"Good! Good! Good!"
Upon hearing the good news, Emperor Xia said "good" three times in a row, showing just how pleased he was. "Let’s see what the Northern Desert has to say now! Issue a decree! Have the seized secret letters, military equipment, and ledgers copied into volumes and sent to the embassies of every nation. I want the entire world to see the wicked ambitions of the Northern Desert, to see how they’ve meticulously plotted to throw my Great Xia into chaos! And those captured Northern Desert spies—parade them through the streets for public humiliation..."
"Your Majesty is wise!" the assembled officials acclaimed in unison, letting out a collective sigh of relief.
But in the crowd, Zheng Zhicang kept his head low as cold sweat beaded on his palms.
’Only he knew that while those outposts were indeed connected to the Northern Desert, he had secretly doctored some of the evidence himself. Otherwise, how could the Northern Desert, after lying dormant for so many years, have been so careless?’
’For instance, the secret letter from the furrier’s cellar had originally just been a few slightly illicit family letters from the Northern Desert, filled with coded and secret phrases. But he had added phrases like "dethrone the Empress," "assassinate the Crown Prince," and "destabilize the Imperial Court."’
’And the ledger from the cosmetics shop—it had originally only recorded transactions of Northern Desert furs and herbs, with some prohibited items intentionally left off the books. He had changed the entries to military equipment and Poison... All of this was just to cement the crimes of the Northern Desert Da Kuo and carry out the Lord Emperor’s orders.’
Emperor Xia’s gaze suddenly fell on him. "Lord Zheng, your contribution this time has been monumental. I heard you also took the initiative to reinforce the guards at Wenhua Hall?"
Zheng Zhicang hurriedly bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. The elder Crown Prince was frightened by the ordeal and has secluded himself these past few days. I dispatched additional Shadow Guards to stand watch in shifts, day and night, to ensure his absolute safety and prevent any disruption to the Imperial Court."
"Mm, that was the right thing to do. Though that child, Wuyang, is a disappointment, he is my son, after all. He still holds the title of Crown Prince, and the Northern Desert wouldn’t even spare him. They are truly vicious." Emperor Xia nodded, a complicated expression flickering in his eyes.
His words were tinged with regret, as if he were genuinely concerned for Xia Wuyang.
At that moment, Emperor Xia’s feelings toward Xia Wuyang were complicated. On the one hand, he resented his son for being such a disappointment, for bringing utter disgrace to the Royal Family. On the other, seeing that the Northern Desert would even attempt to assassinate a deposed Crown Prince, he felt a flicker of anger and a twinge of guilt.
If he had not deposed Xia Wuyang all those years ago, if Xia Wuyang were still that same astonishingly brilliant Crown Prince, the Great Xia of today might be a completely different place, not the chaotic mess it had become.
Alas, there were no ’what ifs’. What was done was done.
Emperor Xia finally decreed, "Relay my orders. Reward Wenhua Hall with five hundred taels of Gold and fifty bolts of Brocade. Also, bestow two stalks of centennial blood ginseng upon Wuyang to calm his nerves and help him recover."
"As Your Majesty commands," Zheng Zhicang said, bowing as he retreated.
「In the Practice Room of Wenhua Hall.」
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged, his aura as deep and tranquil as a boundless abyss.
The commotion outside the hall, the hubbub over the rewards, the gossip of the Palace Attendants... all of it was sealed away by the heavy stone door, never reaching his ears.
His mind was entirely immersed in his Cultivation; he was utterly indifferent to Emperor Xia’s rewards and gave them no thought.
’To him, that Gold and Brocade were nothing more than dirt, not even worthy of a place in his Personal Space.’
’The centennial blood ginseng was a Low Level Mortal Treasure, but it was useless to him now. The Qi Nourishing Pills he refined were ten times more potent.’
What truly concerned him were the repercussions of the assassination attempt—and, most importantly, his own machinations.
From Zheng Zhicang’s report, he knew Emperor Xia had completely bought into the Northern Desert conspiracy plot. The Emperor’s hatred had reached its zenith. The assassination attempt by the Northern Desert Da Kuo could not have been timed more perfectly; it made all of Emperor Xia’s suspicions "come true," providing the final piece of the puzzle.
In the Imperial Court, the clamor from the war hawks grew louder. Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion seized the opportunity to demand more resources. The Celestial Treasure Pavilion secretly inflated the price of military provisions... The great ship of Great Xia was accelerating toward all-out war with the Northern Desert Da Kuo Royal Court, and the atmosphere grew more tense by the day.
And this was exactly what he wanted. It was what he had orchestrated.
’Let there be chaos. The more chaos, the better,’ Xia Wuyang sneered to himself. ’Let that bastard Xia Shengming savor this. The more he suffers, the better. The more pain he feels, the more I’ll rejoice.’
As for his act of being "frightened into seclusion," it was the perfect way to turn their plot to his own advantage, and it suited his current persona perfectly.
For one, it would further lull Emperor Xia and the other powers into complacency. It would show them that the elder Crown Prince was truly useless, hiding away at the slightest fright, not daring to show his face or leave Wenhua Hall.
And for another, it bought him more time for his Cultivation, allowing him to achieve even greater breakthroughs.
Now, he only needed to come out and "play" once or twice a day for less than an hour at a time. He would make an appearance before returning to the Practice Room.
He spent the rest of his time in arduous Cultivation, and no one suspected a thing.
Aided by the Qi Nourishing Pills, his Cultivation Speed increased by leaps and bounds, far surpassing his previous pace.
As for his River Scripture, his first Spiritual Vein had begun to strengthen once more, and his True Qi reserves had swelled to several times what they were when he first became a True Monarch.
His Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body had stabilized at the eleventh level, and his Dragon and Tiger Spirit Blood grew more potent and pure. After studying the Enchanting Soul Scripture, his Enchanting Heart Technique was also constantly being refined and improved, making his Spiritual Power more condensed and pure.
More importantly, his talent as an Alchemy Genius made his efficiency in Refining Spirit Pills frighteningly high. He had only just reached the level of a Low Level Spirit Pill Master, yet he could already refine three or more cauldrons of Qi Nourishing Pills daily, yielding dozens of pills.
This was not only enough for his own use, but it also allowed him to build a stockpile for his future plans.
Xia Wuyang calculated, ’It won’t be long now. Once I consolidate my current foundation a bit more, I’ll be able to consume the Thousand-year-old Stalactite.’
He slowly opened his eyes. Azure starlight swirled within them, and deep in his pupils, the faint, silver phantom of a dragon and tiger flashed and vanished.
He rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. His joints let out a series of crisp CRACKLES, like a string of firecrackers going off.
A casual punch tore a white gash in the air that lingered for a long moment, its power astonishing.
"Time to make an appearance. I shouldn’t keep them waiting," Xia Wuyang murmured.
He put on his Disguise, reverting to his feeble, doddering appearance, and slowly pushed open the stone door of the Practice Room.
Outside, a group of Palace Attendants was already waiting.
An old eunuch bowed and said, "Your Highness, the items bestowed by His Majesty have all been delivered. The Cat Girls are taking inventory now. Also, Miss Su was frightened and had a slight fever this morning. The Imperial Physician has already seen her and said it is nothing serious. She just needs a few days of quiet rest and won’t require any Elixirs."
Xia Wuyang nodded. "Take me to see her. We have Ling’Er to thank for getting through this. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
The two of them went to a side hall, where Su Ling’Er was lying on a soft couch under a Brocade quilt, her face somewhat pale.
When she saw Xia Wuyang arrive, she struggled to sit up. "Your Highness..."
"Don’t move, just lie still. You’re still warm. Go fetch some ice to put on her forehead." Xia Wuyang sat on the edge of the couch and felt her forehead, his face a mask of heartfelt concern.
Su Ling’Er’s eyes grew red. "Thank you, Your Highness. Last night... I truly thought I was going to die..."
"Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m here, no one can harm you. You must keep that Jade Talisman safe. Wear it at all times from now on, and don’t take it off. I owe you a great deal for what happened." Xia Wuyang gently squeezed her hand.
"Mm." Su Ling’Er nodded emphatically, not knowing what to say.
’She wanted to thank him, alright. ’Thanks to you, I almost died,’ she thought. If it hadn’t been for him, she wouldn’t have been caught up in this disaster, and her one and only Protective Spirit Talisman wouldn’t be so depleted. It was the most precious treasure her father and mother had left her, her last line of defense.’
’Besides, when they ran into the assassins, this elder Crown Prince was the first one to flee. He had even grabbed her to use as a human shield, mainly to take advantage of the Jade Talisman’s protective power.’

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