203: Chapter 204 Buying a Yard

Hearing Lin Ye mention Old Man Shen, Captain Zhang waved his hand, his tone relaxed: "Old Man Shen accepted a mission a couple of days ago to go to a town outside the city to deal with an Demon."

"Calculating the time, he should be back tomorrow or the day after."

So that was it. Lin Ye nodded and didn't ask further.

As for whether Old Man Shen had encountered danger and thus hadn't sent word back, he didn't even consider that possibility.

After all, when it came to dealing with Demons, Old Man Shen was definitely experienced, so there was no need for him to worry.

Besides, the man had lived peacefully for most of his life; there was no reason for something to happen just because he arrived. What would that make him? A jinx?

"Then do you know where the Commander is?" Lin Ye asked another question.

Since he had come to the county seat, it wouldn't be right not to pay a visit to his direct superior.

Furthermore, Commander Zhuge Yuan had paid out of his own pocket to help him exchange for a marrow cleansing pill, so he had to thank him in person.

"The Commander has gone to the prefecture city to report on his duties; I'm afraid he won't be back for a while."

"You also know that the incident at Qishan Village had a significant impact, so the Commander has to go to the prefecture city in person to report. It's estimated he won't be back for at least ten days or half a month."

Well, forget it then.

"Right," Lin Ye suddenly remembered something.

"I plan to buy a residence in the county seat. Do you have any suggestions?"

Come to think of it, ever since he arrived in this world, he hadn't properly owned a home of his own.

In Wang Family Village, he stayed at Wang Gang's house; in Black Stone Town, he stayed in Master's courtyard. Now that he had come to the county seat, he really should buy a residence of his own.

He just didn't know if the property prices in the county seat were high. However, he still had over one hundred thousand taels of silver notes lying in his void ring, so he figured buying a courtyard shouldn't be a problem.

Hearing that Lin Ye was planning to buy a house, Captain Zhang perked up: "I happen to have a friend who is preparing to leave the county seat to join relatives in the prefecture city. If you are interested, I can take you to take a look."

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Zhang." Lin Ye nodded. Being new here, he was completely in the dark about the situation in the county seat. Having Captain Zhang, a local, leading the way would save him a lot of trouble.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. Let's go." Zhang He said, then led Lin Ye into an alley.

They walked for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, eventually stopping in front of a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but the location was very much to Lin Ye's liking. It was far from the main thoroughfare, and there weren't many people around, making it very suitable for his daily Cultivation.

Zhang He stepped forward and knocked on the door. Before long, the door opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties poked his head out.

He was wearing a well-tailored cyan long gown, had a thin face, and sported a three-stranded beard, looking like a scholar.

Seeing Zhang He, the man's face lit up with a smile, and he hurriedly opened the door wide. "Brother Zhang, please come in quickly."

"Brother Li." Zhang He cupped his hands, then introduced Lin Ye who was beside him.

"This is Lin Ye, a good buddy of mine from the Demon Suppression Division. He wants to buy a residence in the county seat, so I brought him here to take a look."

After speaking, he introduced him to Lin Ye: "This is Li Huaimin, who previously served as a registrar in the yamen."

"Greetings, Master Li." Lin Ye cupped his hands.

"You shouldn't, you shouldn't. Since Brother Lin is acquainted with Brother Zhang, you and I can address each other as peers. Come, come in and sit."

Li Huaimin said as he invited the two into the courtyard. In the courtyard, there were a few clumps of emerald bamboo and a paulownia tree with a large canopy, casting a large patch of shade in the courtyard.

In the middle was a bluestone path that meandered toward the inner courtyard. In the corner of the courtyard was an old well, its rim covered in moss, suggesting it hadn't been used for a long time.

"How is it? Is it to your liking?" Captain Zhang leaned into Lin Ye's ear and asked in a low voice.

Lin Ye didn't rush to give an opinion, instead turning to ask Li Huaimin: "Brother Li, may I ask what the price of this courtyard is?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaimin pondered for a moment: "To tell you the truth, I originally intended to sell this courtyard for 100,000 taels, but since Brother Lin is a friend of Brother Zhang, I won't ask for more; 80,000 taels will do."

80,000 taels? Lin Ye clicked his tongue in secret. He had thought that carrying a huge sum of over one hundred thousand made him somewhat of a wealthy man, but he hadn't expected that it would barely be enough to buy a courtyard.

Seeing Lin Ye looking hesitant, Li Huaimin thought Lin Ye was dissatisfied with the price and couldn't help but explain: "80,000 taels is truly a friend's price; it's mainly because I'm in a hurry to sell. If I were to put it up for consignment at an agency, selling it for over 100,000 taels would definitely not be a problem."

Lin Ye looked at Zhang He, as he didn't know what the property prices in the county seat actually were. Zhang He nodded, meaning the other party wasn't lying and that buying it at this price wasn't a loss.

Seeing this, Lin Ye didn't hesitate anymore: "Alright, it's a deal." He never liked to drag things out; as long as he wasn't being taken for a fool, it was fine.

Li Huaimin was a bit surprised that Lin Ye decided so quickly. After all, this was 80,000 taels, not 8,000. Even in this inner city, it was rare to find someone who could casually produce 80,000 taels of silver.

Although this amount of money was nothing to great noble Families, it belonged to the Family's assets. Except for the Family head, ordinary Family descendants couldn't casually mobilize such a huge amount of capital.

"Good, Brother Lin is indeed straightforward. I will go get the deed now." Having said that, he turned and retrieved the property deed from the house.

Lin Ye took a look, confirmed there were no issues with the deed, then took 80,000 taels in silver notes from his bosom—or more accurately, from his void ring—and handed them to the other party.

Li Huaimin took the silver notes, counted them, and after confirming they were correct, signed and stamped the deed. "Brother Lin, this courtyard is yours from now on." He said, handing the deed to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye took the deed, feeling a little excited inside; after all, this could be considered buying a house in the game.

The transaction completed, Li Huaimin didn't stay long; he packed up his belongings and left. Lin Ye stood in the center of the courtyard, looking around, a vague, indescribable feeling welling up in his heart.

In this world, he finally had a place that completely belonged to him. Unless something unexpected happened, he would be living here for a long time to come.

With the matter of the residence settled, Lin Ye suddenly thought of the task his second uncle had entrusted to him. Taking advantage of the time now, it was a good opportunity to pay a visit to the Wang Family.

"Brother Zhang, do you know where the Wang Family mansion is located?"

Zhang He was taken aback upon hearing this, not understanding why Lin Ye had suddenly asked about this. "The Wang Family? You have dealings with the Wang Family?"

Facing Zhang He's question, Lin Ye didn't hide anything and briefly explained the friendship between himself and Wang Lin.

After listening to Lin Ye's account, Zhang He was somewhat shocked: "I had heard before that the Wang Family's Qilin son almost came to grief at the hands of a strange beast. I didn't expect that you were involved in this, Brother Lin. It seems the Wang Family owes you a huge favor."

"Hmm, it is indeed time to pay a visit. The Wang Family is the number one Family in Qingfeng County; they certainly won't treat you poorly."