The next day, early in the morning.
After waking up from a dream, Liang Hui finished washing up and had just stepped out of his room.
He could hear discussions coming from the second floor and the lobby on the first floor.
"That leather shop in the east of the city was wiped out last night, how tragic."
"Yes, it's said that the shopkeeper was shot into a sieve with arrows, with blood flowing all over the house."
"Alas, the security in the city has been getting worse lately, this isn't the first shop that has been wiped out."
...
Listening to the discussions in the inn, Liang Hui called out to the busy waiter and asked quietly:
"Waiter, a shop was wiped out yesterday, what happened?"
"Isn't the city safe?"
Upon hearing this, the waiter's face also showed a hint of bitterness as he responded helplessly:
"Guest, the leather shop in the east of the city was wiped out yesterday, they must have provoked some strong character."
He paused, then continued, "As for whether the city is safe, I believe it should still be safer than the wilderness. After all, since the 'Divine Decree,' many things have become disorderly."
Liang Hui nodded, seeming to take in the waiter's words.
He then asked some basic information about the city before leaving the inn.
After eating a few bowls of tofu pudding at a street stall, he headed towards the market he visited the day before.
Xiao Niu, from yesterday, had already been waiting at the door for a long time.
Upon seeing Liang Hui arrive, he immediately came forward to greet him.
"Guest, you've arrived. We've already discussed with the landlord, and now we can take you to see the house."
"Then let's set off, don't waste time."
"Guest, this way please."
Having reached an agreement, Liang Hui followed Xiao Niu to the location of the first house.
Xiao Niu pointed to the residence in front of them and introduced:
"Guest, this house is divided into a front courtyard, a back courtyard, and a residential area in the middle, which very much meets your requirements."
As he finished speaking, he quickly stepped forward to open the wooden door.
"Guest, please come in, and I will give you a detailed introduction."
Liang Hui nodded and followed Xiao Niu into the courtyard.
The ground was paved with bluestone tiles, clean and orderly, with a small fish pond to the side, indicating the owner's taste.
"Guest, the courtyard space is less than half of the total area, making it the most spacious of all the houses."
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, this place is also very secluded, far away from the noisy market."
After that, he led Liang Hui into the rooms, pointing at the furniture and adding, "And the furnishings are quite complete, the guest only needs to prepare some bedding and other living supplies to move in."
Then, he showed Liang Hui the other rooms and the back courtyard.
Overall, Liang Hui was quite satisfied with this house.
"What's the price?"
"Ten taels per month, with a deposit of three months and payment in full at one time," Xiao Niu replied.
Liang Hui neither agreed nor disagreed and didn't immediately consent.
Next, the two of them visited several other houses.
Unknowingly, it had reached midday.
In the market, within the big hall where houses were bought and sold, Liang Hui sat opposite Xiao Niu.
Liang Hui read through the lease on the table several times, then signed Tai Yi's name and pressed his handprint on it.
He then took out forty taels of silver from his bosom and handed it over.
"I should be able to move into the house now, right?"
"Of course, you can. If the guest wants to renew the lease in the future or buy and sell a house, you can always come to me."
In between words, Xiao Niu had already passed a set of keys over.
After receiving the keys, Liang Hui nodded.
He got up and walked outside.
After considering his options, he eventually rented the first house he had seen.
He decided to move into the house tonight, not willing to wait even one more day.
It was impossible to cultivate with all his strength in the tavern; only in his own residence could he improve his strength more swiftly.
Liang Hui first went back to the tavern, checked out of his room, and retrieved the deposit of half a piece of silver.
Bedding and daily necessities, all purchased at once.
Afterward, he arrived at his new house carrying large and small packages and began to tidy up.
Very soon, everything was arranged, and Liang Hui, bare-chested and wearing a wooden mask, started to practice his boxing in the courtyard.
His fists moved exceptionally fast, leaving only afterimages in the courtyard.
And each punch seemed to explode with the sound of thunder next to his ear.
As he exerted full power with every punch, sweat quickly drenched the stone slabs.
It wasn't until the sun set and night fell that Liang Hui stopped his punching.
He sat cross-legged on the stone slab and took big gulps of the salt water he had prepared earlier.
As time passed and the fatigue in his body eased, Liang Hui submerged his consciousness into his mind.
(Bone Refining 77.34%)
This was his current level of skin cultivation. It had been four days since Bear Peak Martial Pavilion had chased him (he had cultivated for three days).
His level of skin cultivation had improved by about 6%, which meant that with enough meat, he could improve by approximately 2% each day.
To advance from skin cultivation to tendon refining, he only needed 11 more days — such speed was already extremely fast.
If he had the right medicinal materials to assist him, this pace could climb even higher.
Actually, it was not surprising that he had such a rapid improvement rate; knowing that he often 'dream entered' the Bone Refining Realm's Tian Qing, he was essentially equivalent to someone at the Bone Refining Stage starting from scratch with skin cultivation.
Moreover, in the past few days, he frequently 'dream entered' the level of tendon refining mastered by the Bear Peak Pavilion Master, allowing him to spot and fill in gaps, thus cultivating faster.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The crisp knocking sound interrupted his thoughts.
Liang Hui's brow furrowed slightly as he stood up.
Taking the robe next to him, he draped it over his body and walked towards the door.
Creak!
As the door opened from the inside, a woman dressed in a white fluffy fur robe appeared. Her face was pale and thin, not particularly beautiful.
But she exuded a fragile and gentle temperament.
At this moment, she was holding a beautiful food box in her hands.
"What is it?" Liang Hui asked in a deep voice with eyes profound and calm beneath the mask.
"Hello, my name is Shu Yu, your neighbor. I heard that someone moved into the empty house."
"I hope I haven't disturbed you."
The woman pointed to the house next door, her voice soft and full of warmth.
After speaking, she also handed over the food box in her hands.
"This is a gift I brought for the visit. I hope it suits your taste."
"Thank you for coming, but there's no need for a gift."
Liang Hui pushed the food box back, his words carrying a hint of warmth.
He felt the kindness emanating from the woman named Shu Yu.
"It's not anything valuable, just some pastries. I hope you won't disdain them," Shu Yu said as she placed the food box in the young man's hand.
With the conversation having reached this point, Liang Hui no longer refused.
Instead, he asked the woman to wait for a moment.
He stepped into the courtyard, placed the food box on a table nearby,
and took out a string of cured meat from the kitchen that he had bought today. Holding it in his hand, he stepped back outside.
"Here, take this. I've just moved in and have stocked up on some meat."
"Then I'll accept it without ceremony."
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Shu Yu chuckled lightly and walked away from the door with the cured meat in her hands.