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Chapter 26: Today I Start Being a Cloud Drifter
Yundu, the heart of Yun Country, is an ideal place for countless young scholars to display their talents and ambitions.

It is located on the bank of Yunmeng Lake. Thanks to Yunmeng Lake, half of the counties of Yun State can reach this city by water transportation via the tributaries extending from Yunmeng Lake.

Convenient transportation has made this place prosperous. The dock is full of merchant ships and passenger ships. The sound of clattering is endless, making Zhang Wei, who is leaning on the side of the ship, feel like he is watching a real-life version of the Qingming Shanghe Tu.

Three months had passed since the Blackwater Town incident. Thanks to his actions in resolving the obscene sacrifice, drowning Cai Xiangu and the patriarchs of the three major families, and with the unremitting efforts of his good brother Zhang Xiong, Zhang Wei's reputation once again resounded throughout Luyang County.

And this time it is a good name.

With this momentum, Zhang Hui also wrote his name down on this year's list of tribute students. Although there were some twists and turns in the process, it was finally resolved.

After Zhang Hui finished inspecting the eight counties of Luyang, Zhang Wei took a ride on a boat and arrived at Yundu City via the official waterway.

"How about it?"

At this time, an old voice came from the cabin, interrupting Zhang Wei's thoughts.

Zhang Wei looked back and saw his third uncle Zhang Hui walking towards him with a tired look on his face.

Apparently, the bumpy ride on the water for a few days still made this 50-year-old man feel overwhelmed. But with Zhang Wei watching, nothing serious happened.

Seeing that his uncle was asking him, Zhang Wei answered honestly, "Although I haven't been here for several years, Yundu hasn't changed much."

Zhang Hui was stunned, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, kid, you've become much more arrogant after not seeing you for a few years. Do you know how many people are living in Yundu now? I'll tell you!"

Zhang Hui stretched out his hand, pinched his index finger, middle finger and thumb together, and said solemnly: "Seven hundred thousand people! There are a total of seven hundred thousand registered citizens! This does not include farmers in farms and towns outside the city! Conservative estimates show that the population of the entire Yundu is two million. It's already comparable to a county!"

Seven hundred thousand people, this number is already the limit for a feudal dynasty's capital city. No wonder Zhang Hui is so serious. Not to mention that there are many dignitaries and their families in Yundu City, so the difficulty of governance is not ordinary.

Zhang Wei showed a proper look of shock, which made Zhang Hui nod in satisfaction. Then he began to lecture Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei nodded in agreement on the surface, but in his heart he did not comment on his uncle Zhang Hui's words. After all, as someone who had experienced modern society, he had seen and lived in modern metropolises with tens of millions of people, but the capital of a feudal dynasty with only 700,000 people in front of him was not something he would be interested in.

Moreover, at this moment his heart was no longer in this mere Yundu, but next to Yundu, deep in the Yunmeng Lake that stretches for thousands of miles, a mysterious place shrouded in mist all year round!
Yunshang Market is right there!
But now is not the time to go to the market town. He must settle down in Yundu with his uncle first.

At this time, Uncle Zhang Hui was still preaching.

The idea is that after he comes to Yundu, he should behave honestly and keep a low profile. No matter what happens, he should not stand out, so as not to offend those children of meritorious service.

Zhang Hui was not worried that his nephew would be wronged, but he was afraid that his nephew would accidentally beat someone to death.

Ever since the day Zhang Wei dragged back the corpse of a large loach to make soup for them, Zhang Hui knew that his nephew was no ordinary person.

But unfortunately, although his knowledge is broad, it is still confined to the mundane world, and his understanding of the world of immortal cultivation is really limited.

Although he was just an ordinary person and could tell that the loach was a monster, he didn't know its specific strength and just thought it was a monster that had just transformed.

Some martial arts masters could probably deal with monsters of that level. So Zhang Hui was unsure about the situation of his nephew.

But no matter what, the strength of his nephew is worthy of recognition.

The family guards and attendants of that bunch of idiots might not be enough to slap his nephew. If he was just injured, it would be fine. As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he still has some face in Yundu.

I’m afraid that Zhang Wei won’t be able to control his strength and accidentally beat someone to death. That would be really funny!

"There are countless nobles in Yundu. Among them, there are a few families that need special attention. Duke Dingguo and Duke Zhenguo are representatives of the noble families. Dukes of all generations have participated in the military and have a very high reputation in the military. Moreover, the relationships between these noble families are very complicated, and one move can affect the whole body. In addition, the children of the nobles act eccentrically, so don't conflict with them!
There is also the Minister of Works, Zhen Yunlong. It is said that this person is related to the legendary Yunshang Immortal Sect, and the current emperor has to give him some face. However, this person usually stays at home and rarely goes out, so you probably won't run into him.

besides……"

At this point, Zhang Hui's expression was a little awkward, and he looked unlucky. But he still said to Zhang Wei: "You should also pay attention to the Yang family where Yang Guifei is! In recent years, the Yang family has relied on the emperor's favor for Yang Guifei and has been arrogant and domineering.

There was even an example where a member of the Yang family took advantage of their favor and slapped Princess Hongxia in the street, but the other party sued her in the Golden Palace but the case ended in vain! So even those noble families are unwilling to provoke these successful villains. "

Zhang Wei raised his eyebrows when he heard this. A concubine named Yang who was favored by the emperor had an arrogant and domineering family at home. This gave him a strong sense of déjà vu, especially in this day and age, which was still called the "prosperous age".

If the royal family of Yun Kingdom had not been named Luo instead of Li, Zhang Wei would have suspected that what he was holding now was a copy of Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan's isomorphic counterparts from another world.

"Nephew understands." Zhang Wei replied.

Zhang Hui nodded and continued, "Well... Of course, we don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of it. If someone really causes trouble for you..."

At this point, Zhang Hui lowered his voice, looked around and said, "As long as they are not beaten to death or maimed, it would be great to teach them a lesson."

"clear."

Zhang Wei felt relieved when he heard this. He looked at Zhang Hui, and the two little foxes, one big and one small, smiled silently.

After the boat docked at the pier, the uncle and nephew got off the boat and got on the sedan chair that had been prepared by the family, and went straight to Zhang Hui's home in Yundu.

As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, although Zhang Hui is still not a member of the core power circle of Yundu, he is also considered one of the top leaders, especially in the Ministry of Personnel, a powerful department.

So Zhang Hui's residence was quite large, and the location in Yundu was also good. Judging from the neatly laid bluestone floor tiles, the century-old trees planted on both sides, and the tall gates on both sides of the street, the place where Zhang Hui lived in Yundu was basically Chang'an Street in Zhang Wei's previous life.

In the sedan chair, Zhang Hui introduced to Zhang Wei the owner of the house on this street.

"This is the family of Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, and this is the Rongguo Mansion. They are of the same lineage as the Ningguo Duke. Unfortunately, the family has fallen into decline and can only survive by relying on the capital of their ancestors."

"Uncle San, is the surname of this Rongguo Mansion Jia? Is there someone born with a jade in his mouth? Or is there someone in his family who married a salt inspector named Lin?" Zhang Wei couldn't help but interrupt again.

Zhang Hui looked at his nephew with a strange look and said, "There are people who are born with jade in their mouths, but there is no salt inspector surnamed Lin in Yun State."

"Besides, being born with a jade in the mouth is just a gimmick created by the Rongguo Mansion. It was quite a fuss at first, but after waiting for so long, not even an immortal came to visit his family and took away the auspicious child who was born with a jade in the mouth. Otherwise, would the Rongguo Mansion still be in such a half-dead state? And the Rongguo Duke's lineage is not surnamed Jia, their surname is Zhou!"

"Oh, I see..." Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Hui asked in confusion: "What's wrong with you? You looked itchy when I was talking to you just now."

"Nothing, nothing..."

Zhang Wei smiled awkwardly, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He almost thought he had traveled to some hodgepodge world. Now it seems that this is just a common feature of feudal dynasties.

It turns out there is nothing new under the sun.

"Master, we're here."

At this time, the sedan stopped and the butler's voice came from outside.

"Go down. I don't know what you are thinking. You don't want to live here with me and go find a place for yourself. Don't you know that it's not easy to live in Yundu?" Zhang Hui complained as he walked out of the sedan chair.

Zhang Wei smiled and said, "I am the nephew of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and I am also a new tribute student in the Imperial College. If those censors who like to make up stories see me running to your house every day, they may report you for favoritism and corruption. Although we are upright, this is disgusting.

And Uncle San, I have saved some money in recent years. I can live comfortably in Yundu!" Zhang Wei patted his purse and said.

Zhang Hui glanced at Zhang Wei and said, "Did you earn the royalties from those awful books you wrote?"

"Cough cough..."

Zhang Wei almost couldn't catch his breath and was choked by his own saliva.

It is so embarrassing to be caught writing pornographic novels by parents.

Seeing his nephew being humiliated, Zhang Hui's cold face showed a smile, and his mood became much better. At this time, a group of people passed by the gate of Zhang's house carrying a luxurious sedan chair, and there were eight sedan bearers alone! It was a real eight-man sedan chair.

You have to know that although Zhang Hui was a second-rank official, his sedan chair was carried by only four people.

The person in the sedan seemed to know Zhang Hui and immediately asked him to stop. Then he lifted the side curtain and asked, "Is it Minister Zhang?"

Zhang Hui turned his head and immediately bowed to the person in the sedan chair and said, "May the Fifth Prince be well."

The Fifth Prince was a middle-aged man with a dignified face, but he gave people a gentle and approachable feeling. Seeing that he had not recognized the wrong person, he immediately asked with a smile: "What a coincidence, Minister Zhang, did you just return to the capital after inspecting the east? Eh? Who is this..."

The fifth prince was halfway through his words when he looked at Zhang Wei who was standing next to him.

He is young, handsome, and tall, very eye-catching.

Zhang Hui smiled and explained, "This is my nephew Zhang Wei, Zhang Zijie, who came to Yundu to study. Zijie, this is the fifth prince."

"The fifth prince."

Zhang Wei performed a literary ceremony to the fifth prince.

The Fifth Prince's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he asked, "But what about Zhang Wei, the river tamer? Did you also write Ode to the Goose? That is a famous piece of writing throughout the ages."

"Your Highness the Fifth Prince, thank you for your compliment." Zhang Wei said with a neither humble nor arrogant smile.

The fifth prince laughed and said, "Hahaha, Zijie, you are too modest. I can say that I have known you for a long time. Today I saw that you are indeed extraordinary. It is true that heroes emerge from youth! I wonder if you can come to my house to have a chat when you are free?"

Zhang Hui frowned slightly when he heard this. Just as he was about to wink at his nephew, he heard Zhang Wei say, "Thanks for your kindness, Your Highness, but I just arrived in Kyoto and haven't settled down yet. I have to report to the Imperial College tomorrow, so I really don't have time, so I'm sorry."

The Fifth Prince looked disappointed, but he didn't seem to take it too seriously. He said, "Is that so? That's good. Yundu is a good place. I hope you have fun, Zijie."

The uncle and nephew watched the fifth prince leave, and Zhang Wei looked at Zhang Hui and asked, "Third Uncle..."

Zhang Hui said stiffly: "If these princes invite you in the future, don't go if you can! If you get involved in this struggle for imperial power, even if my old bones risk my life, I can't save our Zhang family!"

Zhang Wei nodded, but still said: "Well...but Third Uncle, when you are in your position, you can no longer just play it safe."

Zhang Hui's face choked, then he smiled bitterly and said, "I know that too. But compared to the destruction of my family, losing my official position and being expelled from Yundu is nothing."

"Zijie, you must remember one thing: if you have green mountains, you will never have to worry about having no firewood! Compared with the entire Zhang family, my personal political career is nothing."

"My nephew understands!"

……

After a short rest at his uncle's house for one night, Zhang Wei took Zhang Da, who was accompanying him, to the dental clinic in Yundu the next day.

As soon as he entered the dental clinic, Zhang Wei's silky attire immediately attracted the attention of the dental practitioners. He was almost labeled a big customer.

"Sir, what do you want me to do?"

At this time, a quick-moving toothman came up ahead of the others.

Zhang Wei said succinctly: "Buy a house."

The broker smiled and led Zhang Wei to the counter. He took a booklet from the lady at the counter and said, "Sir, look, these are all the houses for sale in South City. They are all..."

Zhang Wei interrupted, "I don't want the South District."

Toothman: “Ah?”

Visible disappointment appeared on his face.

The layout of Yundu City is due to its proximity to Yunmeng Lake. For example, the East City District near Yunmeng Lake is mainly engaged in commercial transit. The people living here are basically merchants from all over the world, as well as stevedores and fishermen who make a living at the dock.

The environment and public security are poor, which is the consensus of the people in Yundu, but the corresponding housing prices are also cheap.

The southern area has always been a gathering place for dignitaries due to its good lighting and high terrain. But the housing prices there are also the highest. It is conservatively estimated that the housing prices there are dozens of times more expensive than those in other urban areas.

But there was no way, the broker had no status, especially for someone like Zhang Wei. If this broker dared to mock him like the intermediary in urban novels and lower his attitude, he would not have to do anything, and the head of the nearby brokerage would have beaten him up and thrown him out.

So the broker quickly put away the disappointment on his face, and continued to diligently take out another booklet and open it to show Zhang Wei.

"Look, sir. This is the best courtyard in the East District. It has three entrances and three exits. The location is good. It is far from the fishing market and the dock, and it is quiet..."

Zhang Wei asked: "Is there a river nearby?"

"Um... Sir, if you want a house near the river, I have one here." The broker turned another page and said, "This house is not bad either. It also has a three-way courtyard. The backyard is next to a river, so it's convenient for cleaning up garbage."

Zhang Wei frowned and asked, "Is there a clean river?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The agent was in a panic again. After more than a dozen selections, Zhang Wei finally decided on a house on the edge of the East District. Then he asked the agent to take him there.

I walked around the yard. Perhaps because the previous family had moved out not long ago, the yard was still somewhat lively and did not look deserted.

There is an old tree and a stone well in the yard.

However, Zhang Wei used the Opportunity Finding Technique to see that the tree and well were just ordinary trees and wells. There was no sign of demonization or the like of Sadako.

But the most important thing for Zhang Wei is the river behind the yard.

The water flow rate was not bad, even faster than the stream in Qingyun Cottage. Once the waterwheel and generator were installed, it would basically guarantee Zhang Wei's cultivation in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Zhang Wei asked, "How much?"

The dentist chuckled and held out five fingers.

"Fifty taels."

"Fifty taels, robbing money!" Before Zhang Wei could say anything, Zhang Da immediately shouted.

Fifty taels of silver. His second master had spent less than fifty taels to build Qingyun Cottage. And that was because he had to build the house in the mountains outside the city, so he spent so much money.

This house in front of me, which is less than two-thirds the size of Qingyun Cottage, dares to ask for fifty taels? And it's in the East District. Isn't this just robbery?
"Sir, you don't know that living in Yundu is not easy."

The broker said with a bitter face: "Everything in Yundu is very expensive. Most people still rent houses, and some even just build sheds. If you encounter a local tyrant, you have to pay tribute every month to ensure that you have a place to shelter from the wind and rain."

"I'm just a broker. The price of housing is not something I can control."

Zhang Da wanted to say something, but Zhang Wei said, "Okay, Zhang Da, pay the money."

Zhang Wei, who had seen the chaos in the real estate industry in his previous life, was not surprised. On the contrary, he thought the price was already very cheap.

After all, when he traveled through time, many people worked hard for a year to earn enough to buy a toilet in Shanghai.

"Wealth, friends, Dharma, and land... The land in the mortal world is so expensive, how much would the land in the immortal world cost?" Zhang Wei sighed.

(End of this chapter)