Chapter 88 - 87: Just Lie Down
Pan Mo was stunned by Xia Wuyang’s words. "Your Highness... is what you’re saying true?"
"The Eastern Palace is in shambles, and everyone knows it. Have you seen anyone try to land a killing blow on me?" Xia Wuyang explained.
Pan Mo fell silent. After some thought, she realized it seemed to be true.
Xia Wuyang smiled. "I don’t have many months left to live. Who would be willing to stir up trouble for a Dying Crown Prince like me? So don’t worry. All you need to do now is protect yourself."
"Your Highness..." Pan Mo’s tears streamed down her face again, leaving her speechless. Even though he only had a few months left, he was still worried about her.
Xia Wuyang held her tighter. "Silly Mo’Er, do you remember what you said to me that year, when the jasmine flowers bloomed?"
Pan Mo froze. Her tears subsided, and a nostalgic look filled her bright eyes.
Back then, they had just gotten together. They were inseparable, always whispering sweet nothings, wishing they could be attached at the hip every second of the day.
The air was fragrant with jasmine, and she had once told Xia Wuyang, "I wish to be like the jasmine flower. Though not glamorous, I only ask to always remain by Your Highness’s side."
Just like that day, they nestled close, feeling the warmth of each other’s bodies.
After an unknown amount of time, Xia Wuyang said in a solemn voice, "Starting today, you will temporarily move in with the Crown Prince Consort."
"Your Highness?" Pan Mo looked up in astonishment.
Xia Wuyang stroked her smooth, tender face. "Yun Liyue is a Second Grade Grandmaster, about to step into the First Grade Realm. No matter how arrogant Xia Wulei is, he wouldn’t dare act presumptuously at her place."
After a moment’s thought, he added, "No matter what happens, you must live well. At the very least, you cannot die before I do. Remember?"
"Mm," Pan Mo said, choking back a sob.
As he sent Pan Mo off, watching her increasingly thin figure, Xia Wuyang felt a pang in his heart.
He just had to wait. It wouldn’t be long before he could resolve all this trouble.
Pan Mo was reluctant to leave, looking back with every step. Only after Xia Wuyang had returned to his Sleeping Palace did she finally quicken her pace toward Yun Liyue’s residence.
Xia Wuyang had already sent a message to Yun Liyue explaining Xia Wulei’s incessant harassment. Yun Liyue had agreed to look after Pan Mo and told him not to worry, but simply to enjoy himself.
As he entered the Practice Room, a cold glint flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes at the thought of Xia Wulei’s rampant arrogance.
’It’s not enough. This still isn’t enough.’
’I’ve only left a few countermeasures in place, but I can’t just kill him directly. What if he goes after Pan Mo again in the meantime? I have to do something more.’
’Even if I can’t kill him, I have to make sure he can’t do anything else.’
’Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with too many Princes and Princesses recently. Too many people are watching. And I just clashed with Xia Wulei. If he were to die right now, everyone would inevitably suspect me.’
’Since he can’t die yet, I’ll just have to punish him further.’
「That night, the moon was hidden and the stars were dim.」
It was the perfect time for murder and arson. Xia Wuyang activated the Dragon Storage Skill and Stealth Technique, silently melting into the darkness as he sped towards Evergreen Hall.
To him, the ever-tightening security was as good as nonexistent.
Although the Fourth Prince, Xia Wulei, was less powerful than the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, and less wealthy than the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, he was still formidable among the Princes and Princesses. His mother’s family was the Sea Covering Gang, one of the most prominent gangs in the Great Xia Dynasty. His mother herself was a master of the Upper Three Grades, and he even had a Third Grade Martial General as a personal guard.
Evergreen Hall, where he resided, was heavily guarded, but the guards were useless against Xia Wuyang.
He slipped into Evergreen Hall with ease. His Mental Force Field scanned the area, and he found that scoundrel Xia Wulei in a rage, brutally assaulting several young and beautiful Palace Maids. He was mangling them so horribly that one was on the verge of death.
’They say Xia Wulei is brutal and often tortures and kills Palace Maids,’ Xia Wuyang thought. ’It seems the rumors are true.’
Xia Wuyang’s expression darkened as he watched. He silently released his perfected and improved Soul Capturing Technique. A moment later, Xia Wulei finished what he was doing and stormed out of the Sleeping Palace. He suddenly felt an urge to channel his fiery anger into breaking through to the Upper Three Grades, thinking this might be the perfect opportunity.
He went straight to his Practice Room and began his attempt to break through to the Upper Three Grades.
What he didn’t know was that this sudden idea—this rash attempt to break through to the Upper Three Grades—was entirely the result of Xia Wuyang’s influence via the Soul Capturing Technique.
Otherwise, at such a moment of seething rage, even normal cultivation could easily lead to Qigong Deviation, let alone breaking through a bottleneck—especially one leading to the Upper Three Grades.
Just as expected, the moment he began his attempt, scenes from earlier that day flooded his Sea of Consciousness.
First was Pan Mo’s resolute, picturesque face. "I would rather die than follow the Fourth Prince."
Next, he saw Xia Wuyang’s cold gaze as he deliberately pulled Pan Mo into his arms. "Get lost, Fourth Brother. Second Class Attendant Pan is mine. Even in death, she will accompany me."
Finally, the image of the two of them embracing as they entered the Sleeping Palace to become intimate.
"No..."
Xia Wulei roared in fury, and the Qi Blood in his body instantly spiraled out of control.
The backlash of Qi Blood ravaged his meridians before surging toward his heart. Had Xia Wulei not managed to regain control at the last second, his heart would have been destroyed.
"SPURT..."
Even so, Xia Wulei violently spurted blood and collapsed limply to the ground, unable to move.
Xia Wuyang hadn’t dealt a fatal blow; otherwise, Xia Wulei would not have survived the night.
’This severe injury will take at least a year to heal, and he’ll need to take all sorts of medicine daily. I refuse to believe he can still cause trouble for Pan Mo under these conditions.’
Best of all, every sign pointed to this being a Qigong Deviation caused by Xia Wulei’s own emotional outburst. Even he would believe it.
His perfected Soul Capturing Technique—an improved version tailor-made for him—had left no trace.
He double-checked with his Companion Talent, the Mental Force Field, to ensure no evidence remained. Only then did he slip away and return to Wenhua Hall, back to the light music and graceful dancing.
The commotion in the Practice Room was soon discovered by the surrounding Guards. They scrambled inside and began calling for an Imperial Physician to treat Xia Wulei.
Upon hearing that another Prince was in trouble, the Divine Female Constable, Liu Yiqing, arrived promptly with her subordinates. She immediately began to investigate the Practice Room for anything unusual.
After the Imperial Physician’s examination, he quickly came to a conclusion: "The Fourth Prince was not ambushed. He was overly agitated while trying to break through a bottleneck, which caused his Qi Blood to reverse, leading to Qigong Deviation. If not for his good luck and the aid of some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, I’m afraid he would have already passed."
Liu Yiqing also carefully inspected the area and indeed found nothing unusual inside or outside Evergreen Hall.
Afterward, she learned from the Palace Attendants that earlier in the day, Xia Wulei had gone to the Eastern Palace. He had tried to force the elder Crown Prince to hand over his Second Class Attendant, but was refused. Furthermore, the Second Class Attendant herself had declared she would rather die than go with him, which had infuriated Xia Wulei.