Chapter 54: Light and Heavy
The people at the Lanyuan Brokerage were highly efficient. Based on the postage dates, the moment Rong Xie left the brokerage, they sent the first letter—a comprehensive list of houses in Lanyuan at various price points, complete with locations, layouts, and interior and exterior styles.
The subsequent letters came every three to five days, informing Rong Xie of any new developments and recommending similar houses based on his preferences.
Rong Xie read all the way to the study, dazzled by the choices. He felt this one was good, and that one wasn’t bad either.
However, his funds were limited. He couldn’t just buy whatever he wanted. The houses he fancied were more expensive than the last; none were within his budget.
After picking and choosing, balancing conditions and price, Rong Xie identified a few economical and suitable options. He drafted a reply asking the brokerage to provide more detailed information and the materials needed for the transaction.
By the time he finished the reply, the sun was already in the west. Rong Xie thought for a moment and decided to mail the letter himself.
Another few days passed. There was still no news from Shen Bingsi, but all the letters Rong Xie sent out received replies.
First was the brokerage, returning the detailed information Rong Xie wanted and warmly inviting him to Lanyuan for a face-to-face discussion. One homeowner was eager to sell; if Rong Xie was willing to negotiate in person, the price could be lowered.
Regarding the materials needed for the house transaction, the brokerage also sent a very detailed list, which included the exchange rates of spiritual stones to silver from major banks.
Rong Xie reviewed the rates provided by the brokerage, then unfolded the rates of ten reputable banks obtained from the Shengping Bank, the largest in the Capital. Comparing the two, the optimal choice was the Xuantian Bank opened by the Xuantian Sect in the Capital. For large asset exchanges, they offered a discount, achieving the ideal rate of ten spiritual stones for one tael of silver.
“Ten spiritual stones for one tael of silver…” Rong Xie calculated on paper with a goat-hair brush, occasionally checking his asset list and the market prices provided by the auction house. Finally, he arrived at a number.
Ten thousand spiritual stones.
Rong Xie’s savings over the years, combining cash and sellable assets, amounted to ten thousand spiritual stones.
Exchanged for silver, that would be one thousand taels.
One thousand taels sounded like a lot, enough to rent a very good house in Lanyuan. But Rong Xie didn’t need enjoyment; he needed long-term residence. Compared to renting, he preferred buying.
For buying, this price was a bit awkward. He could buy a decent house, but afterward, he wouldn’t have enough to pay the high taxes and maintenance fees…
It was Rong Xie’s first time learning that buying a house in the mortal world required paying so many taxes and fees.
Calculated practically, the list price of the houses he could afford was between six hundred and seven hundred taels.
Moreover, Rong Xie couldn’t put all his money into the house at once. He had to keep some for living expenses. Before finding a proper livelihood, he needed savings to feel secure.
Subtracting that portion, the number of houses he could buy became even fewer. Most of these houses didn’t have yards; if they did, it was just a small patch of land fenced off in front of the door. Drying clothes or drinking tea outdoors would be difficult, let alone enjoying garden scenery.
“…”
Looking again at the large mansions he yearned for and the common houses he could actually afford, Rong Xie instantly felt the cruelty of reality.
Years of carefree living had made him almost forget what poverty looked like.
Rong Xie stood up and paced in circles around the study.
“What if I sell that…” he murmured to himself.
Once again, he returned to the desk and dug out the reply from the Yuanbao Auction House from the pile of papers.
In the price estimate line, he found:
Lightning White Orchid — Twenty-five thousand spiritual stones.
Twenty-five thousand spiritual stones was the best price the auction house could offer. Rong Xie didn’t doubt this; after all, selling in a rush would definitely fetch a lower price than the bidding price at auction.
Moreover, Yuanbao Auction House was backed by the Liujin Sect, one of the three great sects. It was the auction house with the best reputation and confidentiality Rong Xie could find—he couldn’t very well take the Lightning White Orchid to the Lingjing Sect’s auction house or the Swordsmith Alliance to sell. That way, trouble would find him before he could sell it.
Twenty-five thousand spiritual stones equaled two thousand five hundred taels of silver. With this money, Rong Xie could choose those large courtyard houses he fancied.
But…
But, should he really sell the Lightning White Orchid, which Shen Bingsi had painstakingly forged for him?
Rong Xie hesitated.
On one side was a heavy gift Shen Bingsi had planned for ten years and solemnly presented. To give it, he had even created a sword dance. Even now, closing his eyes, Rong Xie could still see the ultramarine figure on the beach that night, ascending to the heavens and entering the earth, the giant orchid blooming recklessly.
On the other side was a detached courtyard house in Lanyuan with a small garden. Hot spring water was piped directly into the house, so no heated kang was needed, and winter could be as warm as spring. The second floor had north-south ventilation; the south-facing windows offered a direct view of the snow on Mount Zhongnan, while the north-facing windows overlooked the idyllic cooking smoke of Lanyuan.
Thinking carefully, weighing the light against the heavy, it wasn’t actually that hard to distinguish.
“…Forget it.”
Rong Xie sighed and slowly closed the price list from Yuanbao Auction House.
“Better to sell it.”
After all, the house was for living in, tangibly, for the next few decades. The sword, however, was useless.
Rong Xie no longer expected to establish his foundation. With things between him and Shen Bingsi broken like this, even if he was willing to half-heartedly agree, Shen Bingsi definitely wouldn’t consent.
Since Foundation Establishment was hopeless, the Lightning White Orchid was useless to him. Aside from taking it out occasionally to reminisce about Shen Bingsi and the pain of being pierced through the abdomen in the prophetic dream, it truly had no practical value.
That night on the beach, Rong Xie swore to himself that from then on, he would protect himself first.
Maintaining his quality of life occupied a crucial position in protecting himself.
Having made up his mind, Rong Xie sat back at the desk and added two thousand five hundred taels to the house-buying budget. Instantly, the range of choices became broad.
Rong Xie’s mood also became refreshed.
He settled on a few courtyards priced around one thousand five hundred taels, planning to make a final decision after an on-site inspection.
Next was the last troublesome matter.
Rong Xie focused on the list of materials needed for the house transaction.
Mortals had short lives, but their bureaucratic procedures showed no sign of being concise; they were even more troublesome than in the cultivation world.
After reading for a while, his eyes felt sore, and he had to pinch the bridge of his nose with both hands and close his eyes to rest.
What is this… and what is this…
Many unheard-of posts, forms, lists, and proofs appeared on the checklist.
It seemed that to buy a house in Lanyuan, he had to clarify every single event from his birth to the present. And verbal statements were insufficient; he needed paper documents stamped with official seals.
Where… where was he supposed to find these?
He left Shen Family Manor when he was a teenager. If these posts, forms, lists, and proofs still existed, they would definitely be at Shen Family Manor. Did he… have to ask those people in the Shen family for them?!
He thought everything was ready, but he didn’t expect to be stumped by such a basic problem.
Moreover, this problem couldn’t be bypassed just by thinking of a clever solution.
As long as Rong Xie wanted to buy property in the mortal world, he must have these paper documents. This was equivalent to his legal identity in the mortal world. Without it, he couldn’t establish himself there, let alone live a decent life.
What to do?
Rong Xie stood up again, pacing in the room, thinking. He thought until the refreshing incense burned out, but still hadn’t come up with a good idea.
The only idea he could think of was writing back to ask the Shen family for help.
But would the Shen family help?
Upon receiving the letter, their first reaction would probably be to gloat and pry into what went wrong between Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi—why did he suddenly want his identity documents?
Combined with the unhappy scene when the Shen family visited last time, he knew sending this letter wouldn’t end well. At best, they’d crumple it up and throw it away; at worst, they might deliberately cause trouble and destroy the identity documents Rong Xie needed.
That would be troublesome.
No, he couldn’t alert the enemy.
After much thought, Rong Xie decided he still had to discuss this with Shen Bingsi.
If Shen Bingsi stepped forward to get his identity documents personally, then no matter how unwilling the Shen family was to cooperate, they would have to go through the motions for appearances’ sake.
And once he got the identity documents and set up his own household independently, he wouldn’t need to tangle with the Shen family anymore.
Thinking of this, Rong Xie reached for the jade pendant at his waist.
He patted twice but felt nothing. Then he remembered he hadn’t used the jade pendant for a long time.
The original Concentric Transmission Jade had failed and was thrown to the bottom of his carry-on pouch.
The ordinary Transmission Jade used later was given away in exchange for the couple’s jade on the South Island.
Now Rong Xie didn’t have a single working jade pendant on him.
They hadn’t… contacted each other for a long time.
Rong Xie didn’t give himself much time for sentimentality.
He stepped toward the front courtyard.
The three little ones were practicing spells from talismans in the courtyard. Seeing Rong Xie come out, they cast worried glances.
Clearly, the recent frequent correspondence had been observed by the three little ones. They knew something was likely to happen soon, unlike Rong Xie’s claim of just preparing for a rainy day.
“Shen Yan,” Rong Xie called.
“Brother Rong!” Shen Yan put down the talisman in his hand and trotted to Rong Xie. “Brother Rong, any instructions?”
“Did you… see the Villa Master before?” Rong Xie asked.
“Huh?” Shen Yan was confused for a moment. “Brother Rong, you mean when you guys just came back last month? I saw the arc of the Shengxie Sword going toward the main peak before dawn.”
“Alright… do you still know how to contact Elder Yunfeng?” Rong Xie said. “Make a trip for me. Send a message to Elder Yunfeng, say… I have business with Shen Bingsi.”
Shen Yan’s eyes lit up. “Rest assured, Brother Rong, I’ll go right now!”
Having sent Shen Yan off, Rong Xie sat down in the courtyard. While waiting for a reply, he casually guided Dragon Shaoye and Fang Renji in their spells.
Now that Rong Xie also had ample spiritual energy, combined with his masterful grasp of techniques, guiding the two little ones was effortless.
Dragon Shaoye and Fang Renji benefited greatly, their admiration for Rong Xie growing even more.
“Brother Rong,” Dragon Shaoye said spiritedly during a break. “Are you and the Villa Master making up?”
Fang Renji also looked over expectantly.
Rong Xie laughed involuntarily. “Why do you say that?”
“Ignoring each other means you’re still sulking. Starting to talk means you’re going to make up.” Dragon Shaoye stated his experience confidently.
Fang Renji nodded vigorously too.
Rong Xie didn’t know how to explain. If the estrangement between people could be solved just by communicating, it wouldn’t be estrangement.
While he was pondering, a streak of green light flashed before the gate of Huanxue Villa. Elder Yunfeng, Shen Bingsi’s closest friend in the Council of Elders, had come in person.
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