Chapter 228: CH. 228 | Xiayu Village

The two of them walked along a dirt path that was rockier and rougher, unlike the smoother, cleaner dirt roads of the town. Still, neither of them complained.

Lin Tian’s decision to buy a house in the village was the right one. Besides being far from the bustle of town, the two of them could also make the most of their time together amid the peace typical of a village.

"Are you tired, Yue’er?" Lin Tian asked.

An Yue turned and shook her head. She didn’t feel tired, and maybe she never would, since she was going through it with Lin Tian. An Yue felt far calmer and more confident whenever Lin Tian was near her.

"No, husband. I’m fine."

Lin Tian nodded and continued walking toward the hill near the town. They passed a few villagers, who greeted Lin Tian warmly and told the two of them where the village was located.

"Not far," the middle-aged man said. "Once you cross the bridge over the river up ahead, you’ll reach the village."

"Thank you," Lin Tian said.

The two of them kept walking until they crossed a wooden bridge over the river. The river flowed clear and wide, and the roar of the rushing water left An Yue impressed.

Lin Tian kept his eyes fixed ahead. He called out to An Yue and explained that the village lay just ahead, Xiayu Village.

An Yue stepped closer to Lin Tian and broke into a wide smile. They finally arrived at the village, where a number of sturdy houses stood.

Some villagers were going about their usual activities: some returning from the fields, some carrying vegetables and fruit to sell in town, and some hanging laundry out to dry.

Lin Tian arrived in the village, and several villagers noticed their arrival. One middle-aged woman walked up to them.

"Welcome to Xiayu Village. Are you visitors from town?" the woman asked. She was the owner of a modest food stall.

"No, we’re new residents who’ll be living in the village," An Yue answered.

"Oh, new residents, that’s good. Did you get a house permit from the town ruler?"

"We have it."

The woman nodded, then turned and called out loudly to someone in the distance, "Jun’er! There are new residents, take them to your grandfather."

A young boy came running after hearing his name called. He dashed toward Lin Tian and An Yue, carrying a sword in his hand.

"I’m Hao Jun. My grandfather is the head of Xiayu Village."

"Come with me."

Lin Tian glanced over, and An Yue smiled and nodded. The two of them decided to go with Hao Jun to the village head’s house, which wasn’t far from the village gate.

Quite a few villagers smiled and greeted Lin Tian and An Yue warmly. Lin Tian raised his hand and waved, returning their warm welcome.

"This village doesn’t seem too bad," An Yue remarked. "We could live peacefully here."

"You’re right. It’s better than I imagined."

They walked on, following Hao Jun until they reached a simple wooden house. In front of the house, an old man was busy chopping a block of wood.

When Hao Jun arrived, the old man immediately turned around and looked at his grandson.

"New residents are here, Grandfather," Hao Jun said.

The old man’s attention shifted. His eyes were sharp and skeptical as he asked for the house permit from the town ruler. Lin Tian reached into his robe pocket and handed over the paper.

The village head examined it closely. The paper was official, granting permission to live in Xiayu Village.

"There’s plenty of empty land, but no houses," the old man said, handing the permit back.

"If you want to live here, you’ll have to build your own house," the man said.

I thought I’d just move straight into a house. Turns out that wasn’t the case.

An Yue was a little taken aback by this, since they’d already spent a good amount of money paying the town ruler. But now that they’d arrived in the village, they were facing the reality that they’d have to build their house from scratch.

"What do we do now, husband?" An Yue asked.

"I’ll help you. I know a builder who usually makes houses in the village. They can build you one quickly for just 5,000 tael," the old man said.

"5,000 tael? Isn’t that awfully expensive?" Lin Tian asked.

"The kingdom’s in bad shape right now, you’re lucky someone’s even offering that price," the old man said. "If you don’t like it, go ask a cultivator to build you a house."

"You’ll end up broke if you go straight to asking them to build a house for you," the man added.

Lin Tian fell silent for a moment, then looked out over the village, taking it all in. He nodded, knowing what he had to do, but he couldn’t rush into it.

A village is different from a town. The community ties among villagers run tighter than in town. News spreads fast, and influence can have a real impact.

If Lin Tian used his power to build the house himself, they’d immediately know he was a cultivator.

But it would be a different story if he asked another cultivator to do it. The villagers would just assume he was a rich man with spirit stones. No one would suspect Lin Tian was a cultivator.

"Thank you for the advice, Village Head."

The old man nodded and told Lin Tian to go on, then went back to his work. Lin Tian and An Yue fell silent after walking a short distance from the village head’s house.

"Should we use our powers?" An Yue asked, whispering.

"No. We can’t reveal our identities," Lin Tian answered. "Our life in this village could change completely if they find out."

"Then what? What should we do?"

Lin Tian paused briefly, then turned toward a building with a wooden sign reading "inn." He pointed at the place and led An Yue over.

He rented a room for one day at 10 tael. They went into the room to rest, and An Yue sat gracefully on the edge of the bed.

"I’ll hire a cultivator to build a house for us."

"If we hire them, the villagers won’t know we’re cultivators," Lin Tian said.

"Right. That’s a good idea."

"While I’m gone, stay here and rest, Yue’er."

An Yue agreed, watching Lin Tian leave the room and the inn, heading toward the village gate. The moment he’d walked a fair distance from the village, he used his power to move like lightning from one place to another.

Lin Tian’s lightning-fast pace from Xiayu Village got him to the town in no time. He set foot on the town’s streets, once again taking in the bustle of life within it.

He made his way back to the town ruler’s residential compound. There, two of the town ruler’s guards were, unsurprisingly, members of the Lingxian Sect.

"You? Aren’t you the new resident from earlier?"

"Ah, that’s right! That’s me."

"I came to ask you both something," Lin Tian said. "I’ve arrived at the village and just realized I have to build my own house. I can’t let my wife sleep at the inn for too long, she’s newly pregnant."

"Would you happen to know a cultivator who could help me build a house quickly?" Lin Tian asked.

The two guards glanced at each other. They told him that they couldn’t do it themselves because their cultivation base wasn’t high enough. To build a simple house quickly, the cultivator doing it would need to be at least Core Formation.

"Core Formation, huh? Sounds like it’ll be hard for me to find one."

"How much money do you even have? Hiring a cultivator requires spirit stones."

Lin Tian smiled, then turned to face them, "I sold everything in my shop, and I’ve only got 25 spirit stones on me right now."

"I’ll give you 10 spirit stones if you can tell me who can help me."

"20 spirit stones. If you agree, I’ll take you to him."

"O-Of course. I don’t mind at all."

The man went along with the guard, who led him to a tavern in town. The door opened, and the cultivator called out to his friend, who was at the Perfect Foundation Establishment stage.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"This guy, he wants to build a house. He’ll pay you 20 spirit stones."

"A house? Where?"

"Xiayu Village," Lin Tian said.

The man smirked, then asked for the money upfront as a deposit. He explained that tomorrow, he’d head to Xiayu Village to help Lin Tian.

Lin Tian could already tell. The man was trying to swindle him, since a mortal carrying spirit stones was easy prey for people like him, especially in a desperate situation like this.

"I-I can’t do that. I’ll hand it over once you build the house right now," Lin Tian said.

"Hey!"

"Are you deaf?! I’ll do it tomorrow."

"Is it possible you don’t trust my abilities?" the man asked, rudely letting his qi aura flare up.

Lin Tian took a long breath, then exhaled slowly, "You think that’s enough to scare me?"

THUMP!

A powerful wave of cultivation pressure slammed into the man’s body, sending him crashing face-first to the ground, coughing up blood as his cultivation foundation cracked. He screamed loudly, writhing in pain.

The man’s friend turned around, looking furious. He tried to attack Lin Tian with a sword, but Lin Tian’s hand easily shattered the blade, then his fingertip touched the man’s forehead.

He sent his spiritual energy into the man’s body, letting him see and understand exactly what his primordial soul looked like.

The man screamed in terror, his face turning pale as he lost his balance and collapsed.

"Y-You..."

"F-Forgive me, Master Lin!"

"I’m truly sorry!"

Lin Tian released his cultivation pressure and turned to the first man, "Now you know who I am."

"Go to the sect and call for a Core Formation elder. Tell him to come here and build me a simple house in that village," Lin Tian said.

"B-But wouldn’t your own power alone already be enough to—"

"Just do as I say!" Lin Tian said firmly.

"Y-Yes, Master Lin!"