"Did you see a courtyard you liked just now?" The shop assistant’s tone became cautious.
From his experience, this customer seemed somewhat unusual.
Logically speaking, having been summoned by the City Patrol Guard, one should be on the way to meet their fate, right? How could they possibly be looking to buy a house?
"No, play it again," Ding Huan said.
All this time, he had been thinking about recording with the Crystal Ball; he definitely needed to refine some to keep on his person.
He also needed to refine Array Flags and talisman pens; it looked like he had to learn Artifact Refining first.
Han Weicheng of the Heavenly Artifact Sect really had a poor character, having been saved by him, yet after approaching several times, this guy didn’t show much respect for him and wasn’t willing to form a friendship; it left him no choice.
Otherwise, he could have asked Han Weicheng for some basic Artifact Refining knowledge.
The shop assistant didn’t dare ask for more Crystal Stones and took the initiative to play it again.
"The sixth courtyard," Ding Huan stopped the assistant from continuing to play others.
The sixth courtyard looked quite spacious, with five separate rooms and a guest hall.
The most important thing was that it backed onto the West Wind River.
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In case of an emergency, one could jump into the West Wind River to escape.
"Sir, you really have an eye for treasure; this suite was previously occupied by a Sect Disciple. It has abundant Spiritual Energy, but the price is a bit high. If you’re willing, I can take you to see the house," the shop assistant said, his tone becoming much more obsequious upon hearing Ding Huan decisively choose a suite of significant value.
"There’s no need to look; just tell me how many Crystal Stones for the courtyard, and help me handle the deed of sale."
Ding Huan didn’t care about the rest; he just wanted peace, where he could find his way to Foundation Establishment.
"The original price for this courtyard is three hundred seventy Crystal Stones, but I can offer you the lowest discount price of three hundred fifty Crystal Stones," the assistant said with even more humility.
Ding Huan, not wanting to waste words, directly grabbed three hundred fifty Crystal Stones from his bag:
"Here are the Crystal Stones; bring out the deed."
The assistant thought Ding Huan would bargain, but he didn’t expect this customer to be so forthright, and he hurriedly said:
"Please wait a moment, sir."
After that, he quickly sent out a message.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ding Huan’s Divine Will sensed a middle-aged woman walking in.
At the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, she was likely too old to advance further and thus was doing business here.
Those who do real estate business here usually have some connections.
"Are you the Daoist interested in purchasing the courtyard in the Crystal District?"
Upon entering, the middle-aged woman greeted Ding Huan with a cultivator’s bow, her gaze then resting on the three hundred fifty Crystal Stones on the counter.
"Yes, that’s me. After the deed transfer, someone can just take me there," replied Ding Huan succinctly.
"Sure, please sign your name here."
The middle-aged woman presented a leather scroll etched with imprints. She first erased a name from the imprint before handing it to Ding Huan.
Ding Huan examined it and saw that it depicted the simplest rune array.
Once he inscribed his name, the deed would become his private property.
If he wanted to sell the house, he would need to remove the name on the deed himself; if someone else tried to forcefully remove it, the deed would be damaged.
With his current capabilities, even if it were someone else’s name on it, he could easily remove it.
Generally, those capable of easily erasing runes would likely have no interest in these houses.
He was an exception, having studied Array Dao from the Qi Refinement Realm.
After Ding Huan signed his name on the deed and put it into his bag,
The middle-aged woman collected just the three hundred Crystal Stones, pushing the remaining fifty back to Ding Huan, saying:
"Let’s say you purchased the house for three hundred Crystal Stones."
Indeed, she was a businesswoman; she must have known about his identity and what had just happened, otherwise she would never inexplicably ask for fifty Crystal Stones less.
"Then, thank you," said Ding Huan, unceremoniously taking back the fifty Crystal Stones.
Seeing Ding Huan accept the Crystal Stones, the woman suggested, "How about I take you to the courtyard, Daoist friend?"
"That would be very kind of you," Ding Huan replied with a salute.
As they left the shop, the middle-aged woman spoke up:
"If I’m not wrong, you must be the Captain of the West Wind City Patrol Guard who has recently been appointed, right? Was the incident on Shengdao Street connected to you?"
It was as he expected; this woman knew everything.
It wasn’t so strange, considering the huge incident in West Wind City and this woman being involved in real estate.
"Your information is accurate; I am the Captain of the West Wind City Patrol Guard," Ding Huan responded indifferently.
The middle-aged woman smiled, "Then I may need to ask Captain Ding for more help in the future if my little shop has any troubles."
Ding Huan laughed, "It’s our City Patrol Guard’s duty; we can’t shirk our responsibility."
Though he said that, he didn’t believe for a moment that City Patrol Guards wouldn’t collect protection money from these merchants under normal circumstances.
With protection money, it would make sense to have Lao Liu handle things normally. Without it, he wouldn’t meddle.
With so many cities like West Wind City, he was no saint to interfere in everything.
What he wanted was peace; if he got too involved, who knew if it would lead to even more trouble?
If he could control West Wind City without issues, Ding Huan wouldn’t mind doing so, as it would only bring him benefits.
```
But he had just arrived here and was not at all familiar with West Wind City.
The woman said, "My name is Nu Rong, and I’m also under the jurisdiction of the City Lord Mansion."
When Ding Huan heard Nu Rong say this, he felt that she seemed to imply something and immediately said,
"Sister Rong, I have just arrived in West Wind City and don’t understand much yet. I have a lot to learn from you."
Originally, Ding Huan had planned to return to the City Patrol Guard and inquire with a few of the guards there.
He was well aware that it wasn’t realistic to expect the few members of the City Patrol Guard to know much.
Nu Rong nodded in satisfaction to herself. She had only mentioned it in passing, and Ding Huan understood right away. No wonder he could establish his authority on Shengdao Street against the Iron Power Alliance.
"Mr. Ding, do you know why no one manages West Wind City?" Nu Rong asked.
Ding Huan shook his head; he had wanted to know about this very matter.
Nu Rong sighed,
"It’s a long story, and I happen to be free right now, so let’s walk and talk..."
The matter was indeed complicated. From Nu Rong’s description, Ding Huan finally understood the general idea.
Many years ago, West Wind City was famous and could even rank among the powerful in the Da Xing Sword Dao.
You should know that on the fringes of the Taoist Realm, there are many small countries like the Blazing Star Lord Country which were established by Sect Disciples.
As for the Daoist cities within these small countries, they were countless.
West Wind City was famous and thriving because of Hidden Sword Mountain.
Hidden Sword Mountain was just tens of miles behind West Wind City.
Hidden within Hidden Sword Mountain was an Immortal Sword, a true Immortal Treasure.
Because of the existence of this Immortal Sword, Hidden Sword Mountain often produced some top-ranked famous swords.
Many cultivators who wanted to obtain swords nurtured by the Immortal Sword necessarily had to search Hidden Sword Mountain.
To search for top-ranked treasures in Hidden Sword Mountain, one had to pass through West Wind City.
West Wind City became the stopover for various Daoist practitioners.
The Da Xing Sword Dao primarily consisted of Sword Practitioners who coveted famous swords even more.
This allowed West Wind City’s status to rise even higher, receiving protection from the Da Xing Sword Dao.
In the Taoist Realm, the lord countries are considered the lowest level of existence, and it is a rare occasion for a common city of a lord country to receive favor from a Sect.
West Wind City achieved this, showing its zenith at that time.
The fame of Hidden Sword Mountain became so great that it reached the ears of those in the Ascension Realm.
And this was the turning point in West Wind City’s decline.
The number one powerhouse in the Ascension Realm, Ji Xinting, heard of this and came to Hidden Sword Mountain, taking away that peerless Immortal Sword.
With the Immortal Sword gone, Hidden Sword Mountain fell into decay and later filled with Poison Fog.
This kind of Poison Fog prevented anyone from entering, let alone nurturing swords.
Without Hidden Sword Mountain, West Wind City was nothing, and it gradually fell into decay, eventually becoming a place where lower-class cultivators struggled to survive.
A city without any contribution to its own was something the Blazing Star Lord Country didn’t care about and wouldn’t manage.
The City Lords of West Wind City came and went, each one of them arriving here seeking a chance for Foundation Establishment.
They didn’t care whether West Wind City was doing well or bad, as long as it didn’t affect their Foundation Establishment.
Now, West Wind City is divided into three major areas, one of which is the central part managed by the City Lord Mansion.
North City and West City are controlled by Gu Zhanjian, and anyone in these two places has to pay a certain amount of Crystal Stones to Gu Zhanjian.
East City and South City are governed by Pan Qi, and those doing business in these two places also need to pay Crystal Stones to Pan Qi.
Upon hearing this, Ding Huan asked,
"Sister Rong, from what you’re saying, does the place where I’m staying now fall under the jurisdiction of the City Lord Mansion?"
Nu Rong nodded,
"That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you. The place where you reside is in the central district, which is allotted to the City Lord Mansion.
But Gu Zhanjian’s people also often sell houses in the Crystal District. So I suspect the house you’re living in might have been taken by someone else."
"Do they have a housing deed?" Ding Huan asked.
"Not exactly, but Gu Zhanjian’s people are quite arrogant most of the time, so we usually do not sell houses in the Crystal District to avoid conflicts.
If you’re not willing to live there, I can help you exchange or even refund it," Nu Rong said.
Ding Huan looked at Nu Rong,
"Sister Rong, you run a good business. Given that, I’ll go check out my house first. What if the other party is reasonable? Wouldn’t that be better?"
Nu Rong didn’t know if she had understood Ding Huan’s words but didn’t continue the housing issue. Instead, she changed the topic,
"There’s another thing I have to tell you, the Shengdao Street where you showed your prowess today is Pan Qi’s territory. Pan Qi hasn’t been in West Wind City for a few days, so there was no resistance when you acted on Shengdao Street.
Once Pan Qi returns, it might not be so easy to settle this matter," she said.
Hearing this, Ding Huan understood that Nu Rong wanted to make a connection with him.
"Thank you, Sister Rong," Ding Huan gratefully replied, acknowledging Nu Rong’s kind reminder.
At this moment, Ding Huan already had a preliminary plan in mind. Originally, he had wanted to find a quiet place to pursue the path of Foundation Establishment.
According to Nu Rong, West Wind City was in a state where might makes right. Neither the lord countries nor the Sects would intervene.
That is to say, he had no need to be subservient.
In that case, it would be better to take control of West Wind City himself.
Having a city of his own meant he would be the first to know about any changes in the wind or the grass.
```