Shang Hongye's Thoughts, Heretical Poison Pill

"Miss, this is a military treatise from the Third Prince."

Shang Hongye looked at the military treatise within the jade slip, and her mind quickly became engrossed, reading with utter fascination.

It wasn't until an hour later that she reluctantly put the treatise down.

"The profundity of this Art of War by Sun Tzu is in no way inferior to the Thirty-Six Stratagems."

"The Jade Capital truly is a place of abundant treasures and deep heritage."

"In just a few days, I've seen three rare military treatises."

"And that's not even counting the ancestral military treatises of the various renowned generals and imperial relatives here in the Jade Capital."

A strong sense of joy and emotion was revealed in Shang Hongye's heroic eyes.

Huo Yunting also looked at The Art of War by Sun Tzu, nodding repeatedly.

However, unlike Shang Hongye's obsession, he only glanced at it for a moment before putting it down.

It wasn't that The Art of War by Sun Tzu wasn't exquisite.

It was simply too exquisite.

He, a rough and unrefined man, couldn't understand it.

Let him charge into battle, and there's no problem.

But asking him to arrange troops and formations? That would be troubling for him.

"Miss, what do you plan to do about choosing a husband?"

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Shang Hongye shook her head, her eyes dimming.

"Who would I have in mind?"

"It's a political marriage anyway, so finding someone suitable will suffice."

Seeing Shang Hongye's maturity, Huo Yunting felt a pang of heartache.

"Miss, if you truly have someone in mind, you can certainly say so."

"Don't worry about whether he's suitable or not."

"My Northern Border's million-strong army, what kind of storms haven't we weathered?"

"At worst, we'll accompany you through a mountain of swords and a sea of fire."

Huo Yunting spoke with great spirit, looking utterly unconcerned.

Isn't it just a succession struggle?

If the Ten Great Dao Courts can get involved, why can't their Northern Border get involved?

Their Northern Border's million-strong army wasn't raised to be easily intimidated.

After hearing Huo Yunting's imposing words, a faint flicker of emotion crossed Shang Hongye's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, shaking her head repeatedly.

Given her status, she couldn't act on impulse!

She believed the Northern Border's soldiers feared no opponent.

However, she didn't want her impulsive actions to put her father, her third uncle, and the million people of the Northern Border at risk with her.

Her father had no sons.

The face of Prince Zhenbei would ultimately rest on her shoulders; she couldn't afford to be willful.

Seeing that Shang Hongye had made up her mind, Huo Yunting just shook his head and didn't press the matter further.

"According to the previous plan, we'll choose princes who don't have a background with the Ten Great Dao Courts."

"Considering their age, that leaves only the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Eleventh Prince."

"The Twelfth Prince is only fourteen years old; he's too young."

Huo Yunting took a sip of spirit wine before continuing.

These princes in Yujing City, whether it was the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, probably didn't realize it at all.

They were out of the running from the very beginning.

No matter how many gifts they sent, it would just be a waste of effort.

After hearing Huo Yunting's words, Shang Hongye raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss.

"What about the Tenth Prince?"

"I remember the Tenth Prince doesn't have a background with the Ten Great Dao Courts either, does he?"

All princes with a background in the Ten Great Dao Courts had detailed intelligence reports in Prince Zhenbei's mansion.

As for the other princes, there wasn't much information.

Shang Hongye remembered that among the princes with Ten Great Dao Court backgrounds, the Tenth Prince was not listed.

"Miss, this Tenth Prince is quite mysterious."

"What's wrong?"

"This person is a taboo existence within Yujing City."

"I only managed to gather a little information after a long investigation."

"The Tenth Prince was banished to the Imperial Clan Court by Emperor Yuanchu the moment he was born, to be imprisoned for life."

Imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court?

Shang Hongye was stunned, her heroic eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity.

"What did the Tenth Prince do to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court?"

"I don't know! No matter how much I tried to find out, I couldn't get any information."

"Very few people know the specifics."

"The Martial Prime Minister probably knows, but… he's very tight-lipped about it."

"He only told you, Miss, not to get involved with the Tenth Prince."

Shang Hongye's heart sank.

If even the Martial Prime Minister was so secretive, it seemed the Tenth Prince was involved in something very deep, and his secrets were extraordinarily significant.

"In that case, I'll choose one from the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, or Eleventh Prince."

"Originally, the Ninth Prince was my first choice. He's been afflicted with the Ten Absolute Poisons since childhood and doesn't have long to live."

"But recently, he actually embarked on the path of cultivation. I don't know if the Ten Absolute Poisons have been cured or not."

Shang Hongye's delicate brows furrowed into a frown.

Before coming to Yujing City, Shang Hongye had already made her decision.

The prince she chose could not be powerful; the weaker, the better.

This way, he wouldn't harbor any thoughts of seizing control of the Northern Border's military power.

The Ninth Prince, who had little time left to live, was her key target.

However, plans often change.

She hadn't even entered Yujing City, and the Ninth Prince had already entered the Dao and broken through, catching her completely off guard.

"I don't know about that." Huo Yunting shook his head. "This concerns the life and safety of a prince, so such news definitely wouldn't be spread around."

Shang Hongye nodded, sighing.

"Then I'll just have to investigate it myself."

"In half a month, I'll host a plum blossom viewing banquet in my name, inviting members of the imperial clan and powerful noble families."

After Huo Yunting left, Shang Hongye picked up the intelligence report and read it again.

Her gaze fell upon the words "Ninth Prince."

Her heroic brows softened.

A hint of reminiscence flickered in her clear eyes.

Her thoughts seemed to drift back to that day ten years ago.

These past few days, Fang Heng had been very happy.

Because the value of the military texts had inflated.

The price had risen from one rare item initially to two rare items.

As the princes competed with each other, the price of the military texts soared all the way to five rare items.

This exorbitant price left everyone in the City of Life and Death dumbfounded.

Fang Heng had so many rare items that he couldn't use them all himself.

He could even put together a set for the Fire Barbarian.

Such treatment made countless specters and vengeful spirits envious and resentful.

Although he had many rare items, not many of them caught Fang Heng's eye.

Having seen exquisite rare items like the Heavenly Thunder Token, ordinary rare items seemed rather uninspired.

Only the rare item [Broken Rainbow Sword], which was compatible with the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Sword he cultivated, was refined by Fang Heng.

"If it's only five rare items, then I'll have to sell it to someone else."

Fang Heng, wearing the White Impermanence mask, put away the jade slip.

The masked man trading with Fang Heng immediately grew anxious when he heard this.

"Wait!"

"Five rare items is already an exorbitant price."

"Heh, I'm here to do business with you, not to listen to your complaints."

Fang Heng sneered, his attitude firm.

The ghost-faced man's expression shifted several times, a bitter look on his face.

He had made a military pledge to the Eighth Prince, vowing to acquire a rare copy of Art of War and bring it back.

If he failed...

More importantly, these five exotic items weren't his; they had been given to him by the Eighth Prince.

Only five exotic items.

He couldn't even raise the price if he wanted to.

In fact, the price of the Art of War was soaring.

He had a faint suspicion about the manipulation behind it.

But for him to lose an exotic item, to raise the price to six exotic items?

That was absolutely out of the question!

After much deliberation, the ghost-faced man gritted his teeth and said with a resolute tone, "Six exotic items, that's really not possible."

"However, I can add a legacy to the offer."

"What legacy?"

"The Heretical Poison Pill."

"This method is a poison cultivation legacy. Its cultivation technique is similar to the Heretical Golden Core."

"It allows one to use external objects to refine a poison pill in their dantian, storing potent poisons."

"During combat, one only needs to mix the potent poisons from the Heretical Poison Pill with their magical power to achieve unexpected victory."

The ghost-faced man kept explaining to Fang Heng how subtle the poison cultivation was and how it could achieve surprising results.

However, Fang Heng's view of the Heretical Poison Pill was entirely different.

Refine a poison pill in the dantian to store potent poisons.

So, could his Ten Absolute Poisons be absorbed into the Heretical Poison Pill?

Fang Heng's eyes lit up. He felt this method was worth trying.