After leaving the residence, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask Wei Changfeng, “Is there something wrong with the Cloudmist Flower?”
No matter how he thought about the matter, it was bizarre that You Xu would suddenly change his mind and sell the Ten-leafed Flower at such an inexpensive price.
“That’s not it. It’s just that it isn’t too easy to procure the Cloudmist Flower. Young Master, don’t worry about this. I’ll surely get it by hook or by crook to save my daughter!” Wei Changfeng replied with a determined glint in his eyes.
“Is that really it?” Zhang Xuan was still a little doubtful about the matter.
His impression of Vice School Head You wasn’t too good, and he didn’t think that the latter would be so kind as to let go of his Ten-leafed Flower for a stalk of tea leaf.
“Young Master, don’t worry. This issue might be a little problematic, but I’ll surely get it done!” Wei Changfeng assured.
Even to save his daughter, he couldn’t allow the young master to bear the risk along with him.
Although he wasn’t able to see how the treatment went, the fact that the young master had needed to consume a whole Miniature Restorative Pill to recuperate reflected how far he had exerted himself in order to save his daughter.
The young master had already gone this far to save his daughter, so he couldn’t allow him to worry over this matter as well.
“Alright then… If you truly need help, feel free to tell me. Even though my cultivation might be beneath yours, I do have quite a few aces up my sleeves!” Seeing that Wei Changfeng was unwilling to speak about it, Zhang Xuan decided not to probe any further.
“Thank you, Young Master!” Wei Changfeng nodded.
“The Cloudmist Ridge is quite a distance away, so I’ll have to rush a bit to make it back in two days. I will have to make some preparations as well, so I’ll be taking my leave first!”
“Okay, go on.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Even though he still couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss, considering that Wei Changfeng was a Saint realm expert and the boss of the Spirit Emporium, he decided to put his worries aside.
Hu!
After bidding Zhang Xuan farewell, Wei Changfeng immediately leaped into the sky, and in just a few moments, he had already disappeared from sight.
Saint realm experts were capable of flight, and even without aerial spirit beasts to carry them, they could travel tens of thousands of kilometers each day.
I should return to my residence as well!
After Wei Changfeng’s departure, Zhang Xuan sighed a breath of relief. He was finally done settling the matters he had at hand, and fatigue began to set in once again.
Meeting Hu Yaoyao, browsing through the books in the Terpsichore Compendium Pavilion, cultivating, establishing a student faction, saving Wei Ruyan… Due to this whole string of events coming up one after another, he had already been awake for two days.
Fatigued, he headed right for his residence in the Elite Sector right after leaving the Physician School.
As soon as he pushed open the door to his residence, he saw Luo Qiqi walking up to him excitedly. “Teacher!”
In the time of Zhang Xuan’s coma, in order to better take care of him, Luo Qiqi had created a spare key so that she could access the residence easier.
“You’re here.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
After the establishment of the Xuanxuan Faction, while the others were discussing the various administrative and logistical matters, he had Luo Qiqi return to take a good rest.
“Teacher, Senior Hu Yaoyao has been here since this morning…” Luo Qiqi told him via zhenqi telepathy.
“I see.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
The previous night, after teaching that conceited lass a lesson, he instructed her to report at his residence in the morning. It seemed like she was at least still punctual.
Walking into the main hall, Zhang Xuan saw Hu Yaoyao waiting inside. The air of superiority she’d held before had disappeared, and instead, Zhang Xuan could see a hint of respect and deference in her eyes.
The matter yesterday had left her slightly fearful.
She had utilized all her means against Zhang Xuan, but not only were they ineffective, she even had the favor reversed on her, resulting in her being berated by her teacher… On top of that, after practicing the revised Dance of the Rippling Cloud Robe and realizing how exceptional it was, she dared not pull her weight before the other party anymore.
Walking up to Zhang Xuan, Hu Yaoyao clenched her fists tightly and bowed slightly.
“Zhang shi.”
As expected of one of the top beauties of the academy. Despite being dressed in the standard master teacher robe, the disposition she commanded, along with her movements and gestures, naturally left one’s heart fluttering.
Her barely visible curvaceous figure under the loose robe seemed to spark one’s imagination.
However, Zhang Xuan was completely impervious to all of that. He glanced at her nonchalantly and asked, “Do you know why I chose to take you in as my apprentice?”
Hu Yaoyao nodded. “You want me to tell you where Wu Yangzi’s old residence is.”
Saying those words, she couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated.
She was the leader of the Bewitching Devil Faction, a famed beauty and genius in the academy… Yet, he seemed so reluctant to have her become his apprentice… Just the thought of it left her feeling frenzied within.
Just how could there be such an oddball in the world?
She had thought that with her charms, she would be able to make any men obey her commands. But before Zhang Xuan, she felt as if her charm was worth less than a high-tier spirit stone.
“That’s right. You can speak now.” Seeing Hu Yaoyao understand her current position, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
Indeed. That was the sole reason he had decided for her to become his apprentice. Otherwise, why in the world would he bother getting involved with such an eccentric and problematic person? It was not as if he had a lack of subordinates.
“Even if I were to point out the location, you will probably find it hard to believe. Instead, why don’t I take you there instead?” Hu Yaoyao offered.
“Fine by me. Lead the way then.” Zhang Xuan gestured toward the door.
Even though he was extremely exhausted at the moment, there was still some time before nightfall. Besides, it would be better to get this over and done with as soon as possible too.
“Alright then.”
Hu Yaoyao nodded and made her way out of the residence.
Zhang Xuan beckoned for Luo Qiqi, and the two of them followed closely behind her.
Leaving the Master Teacher Academy, they walked through several streets and alleys, and soon, a magnificent manor appeared before their eyes.
Its incredible size and spectacular architecture gave the manor an air of majesty around it. With just a glance, one could tell that it belonged to someone extraordinary.
“This is the place!” Hu Yaoyao came to a stop before the magnificent manor and gestured.
“Here?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
The courtyard, walls, bricks, and even the architecture style were all new! There was no sign of age whatsoever. This was Wu Yangzi’s old residence?
Was this for real?
As one of the greatest blacksmith in his time, even if Wu Yangzi had gone missing, there would surely have been someone to maintain his residence to serve as a historical monument for future generations to honor him.
But this residence was completely brand new. There was no sign of wear and tear at all!
It was no wonder Hu Yaoyao had declared confidently that no one other than her knew the location of Wu Yangzi’s old residence.
Even if someone managed to trace down the location to this magnificent manor, there was no way they would believe that this was it!
“This was the place where Elder Wu Yangzi lived two thousand years ago!” Hu Yaoyao nodded.
“But this entire manor is brand new; there isn’t any sign of it being Wu Yangzi’s old residence at all. How can you be certain that this is it?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask.
Luo Qiqi was also curious about this.
This matter concerned the treasures that Wu Yangzi had left behind. If they couldn’t even find his old residence, it would be impossible for them to obtain his treasure.
“I can’t tell you how I know, but I can tell you for sure that this is it. Of the entire Hongyuan City, I am the only one who knows this!” Hu Yaoyao replied with a mysterious smile.
“Alright then.” Seeing that Hu Yaoyao was unwilling to speak, Zhang Xuan knew that it would be useless even if he probed on.
In any case, the important thing was that they had found Wu Yangzi’s old residence. Anything else was of little concern.
Thus, he turned his attention back to the manor.
The entrance had crimson doors made out of teak. Reeking of paint, it seemed like it had just been refurbished not too long ago.
The doors were tightly shut, but one could hear the sound of builders at work inside.
However, what was peculiar was even though the manor was in the midst of refurbishment, there was not a single person outside, not even a guard.
Typically speaking, manors of such a size would have guards standing at the doorway to ward off intruders and uninvited guests. However, there was nothing of that sort here. It was as if no one lived here.
“Shall I knock on the door?” Luo Qiqi asked.
“Let’s hold that off for now…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Let’s find a place to take a seat first.”
For the time being, it was good enough for them to have confirmed that this manor was where Wu Yangzi’s old residence was situated.
In order to find the treasure, it was likely that they would have to search throughout the manor, but if they were to do it recklessly, they might just make the owner suspicious, and that could complicate the matter. Thus, it was imperative that they planned this through.
For starters, it would be best for them to look into who the owner was before deciding on the next course of action.
After looking around, Zhang Xuan found a teahouse not too far away which had a clear view of the manor. Thus, beckoning the other two, the trio headed there.
Even though the teahouse was near the main street, as it was already approaching evening, there weren’t many people in there, and it was relatively tranquil.
Heading straight to the second floor, they ordered a pot of tea. Afterward, as a waiter filled their cups, Zhang Xuan tossed him a middle-tier spirit stone and asked, “Lad, I have a question to ask you!”
The waiter’s eyes lit up upon seeing the spirit stone, and he hurriedly clasped his fist. “Gongzi, feel free to speak. As long as it’s not beyond me, I will answer any question you have!”
“To whom does the manor over there belong to? It doesn’t look bad!” Zhang Xuan pointed to the manor opposite to the teahouse as he spoke.
“That manor? I’m not too sure of that either. It has been switching hands quite often recently. In the two years that I have been here, its owner has already changed thrice… no, with this, it should be the fourth time!” the waiter replied with a smile.
“It is already at its fourth owner? Why? Isn’t it situated in a prime location?” Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled.
“It is! That manor is close to the Master Teacher Academy, and it is facing the main street too. There is truly nothing to complain about its location! I’m not too sure about the details as well, but two years ago, when I first started working at this teahouse, it was a merchant who was living in there. However, I heard that two months after he bought down the manor, it seemed like an internal conflict broke out within his clan, and his business was adversely affected. Facing financial problems, the merchant had no choice but to sell the manor.
“The one whom the merchant sold the manor to was a high-ranking official of Hongyuan City. However, not too long after he got the residence, he was dispatched to another city to serve as its governor.
“Thus, the manor was then passed on to a gentleman whose surname is Zhao. He’s a friendly person, and he often comes here for tea as well. He stayed in the manor for almost a year, but just a few days ago, he sold the manor to another person. The new owner seems to be an extremely affluent person. I heard that in order to have Zhao move away as soon as possible, he even paid him an additional sum. Currently, he’s still in the midst of refurbishing the manor, so I don’t think he has moved in yet. So far, I haven’t had the chance to meet the new owner, so I’m not too sure who he is either,” the waiter said.
“It was just sold a few days ago?” Zhang Xuan fell into thought.
He couldn’t help but recall how Sun Qiang had said that he’d found a residence with an ideal location a few days ago, but another person had taken it before he could. Could it be that this manor was the residence which Sun Qiang had been talking about?
“Thank you, you may go now.” After asking a few more questions and confirming that the waiter knew nothing about the new owner, Zhang Xuan gestured for the waiter to leave.
He sent a telepathic message to the Great Violetwing Beast to have it bring Sun Qiang over before returning back to sipping on his tea.
Not too long later, the Great Violetwing Beast appeared in the vicinity of the teahouse, and Sun Qiang leaped off its back and hurried toward Zhang Xuan.
“Young Master, you were looking for me?” Sun Qiang bowed.
“Yes. Is the manor over there the one that you were talking about previously?” Zhang Xuan asked.
Sun Qiang took a look at the manor before nodding. “Indeed. That’s the residence which I wanted to purchase, but an affluent man clinched the deal instead…”
Both the size of the manor and the location which it was situated in fitted the young master’s request perfectly. However, it was a pity that they didn’t have sufficient money to outbid the other party, or else there was no way he would have given up on it.
“Do you know the details of that affluent man?” Zhang Xuan asked.
After a moment of contemplation, Sun Qiang replied, “That… I’m not too sure either. However, I think it should be possible to get his details by visiting the realtor agency where the trade was made!”
To officialize the sales of a residence, the documents regarding the exchange of deed had to be filed at a realtor agency. As such, it shouldn’t be too difficult to uncover the identity of the new owner of the manor.
“Find out who the new owner of that manor is. I want the answer within two hours!” As Sun Qiang used to be in the realtor industry as well, he was more familiar with the various proceedings in the field, so it shouldn’t take him too long.
“Yes!” Nodding affirmatively, Sun Qiang left the teahouse.
Around an hour later, he returned with a peculiar look on his face. His eyes were widened in disbelief, as if he had just seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Sun Qiang’s expression, Zhang Xuan was slightly puzzled.
“Young Master, is there any other freshman in the Master Teacher Academy who goes by the name of… Zhang Xuan too?” Sun Qiang asked with a bizarre look on his face.
“I should be the only one.” Zhang Xuan frowned. “Didn’t I ask you to look into who the new owner of the manor is? Why are you asking that instead?”
Considering Zhang Xuan’s fame in the Master Teacher Academy, he should have at least heard about it if there was anyone of the thirty thousand students who shared the same name as him.
“If there is no one who shares the same name, then…”
At which, Sun Qiang took in a deep breath and said, “I think the manor belongs to you!”
