"St... Stop!"
Tudigong came scrambling over and spread his arms to block Xiruan.
"Little Ancestor, you mustn't! You really mustn't!"
This little girl wasn't just picking peaches—she was clearly trying to dig up the very foundations of the Heavenly Court!
Xiruan tilted her little head and looked at the short old man in front of her, who was crying so hard his nose was running.
This village tyrant's hired hand sure was loyal.
She reached out her chubby little hand and gave him a gentle push.
Tudigong spun around seven or eight times like a top before plopping onto the ground, stars dancing before his eyes.
"Move, I'm gonna get money for Daddy to pay off his debt."
Xiruan's face was solemn, her voice brimming with righteousness.
[Ping! Host's choice confirmed. Reward issued!]
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained an Innate Supreme Treasure: the Qiankun Cauldron!]
A flash of light.
An ancient, imposing three-legged bronze cauldron engraved with Runes of the Great Dao appeared out of thin air before Xiruan.
Primordial Qi radiated from the cauldron, making the Immortal Qi throughout Pantaoyuan surge.
"Wow, what a big pot!"
Xiruan's eyes lit up.
She'd been worrying about where to put all these Peach Trees.
The system was so thoughtful!
Tudigong was already dumbstruck.
T-the Qiankun Cauldron?!
The one Nuwa used to mend the heavens?!
The very same Qiankun Cauldron Taishang Laojun used to refine pills?!
And she was using it as a sack for this Little Devil King?
Xiruan had no idea what Tudigong was thinking. She walked over to the nearest 3000-Year Peach Tree and wrapped her lotus-root-like arms around it.
"Heave-ho!"
Her little face turned red from straining as she gripped the tree with both hands and yanked hard.
Rumble—!
The entire Peach Garden shook violently!
The Immortal Vein connected to the Peach Tree was forcibly torn apart, and countless streams of spiritual energy gushed from underground, forming rays of rosy light visible to the naked eye.
To Tudigong's utter horror, the Immortal Root—which would have taken several immortals working together to budge—was pulled out by a three-and-a-half-year-old toddler!
"Done!"
Xiruan clapped her hands in satisfaction and tossed the entire Peach Tree into the Qiankun Cauldron.
The cauldron contained its own space. The enormous Peach Tree fell inside without making a sound.
"Next!"
She strutted toward the second tree.
"N-no, please!"
Tudigong let out a heart-rending scream and grabbed Xiruan's little leg.
"Ancestor! My dear Little Ancestor! Please leave me one tree! Just one, all right?!"
"No." Xiruan shook her head, her little face full of resolve. "Debts must be repaid. That's only right! We can't leave behind a single hair of the village tyrant's property!"
She lifted her leg, flinging the unwanted accessory away.
Next, the most horrifying scene in the history of the Primeval World unfolded in Pantaoyuan.
A tiny little girl was huffing and puffing as she pulled up trees.
One tree up, one tree tossed away.
Her movements were practiced, her efficiency astonishing.
The ones that ripened every three thousand years—pulled up!
The ones that ripened every six thousand years—pulled up too!
Before long, more than half of Pantaoyuan was bare, as if Xiaotian Dog had gnawed it all away.
Tudigong slumped completely to the ground, his eyes vacant as he muttered to himself over and over, "It's over... It's all over..."
The Heavenly Court's Fortune was draining away at a visible rate.
Xiruan wiped away her sweat, her eyes falling on the deepest part of the garden.
There stood several particularly unusual Peach Trees, wreathed in purple mist and surrounded by rosy light. Each of their fruits was bigger than her face.
"Huh? These radishes are the prettiest!"
She pattered over, plucked a 9000-Year Peach, hugged it in both arms, and took a bite.
"Crunch—"
It was wonderfully crisp.
"Sweet~"
The next second, a colossal surge of life force exploded inside her!
"Burp... It tastes pretty good, just a little filling."
Xiruan patted her round little belly and casually tossed aside the 9000-Year Peach that could have made a mortal an immortal on the spot.
Just then.
The space above Pantaoyuan rippled like the surface of a lake.
An old man with white hair and a youthful complexion, dressed in a Taoist robe patterned with the Eight Trigrams, rode a Green Ox out of the rippling space.
He was none other than Taishang Laojun, the benevolent avatar of Taiqing, one of the Three Pure Ones.
He had been refining pills at Doushuai Palace when he suddenly sensed the Heavenly Court's Fortune thrown into chaos. A quick calculation revealed that something had happened in Pantaoyuan.
But when he saw the scene before him, even his Saint's Dao Heart gave a hard twitch.
The place was a complete mess, and the Immortal Vein had been severed.
A delicate little girl stood amid the stripped-bare Peach Garden, with a huge pot beside her containing countless Peach Trees.
Taishang Laojun's gaze froze.
Xiruan spotted him too.
She raised her head and curiously sized up the newcomer with her big, bright eyes.
He was riding a cow and holding a Whisk, with the air of an immortal sage.
He looked more powerful than that village tyrant Haotian.
He must be another debt collector here to help the village tyrant! And a big shot, too!
Xiruan instantly went on guard and swung the Chaos Baby Bottle back onto her shoulder.
She stared at Taishang Laojun with wide eyes and shouted in her baby voice:
"Hey! Another rent collector? Get in line!"
Taishang Laojun sat astride the Green Ox, his Dao Heart thrown into disarray.
The Dao Heart that had been still as an ancient well for billions of years was now in turmoil!
"Young friend..."
He spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse.
"Shut up!" Xiruan cut him off, sounding fierce despite her baby voice. "Don't call me young friend. I don't know you!"
She looked Taishang Laojun up and down, wrinkling her little nose.
He smelled like pills, a far nicer scent than peaches.
He looked like a rich old man.
"You're with that village tyrant from earlier, right? He's the village chief, and you're the accountant?"
Xiruan's little mind raced as she assigned him a role.
Taishang Laojun: "..."
Accountant?
He was the benevolent avatar of Dao De Tianzun, the leader of the Three Pure Ones, and she thought he was some mortal bookkeeper?
"I, this poor Daoist..."
"Poor this, poor that! You obviously look like a bad guy!" Xiruan said fiercely in her baby voice. "My Daddy owes you money, fine! But you can't lock him up and bully him every day!"
"I'm telling you, these Peach Trees are the interest! I'll go to your house and haul away the principal!"
Before you continue