New Home 1

After our journey, we found ourselves alone at our new home. Out of curiosity, we checked our sect points, and each of us had around four years' worth, just under a million points. It should be enough for a start.

"I suggest we go to the top and take a look at the surrounding area to figure out where it would be best for us to settle" I proposed.

"As you wish, Master" said Mei, waving her hand, enveloping us in spirit energy, and we began moving towards the mountain's peak. It was much less efficient and considerably slower than using the cloud, but what could we do? After a minute, we stood at the mountain's top. As it turned out, the top wasn't the best choice for settling. It provided a beautiful view: on one side, the endless red desert, and on the other, green hills and a giant mountain range shrouded in clouds.

Ultimately, we chose a plateau slightly below the mountain, a flat and spacious area closer to the desert. I believe it wouldn't make much difference, as long as it was convenient for us to settle. We didn't require much space for now.

"We need a spot for the house. I want a pond and garden" I said.

As we will be living together, we will need to build a small estate first. However, constructing it ourselves would be time-consuming and uncertain. Most likely, we can hire disciples for sect points and purchase materials with stones or spirit stones. By the way, we brought spirit stones and gems worth a million spirit stones in total.

"Mei, we need to hire people to build our estate, and we also need to think about what facilities we need on our territory to get them done as quickly as possible" I said.

After negotiations, we determined that we need an estate, a kitchen, a birdhouse to send messages home, hot springs, and some technical buildings like a forge, a sawmill, and storage for preserving food.

"Lin Qing, take our shuttle, and Hu Mei, familiarize yourself with the sect's rules; there shouldn't be too many of them. Fly to the sect's center, where we originally came from, and gather information about the situation there. Return in the evening. We need to know the local prices, rates, and overall situation. In the meantime, we will set up a temporary camp and plan out the layout of our estate" Mei said.

Lin Qing nodded to Hu Mei, and they stepped aside to study the rules that were given to us by our guide. Meanwhile, we took out our spatial rings, retrieved the materials for a temporary camp, and set it up. We pitched tents, arranged a makeshift kitchen, and started boiling water to brew some herbal tea.

As Lin Qing and Hu Mei departed on the shuttle, we sat back, admiring the breathtaking views and contemplating the best locations for our estate. Sipping the herbal tea and waiting for the return of our companions, we immersed ourselves in the beauty of nature surrounding us.

Hu Mei:

As we flew on the shuttle, I couldn't help but reflect on how my life had turned around. I had come from a small, remote town with no prospects for the future, and now I found myself in a sect as a servant to a young master. It was like a carp jumping over a dragon gate. Despite lacking personal freedom, I knew that my life would be longer and more fulfilling in this sect. Moreover, considering the way the young master looked at us when he thought we weren't watching, I sensed that my personal life might become quite enjoyable. I sat there dreaming about the future, occasionally glancing at Lin Qing. She remained an enigma to me – sweet and delicate in appearance, but a sadist who enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering on others. Just recalling what I had witnessed back in our hometown made me shudder.

The most intriguing part was that both Zhang Jing and Lin Qing concealed their true cultivation level from others, pretending to be ordinary external disciples. That's why I felt safe during our journey to the sect's center. With Lin Qing's true cultivation, there shouldn't be any danger for us.

After about an hour, we arrived at the sect's center, and Lin Qing instructed me to act as if I were her servant, mostly staying silent, observing, and noting down my observations to provide her with a report later. I had been trained to gather information, and it seemed that Lin Qing wanted to test my skills during this journey.

When we arrived at the center, we began to gather information and listen to various conversations. Eventually, we found people who were involved in construction work and learned that the approximate cost of what we wanted would be 30,000 sect points, including both labor and materials. They assured us that they could complete the construction within half a day. So, we agreed to finalize everything next day, and if all was well, we would make deal then.

Afterward, we visited different places and listened to various rumors and stories to understand the dynamics of the sect. Interestingly, after finalizing the deal, Lin Qing suddenly started acting like an airhead, as if we had stumbled upon this place by chance. She boasted about buying a lot of sect points and planning to open some business here. In reality, she had fled from a wealthy family because her father didn't trust her. I had to scold her a few times, and she even told me beforehand to do so if needed. I had to physically drag her away from dubious individuals who wanted to take her somewhere "interesting." Despite that, after several hours of wandering through the center of the sect, we headed towards the edge of the square. I could feel the gaze of a 5 people watching us greedily, but Lin Qing just walked with a smile as if everything was perfectly fine.