I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely - Chapter 243 - 221: Completing the Transaction, Brotherhood

“So, I need to charge a ten percent processing fee and an additional ten percent service fee. That means if the final sale price of the house is one million silver, you’ll need to give me another two hundred thousand silver.”

Wang Mazi said calmly.

“That’s too expensive.”

Xu Qing fell silent for a moment. He frowned, a troubled look on his face. “The processing and service fees add up to twenty percent,” he said. “Can’t you go any lower?”

“Brother.”

Wang Mazi shrugged. “In this line of work, we’re essentially stealing business from the official brokerages. That comes with huge risks, so it’s only right that we’re compensated for it.”

“I really can’t go any lower.”

“Hmm…”

Xu Qing fell silent again.

“Brother.”

Wang Mazi continued, “If you don’t believe me, you can go check out the Prefecture Mansion’s brokerage. Anyone who wants to buy a house within Cangzhou Prefecture needs a House Purchase Qualification Certificate. You have to pull a lot of strings and earn Merit Points just to be able to make the purchase.”

“And to get those Merit Points, you have to accept missions from the Prefecture Mansion and perform Demon Extermination. One small misstep, and you could lose your life.”

“But with me, you don’t need any of that. All you need is enough money.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you need all that?”

Xu Qing asked.

“It’s simple.”

Wang Mazi said with a smile, “We’ve already contacted the original owners looking to sell. As soon as you pay, we’ll use the ’voluntary gift’ channel. The original owner will ’voluntarily gift’ the property to you, and then you won’t need a House Purchase Qualification Certificate.”

“That’s why our method isn’t so complicated.”

“This way,”

“The original owner gets more money, we make a nice profit, and you don’t have to deal with the brokerage or all that trouble.”

“It’s a win-win-win situation, you could say.”

“So why wouldn’t we do it?”

“Mm.”

Xu Qing nodded.

“So, Brother, which one has caught your eye? I can pull some strings and get you a slightly better price.”

Wang Mazi said with a wide smile.

“That one.”

Xu Qing glanced over the listings, his eyes finally settling on a courtyard house. The yard wasn’t large, but it was well-appointed, and its architectural style was almost identical to the courtyard he had lived in before.

“Alright.”

The smile on Wang Mazi’s face grew even wider. “For this house, Brother, you’ll need to pay 2,700,000 silver. Add in the processing and service fees, and your grand total comes to 3,240,000 silver.”

“Make it cheaper,”

Xu Qing said.

“I really can’t go any lower.”

Wang Mazi put on a troubled expression.

“…”

In the end, after some haggling, Wang Mazi held firm and wouldn’t budge. Xu Qing finally settled on a price of 3,200,000 silver.

Just half an hour later, Wang Mazi was taking Xu Qing to see the house.

The courtyard house was located in the Ninth Ring of Cangzhou Prefecture’s first layer. The location was admittedly unremarkable, situated on Lin Yun Street of the Ninth Ring.

Moreover, Xu Qing also met the house’s original owner: a middle-aged man who looked slightly weary. With him were a plump woman and a boy who couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

「That afternoon.」

All the paperwork was completed.

Xu Qing had spent 3,200,000 silver to buy the courtyard house. The middle-aged man received 3,000,000 silver, and the property was transferred into Xu Qing’s name through the “voluntary gift” method.

In a single day, Xu Qing had bought a house in Cangzhou Prefecture.

“Congratulations.”

Wang Mazi handed the Cangzhou Prefecture property deed to Xu Qing with a smile. “From this moment on, you are the owner of this courtyard.”

“Mm.”

Xu Qing nodded and accepted the deed.

“Well, I won’t disturb you any further. If you need anything else in the future, you know where to find me,”

Wang Mazi said with a broad smile.

“Alright.”

Xu Qing nodded.

“Farewell.”

Wang Mazi turned and left.

’Although buying this small courtyard house in Cangzhou Prefecture cost a lot of silver, the process was smooth and without any issues. The first matter was settled.’

Next, Xu Qing would officially settle down in Cangzhou Prefecture.

「Seven days later.」

For the past seven days, Xu Qing had been practicing the Reincarnation Law in his courtyard. It took him ten minutes to complete a single cycle. Even if he practiced nonstop, twenty-four hours a day, he could only gain one hundred and forty-four Experience Points daily.

Of course, Xu Qing continued to practice the Reincarnation Law every day without stopping.

During these seven days, Xu Qing had sent Wu Yi, Wu Er, Wu San, and Kaya out to scout the surroundings and gather information about Cangzhou Prefecture.

After all, Wu Yi, Wu Er, and Wu San had all reached the Extraordinary Extreme. Even though they were only at the Ordinary Extraordinary Extreme and had each mastered only a single Sixth Level True Intent, they were still considered minor experts in Cangzhou Prefecture. Gathering simple information wouldn’t be too difficult for them.

Specifically, Wu Yi and his men had discovered that Lin Yun Street, located in the Ninth Ring of Cangzhou Prefecture’s first layer, was actually quite populated, with many common folk living there.

A single street, it could be said, was as large as a small county town. The Ninth Ring of the first layer was composed of nine such streets in total.

Within Lin Yun Street, there were three major powers.

They were the Lin Yun Sect, the Cyan Snake Gang, and the Brotherhood. The Lin Yun Sect was a cross between a Martial Arts Hall and a proper Sect, while the Cyan Snake Gang and the Brotherhood were run entirely like criminal gangs.

These three factions controlled Lin Yun Street.

However, in Xu Qing’s eyes, these three factions were only average. They were, after all, minor powers on the very outskirts of Cangzhou Prefecture. Even so, the Lin Yun Sect’s Leader, He Lin Yun, had the cultivation of an Ordinary Extraordinary Extreme. The Gang Leader of the Cyan Snake Gang and the boss of the Brotherhood were also at the Ordinary Extraordinary Extreme level.

’And remember, these were just minor powers on a single street of the Ninth Ring, on the first layer of Cangzhou Prefecture, yet their leaders all had the cultivation of an Ordinary Extraordinary Extreme.’

’This just went to show how immensely powerful Cangzhou Prefecture was as a whole. It completely surpassed the other Prefecture Cities, not even in the same league. The gap was enormous.’

Xu Qing mused, ’It seems that to establish a firm foothold in Cangzhou Prefecture, even a cultivation at the Ultimate Extraordinary Extreme isn’t enough. I’ll need to at least master a Pattern Technique and step into the Third Realm: Law Realm. Only then can I say I’ve truly secured my place here. I might even be able to live on the 7th Layer of Cangzhou Prefecture.’

KNOCK! KNOCK!

A knock came from the door.

“Who is it?”

Xu Qing frowned.

“Brotherhood.”

A rather arrogant voice came from outside, followed by several more forceful bangs on the door. “Hurry up and open the door! Didn’t anyone tell you? This place is Brotherhood territory. If you want to live here, you have to pay us protection money. Otherwise, if something happens to you, don’t expect the Brotherhood to lift a finger.”

Xu Qing mused, ’The Brotherhood.’

Then, Wu Yi opened the door.

Several young men strode in. They looked the place over before their gazes landed on Xu Qing, raking over him without restraint.

“You’re the new guy?”

one of the bald young men asked.

“I am.”

Xu Qing’s expression was calm.

“Ahem…”

The bald young man cleared his throat. “Since you’re new,” he said, “we’ll give you a chance to make things right.”

“First off,”

“Lin Yun Street is currently under the protection of the Lin Yun Sect, the Cyan Snake Gang, and the Brotherhood. The specific area you’re in now is watched over by us, the Brotherhood.”

“So,”

“since the men of the Brotherhood work so hard to protect you, it’s only natural you show a little appreciation. Charging a small protection fee isn’t unreasonable, right?”

“It’s not much, really. Just ten thousand silver a month will do.”

“…”

Xu Qing frowned.

’Ten thousand silver.’

’In a county town or even a Prefecture City, that was an amount an ordinary person couldn’t even dream of. And now the Brotherhood wanted to collect that much in protection fees.’

’This was just blatant extortion.’

’No matter how prosperous Cangzhou Prefecture was or how high the cost of living was, there was no way an ordinary person could afford such a fee.’

“That won’t be necessary.”

Xu Qing’s expression remained calm; he wasn’t about to get angry over such a trivial matter. “I don’t need the Brotherhood’s protection.”

“And so,”

“I won’t be paying you any protection fees.”

“Fine, fine.”

The bald young man sneered. He’d seen this act plenty of times—some guy who thinks he’s tough, or is just too cheap to pay up.

’But it didn’t matter.’

’All the Brotherhood had to do was rough him up a few times at night. Sooner or later, he’d pay up obediently.’

“No problem,”

the bald young man continued. “If you don’t want to pay, the Brotherhood won’t force you. We’re all about mutual consent, after all.”

“But,”

“let me give you a little warning. This is the very edge of Cangzhou Prefecture. You never know when some Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits might sneak in. If you happen to run into trouble late at night, the Brotherhood won’t be able to help you.”

“Don’t worry,”

Xu Qing replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. I can ensure my own safety.”

“Suit yourself.”

The bald young man shrugged. “I hope you’re still this tough in a few days. Because when you come begging for the Brotherhood’s protection, the price won’t be ten thousand silver anymore.”

“Let’s go.”

With that, the bald young man turned and left briskly with his men.