Chapter 140 - 139: Fainting on You

Chapter 140: Chapter 139: Fainting on You

Su Ling’er’s intuition was unexpectedly sharp, which took even Xia Wuyang by surprise.

If not for his Soul Capturing Technique, which allowed him to perceive her surface-level thoughts, Xia Wuyang might not have noticed at all.

But even with her sharp intuition, Su Ling’er’s days of observation yielded nothing. She failed to notice anything unusual.

This elder Crown Prince who had taken her first time seemed to be just as muddle-headed and incompetent as he appeared, caring only for one thing in the final moments of his life: to indulge himself wantonly until he died on a woman’s belly.

"Ling’er, why are you staring at me?"

With a deliberately lecherous smile, Xia Wuyang pulled Su Ling’Er, who had been secretly observing him, into his embrace.

Su Ling’Er felt helpless, but still managed a demure smile. "I just think Your Highness looks particularly dashing today."

As she spoke, her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the handkerchief hidden in her sleeve. Her soft, fragrant body tensed, and a nearly imperceptible look of awkwardness crossed her face. She was clearly blushing at her own words.

Though her actions were subtle, to Xia Wuyang, they were crystal clear.

He chuckled inwardly, but his face was the picture of smug satisfaction. He couldn’t resist hugging her tighter. "Excellent, excellent. You really know what to say, Ling’er. I like you the most."

"Urk..." Her petite frame was almost completely enveloped. A flicker of resignation, nearly invisible, crossed her exquisite face, but she dared not resist, allowing Xia Wuyang to hold her in his crushing embrace.

"Come, come, let me show my Ling’er some affection."

As he spoke, Xia Wuyang held a piece of a Jade Banana between his teeth and leaned in, offering it to Su Ling’Er’s cherry-like lips.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Looking at his wrinkled old face, Su Ling’er recoiled inwardly. Still, she opened her cherry lips and accepted the fruit, feigning an expression of someone overwhelmed by the honor.

Xia Wuyang nodded in satisfaction. He pulled Su Ling’Er down with him, tumbling into the brocade quilt. As he greedily inhaled her fragrance, a mocking glint flashed in his eyes.

He then began to enjoy himself. But after more than an hour, Xia Wuyang suddenly convulsed and collapsed on top of Su Ling’Er.

"Your Highness... Your Highness, what’s wrong?"

Su Ling’Er quickly sensed that something was amiss. She scrambled to put her clothes on and began checking Xia Wuyang’s condition.

The other women in the room also noticed that something had happened to Xia Wuyang and broke into a clamor.

"Oh no, the Crown Prince has fainted! Quick, call for an Imperial Physician!"

"We told the Crown Prince not to overindulge, but he wouldn’t listen! Now look what’s happened. He collapsed right on top of Ling’er. He hasn’t... passed away, has he?"

"Don’t say such things! The Crown Prince isn’t dead yet! Hurry and get the Imperial Physician! Any later and it might be too late to save him!"

"Ling’Er has such rotten luck. The elder Crown Prince has been dragging her to his bed every day, and now he’s collapsed on top of her. How will she ever live this down?"

...

Su Ling’Er’s face was now deathly pale. No matter how clever she was, or how she possessed a preternatural intuition, how could she possibly remain composed in a situation like this?

Looking at the elder Crown Prince, who was now barely breathing, all of Su Ling’Er’s suspicions about Xia Wuyang evaporated. ’He was in such a state, having nearly died on top of me. How could he possibly be hiding his strength?’

’I was just overthinking things. My intuition must have been wrong this time. It’s made mistakes before; this must be just another one of them.’

’If he were faking it, how could his act be so convincing? Every detail was flawless.’

"Help! Someone save His Highness!"

She couldn’t help but cry out, her voice filled with genuine panic. She was completely at a loss.

Xia Wuyang laughed inwardly but remained as still as a corpse, looking for all the world like he was on his last breath.

The Imperial Physician arrived swiftly. His diagnosis: "Excessive debauchery leading to a depletion of Vitality."

He then specifically instructed Su Ling’Er and the other women to ensure the elder Crown Prince paced himself in the future. He warned them not to let him overdo it, or he could very well die in their beds, and the consequences of that would be unthinkable.

The assembled beauties were scared out of their wits. They all resolved to keep a close eye on Xia Wuyang from now on, limiting him to once or twice a day at most. Absolutely no more.

This worked out perfectly, as Xia Wuyang had been growing tired of the charade anyway. He seized the opportunity to put on a show, which would grant him more time to cultivate in his Practice Room—and with the full support of all the women, no less.

The news soon spread throughout the palaces, sparking a flurry of gossip.

"Did you hear? The elder Crown Prince collapsed on top of that new Jiangnan Beauty. Almost died right there on her. Sounds like he was really going wild."

"Wild is an understatement. I heard it was several times a day! Even those Jiangnan Beauties can’t keep up. I told you that old bastard would die on a woman’s belly sooner or later. Looks like I was right."

"He came so close to dying on a woman’s belly. How pathetic. I wonder how many more months he has left."

"The Twenty-fourth Prince’s beauty trap is truly vicious. It nearly killed the elder Crown Prince."

...

This gossip spread throughout the palaces, further dispelling any suspicion surrounding Xia Wuyang. As for the matter of the theft from Xia Baifeng, no one would even think to connect it to him now.

After all, a man in his condition couldn’t possibly have the means to scheme against Xia Baifeng.

Just as everyone assumed Xia Wuyang was bedridden and wouldn’t be recovering anytime soon, he was in the Practice Room deep within Wenhua Hall, experiencing another epiphany.

Under the effects of the Awakening Pill, his Spiritual Power had reached 220 in just a few days, granting him another chance at an epiphany.

A torrent of insights flooded his mind, immersing him in the Medical Dao and the Alchemy Dao.

The profound principles of how medicinal properties support and counteract one another... The distinctions between different types of earthly fire... The critical instant of Pill Formation... The subtle differences between various Elixirs... Fusing all these realizations... a breakthrough to a higher realm...

At a certain moment, all the insights converged. A wave of profound enlightenment washed over Xia Wuyang, shattering a bottleneck and allowing him to ascend to a new realm.

As if guided by inspiration, Xia Wuyang took out his Alchemy Furnace and dozens of medicinal herbs, then began Refining a High Level Mortal Pill.

He processed the High Level Medicinal Herbs with effortless precision, leaving no flaws. He then tossed them into the Pill Furnace, where they melted and fused together.

The furnace flame ebbed and flowed, sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce. The temperature control was so exquisite it would have left any ordinary Mortal Pharmacist dumbfounded.

About half an hour later, a clear, melodious chime rang out from the Pill Furnace. When he lifted the lid, several High Level Mortal Pills lay within, emitting a faint, medicinal aroma that was wonderfully refreshing.

’High Level Mortal Alchemist... High Level Mortal Physician... I’ve finally done it!’

Medicine and alchemy are two sides of the same coin. As his Alchemy reached the level of a High Level Mortal Alchemist, his medical skills had already taken that step forward. After all, the Herbal Tomb’s primary focus was on the medical arts.

If his medical skills had not advanced, his Alchemy would have been unable to do so either.

To have progressed in both medicine and Alchemy from a complete novice to this level in just one or two short months... Xia Wuyang was quite satisfied with his progress.