Chapter 210 - 209: Laying a Grand Deception

Chapter 210: Chapter 209: Laying a Grand Deception

Just as the Jade Marrow Reishi entered Xia Wuyang’s mouth, transforming into sustenance to improve his Talent and Qualification.

In Emperor Xia’s study, the Emperor, having just learned of the latest developments in the investigation, had a face ashen with rage. "Three days. It’s been three whole days. The thief plundered the Inner Treasury, then the National Treasury, and made off with so many treasures, yet you haven’t found a single clue."

"Now even the heads of the Inner Treasury and the National Treasury are missing! Tell me, is this still my Imperial Palace? Is this still my White Jade City?"

A group of Divine Constables knelt in the study, their bodies trembling slightly, unable to utter a single word.

"Useless! A bunch of useless fools! You all call yourselves Divine Constables, praised by the outside world. Is this how you act as Divine Constables?" Emperor Xia smashed a cup on the floor. Flying porcelain shards cut the cheeks of several Divine Constables, but they didn’t even dare to move.

After a long moment, the Chief Constable of the Divine Capture Sect, drenched in cold sweat, said, "Your Majesty, we have searched every corner of the Imperial Palace and White Jade City. The thief... the thief truly left no trace behind."

"Bullshit!"

Enraged, Emperor Xia slammed a memorial into his face. "No trace? Is the thief a ghost? And what about the person who committed those crimes in the Imperial Palace before? Are there any similarities between the two?"

"Well..." a Divine Constable said cautiously, "Your Majesty, judging by the methods, the perpetrator of this crime does not seem to be the same person as the one who committed the previous crimes in the palace."

"Continue," Emperor Xia’s gaze sharpened.

The Divine Constable said, "In the previous cases in the palace, the culprit intentionally left subtle traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique. They appeared to be left by accident, only detectable with a special Secret Technique, yet it also felt a bit contrived, as if to deliberately frame the True Yin Sect. Through our careful investigation, by analyzing the missing resources and treasures, we were still able to deduce some of their methods and techniques."

"But this time, with the theft from the Inner Treasury and National Treasury, the scene was so clean it was as if no one had ever been there. The methods and techniques inferred from the missing resources and treasures are also different from the previous culprit. In a few places, it’s like... like the legendary Thief Saint."

"The Thief Saint?" Emperor Xia frowned. "That old monster from the same era as the Thief Demon? The old thief who vanished without a trace hundreds of years ago? Didn’t people say he was already dead? Why would he appear here?"

The Divine Constable gave a wry smile. "Even the Thief Demon, who was missing for many years, could reappear, let alone the Thief Saint. Although we can only infer similar methods from a small portion of the stolen resources and treasures, methods that bear some resemblance to the legendary Thief Saint, this is the only lead we have."

Emperor Xia pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. "Then investigate thoroughly in that direction. See if you can find anything."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The members of the Divine Capture Sect bowed in unison and once again began their investigation with renewed urgency.

Of course, the so-called traces of the Thief Saint were intentionally left by Xia Wuyang. He had learned of the Thief Saint’s deeds from the Thief Demon’s accounts, so he mimicked them, leaving similar marks while taking certain resources and treasures.

This was all to misdirect them, to throw them off his trail, conceal his own identity, and buy more time.

Besides, when taking so many resources and treasures, how could he possibly not leave something behind?

After all, time was too tight, and he still had to bypass many mechanisms and traps. Xia Wuyang had already pushed himself to the limit.

Some traces that couldn’t be erased in a short time could be used to mislead the enemy.

The Divine Capture Sect had to deduce these methods from the stolen resources and treasures, which showed just how faint the traces Xia Wuyang left were; they had to be inferred indirectly.

To accomplish so much in just a few hours, stealing so many good things, Xia Wuyang had truly performed at his peak.

Through the birds and sparrows in the palace, Xia Wuyang quickly learned the direction of the Divine Capture Sect’s investigation. Moreover, Tantai Zhan and Zheng Zhicang were providing him with information, and the two were also coordinating the mobilization of the Imperial Guard and Shadow Guard to track down the Thief Saint.

A smile touched the corners of his lips. ’Let them waste a little more time. The longer they’re delayed, the stronger I’ll become, and the better I’ll be able to handle these enemies when the time comes.’

As for the Director of the Imperial Treasury, Cao Zhenghe, and the head of the National Treasury, Xia Wuyang had naturally sent them outside the palace. He hadn’t killed them.

After using the Soul Enchantment Technique to alter their relevant memories, ensuring Emperor Xia couldn’t restore them and find any clues, he sent the two a thousand li away.

At their speed, they were probably about to leave the Great Xia Dynasty by now. This would also tie up some of Emperor Xia’s attention and buy himself more time.

Even if Emperor Xia went to great lengths to capture the two, they wouldn’t know a thing. It would be another little surprise for the Emperor, wasting more of his time.

At this thought, Xia Wuyang smiled faintly and hugged Hanik’s Heart, who was in his arms. "Hani, I want to drink your imported wine."

"Your Highness, please, drink this cup dry." Hanik’s Heart gave a charming smile, took a mouthful of wine from her cup, and moved to feed it to Xia Wuyang.

Xia Wuyang’s white hair flowed freely as his wrinkled, aged hands tightened their grip on Hanik’s Heart. He began to enjoy the imported wine, finding its taste exquisite, blended with the unique fragrance of a beautiful woman, a truly refreshing experience. "Good. I like it. Delicious, truly delicious."

As they drank, the two of them ended up under the brocade covers. The surrounding beauties, long accustomed to such scenes, came forward to attend to them, mainly to ensure Xia Wuyang didn’t overindulge and cause some sort of incident.

Half an hour later, Xia Wuyang was sent back to the Practice Room to rest well and build up his energy for the next round of pleasure-seeking.

But they didn’t know that as soon as the stone door to the Practice Room was locked from the inside, Xia Wuyang immediately began his arduous cultivation once more.

His Talent and Qualification had improved by a large margin; naturally, he needed to properly consolidate and adapt to it to prevent any issues from arising.

His Cultivation Foundation was also being constantly refined, preparing him for the next time he would consume an ordinary Mortal Treasure.

Time waits for no one. Everything was proceeding with great urgency, not a single moment wasted.

The search inside and outside the Imperial Palace continued. Large numbers of constables, Shadow Guards, and Imperial Guards... they had practically turned all of White Jade City upside down, yet they found nothing.

As for the Thief Saint’s trail, many masters had been dispatched to follow it, but they couldn’t find any trace of him. They weren’t even sure if the one who plundered the Inner Treasury and National Treasury was truly the Thief Saint, or if the man was currently dead or alive.

Meanwhile, Xia Wuyang was steadily consolidating, cultivating, and improving... Unbeknownst to anyone, while Emperor Xia was still tearing his hair out over the theft, Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power had quietly broken through a small bottleneck, granting him another chance at an epiphany.

Although he hadn’t awakened a new Companion Talent yet, Xia Wuyang felt that day was drawing ever closer.