Chapter 126 - 125: One Good Show After Another
Miracle Treasures were extraordinary. Even a Middle Level Miracle Treasure was quite effective for an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist. This was unlike the Elixirs needed for daily cultivation; if an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist consumed Middle Level Mortal Elixir and Medicine, its effects would be drastically diminished.
However, if an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist consumed a Middle Level Miracle Treasure, the reduction in efficacy was minor. It was simply that, relative to their level, the power of a Middle Level Miracle Treasure wasn’t that substantial.
Still, with enough Middle Level Miracle Treasures, it was possible to help an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist achieve a significant boost in power, or even break through to a new realm.
Just as Xia Wuyang was reaping a bountiful harvest in the Inner Treasury, another of his gambits began to pay off.
In Ciping Palace, a thorough investigation finally led Princess Jinping to a crucial clue: on the night of the incident, she and the palace’s Grandmasters and First Grade Grandmasters had all been under the influence of the Enchanting Heart Technique.
It was under the influence of the Enchanting Heart Technique that they had acted so out of character. Normally, they would never have become so agitated, not even after losing her trump card—the Spiritual Snake Sword—and the Blood Lotus Fruit, which was meant for her breakthrough into the Grandmaster Realm.
’It hurts. It hurts so much!’
The mere thought of the Spiritual Snake Sword and the Blood Lotus Fruit sent a pang of heart-wrenching pain through Princess Jinping, and her hatred for the thief intensified.
It was common knowledge that the Enchanting Heart Treasure Manual was the signature Treasure Manual of the True Yin Sect, and the Enchanting Heart Technique was its foremost Secret Technique. To cultivate the technique to a level capable of confounding a group of Grandmasters and First Grade Grandmasters... one could only imagine the perpetrator’s power.
’Was it at least a top-ranking expert from the True Yin Sect? A First Grade Grandmaster? Or did a Super Grade Celestial Human intervene personally?’
If that was the case, the one who stole the Spiritual Snake Sword and the Blood Lotus Fruit must have been an expert from the True Yin Sect.
Across the entire vast Imperial Palace, the person with the closest ties to the True Yin Sect was the Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian. ’Could all of this be his doing?’
"The True Yin Sect... Xia Wunian!"
A cold glint flickered in Princess Jinping’s eyes. ’Even if Xia Wunian wasn’t directly responsible,’ she thought, ’this is connected to the True Yin Sect. In that case, he can’t escape blame.’
’But what is wrong with that damn eunuch Xia Wunian? Why would he pick a fight with me? Did he lose his mind after being castrated?’
It was true that she and the Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian, were not on good terms. They had their conflicts in the past, but that was decades ago. ’I can’t believe he’s held a grudge for this long.’
’It’s also possible his mind became twisted after he was made a eunuch, leading him to do something like this.’
Convinced that the culprits were most likely the True Yin Sect and Xia Wunian, Princess Jinping immediately spread the word that a Super Grade Celestial Human had used the Enchanting Heart Technique to bewilder her and her experts that night.
Not only that, but the perpetrator had also stolen her hard-won Middle Level Spiritual Artifact, the Spiritual Snake Sword, and the High Level Miracle Treasure, the Blood Lotus Fruit, along with a large number of other precious resources and treasures, causing her to suffer a disastrous loss.
Furthermore, Princess Jinping suggested she suspected that the Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian, and the True Yin Sect were also connected to the previous thefts suffered by many other Princes and Princesses in the palace. After all, if used carefully, the Enchanting Heart Technique would leave no trace.
The only reason she had discovered it, she claimed, was thanks to a special Secret Technique that had allowed her to luckily detect the faint traces of the technique.
At the same time, Princess Jinping launched her retaliation against the Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian. Soon, through a series of "accidents" and "coincidences," several of Xia Wunian’s key subordinates were either disgraced or killed.
His various enterprises outside the Imperial Palace also suffered one heavy blow after another, resulting in devastating losses.
The Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian, had already been ostracized by all sides after becoming a eunuch, his influence steadily shrinking. Now, targeted by the far more powerful Princess Jinping, he was left battered and in a sorry state, virtually powerless to fight back.
He immediately declared that he had nothing to do with the matter. He was a eunuch now, he argued, and didn’t even have the right to contend for the position of Crown Prince. Why would he do something like this?
But alas, he couldn’t explain the traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique. This, coupled with Princess Jinping’s slander that he had gone mad after his castration, made his supposed motive seem plausible.
And Xia Wunian had indeed been acting erratically lately. After all, how could a perfectly normal man who had been turned into a eunuch and lost so much act as if nothing had happened?
Combined with his usual paranoid tendencies, calling him "mad" now was hardly an exaggeration. Many Princes and Princesses felt Princess Jinping’s accusation made a lot of sense.
Some of the Princes and Princesses who had been victims of previous thefts also seized the opportunity to kick Xia Wunian while he was down. He was sent fleeing in disarray, hardly daring to remain in the Imperial Palace.
"Jinping, you’ve gone too far!"
Xia Wunian flew into a rage in his residence, but he was helpless. He had asked the True Yin Sect, but they flatly denied any involvement, refusing to take any responsibility.
As for the traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique in Ciping Palace, the True Yin Sect couldn’t offer an explanation either.
What terrified him even more was Princess Jinping’s immense power. She seemed to see his every move with crystal clarity, and each of her attacks struck a vital point, leaving him in unspeakable misery.
He didn’t even feel safe hiding in his own residence. One can only imagine the kind of life he was living.
In Wenhua Hall, upon learning of Xia Wunian’s miserable state and the fact that Princess Jinping was now being investigated by various parties, Xia Wuyang allowed himself a small smile and continued to cultivate in peace.
’Fight,’ he mused. ’The more fiercely you fight, the better.’
He muttered to himself. He had, of course, left the traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique on purpose. It was precisely because he knew Princess Jinping possessed a Secret Technique capable of detecting them that he had deliberately left behind subtle traces that only her technique could uncover.
The grand drama he had single-handedly directed was now unfolding exactly according to his script.
The actors in this play were all his enemies, so the more viciously they fought, the more delighted Xia Wuyang became. No matter the outcome, it would be to his advantage.
He had also used this opportunity to shift the blame for some previous incidents. It was unfortunate for the Seventh Prince, Xia Wunian, and the True Yin Sect, but seeing his enemies wronged brought Xia Wuyang immense joy.
With almost everyone’s attention drawn to them, Xia Wuyang could cultivate in greater peace.
In a few more days, his Spiritual Power would reach two hundred. A strong premonition had already surfaced in his mind: when his Spiritual Power hit two hundred, he would very likely awaken a new Companion Talent.
The feeling was intense, suggesting the awakened Companion Talent would be something extraordinary. Otherwise, the premonition wouldn’t be this strong.
’I wonder if it will be something extremely practical, like Spiritual Shackles, Mental Force Field, or Personal Space...’ If so, this would be a huge windfall.
But before his new Companion Talent awakened, there were other important things to do. Now that his Spirit was Extraordinary, it was time to probe Emperor Xia’s true capabilities. Only then could he decide his next course of action.
’And what about that Special Miracle Treasure in the Inner Treasury? Can I take it now?’