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Chapter 851: Stopover
Proofreader: Papatonks
“Going by Dragon Ancestor’s extremely sketchy map, a World Wind Tunnel should be around here. And since the strongest takes everything rule, it should be in the Flying Cloud manor.”
Closing his eyes, Zhuo Fan annalyzed the situation, “But with Flying Cloud manor being Shangguan Feiyun’s that means there’ll be tons of experts. Sneaking in is nigh impossible.”
(StarReader: feiyun=  flying cloud)
Zhuo Fan opened his eyes, feeling a headache coming.
Gu Santong sighed, “What do we do then? Since dad says there’s a ton of experts, two of us can’t stop them, short of using the Dragon Breath Pill.”
“Dragon Breath Pill is the very last resort. I don’t want to waste it.”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes shone, “Young Sanzi, you saw how tight the security at the gate was, how cautious the old guys were. We’ve been in central area for months now and seen plenty of cities, but only this one’s guards were cautious.”
Gu Santong shook his head, “Maybe because it’s one of the nine domains’ central city?”
“No, there’s gotta be something else.”
Zhuo Fan shook his head and smiled, “The central area has been overbearing and even declaring itself unafraid of the other areas’ spies. Because they’re strong enough that no matter what leaks, they could still flatten anyone and anything. That’s why the central area is relaxed and casual, instead of being tense and earning ridicule. Yet Flying Cloud City is different. This goes to show that something happened recently to make even Shangguan Feiyun grow cautious.”
“This means that with how tight the security is, even at the manor, we have no chance at all of checking it out.” Gu Santong shrugged.
Zhuo Fan chuckled, “Fortune favors the bold. With Shangguan Feiyun tense, that means he’s threatened. I may not know where this threat comes from, but there’s conflict going on. These troubled waters might just be what we need to slink through.”
“Why didn’t I think of this earlier? Dad’s the smartest, ha-ha-ha…”
Gu Santong laughed, “Then what now, dad?”
Zhuo Fan smirked, “Find a stopover and observe the changes. We may be staying here for a while, ha-ha-ha…”
Zhuo Fan flicked his sleeve and walked towards the most packed district, with a puzzled Gu Santong behind.
Three hours later, the duo stood before a large courtyard, looking abandoned for some time. Next to them was a bearded man, in the 6th layer Radiant Stage.
“Good eyes, sir, Flying Cloud City has few great homes. If not for an urgent need for spirit stones, I wouldn’t have given it up.” The man saw no one around and made his pitch.
Gu Santong rolled his eeys.
When he first saw the old man in the market, and in Radiant Stage, pulling them to the side, he thought he was someone special, only to try selling them a house.
[It seems central area really is packed with experts, so much so Radiant Stage experts are useful only as real estate agents. What will that make of Profound Heaven experts, sweepers, or chamber pot cleaners?]
Sizing the house, Zhuo Fan nodded inside, saying, “Say a price!”
“How about eight million spirit stones? “
“Eight million?” Zhuo Fan mocked, “Why don’t you grab it? You take me for a moneybag? Even in western lands, the most a house would go in an imperial capital is a million. A house is just a place to stay, while spirit stones are the core of one’s cultivation. Buying houses instead of looking after your training is breaking your future.”
The man showed a despising gaze, “You think this is western lands? In central area, unless you’re of amazing talent, you’re a nobody. Look at me, if I roamed the western lands a bit, I’d already have some prince or noble bowing to me. Here, though, I’m just an agent.”
“Run out of central area then! Be someone among nobodies than a nobody among geniuses. Or is it that someone of sir’s strength can also make you rise?”
“What rise? With my talent, I can’t even get out of central area.”
The man gave a heartbroken sigh, “I’ll be honest with you, I came here with my lord. He is a Soul Harmony expert, a guard in Flying Cloud manor. He’s one of the best in this region too…”
“And later?”
Zhuo Fan cut him off impatiently, “Since your lord is cared for by the Flying Cloud manor, then he should be valued, so why…”
“Sigh, it’s all fate in the end.”
The man waved his hand, “We’ve been having it well at first, eating and drinking our fill, but just a month ago, the manor had a break in, with the thief almost making out with some great treasure. The Sword King Shangguang Feiyun found out and flew into a rage, killing hundreds of Soul Harmony experts on the spot, including my lord.”
“It wasn’t his fault though, since the thief broke in even with Genesis Stage experts in the manor. But when the lord got angry, they are the ones suffering… “
“So your lord died and now you’re selling his home?” Zhuo Fan figured it out. Now he knew why the city was so tense.
[Someone snuck into the manor!]
Since the thief went for his target but still didn’t succeed, now waiting for another chance, the Flying Cloud City must now be under tighter security to stop him from getting help as well.
[Otherwise, the Sword King would have just focused on tracking him down instead if he succeeded.]
Since the treasure was still in the manor, the thief would try again.
[The perfect moment for us to slip in.]
Zhuo Fan grinned inside, a plan already forming in his mind…
“Actually, you can tell yourself by looking at me that I’m an errand boy. How could I pocket eight million?”
Afraid Zhuo Fan might label him disloyal, the man played the victim here, “Sir, just think, even with my lord a city lord’s guard, I am just a guard’s servant. Could a Radiant Stage cultivator handle a lord’s house? When my lord died, the treasures and pills in the house were stolen by Ethereal Stage experts, leaving this place empty.”
“So they let me look after it, deal with the asset then move back home to have some status, rather than a nobody here. That’s why, the eight million won’t be mine alone, but split among many experts. If you still find it excessive, I will lower it to five but that’s my final offer. I’m only cutting the price since I’m in a hurry to leave. If you don’t agree, I’ll just have to sell it to someone else…”
The guy looked aggrieved, but none of it got to Zhuo Fan, who kept staring at the house.
The guy frowned. He already played his role to perfection and even cut the price.
[What’s the hold up?]
[Is he poor? Doesn’t look like it.]
[Since he’s pensive, then he’s on the fence about buying it and should have the money. Just that the price is steep.]
His eyes lit up and rushed to say, “Sir, I’ll come clean. This house is special.”
“How special?” Zhuo Fan cocked an eyebrow.
The guy shook his head, “I don’t know, since my lord had many secret rooms in it, for cultivation, refining, maybe even alchemy. Others split its wealth after his death, but it’s not clear if they took all of it. As long as you find one item, maybe you’ll break even. Take it as a freebie of sales and try your luck.”
Zhuo Fan chuckled. The greedy ones might fall for such a tactic, but not Zhuo Fan.
Though he still needed a stopover from where he could check things out.
Grinning, Zhuo Fan turned to the guy, “Brother, didn’t you say five million?”
“Uh, that was without the freebie.” The man beamed.
Zhuo Fan waved his hand, “You’d have long found it if there ever was one. Nothing to do with me. Five million, you either sell or I walk. I’m sure there are plenty of others in the market with how hundreds of experts died like you said.”
Shuddering, the man felt like ripping his mouth off for saying more than necessary.
He was in a rush to leave though. If he didn’t sell it now he’d be stuck. He had no choice but to lower the price.
And so, the two finished the deal and Zhuo Fan brought Gu Santong into the house, unaware that this place already had an owner…
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