Chapter 52: Legacy of Concealment
The Yun Family, exterminated?
Xia Wuyang was briefly taken aback, but the memory quickly surfaced. After all, he hadn’t exterminated many families in his life, and the Yun Family was one of them.
"You’re a remnant of the Yun Family?"
Xia Wuyang asked, raising an eyebrow at Yun Shuang.
Yun Shuang’s slender brows shot up. "That’s right! I’m the little girl who was the sole survivor of the Yun Family all those years ago. I wanted to kill you to avenge my clan, but I never imagined a beast like you could hide so well. I admit defeat this time. Kill me or cut me to pieces—do as you please!"
"Crown Prince, we are from the Tunneling Sect. Our master is the Sect Leader of the Tunneling Sect. Please, for the sake of the Tunneling Sect, spare us this once. I swear it will never happen again," Li Mo couldn’t help but plead.
Xia Wuyang ignored Li Mo. ’To beg for mercy in a situation like this... how naive.’
His gaze fell upon the cold-faced Yun Shuang. "Since you have hated me for so many years, you should know a thing or two about me. Decades ago, I acquired more than one treasure from the great families. Why is it that none of those other families met with disaster, yet your Yun Family alone was annihilated?"
"This..." Yun Shuang froze. She clearly had never considered this question, nor had she ever investigated it. Still, she retorted stubbornly, "What other reason could there be? You just didn’t like the look of our Yun Family. It’s not like we could have possibly offended you, the great Crown Prince, could we?"
Xia Wuyang looked at Li Mo. "It seems you and the Tunneling Sect have done a poor job, hiding even a matter like this from her."
"I... I..." Li Mo was at a loss for words.
He, of course, knew the truth behind the Yun Family’s extermination, but how could he ever have dared to tell his junior sister?
Seeing Li Mo stammer, Xia Wuyang sneered. "Seizing commoners’ fields, driving tenant farmers to their deaths, murder, arson, exterminating families to steal their treasures... The most shocking of all was when, in order to seize a friend’s property, they went so far as to wipe out his entire household—two hundred and thirty-one people."
At this, Xia Wuyang turned to Yun Shuang. "Speaking of which, you knew this family. They were your neighbors, the Chen Family. Their youngest daughter, Chen Yue, was your childhood playmate. She, too, was killed by men your father sent."
"No... Impossible! That’s impossible! My father wasn’t that kind of person! The Chen Family was killed by mountain bandits, not by my family!" Yun Shuang’s face went deathly pale as she repeatedly denied it.
Xia Wuyang laughed. "True or not, your senior brother should know. I am the Crown Prince. Would I lie to you? Are you even worthy of it?"
"Fourth Senior Brother, is... is what he’s saying true?" Yun Shuang looked cautiously at Li Mo, hoping to hear a denial from his lips.
But how could something like this be denied? Li Mo remained silent. After a moment, Yun Shuang finally broke down, sobbing. "How could this be? So my family wasn’t exterminated because of a treasure after all."
The obsession she had clung to for over a decade turned out to be rooted in her own family’s sins.
"This... This isn’t real! How could Father and the others do that? How could they do such things!"
The family memories she had once treasured were, in fact, soaked in the blood of innocents.
Li Mo was too devastated to speak. He knew Xia Wuyang wasn’t lying; in fact, the truth was even more cruel and terrifying than what the Crown Prince had described.
Inside the Practice Room, the candlelight flickered, casting the trio’s shadows onto the walls, where they twisted like phantoms.
Looking at the utterly heartbroken Yun Shuang, Xia Wuyang’s expression remained calm. Although Yun Shuang had been ignorant of all this, she had ultimately enjoyed the benefits reaped by the Yun Family. More importantly, she had come seeking him out. He couldn’t possibly leave her alive.
But before sending them on their way, there were a few things worth collecting.
The Tunneling Sect’s world-renowned Stealth Technique and Shadow Escape Sword Technique were things the Imperial Palace did not possess.
"Look into my eyes!"
Xia Wuyang’s voice suddenly grew ethereal, as if drifting from the far-off horizon.
Yun Shuang subconsciously looked up and was immediately captivated by a pair of eyes as brilliant as the stars. Then, she lost all sense of her surroundings.
Just as Li Mo realized something was wrong, he too fell into the illusion.
After a good while, realization dawned on Xia Wuyang.
"The Stealth Technique... so this is how it works!"
A special breathing method... a special way of merging one’s aura... a profound technique... a unique path for circulating energy... It had many differences when compared to the Dragon Storage Skill.
The Dragon Storage Skill focused on "hiding" and was static. It allowed for disguise, concealing one’s aura, and masking one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The Stealth Technique, however, focused on "concealment" and was dynamic.
It could effectively hide a person while they were in motion, preventing them from being discovered. For assassinations, sneak attacks, and ambushes... it was an incredible force multiplier.
If it could be effectively combined with the Dragon Storage Skill, the power it could unleash would be simply unimaginable.
The Shadow Escape Sword Technique and the Stealth Technique complemented each other perfectly. Its strikes were silent, its sword light like a shadow, making it ideal for sneak attacks and assassinations. Every move and stance was steeped in the martial essence of the Tunneling Sect, refined over a thousand years.
Even Xia Wuyang couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration. "Marvelous! What a fine Secret Technique, and what fine swordsmanship!"
Moreover, the Shadow Escape Sword Technique shared a similar ingenuity with the Nether Acupuncture Needle. There were many areas where the two could be combined to unleash even greater power.
When it came time to deal with his enemies in the future, the Shadow Escape Sword Technique would be quite useful.
No wonder the Tunneling Sect could become the sovereign of the night in the Great Xia Dynasty. The Stealth Technique and the Shadow Escape Sword Technique alone were a testament to their power. Even many within the Royal Family were wary of the Tunneling Sect.
’Their heritage was truly extraordinary. It would be good if I could subdue them later on,’ he thought.
He thought no more of it. Looking at the two dazed figures before him, Xia Wuyang said softly, "Time to go."
Yun Shuang and Li Mo were completely unaware, still lost in the illusion. ’Considering they contributed the Stealth Technique and the Shadow Escape Sword Technique to me, I’ll let them die a painless death,’ he mused.
A gust of palm wind struck their backs. Yun Shuang and Li Mo collapsed limply, their faces still wearing the happy and satisfied expressions they had upon entering the illusion.
He used the Corpse-Dissolving Water, and the two soon melted into a pool of liquid, ceasing to exist.
After dealing with the two of them, Xia Wuyang closed his eyes and focused, carefully organizing the cultivation techniques he had just acquired as if nothing had happened at all.
However, that wasn’t the most important matter at hand. After a brief review to commit the techniques to memory, Xia Wuyang began to consolidate and adapt to his explosively increased strength.
Once he had consolidated and adapted, it would be time to go to the Gold and Silver Palace to search for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit. His Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit had been in the Gold and Silver Palace for so long; it was time to bring it back.
As for why it was *his* Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit? The Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, had plundered so many of his assets and resources over the years. It was time for him to start paying it all back, starting with this Top Level Miracle Treasure, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit.
The enmity between the two of them had reached a point where they were like fire and water. Even Liu Jun in the Eastern Palace had originally been one of Fifth Prince Xia Wushang’s men, though Xia Wuyang had later turned him.
If Xia Wuyang weren’t already "on his deathbed," Xia Wushang would likely have already made a fatal move against him.