Brian Zane smiled and said, “Fengcheng is prosperous, bustling with traffic, but I prefer quiet. I can’t sit still at the residence, so I came to stay at the villa first... The things I need from the residence can be moved here in the afternoon, and let Henry Clark accompany them then.”

The old steward understood in his heart: the martial skills of Qianyang and Henry Clark were unfathomable. Since the young master wanted Henry Clark to escort the items, it meant that among these things, there were many valuables—even the young master attached great importance to them.

Here in Fengcheng, there were five stewards, and this Old Mr. White before him, already past sixty, was the oldest, but also the first to follow him. He had been working at the manor for five years, was experienced and reliable, and had earned his utmost trust.

Brian Zane looked at the old steward and said, “I’m moving in, yet I’ve made Old Mr. White work up a sweat. The rest of these tasks can be left to the younger, stronger ones.”

The old steward wiped his sweat and said, “I thought you’d be coming in the afternoon, young master. I just had people finish the preparations, and no one’s changed clothes yet—everyone’s drenched in sweat.”

Brian Zane waved his hand and said, “Etiquette and such are important in front of outsiders, but here in the villa, we’re all family. No need to fuss over these things. Save your strength.”

The old steward felt a warmth in his heart and responded softly.

The young maid standing nearby also smiled at these words, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

Brian Zane waved his hand and said, “Alright, show me around. Let’s see what’s special about this Qianlong Villa—can it really, as its name suggests, hide a true dragon?”

...

This villa covered a vast area.

Though called a villa, its layout was quite refined.

From the open space before the steps, to the threshold and stairs, the twin stone lions at the entrance, the bronze rings on the doors, past the screen wall, corridors, front hall, main hall, back courtyard, garden, and so on—everywhere was exquisitely crafted, as if within a painting.

Besides that, all sorts of objects and decorations—vases, ancient paintings—were all extraordinary.

“Knowing the young master would be living here long-term, I personally oversaw the construction, not daring to be careless, especially with these precious items—I handled them myself.”

The old steward said softly, “I was afraid of overspending, but also worried that someone might install traps or hidden weapons in these things... But most of the items were actually moved here from the Fengcheng residence.”

Brian Zane smiled and said, “Old Mr. White, you’re truly thoughtful, but there’s no need to go to such trouble.”

The old steward replied, “Since the young master will be living here, we can’t afford to be careless.”

Brian Zane patted his robe and said leisurely, “Though I’ll be living here long-term, it’s all relative. I’ll still need to get out and about.”

He chuckled and said, “Things in Fengcheng have settled down. Make preparations—if nothing changes, in two months I’ll go to the capital myself and smooth out the business routes for medicine, cloth, and salt over there.”

The old steward wanted to say something but stopped, remaining silent in the end.

“Young master,” the young maid couldn’t help but speak softly, “the weather’s been changing quickly lately, hot and cold unpredictably. You have people handling things outside, everything will be stable. You don’t need to worry too much—your health is most important.”

“I’m not so sick that I can’t handle the weather.”

Brian Zane shook his head with a smile and said, “As for business, just keeping things stable isn’t enough. Like rowing upstream—if you don’t advance, you fall back... Many opportunities can’t be missed. Right now, the capital’s businesses look grand and booming, but it’s only temporary. In truth, they lack staying power. After a while, things will cool down. If the flow isn’t steady, it can’t last long, and that’s not up to my standards.”

“Not to mention anything else—just look at this villa. It seems glorious, but in our garden, all the flowers, plants, rockeries, streams, and so on all need tending.”

“The stewards, servants, maids, guards, cooks, and so on in this villa—their daily food and drink, their monthly wages—are no small expense.”

“Besides that, the medicinal herbs I need, the ancient books I seek, the silver spent on them is beyond what ordinary families can imagine.”

“As the saying goes, ‘sitting and eating will empty the mountain’—no matter how deep your family’s resources, you can’t withstand waste.”

“Water without a source won’t last, and our business is that source. It must never be neglected.”

At this, he couldn’t help but sigh, shaking his head slightly, a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

And deep in his eyes, there was a trace of complexity.

These words, in fact, he had said before.

Without wealth, one cannot nurture the Dao!

...

Without wealth, one cannot nurture the Dao!

This saying resonated deeply with him!

Back when he first entered the world, disheartened and young, he squandered recklessly. Later, after falling off a cliff and returning, his family fortune had already been divided up clean.

Without money, even filling his belly was a problem—how could he talk about cultivating the Dao in peace?

Without a comfortable life, trying to cultivate would only mean starving before achieving anything.

To nurture a young dragon required countless resources, so he began doing business, racking his brains, scheming and struggling, until he finally built up this fortune.