Three days after the harvest began, trouble arrived.
Not in the form of cultivators, demons, or bandits…But something far more common — and far more dangerous to a helpless village.
The northern winds brought dust instead of rain, and the millet stalks began to wilt.Crops that were supposed to feed the whole winter turned brittle and yellow.
The villagers panicked.
"Are the spirits angry?""Will our children starve?""Did someone offend the mountain god?"
Fear swirled like a storm.When fear ruled people, logic died — and chaos thrived.
Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
Chaos is the cradle of power.
The village chief, Old He, gathered everyone at the central fire pit. His beard was white, his back curved, but his presence still held authority.
"We must reduce food portions," he announced. "Share equally. Pray for rain."
The villagers murmured anxiously.
Li Fan stepped forward.
A six-year-old boy… stepping into the center of the village.The adults laughed.
"Fan'er, go back to your mother.""Children shouldn't interrupt."
But Old He frowned.
The boy's eyes were too steady.Too calm.Not the eyes of a child.
"What do you want to say, Li Fan?" the chief asked.
Li Fan bowed respectfully.
Then he raised his head.
And spoke his first command.
"Stop sharing the food."
Silence.
The villagers froze.
"What?!""This child wants us to starve?""Li Zheng, what is wrong with your boy?!"
Li Fan didn't flinch.
"I said," he repeated, voice sharp and clear,"Stop sharing the food equally."
Old He narrowed his eyes. "Explain."
Li Fan looked around the circle, his gaze piercing each frightened villager.
"If you give everyone equal food," he said slowly, "the strong will eat more and work less.""The weak will eat less and die anyway.""And the entire village will collapse."
A harsh truth — but a truth nonetheless.
Gasps spread.Even the chief's expression tightened.
Li Fan pointed at the drying fields.
"We need people to survive the winter.Not everyone will make it.But the village must make it."
He paused.
Then delivered the full weight of his plan.
"Farmers who harvest more get more food," he said."Hunters who bring meat get extra share.""Carpenters who repair houses are prioritized."
"And those who do nothing…"He let his eyes sweep across the lazy drunkard family."…receive nothing until they work."
Shock.
Then whispers.
Then realization.
Old He's hands trembled.Because what the boy said…
…was correct.
This was the mindset of kings.Of generals.Of rulers.
Not a child.
Li Fan continued:
"If we ration based on contribution, people will work harder.Food will last longer.The lazy will stop draining the village."
He stepped forward, voice cold as a winter blade.
"Strength is not in fairness.Strength is in survival."
The chief slowly stood.
"Li Fan…"He swallowed."This system… is brilliant."
The villagers murmured in agreement.
A few protested:
"But he's a child!""Since when do we listen to a boy?!"
Old He silenced them.
"Since the boy spoke more wisely than any of us."
Then, in front of everyone, he placed his hand on Li Fan's shoulder.
"From this day onward, Li Fan will serve as the village's… Advisor."
At six years old.
Gasps erupted.
Li Fan bowed politely…
But inside, a spark of satisfaction glowed.
The first position of power.The first foothold.The first step of his empire.
Without raising a fist.Without using a drop of spiritual energy.
Only the power of the mind.
His father held him tightly.
"Fan'er… where did you learn such things?"
Li Fan only looked at the moon and whispered:
"The world is cruel, father.If we don't change… we die."
But in his heart, another voice whispered:
The village is just the beginning.Mortals first…Then cultivators…Then the heavens themselves.