Chapter 532: A Man Leaves His Name, a Goose Leaves a Trace

Qi Suian had been staying in this place called Cyan Bamboo Village for the better part of a month.

He quickly got to know most of the villagers. Basically, everyone knew who Qi Suian was and that he lived in the southeast corner of the village.

He was also a good worker, and everyone praised him for being diligent.

He did have a flaw, though: he was always running off to the nearby town. But since he was poor, he couldn’t buy anything and just went to watch the excitement.

Most people only made a few comments behind his back, treating it as idle gossip. Few would say anything to his face.

After all, it was his business, so it wasn’t their place to interfere.

"Something doesn’t feel right about the weather. The sun seems a bit too strong, doesn’t it?" Qi Suian estimated that it hadn’t rained for quite some time.

"It’s true. Ever since the ’Heavenly Dog Devoured the Sun’ and the ’Earth Dragon Turned Over,’ this sun has been getting stronger by the day," the Village Chief at his side said, his voice heavy with worry.

He had to work too. After all, the size and wealth of Cyan Bamboo Village weren’t enough for him to live like an elite. If he didn’t work, he would go hungry.

As for collecting grain and taxes, he could skim a little off the top, but not much.

Everyone was poor; you couldn’t squeeze blood from a stone. And as for dipping into public funds... did he think the officials in town were blind?

If he handed over too little, he’d be the one to suffer.

Coincidentally, the plot of land he had arranged for himself was actually from the Village Chief’s family.

The Village Chief did indeed have privileges; he was the person who owned the most land in the entire village.

He was also the hardest worker, since there was no one to help him. His family had to do it all themselves.

When Qi Suian heard this, his eyes narrowed.

’That had nothing to do with any Heavenly Dog or Earth Dragon. The eclipse happened because I blocked the sun when I entered this world, and the earthquake was just the buffer from my landing.’

’I made preparations beforehand, so no major natural disasters occurred.’

"There might be a drought coming," the Village Chief said suddenly.

Droughts and floods were terrifying disasters for farmers, a burden for the Court, but a festival for the great clans.

Especially in a world with an Extraordinary system.

At this thought, Qi Suian grew puzzled. ’This world has Extraordinary Beings, and they don’t seem to be low-level. So how could a disaster like this happen?’

’Putting other things aside, summoning wind and rain should be no problem for them.’

But from what the Village Chief said, it was clear that they were still following the laws of nature. The climate and seasons had not been adjusted or interfered with by the Extraordinary.

’Is it something like the Extraordinary hiding themselves?’

’But... could they really hide successfully?’

’With such high energy levels, if a powerful expert were to act, they could cause widespread effects even if they couldn’t cover the entire world.’

’Unless they have another battlefield.’

But Qi Suian had already checked. This world had no folded spaces, mirror dimensions, or anything of the sort.

’So it’s likely some unknown control technology or a cognitive overlay technique.’

"When was the last drought?" Qi Suian asked.

"I don’t know. Who has the energy to think about such things?" The Village Chief shook his head. He might be the Village Chief, but in reality, his status wasn’t much different from anyone else’s.

He still had to work. When did he have the spare time to think about all that?

In any case, all he needed to do was follow the seasons for the busy farming times.

"Alright, let’s get back to work. I don’t see you having done much today," the Village Chief grumbled before burying his head in his work.

But Qi Suian could see that the man’s mood was not as carefree as he let on.

Seeing this, Qi Suian didn’t say anything more. After finishing his work in the fields, he headed back home on his own.

’I can preliminarily confirm that there are three paths to becoming Extraordinary in this world.’

’The first is the imperial examinations. I can ignore that one.’

’With my current identity, I wouldn’t be able to get a firm foothold by taking the exams.’

The imperial examinations were for scholars, who had to endure years of arduous study. More importantly, he was just a poor man.

Paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones were expensive, and books were even more so. He would also have to stop working to study, which clashed with his farmer persona.

’The second is Buddhism or Daoism.’

’But joining either of them won’t be easy. There isn’t a single temple or monastery around here. I’d have to go to a big city.’

’And there are definitely requirements. They won’t just let me join.’

’Not to mention, I still don’t even know what being Extraordinary entails.’

’Judging from the examination system, becoming Extraordinary probably isn’t achieved through cultivation. Otherwise, what would be the point of the exams?’

’So, I need to use Cyan Bamboo Village as a springboard, pass through the town, and head to a more prosperous place.’

’In that case, what I need to do now is sell off my land and property, get some money, and leave as soon as possible.’ Qi Suian suspected the great drought was really coming.

The drought might not be his direct fault, but it was definitely an indirect consequence.

If the drought really came, the value of land and property would plummet.

But if Qi Suian sold high and then skipped town, with his springboard in place, he would have nothing to worry about.

So the question now was how to sell?

’The richest person here should be the Village Chief.’

’But this is a bit unscrupulous of me, selling the Village Chief’s own land back to him.’

After some thought, Qi Suian went straight to find the Village Chief.

It was dusk, and the man was at home waiting for his wife to cook dinner.

The moment he saw Qi Suian arrive, his expression immediately became guarded.

’Coming over at dinnertime, empty-handed... he’s not here to ask for a favor, he’s here to freeload.’

So the Village Chief’s first thought was to get rid of Qi Suian as quickly as possible.

"Old Qi, it’s late. Aren’t you going home for dinner? What brings you here?" the Village Chief asked tentatively.

Qi Suian sat down brazenly in front of the Village Chief. "Well, I’ve decided there’s no future in being a farmer for the rest of my life."

"I’m thinking of heading out to make my fortune."

Hearing this, the Village Chief was puzzled. ’If you want to make your fortune, then go. Why come to me? It’s not like I’m stopping you.’

The Court didn’t have any rules saying commoners had to stay in their villages.

"But the house and land in the village are my ancestral property. I can’t just abandon them," Qi Suian said with heartfelt gravity.

The Village Chief’s expression changed slightly. The main reason was that his family’s land was adjacent to Qi Suian’s.

This sounded like he was about to ask him to look after it for him.

But this was good news for him.

"Then you go make your fortune with a clear conscience! I’ll take care of your old house and land for you!" The Village Chief was thrilled inside, so he waved his hand grandly to show there was nothing to worry about.

He could farm the land for free, and the house could be used for storage or even rented out.

"That would be too much trouble for you, Village Chief." Qi Suian first expressed his thanks, then continued, "But I have to be responsible. You’ve helped me so much already, I’d feel too bad."

The Village Chief naturally never imagined that Qi Suian wanted to sell.

He had just repaired the house less than a month ago. What was the point of selling it now?

"How about this: Village Chief, you make me an honest offer, and I’ll sell you the old house and land," Qi Suian said directly.

When those words came out, the Village Chief’s face was a picture of bewilderment. This was completely unexpected.

Qi Suian wasn’t doing this for no reason; he needed to leave a trail. Otherwise, appearing out of nowhere without any strength or background could easily bring him trouble.

He had originally estimated he would have to stay for another three to five months, at least waiting for one harvest before leaving.

But in the current situation, if he didn’t act quickly, he feared he’d be stuck here until it was too late.

The Village Chief quickly processed Qi Suian’s words, and delight immediately bloomed on his face.

"That wouldn’t be right. After all, it’s your ancestral property," the Village Chief said, demurring, but in his heart, he naturally wanted it.

Managing it for him was just temporary gain. But buying it would make it a property to pass down through his family.

For the Village Chief, this was naturally a joyous prospect.

But he had to keep up appearances, so he made a token refusal first.

"There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just sitting there anyway."

"Besides, if I happen to make a name for myself out there, I’ll have to thank the Village Chief for the financial support." Qi Suian saw through the man’s pretense and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Hahaha, since you put it that way, I won’t refuse."

"How about this... ten taels?" Hearing Qi Suian’s words, the Village Chief quickly agreed, afraid Qi Suian might change his mind.

He had already made the necessary polite gestures. If he kept refusing and Qi Suian really decided not to sell, wouldn’t he suffer a huge loss?

"Village Chief, you’ll have to add a little more."

"I’m leaving all the tables, chairs, and benches in the old house for you."

"And the crops in the field are almost ready for harvest. With just that much, I’m afraid it won’t be enough."

"How about fifteen taels?" Qi Suian raised the price a bit.

The Village Chief instinctively wanted to keep haggling. Don’t look down on an extra five taels; that was a third of the final price.

But on second thought, his family of twelve only spent about thirty taels of silver a year.

This price was only half of that. It was already a bargain sale.

"Fine, fifteen taels it is. But we have to write up the deed right away." The Village Chief, wanting to prevent a done deal from falling through, hurriedly made this demand.

"That should be easy enough. But Village Chief, do you know how to read?" Qi Suian asked.

This made the Village Chief a bit embarrassed.

He could recognize some characters, since he had to collect and turn in taxes.

But asking him to write a deed was asking too much.

As for Qi Suian, he could read, of course, but his current persona couldn’t.

Finally, the Village Chief could only grit his teeth and say, "First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll go to town."

"We’ll transfer the deed in town directly, and I’ll give you the silver then."

Things having come to this, it was all he could say.

Since he couldn’t write the deed, they had to do the transaction in person.

It meant a bit of a delay, but nothing was likely to change overnight.

The only problem was that he’d have to pay a scribe’s fee.

At least 50 Wen.

The Village Chief would certainly have to pay that fee.

He was already paying fifteen taels; he certainly wasn’t going to let a mere 50 Wen cause a problem.

"A deal’s a deal," Qi Suian said with a grin.

Fifteen taels was indeed a bargain price, but the Village Chief couldn’t afford any more.

The man’s entire savings were only seventeen taels and 500 Wen.

If he pushed for every last coin, the man would be unwilling to buy at all.

The number he gave was right at the point where the other party was willing to make a great sacrifice.

As for spending thirty taels a year but only having seventeen taels in savings? That thirty taels wasn’t a one-time expense; it was spent gradually.