Elderly Prince: My Spirit Increases by 1 Point Daily

Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Strike First

Back at Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang could hardly contain his excitement.

With Zhao Wuji and Cao Zhenghe under his control, he now commanded most of the Third Prince’s faction and the Royal Family’s Inner Treasury.

This also meant that from now on, he would have a steady stream of Cultivation Resources. At the very least, he would no longer lack them for his daily Cultivation.

He could also make fewer moves in the future, which would prevent arousing suspicion.

Furthermore, Xia Wuyang could now freely use certain resources and treasures that were exclusively for Emperor Xia and a few favored Princes and Princesses.

Beyond that, through Zhao Wuji and Cao Zhenghe, he could effectively monitor the happenings within the Imperial Palace, which would be crucial for his future plans.

Xia Wuyang had more and more cards in his hand. His influence was no longer limited to just himself but was beginning to extend in other directions.

After decades of falling behind, decades of decadence, he had now caught up. He was no less capable than the other Princes and Princesses.

He could even stand on equal footing with the most outstanding of them.

The key now was to focus on his Cultivation and raise his Cultivation Power to a higher level as much as possible.

At the same time, he needed to find a suitable Spiritual Servant. The third of his Spiritual Chains was still empty. ’Who should I target this time?’

Xia Wuyang smiled faintly. He took stock of his gains and resumed his Cultivation.

「Time trickled by, and before he knew it, dawn was approaching.」

Xia Wuyang, once again shedding his vigorous facade, became ”decrepit with old age.” With a look of greedy desire on his face, he left the Practice Room and entered the Sleeping Palace to indulge in that young, supple body.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his body ”couldn’t take it anymore.” He reluctantly returned to the Practice Room, recovered his vigorous energy, and continued his diligent training.

His public excuses were fear of assassination, fear of being poisoned, fear of being unable to resist the temptation of young women, and fear of hearing infuriating rumors... In short, Xia Wuyang had plenty of reasons to ”logically” explain his actions of hiding away in the Practice Room.

Although he was in the Practice Room, seemingly sealed off from the world, Xia Wuyang knew everything that was happening outside like the back of his hand.

Not only did he have the small animals in the palace acting as his informants, but he also had Zhao Wuji and Cao Zhenghe feeding him information. He would know immediately at the slightest sign of trouble.

One morning, as he was enjoying a delicious meal that had been inspected multiple times, two Bulbuls appeared sauntering above Wenhua Hall and began to chirp.

These two Bulbuls were also little creatures he had secretly influenced. They were now making their routine visit to Wenhua Hall to chat and discuss what they had seen and heard recently.

”Did you hear? Princess Xiu Min is annoyed that the elder Crown Prince isn’t dying, so she wants to make a move on him.”

”She can’t wait. She wants to see some drama. She wants the other Princes and Princesses to fight tooth and nail for the Crown Prince’s position so she can fish in troubled waters.”

”She said it in secret, all by herself. No one else knows.”

”Princess Xiu Min is going to make her move. She’s trying to figure out how.”

...

The little creatures’ reports were a bit chaotic, but it was enough for Xia Wuyang to understand what was going on.

Using his Soul Capturing Technique to probe their surface thoughts and fill in the gaps, Xia Wuyang now had a clear picture.

Princess Xiu Min wanted the other Princes and Princesses to start fighting over the Crown Prince’s position sooner so she could fish in the troubled waters, but Xia Wuyang’s persistence in not dying was interfering with her plans.

So, Princess Xiu Min was contemplating how to make her move and kill Xia Wuyang sooner, allowing her to execute her own plan.

Princess Xiu Min was the eleventh-ranked princess. She was no longer young and was already a Martial Master at Fourth Grade Perfection, just a stone’s throw away from the Upper Three Grades.

She had once been favored by Emperor Xia, but she gradually lost his affection due to her excessive cruelty.

Even so, among the many Princes and Princesses, Princess Xiu Min could be ranked somewhere in the top ten.

In the past, she had used Emperor Xia’s favor to seize quite a few of the Eastern Palace’s properties and resources. But what Xia Wuyang could never forgive was that a Palace Maid he was fond of, Xiaodie, had been beaten to death by her for accidentally offending her.

Thinking of Xiaodie brought a sharp pain to Xia Wuyang’s heart. That girl, whose eyes always curved when she smiled, had stood by him even at his lowest point.

She had even planted many flowers in his Wenhua Hall, saying that when the garden was in full bloom, His Highness’s illness would be cured.

But before the flowers could bloom, she was already gone.

Afterward, Princess Xiu Min had merely said offhandedly that it was an ”accident.” A human life ended just like that, without so much as an apology.

’Since you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’

A cold glint flickered in Xia Wuyang’s eyes. With such a sharp source of information, he could eliminate threats before they even arrived, which would also reduce any suspicion directed at him.

Right now, only he knew that Princess Xiu Min was planning to move against him. No one else knew. Even if he took care of Princess Xiu Min, no one would suspect him.

The moonlight was like water. Xia Wuyang melted into the moonlit shadows, silently leaving Wenhua Hall and sneaking into Brocade Hall.

The palace, renowned for its luxury, was brightly lit. Inside the Sleeping Palace, Princess Xiu Min was flying into a rage.

”Useless! All of you are useless!” She smashed the teacup in her hand onto the floor. ”You can’t even brew tea properly. What use do I have for any of you?”

The Palace Maid kneeling on the floor trembled. ”Princess, please quell your anger. It is all this servant’s fault.”

”Since you know it’s your fault, then die.” Her longsword left its sheath. Before the beautiful Palace Maid could react, her head was already flying through the air. ”Drag her out and feed her to the dogs. Just looking at her is annoying.”

The surrounding Palace Attendants were silent as cicadas in winter, scrambling to do as they were told.

Once everyone had left, Princess Xiu Min stopped her tantrum. She was about to rest, but under the influence of a mysterious force, she decided to cultivate for a while instead.

So, she went to the Quiet Chamber in her Sleeping Palace and began her Cultivation.

However, just as she reached a critical point in her Cultivation, for some unknown reason, images of the Palace Maid’s actions and her recent run of bad luck surfaced in her mind. The Qi Blood in her body instantly grew turbulent.

What she failed to notice was that slivers of Spiritual Power had already seeped into her mind, controlling the Qi and Blood Power around her head and forcing it to surge toward her brain.

”AHH...”

Princess Xiu Min let out a bloodcurdling scream. It felt as if a thousand steel needles were piercing her mind as the turbulent Qi Blood all rushed to her head.

In her perception, her unstable state of mind at a critical moment in her Cultivation had caused a Qigong Deviation.

”He... help...” She struggled to call for help, but her voice was so weak she could barely hear it herself, let alone be heard by anyone outside.

Besides, this was a Quiet Chamber. Even if she screamed at the top of her lungs, no one outside would hear.