The chubby kid was standing right behind him, quietly watching Li Tan.
Why did those people outside turn against each other?
It all came down to the fight over this rusty key, and now he found himself in the exact same predicament as those people. What would this chubby kid do?
Would he, like those others, immediately drop all pretenses and reveal his wild side?
As if realizing something strange about Li Tan’s gaze, the chubby kid chuckled and said, “Big Brother Li, it seems like only one person can live in each house, right?”
Li Tan nodded.
“So,” the chubby kid’s gaze slowly shifted to the key on the table, his eyes lighting up with excitement, “Big Brother Li, then don’t waste time. Quickly take the key and help me find another house, hehe.”
Li Tan was taken aback, asking in surprise, “But all the houses outside probably already have owners now.”
The chubby kid frowned and nodded, “Hmm, then we’ll have to look further out.”
“You don’t want to live in one of these best houses?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then why not try to take the key from me?”
“You saw what happened earlier. I’m just an ordinary person without any talent for cultivation.”
The chubby kid immediately shook his head like a drum, “No, no! Dad said it’s wrong to snatch things!”
Dad?
That mercenary?
Li Tan couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased with how well the man had raised his son. The gloominess caused by Zhou Zhi’s hostility earlier was instantly lifted. He casually picked up the key and tossed it toward the chubby kid.
The chubby kid caught the key, puzzled, asking, “Big Brother Li, why are you doing this?”
Li Tan smiled lightly, “This house is yours now.”
“What about you then?”
“This place has too many people, which doesn’t suit me. I need somewhere quieter.”
Indeed, Li Tan had initially planned to find a house for the chubby kid here and then find another place for himself elsewhere.
It wasn’t out of kindness or courtesy. Mainly, this area was too crowded, with many management staff like Zhou Zhi living here. It would be inconvenient for whatever he needed to do. He definitely didn’t want to be interrupted in the middle of alchemy.
After saying this, Li Tan turned and walked toward the door without further explanation.
“Wait for me!”
The chubby kid grabbed the bag Zhou Zhi had mentioned and tried to follow.
Without turning around, Li Tan walked while saying, “You don’t need to come. First check what’s inside the bag. We’ll meet later at the gathering spot.”
The chubby kid stopped, watching Li Tan leave before closing the door and declaring it occupied. Then he sat down excitedly and opened the cloth bag.
Inside was a spirit stone and two books.
After leaving the chubby kid’s house, Li Tan ignored the people still fighting and walked toward the edge of the building complex.
The further out he went, the more dilapidated the houses became. Many people along the way cast curious glances at him.
This was the first time a new arrival had ignored the good houses and kept walking outward. Could it be he thought there might be better houses outside?
Thinking this, some people chuckled mockingly.
Of course, Li Tan paid no attention to these unpleasant sounds. He kept walking until he entered a bamboo forest, where the noise outside was completely inaudible. He stopped and looked around.
As he had expected, there were a few scattered, shabby little houses in the bamboo grove, but they were all very old and showed no signs of recent habitation. Vines covered the walls, the doors were open, the insides were in disarray, and the furniture was ruined by some animal.
These houses were probably initially designed to be inhabited, but later abandoned due to a reduction in the number of servant disciples.
However, Li Tan was very satisfied with this place. Since there were houses outside, no one would bother coming here to disturb him, making it much more convenient for him to carry out his tasks.
He casually entered one of the houses, waved his right hand in front of him to dispel the thick dust, and then found a key lying on the ground in a corner. Next, on a dusty chair covered in cobwebs, he found a clean bundle that stood out starkly from its surroundings.
It seemed Zhou Zhi was very meticulous. Even in such an unlikely place, she had strictly followed the rules to prepare everything necessary.
Sitting down casually, Li Tan opened the bundle, took the spirit stone, and then without even glancing at the titles of the other two books, tossed them aside.
One of the books was undoubtedly a martial arts manual from the Tianlang Sect, akin to those distributed to outer disciples. If one could advance to the Xiantian stage and become an inner disciple—essentially a core disciple—they would receive more advanced manuals. However, Li Tan possessed the Cosmic Starry Manual and thus had no interest in such materials. As for the other book, it likely contained sect rules. Such content was nearly identical across all sects and mostly amounted to trivialities. Li Tan couldn’t be bothered to read it now and intended to skim through it whenever the mood struck.
Calculating the time in his mind, he realized it was almost the fifteen-minute limit. He stood up and left the house, but as soon as he reached the gate, he smelled a faint aroma of wine.
How could someone be drinking in such a place?
Curious, Li Tan followed the scent of wine and soon discovered that behind the hill behind his house was another wooden cabin. Clothes were hanging outside, freshly washed, indicating that someone actually lived there. The house owner was sitting in a high-backed chair in front of the door, drinking.
A senior disciple of Tianlang Sect?
This thought immediately crossed Li Tan’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it because the man in the high-backed chair was clearly a man in his fifties or so.
Why would an old man live here?
Could he be a janitor?
No, that couldn’t be right either, since cleaning was definitely the task of servant disciples. Could he be an elder?
That didn’t make sense either. Which elder would be so foolish as to come here? If it weren’t for his special purpose in coming here, Li Tan definitely wouldn’t have chosen to live in such a place.
Curiosity grew in his heart. From a distance, Li Tan greeted the old man, “Hello!”
The old man lying in the high-backed chair pushed himself up with the armrests, turned his head, raised his eyebrows, and angrily shouted, “Go away!”
Li Tan was a little taken aback. What was going on?
“I’m just…” Before he could finish, the old man interrupted him.
“If you don’t leave now, I’ll beat you until you’re rolling on the ground.”
Li Tan was speechless. His luck was truly terrible to run into such a bizarre neighbor. But that wasn’t the main problem. More importantly, his plan to live here in “peace and quiet” had been completely ruined. If he went back now, the house would likely have already been looted clean. He regretted not choosing the house next to the chubby kid earlier.
Sighing in regret, Li Tan, considering the approximately one month of future coexistence, endured the scolding and shouted, “My name is Li Tan. I’m a new disciple. I’ll be living here from now on.”
The fierce old man was stunned for a moment, then asked suspiciously, “Is there something wrong with your head?”
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