Fortunately, under Yuan Rutang’s careful cultivation, the once barren fields grew more fertile with each passing day, and the harvests became richer year after year.
When the villagers passed by his land, envy was written all over their faces.
Hearing Old Man Song’s words, Yuan Rutang only gave a short hum in response.
Old Man Song frowned in dissatisfaction but still forced down his irritation, “If you’re thinking about taking a wife and raising a family, these twenty mu of land won’t be enough to feed everyone. Besides, your fields are scattered all over the place. Just running back and forth between them would wear you out.”
“I’ve been thinking about doing you a favor. I’ll trade you my twenty-two mu of good land, fine soil, and all of it adjoining, for your twenty mu of fields.”
Yuan Rutang’s eyes narrowed. (▼ヘ▼#)
He let out a low chuckle, turned to meet Old Man Song’s gaze, and tilted his head slightly, “Grandpa Song, if I remember correctly, the fields the government distributed to me were good land. So how is it that by the time they reached me through your hands, they somehow turned into wasteland?”
His meaning was clear enough. Then, turning his back to Old Man Song and Song’s second son, Yuan Rutang muttered in a low but firm voice, “I’m not trading.”
The two men stood behind him for several breaths. Then Old Man Song’s tone cooled, his voice carrying a hard edge, “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”
Yuan Rutang replied without hesitation, “I won’t!”
A moment later, the sound of their retreating footsteps faded into the distance.
Standing before his vast expanse of paddy fields, Yuan Rutang let his gaze wander. The villagers’ reverence for the Song family came to mind, and he knew, by refusing Old Man Song, he had surely offended him.
Life in Songjia Village would only grow harder from now on.
Yuan Rutang had never been particularly fond of this village but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the little lake up in the mountains. He still wanted to buy that lake someday.
If only he could use his dragon powers freely…
That thought stirred in his chest. If he saved thirty more people, he would awaken the final fragment of his inherited memories and learn what had become of the Phoenix Clan.
Saving people… shouldn’t be too hard.
His eyes brightened, a spark of vigor returning to him.
He packed his tools and went to the county town. His first stop was the pharmacy, where he asked the shop attendant how one could set up a stall in the city.
The attendant looked up and replied, “What are you planning to sell? It’s not difficult. Just go to the East Market, pay two copper coins, and you can set up a stall for a day. If you earn more, just pay a few extra coins to stay longer.”
Yuan Rutang thanked him and answered honestly, “I plan to offer free medical consultations… though I’ll earn just a little.”
The attendant frowned, studying him in surprise. “Free consultations? I’ve never heard of you knowing medicine.”
Yuan Rutang scratched his head. “Actually, I still have half a stick of that incense left from before.”
The attendant suddenly stood up, eyes alight with excitement. Lowering his voice, he hissed, “Half a stick? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’ll buy it from you!”
Yuan Rutang refused at once. “I’m not selling. I’m using it for diagnoses.”
The attendant’s brows knitted tightly. He leaned closer, lips pressed thin. “Half a stick for a hundred taels of silver.”
Yuan Rutang’s heart stirred, such a sum was tempting, but he knew he couldn’t sell it.
When he was younger and foolish, he had mixed a trace of his dragon aura into that incense.
The pharmacy had already used up what they bought, but if any remained and spread beyond, the Phoenix Clan might sense his aura and track him down.
Biting his lip, Yuan Rutang quickly made up a story. “Actually, the peddler who sold it to me once said, if I can gather a hundred good karmic deeds, he’ll appear again and grant me one wish.”
The attendant’s eyes flickered in surprise. He clicked his tongue. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I… I didn’t know what ‘good karma’ meant,” Yuan Rutang admitted.
The attendant rubbed his temples, thinking it over. “Hmph. Sounds like that peddler wanted you to use the incense to save people. Very well, go on then, set up your stall.”
Still, he couldn’t help a twinge of regret for the precious “dragon incense.”
“How about this,” he coaxed, “sell me just an inch of it, for the same hundred taels.”
Yuan Rutang shook his head again, offering no explanation.
Knowing he couldn’t force him, the attendant let it go. There was something about Yuan Rutang, an aura that ordinary men didn’t have.
Following the attendant’s directions, Yuan Rutang arrived at the East Market and quickly set up his stall. He borrowed a cloth banner from the pharmacy, upon which two large characters were written: Free Consultation.
Not long after, a pale-faced woman approached, her eyes bloodshot. She stared at the banner and asked, “I heard someone say this means you’re treating people for free. Is that true?”
Yuan Rutang hesitated for a moment before replying, “If I can’t cure you, I won’t take any money. But if I do, you’ll pay me fifty coins.”
The woman knew her illness was serious. Though fifty coins was a lot, hiring a real doctor would cost five hundred coins, or even several taels of silver, money she no longer had.
So she agreed.
Yuan Rutang asked her to stretch out her hand. He placed his fingers gently on her wrist, moved slightly along her pulse, and frowned in thought.
The woman grew nervous. “Little doctor, am I… am I very ill?”
Yuan Rutang sighed softly. “This illness… will be difficult to treat.”
Her expression dimmed. She already knew, her family’s fortune had been drained by her medicine. The physician at Ji’en Hall had told her she wouldn’t live past six months.
Releasing her wrist, Yuan Rutang crouched down, picked up a small bamboo tube, and drew some water from one of the three buckets beside him. Rising, he handed the tube to her.
“Take this water and drink it in three portions.”
The woman clutched it reverently. “And after I finish it?”
Yuan Rutang stroked his imaginary beard, trying to sound wise. “Once you finish, you’ll be cured.”
The woman blinked, startled. “Little doctor, you’re not joking with me, are you?”
Waving impatiently, Yuan Rutang said, “Just go. If you’re cured, come back tomorrow and pay me.”
Though she didn’t really believe him, a faint hope lingered. “Then… how often should I drink it?”
He scratched his head. “Whenever you like. Just finish it.”
The woman stared at him silently for a moment, then sighed and left.
By midday, another patient came, a limping man leaning heavily on a crutch.
He sat down before Yuan Rutang, grimacing in pain. “Little doctor, my leg’s been aching badly these days. Please take a look.”
Yuan Rutang reached out to take his pulse, while the man kept glancing nervously at his crippled leg.
After a while, Yuan Rutang straightened up solemnly. “No need to worry. I already know what ails you.”
He filled another bamboo tube with water and handed it over, “Drink this in three portions after you get home.”
The man’s eyes widened. “And I’ll stop hurting?”
“Mm. Drink three times, and your leg will be as good as new.”
The man blinked again. “You mean… I can throw away my crutch and walk like everyone else?”
Yuan Rutang nodded gravely.
“…You’re not making fun of me, are you?”
The man frowned, ready to leave, but Yuan Rutang called after him, “If it works, remember to pay me fifty coins!”
The man hesitated, then took the bamboo tube anyway, hobbling off.
That day, Yuan Rutang treated two people.
When the sun began to set, he poured the remaining water from the three buckets into one and prepared to leave.
A nearby egg seller chuckled. “You’ve been fooling people all day, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t!” Yuan Rutang retorted, offended.
The vendor laughed. “You gave both of them medicine, but their illnesses are totally different. Yet you mixed all three buckets of water together! If that water really worked, you’ve ruined the formula.”
Yuan Rutang paused to think, then lifted his chin proudly. “I’m an honest physician. Medicine from one day won’t be sold the next!”
The egg seller: …
Carrying his things, Yuan Rutang left the city. Once outside, he hid his belongings beneath his scales, transformed into his true dragon form, and soared toward Songjia Village.
In the village threshing ground, over a dozen villagers, men, women, young and old, were dancing in bright red and green garments.
Returning to human form, Yuan Rutang stood by the wheat fields, watching curiously, “What’s everyone doing, Auntie Wang?” he asked the woman beside him.
Without turning, Auntie Wang replied casually, “It’s the Water God Festival. That’s the offering dance to the Dragon King. We pray he blesses us with twenty years of gentle rain and abundant harvests.”
“Oh?” Yuan Rutang asked. “And how do they choose who gets to dance? I see all ages, men and women alike. Do they just join if they want?”
Auntie Wang snorted. “Choose? Hah! You can only dance if your surname is Song, or if you marry into the Song family.
“See that little brat there? Keeps tripping over his own feet? His grandpa’s Old Man Song himself. That’s why they dragged him out to dance, hoping the Dragon King would bless him. The boy’s been sickly since birth, and the Song family’s praying for his health.”
Her voice turned sharp. “Not that he’s innocent! My boy Dunzi still has a scar on his head from the rock that the brat threw at him!”
As she spoke, she suddenly realized the voice she’d been hearing sounded familiar. Turning, she froze, meeting Yuan Rutang’s eyes.
Her eyelid twitched, and she took two quick steps back, widening the distance between them.
“Thank you for explaining, Auntie Wang,” Yuan Rutang said politely.
Auntie Wang ignored him, pretending he wasn’t there at all.
Yuan Rutang blinked, then glanced around. The other villagers, upon seeing him, discreetly stepped away as well.
He understood immediately, they were ostracizing him and he knew why. Refusing Old Man Song had made him an enemy of the most powerful family in the village.
Quietly, Yuan Rutang turned and left. Before he realized it, his steps had carried him back to his own paddy fields.
The rice was turning golden, heavy with grain. He puffed out his cheeks. Once the harvest came, he’d sell the grain, move away from Songjia Village, and sell the land while he was at it.
A cuckoo flitted past, its wings brushing the golden rice stalks, pressing them down until they snapped against the field ridge.
Yuan Rutang narrowed his eyes and used a bit of magic to set the stalks upright again, but as his gaze fell upon the ridge, his brow furrowed.
Wait… was this where his boundary line used to be?
His eyes swept across the entire field, and a chill prickled at the back of his neck. Something was wrong. His field looked smaller!
Yuan Rutang summoned the yellow-furred spirit wolf.
The creature bowed respectfully. “What does the immortal require of this humble one?”
Pointing toward his fields, Yuan Rutang asked, “Do you still remember how large my land used to be?”
The spirit wolf grinned. “Of course, my lord.”
But as it turned its head toward the fields, its eyes suddenly bulged wide, “This… the field, it’s smaller! No, someone’s stolen part of it!”
Yuan Rutang strode into the paddy, following the wolf to the ridge. Sure enough, there were fresh drag marks where the boundary had been moved.
The spirit wolf glanced at the neighboring plot and growled, “Master, the field next to yours, it’s gotten larger.”
Yuan Rutang’s expression darkened. That neighboring field belonged to Li Yuqian’s family, Li Yuqian, the granddaughter-in-law of none other than Old Man Song.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Coffee is technically a form of emotional support.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Little DragonChapter 2 · Selling FishChapter 3 · DraughtChapter 4 · Giving LifeChapter 5 · MeritsChapter 6 · Dragon can summon Rain?!Chapter 7 · Wicked Dragon?Chapter 8 · Dragon likes sweetChapter 9 · Dragon WineChapter 10 · Snow Mountain ElixirChapter 11 · The official forced the dragon to rebelChapter 12 · Ministers kneel down and confess their sinsChapter 13 · Court struggle, faith is the dragonChapter 14 · Why do others have auspicious signs, but I don’t?Chapter 15 · Corrupt officialsChapter 16 · The dark side of officialdomChapter 17 Part 1 · Transforming into a golden dragon in full view of all!Chapter 17 Part 2 · Transforming into a golden dragon in full view of all!Chapter 18 · Wrath of the True DragonChapter 19 · Give him a ninth-rank official position!Chapter 20 · The days of being loved by Longlong have begunChapter 21 · Pamper the little dragon, finally full!Chapter 22 · It’s perfectly normal for humans to like dragonsChapter 23 · Avenge Longlong against corrupt officialsChapter 24 · Is being an official like the Dragon King difficult?Chapter 25 · Dragon-shaped woodChapter 26 · Emperor felt the vibrancy of lifeChapter 27 · Do you like the obedient and affectionate little dragon?Chapter 28 · Your Majesty’s PastChapter 29 · A ray of light in a noisy worldChapter 30 · Let’s give the dragon a lake!Chapter 31 · Dragon, don’t run aroundChapter 32 · YaunBaoChapter 33 · Recruiting soldiers and buying horsesChapter 34 · Expand Dragon armyChapter 35 · Longlong is in a dilemmaChapter 36 · Being a king is difficultChapter 37 · Attended the morning court session.Chapter 38 · Secretly feeding the dragonChapter 39 · The restless little golden dragonChapter 40 · Your Majesty foreshadowed thisChapter 41 · Fostering teacher student bondsChapter 42 · Now that the dragon has an official positionChapter 43 · If a dragon wants to become an official, why not touch it?Chapter 44 · Longlong enters officialdomChapter 45 · The Emperor’s disciple?Chapter 46 · Long day’s laborChapter 47 · Being a dragon is comfortableChapter 48 · Thank you, YuanbaoChapter 49 · Very sleepyChapter 50 · The Dragon Who Saves the WorldChapter 51 · Strange storiesChapter 52 · Dragon God saying it wanted to eat peach crystal cakesChapter 53 · The tree is aliveChapter 54 · We can just hold a family feastChapter 55 · What kind of worship?Chapter 56 · Don’t be naughtyChapter 57 · Why does Teacher always avoid my human formChapter 58 · I will be an indifferent learning machineChapter 59 · Jinlong made a fortuneChapter 60 · Ten thousand taelsChapter 61 · FamilyChapter 62 · Will you accompany the dragon?Chapter 63 · What did you hunt, sir?Chapter 64 · From fifth rank to proper fourth rankChapter 65 · Orange PeelChapter 66 · Great Xuan may have enough to eatChapter 67 · Poisoned GrainsChapter 68 · The balance of the mortal world is about to changeChapter 69 · Teacher’s lap truly was very comfortable.Chapter 70 · Caught the little dragonChapter 71 · Only he alone could see that golden lightChapter 72 · Great King must not declineChapter 73 · The top scholarChapter 74 · I do not like other defying meChapter 75 · Great Xuan truly has quite a number of martial expertsChapter 76 · What was there to fear?Chapter 77 · Then Teacher can raise the dragonChapter 78 · Little Dragon Steals Peaches.Chapter 79 · Resentment and Poison.Chapter 80 · Male PartnerChapter 81 · How about choosing a human?Chapter 82 · Young Lord Zhen has a friendChapter 83 · Morning DewChapter 84 · Earth DragonsChapter 85 · Greetings, Your MajestyChapter 86 · Then what am I allowed to do?Chapter 87 · What exactly Happened?Chapter 88 · Praise The golden Dragon!Chapter 89 · ComplexionChapter 90 · Gift is almost readyChapter 91 · Surely Sir would no longer refuse himChapter 92 · Seven YearsChapter 93 · She is really just a childChapter 94 · Good YuanbaoChapter 95 · Ten Thousand year old JadeChapter 96 · They were overwhelmed with griefChapter 97 · Villain: So what if I use magic?Chapter 98 · The Dragon Clan MeetingChapter 99 · The Big reveal!Chapter 100 · The prototype of His MajestyChapter 101 · Autumn HuntChapter 102 · This painting was created by the Emperor’s consortChapter 103 · They gave themselves away and caught the plush rabbit doctor.Chapter 104 · The Rabbit gangChapter 105 · The scars on the fox spirit’s handsChapter 106 · Wang JinzhongChapter 107 · I don’t believe the White Tiger doesn’t protect its foodChapter 108 · Karmic SinChapter 109 · Yuanbao, would you take me a thousand li away?Chapter 110 · Pear FrostChapter 111 · If Yuanbao ever loses sight of the road ahead, then come find meChapter 112 · Let’s take a step at a time..Chapter 113 · The imperial marriage was announced to the public.Chapter 114 · The army, navy, and air force are preparing to attack the Yujing River.Chapter 115 · The attack on Yujing River-humans should not spread rumors!Chapter 116 · King Golden Dragon ascends the throneChapter 117 · Sir, would you like a bowl of dragon soup?Chapter 118 · Wedding celebrationChapter 119 · Establish the Demon RealmChapter 120 · Lord of the Demon RealmChapter 121 · Flourishing and decliningChapter 122 · The Ling Dynasty was defeated, and father and son fought amongst themselvesChapter 123 · The gentleman’s is dragon-themedChapter 124 · People from HeavenChapter 125 · The truth behind the White TigerChapter 126 · Azure Dragon, WarChapter 127 · A great war is about to break outChapter 128 · Victory in the great battleChapter 129 · Side Story (1)Chapter 130 · Side Story (2)Chapter 131 · Side Story (3)Chapter 132 · Side Story (4)Chapter 133 · Side Story (4)Chapter 134 · Side Story (5)Chapter 135 · Side Story (6)Chapter 136 · Side story (7)Chapter 137 · Side Story (8)Chapter 138 · Side Story (9)Chapter 139 · Side Story (10)Chapter 140 · Side Story (11)Chapter 141 · Side Story (12)Chapter 142 · Side Story (13)Chapter 143 · Side Story (14)Chapter 144 · Side Story (15)Chapter 145 · Side Story (16)Chapter 146 · Side Story (17)Chapter 147 · Side Story (18)Chapter 148 · Side Story (19)Chapter 149 · Side Story (20)Chapter 150 · Side Story (21)Chapter 151 · Side Story (22)