Betting With the Village Chief, Arranging to Plant Primordial World Specialties

The next morning...

Chen Xuan washed up early and went to the elderly neighbor's house to borrow a few books. The old man was a bachelor in the village, over sixty and unmarried. He usually handled all the village's celebrations and events, and possessed many of the tools of the Taoist trade.

"Senior Fuxi... these are the appearances of the River Diagram and the Luo Script. Although much has been lost, at least they can be viewed. There are also the I Ching, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, the Tao Te Ching... all the classics that have been passed down through the ages are here..."

Chen Xuan handed him a large pile of books.

Fuxi had initially been bothered by the term "charlatan." However, upon seeing the pile of classics, his breathing grew heavy after just a glance. These were all true words of the Great Dao.

The spiritual energy was depleted, it was the Age of Dharma's End, and the path of cultivation had vanished. To think that future generations would hold a golden bowl and beg for alms – it was truly a waste of heaven's bounty.

"These are truly supreme principles and wise words. After I comprehend them, I will achieve another breakthrough in the future. When I return to the Primordial World, I am confident I will have made progress," Fuxi said, his hands trembling as he took the pile of books.

He would certainly become a charlatan, famous throughout the later ages...

"Lady Nuwa... Sister Houtu... it's time for me to go work in the fields. I leased one hundred mu of land but only got over forty mu. We're still negotiating with the town for the rest. Let's go change how we cultivate the land."

Chen Xuan looked at the two women, full of anticipation. After all, to till the land alongside primordial goddesses – who else in history could claim such a feat?

"Dream on..." Lady Nuwa snorted unceremoniously.

"Come, come... daughters, let's have breakfast together. We can go to the fields later. Don't overexert yourselves; it's not good if you get tanned," Mom Chen said, bringing out a pot of white porridge and some pickles.

Houtu took a bite, adding pickles and chili sauce. Her eyes lit up. "This is good stuff..."

"Eat up quickly!" Nuwa said, having taken a few bites and grown accustomed to it.

"Don't rush, everyone. I've called some villagers to help; they'll be here soon," Mom Chen said, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they grabbed hoes, sickles, and other tools and headed out. In the distance, they saw a group of people heading up the mountain. It was the new Village Chief, Chen Wang, leading a group of villagers to clear new land.

"Well, well... isn't this the richest man in Chen Family Village? With ten million in hand, he leases a hundred mu of land just to plant crops in the countryside. He really thinks he's someone important."

Village Chief Chen Wang sneered, his eyes glancing at Lady Nuwa and Houtu. They were astonishingly beautiful. Why did this guy have such good fortune with women?

"Heh heh... stepping out without checking the almanac, running into a barking dog," Chen Xuan retorted with a cold laugh.

"Chen Xuan, what are you so smug about? Whether it's a dog or not... everyone knows. The villagers are willing to plant sugar tangerines, Emperor tangerines, and Mashui tangerines with me, as well as raise chickens and ducks... Only I, the Village Chief, can lead everyone to prosperity." Village Chief Chen Wang was very proud and then turned to the villagers behind him to show off.

"That's right... you heartless rich man. Even if we let our fields lie fallow, we wouldn't rent them to you."

"What a thankless wretch! You tried to trick us with watermelons and now you want to rent our land to trick us again. You are a disgrace to the Chen family, unworthy of being in our ancestral registry..."

"He was such a good child when he was young, always yielding to others, always helping out. The older he gets, the more spiteful he becomes, even harming the village's interests for his own gain. A true ingrate..."

"Back then, we shouldn't have given him eggs, special products, or even those few cents to go to college. He's an ungrateful wretch..."

Behind Chen Wang, a group of villagers were muttering curses. There were about fifty to sixty of them, each filled with righteous indignation, seemingly forgetting their own opportunism.

Whoever offered them benefits was their good person...

Chen Xuan sighed. When you have money, it's best to keep it hidden to live peacefully. Once you succeed, all sorts of strange characters will crawl out.

Just as he was about to retort, a group of people arrived from another path. They were numerous, though about half the size of Chen Wang's group, and each one stepped forward impolitely.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Those eggs and few cents you gave him back then, would you have parted with them if not for the old Village Chief begging you and guaranteeing repayment?"

"You're just a rabble, shameless wretches. When Little Xuanzi gave you opportunities back then, you didn't seize them, and now you're biting the hand that fed you..."

"Just a bunch of leeches, trying to cling to others and suck their blood, only to end up covered in filth..."

These people were the villagers who had rented land to Chen Xuan and had come to support him. The village was split in half, with the majority supporting Chen Wang and a minority supporting Chen Xuan.

The group behind Chen Wang were the very ones who had previously stormed over with hoes, sickles, cleavers, and carrying poles, forcing Chen Xuan to tear up his contracts and refusing to rent him land.

Chen Xuan had stated back then that he would let bygones be bygones, and as long as they rented land to him, they would prosper together and contribute to the village. Only a very few malicious families refused to rent.

Now, misled by Chen Wang, they refused to rent and were following Chen Wang to clear mountain land to plant sugar tangerines...

"Chen Xuan... you commoner, stop inciting the villagers. Since you're so capable, how about we make a bet?" Chen Wang said confidently.

"Bet? Are you out of your mind? I'm already a King... what's there to bet with a rookie like you?" Chen Xuan sneered. Besides his Primordial World treasures, he had tens of millions in assets. Gambling with a clown like you is just looking for trouble.

"Heh heh... do you dare?" Chen Wang used a provocation tactic.

"This is a clown's trick. I wouldn't even play this in elementary school. What's there to bet on?" Chen Xuan looked at him like a clown, deciding to use a counter-tactic.

"You..." How could he, the new Village Chief, who had just taken office and wanted to make a statement, be so frustrated? Chen Wang said angrily, "If you dare to bet... if I lose... all my fields can be rented out, including my position as Village Chief and my fifty mu of sugar tangerines. Everything will be transferred to you at cost..."

"And if you lose... you'll get out of Chen Family Village and never come back, how about that?"

Chen Wang, speaking with great conviction, was extremely confident. As one of the few large-scale farmers in the village, his annual income from sugar tangerines was enough to make him reckless.

He controlled the county's supply and distribution channels, possessed advanced cultivation technology, held the position of Village Chief, and had good relationships with the leaders. Dealing with a mere Chen Xuan was child's play...

Chen Xuan smiled...

The fish had taken the bait...

"Alright... you blindly confident fool. Since the bet is on, let's write up a contract and have the old Village Chief take it to the town's Industrial and Commercial Bureau." Chen Xuan didn't trust the other party; only a contract was reliable.

"Good... I'll draft it tomorrow and show you what developing the countryside means. Reading for two years doesn't mean you understand farm work," Chen Wang snorted and led a group of villagers to the mountain.

The mountain land would be used to plant sugar tangerines, Mashui tangerines, and Emperor tangerines. They would even raise chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep nearby, leveraging the greatest advantage of rural development...

He, Chen Wang, had the channels and could solve everything...

"Is this what people are like? Why are they all so malicious, always looking for trouble?" Houtu, as an ancient being, a truly primitive person, looked shocked.

"People's hearts change. We've become complex through countless Calamities, eventually reaching a state of supreme detachment, where all beings are like ants..." Nuwa chuckled.

"Impossible... our Witch Clan is definitely a clan full of emotion and righteousness," Houtu stated with firm conviction.

"Stop fooling around... I've already contracted the valley ahead. We'll start the transformation right here," Chen Xuan interrupted them, looking at a valley that was at least forty mu in size.

Surrounded by mountains, it was lush and green. Occasionally, the calls of large birds could be heard from the deep mountains, and a babbling brook flowed nearby. Transportation was very inconvenient. Who else would invest here if not Chen Xuan, the big spender?

The town, fearing Chen Xuan might regret his decision, quickly finalized the contract. The remaining land would need other villages to be willing...

"Lady Nuwa... what do you think we should arrange? The spiritual energy resurgence will begin here..."

Chen Xuan looked at the valley. Was it really suitable for growing Dragon Tooth Rice?

"It's possible... You should take out the Immortal Pond first. With the nourishment of the spiritual water, we can plant a small amount of Dragon Tooth Rice. Other areas can be used to plant other things..."

Nuwa glanced around and began her arrangements.

Chen Xuan handed the Universe Bag to Nuwa