Chapter 60: The Quirky Old Man

“The old man isn’t thinking straight. My friend here has a bit of a useless brain. How much is this book in total?” Qi Qige, well aware that a strong dragon doesn’t crush a local snake, didn’t want to provoke him.

The stall owner was a stubborn old man, and he shoved the Ce Wen in front of Qin Zhao, demanding, “Is this not good?”

Qin Zhao didn’t back down, replying, “Not good.”

The old man wrapped his arms around the books they had picked out and said, “Don’t touch them.”

As the books Qi Qige wanted seemed to disappear from under his eyes, Qi Qige hurriedly said, “No, no, no! Old man, we want this Ce Wen.”

“Not for sale.”

Qin Zhao, being stubborn, refused to let Qi Qige buy the Ce Wen.

“This book is too expensive for what it’s worth, and your brain clearly doesn’t need it,” the old man said dismissively.

Qi Qige, growing frustrated, said, “Can’t you just say one less thing? I just want to buy a few books. Why is it so difficult?”

Cao Xi, unable to bear it any longer, hid behind Qin Zhao. He twisted Qin Zhao’s waist, causing him to gasp in pain.

With a tight grip on the pile of books, Qin Zhao shifted aside to give Qi Qige more space, but he couldn’t stop the exchange.

The old man wasn’t done with his demands, insisting that Qin Zhao explain his reasoning, or he wouldn’t sell anything.

Reluctantly, Qin Zhao flipped through the Ce Wen and pointed to a line.

“The neighbors’ rice and flax are high-yield crops, and under the same conditions, how do I surpass my neighbors?”

Qin Zhao explained, “The book says to increase the planting of rice and flax, while reducing taxes.”

The old man asked, “What’s wrong with that?”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “I’m constantly fighting with my neighbors. While the army may not have enough soldiers, the supplies are always ready. If I were to attack, the constant battles would cause the people to suffer.”

“Then how would you solve it?” the old man asked, clearly intrigued by Qin Zhao’s response.

“During autumn, buy up all the flax at high prices, and lower the rice prices. This will drive the people to pursue profits, and they’ll either reduce or stop growing rice, opting for flax. Once the neighbors’ flax supply is exhausted, they’ll stop buying it, causing a shortage of rice. They will be forced to buy my rice at a high price, and while they are distracted, I will have time to rest and prepare for the next attack.”

“Ha, ha. I knew you weren’t a simple person.”

Qi Qige was taken aback. Qin Zhao’s method of handling things—striking without bloodshed—was exactly as expected from the clever man he knew.

The old man was stunned by Qin Zhao’s sharp analysis and was momentarily speechless.

Seeing the old man regain his composure, Qi Qige straightened up and lifted his chin slightly. “So, how much for this book?”

The old man, now fully alert, laughed heartily. “Ha ha! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. What’s your name, my friend? Let’s become good friends. I’ll give you this book.”

When Qi Qige heard that the book would be gifted, his eyes lit up. “Old man, you’re too kind.”

Qi Qige spread his arms to embrace the stack of books, but the old man slapped them away with a forceful smack.

“Move aside,” Qi Qige smiled awkwardly, retracting his arms.

Qin Zhao spoke, “It’s a chance meeting, and we didn’t intend to debate, but it’s an honor to discuss these matters with you. Please, feel free to give your price.”

Qi Qige, hearing Qin Zhao’s polite words, realized the book wasn’t going to be free after all. With a sigh, he prepared to pull out his purse, bracing for the old man’s price.

The old man raised his eyebrows and coldly sniffed. “Three thousand taels.”

With no intention of lowering his price, he made it clear that if they weren’t willing to pay, they could leave.

“Ah!” Qi Qige was shocked by the price. Was this book made of silver? This was too expensive!

The old man rolled his eyes, making it clear that if they didn’t want to buy, they could leave.

Qi Qige, gritting his teeth in pain, reluctantly pulled out three thousand taels of silver. He hugged the stack of books tightly and silently followed Qin Zhao as they walked away.

The old man shook the stack of banknotes, muttering, “It’s short.”

He waved toward a shadowy figure lurking in the corner. “Come out, I see you.”

The nightingale quickly ran up and called out, “Old Lord!”

The old lord responded, “Follow those three. Find out where they’re staying, and check out their background thoroughly.”

---

Qi Qige felt uneasy, sensing that they were being followed. His brows furrowed as he thought, If it’s him, I can’t shake him off easily. With three people trailing, the target’s too big. I have to find a way to lose them without them noticing.

“We’ll go ahead. I’ll split off for a while and return soon,” Qi Qige said.

He handed the books to Qin Zhao and watched them enter the door. Then he turned and quietly slipped into the corner, but it was too late—the person was already following him.

Qi Qige grabbed the nightingale by the arm. “You’ve been tailing me all the way. Are you looking to have a private chat with me?”

The nightingale, completely caught off guard, found it hard to believe that a frail scholar could so easily trap him in one move. He couldn’t break free, so he resigned himself to the situation.

“What do you want from me? I swear I’m just passing by, nothing more,” the nightingale pleaded.

Qi Qige’s eyes were sharp, like a sword. The nightingale shivered under his gaze, but after a moment, he quickly returned to his cocky demeanor.

“Maybe it was truly an accident. But I’m not here to hold you up,” he said with a grin.

Qi Qige smoothed out his clothes, shook his fan with a flourish, and left gracefully.

The nightingale was left in confusion, unsure of how to proceed. Had he overestimated the value of this book? He had no choice but to stop the pursuit for now and start investigating their background.

He felt a headache coming on. If Old Lord found out he’d been outmaneuvered, it was likely he’d lose his position.

Inside the room,

Qin Zhao, with a look of grievance, surrounded by Cao Xi, said, “You pinched me.”

Cao Xi reached out, grabbed Qin Zhao’s waistband, and smoothly pulled him closer. His eyes narrowed slightly. “So you’re feeling wronged? Qi Qige likes you. What’s the problem with stopping him?”

Qin Zhao, clutching his waistband tightly, couldn’t respond immediately. His thoughts scattered, and he stammered, “I… I wasn’t… I wasn’t.” His face had turned bright red.

Qin Zhao was no match for Cao Xi’s dominant ways. He slowly felt his waistband slip, and his gaze became unfocused. In a muffled voice, he said, “If you do this, I won’t go to the study tonight.”

Cao Xi held back a laugh, his hand shifting along Qin Zhao’s waist. He noticed Qin Zhao’s face growing redder, and his body unconsciously leaning closer to him.

Although Qin Zhao seemed like he was resisting, his rear was pinched painfully.

“Stop… stop!” Qin Zhao exclaimed, but his body froze and didn’t move an inch.

Cao Xi let go of him, rubbing the spot where he had pinched.

A rush of blood flooded Qin Zhao’s head. It was so embarrassing, and he lowered his gaze to meet Cao Xi’s, his eyes turning slightly red. “Are you bullying me?”

Cao Xi laughed and patted his backside, “Stop being lazy, go read. Don’t slack off.”

Qin Zhao, feeling wronged, was too embarrassed to take any further steps, as his body was in no condition for it.

Cao Xi didn’t press him further and instead sat at the vanity to prepare for bed. After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Qin Zhao had calmed down enough to go to the study and look for Qi Qige.

In the study, Qi Qige raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin and asked, “What took you so long?”

Qin Zhao, still feeling awkward from the earlier situation, had his face flushed. He glanced at Qi Qige and asked, “The books?”

Qi Qige pointed to a corner of the desk. “There.”

The books the old man had sold were indeed high-quality—clear annotations, insightful interpretations, and vast knowledge, as if written by a person with deep literary foundation.

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Meanwhile, in the Southwest Marquis’s study, Nightingale was reporting the gathered information for the day.

“Qin Zhao, from Qizhou, a top scholar in the local examination, married young, parents both deceased. Qi Qige, from Qizhou, a second-place scholar in the local examination, unmarried, skilled in martial arts, with business dealings across the country.”

The old marquis, reclining in his chair, closed his eyes as he listened. “Is that all?”

Nightingale, nervous, replied, “Yes.” He quickly lowered his head, afraid to look at the old marquis, whose face was turning darker.

“Is this all you could gather? I could have asked anyone on the street and gotten more information than you did,” the old marquis fumed, his voice trembling with anger.

Nightingale, trembling, apologized.

Frustrated, the old marquis decided that the only course of action left was to go see them in person.

Later, the old marquis picked up a new book, marking it with notes, and planned to sell it at the market in the evening.