Wei Xianren was not Xia Wuyang’s first Chief Eunuch. Instead, he was the Chief Eunuch assigned to him after he fell from power, a result of the political maneuvering between various factions.
Greedy, narrow-minded, selfish, and with only average talent... he had almost no redeeming qualities. For years, he had bullied the elder Crown Prince, even daring to covet the Miracle Treasure bestowed upon him by Emperor Xia.
Placing such a person in the Eastern Palace as the Chief Eunuch showed the tacit agreement among the various factions; they clearly did not want Xia Wuyang to have an easy life.
After being deposed, Xia Wuyang had resorted to some drastic measures in his effort to restore his Cultivation Foundation and resume his path of Cultivation.
Wei Xianren had collected evidence of these deeds to blackmail Xia Wuyang, not only forcing him to relinquish control over the Eastern Palace but also to hand over many resources and treasures.
With the help of the Eastern Palace’s resources and treasures, Wei Xianren was able to break through his bottlenecks one after another over just a few decades, advancing into the Middle Three Grades. He was now a top master at Sixth Grade Perfection.
If he could obtain the Celestial Water Essence, he might be able to use the Power of Strange Treasure to attempt a breakthrough to the Fifth Grade Realm. That was why, upon hearing this news, Wei Xianren had frantically rushed back to the Eastern Palace, not even bothering to finish selling off the properties of the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
As for where the proceeds from the sold properties went, they had basically all ended up in Wei Xianren’s pockets. He had become one of the biggest parasites in the Eastern Palace.
Upon entering Wenhua Hall, Wei Xianren ordered everyone out and shut the hall’s doors tightly. He looked eagerly at Xia Wuyang. "Crown Prince, forget the Dragon and Tiger Elixir, I don’t need it. Where is the Celestial Water Essence? I demand at least two-thirds of it."
His voice was shrill and sharp, yet left no room for argument. He wasn’t beating around the bush in the slightest, demanding the Celestial Water Essence right away. He showed no basic courtesy and had absolutely no respect for Xia Wuyang.
Little did he know that the Xia Wuyang standing before him was no longer the same Xia Wuyang he once knew.
Xia Wuyang’s cloudy, old eyes narrowed slightly. He nodded and walked toward the Practice Room. "Of course there is a share of the Celestial Water Essence for Eunuch Wei. It’s in the Practice Room."
"The Crown Prince is indeed sensible. I do like following Your Highness." Wei Xianren beamed, not suspecting a thing.
Having bullied Xia Wuyang for so long, he naturally didn’t think the man would dare to resist. ’Besides, what could a mere cripple, no matter how much he struggled, possibly do against a Sixth Grade Perfection Martial Artist like myself?’
His face filled with anticipation, he followed Xia Wuyang into the Practice Room. The moment the Profound Iron Gate closed, Xia Wuyang spun around. His eyes had become as deep as an abyss, and they locked onto Wei Xianren’s.
HUMMM...
Wei Xianren felt a jolt in his mind. The world spun around him, and he suddenly had no idea where he was. In a daze, he seemed to have arrived in another world.
It was Eternal Hell!
In this world, the elder Crown Prince, whom he had bullied for years, had finally reached his breaking point. He had forced Wei Xianren to consume a deadly poison, and only the elder Crown Prince possessed the antidote.
He had tried to neutralize the poison but never once succeeded. Instead, when the poison flared up, he suffered for days and nights, enduring a fate worse than death. He had almost eaten himself alive.
After experiencing such pain and despair, Wei Xianren no longer had a single disloyal thought toward the elder Crown Prince. He not only confessed every secret he knew but also swore he would never again betray Xia Wuyang in the slightest...
Looking at the unconscious Wei Xianren on the floor, a sharp glint flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes. With his Soul Capturing Technique at the Minor Achievement Realm, he had easily subdued and taken control of Wei Xianren.
From Wei Xianren’s memories, he was shocked to learn that so many of his Imperial Brothers and Sisters were monitoring his situation. Wei Xianren had been selling information and intelligence about him in exchange for considerable resources and treasures.
Because so many Princes and Princesses wanted to recruit him, the scoundrel was currently holding out for the highest bidder, playing the field between them to reap handsome profits.
’Truly, his greed was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.’ He had already gained so much from the Eastern Palace, yet he was still not content and continued to sell him out.
Fortunately, Wei Xianren’s Talent and Qualification were limited. Even with vast resources and treasures, he couldn’t absorb much of them and could only store them away for now. Naturally, all of it would now benefit Xia Wuyang.
Over the years, he had sold off nearly all the properties of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, converting everything into Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Miracle Elixirs, and gold, silver, and jewelry. Although there were no Miracle Treasures, there were many Middle-High Level Elixirs.
Now that Xia Wuyang had entered the Middle Three Grades, he could make use of these Elixirs.
THUD...
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wei Xianren jolted awake. His gaze fell on Xia Wuyang, and he immediately dropped to his knees, slamming his forehead heavily against the Cyan Jade floor tiles. "Your Highness, spare me! Everything before was this old servant’s fault! Please, Your Highness, grant this old servant a chance to live! From now on, this old servant will obey your every command! If Your Highness tells me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to go south, I will never dare to go north! I only beg that Your Highness grants me the antidote in time! This old servant is willing to be Your Highness’s dog!"
Using the Soul Capturing Technique, Xia Wuyang had made Wei Xianren experience a punishment more horrific than death by a thousand cuts, and he had attributed it all to the poison. So now, in Wei Xianren’s memory, he was afflicted with an incurable poison, and only Xia Wuyang held the antidote.
The catalyst for the antidote was Xia Wuyang’s own Qi Blood. Therefore, even if someone managed to replicate the antidote, it would be useless in relieving his pain.
He would have to take the antidote once every six months. Otherwise, he would die a miserable death in extreme pain and despair.
Xia Wuyang didn’t actually have such a poison at the moment. What he had given Wei Xianren was just an ordinary poison. He would tighten his control once he found a more suitable one later.
However, with the Soul Capturing Technique to supplement his efforts, he could simply reinforce the effect from time to time and should be able to keep Wei Xianren under control.
As long as he had enough time to raise his Cultivation Power, it wouldn’t matter even if he killed Wei Xianren later.
For now, capturing Wei Xianren was more useful than killing him. Xia Wuyang needed both the resources and treasures Wei Xianren possessed, as well as the channels he controlled.
Through Wei Xianren, he could even "sell" himself out, extorting more benefits from his Imperial Brothers and Sisters. It was a way to kill several birds with one stone, so he naturally couldn’t give it up so easily.
After confirming that Wei Xianren had been thoroughly intimidated by the Soul Capturing Technique and would not dare to betray him again, Xia Wuyang finally gave him an antidote. He ordered him to take it, then go back and secretly deliver all the resources and treasures without anyone knowing.
Wei Xianren obediently complied. This was exactly the kind of method one should use on a selfish, petty person like him.
With Wei Xianren as his servant, Xia Wuyang’s future actions would be much more convenient.
On the surface, however, Wei Xianren remained as arrogant and domineering as ever. He publicly claimed that the Crown Prince had gifted him some Celestial Water Essence to help him improve his Cultivation Realm.
But everyone knew the truth of the matter in their hearts, and many hidden spies and informants quickly began to spread the news.