Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The third month after the completion of Jiangjia Village.

It was called a village, but it was actually just three stone houses built by Jiang Yining using a few "earth spirit talismans," plus a fence engraved with defensive formations.

Although simple, it is quiet and peaceful.

Before the morning mist had even dissipated, a small figure was already practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.

Jiang Lei wasn't holding any divine weapon; it was just an ordinary wooden sword carved from black ironwood. Yet, every time he swung it, a sharp, explosive sound would pierce the air.

There are no fancy moves.

It means to chop, stab, and pick.

He practices these three moves five thousand times a day.

This is an instinct left in his blood by his father, Ji Lingxiao. He doesn't need to be taught; this child was born knowing how to kill most efficiently.

"call--"

Jiang Lei sheathed his sword and stood up, his small chest heaving violently, sweat streaming down his delicate face.

He glanced back at the tightly closed main door, a hint of worry flashing in his purple-gold eyes.

My mother hasn't come out for three days.

The spiritual energy fluctuations in the room were intense, and occasionally one could hear an explosive sound that seemed capable of collapsing the house.

The second child is causing trouble again.

Although Jiang Lei was young, he could sense that the unborn younger brother (or sister) in his mother's belly was a difficult creature to take care of.

Unlike itself, it doesn't come to life just by being given a little inspiration.

That guy was incredibly greedy. Every time, he would drain all the spiritual energy from my mother's body, causing her complexion to worsen over the past few months, and she lost a lot of weight.

"I am the older brother."

Jiang Lei gripped the small wooden sword in his hand and said to himself.

Since Father is gone, then he should protect Mother and raise his younger brother.

He turned and walked to the corner of the courtyard, where a small mountain of monster materials lay. There were wolf pelts, ox horns, and several tiger bones of decent quality. These were all spoils he had collected from the surrounding area over the past few days.

But he knew that wasn't enough.

Far from enough.

Yesterday, my mother said that my second child is now in a critical period of "bone shaping" and needs a kind of spiritual medicine called "Dragon Blood Mushroom". That thing is extremely expensive, costing five thousand low-grade spirit stones for one plant.

Five thousand spirit stones could buy a small town.

Just then, the door to the main house creaked open.

Jiang Yining walked out, supporting herself on the door frame.

She was dressed in coarse linen clothes, her hair was casually tied in a bun, her face was pale, and her eyes were sunken, making her look like she had just recovered from a serious illness. But her eyes were surprisingly bright, radiating excitement.

"mother!"

Jiang Lei dropped his sword and ran over, wanting to help her up, but he was afraid that the sweat on his hands would soil her clothes, so he held his hand in mid-air, not daring to touch her.

"It's alright, Mother is alright."

Jiang Yining rubbed her son's head, then took out a thick stack of talismans and several jade bottles filled with pills from her bosom.

"It's done."

She waved the items in her hand, smiling like a fox who had stolen a chicken. "This batch of 'Blazing Thunder Pearls' and 'Rejuvenation Pills' has been given a special boost. It's enough for us to exchange for that Dragon Blood Mushroom."

Erbao, that money-devouring beast, is indeed difficult to raise.

Ordinary spiritual energy is no longer enough for it; it has now begun to transmit specific "menus" to Jiang Yining through the sacred tree.

Today I want to eat a hundred-year-old Crimson Blood Ginseng, tomorrow I want to eat second-tier monster bone marrow, and the day after tomorrow I want some kind of associated ore.

Jiang Yining sometimes wondered if what was in her belly wasn't a child, but a weapon-refining furnace.

However, precisely because of this, in order to meet Erbao's needs, the alchemy and talisman-making abilities that the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree fed back to Jiang Yining also underwent some changes.

For example, the stack of "Explosive Flame Talismans" in her hand.

An ordinary Explosion Talisman, when it explodes, will just be a fireball.

However, the painting she made contained a trace of the lightning spiritual energy that Jiang Lei usually exuded when practicing swordsmanship, and also a drop of the essence blood of a second-tier fire-type demon beast.

The explosion not only produced fire but also thunder.

With that kind of power, even a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment would be severely injured if they were hit, even if they didn't die.

"Let's go, Da Bao."

Jiang Yining changed into a black cloak, covering her face completely except for her eyes. "I'll take you to the black market in Zhenyao Pass to broaden your horizons."

……

Demon-Suppressing Pass, West Street Black Market.

This is the most chaotic yet most bustling part of the entire pass.

The ground was covered with black water that could never be washed away, and the air was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and cheap cosmetics. The stalls on both sides were filled with all sorts of goods of dubious origin, and there were even cages used for human trafficking.

Jiang Yining, holding Jiang Lei's hand, and the two men in black robes, one tall and one short, moved through the crowd.

Although Jiang Lei was short, his cold and aloof aura made the thieves and hooligans who wanted to come up and investigate him instinctively avoid him.

This child is like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath; even before he has fully grown, he is already dangerous enough to make people feel.

Jiang Yining led him straight into a shop with a sign that read "Baibaoge" (meaning "Treasure Pavilion").

The shop looked dilapidated, and an old man with one eye was sitting and dozing at the door, but Jiang Yining knew that this was the largest black market for stolen goods, with powerful connections, and that they would take anything.

"Shopkeeper, let's do business."

Jiang Yining walked to the counter and tapped her fingers three times on the table.

Two light and one heavy.

This is a secret code among those in the know.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged, overweight man who was doing accounts looked up, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his beady eyes. He sized up Jiang Yining, his gaze lingering on Jiang Lei for a moment before he put on a smile.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar. What kind of goods would you like to sell?"

Without wasting any words, Jiang Yining took out a jade bottle and three talismans from her sleeve and slapped them on the table.

"A second-grade top-quality Rejuvenation Pill, it stops bleeding in ten breaths and regenerates tissue in half an hour."

"The improved version of the Explosive Flame Talisman is as powerful as a full-force attack from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

The fat shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment.

Tier 2 Supreme Item?

In this godforsaken border region, anyone who can refine a first-grade high-quality pill is considered a master. A second-grade top-quality pill? This woman is probably just bragging.

He picked up the jade bottle suspiciously, uncorked it, and took a sniff.

The next second, his expression changed.

The rich medicinal fragrance, just by smelling it, made the somewhat stagnant spiritual energy in his body circulate faster.

Absolutely top-notch!

Moreover, the medicinal properties are frighteningly pure, without a trace of erysipelas!

The fat shopkeeper's hand trembled slightly. This was a life-saving miracle drug! On the battlefield, this one pill was worth a life!

He picked up the talisman again.

The moment his fingertips touched it, a violent and turbulent force of fire and lightning drilled into his fingers, causing them to sting painfully.

What an overbearing talisman!

"This..." The fat shopkeeper swallowed hard, abandoning his previous disdain, and lowered his voice, "How much do you need, sir?"

"Twenty bottles of elixirs and fifty talismans."

Jiang Yining held up two fingers. "I want cash, or an equivalent amount of high-grade spiritual herbs. It has to be Dragon Blood Mushroom."

The fat shopkeeper rolled his eyes.

This is a big deal.

But seeing that Jiang Yining was an orphan and widow, and that she didn't have any powerful sect insignia, and that her cultivation level seemed to be only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment (which Jiang Yining was deliberately pretending to be), his greed immediately grew like weeds.

This is the black market.

Double-crossing is the norm.

"Well..." The fat shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, his chubby face scrunched up. "The goods are good, but the price... the market isn't good right now. This Dragon Blood Mushroom is a rare commodity. How about this, I'll give you five hundred spirit stones for this batch?"

five hundred?

Jiang Yining laughed in exasperation.

This is blatant robbery. That single Rejuvenation Pill alone would fetch more than that at the auction house.

"Five hundred?" Jiang Yining looked at him coldly. "Shopkeeper, your wishful thinking is so cunning that I could hear it even from beyond the Great Wall."

"Just five hundred."

The fat shopkeeper's smile faded, and he clapped his hands.

Splash!

The curtain behind the shop was lifted, and four burly men, each with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level, came out and surrounded them with fierce expressions.

"Madam, you should be content with what you have," the fat shopkeeper said with a forced smile. "In Zhenyao Pass, some businesses can be done, but some lives can only be taken once."

This is an attempt to force a sale.

Jiang Yining sighed.

She touched her belly and soothed the little one inside who was kicking and struggling.

"Da Bao".

She called softly.

Jiang Lei, who had been standing quietly beside her, raised his head.

Beneath the cloak, those purple-gold vertical pupils showed no fear, only a cold indifference as if looking at the dead.

"exist."

The child's voice, though innocent, carried a chilling undertone, like the clanging of metal.

"Someone doesn't want to pay and is trying to bully your mother." Jiang Yining took a half step back, finding a comfortable position to lean against the counter. "What do you suggest we do?"

Jiang Lei slowly drew the inconspicuous wooden sword from his back.

"kill."

Before the words were even finished, the small figure had already disappeared from the spot.

too fast!

The fat shopkeeper didn't even see how he moved; he only saw a flash of purple light.

"ah--!"

A scream rang out.

The burly man closest to Jiang Yining collapsed to the ground, clutching his wrist and spitting out blood. His right hand, along with the long knife in his hand, lay neatly on the ground.

A single sword stroke severed his wrist!

Before the remaining three burly men could react, Jiang Lei had already weaved back and forth between them.

boom! boom! boom!

Three muffled thuds.

The three mid-Foundation Establishment stage thugs all knelt on the ground, each with a deep, bone-revealing wound on the back of their knees, precise and without the slightest deviation.

From beginning to end, it took less than three breaths.

The entire shop was deathly silent.

The fat shopkeeper's face trembled violently as he watched the child, who was not even as tall as the counter, walk towards him step by step, carrying a wooden sword that was still dripping blood.

That look reminded him of the man-eating beast kings deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

"No...don't come any closer..." The fat shopkeeper's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. "Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

Jiang Lei ignored him and placed the wooden sword directly against his thick neck.

With just a little force, his throat could be slit.

Jiang Yining then slowly walked over and reached out to put the pills and talismans on the table back into her sleeve.

"Now, can we talk about the price?"

She looked down at the fat shopkeeper, and at that moment, the aura emanating from her was even more terrifying than that of the little killing god wielding a sword.

"Dragon's Blood Fungus, I have it! I have it!"

The fat shopkeeper, his face contorted with grief, scrambled to pull a mahogany box from a hidden compartment under the counter. "This is for you! No money needed! Consider it an apology to the young master!"

Jiang Yining opened the box and took a look. Inside lay a blood-red Ganoderma lucidum shaped like a swimming dragon, exuding a strong bloody aura.

The baby in my belly suddenly moved happily.

[I want this! It's delicious!]

Jiang Yining closed the lid with satisfaction, and then casually grabbed a handful of spirit stone receipts from the counter.

"That's how business should be done."

She patted the fat shopkeeper's greasy face. "Remember, my surname is Jiang. I'll come back if there's anything good. But if you're still not obedient next time..."

She glanced at Jiang Lei.

Jiang Lei flipped his wrist in cooperation, and the wooden sword shaved off a lock of hair from the fat shopkeeper's scalp.

"Next time, I'll take your head."

After saying that, the mother and son swaggered out of the Treasure Pavilion.

All that remained were the burly man wailing on the ground and the shopkeeper who had wet his pants in fear.

After leaving the black market, Jiang Yining weighed the box in her hand, feeling quite pleased with herself.

"Dabao, well done!"

Jiang Lei sheathed his sword, the cold, murderous expression on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by the obedient, silent child he once was. He took Jiang Yining's hand and whispered:

"Mother, let's go home."

"Okay, let's go home."

Jiang Yining looked at the distant, rolling mountains and patted her stomach.

With this Dragon Blood Fungus, Erbao has passed this hurdle. But this is just the beginning.

This little money-devouring beast's appetite will only grow bigger and bigger.

It seems that this "arms business" still needs to be expanded and strengthened.

Meanwhile, in that distant imperial city of Zhongzhou.

A regent who had just recovered his cultivation level to the Integration Stage was looking at the latest intelligence report in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"A special talisman imbued with lightning power has appeared at Demon Suppression Pass?"

Chu Jinglan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a hint of doubt flashing in his phoenix eyes behind his glasses.

The way the talisman was made... it looks kind of familiar.