Chapter 5: Renting A House

Words : 2012 Updated : May 15th, 2025

"You two can go. I'm not selling you anything. This guy is annoying me," Keanu said, pointing at Ashton as he addressed Lia Scurr. Over the past few years, Lia had been worn down by worry over her mother's illness and had given up hope on the hospitals. A so-called master once told her that her mother might be possessed, and that buying a talisman might drive away the evil and wake her up. Lia had purchased many talismans, yet her mother showed no signs of waking. Now, someone claimed that his talisman could revive her mother, and she couldn't let this chance slip away. Even if this guy tried to scam her, it was only a few thousand bucks. It was nothing to the Scurr family. She wouldn't give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope. Deep down, she knew there was a 99% chance he was a fraud, but she still wanted to try. Hearing Keanu's words, Lia became anxious and quickly said, "Sorry, he has nothing to do with me." She shot Ashton a cold look and said, "Mr. Weltz, please leave. If you keep following me, I'll call the cops." Ashton glared coldly at Keanu, already picturing him as a cripple. He decided to have someone break Keanu's arms and legs later. But since Lia said that, he couldn't stick around any longer and had to leave dejectedly. Keanu caught Ashton's look and knew what he was thinking, but he was only here for this one deal and would leave right after, so he didn't care. Besides, he wasn't scared of Ashton anyway. "I'll take all your Clarity Talismans. How much?" Lia asked eagerly once Ashton was gone. Keanu picked up the two Clarity Talismans and said, "I put my heart and soul into making these, so there aren't many left. It's just these two. You only need to use the better one; if you don't use the other, keep it in a jade box and it'll be good for about ten years. Both together are thirty thousand dollars." As he spoke, Keanu handed Lia the two Clarity Talismans, pointing out the one that was almost level one. Lia took the talismans and wrote Keanu a check for fifty thousand. Not wanting to take advantage, Keanu also handed her a Protective Talisman and a Fireball Talisman. "Since you gave me fifty thousand, I'll throw these in too. Just put the Protective Talisman in a scented pouch and wear it for protection. The Fireball Talisman is for self-defense. If you run into any bad guys, toss it at them." Seeing that Keanu didn't want to rip her off, Lia felt even more hopeful about the talismans. He really didn't seem like a scammer. Hearing his instructions, she quickly asked, "Master, how do I use the Clarity Talisman?" Keanu put away the check and said, "Same thing-just toss the talisman at the patient." "Master, may I ask your name? Would you be willing to come see my mom with me? I'll pay you double." With the Clarity Talisman in hand, Lia felt herself calming down, and even though it just looked like a piece of paper, it somehow felt heavy and important. Keanu waved her off, saying, "No need for me to go. This talisman will definitely do the trick." Lia and Kate, seeing Keanu wouldn't come with them, grabbed the talismans and hurried off to try them. As soon as they left, Keanu quickly packed up his stall and rushed to the bank to cash the check. He really needed the money right now. ***** "Lia, that guy was wearing huge sunglasses that you couldn't even see his face. Ashton kind of had a point. He might be a con artist," Kate said carefully, even though she knew Keanu was probably a scammer. Lia sighed. She knew Keanu was probably a fake, but she couldn't give up any chance, even her mom, even if it meant getting scammed. Seeing Lia sigh and not say anything, Kate, her bodyguard, seemed to get what she was thinking and stayed quiet, looking slightly down. With fifty thousand in hand, Keanu's top priority was to find a place to stay. He needed some herbs to make medicine, and living on campus was too much of a hassle. Renting a place off-campus would be much better. Even though the dorm was pretty much empty most of the time, his stuff was top secret- he couldn't risk anyone finding out. With enough cash, finding a place to rent in Ninos was easy, but finding one that actually fit Keanu's needs was another story. He wanted somewhere quiet, fresh air, and ideally a spot where he could practice martial arts daily. His cultivation might have hit a wall, but he didn't want to let his regular martial arts get rusty- he needed to be able to protect himself. Nintos District was basically on the opposite side of the university, over thirty miles away. By the time Keanu got to Nintos, it was already getting dark. He wanted to live far away for two reasons: one, so nobody at school would find out about his secrets, and two, so he could run to campus every day to work on his speed. Just when Keanu thought he'd have to give up for the day, he stumbled across a quaint courtyard that seemed to give off a faint spiritual energy. To his surprise, a "For Rent" sign was hanging outside. Keanu didn't even need to go in. He'd already decided to rent the place because the spiritual energy there was better than most. "Who are you looking for?" An older woman in her fifties opened the door after Keanu knocked, giving him a curious once-over. Keanu didn't answer right away- he'd just spotted a Silvero Grass growing in the yard, which explained the spiritual energy. There was only one, but it was a rare find on this spiritually barren planet. Silvero Grass was the main ingredient in making the Energy Gathering Pill. Keanu quickly told the woman, trying to hide his excitement, "Madam, I saw the 'For Rent' sign- I want to rent a room." The woman realized he was here to rent and quickly let him in. After talking briefly, Keanu found out the courtyard had two bedrooms and a living room, but the landlady didn't want to rent the living room. The west room was already rented out, and the east room, which the landlady used to live in, was available because she was moving to Neiner District to stay with her son. Keanu showed up just in time. The landlady was surprised when Keanu, who didn't look like he had much money, just handed over a year's rent up front at the price she'd quoted: one thousand dollars a month.

Chapter 5: Renting A House

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