NOVEL WEB Chapter 97: Spiritual House
Chapter 97: Spiritual House
Xu Lian said, “The female official didn’t make a mistake, I wanted a Class C house.”
Xu Lian couldn’t say that it was given to him for free, so he had to brag a bit, “A Class C house worth 34,000 Spirit Stones, negotiating the price down to 11,000 Spirit Stones, that’s what I call negotiating; otherwise, a Class D house worth 12,000 Spirit Stones, negotiating the price down to 11,000 Spirit Stones, that would be meaningless.”
Tong Miao and Lin Ying were truly surprised. The rental office was backed by the Town Guardian, and the Town Guardian was backed by the Yi Sect, so the rental office didn’t give a face to anyone and was always very tough. Even the wealthy and powerful families didn’t dare to negotiate with the leasing office, but Xu Lian not only negotiated, he directly cut the price in half. Did he have such a deep background?
It seemed that Hua Rongjun’s previous statement that Xu Lian’s family background was similar to Tong Miao’s was too modest, or maybe she didn’t want to let the Tong family know too much.
This made Lin Ying look at her mother, Hua Rongjun, with a slightly resentful gaze. Even she, her own daughter, was kept in the dark, making her feel like a daughter who had been married off and was no longer loved.
Lin Yue, Hua Rongjun, and Lin Wan were also surprised, but they didn’t feel too surprised. They were just deepening their understanding of the purple-level identity token, and it seemed that Xu Lian’s background was even more profound than they thought. The rental office was willing to sell favors, which meant that the city guard was also willing to sell favors. This meant that the purple-level identity token should be at least at the level of the Town Guardian.
Everyone came to their senses, feeling a little strange in their hearts. They had to rethink their relationship with Xu Lian and how they would deal with him in the future. They couldn’t afford another embarrassing incident like yesterday. If Xu Lian were to bear a grudge, it would be a big problem that both families couldn’t afford.
Lin Ying joked, “Brother-in-law negotiated the price, and now our Lin Family and Tong Family’s accumulated spirit stones will be tripled. I might as well stay in the Lin family and be Brother-in-law’s concubine.”
She looked at Lin Wan with envy, “Sister, you’ve had a man before, and now you’ve found a brother-in-law with such a deep background, who is young and handsome. Sister, your abilities are truly impressive.”
However, her emotional intelligence was a bit low, and this joke made Tong Miao’s face stiffen and Lin Wan feel embarrassed.
Hua Rongjun lightly coughed and reminded Lin Ying.
Lin Ying then realized her mistake and laughed, not saying anything else that would shock people.
Xu Lian handed the house deed back to Lin Yue, “Father-in-law, please take it.”
Lin Yue thought for a moment and didn’t refuse. This was a gesture of filial piety from his son-in-law.
Tong Miao quickly said, “This C-class house also has 7 rooms. My Tong family will only occupy 2 rooms.”
After all, he had invested 6,500 Spirit Stones and could have occupied 4 rooms in a Class D house. Now, he only needed 2 rooms in a Class C house, which was already a great deal, since the value of 2 rooms was already over 10,000 Spirit Stones.
He didn’t ask for the original 4 rooms, or else he would be too greedy.
After all, he and Xu Lian didn’t have any relationship, and he was only relying on the Lin family’s influence.
Lin Yue smiled, “My Lin family won’t be polite to Little Xu. Originally, we planned to occupy 2 rooms, and now we’ll still occupy 2 rooms. The remaining 3 rooms will belong to our eldest daughter and Little Xu.”
Xu Lian waved his hand, “Lin Wan and I will only need 1 room. The Lin and Tong families have many people, and 2 rooms each would not be enough. In my opinion, the Lin and Tong families should each have 3 rooms. Besides, I didn’t negotiate with the rental office for my own benefit.”
Lin Yue and Tong Miao didn’t refuse anymore. After thanking Xu Lian, they accepted the offer. For them, an extra room was equivalent to an extra 5,000 spirit stones!
The Tong family had accumulated over 6,000 spirit stones over the years, and the Lin family had only accumulated over 3,000 spirit stones.
These 5,000 Spirit Stones were extremely important to both families, and would even affect their future fortunes.
As the head of the Lin family and the eldest son of the Tong family, they couldn’t miss such a great opportunity for the sake of their family.
The spirit house had been purchased.
Next, they had to discuss the arrangements for moving in.
The six people, three couples, rode in three horse-drawn carriages and returned to the Lin family’s residence.
In a joyful atmosphere, they drank tea in the living room and discussed the move-in arrangements.
“A C-class spirit house with a high concentration of spiritual energy can’t be left empty, it would be a waste of spirit stones. We need to move in as soon as possible, preferably today,” Lin Yue said.
Lin Ying chuckled, her eyes gleaming with calculation. “The three rooms assigned to the Tong family can be reduced to one room. With over a dozen people, it’ll be a bit cramped, but it’s doable. The other two rooms can be rented out, and we can earn 6 to 7 Spirit Stones per day, which is nearly 200 Spirit Stones per month and over 2,000 Spirit Stones per year.”
Hua Rongjun nodded in agreement. “I was thinking the same thing, we can invite your uncle’s and brother’s families to live together in one room and rent out the other two rooms. Since we’ll be living in the spirit house for a long time, we can only come back to the Lin family residence on holidays and special occasions.”
Xu Lian couldn’t help but be impressed by their thriftiness as he imagined more than a dozen people living in a small room, some sitting on the bed, some on the table, and some on the floor. Of course, the bed and table would have to be removed to make room, and everyone would have to sit on the floor.
But it made sense. The Lin and Tong families had accumulated their wealth over many years, and now that they had finally bought a spirit house, they would want to make the most of every inch of space. Who would be willing to waste a room for just one or two people?
Especially in a C-class house, where each room was worth 5,000 spirit stones. Even large families wouldn’t dare to be so extravagant, considering that they had to accommodate more people.
This was the reality of families in Pingyang County. On the surface, they seemed to be prosperous and admired by the common people, but in reality, their living conditions were even worse than those of the common people, especially when it came to their training.
Take Xu Lian, who came from a rural town. He used to live in a simple earthen house, but at least he had some private space. He and Li Xiya lived in the outside room, while Wang Cuiyun lived in the inside room.
As for the move, time was of the essence. Every moment of delay would be a waste of Spirit Stones. The six of them had lunch together, and then Tong Miao and Lin Ying hurried back to the Tong family residence.
Lin Yue and Hua Rongjun began to instruct the servants to pack their belongings and prepare for the move. It was different from when they used to rent spirit houses for short periods of time, bringing only a few dry rations. This time, they were moving in for the long term, so they had to bring clothes, cooking utensils, and other necessities.
In reality, most cultivators weren’t as high and mighty as ordinary people imagined them to be. They still needed the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and shelter, not to mention the need to go to the toilet. Only those who had reached a high level of cultivation, like those who could live off the aura of heaven and eat the dew, could transcend the needs of ordinary people.
Unless, of course, one had reached the level of longevity and immortality, which was beyond Xu Lian’s imagination. At that level, one would no longer be human, and who knew what they would be like?
“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, I have something to discuss with you,” Xu Lian said, dismissing the servants and leaving only Lin Wan behind.
He took out 3,000 Spirit Stones and placed them on the table.
Lin Yue, Hua Rongjun, and Lin Wan were all stunned.
Xu Lian explained, “Actually, the C-class spirit house was given to me by the female official for free without asking for a single spirit stone. This is the 3,000 spirit stones that belong to the Lin family, please take it back.”
This left Lin Yue, Hua Rongjun, and Lin Wan speechless, and this time, they were truly shocked. The purple-level token was even more extraordinary than they had imagined.
“Xiao Xu, you really are…”
Hua Rongjun was so moved that she almost cried, her eyes reddening as tears welled up. She laughed and cried as she scolded Xu Lian, “You’re too good to our family’s eldest daughter.”
She knew that Xu Lian could have easily kept the 3,000 Spirit Stones for himself, but instead, he chose to reveal the truth and give them to the Lin family. This showed that Xu Lian had a kind and sincere heart.
Lin Wan was also moved to tears, throwing herself into Xu Lian’s arms and embracing him tightly as she called out to him in a tearful voice, “Husband”.
“Why are you crying?” Xu Lian hugged her back, knowing that he had to make her happy to increase their affection. Of course, from the bottom of his heart, he was also happy to see a good woman who deserved his kindness.
Hua Rongjun wiped away her tears and looked at Lin Wan with a serious expression, “Eldest daughter, you must take good care of Little Xu for the rest of your life. If you disappoint him in any way, let alone others, even your mother will not agree. Do you understand?”
Lin Wan nodded, her eyes still red from crying, “Husband has been so kind to me, I will definitely take him as my guiding principle and serve him with all my heart and soul.”
Even if Hua Rongjun hadn’t said anything, Xu Lian knew that Lin Wan would never let him down. A 91/100 affection rating was not something to be taken lightly, and while people’s hearts might change, the math wouldn’t.
In this strange and unpredictable world, one had to believe in science…
Xu Lian sincerely said to Lin Yue, “Father-in-law, please take the 3,000 spirit stones. As for the 6,500 spirit stones from the Tong family, I won’t return them. After all, the Tong family has nothing to do with me, and I won’t give them three spirit houses for free.”
Lin Yue smiled and put the 3,000 spirit stones away, “Of course, the Lin family is the Lin family, and the Tong family is the Tong family. The Tong family’s spirit stones are not something we can just return. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t return them either.”
Hua Rongjun sighed, “Three rooms worth 15,000 spirit stones, and the Tong family got them for 6,500 spirit stones. This time, the Tong family really got a great deal. I’m heartbroken, and if it weren’t for our second daughter, I would have wanted to cancel the agreement”.
Xu Lian didn’t know what to say, as his in-laws seemed to be more heartbroken than he was.
Lin Yue and Hua Rongjun instructed the servants to pack the clothes, kitchen utensils, and daily necessities, and then they left for First Street.
Xu Lian and Lin Wan stayed behind at the Lin family compound.
Xu Lian didn’t need to cultivate in the Spirit House, and he didn’t want to be cooped up there. Lin Wan had to stay with him, and now that the Lin family compound was empty, they were free to do as they pleased. They left their footprints everywhere, from the artificial hills to the pavilions and gardens.
A few days later, Xu Lian received a pleasant surprise. With the return of the 3,000 Spirit Stones, Lin Wan had been in a state of gratitude, and her affection for him had increased as expected.
【Name: Xu Lian】
【Rank: Bright Strength Stage Five】
【Skills: Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Volume 1), Seven Styles of Primal Gang (Complete)】
【Items: None】
【Notes: Lin Wan’s affection for you has increased from 91/100 to 92/100.1 progression point, which can be used to upgrade your rank, skills, or items.】
Xu Lian pondered over his plan to increase his strength.
“I originally had 1,000 Spirit Stones, and with the 6,500 Spirit Stones from the Tong Family and the 900 Spirit Stones from the White Cat Clone, I have a total of about 9,500 Spirit Stones.
At the price of 23 Spirit Stones per Condensation Pill, I can buy about 410 pills.
To ascend from the Fifth Stage of the Bright Strength Level to the Sixth Stage, I need 32 pills; to ascend to the Seventh Stage, I need 64 pills; to ascend to the Eigth Stage, I need 128 pills; and to ascend to the Ninth Stage, I need 256 pills, for a total of 480 pills.
Although I still don’t have enough to reach the peak of the Bright Strength Rank, I don’t lack Condensation Pills at the moment. What I lack are progression points.
Lin Wan’s affection rating of 92/100 is already very high, and it’s hard to increase it further. I need to go back to Green Bamboo Town to do so.”
Xu Lian had already planned to gather materials in Pingyang County and progression points in Green Bamboo Town. Reviewing his plan again made him more clear about the path he needed to take.
So Xu Lian spent a few more days with Lin Wan at the Lin family estate, and then sent her to the Spiritual Residance on First Street to cultivate. Lin Wan would definitely be more comfortable living in a single room.
Lin Wan knew that her family had many other women and that Xu Lian couldn’t stay with her forever, so she didn’t ask where he was going and instead focused on her cultivation. She was indeed a reasonable and good woman.
After leaving First Street, Xu Lian went straight to the Spiritual Essence Tower.
He found the same female salesperson as before, as he preferred to deal with “familiar faces”.
To the salesperson’s surprise and delight, Xu Lian bought 300 Condensation Pills in one breath, which made her so happy that she almost fainted. The other salespersons were also jealous, wondering why they didn’t have such a big customer.
Of course, they also looked at Xu Lian with a slightly different gaze, thinking that since he had bought 42 pills just a few days ago and now bought 300 more, he must be a pill merchant.
After buying enough Condensation Pills to last for a while, Xu Lian took a boat and returned to the town. It was time for him to focus on cultivating his relationships and increasing his affection rating.