Hearing the young prince's childish words, Mr. Huo couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's the seed of this tree."

Tree seeds?

Gu Yuzhi tilted his head and looked ahead. Perhaps because of what Mr. Huo had said, he seemed to see a little bit of fog.

He blinked, but then it seemed the mist had disappeared. He scratched his head and asked curiously, "How do you get those seeds?"

"Its seeds can be pressed for oil, and the oil pressed from its seeds can be used to light torches, the flames of which can penetrate the fog."

Gu Yuzhi was stunned, he really hadn't expected it to be so complicated.

But what he didn't expect was that the people of Jingxiang would discover through such a complicated method: "Jingxiang was originally outside the pass, so were these trees here before?"

Mr. Huo shook his head slightly: "No. It was after the establishment of Jingxiang that this tree suddenly grew in a corner. Coincidentally, someone discovered at night that there was a fog around it. By the following year, the tree had grown quite a bit, and the fog had spread even further."

As family members of soldiers, the local people were very vigilant and immediately contacted them.

They were afraid that the tree would produce poisonous gas like the miasma associated with peach blossoms.

Huo's men cordoned off the area overnight, raising poultry there. Three months passed, and the poultry were still alive and well.

The Huo family army then sent soldiers to stay there for several months. After confirming that the tree was truly harmless, the idea of ​​using it to defend against enemies came to mind.

Mr. Huo watched as the young prince rested his chin on his arm, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes, full of curiosity.

He suddenly thought of himself, and also of Huo Liangyao when he was a child.

Well Village is like a legacy for the Huo family, with each generation passing on the legends of this place to the next. It's not just about the fortresses, plants, and mazes, but also about the people and the illustrious military achievements they made here.

"My father and the others studied the solution to the fog for a long time. It wasn't until one night when a person carried a torch through the fog that we realized that the person was using a torch that was coated with the resin of this tree."

In the dry summer of northern desert, the sun is scorching and the hours are long. The tree seeds, left outside to be exposed to the scorching sun day and night, actually produced oil.

The man felt it was a waste, but dared not eat it. He thought of lighting a lamp instead, and by sheer coincidence, he discovered a useful tool for going out in the wild.

Gu Yuzhi felt that everything was so magical. These white fortresses, these plants, these mazes, everything made Jingxiang mysterious and made him yearn for it.

He clapped his hands and turned to Chief Secretary Xie: "Chief Secretary Xie, what do you think? After tomorrow's inspection, once we've confirmed that these fortresses in Jingxiang can still defend against the enemy, when the Northern Di people come, can I stay in one of the fortresses?"

The expressions of everyone behind him changed.

However, Chief Secretary Xie understood the meaning behind the young prince's words: he was asking whether guards like Zhao could be allowed to live in the fortress as residents.

But he didn't say it outright because he didn't know what the guards were thinking.

Chief Secretary Xie looked slightly taken aback, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

It seems that ever since he first refused the young prince's request to appoint Granny Xu as the head chef and told him to ask Granny Xu's opinion, the young prince has been very concerned about what the attendants who came with him to the northern desert were thinking.

If the Northern Di people invade, Guard Zhao and the others will inevitably have to go to the battlefield. Your Highness didn't have to ask this question!

Chief Secretary Xie lowered his eyes and said, "Of course it is possible."

A double entendre.

Whether it's His Highness, or Guard Zhao and the others, it's all acceptable!

A smile finally appeared on Gu Yuzhi's face.

Prefect Ke, however, was somewhat worried: "Your Highness, this fortress is different from the houses that were sealed off before."

The owner of the house that was seized was dead, but he died outside. This fortress is different; people have actually died inside.

Gu Yuzhi's eyes sparkled, and he raised his chin slightly: "I know all that Prefect Ke is talking about."

He said firmly, "But I'm not afraid!"

"Although the people of Jingxiang are not military personnel, have never received military pay, have never eaten food in the military camp, and have never trained with soldiers, they are all great heroes who have killed the Northern Di people."

Gu Yuzhi patted her chest vigorously with her small hand and said, "Even if they are all still here, if I move in, they will know my identity and will only welcome me."

Why should he be afraid of heroes?

He admires him so much!

Upon hearing this, Shu Xiaohan felt relieved for the innocent people of Jingxiang who had died unjustly, but when she thought of the scene when they first met the young prince, she couldn't help but say in a leisurely tone: "Young prince, are you not afraid now because you have forgotten the scene when you first met me and Manager Wen?"

Gu Yuzhi tilted his head to look at her, pretending not to understand what she meant: "What's going on?"

He finished speaking and then pouted and hummed.

He was so young then, and had just arrived in the northern desert. He was all alone and scared. When two souls suddenly appeared in front of him, how could he not be scared?

Besides, Manager Wen and Teacher Shu aren't heroes, so how can they be compared to these heroes?

However, Teacher Shu must not know this, otherwise she will be angry.

Gu Yuzhi covered his mouth and chuckled secretly, when he heard Mr. Huo advise, "Your Highness, it's best not to stay here."

"Why?" Gu Yuzhi asked, puffing out his cheeks in dissatisfaction. "Didn't Prefect Ke say that he had previously wanted to send people here to reclaim the wasteland, but the people of the whole prefecture were unwilling to come as soon as they heard it was Jingxiang?"

He patted his chest: "If they won't come, I will! The people will be less afraid and more likely to stay here if they know it's me living here."

Prefect Ke understood Mr. Huo's meaning and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there is a difference between ordinary people and military dependents. Even if some people are willing to come, they won't use the things in these fortresses."

"I was unaware of the history of this fortress before. I thought that during times of war, the people would evacuate, or if they didn't, they would only be there to assist."

Who would have thought that the people of Jingxiang would know how to use heavy crossbows?

Gu Yuzhi pouted unhappily, about to retort, when Prefect Ke said, "Your Highness is of noble status. The Northern Di people will definitely send spies to investigate your location first. It is not suitable for you to stay in Jingxiang."

He's not of any noble status at all!

Gu Yuzhi snorted inwardly. If he were of noble status, his elder brother would not have chosen him to come to the Northern Desert.

This won't do, that won't do either. Gu Yuzhi lost interest in their late-night chat and angrily headed back to the carriage.

He had only taken two steps when he heard a familiar howl. His eyes lit up, and he was about to rush forward when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The little white snake wrapped tightly around his wrist, its head completely tucked under his sleeve, its icy body seemingly trembling...