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

evening.

Several heavily laden horse-drawn carriages drove into the Xishan camp.

The steward of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion wiped away his cold sweat and handed Lin Hu a thick stack of silver notes and several boxes of cash.

One million two hundred thousand taels.

Xu Nuo sat on the command platform, looking down at the Marquis's private soldiers who had been hanging for a day and were on the verge of death.

Release them.

The ropes were cut, and more than a hundred people were thrown to the ground like dead dogs.

The steward didn't dare utter a sound, and had his men load the private soldiers onto a cart and slink away.

Li Wanning stood next to Xu Nuo, his eyes fixed on the silver notes.

"At the speed at which you make money, even the national treasury isn't as full as you are." She swallowed hard.

Xu Nuo ignored her, took out a stack of silver notes, and threw them to Lin Hu.

"The 100,000 taels have been distributed among the brothers of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion."

On the training ground, the young soldiers who had been harboring resentment towards Xu Nuo fell silent instantly.

One hundred thousand taels?

With hundreds of people sharing it, each person could receive several hundred taels!

Niu Dachun clutched his severed hand, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

"Your Highness... this... this is for us?"

"I said, my word is law." Xu Nuo stood up. "Those who obey will get meat. Those who disobey will be hung on wooden stakes. Take your money, and starting tomorrow, train like crazy. Anyone who dares to slack off, I'll skin them alive."

"I am willing to die for the Crown Prince!"

Hundreds of troublemakers knelt down in unison, their roars deafening.

A combination of kindness and severity.

Watching this scene, Li Wanning curled his lip and said, "You're quite adept at winning people's hearts."

"This is called military expenditure." Xu Nuo put the remaining silver notes into his pocket. "Let's go back to the city."

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

Xu Nuo exchanged the one million taels for one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.

The manager of Wanbaoge was so nervous that his legs went weak, and he looked at Xu Nuo as if he were looking at a god of wealth.

in the room.

Ten thousand spirit stones were piled up like a mountain.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged, and the "Primordial Dragon-Summoning Technique" began to operate wildly.

The jade pendant on her chest was burning hot.

The ancient dragon soul greedily devoured the spiritual energy.

The ninth dragon pattern began to appear faintly.

Middle stage of third grade.

Late stage of the third rank.

boom!

A violent, dark golden aura raged through the room, instantly turning tables and chairs into dust.

Xu Nuo opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

The 100,000 spirit stones turned to ashes once again.

"It's still not enough."

He felt the surging power within him. He was at the peak of the third rank, just one step away from the second rank.

But the resources needed for this front line are probably ten times greater than before.

We need to find an even bigger sucker.

three days later.

West Mountain Hunting Grounds.

The Royal Autumn Hunt is an annual grand event in the Great Li Dynasty.

Banners covered the sky, and armored soldiers were as numerous as clouds.

Xu Nuo, dressed in light black armor, rode a black horse and led the elite cavalry to guard the outer perimeter.

After three days of grueling training and being bribed, the troublemakers in the elite cavalry now look at Xu Nuo with more affection than they would at their own father.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince's men are ahead." Lin Hu rode closer and lowered his voice.

Xu Nuo looked up.

On the stands not far away, the Second Prince Li Chengqian, dressed in a bright yellow python robe, was chatting and laughing with several noble sons.

Beside him sat a woman in a blue dress.

Shen Qingyi.

She was an ice queen, with a cool and aloof demeanor, as if the noise around her had nothing to do with her.

Seemingly noticing Xu Nuo's gaze, Shen Qingyi tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting his across the crowd.

His eyes were icy cold, filled with undisguised murderous intent.

Xu Nuo smiled.

Instead of dodging, he raised an eyebrow at Shen Qingyi and mouthed a gesture.

"A defeated opponent."

Shen Qingyi's fingers tightened suddenly around the teacup, her knuckles turning white.

Click.

A crack appeared in the celadon teacup.

"Holy Maiden, don't be hasty." Li Chengqian noticed her unusual behavior, followed her gaze to Xu Nuo, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Once we enter the hunting grounds, he'll be in for a world of hurt."

Shen Qingyi released her hand, letting the tea spill onto the table.

"He won't live past today."

The bugle sounded.

The emperor's carriage arrived.

After a lengthy ritual and instruction, the autumn hunt officially began.

Xun Gui's sons rushed into the dense forest, searching for prey.

Xu Nuo led the elite cavalry to patrol the outer perimeter.

"Your Highness, something's not right." Lin Hu frowned. "The eastern defense line was originally the responsibility of the Imperial Guards, but they were suddenly withdrawn just now."

Xu Nuo reined in the reins.

The Imperial Guards are the Second Prince's men.

Disengage?

This is like leaving the opening wide open, waiting for something to come in, or waiting for someone to go in.

"Pass down the order: the entire cavalry battalion is on high alert. No one is to leave their post without my command," Xu Nuo said, his voice turning cold.

The voice just fell.

A deafening roar suddenly echoed from the depths of the dense forest.

The roar was mixed with a violent demonic aura.

"Monsters?" Niu Dachun's expression changed. "How could there be monsters in the West Mountain Hunting Grounds? This place has been cleared out countless times already!"

The ground began to tremble slightly.

Trees fell in large swaths.

A black-armored rhinoceros, as large as a small mountain, charged out of the forest, its eyes bloodshot, heading straight for Xu Nuo's direction.

A peak-level fourth-grade demonic beast!

Moreover, he was clearly in a state of frenzy.

"Protect the Crown Prince!" Lin Hu roared, drawing his sword.

Xu Nuo raised his hand to stop the guards.

He watched the black-armored rhinoceros charging towards him, then looked past it into the depths of the dense forest.

There, a figure in blue could be seen appearing and disappearing.

Shen Qingyi.

"Bring demonic beasts to trample me?" Xu Nuo sneered. "The methods of the Primordial Holy Land are nothing more than this."

He dismounted.

Dark golden energy exploded beneath their feet.

Instead of retreating, Xu Nuo advanced, transforming into a blur as he charged towards the black-armored rhinoceros.

The rhinoceros lowered its head, its sharp horn whistling through the air as it slammed into Xu Nuo's chest.

Xu Nuo did not dodge.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and grabbed the rhinoceros's horn.

boom!

The man and the beast collided with a loud crash.

The rhinoceros's massive body suddenly stopped, its four hooves carving deep furrows in the ground.

Xu Nuo's feet sank into the mud, and he did not retreat an inch.

"Get up!"

Xu Nuo roared, veins bulging on his arms, and dark golden dragon-shaped energy burst forth from his body.

He actually grabbed the horn and swung the black-armored rhinoceros, which weighed tens of thousands of kilograms, up in the air!

In mid-air, the rhinoceros let out a terrified wail.

boom!

Xu Nuo slammed the mad rhinoceros heavily onto the ground.

The ground shook violently, creating a large crater.

Blood flowed from all seven orifices of the rhinoceros, it twitched a few times, and then became completely still.

Sold out instantly.

The entire room fell silent.

The soldiers of the elite cavalry stared at Xu Nuo with their mouths agape, as if he were a monster.

Xu Nuo dusted off his hands and looked up into the depths of the dense forest.

The blue figure had disappeared.

"Want to play?" Xu Nuo's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. "I'll play with you to the very end."

He mounted his horse.

"Lin Hu, take your men and guard this place. Anyone who dares to approach will be killed without mercy."

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Let's go hunting."

With a flick of the reins, Xu Nuo sent the black horse charging into the dense forest like an arrow.

The shadows of the trees swayed gently.

Following the faint, cool fragrance lingering in the air, Xu Nuo swiftly traversed the forest.

He was all too familiar with the cultivation techniques of the Primordial Holy Land.

There was an open space ahead.

Shen Qingyi stood in the center of the open space, her long blue dress fluttering in the wind, holding a long sword that exuded a chilling aura in her hand.

She didn't run away; instead, she waited for him.