Chapter 785: The Village Head

The Night Curtain is deep.

Wisps of moonlight and starlight shine through the window into the room.

Hmm, the Fang Family has no Lamp, and cannot afford lamp oil.

At night, they generally rely on moonlight, or simply go to sleep.

Aaron boiled some porridge with vegetables mixed with rice bran, ate it haphazardly, and then lay on the bed, preparing to sleep.

After all, the minor injuries on his body also need good rest to recover faster.

But suddenly, he senses something and opens his eyes in the dark, like two fine brown gemstones.

"Alchemy!"

Back when he was burning ash, he had secretly used 'Alchemy', infusing a wisp of 'Red' Spirituality into the Talisman Water.

Zhou Erniu's expression changes; after all, this is a person who has been enlightened by ghosts and gods.

In an instant, he only feels a faint wisp of 'Red' Spirituality descend from the void, merging with the cold steamed bun.

He thinks for a moment, then looks at Alchemy again.

The Qi Number brought by the latter will obviously be more than the former!

"The so-called Qi Points, if changed to Qi Luck points, Faith Value, or Influence... there is not much difference."

Not long after, a Shadow flashes outside the door.

"The speed of spreading the faith is too slow, and starting with only me is not enough... then, should I take the Civil Service Examination and mix into the ranks of the Civil Official?"

"Brother Fang La... no, Brother Fang, this medicine of yours is truly miraculous!"

"It is rumored outside... that the Fang Family boy went to the deep mountains and met an immortal..." His wife says with a face full of worry: "Is it not very good that we deliberately put him on the list for Corvee Labor before?"

Aaron thinks for a moment and smiles: "Brother Erniu, your kind intention is rare, and I must also thank your wife; I should go to your house to pay my respects together..."

The previous Fang La was a taciturn, timid, and fearful youth.

And as soon as he leaves, several gossiping women immediately grab Zhou Erniu: "What is going on... with this Fang La?"

And more Spirituality can form more powerful spells in the template!

"Let me tell you all... this matter must not be told to others..."

"Many thanks."

Useless!

Immediately, he begins to seriously consider the problem of how to obtain Qi Number.

After he silently makes his decision, Aaron sees a bit of Qi Number disappear rapidly.

Zhou Erniu lifts the wild rabbit meat tied with a rope in his hand: "My wife heard yesterday that you took a fall, so she specifically asked me to bring some rabbit meat to nourish your body..."

Aaron thinks for a moment, stuffs the steamed bun into his stomach in a few bites, and immediately feels a warm current surging.

The onlookers look at each other, and there seems to be an undercurrent surging.

Sure enough, not long after Zhou Shi drinks the water, she suddenly feels her lungs are much clearer, the usual blockage in her throat has also disappeared, and she feels a rare sense of refreshment, involuntarily stretching comfortably.

"When I can influence more people to listen to my orders, the Qi Number will also grow accordingly..."

His mind sinks into the template, and he immediately gains more information.

"This loophole lies in the faith of the intelligent beings of this world!"

However, the plan he set yesterday is not just this.

He sees two points of Qi Number replenished.

'So... as long as they are still being influenced by me, they will provide a steady stream of Qi Number every day...'

"Has my Golden Finger finally arrived?"

How his wife is doing? Does Zhou Erniu not know?

Seeing this scene, he is overjoyed.

He lowers his voice, looking at his two sons playing in the courtyard: "Yunwen and Yunwu are about to grow up. As their father, how can I not provide them with a family business? And the daughter's dowry... now an acre of good farmland is worth five taels of silver."

This bowl of Talisman Water is genuine supernatural power, the real deal!

'Some physical damage will surely be cured by the medicine... of course, if it is a bacterial infection or the like, it cannot be cured, but at least it can stimulate excitement for a period of time, and the effect is immediate.'

【Obtained 2 points of Qi Number, Character Template unlocked!】

Aaron hurriedly thanks him and bows, taking the rabbit meat from Zhou Erniu's hand.

And in this regard, the 'Red' Spirituality still has many advantages.

'I haven't seen him have such Medicine skills before?'

When one cannot endure it, a lifetime just passes by...

'That just now... was clearly not medicine, it was Talisman Water, right?'

【Qi Number: 2】

Although these spells look very Taoist in style.

Alchemy requires a carrier, whether it is Talisman Paper, Incense Ash, steamed buns, porridge, or even fresh fruit, or Wax-Sealed Medicinal Pill, all are fine.

But in reality... their essence is still simulated by Spirituality.

"Who?"

With a bit of curiosity, Aaron first uses 'Divination'.

The reason Aaron feigns confusion and tries to cover things up is actually because he knows that rumors spread the fastest in the world!

Aaron walks out of his dilapidated house, finds a willow branch, bites out the fibers inside, and uses it to clean his teeth.

Aaron thinks for a moment and feels that the future of 'Red' is even more promising.

As soon as these words are spoken, the onlookers are all surprised.

Moreover, the Fan Family is also just starting out, and their farmland is indeed not much, so they need to save diligently.

"How does Zhou Shi seem to have become so much younger?"

'How did this Fang Family brat suddenly become capable?'

It was just that they were all poor people who couldn't afford to see a doctor, so they could only endure it bitterly.

Zhou Erniu rubbed his head, with only one thought in his heart: 'This Brother Fang is truly different from before...'

Furthermore, Aaron knew that in Zhou Erniu's family, not only did the men farm, but the women also wove cloth day and night without rest; even so, they could barely manage to fill their stomachs, and over time, lower back strain was inevitable.

A gossiping woman nearby widened her eyes: "This... this isn't herbal medicine, could this be... Talisman Water?"

A woman watching from the crowd saw Zhou Shi's radiant face, then touched her own sallow face, unable to help but feel full of envy and jealousy.

Aaron, who was regretting not having any coarse salt to use, looked up and saw someone—it was actually Zhou Erniu!

After thanking him for the previous rabbit meat, Aaron observed Zhou Shi's complexion and let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"The more people I can influence, the more interference I can obtain... and then the main body will be able to support me more, thereby unlocking more advanced skills in the template!"

After saying this, he felt he had spoken out of turn and covered his mouth, but his eyes were wide as copper bells.

This Fang La... could it be?

Aaron rummaged around and found half a cold, hard steamed bun.

Aaron nodded, asked Zhou Erniu for yellow paper, pretended to chant a few lines of an Incantation, then lit it with a fire starter and sprinkled the ash into a bowl of clear water, handed it to Zhou Shi, and smiled: "Sister-in-law, if you trust me, then drink this..."

The next day.

Country women are the most gossipy, and since everyone lived close by, they knew about everything.

Where did such a poised and graceful demeanor come from?

In his heart, he immediately believed even more in the story that Fang La had encountered ghosts and spirits deep in the mountains; he probably hadn't just been saved, but perhaps even 'enlightened'!

"Respected elders and fellow villagers, you have all helped me much in the past. I, Fang La, have luckily learned... Medicine from the mountains. If anyone has any ailments, you may come find me; I will certainly do my best to treat you!"

Field Root refers to land ownership, while Field Skin refers to usage rights.

Once land was mentioned, Fan Tong's wife immediately stopped talking; this was the lifeblood of farmers, after all.

He immediately said loudly: "Brother Fang La, I believe you. Please take a look at my wife... If you can cure her, no, even if you can improve her condition slightly, I would be eternally grateful!"

Aaron pondered for a moment, seeing that several nosy villagers had gathered around, especially a gossiping woman from the village, and immediately made up his mind, asking loudly.

"When the time comes to unlock abilities like Vajra Indestructibility, this world will be mine to traverse at will..."

The more people who listen to you, the more resources and power you have, and thus you have Qi Number!

When everyone stops obeying your commands, even if you hold the title of Emperor, you are just a joke!

"And the ultimate goal is naturally to accumulate enough Influence and Qi Number to unlock 'Communication Between Worlds', allowing the main body to open a channel and descend directly, completely mastering this world!"

A smile appeared on the corner of Aaron's mouth: "Sure enough... a Golden Finger might be late, but it will never be absent... Qi Number, what exactly is that?"

It is considered something tailored by the main body for this world!

"The main body has confirmed that this is a world with almost no Demon, but almost no Demon means it can still tolerate the existence of extraordinary power; it is just that the laws are strict, and smuggling power requires finding loopholes!"

"Brother Fang La, what's wrong?"

Watching Zhou Shi drinking the water, Aaron sighed inwardly: 'As expected, I wasn't prepared. Next time I need to prepare white phosphorus powder in advance to perform a demonstration of self-igniting Talismans for you all... that would be truly shocking!'

In front of Aaron, a phantom screen of Light appeared:

And the reason Fan Tong made Fang La perform Corvee Labor was because he had his eyes on the few acres of land belonging to the Fang Family!

And the more he acted as if he wanted to cover it up, the heavier people's curiosity became, and they even believed it more firmly!

But officialdom has two faces; although the Village Head is not an official, he manages the taxes and Corvee Labor for a hundred households in the village, so he counts as a village chief.

Aaron accepted the wild rabbit meat, thinking to himself that his two meals for today were settled.

Aaron came back to his senses and almost slapped himself.

"So, the so-called 'Alchemy' is just a certain application of the Spirituality of 'Red'?... Using it to stop bleeding and regenerate flesh to recover from injuries is indeed excellent... Besides that, if one uses the Spirituality of the 'Tower', it can make one's ears and eyes sharp and one's mind superior..."

With a little ulterior motive, Zhou Erniu brought Aaron to his own home, a shack not much better than Fang La's, and they exchanged greetings.

Purely Natural, pollution-free, no toxic side effects... the effect is better than any little blue pill!

If it could be refined in large quantities, it would surely bring in endless wealth and both fame and fortune!

Although he knew there would be good luck tomorrow, Aaron was still completely confused about where that luck would come from.

She hesitated for a moment: "My meaning is, shouldn't we be a bit more lenient? As long as Fang La sells the land, we should also show some goodwill..."

"In other words, the more Qi Points obtained, the stronger the skills that can be acquired."

As long as I mix into the Great Song system, there will inevitably be more people I can influence, and there will be a large amount of Qi Number to fleece!

But as the saying goes, it's too slow to meet an urgent need!

To take the exams level by level from Child Scholar, just waiting for the exams would take a year or two; it's truly too slow, and the Corvee Labor and such are already imminent!

"If I want to expand my Influence... is there anything more convenient than playing the god and acting like a ghost?"

After all, what kind of Medicine could Fang La possibly have learned?

By comparison, Aaron felt his 'Talisman Water' was simply a Dimensional Reduction strike!

In fact, it is very simple to understand: sufficient Influence can be exchanged for more Spirituality.

"Fang La, you brat, don't talk nonsense. What the hell do you know about Medicine?" one person laughed.

It turns out that the so-called Qi Number can also be seen as faith, Qi Luck, Dragon Qi, Influence, incense, etc. Extended further, it is power... to put it bluntly, it's all the same thing: whether or not many people listen to you!

Only Zhou Erniu's expression shifted.

In fact, according to the Great Song Law, someone like Fang La might not necessarily have to perform Corvee Labor.

"Yes, they are all old ailments."

【Skills: Divination (Can be opened), Alchemy (Can be opened), Beast Taming Technique (Locked), Sword Control Technique (Locked)... Bean Soldier Summoning (Locked), Dragon Elephant Strength (Locked), Vajra Indestructibility (Locked)... Communication Between Worlds (Locked)】

Inside a house of blue bricks.

……

Furthermore, this influence is divided into deep and shallow levels.

Then, a realization emerged in his heart—"Small Auspicious"!

"Isn't this just the divination of 'Radiance'? It's a shrunken version, though... The divination for fortune only has Great Ominous, Small Ominous, Neutral Peace, Small Auspicious, and Great Auspicious; it doesn't support finding people or objects yet... It feels like a chicken rib."

Seeing that the performance was about enough, Aaron bowed to the crowd in all directions, then strolled away leisurely.

If the ownership remains unchanged, the government naturally can only demand taxes from the person who holds the title, which is also a type of transaction that easily forces self-cultivating farmers into bankruptcy.

Zhou Shi looked at the Talisman Water, hesitated for a moment, but drank it anyway.

Village Head Fan Tong was drinking some wine when he suddenly saw his wife enter with a look of fear on her face, so he asked curiously: "What happened?"

After all, what did the Taoist sorcerers in the history of his past life rely on to make their fortunes and fool high-ranking officials and even the Emperor?

It had to be red pills, secret medicines for eternal virility, and other such boons for men!

'This is good... Otherwise, those high-level skills later on, which require tens or hundreds of thousands of Qi Points to unlock, I'm afraid I'd go crazy... I might not even be able to accumulate enough before I die of old age.'

Coupled with the fact that the literacy rate at this time is shockingly low, it is naturally easy to apportion taxes arbitrarily.

Shallow people might just be willing to listen to you for a few words and donate a little bit of money to you.

"Wait... I transmigrated into this world, am I here to be a wandering quack selling aphrodisiacs?"

Even if poor people are treated to death, most of them can only resign themselves to fate!

At the same time, his heart stirred: "The two Qi Points I got inexplicably yesterday were most likely given by this person, right?"

After all, Fang La is all alone without the help of relatives; although he is not the last of his line, he is still relatively easy to bully!

Fan Tong immediately sank his face and put down his wine cup: "You believe such nonsense? Furthermore..."

"Why should I?" Fan Tong took a sip of wine and let out a satisfied burp: "He keeps the Field Root, we only want the Field Skin... In this way, the government's taxes and Corvee Labor in the future will still have to be borne by him, and this Fang Family will only be able to be tenants of my family for generations to come..."

"Brother Fang La..."

The steamed bun was still the same as before, not much different.

Yes...

"Divining tomorrow's fortune!"

He muttered words under his breath and consumed another point of Qi.

Zhou Erniu talked excitedly about what he had seen yesterday.

At this moment, calling up the panel again, he couldn't help but feel happy once more.

Zhou Shi coughed and replied nonchalantly.

Isn't the livelihood of a poor family just like this?

Every day before dawn, one has to get up to light the fire, enduring smoke and heat; over time, the lungs will inevitably have problems.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Finally, looking at the plan he had drawn up, Aaron couldn't help but be speechless and fell into deep thought again.

In this day and age, no medical clinic can guarantee a 100% cure for people.

"So, Qi can also be seen as a special kind of influence!"

"I have learned some Medicine, if you don't mind, sister-in-law, I can take a look for you!" Aaron said this deliberately.

Some injuries on his body that had not yet been repaired today were rapidly improving and healing...

And those who are deeply influenced will be like fanatics, treating your words as golden rules, and even be willing to die for you!

"And this kind of influence and faith will be very useful!"

"Sister-in-law, you must be feeling unwell after working so hard during this period, right?"

When did this Zhou Erniu change his temperament?

【Name: Fang La (Aaron)】

Soon, news spread within the small mountain village that Fang La had fallen off a cliff and survived, and had even been taught Talismans by an immortal...

This Fan Tong's wishful thinking was truly loud; he wanted the land income but didn't want to bear any responsibility...

The poison of a petty official lies in this.

(End of this chapter)