As twilight fell upon the sprawling palace, the sound of camel bells drifted from beyond the vermilion gates of the Eastern Palace.
After a series of seemingly routine procedures, dozens of Qiuci Dancers arrived, swaying gracefully. They were dressed in colorful, shimmering garments. Their leader held a gilded reed pipe, and as she moved, the silver bells on her wrist chimed melodiously.
Princess Yun Shu was more efficient than he had expected. In just a few days, she had sent a troupe of enchanting Qiuci Dancers to the Eastern Palace, every one of them just Xia Wuyang’s type.
These peerless beauties from the Western Regions were all stunning. The leader, in particular, had honey-toned skin that glowed with a pearlescent luster. Her amber eyes seemed to hold all the starlight of the Great Desert.
A floral appliqué of gold foil adorned her brow, trembling with her every movement as if it were alive.
Seeing this, the Palace Attendants of the Eastern Palace gathered around to watch the spectacle.
"Is this the new batch of Palace Maids for the Eastern Palace? They’re actually Qiuci Dancers. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them."
"I heard the Crown Prince is absolutely obsessed. He’s been urging them to bring these Qiuci Dancers over as soon as possible. The other Princes don’t have any yet. This is the first batch, and the most beautiful ones, too."
"He’s already slept with all the beauties in the Eastern Palace. It seems the Crown Prince grew tired of them, so he had someone send over a batch of Qiuci Dancers."
"His Highness’s body is in such a state, yet he’s still so unrestrained. I wonder how much longer he can last."
...
Xia Wuyang had, of course, already heard about this. By tradition, the Eastern Palace received a new batch of Palace Maids every year.
The old Palace Maids would be reassigned, and new ones would take their place. After a seemingly "reasonable" process, the exchange happened earlier than usual this year.
Xia Wuyang naturally guessed there might be a catch. But to avoid arousing suspicion—and seeing as it wouldn’t cause him any real harm—he readily agreed, even repeatedly urging them to hurry.
The attire of these Qiuci Dancers was vastly different from that of the women of Great Xia. Each wore a golden silk chest band that exposed her slender waist. They wore gradient gauze skirts that faded from pomegranate red to sunset gold, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings when they spun.
They were barefoot, their feet as smooth as jade. Nine-Ring Golden Chains adorned their ankles, jingling with every step and mingling with the sounds of the Jade Pendants at their waists.
They soon arrived at Wenhua Hall. When he heard the Qiuci Dancers had come, Xia Wuyang’s eyes lit up, and he scrambled to his feet. "Quick, quick! Let the beauties in! Don’t keep them waiting!"
The Palace Attendants hurriedly opened the doors, allowing the Qiuci Dancers to enter Wenhua Hall.
The peerless beauties filed in one by one. Seeing Xia Wuyang upon the golden dais, they all prostrated themselves before him.
"Your servants greet the Crown Prince!"
An exotic fragrance washed over him—a mixture of spices unique to Qiuci and the natural scent of young women, carrying an indescribable allure.
Even their manner of kneeling was different. They knelt on their left knee with their right leg stretched out behind them, a pose that caused the slits in their gauze skirts to reveal tantalizing glimpses of their pale thighs.
Unable to restrain himself, Xia Wuyang descended from his gilded couch and lunged toward the exotic beauties, immediately sweeping a pair of twin sisters into his arms.
The twin sisters were particularly eye-catching, with rare silver hair and blue eyes. Delicate Turquoise Chains were woven into their hair, and whenever they lowered their heads, the gemstones cast a shimmering light upon their necks.
They had bewitching, almond-shaped eyes, the corners of which were traced with the pattern of a flying phoenix in gold dust.
"Good, good, truly wonderful. All of you will stay in Wenhua Hall tonight. Not a single one of you is to leave."
Xia Wuyang seemed utterly captivated. He hastily ordered everyone else out so he could begin entertaining his new Qiuci Dancers.
What no one knew was that he had already quietly extended his Spiritual Power, probing the Qiuci Dancers and clearly perceiving their surface-level thoughts.
’So, it was my "dear" sister, Yun Shu!’
Xia Wuyang quickly identified the mastermind. He couldn’t recall any grudge between them and never expected Princess Yun Shu to be the one plotting against him.
’Truly, you can know a person’s face but not their heart. It’s easy to paint a tiger’s skin, but difficult to paint its bones. I thought it would be one of the Princes or Princesses I have a conflict with, or someone I’d offended in the past. I never imagined it would be Princess Yun Shu.’
’Could it be because I slighted her that day at the Inner Treasury? Is that why she’s retaliating?’
Xia Wuyang shook his head and let out a wry laugh. ’Impossible. She wouldn’t meticulously plot against me over something so trivial. Princess Yun Shu isn’t that foolish.’
But what he didn’t know was that Princess Yun Shu had decided to move against him precisely because of that encounter. One could only wonder what he would think if he knew the truth.
’Fortunately, I have the Soul Capturing Technique. Sooner or later, I’ll get to the bottom of this.’
Xia Wuyang was increasingly discovering just how useful the Soul Capturing Technique was. Its only drawback was that it could only probe surface thoughts; if an enemy’s Disguise was deep enough, it was useless.
Only after beginning his cultivation did Xia Wuyang realize how incredibly difficult spiritual-type Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques were. Without Spiritual Power far surpassing that of an ordinary person, it was impossible to even reach the entry level.
No wonder the Soul Capturing Technique was so powerful. Almost no one in the Imperial Palace could cultivate it. Even before his fall from grace, he had never heard of a single member of the Royal Family who had successfully mastered the Soul Capturing Technique.
Emperor Xia himself had failed to master the Soul Capturing Technique; he hadn’t even mastered the Dragon Phoenix Secret Skill. The difficulty of the Soul Capturing Technique, in comparison, was at least ten times greater.
Moreover, certain aspects of its cultivation required subtle adjustments based on one’s physical condition. Failure to do so not only meant an inability to master the technique but also carried the risk of losing one’s mind.
If the Seven-Aperture Exquisite hadn’t raised his Spiritual Power to over ten points—and in an all-encompassing way, no less—Xia Wuyang would have found it incredibly difficult to master the Soul Capturing Technique.
No wonder such a powerful Spiritual Secret Technique had been collecting dust in the Inner Treasury for so many years. Without his awakened Seven-Aperture Exquisite, Xia Wuyang wouldn’t have been able to even begin cultivating it, even if he’d had a whole lifetime.
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. On the surface, however, he continued to embrace the women, looking utterly lost in worldly pleasures.
In Wenhua Hall, the numerous Qiuci Dancers became streaks of color, like ribbons dancing ceaselessly through the palace.
One Dancing Girl played a pipa behind her back, another swayed her hips, while a third spun in a radiant whirl. A variety of alluring faces tilted up in unison—some with amorous, almond-shaped eyes; some with crimson lips slightly parted; others giggling coquettishly while biting on a golden chain.
The most enchanting of all was a seemingly shy Dancing Girl in the front row. When she gently lifted her gaze, her eyes revealed a rare violet hue, as beautiful as the morning sun glowing upon fresh snow.
’Beautiful. They were just too beautiful.’ So beautiful, in fact, that Xia Wuyang was at a loss for words.
Even with a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, Xia Wuyang couldn’t help but stare, stunned for a moment. He only snapped out of it when one of the women fed him a grape.
After several nights of music and revelry, the Dying Crown Prince came crawling out of Wenhua Hall, wailing, "Quick... quick, bring me the Dragon and Tiger Elixir! I need better, more of it! And a Miracle Treasure to help, or I’m going to die!"