The Artillery and Hot Weaponry technology of the Mu Household was classified as a secret of the highest order. Yuelong's act of leaking it by trading it with Wuzhi could be considered a neigh treasonous act! Of course, Yuelong was aware of this fact but consoled himself by believing that Wuzhi, also being a member of the Mu Household, would not use it in a manner that affected the family's interests.

It was unfortunate that the Eldest Young Master had mistaken this time around; Wuzhi possessed not a shred of belonging toward the Mu Household. In fact, he was one of the people aiming to fell its Patriarch, Mu Wudi.

Normally, even if it was a request from his wife-to-be, Yuelong would firmly refuse to trade in such secrets. Not because he did not believe in her but because he did not want the Mu Household to suffer even the smallest of losses. But alas, he had been made to abandon such staunch beliefs in the face of Wuzhi's offer; he was in a position where he simply could not afford to refuse.

Yuelong understood that a person could not be ever victorious. He understood there were times in one's life when one had to suffer a loss even if one is unwilling to.

Yuelong understood all virtues and respected the rules. However, he also knew there were times when one had to be flexible. As such, while this trade went against his morals, Yuelong did not hesitate to go through with it. He desperately needed Wuzhi's research and was willing to exchange anything for it; anything that was within the limits of his conscience that is.

While Yuelong displayed his foresight and flexibility in this exchange, Wuzhi was no less brilliant either. The young scholar keenly knew how to maximize his earnings, all while not offending this powerful sibling of his. His innate wisdom after being sharpened over the years by the Heaven Scheming Devil granted him a terrifying wit.

There was also the fact that while Yuelong was sincere about this exchange, Wuzhi still had some hidden motives. This could hardly be faulted for the personalities of the two brothers were simply too far apart; Yuelong was heroically chivalrous while Wuzhi was obsessively insidious.

"Rest assured, Xiao Long. This Wuzhi is not without conscience and morals. I will never sell out your name." Whether he was willing to keep this promise, not even the young scholar himself knew.

Hearing Wuzhi's promise, Yuelong let out a sigh of relief. Although he possessed a very high station in his family, his role in this trade would not go unpunished should it ever be revealed. While he did not care how this matter personally affected him, he could not bear having it negatively affect his parents, especially his mother.

"Then, Brother Wuzhi…" Yuelong dragged his words.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Wuzhi almost broke into uproarious laughter. Fortunately, he managed to stifle it in time and reached into his suitcase to retrieve the other half of his research. He then handed it over to Yuelong. "Good luck."

Yuelong could barely restrain his excitement as he received the document from Wuzhi. 'Application and Use Case of Unattributed Energy; Basic Model of a Harvester Core,' was written in its title.

"Harvester Core," repeated Yuelong, faintly aware of its meaning. He gently hugged the document against his chest and shot Wuzhi a look of guilt and gratitude. "The value of this knowledge—"

"Has been paid for," interrupted Wuzhi. He then casually waved his hands and said, "I only ask that you use it well."

At those words, Yuelong suddenly straightened and lifted his hand into the air. "I solemnly swear in the name of the heavens to never misuse this knowledge and do my utmost to see it bear fruit!"

The air within the study shook and the sky outside thundered. Wuzhi hardly expected this to happen. A look of undisguised surprise appeared on his face. He then narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuelong.

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Yuelong stared back; his face solemn. The two youths stared at each other for a good while before eventually breaking eye contact. Wuzhi chuckled and said, "That promise was unnecessary, Xiao Long. I have faith in you."

"It was necessary for me, Elder Brother Wuzhi," said Yuelong, smilingly. This was the first time that he voluntarily greeted the young scholar by his rightful status.

"Yuelong greets his Elder Brother, the first-born son of Sovereign Mu Wudi. Please accept my greetings, Elder Brother Wuzhi." He kowtowed.

Wuzhi was surprised once again. Seeing Yuelong kowtow, he was honestly unsure of how to react. "Wa-wait! What are you doing now? Get up! Get up!!"

"Not until you accept my greetings," said Yuelong, obstinately.

"I accept! I accept!! For Heaven's sake, I accept!" cried Wuzhi. After dragging Yuelong up by the cuff of his shirt, Wuzhi then looked away while fanning his face with his hands. "Is it just me or is it suddenly hot in here?" A rich blush coloured his face.

Yuelong heartily laughed at his poor attempt to divert attention away from his embarrassment. The young master felt that perhaps the young scholar's heart wasn't that closed off after all.

Hearing Yuelong laugh, the blush on Wuzhi's face grew deeper instead of fading away.

Throughout his life, Wuzhi rarely had genuine emotions directed toward him. Having grown up under the care of a single parent, he had been often starved for affection and praise. It did not help that seven out of ten words that exited his teacher's mouth were often insults and mockery.

Wuzhi was neither apathetic nor indifferent; he was, in fact, more sensitive to emotions than most people. It was only that his limited life experience had stifled his emotions and that certain events in his past had caused him to wear a mask of casualness and imperturbability. He saw being too deeply immersed in an emotion, be it happiness, sadness, or excitement to be a weakness; a notion that had been instilled into him by his teacher.

One had to remember that Wuzhi was only twenty years of age. He was neither a thousand-year-old demon nor a heartless devil. He was only slightly crazy; but then again, who isn't?

Just as Yuelong was about to capitalize on this unexpected discovery, the door to the study was knocked on. A voice calmly informed. "Young Master, a fourth messenger has arrived."

Yuelong sighed giving up on his thoughts. He raised his voice and replied, "Ready the men. We shall depart within the hour."

The voice on the other side excitedly affirmed and went away. Yuelong rose to his feet and spoke to Wuzhi. "Elder Brother, I must apologize for not keeping you company. I must leave now." He did not specify where or why he had to leave.

"I see," replied Wuzhi. He smiled and did not ask Yuelong any questions either.

Truth be told, both brothers knew that the other worked in favour of a different faction. Wuzhi knew that Yuelong headed the Mu Household faction whilst Yuelong knew that Wuzhi worked… against him. They did not openly state their affiliations and did not ask the other either. They also did not try to convince the other to switch sides.

This war was in a way a form of contest between the two siblings; such contests were common in most top-level families. And while the Mu Household strictly prohibited its children from aiming for each other's lives, it did not stop them from competing for their interests. The family, in fact, encouraged such competition.

After all, talents were a necessity for top-level families to retain their position; and competitions were the best way to hone and nurture talents.

In the Mu family, Yuelong had no equal. Outside of it, he had a few rivals. However, clashes with these rivals were few and far between. The Eldest Young Lord of the Mu household had been starved of such competition for a long time.

Knowing that he would be playing against Wuzhi in this war for unification, Yuelong unexpectedly felt some excitement in his heart; excitement that he hadn't felt in a long time. In this elder brother, he saw a worthy opponent.

Their competition had begun from the moment they first met each other in Lorden City, and so far, Wuzhi held the unmistakable lead. Unexpectedly, Mu Yuelong, the genius heir of a Sovereign-level faction had lagged behind!

"Let us both give it our best. I shall see you on the battlefield, Elder Brother," said Yuelong. He then gave a light bow and left the study.

Now alone, Wuzhi sat in the study with a calm smile on his face. His shyness and embarrassment from earlier seemed like a lie. Closing his eyes, he quietly savoured the feelings in his heart.

"It's a shame," Wuzhi suddenly said. "You are not a worthy opponent."

Unlike Yuelong, who saw Wuzhi as his worthy adversary, the young scholar did not see the former as his opponent at all. In his eyes, Yuelong was merely an adorable little brother who had some use and was easy to tease.

Wuzhi sighed. "Perhaps, if you had entered this game a little earlier, then we might've had some fun. It's a shame that you arrived too late; when the game had already been…" He left the last word unspoken.

His envisioned result had nearly been realized. Only a few hurdles remained. It was just a shame that his little brother couldn't see it yet.

Wuzhi rose from his seat and stretched his body. He released a long yawn and casually said, "Shall we lay claim to Lorden City?"

Only silence answered.