed Land.
Unfortunately, his timing was bad. Wen Qingye was still in closed-door cultivation refining pills!
Fourth Senior Sister Zheng Hongxiu welcomed him into the side hall, handed him a cup of tea, and said that their master would need at most another half-month to emerge from his seclusion.
Helpless, Shen Xiuhan could only ask Zheng Hongxiu to send him a message as soon as Master Wen came out of seclusion, as he had important matters to report.
Zheng Hongxiu was always easygoing and immediately agreed.
Returning to Thousand Pools Island, Shen Xiuhan plunged into the bamboo forest and engaged in bitter cultivation for ten consecutive days!
During the day, he threw darts to strike the training posts using the techniques of the Flying Shadow Heart-Devouring Hand; at night, he sat cross-legged to breathe and cultivate his seventh profound acupoint.
By the evening of the tenth day, the seventh profound acupoint in his body was finally perfected and unobstructed, his inner force flowing without the slightest friction.
Without any hesitation, Shen Xiuhan took out the last drop of Century-Old Earth Stalactite Milk and swallowed it!
As the spiritual liquid slid down his throat, it transformed into a warm, surging torrent that rushed straight to his Shanzhong acupoint, opening the eighth profound acupoint as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
Crack, crack, crack...
The eight profound acupoints surged in unison, their force connecting into a single whole, like streams merging into a river, endless and unceasing.
“The eighth acupoint is formed!”
Shen Xiuhan was in an excellent mood. He stood up, his bones immediately emitting a series of crisp pops like crackling beans, and his entire body felt thoroughly comfortable.
He pushed open the door and stepped out, intending to practice a few more rounds of the Flying Shadow Heart-Devouring Hand in the bamboo forest outside, when his figure suddenly froze, his footsteps nailed to the spot.
Outside the door.
In mid-air.
A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe with thick, shoulder-length black hair stood hovering in the air.
He had his hands clasped behind his back, his robes completely still in the autumn wind. His eyes, deep as an abyss, quietly examined Shen Xiuhan, a hint of surprise visible in their depths.
Gangjin...
Shen Xiuhan's gaze sharpened, and his vigilance surged dramatically.
A... completely unfamiliar Gangjin expert whom I've never seen before!
Rate on N.U.
