dtnovels Chapter 155 Dogs look down on people
Chapter 155 Dogs look down on people
Chapter 155 Judging People by Their Eyes
Springtime is at its best, half the city is green, half is yellow. In the sunny March, the grass grows and the birds fly. It's the start of the new school year in Lianxin City, and Xiao Chong has been here for three days.
Lianxin City was jointly built by the most prestigious families and powerful clans of the Tianyun Continent. It was specifically designed to cultivate the elite offspring of each family and represents the highest level of martial arts learning center on the entire continent.
Located in the eastern part of the continent, this place is vast in scale and has a large population of hundreds of thousands. Numerous schools and universities line the city, and almost every student there possesses a powerful background, making it a veritable haven for hidden talents.
The vast majority of these students were of high social standing and came from wealthy families, never having to worry about making a living. Therefore, they spent money like water, treated money like dirt, and valued spirit stones as nothing. This distorted consumption directly led to the extreme prosperity of Lianxin City's economy and exorbitantly high prices for everything.
Xiao Chong and his companions were escorted here by people sent by Xiao Kaixin. After staying one night and paying nearly a hundred yuan stones for the room, the escorts, without even having time to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Lianxin City, hurriedly fled back.
There was no other way. The Xiao family had set a limit on the amount of money they would receive before their departure. Given the accommodation standards here, if they stayed a few more nights, the escorts would likely be penniless and walk back to Feiyue City naked.
Xiao Chong didn't come to Lianxin City alone this time; he brought along his maid Qingmeng, his good brother Fatty, his top-notch henchman Long Wu, and even Yin Feng, with whom he wasn't particularly close, managed to hitch a ride. As for their living expenses, Xiao Chong naturally had to bear them himself; even if the Xiao family were willing to help, they wouldn't have the means.
It is said that a fence needs three posts and a hero needs three helpers. Xiao Chong believed that one should not forget one's roots. Some of these people depended on him for survival, and some had risked their lives with him. Now that there was such a rare opportunity to make progress, he should lend a helping hand if he could.
Of course, Long Wu doesn't count. He was brought along purely because of the other's endless schemes and superb combat skills. Moreover, since he was here to study, he would inevitably be busy with his studies, and some shady dealings—or rather, things unsuitable for a student—would need someone to handle them.
Today is Xiao Chong's third day in Lianxin City. He has already chosen his academy, Qingfeng Academy, which is the least prestigious among all the academies in Lianxin City.
There's no other way. You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of a household, and you don't know the gratitude you owe your parents until you raise children. Even the lowest-tier academy like Qingfeng Academy charges 10,000 yuan stones for tuition every year, not including textbook fees, tutoring fees, training venue fees, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Now that the tuition fees have been paid, the group of five still has nowhere to stay. So, taking advantage of the two days before classes start, Xiao Chong led the group to look around for a cheap place to rent.
The streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, a lively and vibrant scene. Shops lined both sides of the street, one after another, creating a prosperous atmosphere.
Such a location, where land is extremely valuable, was naturally not a good target for Xiao Chong and his companions. The group could only walk further and further along the street, gradually heading towards the relatively desolate outskirts.
As the number of pedestrians dwindled and they were almost at the edge of the city, the five of them stopped in front of a house.
The courtyard in front of them was not small, covering an area of nearly a hundred feet, but it looked dilapidated.
The courtyard wall, as tall as three people, was riddled with cracks, and dust fell down with every gust of wind. The paint on the two half-closed gates had peeled off completely, revealing that the original color should have been vermilion.
Through the slightly ajar door, you could see that the yard was overgrown with weeds, and it was hard to tell how long it had been since anyone had tended to it.
A rather inconspicuous wooden sign leaned against the gate, with two small, crooked characters engraved on it: "For Rent/For Sale." If Xiao Chong and the others hadn't been sharp-eyed, they might have missed it.
At that moment, a servant dressed as a waiter, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, was dozing off by the door. Hearing the commotion coming from the street, the servant opened his eyes, lazily glanced at the group of people, and then closed them again.
Seeing that the servant ignored them, Xiao Chong stepped forward and asked softly, "Young brother, are you looking to rent this house?"
Perhaps his sweet dream was disturbed, or perhaps he was displeased to see that Xiao Chong and his group were dressed rather plainly, unlike wealthy people.
Reluctantly, he opened his eyes again, pointed to the wooden sign beside him, and said, "You are so young, at the prime of your life, and you should be studying hard. Don't you know how to read? Besides, this courtyard may be a bit dilapidated, but not just anyone can afford to rent it."
Uh, I was actually looked down upon! Is this what they call looking down on people? Xiao Chong wanted to turn around and leave, but in the end he didn't lift his foot.
He had been wandering around the city for two days, looking at no fewer than a dozen houses of various kinds, but none of them suited his taste. Either the price was exorbitantly high, or the place was too small; they simply didn't meet his expectations.
Xiao Chong had already made plans in mind. Feeding several people and providing for their horses every day was a considerable expense. Although he was somewhat wealthy, he couldn't afford such a drain on his resources.
He couldn't just sit around and do nothing; he had to find a way to make a living. The house in front of him was the perfect size, and judging from its dilapidated state, it wouldn't be too outrageously expensive—perfect for his grand plan.
Therefore, Xiao Chong had no choice but to patiently ask again, "How much do you want for this house?"
The servant didn't say anything, but glanced at Xiao Chong with some contempt and held up two fingers.
"Twenty thousand taels of silver? Hmm, although the location is a bit out of the way and the house is a little dilapidated, the price is fair and reasonable, not too expensive." Xiao Chong was quite satisfied with the price offered.
The servant was taken aback at first, his expression indescribably interesting, then he said sarcastically, "Twenty thousand taels! Silver, please! Are you dreaming or have you lost your mind? Or are you just deliberately making fun of me?"
"Could it be 20,000 taels of gold? Isn't that a bit too expensive?" Xiao Chong asked uncertainly.
As for the servant's unfriendly attitude, he didn't take it to heart. He was just a servant; it would be beneath his dignity to argue with him.
But the servant clearly didn't think that way. He felt that the group of people in front of him were dressed in a rustic way and were nothing but country bumpkins who had never seen the world. He felt it was necessary for him to let them know what kind of knowledge a proper city dweller should have.
Thinking of this, the servant held up two fingers higher and said proudly, enunciating each word clearly, "Two hundred thousand, spirit stones, no bargaining!"
Damn it! Why didn't you just rob them? Maybe there would have been even more.
Upon hearing the servant's price, everyone from Xiao Chong to Qing Meng, and then to Fatty and Yin Feng, was shocked and gasped in unison.
Even Long Wu, who was usually carefree and had no concept of money, was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.