A draft gusted through Zhengxin Hall, lifting the gauze curtains. Xia Chenhua glanced back casually, but he only saw the flickering candlelight and nothing more.
He didn’t even feel the black needle, as fine as an ox hair, that had just pierced the curtain and silently embedded itself in his neck.
The Nether Acupuncture Needle traveled as if it were a living creature, lurking quietly inside his body.
In just a short time, Xia Wuyang had already ascertained Xia Chenhua’s physical condition. Almost nothing could hide from his Mental Force Field.
He had thus easily located the hidden injury within Xia Chenhua’s body and placed the Nether Acupuncture Needle there to lie dormant. It would activate in two days.
At that point, as soon as Xia Chenhua started to practice his Cultivation, the hidden injury would flare up, creating the appearance of a Qigong Deviation.
After dealing with Xia Chenhua, Xia Wuyang did not leave. Instead, he began to search through Zhengxin Hall.
’Since Xia Chenhua is about to die anyway, he won’t need many of these things. Can’t let them go to waste.’
’He’s taken so many things from me over the years through trickery and force. It’s time I got some compensation.’
Elixirs, silver notes, Gold, and rare treasures... all were targets for Xia Wuyang’s plunder. As long as an item was valuable enough and not too large, he took it.
He particularly focused on the various Elixirs and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures needed for Cultivation.
As his Cultivation Realm advanced, he needed more and more Elixirs and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. If he didn’t supplement his stock from the outside, relying only on what he obtained openly would be far from enough, and it could easily expose his secret.
Therefore, he needed to find a way to supplement his resources from the outside without arousing suspicion.
"Hm...?"
At one point, as he opened a hidden compartment in a secret room within Zhengxin Hall, his eyes lit up at the sight of a pair of boots emitting a cyan glow.
Cyan Cloud Boots!
Top Level boots. Wearing them greatly increased a Martial Artist’s speed, making them as Light as a Feather, able to come and go at will, as if ascending into the cyan clouds.
’Even within the Royal Family, these boots were a top-tier treasure. I can’t believe Xia Chenhua actually had something this good.’
’Normally, even a Super Grade Celestial Human would drool over these. In the Jianghu, a treasure like this would be enough to cause a bloodbath. And now, it’s all mine for the taking.’
’Even if I can’t wear them openly right now, I need to have them ready for when the time comes.’
He carefully took out the Cyan Cloud Boots and stashed them away. This pair of Top Level boots alone made the night a huge score.
An hour later, as he was preparing to leave, he heard a commotion from a nearby side hall.
His Mental Force Field silently spread out, revealing Xia Chenhua’s younger brother, Xia Chenguang. Over the years, he had often joined Xia Chenhua in bullying Xia Wuyang.
Xia Wuyang had even helped him often in the past. He had thought he wasn’t in Zhengxin Hall, but it seemed he had returned at some point.
’Well, in that case, I might as well send him on his way too. That’ll keep Xia Chenhua from getting lonely on the road.’
’And if I get the chance, I’ll send their mother off to join them. That way, the whole family can have a proper reunion.’
"WHOOSH..."
A gentle breeze blew, and a Nether Acupuncture Needle silently sank into Xia Chenguang’s neck. In three days, overcome with grief from his brother’s death, he would suffer a Qigong Deviation during his Cultivation and accompany his brother on his final journey.
Good brothers don’t seek to be born on the same day, but they do seek to die on the same day.
With a small smile, he left Zhengxin Hall and hid all the fine things he’d acquired that night in a secret location within the Eastern Palace for future use.
Only then did he return to his Sleeping Palace to resume "resting" with several stunning beauties. In reality, he was already secretly practicing his Cultivation. His Qi Blood circulated rapidly, continuously refining and strengthening his internal organs in preparation to take the Celestial Water Essence again. Even the women in his bed noticed nothing strange.
Spiritual Power +1!
When the next day arrived, his Spiritual Power had increased by another point. Seven related aspects had also improved, and he could clearly feel a sense of clarity in his mind.
Taking this opportunity, Xia Wuyang deeply contemplated the Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques he was practicing. As he improved them, he also made modifications to make them more powerful and better suited to himself.
But to the outside world, the elder Crown Prince was still deep in slumber, looking utterly exhausted—as if he had been completely drained by the group of beauties around him.
"AHHHH..."
Before dawn, a shrill scream echoed from Zhengxin Hall. "My treasures! Who stole my treasures? My most beloved Cyan Cloud Boots...!"
Clearly, Xia Chenhua had discovered the theft at Zhengxin Hall. The loss of the Cyan Cloud Boots, in particular, had brought him to the verge of a breakdown.
This kind of Divine Weapon could greatly increase one’s chances of escape and survival. Even he only possessed this single pair, which he had obtained through great effort and a stroke of luck.
He had been saving them for a life-or-death situation and hadn’t even told his own dear brother, Xia Chenguang. He never imagined they would just be stolen like that.
Other things could be replaced over time, but how could he ever replace the Cyan Cloud Boots? In all of vast White Jade City, this might have been the only pair in existence.
He recalled how he had been mocking Princess Ling Yi just a few days ago, never thinking it would be his own Zhengxin Hall’s turn so soon. Xia Chenhua felt his head spin as he roared with rage.
"Guards! Search the entire Zhengxin Hall, and don’t miss a single clue!"
"I will find that thief and take back what was stolen!"
"To dare steal from Zhengxin Hall... Is there no law and order anymore?!"
...
Throngs of Guards, eunuchs, and Palace Maids poured in. They even summoned Famous Constables from outside, experts in such matters, to search Zhengxin Hall from top to bottom.
But after spending an entire day, they found nothing. Forget finding the thief—they didn’t even uncover a single clue.
The thief’s methods were seamless, leaving not a single trace behind. Even the many Famous Constables were left dumbfounded.
They didn’t know that this was all thanks to the Mental Force Field, which could effortlessly detect any trace so it could be erased ahead of time. It would have been strange if they *had* found something.
That evening, Princess Ling Yi, having heard the news, also arrived. Although Xia Chenhua was not fond of Princess Ling Yi—after all, she had also "borrowed" many good things from him that were never returned—he still greeted her warmly, hoping to get some useful information, given that the circumstances of her theft were similar to his, with no traces left behind.
To his frustration, however, he got nothing of importance from Princess Ling Yi beyond some speculation. She had no clue as to the thief’s identity either.
The thief’s methods were exceptionally skilled, leaving no traces behind and making them impossible to track.
Neither of them suspected the elder Crown Prince, Xia Wuyang, in the slightest. He was an old relic with one foot in the grave; how could he possibly pull something like this off? He simply didn’t have the ability.
Two days passed in a flash. Still unable to find the thief or the stolen treasures, Xia Chenhua grew ever more furious. He had already killed several Palace Attendants, leaving everyone in Zhengxin Hall to walk on eggshells.
That is, until that evening, when an even more blood-curdling scream erupted from Xia Chenhua as he was in the middle of his Cultivation.