The saintess is pregnant, what does that have to do with me, a spoiled brat?

"Who exactly are you?" Shen Qingyi took a deep breath. "A playboy from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion could never have such cunning."

Xu Nuo looked at her as if she were a joke.

"Does it matter who I am?" Xu Nuo took a step forward, and Shen Qingyi subconsciously stepped back, her back against the red wall.

"The important thing is, don't judge me by your high and mighty attitude of the Primordial Holy Land." Xu Nuo lowered his head, looking at her cold and beautiful face. "Something that could be solved with ten thousand taels of silver has to be fought over. People from your Holy Land aren't very bright."

Shen Qingyi gritted her teeth. When had she, a dignified saintess, ever been humiliated like this?

"Zhang Tingyu is dead, and the Ministry of Revenue is vacant. The balance of power in the court has been broken. Do you think you can escape unscathed?" Shen Qingyi said coldly. "The Dali royal family and the other princes will not let you, this variable, go."

"So what?" Xu Nuo straightened up, dusted off his clothes, and said, "If one comes, I'll kill it; if two come, I'll bury them both. As for you..."

Xu Nuo looked her up and down.

"You want to control the imperial power of Dali? With your brains, you might as well go to sleep."

After saying that, Xu Nuo turned and left, disappearing into the night.

Shen Qingyi stood rooted to the spot, her chest heaving violently. She stared at Xu Nuo's retreating figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions. This man was arrogant to the extreme, yet possessed terrifying methods to match.

She suddenly realized that her scheming, which she was so proud of, was like child's play in the face of promises.

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

As soon as Xu Nuo entered, Lin Hu greeted him, his face beaming.

"Your Highness! The palace's rewards have arrived! Ten thousand taels of gold, and a pile of fine silks and satins!"

In the courtyard, a dozen large red boxes were lined up in a row, gleaming with gold.

Xu Nuo glanced at it.

"Send the silk to Zuixianlou to make some clothes for that girl Li Wanning. Take all the gold to the black market and exchange it for top-grade medicinal herbs. Remember, be quick."

Lin Hu was stunned for a moment: "Young Master, exchange them all? That's ten thousand taels of gold!"

"Are you keeping them to breed?" Xu Nuo kicked the box. "Go do it."

"yes!"

inside the room.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged on the bed.

This whole affair at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet not only got rid of Zhang Tingyu, but also made a fortune. With Chen Wanjin's backer gone, the remaining assets of the Chen family can be seized tomorrow.

However, the most urgent task is to break through to the fourth rank.

A fourth-rank martial artist can project their inner energy. Only by reaching the fourth rank can one truly have the means to protect oneself in the capital.

Half an hour later, Lin Hu returned with several cartloads of medicinal herbs.

The black market is extremely efficient; as long as you pay enough, you can get any kind of elixir, regardless of its age.

Xu Nuo looked at the medicinal herbs piled up in the room and closed her eyes.

The jade pendant on her chest was burning hot.

Roar!

The Primordial Dragon Soul let out a deafening roar.

The medicinal herbs in the room visibly dried up, transforming into pure energy that flowed into Xu Nuo's body.

The sixth dragon pattern began to flash wildly.

The bones emitted a thunderous cracking sound. Muscle fibers tore and reformed.

A sharp pain struck.

Xu Nuo gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

The leap from the fifth rank to the fourth rank represents a qualitative leap. Physical strength needs to increase exponentially to withstand the generation of Qi.

It lasted for a full three hours.

As the last thousand-year-old blood ginseng turned to ashes, a crisp cracking sound suddenly came from within Xu Nuo's body.

It was as if some kind of constraint had been broken.

The sixth dragon pattern is now fully illuminated!

boom!

A violent aura erupted from Xu Nuo's body.

This is not ordinary internal energy.

Instead, it was a dark golden dragon-shaped aura!

His inner energy emanated outwards, condensing into a set of dark golden armor on Xu Nuo's body, with faint dragon scales appearing on its surface.

A fourth-rank martial artist!

Xu Nuo opened her eyes, a dark golden light flashing deep within her pupils.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The air was squeezed and exploded, producing a piercing sonic boom.

"This is the fourth rank."

Xu Nuo felt the surging power within his body. An ordinary fourth-rank martial artist's protective aura is either cyan or white. But his dragon-shaped protective aura not only possessed terrifying defensive power, but also carried the devouring properties of an ancient dragon soul.

Even against a third-rank martial artist, he dares to confront him head-on.

The next morning.

Even before Zuixianlou opened, a long queue had already formed outside.

The news of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet had already spread. Who wouldn't want to try the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," a dish even the Empress Dowager praised highly?

Li Wanning stood behind the counter, looking at the dense crowd outside, and couldn't stop smiling.

"We're rich! We're rich!"

Xu Nuo came down from the second floor and yawned.

"Look at your pathetic self."

Li Wanning rolled her eyes at him: "What do you know! This is all pure silver! By the way, what exactly did you do in the palace yesterday? I heard that Minister of Revenue Zhang Tingyu went mad and his entire family was executed?"

"He brought this on himself, who else can he blame?" Xu Nuo walked to the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Li Wanning leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Tell me honestly, did you do it?"

"So what if it is?" Xu Nuo took a sip of tea.

Li Wanning gasped.

That's the Minister of Revenue! A high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court!

He was killed so easily by Xu Nuo?

Looking at Xu Nuo, she suddenly felt that this man was unfathomable. She had originally thought he was just a slightly clever playboy, but now it seemed that he was a living devil.

"Alright, stop looking at me like that." Xu Nuo put down her teacup. "How's the Chen family doing now?"

When serious matters were mentioned, Li Wanning immediately perked up.

"When Chen Wanjin heard that Zhang Tingyu's property had been confiscated, he was so frightened that he vomited blood and fainted. The Chen family is now leaderless and in complete chaos. The managers of the restaurants and pawnshops under their names have all absconded with the money."

"Run?" Xu Nuo sneered. "Everything you've swallowed, you'll have to spit out."

He stood up.

"Let's go collect the debt from the Chen family."

The once bustling Chen mansion is now desolate.

The gate was wide open, and several servants were running out carrying bundles on their backs.

Xu Nuo, accompanied by Lin Hu and a dozen guards, strode into the Chen residence.

"Stop!" Lin Hu shouted, and the guards immediately stepped forward and pinned the servants who were trying to escape to the ground.

"Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us!" The servants were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly.

Xu Nuo didn't even look at them and went straight to the backyard.

The master bedroom was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

Chen Wanjin lay on the bed, his face ashen, barely breathing. Both his legs were broken, his backer had fallen, and his family fortune had been robbed. He now felt like dying.

Hearing footsteps, Chen Wanjin opened his eyes with difficulty.

The moment he saw Xu Nuo, he trembled violently.

"What...what are you doing here..." Chen Wanjin's voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

"Let's see if Patriarch Chen is dead." Xu Nuo pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed.

"You've won..." Chen Wanjin closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. "The Chen family is finished. Kill me if you want."

"Kill you? That would dirty my hands." Xu Nuo tapped the edge of the bed. "The Chen family also owns five restaurants, three pawnshops, and two estates in the capital. Where are the deeds?"

Chen Wanjin suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at Xu Nuo.

"You've already stolen two hundred thousand taels! Now you want my ancestral property?!"

"Ancestral property?" Xu Nuo laughed. "When you hired someone to kill me, didn't you ever think this day would come? I'm a fair person. You paid for my life, now it's time to pay for your emotional distress."

"You're dreaming! I'd rather die than give you the land deed!" Chen Wanjin gritted his teeth.

"yes."

Xu Nuo stood up and walked to the bedside.

He raised his hand, and dark golden energy swirled around his fingertips.

Chen Wanjin's pupils suddenly contracted.

Qi!