Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

As dawn broke, Qin Ruxue walked into the master bedroom, bringing with her a chill.

She looked at Lin Mo, who was still lying motionless on the bed, and gave a concise report to her superior.

"The treasury has been inventoried. There are 300,000 taels of gold, 8.7 million taels of silver, and more than 300 boxes of copper coins, too many to count."

"The value of all kinds of jewelry, jade, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings is incalculable."

"Wu Zhong's skill in exploiting the land is a hundred times better than his skill in fighting."

"Furthermore, the Xuanjia Army has completely taken control of Tiebi Pass. The city gates, armory, and granary are all in our hands."

Lin Mo rolled over, facing the wall, exuding an aura of "leave me alone".

He didn't sleep well all night, spending half the night drawing circles around the canyon entrance in the map of mountains and rivers.

He wanted to build another wall there and turn Tiebiguan into a two-way toll station.

The system notification caused his blood pressure to spike immediately.

[Warning: Territory morale is below 0, lord's reputation rating is "Man-eating Demon," and the "Infrastructure Inhumane" lockout protocol has been triggered. Large buildings cannot be constructed at Ironwall Pass.]

Good grief, not only can I not do infrastructure construction, but I've also been certified by the system as being anti-human.

Where can I go to seek justice?

It seems we still need to hurry up and boost public morale.

"What about the money distribution order? How effective was it?"

Lin Mo rubbed his temples and sat up in bed.

"The effect is not good."

Qin Ruxue's answer was crisp and concise.

"They all hid inside the house and refused to open the door."

The soldiers of the Xuanjia Army banged gongs and shouted all night long.

All they received in response were tightly closed doors and windows and deathly silence.

The entire Iron Wall Pass was as quiet as a giant tomb.

The people hiding behind the gaps in the doors and windows whispered among themselves.

"Give out money? Give out grain? Who would believe that! Even Wuzhong has never been this kind!"

"Exactly! It's like a weasel paying respects to a chicken! Let me tell you, this newcomer, Lin Mo, is a man-eating demon!"

"That's right! My relative's neighbor's brother-in-law's younger brother works outside the camp!"

"He said he saw with his own eyes last night that General Wang and General Li were eaten alive by Lin Mo! The fire in the camp was Lin Mo roasting human flesh!"

A thug who had just run back from the street corner lowered his voice, his face still showing signs of shock.

"That's right! I saw it too! When Lin Mo came out of the camp, he was carrying a human arm in his hand, gnawing on it as he walked. It was terrifying!"

The rumors grew increasingly outrageous, and fear festered in the silence.

……

The sky was bright.

The scene at Dongmen Square was quite awkward.

On one side of the square were piles of grain sacks, bulging like small mountains, and rows of open, gleaming copper money boxes.

On the other side, there was an empty street and the Xuanjia Army standing in solemn formation.

Time passed by, and the sun rose high in the sky.

A few figures finally drifted over to the square; they were all beggars and vagrants who couldn't make a living in the city.

They were poorly clothed and emaciated.

They only dared to gather at the alley entrance from a distance, craning their necks to watch, but none of them dared to step forward.

"Lin Mo, they're treating us like a plague."

Qin Ruxue was starting to lose her composure.

Lin Mo leaned back in a grand chair, which he had moved directly from Wu Zhong's residence.

"normal."

"Fear is an iceberg; it needs to be melted slowly with fire. Just wait and see; there will always be someone who dares to be the first to try it."

As he spoke, the Xuanjia guards beside Lin Mochong waved their hands.

"Set up the pot and start a fire."

The Xuanjia Guards moved with practiced ease, and soon more than a dozen large iron pots used for marching were set up.

"Pour the rice in."

Lin Mo gave another order.

slam-la-

The snow-white rice was poured into the pot without hesitation, instantly submerging half of the pot.

"Throw that in too."

Lin Mo pointed to the cart next to him, which was loaded with golden cured meat that had been brought over from the granary.

The Xuanjia guards drew their sabers and, with a few swift movements, chopped the large chunks of cured meat into thick slices, which they then tossed directly into the pot.

Water, white rice, and fragrant meat.

With a simple setup, the firewood roared to life, and the water in the pot quickly began to bubble and boil.

An irresistible aroma of meat porridge, mixed with the smoky scent of firewood, began to spread rapidly from the East Gate Square throughout the entire city.

This flavor was simply irresistible to those people who could only fill their stomachs with wild vegetable porridge and bran all day long.

Behind countless cracks in doors and windows, pairs of eyes gleamed with greed.

Countless empty bellies, uncooperatively, emitted thunderous "gurgling" sounds.

The sound of swallowing saliva could be heard repeatedly in many closed rooms.

Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore.

A small figure made up his mind.

It was a ragged little boy, so hungry that he was just a skeleton, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

He stumbled out of an alley, his eyes fixed on the dozen or so pots of porridge bubbling away, emitting a rich aroma.

He lunged at the porridge pot, and also at the black-armored soldiers who held weapons and had indifferent expressions.

Everyone who was secretly watching had their hearts in their throats.

Lin Mo stood up from the armchair, took a large bowl and spoon from the soldier, and walked to the pot.

He stirred the pot with a large spoon and scooped up a full spoonful.

The rice grains have been cooked until they bloom, and the pieces of cured pork, with their alternating layers of fat and lean meat, are tender, juicy, and fragrant, with steam rising from them.

Lin Mo handed the bowl of porridge to the little boy and said gently.

"Don't rush, be careful it's hot."

The little boy blankly accepted the bowl, which was bigger than his face. The heat from the bowl made him shiver.

He didn't care anymore, buried his head, and made a "slurping" sound towards the rim of the bowl.

The sound of wolfing down food, mixed with the aroma of meat porridge, broke the eerie silence of the square and resonated in the hearts of every onlooker.

The bowl of porridge was quickly emptied, and the little boy licked the bottom of the bowl clean.

He stood there for a long time, holding the empty bowl.

Her little face turned bright red.

Finally, she mustered up her courage and timidly looked up at Lin Mo.

"My...my mother is sick...she can't get out of bed..."

"Could I... take a bowl back to her?"

Lin Mo looked at him and smiled.

He reached out and touched the little boy's messy head, took the bowl from his hand, and without saying a word, filled the bowl to the brim.

"Take it."

"Thank you! Thank you, sir!"

The little boy was overjoyed. He took the bowl, thanked the bowl repeatedly, and turned to run away.

"etc."

Lin Mo called him back again.

The little boy's body stiffened.

He clutched the porridge tightly in his arms and turned around nervously.

He had no idea what this seemingly powerful "demon king" was going to do to him.