As for whether Wang Zhihuan would embezzle his money, Lu Ren was not too worried. With his physique, if the barely one-meter-six tall Wang Zhihuan dared to do such a thing, he'd either have lost his mind or was lacking in sense.

After eating the meal brought by the servant, Lu Ren was quite satisfied.

The taste in Juliu City leaned towards spicy, with chili peppers that made one sweat all over, and the dishes were mostly to replenish Qi and enhance Yang. The rice was blood corn, which effectively replenished the physical strength of the average martial artist.

But this meal only served to fill Lu Ren's stomach a bit. To truly replenish, the Red Dragon Inner Core was needed.

After finishing the meal, while it wasn't too late yet, with the afterglow of the sunset slowly fading, Lu Ren went out, walked around the streets leisurely, bought some snacks to taste along the way, and returned to his residence.

The next morning, having woken up early, Lu Ren sat on the roof facing the first ray of sunrise. Purple Qi rose from his mouth and nose, with strands of golden light visible to the naked eye surrounding him, which slowly absorbed into his skin.

Once everything was done, seeing the system skill level hint that the Ten Lands Phoenix Bodhisattva Path skill level had increased, the decimal point jumped forward a few digits.

Lu Ren was quite satisfied with this.

After all, especially at his realm, relying on personal cultivation was mostly slow work, and breaking through realms required sufficient accumulation as the qualification to advance.

When he lightly descended from the roof, Wang Zhihuan had already been waiting for a few minutes. Seeing the phenomenon Lu Ren had just exhibited, Wang Zhihuan then realized that this master had entered the Transformation Realm, far beyond what ordinary martial artists could compare.

After recalling their acquaintanceship so far, and confirming there were no shortcomings in his conduct, Wang Zhihuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly smiled, "Master Lu, the government office for house notarization is close by. We can go over now; it's just the right time. Shall I first take you to tour the residence, and if you find it suitable, we can settle the matter together?"

"Alright."

Lu Ren had no objections.

"This place is quiet within the hustle and bustle, and it's a property purchased by the son of a large family in the elegant district. If not for them moving their entire family to the capital, this place wouldn't have been sold. It's adjacent to the Qingshui River, has a well connected for water, with three entrances and exits, and standing in the courtyard offers a view of boats on the distant Qingshui River."

Wang Zhihuan laughed, "It only costs eight hundred taels of silver; quite a bargain."

Lu Ren looked around, and based on the Dimension Anchor measurement, it might take a year and a half; not choosing a good place for himself would be letting himself down.

After looking up and down, Lu Ren was quite satisfied, feeling the area did not have any dirty things like water ghosts emerging from the well as in previous places in Chenliu, so it seemed peaceful enough.

Eight hundred taels, in Juliu City, which hosts a population of millions, for a house in the elegant district is indeed not expensive, a sincere price.

The elegant district is mainly residences of wealthy merchants and nobles, and anyone buying here usually has significant status, often being upper-class figures in Juliu City.

Lu Ren wasn't hesitant, immediately going with Wang Zhihuan to the household registration office, getting registered, and then to the real estate notarization office to sign the house transfer contract with the young man informed by the previous owner.

"It's you."

The young man blurted out; he was the very Chen Bao who commented on Lu Ren's physique when Lu Ren entered the city the day before.

Lu Ren looked puzzled, "I know you."

"No, not acquainted."

Chen Bao slightly shook his head, sighing to himself, finally called back to reality by Wang Zhihuan's whisper.

A hint of self-mockery appeared on his face, "I thought the person interested in my residence was a scholar well-versed in poetry and books."

Lu Ren said calmly, "Nowadays, scholars are powerless, not daring to enter the Underworld, and only scraping by within the city."

Chen Bao's face flushed; he stared at him intently, yet couldn't argue back. Though currently during Daqian's golden era, with guidance from previous State Preceptors over generations steering Daqian and building eighty-two giant cities, gathering limitless Yang Qi, using extreme Yang as the formation focal point in the Underworld, spending three hundred years to create a place for Daqian to thrive and multiply.

Still, strange events occasionally occurred within Daqian's realm.

Calming himself, Chen Bao said lightly, "Being well-read, one's mind becomes pure, naturally nurturing righteous Qi within the chest, with a shout, spirits and ghosts flee."

"Good." A rare smile spread across Lu Ren's face, "There is indeed righteous Qi in reading; someone once said the path is not only in Qi cultivation and martial arts, but walking, sitting, chess, music, calligraphy, and painting could all lead to the Dao; you have ambition."

Chen Bao heard this with a hint of joy, nodded, "Your insight differs qualitatively from those boorish people."

The previously anxious Wang Zhihuan finally relaxed, fearing the deal would fall through.

Soon after, Chen Bao and Lu Ren smoothly signed the purchase contract and handed the land deed and keys to Lu Ren.

"Brother Wang, mountains high and rivers wide, see you again!"

With that, Chen Bao gracefully turned away and left.

Lu Ren watched, shaking his head slightly.

These young men are truly young.

A slight compliment and they're overjoyed.

Wang Zhihuan laughed, "Master Lu, with this matter settled, the old man won't bother you anymore. Should anything come up in the future, feel free to instruct, and I'll take my leave."

Lu Ren nodded slightly, "You've worked hard."

Watching Wang Zhihuan leave happily, Lu Ren also shook his head slightly. Turning away, he returned to his residence, tidied up a bit, and settled in.

Time passed like water, and a month flew by without incident or danger.

The neighbors around where Lu Ren lived got to know that a martial artist had bought the place; out of curiosity, people wondered about him for a while, but Lu Ren kept to himself, only greeting the neighbors once, and then was rarely seen, making curiosity wane.

...

...

"Isn't Wang Feng dead?"

In a small city over a hundred miles from Juliu City, in an ordinary looking courtyard, two iron-tower-like martial artists held a letter sent by a flying bird, showing a slight expression of confusion.

"That guy, I personally saw him fall off a ten-thousand-foot cliff, bones scattered, so why is he boldly appearing in Juliu City, even buying a house."

The other man, with braided hair, snorted lightly, "Bones scattered means he may have escaped by following the river."

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, "This is outright provocation, a provocation against our organization, not merely scraping by but purchasing property; he's got a death wish!"

Then, he excitedly said, "This means that the line isn't broken!"

"Find him, and ask for the whereabouts of the keys!"

...

...

Completely unaware of anything Wang Feng might have done on the household registration, Lu Ren was leisurely watching the scene before him, playing the role of a bystander watching a couple quarreling by the riverside.

These days, he had been quite content, slowly digesting his rapidly increasing power, while sorting through the integration of Real Buddha True Skill, True Martial Emperor Body, and Immortal Skin and Jade Bone in horizontal refinement.

Thus, his blood and Qi had become increasingly abundant, almost reaching the stage of a blood Qi furnace.

Fortunately, Daqian's atmosphere was relatively open, so these expressions of love elicited no real comments.

(Apologies everyone, the updates have indeed been late recently because of overtime requiring working until after eight, making writing difficult, exhausting my mind focusing on pennies as if dealing with thousands. Thank you all for your support and encouragement! Go easy on me!)

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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