Chapter 163 - 162: Glazed Jade Maiden

Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Glazed Jade Maiden

Emperor Xia, Xia Shengming, the ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty and the man Xia Wuyang presumed to be his greatest enemy, was nothing more than a Super Grade Celestial Human.

If Xia Wuyang could advance to the Super Grade Realm, acquire a few supplementary Spirit Level Treasures, and leverage his already Extraordinary Spiritual Power...

With all these advantages combined, he would have a high probability of assassinating Emperor Xia, Xia Shengming, with a single strike when the right opportunity arose.

However, his preparations were still insufficient. He needed more time to prepare; otherwise, the consequences of failure would be unthinkable.

He wasn’t just on his own anymore. He had his Golden Finger, and his advantage grew with each passing day, so he was in no hurry.

He continuously consolidated and adapted. His Foundation grew more and more solid, and his comprehensive strength became ever stronger. The feeling of his power constantly increasing was truly intoxicating.

Just as his Foundation was about to stabilize, Xia Wuyang received a piece of intelligence from Tantai Zhan that stirred his heart.

The former Qinhuai Building Master, Song Yuyan, had appeared in White Jade City, and she wasn’t in good shape.

This woman, known as both the "Glazed Jade Maiden" and the "Glazed Desire Woman," had been a capable aide he had won over during his youthful travels through Jiangnan.

She had single-handedly founded the Qinhuai Building, a brothel organization. On the surface, she ran a brothel business, which was why the outside world called her the "Glazed Desire Woman."

In reality, she secretly rescued countless suffering women and built a vast intelligence network throughout the Jiangnan region. For this, she was called the "Glazed Jade Maiden" by the many women she had saved.

Xia Wuyang had unintentionally saved her life, which was how their paths first crossed. He later helped the Qinhuai Building on several occasions and never looked down on her for her background, gradually winning Song Yuyan’s heart. He became her lover—and her only one.

Subsequently, with Xia Wuyang’s help, the Qinhuai Building developed rapidly, gradually becoming one of the most prominent chain brothels and intelligence organizations in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Meanwhile, the revitalized Qinhuai Building began to shoulder multiple missions.

The first, naturally, was to rescue persecuted women, teach them skills to make a living, and place them in different positions within the Qinhuai Building according to their circumstances, not just to sell their talents or their bodies.

Of course, if a woman did not want to learn other skills and only wanted to live by taking this shortcut, the Qinhuai Building would not refuse, as it was, after all, a business that catered to such needs.

The second was to gather intelligence from all sides, providing support for Xia Wuyang.

The third was to secretly train Martial Artists and build a force loyal to Xia Wuyang.

...

With her extraordinary skill, Song Yuyan managed everything with impeccable order. Under her leadership, the Qinhuai Building became the most important hidden piece in Xia Wuyang’s arsenal.

The two coordinated seamlessly, and their relationship grew ever closer. He was only waiting for the day he could claim the throne of Emperor Xia, at which point he would make Song Yuyan his Main Consort.

However, the heavens are unpredictable. Everything came to an abrupt halt after Xia Wuyang was crippled.

Without Xia Wuyang’s protection, and with numerous Princes and Princesses coveting the Qinhuai Building’s influence and intelligence network, they all began to seize its assets and purge its members.

The Qinhuai Building was quickly carved up. Song Yuyan was unable to hold it together alone. On top of that, Xia Wuyang was pressuring her at the time to snatch Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could repair his Foundation.

But such Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were not easily seized. Even though Song Yuyan was already a First Grade Grandmaster, she suffered one devastating blow after another and nearly died on several occasions.

Afterward, she risked her life to find a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure for Xia Wuyang to repair his Foundation. Alas, while it had some effect after he used it, the restoration was not a success.

At that time, Xia Wuyang, who had already descended into a state of madness, pressured Song Yuyan once more. She, however, was desperate to rescue the persecuted members of the Qinhuai Building. This led to a conflict between them, and they ultimately parted on bad terms.

’The favor Song Yuyan owed me was long since repaid. I was the one who wronged her, and I wronged all those women of the Qinhuai Building.’

"Yuyan..."

Thinking of the past, Xia Wuyang was filled with shame, so much so that he wished the earth would swallow him whole.

’The Qinhuai Building vanished like smoke into thin air. Song Yuyan was gravely injured and disappeared. So many of the female members I was on good terms with perished... It was all connected to me.’

’If I hadn’t dragged Song Yuyan and the Qinhuai Building into my fight, their end wouldn’t have been so tragic.’

Hearing news of Song Yuyan again now, he couldn’t help but sigh with sorrow.

He immediately used his sources—Tantai Zhan, his network of small animals, and Cao Zhenghe—to dig deeper into the matter, and he quickly learned the full story.

It turned out that after disappearing back then, a heartbroken Song Yuyan had left White Jade City. She spent several decades recuperating before her injuries finally healed.

But by that time, the Qinhuai Building had completely dissipated, and she had no heart to rebuild it. She could only drift along in the Jianghu, occasionally intervening to rescue former members who were being persecuted.

All the while, she never ceased her cultivation, nor did she ever return to White Jade City.

Over time, she cultivated to First Grade Perfection and was on the verge of breaking through to the Super Grade Realm. She spent a vast amount of time and energy to discover the whereabouts of a Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit.

The Cultivation Technique Song Yuyan practiced was the Glazed Fist Technique, which allowed one to use a Glazed Fruit to break through cultivation bottlenecks. This particular Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit was exactly what she needed to break through her current bottleneck and ascend to the Super Grade Realm.

However, despite being the first to learn of the Glazed Fruit’s whereabouts, she was outmaneuvered by her enemies and failed to obtain it.

Naturally, Song Yuyan refused to give up and pursued it relentlessly. After days of fighting over it, the fruit was unexpectedly snatched by the Minister of War, Jiang Mingyuan, who brought it back to White Jade City.

Song Yuyan, who had sworn never to set foot in White Jade City again, had no choice but to come here. In the process, she was also injured by other competing factions. She was currently hiding somewhere in White Jade City, recuperating and waiting for a chance to obtain the Glazed Fruit to break through to the Super Grade Realm.

’If I can help her get this Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit, it might alleviate some of this guilt I feel.’

’This is also a perfect opportunity to take down the Minister of War, Jiang Mingyuan, and make him my slave.’

’His status is impressive enough to be worthy of one of my Spiritual Shackles.’

’I wonder how Song Yuyan is doing after all these decades.’ Thinking of the past, Xia Wuyang couldn’t help but sigh.

’I need to investigate what happened to my other old confidants. If there’s a way to make amends, I must do it.’

’Decades ago, I made too many mistakes and broke the hearts of so many people close to me. I should have started making amends long ago. It’s my fault for waiting this long.’

This matter filled Xia Wuyang’s mind with a myriad of thoughts, nearly affecting his cultivation. Fortunately, his will was now firm, and he managed to cast aside these distracting thoughts and focus on his cultivation.

However, by nightfall, Xia Wuyang could no longer restrain himself. After putting on a disguise and donning a cloak, he left the Imperial Palace and stealthily made his way toward the estate of the Minister of War, Jiang Mingyuan.

’Without the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit as a peace offering, how could I possibly have the nerve to face Song Yuyan?’