Farewell

After saying that, Li Qingyan chuckled and turned to leave.

Xu Yuan watched the tall, slender figure disappear around the corner, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly cursed:

"Damn it."

"."

Jiang He glanced at him. "Vulgar."

Xu Yuan glanced at him and said, "What do you know, old man?"

Jiang He's cheek twitched. "Then tell me, why don't you understand?"

Xu Yuan leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs:

"Didn't you hear me? My safety is being protected by Li Qingyan."

Jiang He frowned:

What's wrong with that?

That's why I said you don't know anything.

"."

Jiang He's wrinkles twitched with anger, and just as she was about to explode, Xu Yuan suddenly chuckled and explained:

"Old Jiang, it's a very simple principle. Don't you think that as the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Estate, I should be protected by Mr. Zong when I go to the Northern Border?"

Jiang He looked at him strangely, but remained silent.

Xu Yuan looked in the direction Li Qingyan had left and shook his head:

"This princess is truly unfathomable; I have absolutely no idea what she's thinking."

Jiang He is neither too cold nor too bland:

She shouldn't be a threat to you.

Xu Yuan smiled and waved his hand:

"What I said just now was from the perspective of a prince consort, evaluating my fiancée; it wasn't because I was worried she might be a threat to me."

After a pause, a glint of light appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes:

"Of course, that's not always the case."

"I have a gut feeling that if the bigger picture requires it, Wu Yuan would sell her husband as bait."

"For a woman whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent souls, tenderness comes second only to ruthlessness."

"."

Jiang He listened carefully, gave Xu Yuan a deep look, and instead of replying, asked:

"I have no interest in your private affairs, but you came here with Wu Yuan, so you must have something else to discuss with me, right?"

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan immediately sat up straight. He had come to see Jiang He for other reasons, and said with a smile:

"I've come here to ask Professor Jiang for a small favor from your Institute of Investigation."

Jiang He interrupted without even thinking:

"Want me to do you a favor? Ha! You can dream about it."

Even when he needed something from someone, Xu Yuan still smiled obsequiously.

"Mr. Jiang... please don't be so quick to refuse."

Jiang He's gaze was cold, and her aged voice was strong and resonant:

"I have no money."

"." Xu Yuan.

"However, if you wish to ask for my help, it's not impossible."

Jiang He glanced at Xu Yuan coldly, her index finger and thumb gently rubbing together.

"."

Xu Yuan's eyes twitched when he saw the gesture.

These old folks are all obsessed with money.

With a sigh, Xu Yuan took out a stack of silver notes from his Sumeru Ring, totaling ten thousand taels in value.

"Is this enough?"

When Jiang He saw what Xu Yuan had taken out, her pupils lit up slightly, and she reached out to take it, but Xu Yuan stopped her.

What are you doing?

"You're not handing out money to me, are you?"

"I didn't even make any requests, how am I supposed to know if you'll get blacklisted?"

"."

He placed both hands on the stack of silver notes, and the room fell silent for a moment.

Jiang He's white hair fluttered slightly, her voice remaining neither cold nor indifferent:

"You are insulting my character."

"Sizzle"

Xu Yuan scoffed:

"Your character? You and those two old men, Hua Hong and I, could even swindle us four siblings out of our New Year's money when we were kids. What kind of character do you have? You said you were helping us save it to make money, but now we haven't seen a single penny."

"." Jiang He.

Jiang He blushed slightly, but her hand remained on the stack of silver notes, showing no intention of letting go, and she directly changed the subject:

"Alright, tell me what kind of help you need."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan simply stated directly:

"I want you to help me develop a kind of elixir."

"What level?" Jiang He asked.

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously asked:

"Levels? What levels? Are there different levels for pills?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang He spoke sarcastically:

"Third Young Master, you really are out of touch with reality. You eat top-grade B pills like candy, and you've also consumed so many low-grade A pills, yet you don't know that pills are graded?"

"." Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan hadn't actually paid attention to this matter.

After all, he doesn't have to buy it himself.

If you run out of pills, just ask the old steward for more. The old steward will only tell you about the effects of the pills and the precautions to take when using them.

At this moment, Jiang He said softly:

"Pills are divided into three major grades: A, B, and C. Each grade is further divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, for a total of nine grades. Which type of pill are you trying to develop, kid?"

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"The pill I want should be considered top-grade A."

"Top-tier Class A?"

"Hmm, it's probably on the same level as the Blood Spirit Body-Fusion Pill."

"."

Jiang He took a deep breath, raised her voice slightly, and glanced at the stack of silver notes her subordinate was holding:

"Blood Spirit Body Fusion isn't even a high-grade pill. You think you can develop such a pill for 500,000 taels? Are you kidding me?"

Xu Yuan frowned:

"Not enough money?"

Jiang He said irritably, "Kid, do you really not know the cost of developing pills? It usually costs hundreds of thousands to develop a Grade B pill. The ingredients for the Blood Spirit Body-Fusion Pill are so rare that they are priceless. It usually costs hundreds of thousands of taels to refine one batch. If you want to develop a new pill, the price will be at least ten times higher."

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, somewhat taken aback by the amount of research and development funding.

Jiang He looked at his expression and snorted coldly:

"Moreover, developing this kind of elixir is a bottomless pit. The medicinal properties of the herbs need to be adjusted little by little. If a certain herb cannot be purchased, all the initial investment will be wasted."

Having said that,

Jiang He moved her hand away from the stack of silver notes.

He didn't know what Xu Yuan's purpose was in suddenly saying he wanted to develop new pills, but Xu Yinhe would absolutely not allow such an expense.

Xu Yuan would absolutely not be able to come up with that much silver unless Xu Yinhe forbade it.

A brief silence fell over the interior of the Accord.

After a moment of silence, Jiang He slowly stood up:

"Alright, the Institute of Investigation has many matters to attend to, I'll take my leave now."

"Etc."

Xu Yuan suddenly called out to him, sighed, and slowly began to take out silver notes from his Sumeru Ring.

A stack.

Two stacks.

Three stacks

Xu Yuan only stopped what he was doing when Jiang He stared at him intently.

Jiang He opened her eyes wide, looking at the seven or eight stacks of silver notes with a face value of ten thousand taels placed on the table.

More than four million taels.

Jiang He's voice was slightly stuttering:

"Where did you get so much silver, you little rascal?"

Xu Yuan smiled and shrugged:

"Of course, it's the Wanxiang Sect."

Jiang He smiled again and sat back down in her chair with a cheerful grin.

"Wasn't all that silver already distributed? Why did you secretly keep so much?"

Xu Yuan shook his head and chuckled softly:

"Wanxiang City doesn't only have properties owned by the Myriad Wanxiang Sect. It's normal for it to suffer some losses during the war, isn't it?"

Jiang He didn't press further. After a moment's thought, she didn't reveal any greed, but instead asked Xu Yuan seriously:

"Changtian, did you save all this money from the beginning to research this kind of elixir?"

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, then sighed:

"Yes."

"May I ask you why?"

"."

Xu Yuan shook his head and gently tapped the table:

"If possible, I hope you can help me keep this from my father."

"If you still don't have enough money, or if you encounter any trouble, contact me immediately, and I'll try to get some more."

"Yes, if you need any medicinal herbs, I can try to find a way."

As it turned out, Xu Yuan's guess about the Northern Border was correct.

After conspiring with Jiang He and leaving Heavenly Fortune Garden, Xu Yuan planned to continue his ordeal at Feng Jiuxuan's Sword Pavilion dojo, when Xu Changge found him.

Xu Changge, who was usually taciturn, told him a lot of things at once, explaining the pros and cons.

In short, it can be summed up in one sentence.

The royal family and they need a basis for mutual trust regarding matters in the Northern Border.

Both sides' offspring had to go to the front lines.

After listening carefully, Xu Yuan glanced at his elder brother, who was walking beside him on the road to the Sword Pavilion, and chuckled softly:

"In short, the Second Prince and the Third Prince will be sent to Mr. Zong's place, while I will go with Wu Yuan's Yulin Army, right?"

Xu Changge's expression was cold and stern, but his phoenix eyes showed deep concern.

"Yes, this was the price Li Yaoxuan offered to my father."

Xu Yuan looked up at the clear blue sky and uttered two words:

"I'll go!"

Xu Changge frowned and said in a low voice:

"Father is still discussing this matter with Li Yaoxuan. There's no need to rush. Perhaps in the end, it will be just the Crown Prince and I who go to the front lines."

Because of the war in the Northern Border, both he and the Crown Prince had been sent as envoys to the Northern Barbarian Royal Court to discuss matters such as a ceasefire.

In other words, as long as the person hasn't Li Capital, it's not impossible to replace them in the Northern Border.

Xu Yuan smiled and shook his head:

"Xu Changge, if you go to the Northern Border, the sect will definitely make sure you die there."

Xu Changge glanced at Xu Yuan, and a cryptic smile played on her thin lips:

"The sect has always wanted me dead, but no one has dared to do it."

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, somewhat exasperated by his older brother's confidence, and said:

"Xu Changge, although your cultivation is high, both sides in the Northern Border have already lost a million troops, and the situation is chaotic. You are the only heir in name to our Prime Minister's Estate, and you also advocate war. If possible, they will spare no expense."

With that, Xu Yuan casually shrugged:

"But I am different. I am just a spoiled brat. The sect will not risk completely angering my father by killing me."

Xu Changge gave him a cold glance:

"Nonsense! With your cultivation level, you'd die if you weren't careful in the Northern Border."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched, but after sighing, he still spoke slowly:

"The prince guards the nation's gates, the king dies for the state."

"If those princes can go, why can't I?"

After speaking, there was silence.

After walking quite a distance, Xu Changge said softly:

"Before my mother passed away, I promised her that I would protect you."

Xu Yuan turned to look at Xu Changge and smiled:

"Brother, we must both repay the favor and take responsibility. We can't let Father continue to be troubled by me."

"Moreover, if I want to take charge of the Prime Minister's Estate, I am still lacking in many things. Blindly protecting me will only make me a theorist. This trip to the Northern Border is risky, but it is indispensable."

Having said that, Xu Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he showed no sign of backing down:

"Ten days from now, I will go to the Northern Border with Wu Yuan."

"."

Inside the Sword Pavilion Ge,

Feng Jiuxuan gazed at his two nephews at the entrance of the dojo, sighed softly, and turned to leave.

Nine days later, at nightfall, at the Heavenly Cloud Palace.

The place was bustling and noisy with patrons, and the courtesans in their colorful clothes were dressed in flowing gowns.

Because of their previous encounter, the Four Young Masters of Four Young Masters of the Capital held their gathering again in the private seating area of the main hall.

Xu Yuan and Li Junwu arrived first.

Neither of them had a job, so they were the most relaxed.

Wang Chengping and Gong Yuanzeng both already held official positions. Although they had powerful family backgrounds, they should at least respect their official status.

But in the end, neither of them showed up for the third round of drinks.

Order drinks and listen to music.

The courtesan was graceful and skilled, dressed in a simple black palace gown. Her low-cut dress swayed gently, and as she lifted her jade-like legs, the black silk stockings she wore underneath were faintly visible.

Looking at the courtesan's attire, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Li Junwu sitting beside him:

"I heard that this newly opened brothel is full of female disciples from treacherous sects?"

Li Junwu stared at the young female entertainer dancing in the empty space, crossed his legs, and absentmindedly replied:

"Yes, it's newly opened. Changtian, aren't you already engaged to Wu Yuan? Why did you suddenly invite us out for a get-together?"

Xu Yuan smiled upon hearing this:

"What's the conflict between my engagement and coming to the brothel?"

Li Junwu turned his gaze, his eyes holding a strange expression.

"Aren't you afraid that female assassin will chop you up?"

"A female assassin?" Xu Yuan found Li Junwu's description of Li Qingyan somewhat amusing. "Are you referring to Wu Yuan?"

Li Junwu curled his lip:

"Otherwise what? My father once said that no fewer than a million souls have died at this woman's hands. Would a woman like that allow you to come to a brothel?"

Xu Yuan sighed:

"Don't spread rumors. Although what she said is true, I feel that although she is a bit domineering, she is generally a pretty good person."

"Not bad?" Li Junwu raised an eyebrow and teased, "You've only spent a few hours with her, and you're already speaking up for her."

Xu Yuan shrugged and smiled:

"Well, she's my fiancée after all."

"Is it pretty?" Li Junwu suddenly asked with interest.

Xu Yuan looked into her eyes and asked with a smile:

"What, you're sexually interested in her?"

Li Junwu took a sip of the wine in his glass and shook his head:

"I don't like that kind of woman. Sleeping next to someone like that, you never know when your head might fall off. I was just asking."

"But judging from your attitude towards her, she must be quite pretty."

Xu Yuan recalled for a moment and smiled:

She's probably a little prettier than you.

Xu Yuan paused, then glanced at Li Junwu's chest:

"But I wonder if she wore a corset like you."

Li Junwu's eyes held amusement as he glanced down at the scene, then shook his head and said:

"This thing is really uncomfortable to wear; it's constricting and stuffy. I only wear it when I'm out having fun."

"Don't share your experience, I don't need it," Xu Yuan complained.

Li Junwu rolled her eyes, her face flushed slightly from the wine, and lay down on the soft couch behind her, placing her jade-like legs on Xu Yuan's lap.

"Give me a massage, I'm exhausted after practicing all day."

"You're really being too friendly," Xu Yuan smiled, not refusing, "Daring to let this young master massage your legs."

Li Junwu felt the touch on his leg and chuckled softly.

"You seem quite willing to do this, don't you? You're quite honest with your actions. So tell me, what's the matter that you suddenly called us out to discuss?"

Xu Yuan smiled slightly as he massaged his legs:

"I'm heading to the Northern Border tomorrow, so I've come to say goodbye."