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

Ever since Jiang Lei returned to the Desolate Abyss carrying the giant sword named "Peace," Ji Lingxiao's walking posture has changed.

He raised his chin three inches higher, his eyes filled with the smugness of "my son is the best in the world," and even when he was weeding the wasteland, his sword energy made two more sword flourishes than usual.

This greatly displeased Chu Jinglan, who was teaching next door.

"A crude brute is nothing more than someone who relies on brute strength."

Chu Jinglan closed the book and looked at Erbao Chu Anyan, who was sitting at the lower end of the table and drawing turtles on the book with a golden abacus. A strong competitive spirit rose in his heart.

This is the Purple Star Emperor Body! The future ruler of heaven and earth! How can it lose to a mere sword cultivator?

"An Yan".

Chu Jinglan coughed lightly, adopting a saintly demeanor, and asked, "Today, the 'Strategies for Governing the Country' states that 'the way of a ruler lies in benevolent governance.' What are your thoughts on this?"

Chu Anyan lazily raised his eyelids, his purplish eyes revealing a kind of affection for someone who looked like a fool.

"Father."

Chu Anyan spoke in a childish voice, while still skillfully manipulating the abacus in his hands, "The book says that the benevolent love others. But last time the Golden Saber Sect attacked, I saw you use your righteous energy to knock out their front teeth. Is that what you call benevolence?"

Chu Jinglan choked, nearly crushing his folding fan: "That's called... winning people over with virtue."

"Hypocritical," Chu Anyan commented succinctly, then pushed the book aside, jumped off the chair, and said, "I'm not going to learn this theoretical stuff. Mother said, practice makes perfect. I'm going to do some real-world research."

"An inspection?" Chu Jinglan was taken aback. "Where to?"

Chu Anyan pointed to the edge of the desolate abyss, a smile playing on his lips just like his money-grubbing mother's: "The mortal realm."

……

Half a day later.

Qingshui County is located on the border of Fuyunjie.

This is also a typical "no man's land" area. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. The county magistrate is corrupt and the people are living in misery. You can't even find a whole blue brick on the street.

Chu Jinglan stood with Chu Anyan, who had been disguised, at the entrance of the dilapidated county government office.

"An Yan, the people here are fierce and the government is corrupt. To govern them, we must proceed gradually, starting with showing kindness and compassion..."

Before Chu Jinglan could finish speaking, he saw his son, who was barely up to his knees, stride confidently into the county government hall.

"Court is now in session!"

A youthful yet authoritative shout, mixed with a faint yet pure aura of the Purple Star Emperor, instantly resounded throughout the entire county government office.

Those yamen runners who were dozing off at their desks felt a chill run down their spines, their knees buckled, and they involuntarily knelt on the ground.

"Who's making such a fuss!"

The fat, big-eared magistrate ran out from the back hall in disheveled clothes. Just as he was about to get angry, he saw a delicately beautiful little child sitting in the main seat of the courtroom.

The little boy was holding a non-existent gavel, which was actually a brick he had just picked up. He slammed it onto the table with a "thud".

"Kneel down."

Chu Anyan narrowed his purple eyes and activated his Word of Power.

There wasn't any grand display, but those two words were like an inviolable law of heaven and earth.

"Thump!"

The magistrate felt as if his legs no longer belonged to him, and he slammed them heavily onto the floor, cracking several floor tiles.

"You... what kind of monster are you...?" The magistrate was terrified.

Chu Anyan didn't even glance at him, turning to look at Chu Jinglan, who was standing dumbfounded at the door: "Father, what are you dawdling for? Find the account books."

Chu Jinglan took a deep breath. How could this kid's aura be even more intimidating than his own in the imperial court?

After an incense stick has burned.

Chu Anyan sat on a tall armchair, his legs short, his feet dangling in mid-air. He held a thick account book in his hand, flipping through it while calculating with a golden abacus.

"The bridge repair budget was 5,000 taels, but only 500 taels were actually paid out, so 4,500 taels were embezzled."

"The three thousand bushels of relief grain were all old rice mixed with sand."

"Even buying rouge for the widow next door was paid for by the public treasury?"

Chu Anyan slammed the account book shut and sneered. The smile made the kneeling magistrate think that this was no child, but a living devil.

"Guards!" Chu Anyan pointed at the county magistrate. "Skin him alive, stuff him with straw, and hang him on the city wall."

"Hiss—" Chu Jinglan gasped, quickly stepping forward to dissuade him, "An Yan! No! This is cruel torture, against the natural order! And the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty..."

"The laws of the Great Zhou?" Chu Anyan tilted his head, looking innocent. "Father, I'm in charge here now. Besides, I didn't say I was really going to skin you alive."

He turned to the county magistrate, who was already terrified and had lost control of his bladder, and smirked: "Confiscate all his property and put it into the county treasury. Then make him build bridges and pave roads, and he won't be allowed to eat until he finishes. Since he likes to swallow silver, let him swallow mud instead."

"As for skinning him..." Chu Anyan pointed to the magistrate's official robes, "He doesn't deserve to be skinned alive."

Over the next three days, Qingshui County underwent the most radical reforms in its history.

A baby less than two years old sat in the main hall of the county government office, issuing orders.

"The Li family in the east of the city is illegally occupying the road for business. They are fined three hundred taels of silver, which will be used to rebuild the school."

"The Zhao family in the west of the city bullied men and women. The head of the family went to the coal mine for three months and each victim was compensated with ten taels of silver."

"The county's tax system has been restructured, with commercial taxes doubling and agricultural taxes halved."

Every command was precise and hit the nail on the head.

Coupled with his unreasonable "words become law," the corrupt officials, thugs, and hooligans of the entire county were brought under his thumb.

What's even more frightening is his efficiency.

Chu Jinglan originally wanted to offer his opinions from the sidelines, but he found that he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

His pride in benevolence, morality, and the art of balance seemed incredibly cumbersome in the face of his son's simple and brutal "dimensional reduction attack."

The fifth day at dusk.

As Chu Anyan looked at the newly renovated streets and the grateful faces of the people, and put away his abacus with satisfaction, Chu Jinglan stood in the sunset, watching his son's back, and felt a chill run down his spine.

This isn't a practice session at all.

This is clearly a max-level character slaughtering newbies in the starting village!

"Father." Chu Anyan turned around, opened his arms for a hug, and his face regained that soft and innocent smile. "I'm hungry. I want to eat Mother's sweet and sour pork ribs."

Chu Jinglan picked up her son with mixed feelings.

Soft and fragrant, still that little bedwetting kid.

"An Yan," Chu Jinglan said earnestly, probing as he rode the wind back, "what do you think of your father's Confucian teachings?"

Chu Anyan leaned on his shoulder and yawned: "It's alright. It's just too slow. If it could combine Mother's 'money-grabbing method' and Uncle Ye's 'violent method,' it would be even more effective."

Chu Jinglan stumbled and almost fell from the sky.