A pretty face as delicate as a painting, hair as black as ink. Though she no longer possessed the subtle fragrance of a maiden, a different kind of scent lingered about her—a natural body fragrance all its own.
Even with her eyes closed, her heart-stirring charm was palpable, evoking an urge to cherish and protect her.
’Fortunately, she hadn’t betrayed Xia Wuyang, but had merely stumbled upon his secret by accident. Otherwise, this would have been much harder to handle.’
He silently used the Soul Capturing Technique, reaching into Lian Xing’s mind. He began to carefully alter her memories, making her forget the things she was not supposed to know.
To avoid harming Lian Xing, Xia Wuyang moved slowly and with the utmost care. It took him over an hour to finish editing her memories, ensuring she would no longer harbor any suspicions and would continue to serve him well in the future.
From Lian Xing, Xia Wuyang also learned a few secrets about the Eastern Palace, including the identities of several suspected spies and inside agents.
’An unexpected bonus...’
Once he was finished, he looked at the beautiful women still lost in deep sleep, gave them a gentle touch, and then slipped silently into the Practice Room to begin cultivating again.
Cultivation Technique, Combat Techniques, Secret Techniques... He practiced them all in an orderly fashion, neglecting none. However, his Cultivation Technique consumed the most time and energy, followed by his Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques.
With his exceptionally high Comprehension and an ample supply of Elixirs, Xia Wuyang’s Cultivation speed was still remarkably fast even without a Miracle Treasure.
But for now, the most important thing was to consolidate and adapt, to temper his Foundation until it was flawless. Once the rest of the Celestial Water Essence arrived, he could consume it and send his Cultivation Realm soaring once more.
The next batch of Celestial Water Essence should, at the very least, be able to raise his Cultivation to Fifth Grade Perfection, and perhaps even allow him to break through to the Fourth Grade Realm.
If he failed to temper his Foundation after such a rapid advancement in just over a month, it would surely affect his future Cultivation.
After a night of arduous practice, he returned to the Sleeping Palace just before dawn for a round of morning "exercise" with his beauties, then continued his life of debauchery for the day.
He appeared to be lost in pleasure, but in secret, he was constantly cultivating, and his overall strength was increasing rapidly.
His Mental Force Field, in particular, was always active. The moment it detected any anomaly, he would be able to react instantly.
As his Spiritual Power grew a little each day, the range of his Mental Force Field continued to expand, allowing him to probe farther and farther and discover hidden secrets and enemies.
When it could one day cover the entire Eastern Palace, or even the whole Imperial Palace, this place would hold no more secrets from him. Everything would be within his grasp.
Moreover, the Mental Force Field was an innate talent, not a Combat Technique or a Secret Technique. It was extremely subtle and silent. Even someone whose Cultivation Realm far surpassed Xia Wuyang’s would have a hard time detecting its probe.
Unless they were an existence beyond the Celestial Human Level, there was a slight possibility of detection, but in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, there seemed to be only one such person.
He cultivated without pause, and night soon fell again. Just as Xia Wuyang had lulled several Palace Maids to sleep and was preparing to enter the Practice Room, he detected an anomaly through his Mental Force Field.
He returned to the brocade couch, gathered his focus, and waited for the uninvited guest to arrive.
Moonlight, like water, spilled over the glazed tiles of Wenhua Hall, plating the entire palace in a cold, silvery sheen.
The night was deep. Aside from the occasional footsteps of patrolling Guards, the vast expanse inside and outside Wenhua Hall was silent.
A black shadow appeared silently above Wenhua Hall and, as light as a feather, slipped inside.
The figure had a slender frame and was completely wrapped in Night Clothes. A dark veil covered their face, revealing only a pair of eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.
Upon closer inspection, one might notice that these were the eyes of a woman.
After confirming that everyone in Wenhua Hall was asleep, the dark figure landed silently in the Sleeping Palace. She reached out and scattered some incense, causing everyone on the brocade couch to fall into an even deeper sleep, ensuring no one would notice anything amiss afterward.
Having done this, she carefully extended a hand and began to inspect Xia Wuyang’s aged body, inch by inch.
Just like the Ghost Shadow from before, this was another enemy worried that Xia Wuyang was secretly hiding his strength—playing the fool to ambush his prey. They feared he might have had some fortuitous encounter, recovered, or even started cultivating again, which would threaten them and their plans.
’Which of my dear brothers is it this time? Or perhaps one of the Powerful Ministers or Military Generals?’
Xia Wuyang had no way of knowing. He didn’t even dare to use the Soul Capturing Technique, for this intruder was exceedingly powerful. Just from the faint aura she radiated, he could sense her strength was likely in the Upper Three Grades, at least ten times greater than his own.
Under these circumstances, rashly using the Soul Capturing Technique could easily get him discovered, and the consequences would be unthinkable.
The current Xia Wuyang was no match for her. How could he dare to make any untoward moves?
’Same as always. His physical condition has worsened, but he’s holding up better than expected. It seems those Miracle Treasures are working.’
’But what does it matter if he can live a few more days? It’s just a pointless struggle, a chance to sleep with a few more Palace Maids.’
...
The figure in black relaxed, letting out a withered whisper. It sounded like an old Palace Maid.
After finishing her inspection, the old Palace Maid did not leave immediately. Instead, she began to rummage through Wenhua Hall. ’I heard the old bastard has acquired a lot of Miracle Elixirs and even a Miracle Treasure recently. I should have a good look around and line my own pockets.’
Xia Wuyang, still pretending to be asleep, felt his expression darken. To think a dignified Upper Third Grade Martial Artist would stoop to scheming against an elder Crown Prince like him, stealing his things just like those Little Palace Maids.
Fortunately, he had already stored his Dragon and Tiger Elixirs in a safe place. There weren’t many left out in the open, and he had already consumed the Miracle Treasure, so he didn’t have to worry about a major loss.
’Not here... not there either... Where did the old bastard hide those Dragon and Tiger Elixirs?’
’Could they have been snatched up and stolen by the eunuchs and Palace Maids in the Eastern Palace? Huh, there are still a few bottles of Middle Level Elixirs on the couch. I can’t have come all this way for nothing. I’ll just take these.’
...
Soon, Xia Wuyang felt someone fumbling around the brocade couch. They took all the bottles of Middle Level Dragon and Tiger Elixir he had deliberately left there for his own use, not leaving a single one behind.
This made Xia Wuyang’s expression turn grim. ’You’re an old Palace Maid. What do you need these Dragon and Tiger Elixirs for? Surely you’re not going to take them yourself.’
And you’re a dignified Upper Third Grade Martial Artist, no less. How much could these Dragon and Tiger Elixirs possibly be worth to you? Isn’t this going too far? How outrageous!
Just as Xia Wuyang was seething, the old Palace Maid, who had just left the Sleeping Palace, suddenly turned back. She stood fixed before the brocade couch, staring intently at the reclining Xia Wuyang.
Xia Wuyang’s heart tightened. ’Did she discover something? Did my Dragon Storage Skill fail?’