As Xia Wuyang pushed the Dragon Storage Skill to its absolute limit, his body decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His once faintly ruddy face turned ashen and withered again. Large liver spots surfaced on his skin, and his breathing grew so shallow and sporadic it seemed he might expire at any moment.
Hidden beneath the brocade quilt, his fingers curled slightly, a Nether Acupuncture Needle already held silently between them.
If that Ghost Shadow made the slightest move, he would channel all his Qi Blood for a fatal strike, even if it meant shattering his own meridians.
A soft rustle...
A barely perceptible breeze drifted through Wenhua Hall. An almost illusory Ghost Shadow materialized in the Sleeping Palace, sniffing the incense that permeated the air. A sneer flashed across its face.
’He needs sleep-inducing incense just to rest. It seems this Dying Crown Prince’s health is only getting worse. He can’t be far from death.’
Still, it couldn’t let its guard down. It silently approached Xia Wuyang’s bed and, with a gentle wave of its right hand, intensified the fragrance of the incense. Only after confirming Xia Wuyang was deeply asleep did it begin its inspection.
’Physique... no abnormalities, just getting weaker!’
’Skin... no abnormalities, just getting flabbier!’
’Muscles... no abnormalities, just getting weaker!’
...
The Ghost Shadow’s inspection was meticulous, leaving no detail unchecked. Had it discovered anything unusual, it would have reported back to its master to proceed with the next step against Xia Wuyang.
Its Power was immense. To Xia Wuyang’s senses, it felt like a scorching flame, and that was with its presence intentionally suppressed and Hidden.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the Ghost Shadow was a Martial Artist of at least the Fourth Grade Realm, possibly even having advanced to the Upper Three Grades. It far surpassed Xia Wuyang’s current strength.
Even in a fight to the death, Xia Wuyang would be the one to perish. The sense of powerlessness was utterly despairing.
Fortunately, the Ghost Shadow bore him no immediate ill will. It was only observing his physical condition to confirm he wasn’t hiding anything—to make sure Xia Wuyang wasn’t just faking weakness to lure it into a trap.
If he hadn’t already achieved Great Success in his Dragon Storage Skill, he would never have passed this inspection. A devastating blow—or even a deadly assassin—would have soon followed.
Half an hour later, the Ghost Shadow finally stopped and nodded in satisfaction, muttering, "No different from three months ago. His condition hasn’t improved; in fact, it’s worse. He isn’t hiding anything. A few months at the soonest, a year and a half at the latest, this old bastard will definitely be dead. I can report back to my master now."
As its words faded, the Ghost Shadow vanished silently from Wenhua Hall. On the bed, Xia Wuyang remained utterly still, as if dead to the world.
The sound of the third-watch clapper echoed from outside. Xia Wuyang slowly unfurled his clenched fist, revealing four shocking, crescent-shaped, bloody marks on his palm.
In the end, he had won this life-or-death test, if only by a hair’s breadth.
A cold glint surfaced in the depths of his eyes. Based on the Ghost Shadow’s parting whisper, he had a vague suspicion about the mastermind’s identity. It had to be one of his younger brothers, one qualified to inherit his position as Crown Prince. ’Was it the second, the sixth, or the ninth?’ Xia Wuyang had no way of knowing.
His Power was currently too low, and he had few capable people at his disposal. He didn’t even know who he could trust. How could he possibly uncover the mastermind?
The only thing he could do was continuously raise his Cultivation Realm until he possessed the Power to overturn everything. Only then could he uncover the truth and find the mastermind.
His Spiritual Power increased a little each day, and his other attributes grew along with it. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he could achieve his goal.
’Soon. Very soon!’
A cold smile touched the corners of Xia Wuyang’s mouth. He pulled the newly summoned Palace Maid, Cyan Indigo, into his arms, showering her with affection and continuing his act as the fatuous, incompetent Dying Crown Prince who spent his nights in drunken revelry.
Jeweled tassels dangled from the brocade canopy; grape wine glistened on fragrant lips.
A beauty understood his heart as a flower returned his smile; who would count the hours of the night?
He was completely immersed in the scene, surrounded by beauties as lovely as jade, lost in song and dance as if he had forgotten the passage of day and night.
The surrounding Palace Maids, who knew nothing of cultivation, were completely unaware that beneath this old and withered frame, his Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood was circulating at a furious pace.
After he had modified the technique to suit his own body, he could continuously raise his Cultivation Realm even without practicing the Dragon and Tiger Pile Techniques—a feat others could not replicate.
So, even if the other Princes and Princesses were to witness this scene, they would never guess that Xia Wuyang was cultivating every single moment. His Cultivation Technique, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques were all improving at a rapid pace.
The light songs and graceful dances before him were merely a minor distraction; the vast majority of his focus remained on his cultivation.
A flood of inspirations and insights swirled and collided in his mind, allowing him to continuously refine his Cultivation Technique, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques, making them ever more formidable.
It would be no exaggeration to say his progress was advancing by a thousand leagues a day.
As his Spiritual Power continued to grow, the speed of his improvement would also accelerate, eventually reaching an unimaginable rate.
At a certain moment, he slowly opened his eyes. A faint, deep blue light seemed to swirl endlessly in their depths.
"I see..."
In that instant, his Soul Capturing Technique broke through to Minor Achievement, advancing to a new level and increasing dramatically in power.
With a slight twitch of his fingertip, wisps of formless, intangible Spiritual Power flowed out and landed on the Palace Maid beside him, probing her surface memories.
’I can’t believe the elder Crown Prince is still so vigorous at his age. I can barely handle him.’
’Is the palace’s Dragon and Tiger Elixir really that potent? It’s a shame it’s all being wasted on the elder Crown Prince.’
’If only I could be lucky enough to conceive an heir... But I heard the elder Crown Prince is useless now, that he can’t even get a woman pregnant.’
...
Xia Wuyang’s face darkened. He stopped prying into that Palace Maid’s memories and turned his attention to another, one named Qiu Yue.
’Sigh... the elder Crown Prince is a good man. He may be old, but he’s still strong. He just... doesn’t have a future.’
’Now that I’ve been favored by the elder Crown Prince, I’m afraid that once he dies, no other Prince will want us. What will I do then?’
’Maybe I should start looking for a way out ahead of time. That way, I’ll have somewhere to go in a few months. I can’t just go back to my village...’
...
Amid the flickering candlelight, Xia Wuyang sighed. He didn’t think the Palace Maids were wrong. After all, given his current circumstances, it was true he couldn’t offer them a future.
He could understand why they would harbor such thoughts.
As long as they didn’t betray him, he would eventually find a place for them. At the very least, they would have a home in the Eastern Palace.
Even if they did betray him, Xia Wuyang wouldn’t slaughter them wantonly, unless they did something truly unforgivable.
A single night of intimacy forges a bond of a hundred nights. Xia Wuyang was, after all, an ordinary young man from Earth and still possessed some of the virtues from his past life. He wasn’t the type of person to be unscrupulous, vicious, and cruel.
Such mercy was a true anomaly in the dog-eat-dog world of the Imperial Palace.
With any other Prince, never mind betrayal—the slightest sign of disrespect would be punished by a beating to death. In more serious cases, the offender’s entire family would be implicated.
Just last month, the Fourth Prince had a talkative Palace Maid turned into a Human Pig. The Fifth Princess went even further, executing a Maid’s entire family simply because she spilled a teacup.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside Wenhua Hall.
Xia Wuyang frowned. At this hour, there shouldn’t be such a commotion in the Eastern Palace.
He moved silently to the window and saw a team of Eunuchs carrying twelve gilded chests toward a side hall.
Through the gaps in the chests, he could faintly make out the shimmer of colorful gauze.
"Qiuci Dancers!"
Xia Wuyang’s pupils contracted. For any other Prince, such a generous gift might be a fatal Poison. For him, however, that wasn’t necessarily the case.