After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

The Central Plains was the richest region in the world. The Western Regions mainly dealt in gems, spices, and various glasswares. The Southern Frontier was rich in herbs and special minerals. As for the steppe Tartars outside the Great Wall, their main income came from cattle, sheep, and horses.

And Beiwu...

As far as Chen Futu knew, that place had not yet been cultivated with fertile land, was not used for production, and did not know how to make good use of the black soil. The common people relied on fishing and raising livestock. The annual income of the royal family was not even comparable to that of a single prefecture in Daqian. This was why Liu Longyue was willing to do anything to bring Beiwu into the Central Plains.

Another legend says that Emperor Beiwu once braved ice and snow to personally carve out glaciers in Erhai Lake to catch fish, which frostbitten his toes and left him smelling of rotten fish and shrimp. He was arguably the most impoverished of all the major powers.

"If Your Highness wants to know how much dowry there is, you might as well ask the delegation. Asking me won't help you."

Liu Longyue turned her face away, awkwardly changing the subject.

Chen Futu snorted and ordered everyone to set off back to Dragon City.

A day later, the troop returned to Longcheng, and the money was deposited into the national treasury. Of course, Chen Futu did not forget to tell Yu Qian to send ten million to the royal court separately. That was the money Qiwen used to buy the Sword God's enlightenment.

That evening, Chen Futu handed the money over to the system. Watching ten million taels of silver disappear before his eyes, Chen Futu felt a sharp pang of heartache.

In his youth, an ancient scroll of notes appeared in his palm; this was the understanding of the Sword God's mental cultivation method.

Chen Futu hasn't even mastered sword intent yet, so it's a bit presumptuous of him to try to comprehend the Sword God directly. After a night of trying, he did manage to gain some insights, at least his sword moves became more powerful.

[Congratulations, host, on achieving the initial stage of sword intent!]

"Sword intent, huh? Interesting..."

Chen Futu wielded the sword with a whistling wind, his sword moves carrying a hint of sharpness, and his overall attack power increased by more than one level. It was as if the sword was as responsive as his hands and feet, and this feeling was the essence of sword intent.

"System, when will I master sword intent or become a sword god?"

[Strong individuals are not formed overnight; the host is still far from achieving that.]

The system is very good at undermining people's confidence. Chen Futu had no choice but to summon Dong Xian'er and ask her to make several copies, especially ensuring that there were no typos when copying.

Even a single wrong word in this kind of thing can have immeasurable consequences.

Dong Xian'er spent half a day copying it down. She said suspiciously, "Young Master, this seems to be an extraordinary mental cultivation method. Even I, a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken, have gained a slight understanding of swordsmanship after copying it down."

"Oh? Are you perhaps a sword prodigy?"

Chen Futu laughed heartily, not taking it to heart at all. He then summoned Qiwen, who said that Zizhu had treated his injuries the night before, and his energy and spirits had improved considerably.

Chen Futu tossed the Sword God's insights to him, who opened the notebook, glanced at it, and couldn't look away. After a long while, he seemed to be possessed, muttering to himself, "Divine skill, divine skill indeed! So this is the Sword God..."

"Old man, you've broken through?" Chen Futu asked curiously.

Qi Wen shook his head, put away his notebook, and solemnly said, "I haven't fully comprehended it yet, but it won't be long before I can advance. Thank you, Your Highness. I can never repay this kindness. From now on, I will stay in the royal court to protect Your Highness's safety at all times. With me here, no one can harm Your Highness."

"Your words are enough."

Chen Futu felt much more at ease. Once he became a Grandmaster, he would no longer need to worry about safety. Even if Consort Ge and Dian Wei were not around, he could simply sit back and watch the show if someone tried to assassinate him.

After Qi Wen left, Chen Futu took out the Nirvana Pill and the Creation Pill.

The Nirvana Pill can advance a person from a Primordial Innate to a Grandmaster; Guan Yu and Dian Wei are the best candidates...

After much deliberation, Chen Futu summoned Guan Yu to come see him.

Guan Yu, as the commander-in-chief of Longcheng, was the most suitable general to lead, apart from the old general, so he was the most appropriate person to take the medicine.

When Guan Yu arrived, he was shocked to see Chen Futu take out the Nirvana Pill. "My lord, I am unworthy to accept such a precious item."

"It's alright. I may obtain this in the future. As the commander-in-chief, your strength must overwhelm everyone."

Chen Futu personally handed over the Nirvana Pill. Guan Yu hesitated for a moment before accepting it. He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "My command is the same as my lord's command. I will obey your orders without hesitation, even at the cost of my life."

"General Guan, you are too kind. You are my trusted and beloved general. Go back to break the mirror as soon as possible. The grand ceremony will be held soon, and we will need to rely on you."

"Here."

Guan Yu took the elixir and left, while Chen Futu led Dian Wei to Pingkangfang by carriage.

The Creation Pill must be given to Li Xiuning immediately; it will be of great benefit to her and the child in her womb.

Upon entering, one sees Li Xiuning performing a sword dance in the courtyard, accompanied by Luo Wushuang.

Chen Futu said with a dark face, "You're still restless even though you're pregnant. If something goes wrong, your mother will scold you."

"I'm not a canary in a cage."

Li Xiuning tossed the longsword to Luo Wushuang and then ordered someone to prepare a meal.

When Chen Futu took out the Nirvana Pill, she ate it without saying a word.

Chen Futu said strangely, "You didn't even ask me what I gave you to eat?"

"You wouldn't possibly harm me, would you?"

"All right……"

Chen Futu was impressed by this young wife. She was very easygoing and had no sense of caution towards others. He wondered what would happen if she entered the harem.

"By the way, my husband, after I give birth, I will still be leading troops, so you mustn't keep me locked up in the inner palace."

Li Xiuning mumbled through her chopsticks.

"You're a mother now, and you're still thinking about fighting and killing? My Northern Frontier has countless fierce generals, losing one of you won't be a problem."

"You want to lock me up in the inner palace? I'd rather not have children at all."

Li Xiuning's eyebrows furrowed, and she clenched her fists as if she was about to punch someone. Chen Futu said awkwardly, "How about we discuss it again?"

"My husband, you should discuss this with my fist."

Li Xiuning put down her chopsticks and threw a punch. Chen Futu quickly dodged and cursed, "I'm eating, why are you hitting me?"

"My husband is just worried that I'm not strong enough. I'm just showing you that I'm strong enough to protect myself."

Li Xiuning rushed over, but Chen Futu decisively dodged the punch and grabbed her waist, scolding her with a dark face: "Can't you give me a break? If something happens to the child, you'll have nowhere to cry."

"It's a deal, you're not allowed to keep me tied down after I give birth."

"Okay, okay, it's all up to you."

Chen Futu was defeated by her. He pinched her nose again, and she beamed with joy. Then she took the opportunity to hug Chen Futu's neck and offered her red lips, saying coquettishly, "Husband, you don't have anything else to do today, right? Why don't you stay and keep me company?"

"No, didn't Zizhu tell you that you need to be careful with this time?"

As Chen Futu was speaking, Li Xiuning blushed and whispered something in his ear. Chen Futu blushed even more upon hearing it, then touched her perfect waist and back curves, "Husband, I'm a respectable man..."