189: Chapter 188 The Third Prince

Zhou Qian left Yun Ming's small courtyard, his steps much faster than when he arrived.

He did not return to his own residence, but went directly to the City Lord's Mansion.

The City Lord's Mansion was situated on the central axis of Qingyao City, occupying a vast area with layers of halls, flying eaves, and bracket sets, presenting a magnificent Aura.

The guards at the entrance knew him and did not stop him. He passed through the front hall and middle hall all the way to the study in the back hall.

City Lord Feng Boyong was reviewing official documents in the study. Seeing him enter, he put down the brush in his hand.

"How did it go?" Feng Boyong asked.

He was at the Golden Core Perfection Realm, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He looked only in his early forties, but in reality, he had lived for nearly a thousand years.

He had occupied the position of Qingyao City's City Lord for over three hundred years. After the Third Prince started his uprising, he was among the first batch to defect.

Zhou Qian took ten jade bottles out of his Storage Pouch and lined them up on the desk.

"Ten sets of Materials, ten batches of Alchemy, all successful. Most are High Grade, and even the worst batch is Medium Grade."

Feng Boyong picked up a jade bottle, pulled out the stopper, and the pill fragrance surged out.

He poured out one Medicinal Pill to examine it, then put it back, picked up another, and examined it again.

After examining all ten jade bottles, he was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"This person is worth cultivating." Feng Boyong said, "You personally contact the Third Highness and explain the situation clearly."

Zhou Qian acknowledged and took a transmission talisman from his bosom.

This kind of transmission talisman was specially made and could directly contact the Third Prince across several provinces. It was expensive to make, and the entire City Lord's Mansion only had a few.

He channeled his Qi, meticulously engraving the details about Yun Ming into the talisman—name, cultivation level, Alchemy rank, the record of ten successful batches, and his interest in the Materials for the Xuan Ying Pill.

The talisman turned into a stream of light and disappeared outside the window.

Tens of thousands of miles away, in the Fengyin Province capital.

The Third Prince's temporary prince's mansion was set up in the former provincial governor's residence in the very center of the provincial capital.

The residence covered a hundred acres, complete with pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and ponds.

The Third Prince did not live in the main hall but in a small study in the back courtyard.

He liked it here; it was quiet.

There were only three people in the study.

The Third Prince sat behind the desk, with a map spread out in front of him, marking the distribution of forces and troop deployments in various provinces.

He was over four hundred years old, at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, with a handsome face and a refined air between his brows, but his eyes were very bright, occasionally flashing with sharp light.

He wore a plain-colored robe, no crown, and his hair was tied up casually. He did not look like a prince who was rebelling, but more like a scholar reading at home.

Sitting on his left was a man with a gentle face, looking to be in his thirties, wearing a green robe and holding a folding fan with a landscape painting on it.

He was Shen Yizhi, the Third Prince's chief strategist, at the Late Golden Core Stage, deep in strategy and meticulous in thought.

Most of the Third Prince's plans over these years came from his hand.

Standing on his right was a heroic female general, wearing silver armor, with a long sword hanging at her waist, her brows and eyes exuding a sharp, heroic spirit.

She was Qin Zhao, at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, the Third Prince's trusted general, commanding the "Black Armored Army," the most elite force under the Third Prince.

The three had grown up together, close as siblings.

The Third Prince started the uprising, Shen Yizhi planned, and Qin Zhao commanded the army; this iron triangle was indispensable.

The transmission talisman in the Third Prince's hand lit up.

He crushed the talisman paper, and Zhou Qian's voice rang in his mind, recounting everything about Yun Ming.

After listening, the Third Prince was silent for a moment, then looked up at Shen Yizhi and Qin Zhao.

"Over in Qingyao City, an interesting person has been discovered." He relayed what Zhou Qian had said.

Qin Zhao raised her eyebrows: "Ten batches all successful? This Alchemist has some skill. The difficulty of Third-grade Medium Grade Medicinal Pills is close to Third-grade High Grade. The best result of those Alchemists in the City Lord's Mansion was only five batches. This person is worth befriending and cultivating. In case he can really break through to the Fourth-Rank, we will have an extra Fourth-Rank Alchemist in our hands. Fourth-Rank Alchemists can refine the Xuan Ying Pill, or even the nine-turn jade infant pill; these are excellent means to attract talent."

Shen Yizhi did not express his stance immediately.

He closed his folding fan and tapped it lightly on the table, a habitual action when he was thinking.

"From the third rank to the fourth rank is a major Realm Breakthrough." Shen Yizhi said slowly, "How many people are stuck at this level, with no progress for life. Although this person has good talent, whether he can break through to the Fourth-Rank is still an unknown. You can place a bet, but it is not worth placing a heavy bet."

The Third Prince nodded.

He knew that what Shen Yizhi said made sense.

Fourth-Rank Alchemists were not cabbages; there were not many in the entire Fengyin Province.

A Third-grade High Grade Alchemist, no matter how high their talent, might not necessarily cross that threshold.

Placing a heavy bet on an uncertain future was indeed too risky.

"There is one more point." Shen Yizhi looked at the Third Prince, his tone lowering a bit, "Your Highness's current resources are also not abundant. Although the imperial court does not have major movements for now, they may send troops at any time. Military pay, grain, grass, Medicinal Pills, and Magical Artifacts for various places all have to come from Your Highness's treasury. We don't have many Materials for the Xuan Ying Pill to begin with. Taking out a portion to let an outsider try their hand, if it fails, it's just throwing money into the water."

Qin Zhao frowned, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

She knew that everything Shen Yizhi said was the truth.

After the Third Prince started the uprising, the imperial court blockaded the borders, trade routes were cut off, and many supplies could not be transported in.

Medicinal Pill Materials were even more in short supply; for Materials of the level of the Xuan Ying Pill, every one used was one less.

The Third Prince was silent for a long time.

He looked at the red and black dots on the map marking troop deployments, looked at the territory circled out in Fengyin Province, and looked at that inconspicuous little dot, Qingyao City.

Then he looked up.

"Send a transmission to Zhou Qian." He said, "Tell him to befriend that Yun Ming as much as possible. Take out 70% of the Xuan Ying Pill Materials in the City Lord's Mansion's inventory and give them all to him."

Shen Yizhi's folding fan stopped.

Qin Zhao's eyes lit up, then quickly returned to calm.

"Your Highness, is 70% too much?" Shen Yizhi deliberated on his wording, "What if —"

"If it fails, just treat it as making a friend." The Third Prince interrupted him, his tone calm but firm, "I am not betting that he can break through to the Fourth-Rank; I am betting on whether this person is worth befriending. A Third-grade Alchemist who succeeded in ten batches—even if he never breaks through to the Fourth-Rank in his life, he is worth this price. 70% of the Materials in exchange for the heart of a Third-grade High Grade Alchemist is not a loss."

Shen Yizhi was silent for a moment, then nodded, saying nothing more.

He understood the Third Prince and knew that once he made a decision, he would not change it.

Qin Zhao looked at the Third Prince, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

She liked this kind of courage of his.

Save when it should be saved, spend when it should be spent, never hesitating.

The Third Prince picked up a blank transmission talisman and engraved his decision into it.

The talisman turned into a stream of light and disappeared outside the window.

Tens of thousands of miles away, at the Qingyao City City Lord's Mansion. Zhou Qian stood before the desk, holding the transmission talisman he had just received, his expression somewhat complex.

"What did the Third Highness say?" Feng Boyong asked.

Zhou Qian took a deep breath and relayed the content of the talisman.

After listening, Feng Boyong was also stunned for a moment.

"70%." He repeated the number, as if confirming he hadn't misheard.

"70%." Zhou Qian nodded.

The two looked at each other, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes. Although the Xuan Ying Pill Materials in the City Lord's Mansion's inventory were not many, 70% was not a small amount either.

Handing all these Materials to an outsider—if they were refined into waste, they wouldn't even hear a sound.

"The Third Highness's order, carry it out." Feng Boyong said.

He did not question, did not hesitate.

Since the Third Prince had already made the decision, all he had to do was execute it.

Zhou Qian nodded and turned to go to the warehouse to retrieve the Materials.