Chapter 191 - 190: After All the Twists and Turns, It’s Still Me

Chapter 191: Chapter 190: After All the Twists and Turns, It’s Still Me

Fourteenth Princess Xia Pingyu, after spreading rumors that something might be wrong with the elder Crown Prince, became catatonic within a few days...

Tenth Princess Xia Xizhi, after forcing the elder Crown Prince’s Consort Yan Jiuge to hand over a seven-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, also quickly became catatonic...

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Zhao Qi vanished without a trace after the assassin he hired to kill the elder Crown Prince’s former mentor, Master Mo, failed...

Princess Fushou also became catatonic not long after hiring an assassin to kill Consort Yan Jiuge...

...

Incident after incident, they all seemed to be related to the elder Crown Prince. The targets were either him or those close to him, and they all suffered retaliation.

Only a fool would believe there was nothing suspicious about all this.

But given the elder Crown Prince’s current condition, how could he possibly be responsible? With so many spies and informants around, not even a Super Grade Celestial Human could act undetected, let alone the elder Crown Prince.

Even if the elder Crown Prince hadn’t been deposed, he would only be in his seventies. How high could his Cultivation have reached? Besides, his deposition had been confirmed by multiple factions, and even Emperor Xia had personally inspected him. There could be no mistake.

It was said that over the years, various Princes and Princesses had frequently sent experts to secretly check on him, ensuring the elder Crown Prince hadn’t secretly recovered and resumed his Cultivation.

Under such pervasive inspection and surveillance, it was simply impossible for the elder Crown Prince to act in secret. Not even a Super Grade Celestial Human could manage it, let alone Xia Wuyang.

Even if he hadn’t been deposed, he couldn’t have cultivated to a level high enough to evade such scrutiny over the years.

Liu Yiqing had also personally confirmed that Xia Wuyang was indeed as weak as a kitten and had grown completely senile, only wishing to live out his last days in pleasure.

So, the elder Crown Prince himself wasn’t the problem. The problem had to be the people around him, like the powerful experts he had recruited back in the day.

For example, Elder Qing Yin!

Before the incident with the Sword Control Skill, no one would have imagined that Crown Prince Consort Yun Liyue possessed such power and influence, capable of dealing with even a Super Grade Late Stage Celestial Human.

Although it was unknown if that person was Elder Qing Yin, even if it wasn’t, their strength was definitely Extraordinary and otherworldly.

With that person’s power, obtaining the Enchanting Heart Technique wouldn’t be too difficult.

So, could that person be behind the recent events in the Imperial Palace, helping the elder Crown Prince, Xia Wuyang?

But the elder Crown Prince was already in such a state. Even if they did all this, what was the point? He was on death’s door, after all.

’Was it just to get revenge on his behalf? Or to let him live more comfortably before he dies? Or perhaps... the elder Crown Prince still has some hidden treasure that swayed them?’

A glint flashed in Liu Yiqing’s eyes. If not for the Sword Control Skill incident, she wouldn’t have thought of this, nor would she have discovered the Eastern Palace still had such capabilities.

’This possibility is quite high. I should investigate along this line and see if it’s true.’

Xia Wuyang hadn’t expected that his actions, instead of implicating him, had dragged Yun Liyue’s backer into the mess. Then again, it seemed he was that backer.

’Liu Yiqing is quite capable,’ Xia Wuyang thought. ’And as time goes on and my power grows, there are many things I don’t want to hide anymore.’

’I can’t just keep holding back forever just to avoid exposure.’

He could tolerate it when he had just awakened the Supreme Talent Seven-Aperture Exquisite, but now that he possessed strength comparable to an ordinary True Monarch, why should he continue to endure?

As long as he didn’t go too far, some things just had to be done. He couldn’t truly become a coward hiding in his shell.

A few days after the heavy snow had stopped, it began to fall again.

The last snowfall hadn’t completely melted before this new one came down in a flurry.

The palace halls and towers were all draped in silver, but inside Wenhua Hall, it remained as warm as spring.

Blindfolded, Xia Wuyang was once again playing blind man’s buff with Su Ling’Er, Hanik’s Heart, Jin Xiuya, and the others. Any beauty he caught would naturally face a round of "harsh interrogation."

The group of beauties scrambled to avoid his grasp, running as fast as they could. They were terrified that if caught, Xia Wuyang would favor them with his attention, and if he died on top of one of them, they would be finished.

However, Wenhua Hall was only so large. With dozens of beauties participating in the game, even a "senile old man" like Xia Wuyang was bound to have some success.

Soon, a Jiangnan Beauty was caught, leading to a round of "discipline" before the game continued.

Before long, however, Xia Wuyang started "panting for breath," and the group of beauties seized the opportunity to persuade him to rest, escorting him to the Practice Room.

Previously, Xia Wuyang had to rack his brain for a natural excuse to enter the Practice Room to cultivate and improve. Now, he didn’t have to worry about it. The bevy of beauties would find all sorts of reasons to send him into the Practice Room to "rest," saving themselves from his continued pestering.

The pestering itself wasn’t so bad; after all, the elder Crown Prince wasn’t a violent man, and he gave them a generous monthly allowance. The problem was his physical condition. If he were to die on top of someone while they were being intimate, that person’s life would be forfeit.

Once inside the Practice Room, Xia Wuyang locked the stone door from the inside. The surrounding candlelight cast flickering shadows on the walls.

Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged, his entire demeanor changing as if he were a different person. He became vigorous and full of life, exuding a tempestuous aura.

When the new day arrived, his Spiritual Power would reach three hundred and ten points, at which point he would gain an opportunity for an epiphany.

This time, Xia Wuyang planned to use the epiphany on the Enchanting Heart Sword Technique and the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique, both of which he had cultivated to the peak of Mortal Techniques and Arts. He had already modified them, and they shared many compatible aspects. It was time to merge them and achieve a massive breakthrough.

Spirit +1!

As the new day dawned, Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power increased by one point as expected, reaching three hundred and ten.

Although he was still far from awakening a new Companion Talent, the opportunity for an epiphany had arrived.

Thanks to his prior preparations, this epiphany was directed toward merging the Enchanting Heart Sword Technique and the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique. All sorts of insights flooded his mind, and he became completely immersed.

The illusory nature of the Enchanting Heart Sword Technique... the swift Sword Intent of the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique... the deeper commonalities between the two Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques...

In a daze, an idea began to form.

’That’s it. The Enchanting Heart Sword Technique can delude the Heart Spirit, while the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique is as fast as lightning. They seem to take different paths, but they arrive at the same destination. It all comes down to a single word: "deception."’

Xia Wuyang recalled the key principle of the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique, "A thousand layers of bamboo shadows, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake," and cross-referenced it with the Enchanting Heart Sword Technique’s principle, "Illusions are born from the mind." In that instant, all his insights converged, forming a brilliant sword shadow.

"Merge..."

Xia Wuyang formed a sword-hand and swiped lightly through the air.

Where his fingertips passed, sword shadows appeared, one after another. Each one was so solid it looked real, and they all pointed in different directions. This was the sign that the Enchanting Heart Sword Technique and the Cyan Bamboo Sword Technique were merging.