Seeing Jiang Che approach, Sun Yong smiled and said:
"Brother Jiang, where did you go off to?"
"Nowhere... I was just... looking around." Jiang Che's gaze was a little evasive.
"Hengsha City is certainly a bustling place. We can stay a few more days next time we come, but for now..."
Sun Yong lowered his voice, "We're carrying the Black Crystal. It's better to head back early to avoid any complications. What do you think, Brother Jiang?"
"That makes sense," Jiang Che said with a nod.
Having just killed the Young Servant from Li Yuanwai's Mansion in self-defense, he didn't know if someone would come after him. Jiang Che couldn't wait to leave.
Once everyone had gathered, the convoy slowly set off.
Along the way, Jiang Che periodically scanned his surroundings, remaining vigilant at all times.
"Don't worry. There are officials in the city, so we don't have to worry about anyone trying to rob us of the Black Crystal. Besides, no one outside our Escort Agency knows you have it."
Sun Yong found Jiang Che's extreme caution somewhat amusing.
'This kid might be able to kill a Stone Skin Realm Black Beast with one punch,' he thought with an inward sigh, 'but he's still too young.'
"You have a point, Escort Sun..." Jiang Che gave an awkward smile.
What Sun Yong didn't know was that it was the officials Jiang Che was afraid of.
Although he had been forced to fight back, he had still killed someone in this city.
Even if that person had seemed strange and not like a good guy, the Government Office wouldn't know the circumstances.
Soon, the convoy reached the city gate.
Jiang Che secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as their turn came, a guard suddenly stopped them.
One of the guards was holding a portrait and began inspecting people one by one.
Jiang Che was startled, and his heart began to pound violently.
'How could they be this fast! It can't be me...'
He was confident that besides that Young Servant, no one else had seen his face!
But thinking about all the strange things that existed in this world, he was no longer so sure.
As the guard drew closer, Jiang Che's heart beat faster and faster.
However, when the guard passed Jiang Che, he only gave him a brief glance before moving on.
Only then did Jiang Che let out a breath of relief.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" Sun Yong asked, stopping the guard.
"Sigh... Martial Artists have been disappearing in the city recently. Someone happened to see the culprit and was able to provide this sketch."
"If you see this person, please report it. The Government Office is offering a reward of fifty silver taels for any information!"
The guard then showed the sketch to the crowd.
On the sketch was a middle-aged man with upturned eyes and a somewhat vicious expression.
"Never seen him."
Everyone shook their heads.
"Alright, you can go!"
The guard waved his hand, letting them pass.
On the way back, Jiang Che remained secretly on guard against his surroundings.
But the journey was calm and uneventful.
Because of the Black Beast incident, everyone's impression of Jiang Che had greatly improved, and people would occasionally come up to chat with him.
Jiang Che wasn't good with words, so he could only respond with a smile.
The others didn't mind, thinking that perhaps this was just the demeanor of an expert!
「Three days passed in a flash.」
Seeing the familiar city gates, Jiang Che's anxious heart finally settled.
Arriving at the Escort Agency, Sun Yong immediately went to find Steward Wang.
In the accounting room in the back courtyard, Steward Wang listened to Sun Yong's account, his gaze turning to Jiang Che, his eyes filled with shock.
Afterward, Sun Yong came out of the accounting room and told Jiang Che to go in.
After Jiang Che entered the room, the shock in Steward Wang's eyes had subsided. His attitude was now more enthusiastic, and he couldn't hide the admiration in his gaze.
"Brother Jiang, you truly are a young hero! To kill a Stone Skin Realm Black Beast with a single punch—I am impressed!"
Jiang Che scratched his head and smiled. "Steward Wang, you flatter me. If Escort Sun hadn't been holding it off at the front, I wouldn't have had the chance to strike."
Seeing that Jiang Che showed no trace of arrogance, Steward Wang was even more pleased.
After all, accomplished young men were often a bit arrogant, but he couldn't see a hint of it in Jiang Che.
With his experience, he could tell that this humility wasn't an act; deep down, Jiang Che genuinely didn't think of himself as anything special.
Jiang Che then handed over the Black Crystal.
Steward Wang took it gingerly and examined it carefully.
"Excellent. It's definitely a Stone Skin Realm Black Crystal!"
Steward Wang nodded as he looked.
He then carefully placed the Black Crystal into a silk-lined wooden box and locked it securely.
Next, he opened a drawer, counted out five portions of gold leaves, and handed them over.
Jiang Che took them and saw that the "gold leaves" weren't shaped like tree leaves, but like pages of a book.
It was a thick, rectangular sheet of gold foil, repeatedly folded to form something like a small booklet.
One portion of gold leaves was worth one hundred silver taels, so five portions were five hundred taels.
Jiang Che's heart pounded with excitement. 'I'm finally rich!'
He carefully put it away, tucking it into an inner pocket close to his body.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Steward Wang took out another ten silver taels and handed them over.
"This is your share for this escort mission."
Jiang Che nodded and took it.
Adding the eight silver taels he had left from before, he now had five hundred and eighteen silver taels.
After leaving the Escort Agency, Jiang Che didn't go home. Instead, he decided to go look at houses first.
His previous house was too dilapidated, and the surrounding area was chaotic.
Not only were there green-eyed monsters and Gang members, but there were also many vagrants.
While the vagrants posed no physical threat, they might climb in and steal things when no one was home.
In the past, his family was poor, so there wasn't much to steal.
But now Jiang Che was carrying a huge sum of money and would be buying supplies to keep at home in the future.
After all, he couldn't carry all his belongings with him at all times.
Imagine doing Martial Arts Training with a string of dried meat hanging from his body. How ridiculous would that look?
Besides, he needed a spacious place to practice his Qinggong.
The Martial Arts Hall was out of the question.
He hadn't even mastered the Cloud-Stacking Fist yet. If he dared to practice the Martial Arts of another Sect in the Martial Arts Hall, wouldn't his master expel him?
Therefore, having a safe, reliable house with a large courtyard was becoming increasingly urgent.
...
...
「East District, Prefecture Street.」
This area was not far from the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall and was also where the Government Office was located, so public order was generally better.
A short, stout old man in a long indigo cotton robe was unlocking the door of a house.
A leather pouch containing an abacus was tied to his waist, along with a string of keys.
"This house meets your requirements perfectly. Large courtyard, high walls, sturdy gates. The Government Office and a Martial Arts Hall are nearby, and there are no vagrants."
Following behind the old man was a tall young man with a well-proportioned build.
He was dressed in white training clothes, his black hair tied up in a high ponytail, with a few stray strands falling across his forehead, giving him a slightly roguish look.
His features were quite handsome, his eyes bright and full of spirit, and he had a calm and steady demeanor.
Although not particularly muscular, his posture was upright, and he walked with a breezy confidence. One look was enough to tell he was a trained practitioner.
This person was none other than Jiang Che, here to buy a house.
After breaking through in his Qi Blood, combined with his recent diet of Exotic Beast Meat, he had unknowingly grown much taller.
He was now nearly six feet tall.
His features also seemed to have matured, losing some of their boyishness and gaining a touch of a young man's handsome sharpness.
Stepping through the gate, the first thing he saw was a spacious courtyard with a flat, packed-earth floor.
In a corner stood a small pavilion next to a water well.
Although it wasn't as large as the Disciple Courtyard at the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, it was more than enough for Jiang Che's Martial Arts Training.
Jiang Che nodded slightly, already imagining where he would place the training posts.
"Look at this courtyard, big enough for you? Houses with yards this big are a rare find in our city!" the old man said with a laugh.
"Let's see the inside," Jiang Che said.
"This way!"
The two of them then entered the main house.
They were greeted by a main hall with yellow wood floors.
At the head of the hall were two Grandmaster's Chairs, with two armchairs on each side.
On either side of the hall were two side rooms.
Jiang Che crossed the hall and pushed open a narrow door at the back.
Outside was a small path paved with cobblestones, connecting to two small buildings.
There was also a small vegetable patch, about one-and-a-half fen, which was roughly ten square meters by the standards of Jiang Che's past life.
"What are these two small buildings for?" Jiang Che asked.
The old man walked over and pushed open a door.
"This one is the latrine, and that one's the back kitchen. Don't worry, they're both kept quite clean! And there's a little vegetable patch, too. You can grow some vegetables for yourself. So convenient!"
Jiang Che looked around and felt it was indeed quite good.
While not luxurious, it had the advantages of being clean and spacious.
Not only did it have a large courtyard for Martial Arts Training,
but it also had many rooms and its own well, making it easy to get water.
Not to mention the small vegetable patch.
"It's acceptable. What's the price?" Jiang Che asked.
The old man smiled broadly and held up five fingers.
"Five hundred silver taels!"