Lord Yangshan wiped his hands with a silk cloth, opened the box lid, and his gaze couldn’t help but focus: “Oh?”

In the center of the box lay a small hourglass.

A glass bottle with golden sand—all three present were familiar with its appearance.

Not just Lord Yangshan, even Feng Miaojun was stunned: wasn’t this the Time Sand Hourglass, the star treasure personally auctioned by the Kua Ren King at the Luofu Fishing Party?

Lord Yangshan had participated in the bidding for this treasure at the time. Unfortunately, Fu Lingchuan had successfully lured the Crab Spirit, causing the Kua Ren King to leave midway to handle the situation, so the Time Sand Hourglass was never auctioned. Later, the lower city of Luofu was thrown into chaos by the explosion bug placed by Feng Miaojun, and Lord Yangshan also left Luofu Island. This treasure had never been acquired, which was regrettable.

As a result, Fu Lingchuan had now presented it, and smiled: “This item was actually sent for auction by me.”

So that was it. Feng Miaojun suddenly understood while Lord Yangshan narrowed his eyes: “Quite a scheme.”

Only such a treasure would qualify for the Kua Ren King to personally conduct the auction, luring him away from his lair and allowing Fu Lingchuan to approach the Crab Spirit.

Fu Lingchuan sighed: “There was no choice. War requires money, so I had to sell some possessions.” War was the most expensive endeavor. Though the tens or hundreds of thousands in transaction prices at the Fishing Party seemed astronomical to ordinary people, they would barely make a ripple in military spending. Soldiers needed food and training, battles required weapons, artillery needed ammunition, and the dead required compensation—which of these wasn’t a bottomless pit?

Fu Lingchuan’s pleading poverty might not be entirely believable, but it reflected the predicament of a real nation.

Lord Yangshan made a sound of acknowledgment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but his expression improved somewhat. This was because Fu Lingchuan not only presented compensation but also said to him: “I must also thank Lord Yangshan for not siding with the Kua Ren on Luofu Island, otherwise acquiring the Ji vessel would not have been so smooth.”

Lord Yangshan had left Luofu Island after the explosion occurred and did not stay despite the Kua Ren King’s entreaties. From this perspective, he had stood on Fu Lingchuan’s side.

This was precisely what Feng Miaojun didn’t understand. The money Lord Yangshan earned from Luofu Island was substantial—why would he make such a choice?

Fu Lingchuan’s words were a clear acknowledgment of the debt. Only then did Lord Yangshan wave his hand, instructing his attendant to accept the Time Sand Hourglass.

Seeing Lord Yangshan’s expression brighten, Fu Lingchuan struck while the iron was hot: “By the way, I would like to purchase a drop of Golden Branch Jade Dew from Lord Yangshan—I have an urgent need for it.”

Lord Yangshan gave him a curious look: “If you needed it, why didn’t you bid at the Fishing Party?”

“Why drive up the price unnecessarily?” Fu Lingchuan smiled perfectly. “Better to come here afterward and request to purchase it.”

Lord Yangshan replied languidly: “No need to buy—I’ll give you a drop.”

In truth, all three present knew that the Time Sand Hourglass Fu Lingchuan had given was worth far more than the Golden Branch Jade Dew. Even with Lord Yangshan’s generosity, he was still making a substantial profit.

He then took out the Golden Branch Jade Dew from his storage ring and dispensed a drop to Fu Lingchuan, who gestured for Feng Miaojun to put it away.

Finally obtained! Feng Miaojun gazed at the dewdrop-like divine water in the bottle, her emotions surging, yet she had to restrain herself forcefully and maintain a calm expression.

There was hope for breaking the curse now!

Lord Yangshan had indeed kept it close at hand—with her strength alone, she could never have obtained the divine water from him. But for people like them, the Golden Branch Jade Dew was perhaps merely a curious collectible. Judging from how easily Lord Yangshan handed it to Fu Lingchuan, he might not greatly value something that would cause an ordinary sect to bankrupt itself.

This was the difference in status, wealth, and level. Feng Miaojun, having visited the Luofu Fishing Party, had a clear understanding of this.

Fu Lingchuan aptly shifted the topic to the situation in the Northern Continent: “I just received news yesterday. Xiao Jing mistakenly trusted He Lian Jia and was beheaded, which created trouble for us. With Wei’s internal rebellion quelled and the country reunified, Changle and I must return north quickly to stabilize public sentiment.” He sighed lightly. “I wonder how much time Empress Zheng can buy for us.”

Lord Yangshan snorted: “That useless woman has already been locked in the deep palace. Xiao Yan has announced to the public that she’s enjoying her later years in peace—don’t people with discerning eyes know what’s happening?”

Feng Miaojun and Fu Lingchuan exchanged glances, both surprised: “The Zheng family’s power is deeply entrenched in Wei. Doesn’t Xiao Yan fear them at all?”

“Xiao Jing is dead, and Empress Zheng is merely a woman. Unless the Zheng family usurps the throne, they can only support the third prince, Xiao Wu.” Lord Yangshan quickly analyzed the situation. “Who knows what Xiao Yan privately discussed with Xiao Wu, but three days after the Wei Crown Prince’s death, Xiao Wu left the capital, claiming he was overwhelmed with grief and needed to clear his mind in the northern border. In reality, he was avoiding the new ruler’s suspicion, voluntarily requesting exile to the frontier—perhaps this was the condition for preserving the Zheng family.”

Fu Lingchuan also praised this as “brilliant”: “With Xiao Jing dead and Xiao Wu gone, the Zheng family has no one to support. Usurping power isn’t easy—they would need to change the ancestral temple and replace the State Preceptor, so they can’t stir up much trouble. Their State Preceptor is even more difficult to deal with than Xiao Yan.”

“Xiao Yan has been lenient this time, only dealing with several prominent figures from the Crown Prince’s faction and letting the small fry go.” Lord Yangshan sneered. “I suspect there will be more problems later.”

Fu Lingchuan sighed: “Wei eliminating its internal troubles is greatly disadvantageous for us.” He then proceeded to discuss military resource issues with Lord Yangshan.

With New Xia newly established and all industries awaiting development, while facing powerful external enemies like Wei, Fu Lingchuan wanted to purchase some military equipment and magical devices from Lord Yangshan, hoping for more favorable prices.

Actually, during the previous mobilization of An Xia troops to intercept the Wei army, all military equipment and resources had been sponsored by Yan Kingdom. Now that the war was over, obtaining such free benefits was no longer possible. Fu Lingchuan hoped to negotiate lower prices—for instance, if a Divine Fire Cannon from Yan cost three hundred spirit stones, he hoped to negotiate it down to one hundred.

Feng Miaojun played the role of a quiet ornament, sitting properly and listening, increasingly feeling that something wasn’t right.

Military equipment was a monopolized resource—even if Fu Lingchuan dared to buy it, how could Lord Yangshan dare to sell it? Didn’t he fear trouble from Yan?

Unless…

The fake Princess Changle had consistently behaved this way—after all, she was just a puppet. How much decision-making power did she have over military and political affairs?

She lowered her head without speaking, and Lord Yangshan found nothing unusual about this.

Just then, Lord Yangshan suddenly turned to look at her: “Changle looks well.”

Feng Miaojun, wearing the appearance of the fake Princess Changle, had tidied her makeup before the visit and was truly a great beauty. She smiled and replied slowly: “Thanks to your blessing, I’m doing all right.”

As these few words came out, Lord Yangshan raised his eyelids, and Fu Lingchuan’s smile slightly stiffened. Feng Miaojun caught their expressions and wondered if she had said something wrong.

Lord Yangshan clapped twice and laughed: “Changle has indeed changed since becoming a ruler!”

Feng Miaojun harbored doubts and found his behavior increasingly strange. Despite this man’s extraordinary status in Yan Kingdom, he held no actual power—why was Fu Lingchuan so cautious and even somewhat respectful toward him? Princess Changle had been elevated to queen, putting them on different levels—did this man never observe hierarchical proprieties?

He laughed briefly, then immediately straightened his face: “Getting back to business, Changle, have you considered when you will marry my son?”