"My dear customer!"

The owner of the inn charged angrily toward them. Before he could let his anger run, Xu Xiaoshou stopped him.

​​

"Say no more. I'll pay for all the costs."

"..."

The abrupt statement from the wealthy patron stunned the inn owner. Even Xin Gugu was shocked by Xu Xiaoshou's words.

"Well... We will need to calculate the losses."

Xu Xiaoshou briefly glanced at the destruction within the inn.

The protections from the barrier were strong. Even though his sword cognition had broken through his room, he was unsure where the remaining attack was transferred.

At the very least, the other patrons staying at the inn were safe and sound.

It was unfortunate that the hall on the second floor had been split from the center. He would have to pay quite a large amount to cover all of the damage.

He waved his hands and said, "You can rest first. This thing is no big deal."

The inn owner heaved a deep sigh of relief as he turned around to calculate the payment.

He was in a rush as he was afraid the customer might escape before he properly paid up.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoshou felt his head start to ache.

If this were to occur every time he attempted to cultivate, he would have a lifetime worth of damage payments to make.

Xu Xiaoshou thought that rather than continue wasting money to pay for damages, it was more convenient for him to have his own house in the city center. It would greatly reduce the troubles that his cultivation seemed to cause.

Moreover, cultivating in his own residence meant more onlookers would observe him as he cultivated as well.

Additionally, money to purchase a personal estate was not a problem for him. Xu Xiaoshou was greatly motivated by this idea.

"Xin Gugu!"

Xin Gugu turned at the sound of Xu Xiaoshou's voice. "Hm?"

"Are you free right now?"

"What?" Xin Gugu's sixth sense sensed that something was amiss.

Xu Xiaoshou replied, "That day you were supposed to save me, you were late. If that man had not appeared, I could be dead right now."

Xin Gugu stared at Xu Xiaoshou.

Belittled, Passive Points +1.

"Don't beat around the bush! What do you want?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled triumphantly. "You see, we really need a house," he replied. "We need something that gives us the private space to freely cultivate and move, you know what I mean?"

"I'm sure you would need this free space too. I mean, you are..."

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. Xin Gugu was a ghost beast host body and needed a space such as this more than Xu Xiaoshou did.

Xin Gugu's face darkened. Was this an attempt to extort from him? If Xin Gugu had the financial power, he would not have brought them to that inn to begin with.

"I'm broke," he answered immediately.

Xu Xiaoshou felt wronged. "I'm not asking you to pay. I just wanted you to find a spot that we can use freely in the future."

"..."

"Is that all?" Xin Gugu replied in surprise.

He watched as the young man in front of him pulled out a prestigious-looking golden card from his robes. Even though Xin Gugu was not in close contact with the wealthy, he could tell this was a VIP-only card from the Plenty Gold Company. It should be worth over a few hundred thousand dollars.

Xin Gugu was stupefied. "Where did you get something like that?"

Xu Xiaoshou lifted his brows. It seemed like Xin Gugu had lived a rather difficult life. He may have faced fearsome features and murdered countless people, but he did not seem to be capable of earning a living. He did not seem to know to loot the possessions of the ones that he had slain.

"Don't worry too much about where it came from. Here, take it and help me buy a house."

"Find the good ones from Plenty Gold Company, preferably somewhere a bit more secluded but not too much that we will be assassinated."

"Just find what you can. No pressure."

Xu Xiaoshou lightly patted Xin Gugu's shoulders.

Xin Gugu instantly filled with excitement. He looked forward to spending money on a purchase.

He hummed in agreement and bolted off. He suddenly stopped himself.

'This is wrong!'

'Am I becoming this rascal's maid? How can he assign this type of errand to me? Xin Gugu angrily thought, "An Innate Stage individual asking a Sovereign to run his errands… Is he crazy?"

Xin Gugu decided to turn back. At that moment, he heard Xu Xiaoshou yell one last instruction. "Remember to save some rooms for you and your sister as well!"

Those words made Xin Gugu hesitate. 'A yard of my own?' he thought.

Xin Gugu felt moved. He may have been a Sovereign, but he was relatively on the younger side of the community. His age only permitted him a small rundown room in Xu Yue Grey Palace where the elders assembled.

He was constantly on the move to complete his missions as well. This had given him plenty of money, but he did not have time or the mood to enjoy a life of leisure. Unlike Xu Xiaoshou, he was not carefree and happy-go-lucky in nature. To live a lifestyle similar to him was difficult for Xin Gugu

However, even if he knew he would not stay in it long, the idea of a yard that belonged to him and the image of a happy and warm lifestyle was moving to Xin Gugu regardless.

He clutched the card and determinedly stepped onto the footpath outside the door.

"Nice!"

Xu Xiaoshou raised a clenched fist behind him. For an unknown reason, Xu Xiaoshou felt that something was different this time. After Xin Gugu saved him, he had remained by his side instead of leaving at the first moment. It was not possible or believable that a Sovereign like Xin Gugu would have the luxury of time to stick around.

By simply looking at the constant state of movement Xin Gugu and Jiao Tangtang on a daily basis, one could tell they were individuals with their destiny instructed to them. Yet, Xin Gugu decided to stay. This greatly confused Xu Xiaoshou.

He wondered if it was his guilt regarding his delay in the rescue mission, so he stayed a while longer to make up for that. Anyhow, Xu Xiaoshou was not oblivious enough to ask him directly. If he had asked, it may be interpreted as an attempt for Xin Gugu to leave, even if that was not his intention.

Xin Gugu was a powerful Sovereign. Though he had not witnessed him in battle, based on the stories told by Jiao Tangtang, Xin Gugu was not a simple character. Therefore, someone like him should not be asked to leave. In fact, he should be convinced to stay for every possible reason.

The destruction of the inn and the proposal to purchase their own personal space were an excellent crossover of fate.

It mattered little if Xu Xiaoshou had bought the house. In the event Xu Xiaoshou had not bought it, he would not be able to stay for long either.

In half a month or less, he would have to return to the Tiansang Spirit Palace and face the music from Elder Sang.

More importantly, the idea of private space was more tempting for a ghost beast host body. If he could use the house Xin Gugu bought as means to bind Xin Gugu to stay, he could take revenge on Red Dog for almost murdering him.

The revenge was closely carved into Xu Xiaoshou's heart. He would not forget it.

Red Dog was only one killer. After the death of Red Dog, there were others, such as Red Cat and Blue Rabbit, who would come after him. As long as the one who was behind all of this remained alive and his warrant was active, he would continue to live a rather intense life.

As Xu Xiaoshou was deep in thought, the house opposite the second floor suddenly pushed out. Three figures emerged from the dust.

"The three swordsmen?"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. The men walking toward him were the three persons he had bumped into at the doorstep of the Plenty Gold Company.

They had left a deep impression on him since two of the three swordsmen were carrying two of the famed swords out of the 21 famed swords found on the continent.

For people who looked as young as they did to have such thick and dense potentials made the three swordsmen very intimidating individuals.

Gu Qing, the swordsman who appeared to be their leader wiggled his eyebrows as he voiced out in suspicion. His hand was holding his head as he spoke.

"Sword cognition?"

"Sword cognition?"

The two behind him repeated his words like copycats and followed the same head-holding gesture. Their expressions were the exact replica of the man in front of them.

Though it had been only a few days, Xu Xiaoshou was now far away from the clueless youth he was then.

"Sword cognition?"

He was shocked. It did not occur to him that these three persons were able to recognize the concept of sword cognition as well.

At that moment, each individual had located a target on their own. Instantly, the four pairs of eyes locked on each other. Sparks started to fly in the air.