"Miss, this is the military treatise sent by the Third Prince."
Shang Hongye read the military treatise within the jade slip, and before long, her mind was utterly drawn in. She read with rapt fascination.
Only after an hour did she reluctantly set the military treatise down.
"This Art of War by Sun Tzu is no less profound than the Thirty-Six Stratagems."
"Yujing truly is a land of treasures and deep foundations."
"In just a few days, I have already seen three rare, lone-copy military treatises."
"And that does not even include the ancestral military treatises held by Yujing's great divine generals and noble clans."
Shang Hongye's valiant eyes brimmed with delight and emotion.
Huo Yunting had also read the Art of War by Sun Tzu and nodded repeatedly.
Yet compared to Shang Hongye's obsession, he only read it for a short while before putting it down.
It was not that the Art of War by Sun Tzu lacked profundity.
It was simply too profound.
A rough man like him could not understand it.
Sending him charging into battle was no problem.
But asking him to deploy troops and arrange formations was truly making things difficult for him.
"Miss, what do you intend to do about choosing a husband?"
"Is there anyone you favor?"
Shang Hongye shook her head, her gaze dimming.
"How could there be anyone I favor?"
"It is a political marriage anyway. Finding someone suitable will do."
Seeing how mature Shang Hongye was, Huo Yunting felt a pang of heartache.
"Miss, if there truly is someone you favor, you can say it."
"Never mind whether he is suitable or not."
"Our Northern Border's million-strong army has weathered every storm and wave."
"At worst, we will accompany you through a mountain of blades and a sea of flames."
Huo Yunting spoke with imposing vigor, carrying the air of an unruly rogue.
Was it not merely a struggle for the throne?
The Ten Great Dao Courts could interfere, so could their Northern Border not interfere?
Their Northern Border's million-strong army had not been scared into existence.
At Huo Yunting's valiant words, a faint flicker of longing flashed through Shang Hongye's eyes. Yet she swiftly suppressed it and shook her head again and again.
Given her status, she could not act on impulse!
She believed that the Northern Border's soldiers feared no opponent.
But she did not wish for her own impulsiveness to make her father, her Third Uncle, and the millions of people in the Northern Border risk their lives with her.
Her father had no sons.
The burden of Prince Zhenbei's household would ultimately rest upon her shoulders. She could not be willful.
Seeing that Shang Hongye had made up her mind, Huo Yunting only shook his head and did not continue trying to persuade her.
"According to the original plan, choose a prince without the backing of the Ten Great Dao Courts."
"Considering their ages as well, only the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Eleventh Prince remain."
"The Twelfth Prince is only fourteen this year. He is far too young."
Huo Yunting took a sip of spirit wine before continuing.
As for those princes in Yujing City, whether the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, they most likely had no idea at all.
They had been eliminated from the very beginning.
No matter how many gifts they sent, it would all be like pouring water into the sea.
After hearing Huo Yunting's words, Shang Hongye raised a brow, sensing that something was amiss.
"What about the Tenth Prince?"
"I remember that the Tenth Prince has no ties to the Ten Great Dao Courts either."
Every prince with ties to the Ten Great Dao Courts had detailed intelligence files in Prince Zhenbei's residence.
As for the other princes, there was far less information.
Shang Hongye remembered that among the princes with ties to the Ten Great Dao Courts, the Tenth Prince was not included.
"Miss, this Tenth Prince is rather mysterious."
"What is it?"
"This man is a taboo in Yujing City."
"I only obtained a little information after investigating for a long time."
"From the moment he was born, the Tenth Prince was banished to the Imperial Clan Court by Emperor Yuanchu and imprisoned for life."
Imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court?
Shang Hongye froze for a moment, her valiant eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity.
"What did the Tenth Prince do to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court?"
"I do not know! No matter how I investigated, I could not uncover anything."
"Very few people know the specifics."
"The Martial Prime Minister most likely knows, but... he keeps his lips sealed."
"He only told you, Miss, not to become entangled with the Tenth Prince."
Shang Hongye's heart sank.
Even the Martial Prime Minister kept his lips sealed. It seemed the waters surrounding this Tenth Prince ran deep, and his secrets were far from ordinary.
"If that is the case, then choose one among the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Eleventh Prince."
"The Ninth Prince was originally my first choice. He was afflicted with the Ten Absolute Poisons from childhood, and his lifespan is not long."
"Yet recently, he unexpectedly stepped onto the Dao Path. I do not know whether the Ten Absolute Poisons have been cured."
Shang Hongye's delicate brows furrowed tightly, forming the character for river.
Before coming to Yujing City, Shang Hongye had already made her decision.
The prince she chose could not be powerful. The weaker he was, the better.
Only then would he not harbor thoughts of laying hands on the Northern Border's military authority.
The Ninth Prince, whose life was hanging by a thread, had been the target of her focused attention.
But plans could not keep pace with changes.
Before she had even entered Yujing City, the Ninth Prince had unexpectedly entered the Dao Path and broken through a realm, catching her completely off guard.
"That is unclear." Huo Yunting shook his head. "When it concerns a prince's life and safety, such news definitely would not spread outside."
Shang Hongye nodded and said helplessly.
"Then I can only investigate it personally."
"In half a month, hold a Plum Blossom Banquet in my name and invite the imperial clan's descendants and the noble families."
After Huo Yunting withdrew, Shang Hongye picked up the intelligence in her hands and read it again.
Her gaze settled upon the three words, "Ninth Prince."
The valiant lines of her brows softened.
A trace of remembrance flickered in her clear, lovely eyes.
Her thoughts seemed to drift back to that day ten years ago.
Fang Heng had been very happy these past few days.
Because military treatises had become inflated currency.
The price had risen from one strange artifact at the start to two strange artifacts.
As the princes competed and tried to outdo one another, the price of military treatises soared all the way to five strange artifacts.
This shocking price left everyone in the City of Life and Death staring wide-eyed and tongue-tied.
Fang Heng possessed so many strange artifacts that he could not use them all by himself.
He could even assemble full sets of equipment for Fire Barbarian.
Such treatment made countless yin souls and ghostly creatures burn with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Although he had many strange artifacts, not many could catch Fang Heng's eye.
Having seen a supreme strange artifact like the Heavenly Thunder Token, ordinary strange artifacts could only be called bland and unremarkable.
Only the strange artifact Broken Rainbow Sword suited the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Sword he cultivated, so Fang Heng refined it.
"If it is only five strange artifacts, then I can only sell it to someone else."
Wearing White Impermanence's mask, Fang Heng withdrew the jade slip.
The masked man trading with Fang Heng immediately grew anxious upon hearing this.
"Wait!"
"Five strange artifacts are already an exorbitant price."
"Heh, I came here to do business with you, not to listen to your complaints."
Fang Heng sneered, his attitude resolute.
The masked man's expression changed several times before bitterness appeared on his face.
He had given the Eighth Prince a military pledge that he would definitely buy back a rare, lone-copy military treatise.
If he failed to do so...
More importantly, these five strange artifacts did not belong to him. They had been given by the Eighth Prince.
He had only been given five strange artifacts.
Even if he wanted to raise the price, he could not.
In truth, the price of military treatises had risen ever higher.
He had vaguely guessed at the tricks behind it.
But asking him to suffer the loss of one strange artifact and raise the bid to six strange artifacts—
That was absolutely impossible!
After thinking it over and over, the masked man gritted his teeth and spoke firmly.
"Six strange artifacts truly will not work."
"However, I can add an inheritance."
"What inheritance?"
"The Heretical Poison Pill."
"This method is a Poison Art Legacy, and its cultivation method resembles that of the Heretical Golden Core."
"It can use external substances to refine a poison pill within the dantian and store strange poisons inside it."
"During a battle of spells, one merely needs to mix the strange poison from the Heretical Poison Pill into one's magic power to achieve unexpected victory."
The masked man kept telling Fang Heng how concealed this poison art was and how it could win by surprise.
Yet Fang Heng's view of the Heretical Poison Pill was completely different.
Refining a poison pill within the dantian to store strange poisons.
Then could his Ten Absolute Poisons be absorbed into the Heretical Poison Pill?
Fang Heng's eyes lit up. He felt that this method was worth trying.
Before you continue