"Here you are; this is the key. We're even now."
The jovial old man handed a bunch of keys to Qi Xiu and then, as if afraid Qi Xiu would have second thoughts, dashed out of the alley at a remarkably swift pace, vanishing in a trail of smoke.
He shook his head with a light chuckle, watching the dust that hadn't yet settled outside the door.
Qi Xiu closed the courtyard door and casually affixed a [Suppression Talisman].
For three thousand five hundred taels of snow-patterned silver, he had secured this tranquil and elegant courtyard in the bustling Qingliu County. It was neither too large nor too small.
Another year has passed in the blink of an eye.
Bending down, he sat beside the garden bed in the courtyard. A cool, slightly chilling breeze blew as pure white snowflakes drifted down. Qi Xiu caught one in his hand.
He watched as the snowflake slowly melted into a few drops of clear water in his palm.
Qi Xiu's gaze was distant.
