Chapter 276 - 275: Beauty in the Misty Rain

Chapter 276: Chapter 275: Beauty in the Misty Rain

Despite this surge in power, Xia Wuyang didn’t get carried away. His Body Refining had just broken through and still needed to be consolidated.

The first River Spirit Vein had only been forged for three kilometers, still a long way from the goal of twenty-one li.

Although his Refining God Cultivation had reached the level of a Two Spirits True Monarch, his Enchanting Heart Technique was only at the second level, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

Xia Wuyang whispered, "There’s still a long way to go, but I’m finally qualified to finish this game of chess. Victory is not far off."

He stood up, applied his Disguise to resume his decrepit, elderly appearance, and pushed open the stone door of the Practice Room. ’Time to continue the act,’ he thought. It was also a chance to relax a little.

Inside the Sleeping Palace, twelve Cat Girls were still waiting.

Seeing the Crown Prince emerge, they all gathered around him, their cat ears twitching and tails swaying. Under the candlelight, their amber and jade-green eyes shimmered with an uncanny yet uniquely captivating luster.

"Your Highness, you’re finally out..." Xue’Er purred, leaning against him as her fluffy white tail lightly brushed the back of his hand. "We sisters have been waiting so long our tails have gone sore. You can feel them if you don’t believe me, Your Highness."

Xia Wuyang laughed heartily, his withered hand wrapping around her soft waist. "Getting impatient, were you? Well then, I’ll be sure to make it up to all of you later. I’ll make you feel as blissful as Immortals."

He sat down on a soft couch, and the Cat Girls immediately snuggled up to him, each one overflowing with enthusiasm.

Some fed him wine, some massaged his legs, some played the zither, and others curled up at his feet like real kittens, gently rubbing their cheeks against his calves. It was a truly delightful sensation.

Within the palace, twitching cat ears and swaying tails accompanied a mix of delicate laughter, zither music, the aroma of wine, and the sweet scent of the young women. It was a scene of boundless sensuality and joy.

Many Palace Attendants stood outside the palace hall, listening to the commotion inside. Some wore expressions of disdain, while others looked on with envy and jealousy.

They had no idea that Xia Wuyang had just achieved a world-shattering breakthrough and was now merely playing the part of a senile, lecherous old degenerate.

In the depths of the Deep Palace, everyone wore a mask, but the Crown Prince’s was the most profound and the most convincing. No one had seen through it.

Inside, Xia Wuyang flirted while holding Xue’Er and Mo’Er, but part of his mind was turned inward in Introspection. This so-called pleasure occupied only a fraction of his attention.

His Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body had just broken through. The Spirit Blood was still boiling and coursing through his veins, strengthening his physique and constantly nourishing his body with every passing moment.

The River Scripture continued to circulate. As it consolidated and adapted to his new power, the first Spiritual Vein slowly but surely extended.

In his Sea of Consciousness, three hundred and eighty points of Spiritual Power swirled like a Star River, simulating his other Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques...

’If Xia Shengming knew about this, I wonder what he would think,’ he mused. ’It would certainly be a spectacular sight!’

He glanced in the direction of Qianqing Palace, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Outside the window, the full moon gradually descended in the west, its watery light spilling over the silent Imperial City, with White Jade City also basking in its glow.

And within the Deep Palace, the true chess master had quietly tightened his grip on his pieces, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The endgame was drawing ever closer.

「In White Jade City, the plum rain season had arrived.」

A fine, silken rain fell without end, blanketing the Capital City.

The White Dragon River had risen three feet. Murky water lapped against the ancient stone embankments, washing away the old scents of perfume and sounds of song, replacing them with a damp, musty odor that was far from pleasant.

The Cao Bang Headquarter, a sprawling, seven-courtyard deep mansion, still stood imposing in the curtain of rain. At the entrance, a pair of stone lions, washed to a glossy black by the downpour, added a grim and indescribably solemn air to the scene.

Just after 7:00 AM, an unremarkable horse-drawn carriage with a blue canopy pulled to a slow stop outside the Headquarter’s side gate.

The carriage curtain was lifted. First to emerge was a plain white oil-paper umbrella, its surface painted with a few sparse branches of ink plum blossoms.

Next, a slender foot in a moon-white embroidered slipper touched down gently. The toe was adorned with tiny pearls that cast a soft, warm glow in the rain, looking exceptionally exquisite and captivating.

The umbrella tilted up slightly, revealing the face of the person holding it.

She was a woman who appeared to be no older than twenty-two or twenty-three. She wore a long, sky-blue dress of soft silk-gauze, the hem embroidered with cloud patterns outlined in silver thread that rippled like flowing water when she walked.

Over the dress, she wore a thin silk cloak of the same color, the edge of its hood trimmed with soft fox fur. It framed her face, making it seem even more small and delicate—small enough to be covered by a single palm.

But what was most striking were her looks and her aura, both of which had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, almost unbelievably so.

Eyebrows like willow leaves, eyes like autumn pools, an elegant, straight nose, and lips the pale shade of a cherry blossom.

Yet this beauty possessed a strange, unusual sense of contradiction.

An innate allure flowed from her eyes and brows; a single glance could steal a man’s soul and make countless heroes bow in submission.

And yet, her overall aura was as cool as the moon and as sacred as a lotus, forbidding anyone from entertaining the slightest profane thought, let alone the notion of trifling with her.

Alluring and sacred. These two diametrically opposed qualities blended perfectly within her, creating a breathtaking, magnetic attraction.

She was Song Yuyan, the former Glazed Jade Maiden of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, mistress of the Qinhuai Building, and one of the most capable women under Xia Wuyang’s command.

Back when the Crown Prince’s Mansion was at its zenith, Song Yuyan was one of Crown Prince Xia Wuyang’s most able female aides, as well as his closest confidante.

She came from a Flower Willow Gang in Jiangnan, sold there by her parents as a child. She studied martial arts from a young age, became proficient in Military Strategy and Tactics, and possessed masterful Disguise Techniques and intelligence-gathering skills. She later took charge of the Qinhuai Building.

She controlled the majority of the Crown Prince’s Mansion’s hidden connections and intelligence networks, providing Xia Wuyang with invaluable assistance.

But decades ago, the Crown Prince was deposed, and the Crown Prince’s Mansion fell overnight. As a result, she was cast into the Jianghu, and the Qinhuai Building was shattered.

Had Xia Wuyang not intervened to save her recently, she would likely have died in White Jade City, let alone obtained the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit and broken through to the Super Grade Realm.

Ever since, she had suspected that the mysterious person who saved her was Xia Wuyang. She was almost certain of it, but without concrete proof, the suspicion remained unsatisfying.

She had come to the Cao Bang Headquarter today because she had recently learned something that was, once again, connected to that mysterious person.

Namely, that General Yue Zhan’s orphaned children, Yue Yulong and Yue Yufeng, had taken control of the Cao Bang with the support of a mysterious benefactor.

"The Yue Family Siblings... General Yue Zhan’s orphans."

Song Yuyan murmured to herself as the rain pattered on her umbrella. "Only he would have this kind of power, and only he would have the motive. It must have been him who helped them."

She closed her umbrella, handed it to the Maid behind her, and stepped toward the side gate.

Seeing her extraordinary bearing, the Cao Bang disciple at the gate dared not be impolite. He bowed and asked, "Madam, may I ask..."

"Please inform Gang Leader Yue that an old acquaintance, Glazed, is here to visit." Song Yuyan’s voice was cool and clear, yet it carried an indisputable authority.

The disciple was taken aback; he had never heard the name "Glazed" before.

But gazing into the bottomless depths of the woman’s eyes, he didn’t dare ask any more questions and hurried inside to deliver the message.