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

Xu Nuo stared intently at Li Wanning, her gaze piercing. Li Wanning felt uneasy under her gaze, his fingers twisting the edge of the account book, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Your Highness, the eldest daughter of the Shen family has arrived. She says she wants to see you." Lin Hu's announcement broke the deadlock.

Xu Nuo withdrew her gaze. "Consider yourself lucky. Go, bring the person in."

Li Wanning felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and ran away with the account book in his hand.

Xu Nuo lay back down in the rocking chair. Shen Qingyi's arrival at this time was simply because the Primordial Holy Land had made a decision. Two peak fourth-rank cultivators died last night, yet they still had the nerve to come to him today. It seemed that the Holy Land's desire for the Great Li imperial power was even deeper than he had imagined.

A moment later, footsteps sounded.

Shen Qingyi walked into the backyard. She wore a long blue dress, looking as aloof as a banished immortal. However, her exquisitely beautiful face was now covered with an unyielding frost.

What was most striking was the faint bruise around her fair and slender neck.

I promised to pinch him last night.

The old woman in black followed behind Shen Qingyi, her eyes filled with venom as she looked at Xu Nuo.

Xu Nuo lay back in the rocking chair, not even lifting her eyelids. "Saintess Shen, here to deliver money again?"

Shen Qingyi paused. The humiliation of having three thousand spirit stones stolen from her in the Wanbaoge private room last night instantly flooded her mind. She took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her emotions.

"I promise, I am here today on behalf of the Primordial Holy Land." Shen Qingyi's voice was cold, trying to regain her lofty status as a saintess.

"Oh." Xu Nuo shifted to a more comfortable position. "So, you're here to represent the Holy Land and kowtow to me in apology?"

"Insolence!" the old woman in black shouted angrily. "Arrogant brat, do you really think that killing two outer sect elders of my Holy Land can challenge the Holy Land's majesty? The Holy Maiden condescending to see you is a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes!"

Xu Nuo opened her eyes.

No nonsense.

The dark golden aura flashed and disappeared at his fingertips.

boom!

The old woman in black didn't even have time to react before her knees slammed heavily onto the bluestone slab. The sound of bones cracking was crisp and piercing.

The immense pressure, like a tangible mountain, forced the old woman to lie face down on the ground, her cheek pressed tightly against the shattered stone slabs, unable to move even a finger.

"Master is speaking, why is the dog interrupting?" Xu Nuo closed his eyes again.

Shen Qingyi's expression changed drastically. She knew Xu Nuo was strong, but she didn't expect him to be this strong. The old woman was at the mid-stage of the fourth rank, yet she couldn't even withstand a single move from Xu Nuo.

Li Wanning stood behind a pillar, holding a tea tray, swallowing hard as he watched. This was someone from the Primordial Holy Land, who could abolish a promise so easily—he was practically a living devil.

"Xu Nuo, don't go too far," Shen Qingyi said through gritted teeth.

"Excessive?" Xu Nuo laughed. "Last night you sent people to smash my rockery, and today you brought a dog to my yard barking wildly. Shen Qingyi, who's really going too far?"

Shen Qingyi's chest heaved violently. She realized that her prized negotiation skills were completely useless in front of this man. He didn't play by the rules, and he disregarded all conventions.

"The Holy Lord has decreed," Shen Qingyi cut straight to the point, afraid that she would get angry if she continued beating around the bush, "As long as you are willing to serve the Holy Land, last night's matter will be wiped clean. The Holy Land can provide you with all the resources you need for cultivation, and can even guarantee that you can walk sideways in the capital."

"Let's call it even?" Xu Nuo sat up, picked up the teacup on the table, and said, "You sent two old idiots to kill me, and they failed. Now you come here saying it's all settled. Are all the people from your Holy Land a little mentally unstable?"

Shen Qingyi clenched her fists. "What do you want?"

"Pay up." Xu Nuo stretched out his hand. "Repair costs for the artificial hill, compensation for emotional distress, and 100,000 low-grade spirit stones."

Shen Qingyi stared wide-eyed at him as if he were a madman. "One hundred thousand spirit stones? The entire annual turnover of Wanbao Pavilion isn't that much! This is robbery!"

"No? Then get lost." Xu Nuo slammed his teacup heavily on the stone table.

Shen Qingyi stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay. She, a dignified saintess, had actually stooped to bargaining with a纨绔 (a spoiled, dissolute young man).

Li Wanning walked over with a tea tray, placed the teacups on the stone table, and muttered under his breath, "Sister, if you don't have money, don't try to act like a big shot. We at Zuixianlou don't offer credit."

Shen Qingyi gave Li Wanning a cold glance.

A trace of the oppressive aura of a peak fourth-grade cultivator unconsciously leaked out.

Li Wanning's face turned pale, and his hand holding the tea tray trembled violently.

boom!

Dark golden dragon-shaped energy instantly enveloped the entire backyard.

A violent gust of wind overturned the stone table, shattering teacups all over the floor. Shen Qingyi felt her breath catch in her throat, as if she were being stared at by an ancient, ferocious beast, and her blood seemed to freeze.

Xu Nuo took a step and stood in front of Shen Qingyi.

They were so close they could feel the brutal killing intent emanating from him.

"You dare touch my people on my turf?" Xu Nuo looked down at her, his voice icy cold. "Shen Qingyi, do you think I didn't break your neck last night because I have a good temper?"

Shen Qingyi subconsciously took a half step back, her back pressed against a pillar.

She looked into Xu Nuo's deep black eyes, which held no trace of pity, only pure violence.

"I..." Shen Qingyi opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"If you can't come up with 100,000 spirit stones, then exchange them for something of equal value." Xu Nuo stared at her. "For example, the cultivation techniques of the Primordial Holy Land. Or, you."

Shen Qingyi's face flushed red, the feeling of humiliation instantly overwhelming her reason. "You're shameless!"

"Is that shameless?" Xu Nuo sneered. "Your Holy Land wants to get something for nothing, making me your dog, isn't that shameless?"

The old woman, lying on the ground, struggled to raise her head, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth: "Holy Maiden... go... this boy is utterly unreasonable..."

Shen Qingyi bit her lip until it bled. The taste of blood spread in her mouth.

She knew that if she didn't leave something behind today, Xu Nuo was absolutely capable of stripping her naked and hanging her on the city gate tower. That madman was capable of anything.

She reached into her storage bag, pulled out an ancient-looking jade slip, and slapped it onto the stone bench beside her.

"This is a fragment of the 'Spirit-Guiding Technique' from the Primordial Holy Land. Although it's a fragment, it can increase the speed of absorbing spiritual energy by three times. Its value definitely exceeds 100,000 spirit stones."

Xu Nuo picked up the jade slip and forcefully probed it with his divine sense.

It's definitely a good thing. The Primordial Dragon Soul is a bottomless pit; with this, the speed at which it absorbs spirit stones and medicinal herbs can be greatly increased.

"It'll do alright." Xu Nuo tossed the jade slip to Li Wanning. "Keep it safe."

Li Wanning hurriedly caught the jade slip and held it in his arms like a precious treasure.

"Now, can we talk about cooperation?" Shen Qingyi asked coldly.

"No." Xu Nuo lay back down in the rocking chair. "The items are to compensate for the artificial rockery. As for the cooperation, it depends on my mood. Lin Hu, see the guest out."

Shen Qingyi was so angry that she trembled all over.

In all her life, she had never seen such a shameless and unreasonable person. They took the things and then denied them, acting as if they were completely justified.

"Xu Nuo, don't be so arrogant." Shen Qingyi stared intently at him. "The Second Prince has his eye on you. He will never let Wang Yuan's matter rest. Without the protection of the Holy Land, you won't be able to move an inch in this capital!"

"Li Chengqian?" Xu Nuo sneered. "If he dares to come, I'll bury him along with me. Goodbye, and don't bother seeing me out."

Shen Qingyi knew that continuing the conversation would only bring her further humiliation. She stepped forward to help the seriously injured old woman up, then turned and walked outside.

She stopped at the gate and looked back at Xu Nuo.

You'll regret it.

"Step over the threshold before you start talking tough, or you'll trip over it," Xu Nuo replied with her eyes closed.

Shen Qingyi swayed and almost tripped on the threshold. She gritted her teeth and left Zuixianlou without looking back.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Li Wanning moved closer to the rocking chair, looking at the jade slip in his hand and then at Xu Nuo.

"You really offended the Primordial Holy Land to the death? That's a behemoth. And you even stole their cultivation technique."

"A behemoth?" Xu Nuo opened his eyes and looked at the tree canopy above him. "Sooner or later, I'll dismantle it and use it as firewood."

Li Wanning pursed his lips. "You're bragging. But you were actually pretty cool yelling at that ice queen for my sake just now."

"Don't flatter yourself." Xu Nuo glanced at her. "I'm just afraid she'll scare you to death, and then no one will be there to manage my accounts."

Li Wanning was furious. He stomped on Xu Nuo's foot and ran back to the front hall with the jade slip in his arms.

Xu Nuo touched his chin.

The Primordial Holy Land, the Second Prince.

The waters of the capital are getting muddier and muddier. But the muddier the water, the bigger the fish.

He stood up and stretched. The jade pendant on his chest was faintly warm; the Primordial Dragon Soul was reacting to the fragment of the "Spirit Guiding Technique."