As the figures of the two men vanished from sight, another person emerged from the back room. This time it was a young girl of only eleven or twelve years old, whose cultivation matched that of Xu Feng at the Qi Refining 3rd Layer.
Seeing her appear, the busy shopkeeper immediately put down what he was doing and hurried forward, speaking respectfully:
"Miss, why have you come out? It's enough that I'm here to look after things. You should go back to the back room and rest. Master gave strict instructions for me to take good care of you."
"Staying in the back room all day is boring to death. Can't I come out to get some fresh air?"
"Of course, of course! As long as you are pleased, Miss, you can go wherever you like!" the shopkeeper replied, his back hunched and his expression subservient.
"Hmph, that's more like it!" the young girl said haughtily, lifting her chin and pointing her nose right at the shopkeeper's face.
Then, tilting her head, she caught sight of the tables and chairs set out in the main hall. Without waiting, she walked over and sat down in the topmost chair.
Not daring to be negligent, the shopkeeper followed closely behind, standing respectfully to one side and preparing to pour tea, only to be stopped by a wave of the girl's hand.
"Let me ask you: just now in the back room, I listened to you two talking for quite a while. Why did you lend spirit stones to that brat for his rent? Aren't you afraid he won't be able to pay it back?"
Hearing the question, the old man did not rush to answer. Instead, he took out the talismans Xu Feng had brought from his pouch, held them high above his head with both hands, and presented them to the young girl with a bowed posture, replying respectfully:
"Please take a look, Miss. I have carefully inspected the talismans this fellow brought, and their quality is exceptionally fine.
That proves there is indeed an Amulet Master behind him who is on the verge of breaking through to the Rank 1 Mid-Grade. Of this we can be certain.
Our shop has only recently opened and has yet to establish a cooperative partnership with a regular Amulet Master.
If this fellow's Master succeeds in his breakthrough, there will still be value in trying to win him over. Judging from the talismans he brought, that day will not be far off.
Furthermore, the notice he produced earlier bears the exclusive seal of the market town patrol guard; ordinary people would never dare to counterfeit it, so we can be certain it is genuine.
As for the possibility that the patrol guards colluded with him to swindle us, that is even less likely. A few thousand or tens of thousands of spirit stones might be worth the risk, but the spirit stones I sponsored him with, plus the talisman-making materials, total a mere fifty spirit stones. Taking such a huge risk for that is simply not worth it.
Finally, I dispatched Yinglong to accompany him to handle the paperwork and escort him back. All of this was to verify the truth of his words. If he truly dared to lie, I would make him vanish from the market town without a trace."
Though the old man spoke with the utmost humility, his words were resolute and decisive, carrying an unquestionable weight.
The young girl nodded in agreement, then propped her chin in one hand with her elbow resting on the table, saying somewhat lazily:
"You've thought it through thoroughly, but you still mustn't let down your guard. Just now, I used the precious mirror left to me by Daddy to take a look at that fellow, and while he looks decent enough on the outside, his eyes kept darting around the moment he stopped looking at you. If his eye sockets weren't in the way, they would have rolled right out. He looks like a crafty character, so you must be on your guard."
"Rest assured, Miss, I will be careful!"
"Good, then you look after the business. I'm heading back."
With that, the young girl trotted back to the back room. Watching this, the shopkeeper smiled with indulgent fondness, then turned and walked back behind the counter to leaf through a ledger.
Meanwhile, returning to Xu Feng's side, Yinglong had not lied; he was indeed familiar with every corner of the market town, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he had brought Xu Feng to the housing rental office to handle the leases for the four districts of Chen, Si, Wu, and Wei.
The grounds were vast, with guards stationed at the entrance who only permitted them to enter after inspecting their identity tokens.
Inside, the first sight to greet the eye was a quadrangle courtyard divided into four sections. Striding quickly across the yard, they arrived in front of a building bearing a sign for the "Si District".
Just as they stepped inside, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Early Stage hurried forward and asked politely:
"How may I help you two gentlemen?"
Seeing that Yinglong had no intention of speaking and was merely surveying the surroundings, Xu Feng stepped in to answer:
"Fellow Daoist, my rental period is about to expire, and I've come today to renew it. Where should I go to handle this?"
Taking a quick glance around earlier, he had noticed five or six service counters in the hall, each surrounded by people. He hadn't been sure which counter to approach.
"To renew a lease? The two of you can go ask at the counter on the far left," the early-stage Qi Refining cultivator replied, his initial enthusiasm fading the moment he learned they were only renewing a lease. He pointed casually and hurried away.
Noticing Xu Feng's puzzled look, Yinglong gave a cough and explained:
"The people working here receive very few spirit stones in basic monthly salary. Their main source of income comes from the commissions on newly rented properties. The reason he was so enthusiastic just now is that he mistook us for people looking to rent a new place."
"Many thanks for clearing that up, Fellow Daoist Ying. I have learned much!"
*Sigh*, it seems that no matter where you go, the reality is always the same!
With that mental sigh, Xu Feng followed Yinglong to the leftmost counter. They were in luck; just as they walked over, someone finished their business and left, saving them from having to wait in line. It was their turn immediately.
"Hand over your housing token," a voice demanded coldly from behind the counter as a hand reached out.
"Here is the token, please check it."
Xu Feng's Master had not carried this item with him when he left, but had instead kept it in the wooden hut. Xu Feng had made sure to bring it along when he went out today.
"Oh? Your time is up today. Why didn't you come to pay a bit earlier instead of waiting until the very last day?" the cultivator behind the counter complained as he took the token for inspection and spent a good while checking the registration jade slip.
"Hehe, funds were tight, and I only managed to gather enough spirit stones today. That's why I came right over," Xu Feng replied.
"By the way, market town regulations state that the patrol guard will go around collecting overdue rent half a month before a lease expires. Did you know about this? Generally, they also leave a notice behind. Did you bring it with you? If not, you'll have to make a trip back to get it."
"Ah, I brought that. Here you go."
Once all the procedures were complete, the cultivator behind the counter reached out his hand once more.
This time, Yinglong stepped in, handing over a storage bag containing one hundred and fifty spirit stones. The spirit stones were collected, and the storage bag was returned to his hand.
Xu Feng also received a brand-new housing token, which meant he could continue living in the market town for another full year.
Without delay, the two men finished their business and headed straight for the Si District, never expecting that an infuriating scene was currently unfolding there.