“To destroy it, one must first drive it insane.”  

Recalling his younger brother’s words, Li Ping'an took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “Magistrate Liang is like a mad dog right now. The more we resist, the fiercer his bite. We have to play along, flatter him, make him believe the Li family is utterly afraid and completely submissive. Let him think that in Yunshui County, he is heaven itself! Only when he truly lets down his guard can we find his weaknesses.”  

“I’ll handle this. Brother, you take care of the people.”  

“Alright.” Li Pingfu nodded. Though a warrior, he was not someone who could bear annoyance indefinitely. Enduring for now with plans for the future, he firmly believed in the abilities of his two younger brothers.  

The next day.  

The Li brothers donated silver and voluntarily took on part of the construction site’s food expenses, calling it “Sharing the burden for the magistrate, praying blessings for all the people.”  

This move completely pleased Magistrate Liang.  

Sitting high in the county office, he was exceptionally proud. “Ting, you thought the Li family was tough, but before my thunderous methods, they’ve turned into tail-wagging dogs begging for mercy.”  

He increasingly felt he was the unquestioned local tyrant of Yunshui County, and the Li family was just the fattest pig in his yard, ready to be slaughtered at any time.  

This feeling of total control made him giddy, almost making him forget his injuries and the vague unease in his heart.  

The Ritual Altar had been under construction for months, and in the blink of an eye, it was another autumn.  

Inside the Li Family Mansion, a loud cry brought a touch of life to the heavy atmosphere.  

Zhao Sisi successfully gave birth to a baby boy.  

When Li Pingcan took his second son from the midwife’s hands, a strange feeling surged in his heart.  

The baby’s small face was pink and tender, the skin soft and smooth, yet from this tiny life, Li Pingcan sensed an indomitable sharpness.  

This aura was so pure that all metal objects in the delivery room—scissors, copper basins, gold and silver jewelry—emitted a faint humming.  

“Could this kid be a natural sword cultivator?” Li Pingcan was both surprised and joyful.  

[Your bloodline descendant is born, strengthening the power of the Druid training site.]  

[You have unlocked a new skill: Bloodline Inheritance.]  

[Selectable inheritance skills: Oak Stick Technique (98% compatibility), Ant Colony Swarm (45% compatibility), Glowshroom (33% compatibility)]  

“Oak Stick Technique? That skill sounds... like a brute’s style.”  

Li Pingcan rubbed his chin, amused and helpless at the 98% compatibility.  

Well, it’s his own son; no complaints. He immediately chose [Oak Stick Technique].  

A barely noticeable streak of light entered the baby’s forehead, and the panel refreshed:  

[Bloodline Inheritance successful!]  

[Your descendant *Li Mengjin* has gained the bloodline ability: Innate Sword Blade.]  

[This ability is derived from *Oak Stick Technique*. Your descendant has supreme affinity with all *weapons*. Ordinary branches in his hands can transform into sharp blades. This ability will upgrade continuously as your descendant grows and cultivates.]  

“Oak Stick Technique can be used like that?” Magistrate Liang was somewhat amazed.  

He had thought he was just giving his son a “firewood stick,” but the panel upgraded it directly to a “Xuanyuan Sword”!  

“Since you have weapon affinity, you shall be called Li Mengjin!”  

The joyful news spread, and the entire Li Family Mansion erupted with excitement.  

Li Rongzhou stood with his hands behind his back, trying to maintain the dignity of the family head, but the slight upward curl of his mouth and the occasional glance at the swaddled baby betrayed his excitement.  

“Ahem, good voice, strong limbs, a sturdy little boy,” he cleared his throat and said.  

Xie Yuan brought their five-year-old son Li Mengze to visit. She gently held Zhao Sisi’s hand, asking about her health with concern, then brought over a bowl of nourishing chicken soup that had been prepared in advance.  

“Mengze, come see your little brother,” Xie Yuan said softly.  

Li Mengze, who had been quietly observing from the side, tilted his head, seriously studying something. When he heard his mother’s call, he came over on his short legs, curious.  

When he saw his brother in the swaddling, a peculiar sparkle flashed in his clear eyes, which possessed Insight into Good and Evil.  

In his vision, the halos around ordinary people were gentle, warm, or dim, carrying various emotional hues.  

But his brother radiated a dazzling golden light he had never seen before.  

That light carried no attributes of good or evil, only pure sharpness, like a peerless divine sword drawn from its sheath, instinctively making him squint.  

“Brother... bright.” Li Mengze babbled the two words, reaching out cautiously to touch Li Mengjin’s cheek.  

Li Mengjin seemed to sense his brother’s closeness and smiled with his toothless little mouth. He instinctively waved his small hand and grabbed his brother’s finger.  

Li Mengze gasped, feeling a surprising strength from his little brother’s hand, making it hard to pull away.  

He was not angry but found it novel and fun. His other hand reached over and lightly scratched his brother’s palm.  

Watching the harmonious interaction between his two sons, Li Pingcan relaxed slightly. Xie Yuan had raised their sons well, the concubines were harmonious, and the household was peaceful.  

With Li Mengjin’s birth, the Emerald Dream expanded again.  

At the lake’s center, the white jade holy lotus, after blooming and withering, had produced a full lotus seedpod.  

The lotus seeds within were the embodiment of the training site, similar to the core fragments of the “Dao Foundation” buried by the Holy Lord long ago.  

Most importantly, these lotus seeds were formed by the Emerald Dream and could not be detected by reality.  

“If I mix these lotus seeds into the Ritual Altar... it might just overturn the Heavenly Gang to suppress Liang Zhiyuan’s Foundation Establishment power.”  

Li Pingcan had delayed striking Liang Zhiyuan because he feared the Foundation Establishment power. Cultivators in the late Refining Qi stage were still helpless against those pretending to be Foundation Establishment.  

But if he could secretly control the Ritual Altar and sever the link between Magistrate Liang and the Great Yu destiny...  

Thinking this, he summoned his “Ant Army.”  

Magistrate Liang was a formation master, and the Ritual Altar was surrounded by formations that would suppress any strong individual.  

However, crawling ants on the ground were weak and pitiful, unable to trigger the formations.  

“Go.” Magistrate Liang issued the order.  

Countless ants larger than dust particles carried lotus seeds many times smaller than their bodies like white tides, quietly infiltrating the tiny cracks in the ground.  

They buried the seeds deep underground, hid them in the tiny pores of timber, and even mixed them into the mortar used for building walls. Under the dream power, these lotus seeds instantly transformed into dream illusions.  

After completing this, Li Pingcan looked at the Ritual Altar rising before him and revealed a profound and unfathomable smile.  

“Magistrate Liang, build all you want. The higher and grander you build, the harder you’ll fall in the future.”  

This altar, gathering the will of the people, from the very first stone laid by Moji, no longer belonged to Liang Zhiyuan.  

Winter passed and spring came, taking months.  

The Prayer Ritual Altar, built on the sweat and blood of the people, was finally completed in the center of Yunshui County.  

The altar was three zhang three chi tall, made entirely of polished dark green giant stones, divided into nine layers, each progressively grander, towering into the clouds.  

The altar body was carved with intricate and profound blessing cloud patterns and divine beast carvings to ward off evil, exuding an unassailable solemn dignity.  

On the day of the grand Heaven worship ceremony,  

Magistrate Liang ordered the entire city to be festooned with lanterns and decorations, with brand-new red carpets laid on both sides of the official roads.  

The townspeople were forced to attend the ceremony to demonstrate “unity among all people.”  

They stood along the streets, but their expressions varied.  

Some sincerely hoped the ceremony would bring divine protection and a good harvest next year.  

Some watched numbingly, their eyes hollow, as if everything around them was unrelated.  

More were family members whose able-bodied men had been forcibly conscripted, their eyes filled with deep anxiety, but under the watchful eyes of the officers, they could only force smiles.  

And then there were the dismissed laborers from the construction site. Their clothes were tattered, faces pale and sickly, months of intense labor had left them broken.  

“The auspicious hour has arrived!”  

With a loud bow from the master of ceremonies, Magistrate Liang, dressed in a brand-new luxurious official robe and wearing a purple-gold crown, slowly ascended the highest layer of the altar, surrounded by attendants.  

His expression was solemn, eyes compassionate, facing the heavens and the people, loudly reciting the prepared ritual text.  

His voice was strong and full of reverence for heaven and concern for the people. Anyone unaware of the truth would think this was a benevolent official who cared deeply for the country and its citizens.  

“Today, with the will of all people united, we build this altar to pray for blessings, wishing Great Yu heavenly protection, favorable winds and rains, and peace and prosperity for the nation!”  

After the ritual text, Magistrate Liang took out the “Yunshui Mirror,” symbolizing county authority, from his sleeve and raised it high.  

He poured all his cultivation power into it, chanting incantations to activate the altar’s core formation!  

“Activate!”  

At his command, countless formation patterns suddenly lit up on the altar, emitting a deafening roar.  

An invisible suction force emerged from the altar’s center, drawing the intentions of thousands of people gathered below in the square.  

Countless colorful threads of mental energy rose from the crowd, converging like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a visible torrent surging toward the Yunshui Mirror atop the altar!  

Seeing this, Magistrate Liang finally showed a proud smile.  

He could clearly feel pure streams of willpower being transformed by the Yunshui Mirror, flowing into his limbs and nourishing the foundation damaged by his use of fake pills.  

“It’s working!”  

He was deliriously happy. “Once I absorb this willpower of all the people, my injuries will be fully healed, and my cultivation will improve!”  

But before his proud smile could last three breaths, it froze completely.  

He was horrified to discover that the torrent of mental energy flowing toward him suddenly changed halfway!  

Nearly half of the glowing threads were quietly pulled away by an invisible gentle natural force, dyed a faint green, then vanished like a sinking stone, bypassing his Yunshui Mirror without a trace!  

The altar he had painstakingly built with countless sacrifices, even willing to bear infamy to complete it, had turned into a gift for others!  

“Pfft!”  

Magistrate Liang felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of blood erupted uncontrollably!  

“Who!? Who exactly is it!?”  

No matter how he scanned with his divine consciousness, he could not find any suspicious cultivation fluctuations. That force was gentle, vast, omnipresent, as if the very heavens and earth opposed him!  

This unprecedented humiliation completely shattered his sanity.  

Unable to find the mysterious opponent, he vented all his rage on those he deemed “suspicious.”  

“Guards!” Magistrate Liang’s voice was hoarse and distorted. “Bring all the craftsmen and officials involved in building the altar before me! Interrogate them strictly!”  

He ordered his trusted county deputy, “Immediately raid the Li family’s escort agency and all their shops! I suspect them of spreading heresies and plotting rebellion! Investigate thoroughly! No suspicious live suspects can be spared!”  

Better to kill a thousand wrongly than let one possible thief of his destiny escape!  

The grand blessing ceremony he personally ignited ended abruptly with a ridiculous and bloody arrest farce.  

Suddenly, a storm arrived.  

Inside the Li Family Mansion, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water could drip from it.  

When news came that the county deputy had suddenly raided the Li family’s escort agency and several shops, the entire Li family fell into deadly silence, then erupted into uncontrollable panic.  

“How could this happen? Why would the authorities raid our shops for no reason?”  

“I heard... it’s about that Prayer Ritual Altar, saying the Li family is plotting rebellion...”  

“What can we do now? The county deputy is notorious for his ruthless cruelty. If it falls into his hands, we might not die, but we’ll be stripped to the bone!”  

The servants whispered nervously, fear written all over their faces. Even the usually composed Lady Qin showed a trace of worry.  

At this tense moment, Li Ping'an slowly walked out of the study. He wore his usual green robe, calm in expression, eyes clear, as if the storm outside did not affect him at all.  

“What’s there to panic about?” His voice was low but carried a soothing power. “The sky hasn’t fallen yet.”  

He first whispered to Li Pingfu, who nodded knowingly and immediately went to restrain the family. He told the women to stay in the backyard, act frightened, keep the doors shut, but never lose their composure.  

Then, Li Pingfu summoned Xie Xiaodao and a few trusted brothers, whispering instructions.  

Within half an hour, a new “version” spread through Yunshui County’s teahouses, taverns, and streets.  

“Did you hear? The county deputy’s raid on Li family shops is just personal revenge!”  

“Exactly! I also heard the county deputy had long envied those shops and was looking for a reason to seize them for his own!”  

Rumors blew like wind, cleverly diverting the dirty accusation of “plotting rebellion” into the ditch of “personal grudges.”  

After doing all this, Li Ping'an changed into appropriate clothes, prepared a hefty gift, and said gravely to Li Pingfu, “Brother, I’m leaving the family to you. I must go to the Mu family.”  

“All right. Be careful.” Li Pingfu nodded firmly.  

Li Ping'an did not delay. Taking a carriage, he quietly set off at night toward the Mu family’s city residence.  

The Mu Family Mansion was brightly lit. Though surprised by the late visit from his son-in-law, patriarch Mu Hong immediately received him in the study.  

Incense curled gently in the room.  

Mu Hong sipped tea and calmly asked, “Son-in-law, a late-night visit—have you run into serious trouble?”  

His tone was even, revealing no emotion, but Li Ping'an knew the old father-in-law was weighing whether the Li family was still worth helping.  

“Father-in-law, your wisdom is clear as day.”  

Li Ping'an bowed, his face calm, even smiling confidently. “I came today both to seek help and for the Mu family’s sake.”  

“Oh?” Mu Hong raised an eyebrow, interested. “Tell me.”  

“Magistrate Liang’s recent actions are aimed at my Li family today, but who knows if tomorrow it won’t be against the Mu family’s business in Yunshui County?”  

Li Ping'an spoke bluntly. “You understand better than I do the saying ‘When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold.’”  

Mu Hong smiled ambiguously, “Son-in-law wants the Mu family to confront a magistrate holding official power for your Li family? That doesn’t seem like a profitable deal.”  

“Confronting head-on is the act of a brute.” Li Ping'an shook his head. “What I want is for you, father-in-law, to stir up the waters of Yunshui County thoroughly!”  

He lowered his voice, eyes gleaming with wisdom. “Magistrate Liang’s greatest reliance now is his position as county magistrate. But if under his governance the trade routes clog, prices soar, popular anger rises, and even the ‘Pan Tao Preserved Peach’ supply to the imperial court becomes unstable due to ‘local unrest’... how do you think the officials in the prefecture will view him?”  

Mu Hong’s pupils slightly contracted, his hand holding the teacup frozen mid-air.  

He immediately understood Li Ping'an’s intention.  

This kid wanted to use the Mu family’s power to cut off the root of Magistrate Liang’s strength!  

The Mu family’s connections and trade routes spanned several prefectures. Doing this would take some effort but was not impossible.  

“That is indeed a method.”  

Mu Hong pondered briefly. “But you must give me a reason for the Mu family to get into trouble.”  

Li Ping'an said, “Magistrate Liang is injured and desperate to amass wealth to recover. His appetite will only grow. Overthrowing him will reshuffle Yunshui County’s power structure. At that time, both commercial interests and official connections will face a huge vacuum.”  

Magistrate Liang had backing in the court and was not on the Mu family’s side.  

Li Ping'an appealed with reason and emotion, “After all, Nian and Nianjun call you grandfather. The towering figure that is Magistrate Liang in the Li family’s eyes may not be so in the Mu family’s.”  

Mu Hong thought of his clever granddaughter and grandson, sighing inwardly. Old age softened hearts.  

He relented, “Speak. What do you want me to do?”  

“Very simple.”  

Li Ping'an was certain in his heart. “Father-in-law only needs to use your trade routes to raise the prices of essential goods like salt, iron, cloth, and grain in Yunshui County by thirty percent in the next month or two. At the same time, send letters to your old friends in the prefecture, claiming that Magistrate Liang is extorting taxes and imposing harsh policies, causing merchants to avoid the area and businesses to decline.”  

“Cut off the root and add fuel to the fire. Not bad.”