Elderly Prince: My Spirit Increases by 1 Point Daily

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Gifting Big Brother a Group of Courtesans

Yan Jiuge was also wondering if Xia Wuyang was involved, but considering his current situation, she felt it was unlikely.

Xia Wuyang could barely fend for himself these days, so how could he find the time and energy to avenge Fifth Class Attendant Wang? He didn’t have the strength, nor did he command any experts capable of killing her murderer.

Giving all the reparations from her killer to Fifth Class Attendant Wang’s parents was the most he could do.

It was said he had also mourned for a long time in his study, going through everything Fifth Class Attendant Wang had left behind and storing it all away like treasure. ’He does have some conscience, after all.’

’If only Xia Wuyang’s Cultivation Foundation hadn’t been destroyed back then,’ she thought. ’He would have already advanced to the Upper Three Grades, with a lifespan of nearly two hundred years. He’d still be in his prime right now.’

’What a pity.’

Not even the woman who shared his bed in the Eastern Palace suspected him, let alone outsiders. Some with malicious intent even seized the opportunity to come and humiliate him.

The lilting songs and graceful dances in Wenhua Hall were intoxicating. The fine wine and delicacies were exquisite—enough to make one temporarily forget the departed Fifth Class Attendant Wang.

While Xia Wuyang sat with a woman in each arm, the Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood in his body circulated rapidly, constantly refining his Cultivation Foundation and elevating his Cultivation Realm in preparation to take the Celestial Water Essence again.

He still had one more bottle of Celestial Water Essence. If he took it, his power would soar by several levels, bringing him ever closer to the Upper Three Grades.

Only with sufficient power could he secure his place in the Imperial Palace.

Outsiders saw only the elder Crown Prince indulging in wine and women. Who could have imagined that within that seemingly decaying shell, his Qi Blood was condensing at a terrifying speed?

”Your Highness, please have a grape.”

”Your Highness, these are your favorite imported peaches.”

...

Stunning Palace Maids danced gracefully, offering him delectable morsels of food that still carried the sweet scent of a young woman’s mouth.

They had no idea just how powerful he truly was—this decrepit elder Crown Prince who looked as though he might collapse at any moment.

The cold glint and fury in the depths of his eyes were temporarily restrained. ’But the death of a single West Gate Guard isn’t enough to quell my anger,’ he thought. ’If he hadn’t been relying on the Fifth Prince’s power and status, how could a mere West Gate Guard have dared to treat my Fifth Class Attendant Wang that way?’

’The true culprit is the Fifth Prince. This matter is not over.’

”Hahahaha...”

Just then, a burst of unrestrained laughter echoed from outside. It was a shrill, grating sound, like a dull knife scraping across glass, making everyone’s skin crawl.

No one announced the visitor—or rather, there was no time. The man had already shoved the doors open and swaggered into Wenhua Hall.

He was dressed in a crimson-purple brocade robe with a precious jade pendant at his waist. His handsome face wore a look of undisguised contempt and a sneer. ”Brother, I trust you’ve been well. I heard one of your concubines had an... accident. To think she had her head lopped off by some gate-keeping dog! I came specially to offer my condolences. I do hope you aren’t too broken up about it.”

This was Xia Chenhua, the seventeenth of the Princes and Princesses. As a youth, he had been on good terms with Xia Wuyang and often received his guidance, allowing his Cultivation Realm to advance rapidly.

But after Xia Wuyang’s Cultivation Foundation was destroyed and he lost all his power, Xia Chenhua had been the first to betray him. He not only refused to acknowledge Xia Wuyang’s help and guidance, but even claimed that Xia Wuyang had been overly strict back then, clearly toying with him.

He had snatched up a portion of the Eastern Palace’s properties for a pittance, and he refused to return the Treasures and resources Xia Wuyang had lent him years ago.

”Seventeenth Brother, what brings you here today?” Xia Wuyang kept his arm around the soft, fragrant Palace Maid beside him. A sharp glint flashed through his clouded eyes, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

Xia Chenhua clapped his hands. Soon, a line of stunning, bewitching beauties filed in from outside. Their every movement was filled with a flirtatious charm that the Palace Maids of the Eastern Palace could not hope to match.

Their skin was as smooth as jade, their features as lovely as a painting. They left a trail of fragrance in their wake as they walked. Upon seeing Xia Wuyang, they all bowed in unison. ”We greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Xia Chenhua pointed to the group of beauties. ”These are all fine women I’ve hand-picked myself. They’re Courtesans from the various brothels and painted boats of the Capital City. They’re experts at soothing a man’s heart and have a wealth of experience—just the thing to comfort you, Brother.”

He deliberately raised his voice, laughing loudly in front of all the eunuchs and Palace Maids. ”They’ve all been broken in, of course. Their arms have served as pillows for a thousand men, their lips have been tasted by a thousand men. But experience makes perfect, and their skills are second to none. Just right for... an old man like you, Brother.”

The contempt and ridicule in his voice were entirely undisguised. He claimed to be here to comfort Xia Wuyang, but in reality, he had come only to mock and taunt him.

The dignified Master of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, couldn’t even protect one of his own concubines. She had been beheaded by a mere gate dog, and all he could do was helplessly accept their apology and reparations.

How ironic it was, and how utterly humiliating.

As Xia Chenhua’s words faded, the vast Wenhua Hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. The quiet was terrifying.

All the eunuchs, Palace Maids, and Guards dared not make a sound. Even the dozen Courtesans turned pale, kneeling and trembling on the floor, terrified that Xia Wuyang would have them all beheaded in a fit of rage.

They had never imagined that Xia Chenhua had brought them to the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Prince merely as a tool to humiliate him.

They had thought this was their chance to attach themselves to a powerful patron; they never expected to be facing a fatal disaster.

Xia Wuyang’s hands began to tremble slightly. The Palace Maids beside him, terrified, quickly knelt on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

His face flushed red, then went pale, then red again. He appeared to be thoroughly enraged.

As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, every Palace Maid he took to his bed had been pure. When had he ever touched such... soiled goods? One could only imagine his feelings, being humiliated like this.

Everyone thought Xia Wuyang was on the verge of losing control, but they had no idea it was all an act.

’Images of himself personally teaching Xia Chenhua flashed through his mind, along with memories of the many times he had protected the boy from the other Princes and Princesses. I have truly been blind to have helped such an ungrateful wolf.’

’Even if only for my own peace of mind, it seems I can’t let him live.’

’He’s just a mere Fifth Grade Perfection Martial Artist of the Bone Refining Realm. His Zhengxin Hall is guarded by only a single Upper Third Grade Martial Artist. Why would I even be concerned about him?’

’That being the case, should I kill him tonight, or wait a while? I could also use the Nether Acupuncture Needle, which I have already brought to the Great Success stage, to plant the seeds of a future calamity in him, just as I did to Princess Yun Shu.’

”You are too kind, Seventeenth Brother.” After a long moment, under Xia Chenhua’s mocking gaze, Xia Wuyang shakily rose to his feet. He put on a deliberate look of helplessness—an expression of both anger and powerlessness. ”It’s just that I am old and afraid I am not blessed enough to enjoy them. You should take them back, Seventeenth Brother.”