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

Sunset.

Outside the Xishan camp, more than a dozen heavy horse-drawn carts came to a stop, their wheels grinding against the yellow earth.

Zhang Fu, the chief steward of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion, jumped off the carriage, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He stared at the hundred or so naked private soldiers of the Marquis's mansion hanging at the edge of the training ground, his eyes twitching.

A humiliating disgrace.

"Young Master Xu," Zhang Fu said, walking to the reviewing stand without even bending over, "one million two hundred thousand taels of silver, not a penny less. The Marquis said, 'We'll meet again someday,' and the Marquis's mansion will remember this debt."

Xu Nuo sat in the armchair, toying with a dagger in his hand.

"Lin Hu, count the money."

Lin Hu led his personal guards forward and pried open the wooden boxes one by one. The gleaming silver ingots shone coldly in the setting sun.

The count is correct.

"Your Highness, the number is correct."

Xu Nuo nodded and stood up.

Zhang Fu snorted coldly: "Since you've taken the money, release them. Young Master Xu, leave some room for maneuver; you might meet again in the future. In this capital, offending the Marquis of Changxing's mansion... you..."

Snapped!

A crisp sound.

Zhang Fu was sent flying like a spinning top, crashing heavily onto the wooden box containing the silver, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with a few broken teeth.

The entire room fell silent.

The young pampered soldiers of the elite cavalry shrank back in fear.

Xu Nuo flicked her wrist, walked up to Zhang Fu, and looked down at him.

"A mere lackey dares to teach me how to do things?"

Xu Nuo said calmly, "Go back and tell Zhang Fu that this money is for his life. If he feels he's been cheated, he can come to me anytime. But next time, the price will be doubled."

Zhang Fu covered his swollen face, his eyes filled with resentment, but he didn't dare to utter a single word.

With a wave of his hand, he led the men of the Marquis's mansion to hurriedly untie the private soldiers who had been hanging all day, and they slunk away.

Inside the main tent.

Li Wanning sat cross-legged on the cot, watching Lin Hu carry box after box of silver inside, his eyes wide with amazement.

"One million two hundred thousand taels..." She swallowed hard. "Even the Minister of Revenue would be envious of how fast you make money."

Xu Nuo ignored her.

"Go, exchange all of these for spirit stones," Xu Nuo instructed Lin Hu. "Tonight."

Lin Hu accepted the order and left.

Li Wanning leaned closer: "Why did you exchange so many spirit stones? Are you going to eat them?"

"None of your business." Xu Nuo glanced at her.

Li Wanning was furious, his cheeks puffed out: "You've taken my kindness for granted! I came here to warn you, the Second Prince and Shen Qingyi are definitely plotting something big."

"So what if they try to hold back?" Xu Nuo poured himself a cup of tea. "If they dare to lay a hand on me, I'll chop off their claws."

late at night.

One hundred and twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones were piled up in the tent, their spiritual energy so dense it was almost melting into water droplets.

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

boom!

A terrifying suction force erupted.

120,000 spirit stones lit up simultaneously, and spiritual energy surged into Xu Nuo's body like a flood bursting its banks.

The jade pendant on her chest was burning hot.

The Primordial Dragon Soul let out a deafening roar, greedily devouring this enormous energy.

The ninth dragon pattern was faintly visible amidst the dark golden aura.

Xu Nuo gritted his teeth, his meridians almost bursting from the raging spiritual energy.

But he didn't stop.

The initial stage of the third rank is not enough.

In this perilous capital city, he needs greater power.

Click.

The 120,000 spirit stones instantly turned into grayish-white powder.

Xu Nuo suddenly opened her eyes, her dark golden vertical pupils flashing briefly in the darkness.

Middle stage of third grade.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the surging power within his body, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Shen Qingyi, I hope you won't disappoint me."

three days later.

The Ministry of War issued the transfer order.

During the royal autumn hunt, the elite cavalry were responsible for guarding the outer perimeter of the Western Hills.

On the reviewing stand.

Xu Nuo was dressed in dark-colored captain's armor, with a long sword at his waist, and his gaze swept down.

The hundreds of troublemakers from the elite cavalry stood ramrod straight, not daring to even breathe loudly.

For the past three days, Lin Hu, along with veteran soldiers of the Zhenbei Army, had been training these pampered young soldiers to the point of exhaustion. Anyone who dared to cause trouble had their legs broken.

Now, Xu Nuo is seen as a living devil in their eyes.

"I'll only say this once," Xu Nuo said coldly. "During the autumn hunt, anyone who dares to cause trouble will have their head chopped off. Understand?"

"Understood!" Hundreds of people roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Xu nodded in satisfaction.

"Set off."

West Mountain Hunting Grounds.

Banners obscured the sun, and armored soldiers were as numerous as clouds.

The emperor's imperial carriage stopped in the center, surrounded by nobles and princes.

Xu Nuo led the elite cavalry to set up defenses on the outer perimeter.

The Second Prince, Li Chengqian, rode a tall horse and walked slowly by, surrounded by a group of guards.

He looked down at Xu Nuo with a cold gaze.

"Young Master Xu, this task of guarding the outer perimeter is not easy," Li Chengqian said with a forced smile. "If we alarm His Majesty or let in any assassins, your head will be in danger."

Xu Nuo looked up at him and suddenly smiled.

He raised his hand and gestured across his neck.

"Your Highness, rest assured, my head is very hard. But Your Highness, swords and spears are indiscriminate in the autumn hunt, so please don't break your leg."

Li Chengqian's face instantly turned ashen.

"Arrogant." He snorted coldly, flicked the reins, and rode away.

The rear of the team.

A sedan chair came to a stop.

Shen Qingyi lifted the sedan curtain, revealing herself in a green dress, looking as ethereal as a fairy.

Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed precisely on Xu Nuo.

His eyes were devoid of any warmth, as if he were looking at a dead person.

Xu Nuo met her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips, and gave a flippant whistle.

Shen Qingyi's fingers tightened slightly around the sedan curtain, her knuckles turning white.

"You're asking for it." She parted her red lips slightly and uttered two words silently.

Night falls.

Bonfires were lit at the autumn hunting camp.

The surrounding dense forest was deathly silent.

Xu Nuo walked alone in the woods, her feet rustling as she stepped on the fallen leaves.

He deliberately sent Lin Hu and his guards away.

Since he knows someone wants to kill him, he might as well create an opportunity for them.

The ultimate skill of Lao Liu is to make the prey believe that they are the hunter.

A cold wind blew by.

The leaves rustled.

Xu Nuo stopped and placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.

"You've been following me all this way, aren't you tired?" Xu Nuo asked in a calm tone, as if he were greeting an old friend.

Deep in the dense forest, a figure in green slowly emerged.

Shen Qingyi.

She held a long sword in her hand, its blade gleaming with a cold, icy light.

"Xu Nuo, you do have some guts." Shen Qingyi's voice was cold and sharp, carrying a chilling killing intent. "You actually dared to come here alone."

Xu Nuo turned around and looked at her.

"The Holy Maiden is out in the middle of the night, not sleeping, but coming to this desolate wilderness to find me. Could it be that she wants to have a romantic evening with me?"

"Even when death is imminent, you still dare to be stubborn."

Shen Qingyi's eyes turned cold.

Without any further words, she drew her sword.

hum!

The crisp sound of a sword piercing the night sky.

A dazzling cyan sword aura slashed towards Xu Nuo like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaving the trees in its path in half.

Peak of the third rank!

The Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land is indeed terrifyingly powerful.

The promise was not broken.

A flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Well done!"

Dark golden energy erupted suddenly.

He promised to draw his sword.

Roar!

Faintly, the sound of a dragon's roar echoed through the dense forest.

The longsword, carrying an aura of utter destruction, slashed fiercely at the azure sword energy.

boom!

Swords clashed.

A violent shockwave swept outwards, instantly turning the withered leaves on the ground into powder.

Xu Nuo grunted and took half a step back.

Shen Qingyi did a somersault in mid-air and landed steadily, a look of shock flashing in her eyes.

"You actually blocked it?"

Although she only used 70% of her strength in that sword strike, it was still something that a martial artist who had just entered the third rank could not block.

Xu Nuo shook his numb wrist and grinned.

"Holy Maiden, haven't you eaten? With that little strength, you can't kill me."

Shen Qingyi's face turned completely cold.

"Arrogant."

Her aura surged once more, and her azure true energy condensed into a tangible armor on her body.

"Today, you will surely die."

Shen Qingyi flashed, transforming into a streak of blue light, and charged at Xu Nuo once more.

Xu Nuo took a deep breath, and the Primordial Dragon Soul roared wildly within his body.

He showed no fear and charged forward with his sword.

In the dense forest, dark golden qi clashed wildly with cyan sword qi.

Every clash was accompanied by a deafening roar.

Xu Nuo became more and more excited as the game progressed.

He discovered that although Shen Qingyi's swordsmanship was exquisite, her actual combat experience was far inferior to his, the young marshal of the Zhenbei Army who had crawled out of piles of corpses.

The sixth brother's instincts began to awaken.

Xu Nuo deliberately created an opening, leaving his left side wide open.

A murderous glint flashed in Shen Qingyi's eyes, and her longsword pierced towards Xu Nuo's left rib like a venomous snake.

Just as the sword tip was about to pierce Xu Nuo.

Xu Nuo suddenly twisted her body strangely, dodging the sword at an unbelievable angle.

At the same time, he suddenly reached out with his left hand and grabbed Shen Qingyi's wrist.

Shen Qingyi's expression changed drastically.

"you!"

Xu Nuo grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Got you?"

Dark golden energy surged wildly into Shen Qingyi's body along Xu Nuo's arm.

Shen Qingyi felt a sharp pain in her meridians, and her internal energy instantly dissipated.

Xu Nuo pulled Shen Qingyi directly into his arms.

A long knife was placed against her fair neck.

The cold blade pressed against the skin, drawing out a trace of blood.

Shen Qingyi froze, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

"Holy Maiden, now, who will die?" Xu Nuo whispered in her ear, his voice low and menacing.