Jiang Beiran had actually wanted to purchase a residence at the foot of the mountain for quite some time now. After all, one could never have too many safe havens—putting all his eggs in one basket was never his style. Over the years, Gu Qinghuan had found quite a few large estates that met his requirements.
But every time Jiang Beiran came to see a broker and prepared to "view the property," the moment the thought of buying the residence crossed his mind, the System would immediately present him with options—ranging from Yellow Grade at the mildest to even Mysterious Grade, High Tier at the worst. However, Jiang Beiran understood why.
He knew that his requirement for a residence with a place rich in spiritual energy was simply too stringent. What counted as a place rich in spiritual energy? The training grounds in the back mountains of the Heart Returning Sect were such places—and naturally, these were locations cultivators would fight tooth and nail over.
To buy such an estate, he first needed to find a reliable broker. Then, the seller had to be free of ill intentions—otherwise, honey traps and scams were just as common in the Mysterious Dragon Continent, and the schemes were far more elaborate than anything written on those little cards.
But while buyers feared being swindled, sellers also feared running into "robber-buyers." For example, if a Mysterious Master wanted to sell a large estate and a Grand Mysterious Master took a liking to it, it wasn’t unheard of for the latter to simply kill the seller during the transaction.
Being a broker was even more dangerous—they could be silenced by the buyer, the seller, or even both parties if the deal went sour. Because of this, brokers handling such transactions preferred to know as little as possible. Where the estate was located?
No idea.
How much land within it was rich in spiritual energy?
No clue.
Their role was merely to act as a middleman—the actual negotiations were left to the parties involved. The less they knew, the better. In short, selling such an estate was a gamble for the buyer, seller, and broker alike.
But why take such risks? The answer was simple: immense profits. Sellers didn’t want to leave such a spiritually rich place—whether inherited or discovered—lying idle.
Buyers wanted to purchase it to rapidly boost their cultivation. As for brokers, if they could safely close just one deal and collect their commission, they wouldn’t just be set for life—they’d be set for the next one too.
All this meant that acquiring a spiritually rich estate without any risks was incredibly difficult, which was why Jiang Beiran had failed to purchase one all these years. But now, he had finally found an opportunity.
"I’m quite interested in the estate you described. If possible, I’d like to meet the seller as soon as I can."
Hearing Jiang Beiran’s interest, Xiong Ba immediately replied excitedly, "No problem! I’ll arrange an introduction for you as quickly as possible, Young Master."
"How soon can it be done?"
"The seller returns to town every evening at dusk. If you give me an address, I’ll notify you the moment he arrives."
After listening, Jiang Beiran glanced at Gu Qinghuan, who promptly took over the conversation to iron out the details with Xiong Ba. Once everything was settled, Gu Qinghuan led Jiang Beiran to the Drunken Heart Inn and secured a private room.
After dismissing the waiter, Gu Qinghuan reported, "I’ve arranged with the broker for you to meet the seller here at the Hour of the Rooster, Senior Brother."
"Good. I’ll go out for a stroll and return by then."
"Understood."
Gu Qinghuan was long accustomed to his senior brother’s fondness for wandering. After seeing him off respectfully, he sat by the window to quietly wait for sunset.
At the Hour of the Rooster, Jiang Beiran returned punctually to the private room at the Drunken Heart Inn, where he found the broker already present—alongside a man dressed in a deep red robe.
"Elder Brother."
Seeing Jiang Beiran return, Gu Qinghuan immediately stood and greeted him. Following Gu Qinghuan’s gaze, the red-robed man also rose and cupped his hands toward Jiang Beiran.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
As he returned the greeting, Jiang Beiran casually probed the man with his spiritual sense and found his cultivation level to be quite respectable—a fifth-rank Mysterious Master, which would qualify as an elite disciple even in the Heart Returning Sect.
"Well then, I’ll leave you gentlemen to your discussion. This humble one shall take his leave."
Seeing his duty fulfilled, Xiong Ba quickly excused himself and firmly shut the door behind him.
"I am Feng Caiying, a disciple of the Cloud-Piercing Sect."
Once the door was closed, Feng Caiying cupped his hands again and introduced himself.
"I am Wang Laowu, a disciple of the Willow Forest Sect."
After exchanging introductions, the two shared a knowing smile. To them, names were merely labels—useful for communication, nothing more.
"Then I’ll cut straight to the point. The spiritually rich area in my estate measures ten square feet. I wonder what price Brother Wang can offer?"
'Ten square feet… Not large, but decent enough.'
"Might I ask if Brother Feng prefers spirit stones or items of equivalent value?"
Jiang Beiran responded.
"Brother Laowu is straightforward! Spirit stones are naturally best, but if you have a weapon or offensive-type treasure that catches my eye, I’d be willing to sell it to you for a lower price."
"Oh? What kind of weapon does Brother Feng favor?"
"Sabers!"
"Sabers…"
Jiang Beiran nodded, though inwardly he was surprised that the System had been so quiet today—not a single option had appeared for this stranger. For someone who had felt like the entire world was against him since arriving in this realm, this was… unusual. 'Could my luck finally be changing?'
Without dwelling on it further, Jiang Beiran retrieved a Qilin Horn Blade from his Universe Ring and offered it to Feng Caiying.
"Does this saber interest Brother Feng?"
The moment Feng Caiying laid eyes on the Qilin Horn Blade, his expression brightened.
"May I examine it more closely?"
"Of course."
Jiang Beiran gestured for him to proceed.
(End of Chapter)