I, a spoiled young master, conquered the Crown Princess right from the start!

On the way back to the capital, Po Jun reported to Chu Feng with the intelligence he had just received: "Your Highness, news has come from the capital that His Majesty has issued an edict, bestowing upon you the title of 'Pillar of the Nation' and rewarding you with countless gold and silver treasures. The imperial guards that besieged the Prince's mansion have also all withdrawn."

"Heh, a slap followed by a sweet treat, huh?" Chu Feng sat on his warhorse, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, only a faint smile.

Lu Tianqian played this move very cleverly. First, he used generous rewards to appease the army and gain the moral high ground. In this way, if the Zhenbei Army continued to advance on the capital, it would confirm the crime of holding military power and intending to rebel.

"So... are we still going back to the capital?" Po Jun asked.

"Go back, of course we'll go back." A cold glint flashed in Chu Feng's eyes. "However, not like this."

He reined in his horse, turned to look at the four legion commanders behind him, and ordered in a deep voice: "Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, each of you select two thousand of your most elite soldiers, break them up into smaller groups, and secretly infiltrate the capital. They will lie in ambush throughout the city and await my command."

"The rest of you, Po Jun, will lead them back to the Northern Border! Immediately recruit soldiers and expand the army! I want to see an army of 500,000 men in the shortest possible time!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The five men answered in unison.

Chu Feng flipped his hand, took out a thin booklet, and tossed it to Po Jun.

"This is a body-refining technique. Take it back and let all the soldiers practice it together. It will be enough to raise their strength to the next level in a short period of time."

Po Jun took the cultivation manual and glanced at it briefly, but his mind was shaken. The profoundness of this cultivation manual far exceeded any other cultivation manual he had ever seen!

This cultivation technique was obtained by Chu Feng from the demoness.

Just then, the enchantress's voice rang out again: "Little brother, there's a very strong energy fluctuation a thousand miles to the southeast. Do you want to go check it out?"

Chu Feng's gaze sharpened as he looked southeast: "What place is that?"

Qinglong stepped forward and replied, "Your Highness, that is Jiangnan. It is the most prosperous place in the Great Qian Dynasty, and also the place where the power of aristocratic families is most deeply entrenched."

"Jiangnan..." A strange light flashed in Chu Feng's eyes.

He waved to Qinglong and the others: "You proceed according to plan. I'll go to Jiangnan first."

After saying that, his figure transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the horizon.

……

Jiangnan, the city of Suzhou and Hangzhou.

As expected of one of the most prosperous cities in the Great Qian Dynasty, the streets were bustling with traffic and crowds, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and laughter filled the air, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.

Chu Feng changed into casual clothes and walked on the cobblestone street, only to find that almost everyone had an excited look on their face and were rushing towards the same direction in the city center.

He stopped a passerby and asked curiously, "Brother, what's all this commotion about? Has something big happened?"

Upon seeing that the newcomer was a stranger, the passerby immediately became excited and said, "Brother, you must be from out of town! Don't you know? Today is the day of the martial arts contest to find a husband for the most talented woman in Jiangnan, the eldest daughter of the Zhuge family!"

"Miss Zhuge?"

"Yes! Zhuge Yue! She's the goddess in the hearts of every man in Jiangnan! Not only is she as beautiful as a celestial being, ranking high on the Great Qian Dynasty's list of beauties, but she's also proficient in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—her talent is unparalleled in Jiangnan!" A passerby spoke with drooling admiration, his face full of longing. "Whoever marries her will truly have their ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke!"

Chu Feng's heart stirred. The source of the energy aura that the Demoness mentioned seemed to be in the center of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Could it be related to the Zhuge family?

He thanked the passersby and followed the flow of people to a huge square in the center of the city.

In the center of the square, a tall arena had already been erected, and behind the arena was a three-story overlooking the river.

At this moment, on the top floor of Wangjiang Tower, a woman dressed in green with her face veiled by a light gauze stood by the railing. A gentle breeze blew by, lifting her skirt and hair, making her look like a fairy about to ride the wind away.

Although her face was not clearly visible, her extraordinary temperament and graceful figure alone were enough to inspire endless imagination.

"Little brother, look!" the enchantress's voice rang out again, "That jade pendant around that woman's neck is a spirit stone!"

"Spirit stones?" Chu Feng was taken aback upon hearing this.

"That's right!" the enchantress explained, "Spirit stones are crystals containing pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the most needed resource for martial arts cultivators!"

"A martial arts cultivator?" Chu Feng was taken aback.

The enchantress explained, "The path of martial arts cultivation can be divided into three major stages: mortal martial arts, spiritual martial arts, and immortal martial arts. You are currently in the Celestial Realm, which belongs to the mortal martial arts stage, and you are called a martial artist."

"Only by breaking through to the level of a terrestrial immortal can one truly enter the spiritual martial arts stage, become a cultivator, and begin to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and cultivate various supernatural abilities and techniques! As for immortal martial arts, that is the legendary level of immortals."

"This woman possesses spirit stones, which means the Zhuge family likely owns a spirit stone mine! Finding it would be of immense benefit to your future cultivation!"

Upon hearing the demoness's introduction, a dazzling light instantly flashed in Chu Feng's eyes.

Just then, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler stepped onto the stage, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen! Today is the day of the martial arts contest to find a husband for the eldest daughter of the Zhuge family! Any young man under the age of thirty who believes he has the ability may come up on stage and give it a try! The winner will become the son-in-law of the Zhuge family!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure dressed in brocade robes flew directly onto the arena.

The newcomer was handsome and refined, and was none other than the Fifth Prince, Lu Chen.

"My name is Lu Chen. I have long admired Miss Zhuge for her exceptional talent and beauty, and have come here to ask for her hand in marriage!" He bowed to the woman in green on the pavilion, exuding elegance.

"It's His Highness the Fifth Prince!"

"Good heavens! Even the Fifth Prince is participating in the martial arts contest to choose a wife!"

A gasp of surprise rippled through the audience.

Lu Chen wore a confident smile as he surveyed the audience, releasing an aura of a powerful expert at the Innate Realm.

"Is there any valiant hero willing to step forward and offer his guidance?"

Sensing that powerful aura, some of those who were initially eager to try immediately backed down.

Are you kidding me? Even the Fifth Prince himself has stepped up, and he's at the Innate Realm. Who would dare to go up there and humiliate themselves?

Just when Lu Chen thought he had the victory in his grasp and was ready to receive cheers from the crowd and completely defeat the eldest daughter of the Zhuge family, a lazy figure slowly walked onto the arena.

"Excuse me, I'm also quite interested in this Miss Zhuge."

The person who arrived was none other than Chu Feng.