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

"Shopkeeper, this is life-saving medicine! Isn't a 30% price increase outrageous?"

"Black? Then you can buy it from another store, if there are other stores that can provide this kind of 'Thunder Explosion Pill'."

Outside Zhenyao Pass, the once desolate mass grave is now filled with dust and bustling noise.

Jiang Yining sat on the second floor of the newly built "Jiang's Trading Company," holding a cup of herbal tea for pregnancy, looking out the window at the long queue below.

She looks a bit fuller now than she did a few months ago, with a slightly protruding belly, radiating a maternal glow.

But those eyes revealed a shrewd calculation.

"Mother, these refugees have already signed indentures."

Jiang Lei ran upstairs with his short legs, clutching a thick stack of parchment in his hand.

He has grown quite a bit taller now. Although he is only three years old, he looks like a five or six-year-old child. The wooden sword on his back has also been replaced with a heavy black iron sword.

He had slaughtered a fully-formed Ironback Wolf in the mountains yesterday, and then used the wolf bones and materials he obtained from the black market to craft it himself.

"well done."

Jiang Yining took the contract and glanced at it casually.

The edge of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains is never short of desperados and refugees who can't survive.

For these people, dignity and freedom are meaningless. Being able to survive in this cannibalistic world, having a mouthful of spiritual rice to eat, and a pill to heal their wounds is an immense blessing.

"That scarred-faced guy named Wang Mazi is a rogue cultivator at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. He fled here because he offended some enemies."

Jiang Lei pointed to the crooked handprint on the contract, his small face tense, and his tone mature, "He wants to be the captain of the guard team."

"Early stage of Golden Core?"

Jiang Yining chuckled and tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "He might be considered someone important outside, but in our Jiang City, dragons have to coil up and tigers have to lie low."

She touched her belly.

The baby in my belly has been much more well-behaved lately, probably because of that dragon blood fungus.

But this little guy's appetite is getting more and more demanding.

It began to convey a need called "order" to Jiang Yining through the sacred tree.

It not only needs to eat rare and precious ingredients, but it also needs "luck".

Building cities, uniting people's hearts, and establishing rules are the fastest ways to gather fortune.

This is why Jiang Yining wanted to undertake large-scale construction to expand that dilapidated village into "Jiang City".

Tell Wang Mazi that he can be the team leader if he wants.

Jiang Yining took out a jade bottle from her sleeve and tossed it to Jiang Lei. "Take this 'Heart-Eating Pill' first. Collect the antidote every month. If he behaves well, he'll be free in three years."

Jiang Lei took the jade bottle without hesitation and turned to leave.

In his eyes, his mother's words were like a royal decree. As for whether Wang Mazi would rebel?

If they resist, just kill them. It's that simple.

"etc."

Jiang Yining stopped her son and pointed down to the refugees downstairs who were moving huge stones and building city walls. "Also, pass down the order that Jiang's Trading Company will implement a 'membership system'."

"Membership system?" Jiang Lei tilted his head, a hint of doubt flashing in his purple-gold pupils.

"Yes, that's the kind of thing... if you want to buy our high-level pills and talismans, you have to recharge first."

Jiang Yining's lips curled into a sly smile. "A pre-deposit of one thousand spirit stones makes you a bronze member, and so on. Only members are eligible to purchase the limited-edition 'Supreme Rejuvenation Pill'."

"Also, tell those middlemen in the black market that from today onwards, the Jiang family will decide the purchase price of all spiritual herbs within a radius of 500 li around Zhenyao Pass."

Jiang Yining stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the foundation that was rising from the ground.

monopoly.

This is the most devastating blow that modern business thinking has dealt to the cultivation world.

The improved version of the divine wood pill in her hand was three times more potent than the ordinary pill and had no toxicity.

This is hard currency, this is core competitiveness.

Controlling the pills is tantamount to holding all the cultivators who make a living on this border by the throat.

"Yes, Mother."

Although Jiang Lei didn't understand what business thinking was, he knew that his mother was saving money for his younger brother's (or sister's) milk powder.

He carried the black iron sword, which was taller than him, and turned to go downstairs.

As soon as I reached the stairwell, I heard a commotion downstairs.

"What kind of bullshit Jiang family is this! This used to be Black Wind Stronghold territory!"

A burly man with a fierce face, leading dozens of bandits wielding ghost-head knives, stormed into the trading company's hall.

"Get that Madam Jiang of yours out here! If you don't pay protection money, I'll tear this dilapidated building down today!"

The burly man kicked a homeless person who was queuing to the ground, and slammed his dagger into the counter, sending wood chips flying.

He was the third leader of Black Wind Stronghold, with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level, and was used to running rampant in this area.

He originally thought Jiangjia Village was just a few easy targets, but he never expected it to develop so quickly in the past few months, which made him extremely envious.

The refugees and wandering cultivators in the hall were so frightened that they all retreated, and no one dared to utter a sound.

After all, Black Wind Stronghold had a fearsome reputation, and it was said that their leader was a powerful expert in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Second floor window.

Jiang Yining watched this scene coldly, without even frowning.

She touched her belly and said softly, "Second baby, someone has come to deliver the 'city-building gift'."

The fetus in her womb seemed to sense something and kicked gently, a faint pressure emanating from Jiang Yining's bloodline.

That wasn't spiritual pressure, but rather the contempt of a superior for an ant.

Staircase entrance.

Jiang Lei stopped in his tracks.

He looked down at the burly man who was still shouting, his purple-gold eyes showing no emotion.

It's like looking at a corpse.

"It's so noisy."

The child's innocent voice stood out clearly in the noisy hall.

The third leader of Black Wind Stronghold paused for a moment, then looked up at the stairs.

A beautifully sculpted little child, dragging an exaggeratedly large black sword, was walking down step by step.

"Where did this little brat come from? He's still breastfeeding and dares to try and stick his neck out?"

The third leader laughed heartily, and the surrounding bandits joined in the commotion.

"Boy, bring your mother out here. If she's pretty, she can be my wife, and I'll spare your life!"

Jiang Lei remained silent.

He simply walked up to the last step and stopped.

Then, he slowly raised the black iron sword in his hand.

At this moment, the air seemed to freeze.

An extremely pure and sharp sword intent erupted from that small body.

That wasn't ordinary sword energy.

That is a swordsmanship that can only be forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a swordsmanship that exists purely for killing!

The third leader's laughter abruptly stopped.

He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"you……"

He was about to speak.

Jiang Lei made a move.

No one saw how he drew his sword.

All that could be seen was a purple bolt of lightning flashing across the trading hall.

"laugh!"

A soft sound.

The third leader remained in the position of holding the knife, his expression still frozen in that moment of terror.

next second.

His body was neatly split in two.

Blood gushed out, staining the ground red.

The remaining bandits were dumbfounded.

The scattered cultivators who were watching the commotion were also dumbfounded.

A sword?

That was a ruthless bandit in the late stage of Foundation Establishment!

How could a three-year-old child cut it up like tofu?

Jiang Lei flicked the blood off his sword and glanced at the remaining bandits.

"Get out, or die."