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

Outside the Xishan camp, more than a dozen heavy horse-drawn carriages had left deep ruts.

Zhang Fu, the chief steward of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion, stood in front of the camp gate, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Xu Nuo sat imposingly on the command platform, toying with a short knife in his hand.

"Your Highness, 1.2 million taels of silver, in cash and banknotes, it's all here." Zhang Fu gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words.

Xu Nuo raised his chin.

Lin Hu led his men forward and opened each box to inspect it.

The gleaming silver was dazzling.

"The number is correct." Lin Hu nodded.

Xu Nuo stood up and tucked the dagger back into his waistband.

Release them.

The guards swiftly cut the cowhide rope with their knives.

Hundreds of the Marquis's private soldiers, who had been hanging for half a day, were thrown to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Their lips were so cold that they turned purple and they couldn't even stand up.

Zhang Kuang was carried out on a stretcher. When he saw Zhang Fu, he burst into tears.

"Uncle Fu! He broke my leg!"

Zhang Fu's eyes twitched as he looked at his young master's miserable state.

"Young Master Xu, we shall meet again someday. The Marquis asked me to convey a message: the Marquis of Changxing's mansion will remember this debt."

Xu Nuo smiled.

"Remember this clearly." Xu Nuo walked up to Zhang Fu, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go back and tell Zhang Fu that next time he tries to put something on my hands, he should prepare more money. One million two hundred thousand taels of silver is not enough to satisfy my hunger."

Zhang Fu was trembling with anger, but dared not retaliate. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to lead Zhang Kuang and his private soldiers away in a sorry state.

Li Wanning crawled out of the main tent, his eyes shining like two small lanterns as he looked at the carts of silver.

"You really robbed the Marquis of Changxing?" She swallowed hard.

"Can you call it robbery when it comes to things that involve scholars?" Xu Nuo glanced at her. "This is called military spending."

He turned around and looked at the group of exhausted cavalrymen on the training ground, who were looking like dead dogs.

Niu Dachun clutched his severed hand, huddled in the crowd, and looked at Xu Nuo as if he were looking at a living Yama.

"Niu Dachun," Xu Nuo called out.

Niu Dachun trembled all over, scrambled over, and knelt down with a thud.

"Young Master! I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"

Xu Nuo ignored his pleas for mercy and pointed to the silver box next to him.

"Bring 100,000 taels of silver."

The entire room fell silent.

Niu Dachun was stunned, even forgetting the pain.

"Ten thousand taels, distribute them among the brothers present today." Xu Nuo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire training ground. "The remaining money will be used as the military pay for the Vanguard Cavalry. Starting tomorrow, the food rations will be doubled, and all weapons and armor will be replaced with new ones."

The troublemakers looked at each other, hardly believing their ears.

One hundred thousand taels!

Each of them could get several hundred taels of silver!

This is equivalent to several years' worth of their military pay!

"I set the rules, I pay the money," Xu Nuo said, looking down at them. "Those who obey will get rewarded. Those who disobey will face consequences for their arrogance. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

Niu Dachun was the first to shout at the top of his lungs.

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

Hundreds of troublemakers, their eyes red, roared hoarsely.

In the military, might makes right, but the one who can lead everyone to prosperity is the true leader.

Li Wanning watched this scene and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

Using a big stick and carrots, this spoiled young master plays the game better than anyone else.

night.

Inside the main tent.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged on the cot.

More than a million taels of silver were taken to Wanbaoge by Lin Hu in the afternoon and exchanged for more than 100,000 low-grade spirit stones.

At this moment, the tents were filled with spirit stones, and the dense spiritual energy was almost turning into a tangible mist.

Xu Nuo closed his eyes and formed a mudra with his hands.

The Ancient Dragon-Summoning Technique was operating at full speed.

boom!

The jade pendant on her chest emitted a dazzling dark golden light.

The Primordial Dragon Soul roared greedily within its body, opening its abyssal maw to frantically devour the surrounding spiritual energy.

Tens of thousands of spirit stones lost their luster at a visible speed, turning into grayish-white powder.

A raging torrent of spiritual energy surged through his meridians, constantly widening and strengthening his eight extraordinary meridians.

The ninth dragon pattern appeared faintly under the skin, gradually solidifying.

Click.

A soft sound came from inside my body.

The barrier of the mid-stage third rank was brutally smashed.

Dark golden energy emanated from his body, stirring up a gust of wind inside the tent.

Xu Nuo opened his eyes, a dazzling golden light flashing in his pupils.

Middle stage of third grade.

Feeling the power within him that was several times stronger than before, Xu Nuo's lips curled into a smile.

"Shen Qingyi, Second Prince," he murmured to himself, "I hope you can give me a surprise at the autumn hunt."

three days later.

West Mountain Hunting Grounds.

The autumn wind is bleak, and banners obscure the sky.

The annual autumn hunt of the Dali royal family has officially begun.

Emperor Li sat atop a massive dragon chariot, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Civil and military officials, princes, and empresses lined up on both sides.

Xu Nuo, dressed in silver mountain-patterned armor, rode a magnificent black horse and led the elite cavalry to guard the outer perimeter.

After three days of training and being fed with silver, the rebellious cavalry, though not yet elite, at least had a certain air of menace when they stood together.

Niu Dachun rode his horse behind Xu Nuo, his back ramrod straight.

Li Wanning changed into a fiery red riding outfit and mingled with the elite cavalry, looking around excitedly.

"You'd better behave yourself." Xu Nuo glanced at her. "This place isn't safe today."

Li Wanning pouted: "With you here, what's there to be afraid of?"

Just then, a commotion arose ahead.

The Second Prince, Li Chengqian, rode a magnificent Akhal-Teke horse, surrounded by a group of skilled warriors as he slowly approached.

He wore a four-clawed python robe and swept his cold gaze over Xu Nuo.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

Li Chengqian's lips curled into a cruel sneer as he gestured across his neck.

Xu Nuo remained expressionless, silently raising his middle finger.

Although Li Chengqian couldn't understand the gesture, he knew it was definitely not a nice thing, and his face instantly darkened.

Just then, a cool, delicate fragrance drifted in on the breeze.

Shen Qingyi rode a white horse and stepped out from the procession behind the Second Prince.

She was dressed in a light blue, form-fitting outfit that accentuated her excellent figure. A veil covered her face, revealing only a pair of cold, icy eyes.

Saintess of the Primordial Holy Land.

The moment she appeared, the air around her seemed to drop several degrees.

Shen Qingyi's gaze swept across the crowd and locked onto Xu Nuo.

That look in his eyes was like looking at a corpse.

Xu Nuo met her gaze and suddenly smiled.

He spurred the horse's belly, and the black horse took two steps forward.

"Saintess Shen, what a coincidence." Xu Nuo's voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for Shen Qingyi to hear. "I read that incomplete scroll of the 'Spirit Guiding Technique' at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion last time. It was well-written. I just wonder, Saintess, what are you prepared to offer in exchange for my life today?"

Shen Qingyi tightened her grip on the reins abruptly, her knuckles turning white.

"You promised," Shen Qingyi's voice was cold and chilling, filled with a bone-chilling killing intent, "you won't live past today."

"Is that so?" Xu Nuo shrugged. "Then I'll wait and see."

Waaah—!

The dull sound of horns echoed across the hunting grounds.

The autumn hunt has begun.

Emperor Li stood up, drew a powerful golden bow, and shot an arrow into the sky.

"Set off!"

Rumble.

Thousands of cavalrymen surged into the dense forests of the Western Hills like a torrent.

Xu Nuo pulled on the reins, and the black horse reared up, letting out a long neigh.

"Elite Cavalry, advance into the mountains!"

He promised to take the lead and charge into the dense forest.

Niu Dachun followed closely behind with several hundred men.

Li Wanning followed closely behind Xu Nuo, clutching a small repeating crossbow in his hand.

Deep in the dense forest, the light suddenly dimmed.

The towering trees blocked out the sun, and the fallen leaves on the ground were piled up in a thick layer. The horses' hooves made a dull rustling sound as they stepped on them.

Xu promised to slow down.

It's too quiet.

There wasn't even a bird chirping around.

"Young Master, something's not right." Lin Hu rode over, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes wary.

Xu Nuo nodded.

He closed his eyes, and his mid-stage third-grade perception spread outwards like a tidal wave.

Three hundred paces to the left front, there were five obscure auras.

Four hundred paces to the right front, there are seven paths.

Directly in front of him, an extremely cold and sharp aura was locking onto him like a venomous snake.

Shen Qingyi.

Xu Nuo opened his eyes, a bloodthirsty smile curving his lips.

"Lin Hu, take some men to protect Ning Wan and retreat fifty paces." Xu Nuo drew the long sword from his waist.

"Your Highness!"

"Execute the order." Xu Nuo's tone left no room for doubt.

Lin Hu gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and led the elite cavalry to retreat.

Xu Nuo rode alone on a black horse and stopped in the middle of the open space.

Whoosh!

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out.

A heavy, jet-black arrow, accompanied by a piercing whistle that seemed to tear through the air, hurtled straight toward Xu Nuo's face.

too fast.

The aura attached to the arrow even drew out a white wave of energy in the air.

A full-force attack from the peak of the fourth rank.

Xu Nuo did not dodge.

He raised the long sword in his hand and swung it casually.

when!

Sparks flew everywhere.

The heavy arrow, powerful enough to pierce iron armor, was cleaved in two by Xu Nuo's sword and fell limply to the ground.

"Is that all you've got?" Xu Nuo stared at the dense forest ahead, her voice icy. "Do the people of the Primordial Holy Land all prefer to hide in the shadows like rats?"

rustle.

A figure in green emerged from the dense forest.

Shen Qingyi held a long sword that exuded a chilling aura in her hand, and her eyes behind the veil were as cold as ice.

Behind her, a dozen men in black appeared silently and surrounded Xu Nuo.

They were all fourth-rank military officers.

"Xu Nuo, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death." Shen Qingyi pointed her long sword directly at Xu Nuo.

He promised to dismount.

He planted the long sword in the ground and stretched his wrist.

Dark golden energy began to rise from his body.

"Death anniversary?" Xu Nuo laughed, his eyes revealing undisguised madness. "Today, I'm going to bury you all here."

boom!

The ground beneath their feet suddenly shattered.

Xu Nuo transformed into a dark golden lightning bolt, rushing straight towards Shen Qingyi.

No nonsense.

Start killing immediately.

Shen Qingyi's pupils contracted sharply, and she swung her longsword out fiercely, a streak of icy blue sword energy tearing through the air as it met Xu Nuo's attack.

Xu Nuo neither dodged nor avoided, but punched the sword energy.

Click.

The icy blue sword energy shattered instantly.

Xu Nuo's fist, carrying overwhelming force, slammed directly into Shen Qingyi's chest.

Shen Qingyi's expression changed drastically, and she retreated rapidly.

But the promises were made too quickly.

The force of the punch grazed her shoulder, instantly turning the two men in black behind her into a bloody mist.

The stench of blood instantly filled the air.

Shen Qingyi steadied herself and looked at the two piles of minced meat on the ground, a look of horror finally flashing in her eyes.