Chapter 51: Yun Shuang’s Revenge
Each of the six fu-organs had its own unique strengths.
After studying their special effects, it was already approaching dawn. Xia Wuyang returned to his Sleeping Palace to continue his act.
Indulging in wine and women, with one foot in the grave, it seemed he would soon perish in his own bed.
On the spacious Jade Bed, Xia Wuyang had a woman in each arm, seemingly lost to the world.
Standing nearby, Junior Commander Wang Heng was looking for an opportunity to observe any abnormalities in Xia Wuyang and confirm his earlier suspicions.
Besides Wang Heng, the Eastern Palace was filled with many others harboring their own schemes—Palace Maids, Nannies, eunuchs, Guards... all constantly searching for anything suspicious to report back to the masters they served.
It would be no exaggeration to say that every step was fraught with danger. However, after breaking into the Upper Three Grades, Xia Wuyang at least had the confidence to make a clean escape, unlike before, when exposure would have meant not even having a chance to flee.
This also allowed him a measure of composure, and he was no longer as anxious as before.
As a new day dawned, his Spiritual Power increased by another point, and his mind became even clearer.
The days passed one by one, and Xia Wuyang’s strength grew at a terrifying rate. His Spiritual Power, especially, was increasing daily by the amount of an ordinary person’s. The various abilities that stemmed from this growth were simply astonishing.
Meanwhile, Junior Sister Yun Shuang and Fourth Senior Brother Li Mo of the Tunneling Sect used their Stealth Technique to advance cautiously, mapping out the Imperial Palace’s layout and finding a route to infiltrate the Eastern Palace.
That evening, the night was dark and heavy.
Just as Xia Wuyang was still "indulging" in his world of pleasure, two figures moved like phantoms, leaping between the flying eaves of the Imperial Palace.
The Stealth Technique lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s foremost arts of concealment and infiltration, allowing them to swiftly pass through one checkpoint after another as they closed in on the Eastern Palace.
Yun Shuang was dressed all in black, and the bright eyes, the only part of her face visible, glittered with overwhelming hatred.
Her Fourth Senior Brother, Li Mo, followed closely behind, silently protecting her.
"There’s a half-incense-stick gap during the guard change at the southwest corner," Li Mo said via Secret Transmission, reminding Yun Shuang. "Remember to avoid the hidden sentries."
Yun Shuang nodded. Her figure was like a willow catkin as her toes tapped lightly on the white jade railings, flitting through the palace city.
Dodging one hidden sentry after another and avoiding trap after trap, their days of reconnaissance had finally paid off.
Following the route they had scouted, they soon slipped into the Eastern Palace. Once inside, both of them visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason was simple: the security in the Eastern Palace was so lax that it couldn’t even compare to the outer perimeter of the Imperial Palace, let alone other areas.
The defenses for a disgraced Crown Prince were lax beyond imagination. If not for this, how could Yun Shuang have ever dared to think of revenge?
Just after sneaking into the Eastern Palace, they saw two Little Eunuchs whispering to each other not far away.
"I heard the elder Crown Prince favored several of the new Palace Maids again tonight and even rewarded them handsomely."
"He’s on the brink of death but still can’t keep it in his pants. Sooner or later, he’ll die on top of a woman."
...
After the two left, a scornful look flashed across Yun Shuang’s face.
Gazing at the brightly lit Wenhua Hall, her nails dug deep into her palms.
The bloody night from over a decade ago surged through her mind. Amidst the towering flames, the Eastern Palace’s Iron Cavalry had trampled the Yun Mansion, and one by one, her clan elders, brothers, and sisters had died before her eyes.
The warmth of her mother’s hand as she shoved her into the cellar, and the roar of her father before his death—it all intertwined in her memory.
’A debt of blood must be paid in blood. It’s time.’
Seeing Yun Shuang trembling all over, Li Mo’s face showed a hint of heartache. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Junior Sister, it’s not too late to turn back."
"Don’t try to persuade me, Fourth Senior Brother. I live for this day. As long as I can kill that animal Xia Wuyang, I would die at this very moment, and I would do so willingly," Yun Shuang sneered.
Li Mo was left speechless. He followed Yun Shuang as they closed in on Wenhua Hall.
The wind was high on this dark night, silently blanketing the glazed tiles of the Eastern Palace.
Inside Wenhua Hall, crimson candlelight flickered. Xia Wuyang, with a woman in each arm, laughed and chatted with the Qiuci Dancers and newly arrived Palace Maids in a scene of utter debauchery.
Incense curled up from the corners of the hall, decorating the extravagant scene and making it seem like a dream.
"Your Highness, let me have a taste of your imported fine wine," a Fox Girl dressed in thin gauze cooed, her jade-like arm coiling around Xia Wuyang’s neck like a snake.
Xia Wuyang’s eyes were hazy with drink. "Fine, fine. We shall give you some."
As he spoke, he was already pulling the Fox Girl’s soft, pliant body into his arms.
He appeared completely lost in the moment, but in reality, he was aware of everything around him.
His Mental Force Field spread out silently, bringing everything within a hundred meters under his control, almost as if it were his own domain.
When a strange fragrance mixed with the incense, Xia Wuyang noticed it immediately. The scent was cloyingly sweet with an odd undertone; it was clearly abnormal.
’If I wasn’t mistaken, it had to be the Intoxicating Fragrance, a rarity in the Jianghu.’
’My enemies seem to be quite wealthy, to be able to afford something like this.’
He discreetly held his breath, not inhaling in the slightest. Still not feeling safe, he also took an Antitoxic Pill and circulated the Golden Essence of the Gallbladder, ready to defend against any undetected Poisons or incapacitating incenses.
The Guards in the hall collapsed one after another, and the Dancing Girls in his arms gradually lost consciousness. But Xia Wuyang had already feigned collapse on the soft couch, waiting for his prey to arrive.
Yun Shuang and Li Mo drifted into the hall like specters. Sword in hand, Yun Shuang glared viciously at Xia Wuyang, who lay amidst a pile of women.
Years of bloody vengeance were about to be realized, and the hand she held her sword with was trembling.
Li Mo scanned their surroundings warily. "Junior Sister, make it quick. Kill this bastard as fast as you can so we can get out of here."
"Alright." Yun Shuang took a deep breath, walked up to Xia Wuyang, and stared at him intently. "You old bastard, you have this day coming!"
As she spoke, Yun Shuang raised her sword, preparing to cut off Xia Wuyang’s head.
But at that very moment, the "unconscious" Xia Wuyang’s eyes suddenly snapped open. Before Yun Shuang could even react, she felt her entire body go numb and collapsed to the ground.
Just as Li Mo was about to rescue her, Xia Wuyang closed the distance and struck him down as well.
Xia Wuyang then dragged them into the Practice Room. The two stared at him in shock and anger, hardly able to believe their eyes.
Even after being thrown onto the floor of the Practice Room, the two of them were still struggling to process what had happened.
"You... Aren’t you a cripple? How can you have this kind of power?"
"Upper Three Grades... You’re actually an Upper Three Grades expert!"
...
Li Mo’s strength had already reached Fourth Grade Perfection. To be able to take him down so easily, this person had to be an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist.
Neither of them had ever imagined that the Dying Crown Prince, rumored to be a cripple who could drop dead at any moment, was actually an Upper Third Grade expert.
Yun Shuang’s face was filled with despair. She stared at Xia Wuyang with such hatred that she wished she could eat his flesh and gnaw his bones.
Xia Wuyang stared at them indifferently. "Whose people are you? What grudge does this Prince have with you that would make you resort to such a vicious plot?"
"Xia Wuyang, do you remember how the Eastern Palace’s Iron Cavalry wiped out my entire Yun Family over a decade ago, you animal?" Yun Shuang shouted, grinding her teeth.