Chapter 31: The Rabbit’s Three Burrows
Actually, finding a place to stay is easy, but Rong Xie is a person with a lot of particular requirements.
His demands for a living environment were exceptionally high.
This living environment included both the physical environment and the human environment.
The physical environment referred to the house structure and functional layout—whether it could satisfy Rong Xie’s needs for daily life, laundry, cooking, reading, and walking.
The human environment was more complex, mainly referring to whether the people he had to see to maintain his life were easy to get along with.
Perhaps Huanxue Villa had raised Rong Xie’s standards for quality of life. He could no longer endure the life of inner sect disciples where seven or eight men squeezed onto a large communal bed. Even less could he endure the human environment of the Shen Clan Estate, filled with gossipers, moral kidnapping, and slanderous rumors. He had to find a place similar to Huanxue Villa—it could be smaller, but it had to be quiet, and the surrounding people had to be easygoing.
Rong Xie found it difficult to describe this feeling to Wang Mu. In the best restaurant in Welcome Town, at the dinner table, Wang Mu’s mouth hung half-open as he listened intently to Rong Xie’s long speech, yet he still missed the point and looked blank.
“So, you just want to find a place like Huanxue Villa?” Wang Mu tried hard to understand Rong Xie’s words. “I’ll keep an eye out!”
Understanding it as a place like Huanxue Villa was acceptable… At worst, Rong Xie would go for a field inspection himself; he couldn’t rely entirely on Wang Mu anyway.
“Thank you very much. This is the advance payment.” Rong Xie took out a spirit stone and handed it to Wang Mu.
“Hehe, I’m embarrassed to accept!” Wang Mu took the spirit stone and deftly tucked it into his robe.
After arranging the next meeting time with Wang Mu, Rong Xie returned to the villa.
Once a foothold was decided, Rong Xie would pay to buy it early. If nothing happened, fine; if something happened, he could move there immediately.
As for money, Rong Xie didn’t know how much a house cost on the market. Houses in different locations and of different regulations probably had different prices. He would ask about the specific price then. Come to think of it, he didn’t know how much Shen Bingsi had spent on Huanxue Villa.
“How much did Huanxue Villa cost?”
At dinner, Shen Bingsi returned from the social gathering on the main peak and ate with Rong Xie in the courtyard of the bedroom. As the two chatted, Rong Xie asked him this question.
Shen Bingsi thought for a long time and named a number. It was shockingly small.
“Only that much?” Rong Xie was surprised. His heart began to stir. If Shen Bingsi agreed, he could add a bit more money from his small treasury, give it all to Shen Bingsi, and Shen Bingsi could go find another place to live, okay?
“Yes, this land belonged to the sect anyway. Allocating it to me didn’t cost anything. The main expense was constructing the buildings. The Assistant Minister of Works at the Imperial Palace Workshop in Shengjing is an acquaintance of the Old Sect Master. Hearing it was building a house for the Spirit Mirror Sect, he gave a significant discount, so it didn’t cost much,” Shen Bingsi said.
“That’s nice,” Rong Xie sighed.
“Why do you ask?” Shen Bingsi found it amusing. “You sound like you’re envying someone else. Aren’t you the one living in this house?”
“…That’s true.” Rong Xie thought. Indeed, but living there and property rights were two different things.
“However, aside from the money spent buying the villa, daily maintenance must cost a lot too,” Rong Xie rubbed his chin.
Rong Xie knew a bit about this aspect. He managed the villa’s daily operations. What he could repair, he repaired himself. But there were many things he couldn’t fix. Shen Bingsi would wave his hand: Replace it! Smash it and redo it! Go to Shengjing to find someone to do it!
Shen Bingsi handled the contacts in Shengjing. Whether it was raw materials or labor, Shen Bingsi would choose the same grade as when the villa was first built. The price was certainly not low.
“I haven’t calculated that,” Shen Bingsi said honestly. “Anyway, money earned is meant to be spent. Selling any random weapon from our warehouse is enough to renovate the house once. Don’t worry about such small things.”
Shen Bingsi thought Rong Xie wanted to keep track of income and expenses. Actually, Rong Xie did keep accounts, but only for the parts he knew about. He didn’t manage (and couldn’t manage) the accounts that flowed from Shen Bingsi’s own purse.
Rong Xie didn’t explain, happy to let Shen Bingsi find reasons for him.
According to Shen Bingsi, renovating the house once cost the price of a weapon. One could roughly calculate the annual maintenance cost… It was a huge expenditure, and it would increase over time.
Calculating this way, buying a house required a large sum of money, and maintaining a house also required a large sum. Without a backer like the Spirit Mirror Sect, the expenses might double or triple.
With Rong Xie’s current savings, he couldn’t maintain his current quality of life.
This was getting a bit headache-inducing.
“Rong’er, you contributed greatly to quelling the rumors this time. Even the Old Sect Master praised you as a talent and told me to reward you well,” Shen Bingsi smiled. “Is there anything you want? Any place you want to go?”
Rong Xie snapped back to reality. What did Shen Bingsi just say? The Old Sect Master praised him? He immediately felt a bit shy, his face heating up, but his mood was very pleasant. “Really? I didn’t actually do much…”
Wait, a reward? Could he ask for money? Could he ask for a house? Would that be asking for too much…
“We are close friends; we share honor and disgrace. Could I just watch you be slandered? As for a reward… it’s not necessary.” Rong Xie’s mouth ran faster than his thoughts. By the time he reacted, he had already answered as usual.
Shen Bingsi seemed to have anticipated he would say this and grabbed his hand. “No, I’ve already decided. This time, I will not only give you a gift but also take you out to play. Perhaps while we’re out playing, we can look for what you want.”
Out… to play?
This was something novel for Rong Xie.
He rarely went out, let alone to play.
The outside world was big, with many magnificent landscapes, bustling cities, and all kinds of people.
But he couldn’t drum up any interest.
Thinking of how poor the living conditions outside were—inns were considered good, but sometimes one had to sleep in the open. Eating was an adventurous activity; who knew what was crawling in the corners of those dirty, dark kitchens… Rong Xie couldn’t muster the slightest interest in going out to play.
And the roads—they were terrible. The only ones that could be called roads were the imperial highways connecting the capital to a few major cities. Even on those highways, riding in a carriage could shake a person to pieces. Horses and vehicles passed in waves, kicking up clouds of dust. Even heavy carriage curtains couldn’t block that earthy smell. Opening one’s mouth meant choking on a noseful of dust. How could that compare to the comfort of feeling a light breeze in the flower hall?
“I don’t like going out to play,” Rong Xie replied. “I like staying at home.”
“…”
Shen Bingsi fell into silence.
Although it was the expected answer, he was still a bit disappointed.
Returning from the main peak this time, he had coincidentally passed by the Red Fragrance Pavilion and coincidentally overheard a pair of young Daoist companions whispering intimate words.
“A-Wang, everyone says that newlywed Daoist companions must go to South Island in Haizhou to be complete. South Island is the southernmost tip of our Five Continents. Arriving there is like reaching the end of heaven and earth, symbolizing that the couple can last forever and stay together for a long time.”
“But Ju’er, our inner sect assessment is coming up soon. I’m not ready yet. Going there takes a lot of time. Why don’t we go after the exam?”
“Stinky A-Wang, Brother Zhang already took Sister Su there. They say that traveling outside not only promotes affection between companions but dual cultivation also allows absorbing the essence of the earth veins, making progress faster. You…”
The nonsense that followed was filtered out by Shen Bingsi.
“Absorbing the essence of earth veins while traveling outside makes progress faster…” Shen Bingsi treasured this knowledge, having stolen a lesson once again.
However, how to coax Rong Xie out was a difficult problem.
Shen Bingsi thought about it and decided to use the Old Sect Master’s name to praise Rong Xie and say he wanted to give Rong Xie a reward.
Seeing his close friend reveal a shy smile, Shen Bingsi knew this move was correct.
Unfortunately, at the last moment, Rong Xie retreated.
“That won’t do,” Shen Bingsi said seriously. “The Old Sect Master will ask me. If I haven’t done anything, how will I explain it to him?”
“Hmm…” Rong Xie became troubled. If it were Shen Bingsi’s suggestion, it would be fine, but this was Old Sect Master Xue’s suggestion. “Then let’s… go somewhere close.”
“Somewhere close? Where do you want to go?” Places of scenic beauty and historical sites like “Shengjing,” “Thousand Wave Lake,” and “Sandalwood Temple” floated through Shen Bingsi’s mind.
“Let’s go to Lotus Town,” Rong Xie said. “I want to eat Master Hao’s tofu pudding. We’ll leave tomorrow morning, eat tofu pudding, stroll around, and be back by noon.”
“…” The edge of the stone table cracked under Shen Bingsi’s grip. “No.”
Rong Xie was helpless. “Then where do you want to go?”
“Just… Shengjing. How about it?” Shen Bingsi asked.
He had wanted to say Haizhou South Island, but Rong Xie would definitely refuse immediately.
Invitations required strategy. Inviting him somewhere too far right away wouldn’t work. First, accumulate some experience playing nearby, then spark interest in long-distance travel. Waiting for a day with clear weather and fresh air to casually take out the token for the Scripture Library of Xiangji Temple in Shengjing to seduce Rong Xie… that would give him at least a fifty or sixty percent chance of winning.
Of course, this was for someone like Rong Xie who loved his home. If the other party were someone who liked to play everywhere… what did that have to do with Shen Bingsi?
“Why go so far?” Rong Xie was surprised, words of refusal swirling on the tip of his tongue.
Suddenly, he thought that the mountainous areas around Shengjing should have many estates like Huanxue Villa. With the rapid turnover of power in the mortal world, many houses would be left empty. He couldn’t afford to buy one, but renting a small one should be fine.
Maybe he could stumble upon the work of that Assistant Minister of Works. That would be perfect.
“Alright, we’ll go to Shengjing.” Rong Xie nodded.
“…It’s not far; we’ll take a flying artifact there,” Shen Bingsi paused suddenly. “You agreed?”
“Mn.”
Shen Bingsi couldn’t quite believe it. He had prepared for a protracted war, ready to lobby repeatedly for three to five days…
He didn’t expect Rong Xie to agree directly!
This caught him off guard.
“Good!” Shen Bingsi clapped his hands. “Then we’ll prepare for a day and leave the morning after next. We’ll arrive in Shengjing by noon and stay at the Prosperous World Pavilion!”
Shen Bingsi was afraid Rong Xie agreed quickly only to regret it just as fast, so he hurriedly set the date.
“Such a rush?” Rong Xie felt a bit daunted at the thought of going out. If possible, he hoped to prepare for another ten days or half a month.
“With this weather, it’s perfect. Xiangji Temple is holding a Water and Land Dharma Assembly. The temple will be open to the public then. Didn’t you want to see the Palm-Leaf Manuscripts?” Shen Bingsi released his ultimate move directly.
Rong Xie perked up as expected. “Is that really possible? I heard the token for the Scripture Library is hard to get…”
Shen Bingsi slapped the Scripture Library token onto the table.
In the time that followed, Rong Xie behaved proactively and enthusiastically. When Shen Bingsi suggested taking a flying artifact, he agreed, even though he usually disliked long-distance flight.
On the day of departure, it was indeed a day with clear weather and fresh air.
Author’s Note: Travel Agency: May I ask the main purpose of your trip to Shengjing? Rong Xie: Tourism and house hunting. Shen Bingsi: Honeymoon (?).
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