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

Chu Jinglan knew that this child was very intelligent.

So after bringing it home, I wanted to start its education as soon as possible, even though it was still a baby in a cradle.

I brought the Tao Te Ching with me, intending to use it to enlighten my child.

Chu Jinglan unrolled the book and began to recite it in his gentle voice, which was enough to captivate the entire court.

"The softest thing in the world can overcome the hardest thing in the world..."

The baby in the cradle didn't even lift its eyelids, only pursing its lips impatiently.

Seeing that he didn't seem to like it, Chu Jinglan changed the content to read.

"The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving..."

The baby finally reacted.

He raised his delicate little hand and snapped his fingers at the book scroll.

"puff!"

A small cluster of purplish-gold lightning appeared out of thin air and struck the scroll precisely.

The scroll made of thousand-year-old golden nanmu wood instantly turned into a handful of ashes.

Chu Jinglan: "..."

good very good.

If you don't like literary pursuits, then go for martial ones.

Chu Jinglan put away his smile and decided to use the most direct method to probe the child's spiritual consciousness.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips swirling with pure imperial dragon energy, and gently touched Erbao's brow.

"My son possesses the Purple Star Emperor's Physique..."

Before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.

An invisible vortex seemed to appear between Erbao's eyebrows.

A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted!

The imperial dragon energy within Chu Jinglan's body surged forth like a floodgate opened, rushing wildly towards Erbao through his fingertips!

"Um?"

Chu Jinglan's expression changed. He tried to pull his hand away, but found that his fingers were stuck and he couldn't move them at all.

Meanwhile, the baby in the cradle comfortably closed its eyes and smacked its lips twice, as if savoring some exquisite delicacy.

Chu Jinglan could clearly feel that his cultivation level was declining at an alarming rate.

Late stage of fusion... Mid stage of fusion...

The child in the cradle has already directly reached the first level of foundation building.

"Child, stop! Do you want to burst?"

Chu Jinglan acted decisively, his other hand forming a knife-like shape with his fingers, gathering spiritual energy, and fiercely slashing at his own arm.

"Break!"

However, when the spiritual energy approached within three feet of Erbao, it vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

Chu Jinglan's expression finally changed completely.

He watched helplessly as his cultivation level plummeted until he fell to the early stage of the Body Regeneration Realm, at which point the terrifying suction force finally stopped.

The baby in the cradle let out a satisfied burp.

A pure purple aura emanated from him, filling the entire study with profound Daoist charm.

Its small body has grown noticeably larger.

It looks like a six-month-old baby.

His cultivation level had also reached the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

Chu Jinglan withdrew his still slightly trembling hand and looked at his son in the cradle who gave him an expression that said, "Old Deng, you're not so bad after all."

This is the first time I've experienced what it means to be a complete rip-off.

We must not fight.

He can understand your insults, but he won't listen to you.

To be honest, the little guy would have just burned the books.

This regent, who was a master strategist who viewed the world as a chessboard, felt a sense of powerlessness as things spiraled out of control.

He held his forehead and sighed deeply.

It seems that having a father isn't enough for some things.

We must find the child's mother.

"Little one, has your mother named you yet?"

"Wow~"

Erbao, clinging to the side of the cradle, tried to sit up, his eyes saying, "Take me to my mother!"

Chu Jinglan reached out and picked him up, unable to resist giving him a kiss.

He immediately slapped his cheek and received a small slap.

"Old...old, don't...touch me."

Her little feet started kicking Chu Jinglan's belly, trying to get herself off.

Chu Jinglan frantically tried to coax him, "Alright, alright, Daddy was wrong, I won't kiss you anymore."

"An Yan, from now on you will be called Chu An Yan."

"Smack."

Chu Jinglan received another slap on the face.

"Ginger... ginger."

The little guy kept humming, "Ginger... ginger."

Chu Jinglan understood: "Children take their father's surname, little one."

Chu Anyan was so angry that he wanted to hit someone again.

Chu Jinglan had learned his lesson and first held the little guy's hands still.

"snort!"

Immediately following, a bolt of lightning pierced through his body.

"Hiss~"

Chu Jinglan smiled gently: "Little guy, if your father weren't at the Integration Stage, I'd probably be dead by now."

"You child, did you know that's why you deliberately shocked me?"

The little guy kept squirming, clearly not wanting his dad to hold him.

Chu Jinglan panicked again, fearing that the child might not know his own strength and fall.

"Okay, I understand. Go find Jiang Yining, go find your mother."

Only his mother could control him.

While Erbao was knocking on his father's head, Dabao was diligently carrying out his father's sword practice assignment.

Jiang Lei's face was tense, his eyes focused, as he thrust his sword in one stroke after another.

Strangely, a row of "junior apprentices" followed behind him.

A dozen or so fox cubs of different colors, no more than half a person tall, were now imitating Jiang Lei, using their two front paws to hold onto a small branch and trying their best to stand up straight.

They tried to imitate Jiang Lei's tense little face, his focused gaze, and even the frequency of his breathing.

For a moment, the only sounds in the courtyard were the whooshing of the wind and the deep breathing of a group of little foxes.

The sight caused the passing fox-clan maids to stop in their tracks, cover their mouths, and shrug their shoulders, wanting to laugh but daring not to.

The Second Elder came looking for him, clutching his chest.

Ever since His Majesty made that absurd bet with them, he hasn't had a good night's sleep.

He decided to keep an eye on things himself.

As soon as he approached the courtyard, he witnessed a scene that nearly caused him to have a brain hemorrhage.

"This...this is outrageous!"

The Second Elder's beard stood on end in anger.

He rushed into the courtyard, pointing at the group of fox cubs wielding tree branches like swords, his voice trembling: "You! What are you doing! What happened to the elegant demeanor of our Qingqiu fox clan?!"

The lead red fox turned its head slowly upon hearing the sound.

Instead of acting cute and rolling around as usual, it imitated Jiang Lei, nodding expressionlessly to the Second Elder as a greeting.

Then he turned back, continued holding the branch, and stabbed the air with a "ha!"

Its serious and earnest appearance made it seem as if it were facing not the air, but some formidable enemy.

The Second Elder felt a sudden darkness before his eyes.

Finished!

The next generation of Qingqiu has been led astray!

He stormed up to Jiang Lei, glaring down at the culprit: "Kid, what did you do to them?"

Jiang Lei stopped what he was doing, his eyes calm and unwavering: "I'm teaching them to become stronger."

"Get stronger? Is this how you teach people to get stronger?!"

The Second Elder pointed at the "expressionless" little foxes and felt his blood pressure soaring.

"Um."

Jiang Lei nodded his head and explained seriously, "They are too weak to protect their families. Only by practicing swordsmanship can they become stronger."

The Second Elder was rendered speechless by his twisted logic.

He wanted to refute, but looking into Jiang Lei's overly mature and earnest eyes, he didn't know where to begin.

What this child said... seems to make some sense?

Bah! What kind of logic is that!

Their fox clan relies on their intellect and charm; when would they ever need to fight and kill like human sword cultivators!

"Nonsense!" The Second Elder stomped his feet in anger. "Put all those branches down right now! Come back with me to learn illusion magic!"

However, not a single fox paid him any attention.

They merely glanced at him silently with an expression that said, "You're disturbing my cultivation," before continuing to follow Jiang Lei's movements, waving the branches in a measured and methodical manner.

The Second Elder was trembling with rage and was about to forcibly take these "possessed" brats away.