A moment later, Liu Jun arrived at the side hall where Wei Xianren resided.
Seeing Liu Jun arrive, Wei Xianren, who was sitting at his desk, toyed with his Jade Ring. With a leisurely expression, he didn’t even raise an eyelid as he asked faintly, "Nanny, what brings you to my home today?"
"Eunuch Wei, you took more than half of the Celestial Water Essence His Majesty bestowed last time. This time, I’m getting my share of Lady Xingyan’s Dragon and Tiger Elixir and Celestial Water Essence," Liu Jun sneered, walking right up to Wei Xianren and glaring down at him.
Wei Xianren paused and looked up at Liu Jun. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes touched his lips. "Your sources are certainly good, Nanny. Lady Xingyan only just delivered the Dragon and Tiger Elixir and Celestial Water Essence, yet you’re already aware of the matter."
"Good sources?" Liu Jun scoffed. "The news is all over the Eastern Palace. Did you really think you could keep it a secret, Eunuch Wei? I want five hundred bottles of the Dragon and Tiger Elixir and at least one and a half portions of the Celestial Water Essence. Don’t even think about hoarding it all for yourself this time."
Wei Xianren laughed. "Since you know Lady Xingyan promised over a thousand bottles of Dragon and Tiger Elixir and three portions of Celestial Water Essence to buy her freedom, surely you also heard that she’s only delivered a hundred bottles of the elixir and one portion of the essence so far?"
"Besides, the Crown Prince has likely already consumed that portion of Celestial Water Essence. What’s the use of coming to me? You should go see the Crown Prince. He has it all. Lady Xingyan will be giving the rest of the Dragon and Tiger Elixir and Celestial Water Essence to him as well."
"Are you telling the truth?" Liu Jun frowned.
Wei Xianren stood and started walking toward the door. "Why don’t we go ask the Crown Prince together and find out? I haven’t received a single bottle of Dragon and Tiger Elixir or even a drop of Celestial Water Essence, so how could I possibly have any to spare for you?"
"Fine. Let’s go to Wenhua Hall, then." Liu Jun didn’t suspect a thing, completely unaware that Wei Xianren now belonged to Xia Wuyang.
While she was on her way, Wei Xianren had already sent word to Xia Wuyang, preparing to use this opportunity to give Liu Jun a little "surprise."
One walking behind the other, they soon arrived at Wenhua Hall. Xia Wuyang, who had already gotten the news, was laughing and making merry with his Palace Maids.
COUGH, COUGH...
Upon arriving, Liu Jun didn’t even wait to be announced, striding directly into Wenhua Hall. At the sound of her light cough, all the Palace Maids filed out. Such was her authority that it seemed to surpass even that of Xia Wuyang, the elder Crown Prince.
Seeing Liu Jun’s blatant arrogance, Xia Wuyang remained calm and impassive, his expression unchanging. "Is there something you need, Nanny Liu? Why do you disturb me as I enjoy my fine wine?"
"I heard that Your Highness recently acquired some Dragon and Tiger Elixir and Celestial Water Essence. Such things are precious, and I fear Your Highness might not store them properly. Why not let me keep them safe for you?"
"Oh, so Nanny Liu is concerned for me," Xia Wuyang said with a faint, cryptic smile. He turned and walked toward the Practice Room. "There’s still a little Celestial Water Essence left, and I haven’t taken much of the Dragon and Tiger Elixir. You can come and have a look, Nanny Liu."
Hearing that not much Celestial Water Essence was left, Liu Jun frowned and quickened her pace toward the Practice Room.
Wei Xianren followed close behind. The moment they were both inside the Practice Room, he slammed the Profound Iron Gate shut.
Liu Jun paid it no mind, assuming Wei Xianren was simply ensuring no one would find out. The two of them had done similar things many times before; it was how they had extorted many of the treasures Xia Wuyang had obtained over the years.
"Nanny Liu, about that Celestial Water Essence... I need it too!"
Xia Wuyang spun around. His cloudy eyes instantly flashed with a brilliant light that locked fiercely onto Liu Jun’s gaze.
Liu Jun felt her entire body go rigid. Her consciousness began to blur, the scene before her eyes twisting and warping until she no longer knew where she was.
Her eyes flew open in terror. She wanted to struggle but found she had no control over her body.
Xia Wuyang’s eyes were like deep black holes, capable of devouring everything.
"Look into my eyes. You are my slave. If I tell you to die, you must die! If I tell you to live, you cannot die!"
The voice was deep and ethereal, carrying an irresistible power that stripped Liu Jun of any will to resist.
HUMMM...
In that instant, it felt as though Liu Jun’s very soul had been struck by lightning as countless foreign memory fragments flooded her mind.
She saw herself suffering the death of a thousand cuts, a fate worse than death!
She saw herself groveling at Xia Wuyang’s feet, begging for an antidote like a stray dog!
She saw herself betraying the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, to become Xia Wuyang’s most loyal slave!
...
"I... I..." Liu Jun tried to resist, but she found herself weaker than an ant. All of her defenses were swiftly crushed.
Xia Wuyang’s voice drilled into her mind like a demonic incantation. "From this day forward, your life, your very being, all of it belongs to me. If you disobey... death by a thousand cuts, your heart devoured by ten thousand ants, your family destroyed... those will be the lightest of your punishments."
After a long moment, Liu Jun knelt before Xia Wuyang. "This old slave swears fealty to Your Highness until death. I will go through fire and water and never shrink from death."
Xia Wuyang nodded in satisfaction. "Rise. Don’t give anything away, and don’t let anyone know you have taken my poison."
"Your Highness may rest assured. This old slave knows what to do." Liu Jun kept her head bowed, not daring to look at Xia Wuyang. Her expression was a mixture of reverence, fear, and an indescribable trace of fanaticism.
Having been brainwashed and coerced by the Soul Capturing Technique, she now belonged completely to Xia Wuyang. Her loyalty was hardly inferior to Wei Xianren’s, perhaps even greater in some respects.
After all, compared to Wei Xianren, Liu Jun was not nearly so audacious. Faced with threats to her own life and the lives of her friends and family, she wouldn’t dare to resist.
He was not like Wei Xianren, who was so selfish and self-serving that he cared nothing for friends or family. Only death itself held any terror for him.
Xia Wuyang was now using both carrot and stick—tampering with their memories via the Soul Capturing Technique while holding their lives hostage—to control the two of them.
However, this method was prone to problems. Before they arose, he needed to amass enough Power to handle enemies from all sides.
Now that he had both Chief Eunuch Wei Xianren and Ceremonial Nanny Liu Jun in his grasp, Xia Wuyang had secured preliminary control over the Eastern Palace. He could now resolve many matters through them, no longer having his hands so tightly bound.
This was a critical move for Xia Wuyang. At the very least, if he ever found himself short on resources or treasures, he could now obtain them through these two.
After seeing them off, Xia Wuyang returned to his revelries, completely unaware that another person had set their sights on the Dragon and Tiger Elixir and Celestial Water Essence he had just acquired. A figure had silently departed Spring Rain Hall and was now stealthily making their way toward the Eastern Palace, their target: Wenhua Hall.
This figure’s Power was considerable; they too had reached the Fifth Grade Realm. They were skilled in Body Technique and the art of concealment, their movements graceful and alluring, tinged with a hint of Clear Spirit Qi.
’I hear Lady Xingyan brought a full thousand bottles of Dragon and Tiger Elixir and three portions of Celestial Water Essence to buy her freedom. I wonder how much of it I can get my hands on tonight.’