While Cloud Capital has many apothecaries, rare medicinal ingredients are hardly more abundant here than in the Tiangang Mountain Range...

"Phoenix Blood..." Nangong Shang spoke frankly, paying no mind to the alluring woman beside him...

This statement left Ye Jingyu utterly baffled. Phoenix Blood—that was a legendary item. Cloud Capital was a human settlement; where would one find Phoenix Blood?

However, the expression on Yaoyao's face drastically changed...

"You mean the three drops of Phoenix Blood preserved by the Sovereign?" Yaoyao asked, her complexion turning slightly pale...

Legend held that the first Sovereign of the Shu Yun Kingdom, Luo Xingyun, had saved an injured phoenix in his youth. With the phoenix's aid, he established the Shu Yun Kingdom. Later, the phoenix bestowed upon him three drops of its blood. As long as these three drops remained near, no Soul Master or demon could approach the Royal Palace...

After all, the Phoenix was a Divine Beast; its bloodline carried immense power...

"I don't need three drops, just one will suffice..." Nangong Shang said dismissively...

"You're insane! That belongs to the Sovereign! Don't tell me you plan to sneak into the Palace to steal it?" Although Ye Jingyu didn't grasp the true value of the Phoenix Blood, hearing it was in Luo Xiaofeng's possession made him instantly lash out with curses...

"I lack the skill to steal Phoenix Blood from a Martial Saint. However, I believe my own abilities will prove useful. If I can accrue enough merit, perhaps I can earn Luo Xiaofeng's trust..." Nangong Shang replied calmly...

"So, you young man intends to become an official in the Shu Yun Kingdom?" Ye Jingyu finally understood Nangong Shang's intent...

"Precisely..." Nangong Shang nodded...

"You'll likely be disappointed. Setting aside whether you can achieve great deeds, even if you did, do you honestly believe Luo Xiaofeng would grant you his ancestral Phoenix Blood?" Ye Jingyu quipped sarcastically...

He couldn't imagine a Sovereign being that generous...

"How will I know if I don't try..." Nangong Shang's face remained resolutely determined...

Seeing his unwavering demeanor, Ye Jingyu knew further words were useless. He stopped trying to dissuade him; this was the path Nangong Shang had chosen, and who was he to interfere?

The Phoenix—a legendary Divine Beast—where could one possibly encounter it? Apart from the three drops held by Luo Xiaofeng, perhaps no fourth drop of Phoenix Blood existed in the world...

After the four shared another meal, Ye Jingyu escorted Nangong Shang back to his residence. Since he sought official status, introducing him to Luo Ruofeng tomorrow would suffice...

Nangong Shang offered few words of thanks for Ye Jingyu's help, but Ye Jingyu detected a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes...

Yaoyao, too, vanished from the Flower Blossom Pavilion shortly after Ye Jingyu and the others departed. Nangong Shang's sudden appearance caused Ye Jingyu to halt the operations to reclaim the Azure Dragon Gang. He had a growing suspicion that the Azure Dragon Gang was not as simple as it seemed, very possibly an organization secretly controlled by the Hundred Flowers Sect...

No wonder the intelligence network of the Hundred Flowers Sect spanned the entire realm; perhaps these pleasure houses were the key to unifying Cloud Capital's underworld organizations. The pace of expansion was paused. At least until Ye Jingyu clarified the Azure Dragon Gang's true backing, he would not act rashly. However, with the addition of the White Tiger Gang and the Golden Dragon Gang, Ye Jingyu's intelligence flow had improved tenfold compared to before...

The next day, under Ye Jingyu's recommendation, Nangong Shang was lodged in the Third Young Master's estate. Luo Ruofeng was exceedingly welcoming to anyone personally introduced by Ye Jingyu. In contrast, Zhuge Yishi's eyes held a deep seriousness upon seeing Nangong Shang...

Still, as the foremost strategist, he offered no immediate comment...

The Tianyuan Empire was currently mired in internal chaos. Although Luo Xiaofeng showed no outward signs of ambition, he was secretly mobilizing his sons to gather troops across the land. Apart from the Four Great Legions remaining untouched, other armies were constantly being shifted. Even Luo Ruofeng now commanded an army exceeding ten thousand strong, with numbers still climbing...

Ye Jingyu paid little mind to these machinations. He knew that when the time was ripe, Luo Xiaofeng would certainly march north. Against the powerful Tianyuan Empire, war offered only two paths...

Either swiftly crush the Tianyuan Empire and establish a new dynasty, or suffer defeat, resulting in the ruin of the kingdom and the loss of their lineage...

This revealed Luo Xiaofeng's ambition—he disregarded the consequences of failure, attempting to pit a small nation of a few million against a mighty empire boasting a population of hundreds of millions...

Despite the full mobilization of the Shu Yun Kingdom, major combat had not yet erupted. Instead, Xiao Geng, who had recently returned to the capital, was dispatched once more. Rumor had it that the barbarians in the northwestern frontier were causing unrest that needed suppression. However, Luo Xiaofeng’s intent was to seize this opportunity to annihilate the Hu Kingdom entirely...

In Zhuge Yishi's estimation, such maneuvers were merely preparations for the northern campaign. Should the northern push fail, they could always relocate the capital beyond the Tiangang Mountains. Once that narrow pass was secured, they could effectively withstand the wrath of the Tianyuan Empire...

This essentially served as a contingency plan for the Shu Yun Kingdom...

But all of this was irrelevant to Ye Jingyu. It had been over half a month since his last visit to the Flower Blossom Pavilion. Although Nangong Shang had not yet officially assumed any high military rank, Luo Ruofeng had arranged for him to enter the army. Ye Jingyu was confident that with his capabilities, achieving distinction was only a matter of time. While he still doubted Nangong Shang could obtain the Phoenix Blood from Luo Xiaofeng, the prospect of serving alongside a man like him filled Ye Jingyu with a quiet joy...

The recruitment for the Iron Army was entirely entrusted to Chen Qi. Even Ye Longyi and Ying Xiaoxiao avoided the military camps, remaining in the General's residence to diligently cultivate their power...

As for Ye Jingyu himself, he seemed less industrious than before. His days were spent either visiting the Flower Blossom Pavilion to chat with the beautiful Yaoyao, or secretly slipping into the Royal Palace to exchange sweet sentiments with Luo Ling'er. His life was quite comfortable. However, today, he bypassed both the Pavilion and the Palace. Instead, he gathered his most trusted core followers and ascended a small hill ten li outside Cloud Capital...

The reason was simple: he had learned from Jin Xiaolong that Qin Yunxiao, the son of the Marquis of White Cloud, was departing Cloud Capital today, reportedly returning to the White Cloud Manor. Having finally found an opportunity where Qin Yunxiao was outside Cloud Capital and away from the Marquis's residence, Ye Jingyu would not let it pass...

If he couldn't kill Qin Yan yet, he might as well collect some interest by eliminating his son first...

The sun blazed high in the sky, but the arrival of an autumnal breeze kept the heat manageable. A convoy of about a hundred people appeared in the line of sight of Ye Jingyu and his men. Gazing at the carriage bearing the insignia of the Marquis of White Cloud, the killing intent in Ye Jingyu’s eyes flared unrestrained...