Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Xu Yao became the fox spirit's sorcerer, something Zhou Chu hadn't expected.

But this is good too; now that she's a shaman, no villain will dare to lay a finger on her.

That day, Zhou Chu packed his luggage and prepared to leave.

Actually, there wasn't much to pack, just a meager ten thousand taels of silver, divided into ten large boxes, loaded into five large carts, and set off with Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu selected five soldiers from Xie Qi's troops, paying each of them ten taels of silver, and ordered them to serve as coachmen.

Xie Qi did not object, and the soldiers were naturally happy to earn this extra money. It was just driving a cart, and ten taels of silver was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Besides Zhou Chu's silver cart, the convoy also included the corpses of demonic beasts being transported from Wuyang City to the capital.

Xie Qi's official business in Wuyang City this time was to safely transport a large number of demon corpses back to the capital and deliver them to the Demon Suppression Division.

The monster corpses undergo special treatment to ensure they do not rot during transport.

After cultivation, demons undergo tremendous changes in their bodies. Most of their corpses contain useful materials: their fur can be used to make leather armor, their sinews can be used to make bowstrings, their demon eyes can be used in medicine, and their demon blood...

The most expensive item was the demon core, but Zhou Chu didn't know its purpose.

"That's too flashy. Who carries so much silver as luggage?"

Xu Yuan rode up on his horse, with a bundle slung across his body, and walked alongside Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu said, "Brother Xu, even after seeing you off for a thousand miles, we must eventually part ways. You've already accompanied me this far, so please go back now."

Xu Yuan said, "Why go back? I'm going to the capital too."

"You were also summoned by the Crown Prince?" Zhou Chu asked.

Xu Yuan said, "That's for sure."

Zhou Chu then asked, "Tell me, why did the Crown Prince summon me?"

Xu Yuan laughed and said, "Only those martial artists with beautiful appearances are summoned."

"That makes sense." Zhou Chu nodded, then asked, "Then why were you summoned as well?"

Xu Yuan was taken aback, then realized what he meant: "You brat, how come you've become just as foul-mouthed as me?"

After saying that, he sighed and said, "Ten years! I've spent ten years fighting my way back to the capital with my own abilities! This time, I, Xu Yuan, will restore the glory of the Xu family."

Is this guy having a fit of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

How did it suddenly catch fire?

Zhou Chu pursed his lips, puzzled, and wanted to get as far away from Xu Yuan as possible.

He carefully nudged the horse's flanks, walked forward to the carriage Xie Ning was riding in, and said into it:

"Is Miss Xie here?"

Xie Ning lifted the sedan curtain and poked her head out: "Oh, Young Master Zhou has learned to ride a horse?"

Zhou Chu gave an awkward smile: "I know a little, I know a little."

"What do you want with me?" Xie Ning asked.

"I'd like to ask you, how expensive are houses in the capital? How many houses could I buy with my money?"

Before Xie Ning could speak, Xie Qi's voice came from behind:

You'll have to ask me about that.

Xie Qi spurred his horse and squeezed between Zhou Chu and the sedan chair, blocking Xie Ning, and said:

"The layout of the capital city is such that the east is rich and the west is noble, while the south is poor and the north is lowly."

Even if you have money, you can't buy a house in the east or west of the city.

With that money, you could buy two or three small houses in the south or north of the city…

After seeing Zhou Chu use the Taixu Sword Technique, Xie Qi's attitude changed drastically, and he no longer had the arrogant demeanor of a noble young master.

He explained the residential layout of the capital city to Zhou Chu in detail.

The saying goes, "The east is rich, the west is noble, the south is poor, and the north is lowly." This refers to the fact that people living in the east and west parts of the city were either martial arts families or high-ranking officials.

Those living in the south and north of the city were all commoners.

Most of the common people who were able to settle down in the capital lived much better lives than the villagers in the Guniu Mountain village.

Poverty and lowliness are only relative to the wealthy people in the south and north of the city.

Ordinary people are naturally considered poor by the children of these wealthy families.

The "cheap" thing refers to the residents of the northern part of the city, most of whom are江湖人 (jianghu people) from all walks of life.

Such as fortune telling, singing and performing operas, performing martial arts for a living, and even open and covert prostitution, the list goes on.

Many of the houses in the south and north of the city were owned by wealthy families in the east and west of the city, and were rented out to these commoners or江湖人 (jianghu people) in exchange for rent.

Zhou Chu calculated in his mind that these several cartloads of silver could be exchanged for two houses.

He lives in one apartment and rents out the other to collect rent.

In this way, they can be considered to have gained a foothold in this world.

As the two were talking, the group suddenly stopped.

"What's going on? I'll go take a look." Xie Qi said, then spurred his horse forward.

"My second brother is gone?" Xie Ning asked, pulling back the sedan curtain.

Zhou Chu nodded.

Xie Ning said, "When we get to the capital, buy me several houses, and let me live in one of them."

"Your family is so rich, why don't you buy it yourself?" Zhou Chu retorted.

Xie Ning truthfully replied, "I've been sneaking away for so many days, my family must be angry, and they might restrict my spending in the future."

Zhou Chu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then I'll pay for a house for you too. Remember to pay me back when you become the Crown Princess..."

"No more!" Xie Ning suddenly pulled the sedan curtain shut and stopped talking.

"How can you change your expression so suddenly?" Zhou Chu scratched his head.

"Don't talk to me!" Xie Ning roared from inside.

Xu Yuan caught up from behind and said, "Brother Zhou has the spirit of a man from Lu. I admire him greatly."

Having said that, he walked forward laughing, his laughter clearly carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Zhou Chu didn't argue with him, and slowly rode forward to follow.

The group had reached a valley called Black Wind Valley, with dense forests on both sides of the hillside.

Ahead, an old tree, thick enough for three people to encircle, lay across the ground, blocking the way for carriages and horses.

Xie Qi directed several soldiers to tie ropes to the tree trunks and pull them apart to clear a path.

The martial artists who were pulling the rope on the hillside had only pulled the tree about a foot away when they went silent.

"What are you guys doing? Hurry up and pull!" Xie Qi shouted up the hillside.

There was a deathly silence above; no one responded.

"Did we run into highway robbers?" Zhou Chu wondered.

If that's the case, then the robbers are incredibly audacious. Don't they recognize the Vermilion Bird Flag on the carriage? They dare to steal government property.

The demonic corpses on the cart don't matter. If anyone dares to covet Zhou Chu's cartloads of silver, Zhou Chu will kill them one by one, and if ten come, he'll kill them all.

"I'll go up and take a look." Xu Yuan jumped off his horse, sword in hand, and headed straight for the hillside.

Xu Yuan moved with incredible speed, disappearing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

A moment later, a cry of surprise came from the hillside, followed by the sound of metal clashing.

Xie Qi hurriedly ordered the soldiers behind him: "There's an ambush on the mountain. Send a few men up to meet Xu Yuan."

The five soldiers responded in unison and went up the mountain.

They hadn't gone far when they saw Xu Yuan hurriedly descending the mountain.

Six burly men followed closely behind, wielding weapons and yelling strange noises.

"You audacious thief." Xie Qi sneered, drew his sword, and charged forward.

Zhou Chu was puzzled. How could Xu Yuan, a cultivator at the intermediate level, not even be able to deal with a few bandits?

Any martial artist with a cultivation level above the initial stage can live a relatively comfortable life after registering as a martial artist in the Yan Kingdom, and there is no need for them to become bandits in the mountains.

Those who do this kind of thing are usually ordinary people who can't survive and have no chance against a mid-level martial artist.

As Xu Yuan ran, he shouted, "Damn it, they're not human! They're not human!"

"If they're not human, how can they be human? What are they babbling about?" Zhou Chu replied.

However, judging from Xu Yuan's panicked appearance, this group of bandits was indeed not easy to deal with.