Translator: CinderTL
Arriving at the prince's residence, the princess stood in the courtyard wrapped in a light red cloak. The cold night breeze was still a bit chilly, and she reached out to adjust the hem of her garment.
The prince's residence was bustling with people, holding torches and carefully searching for traces of the thief, unaware that the person they were looking for was standing right there.
Beside the princess was another woman, tall and slender, dressed in a plain robe. Her face was filled with sorrow as she gazed at the crowd, a tear mole beneath her left eye adding to her delicate beauty.
Xu Sanyan recognized her—she was the birth mother of the fifth prince, Lady Huan.
Seeing Xu Sanyan, the princess felt slightly reassured. She had heard that her son-in-law was highly skilled in martial arts, and having him by her side would provide an extra layer of security.
"Greetings, Princess, greetings, Lady Huan," Xu Sanyan clasped his hands in salute.
Lady Huan glanced at him, her thoughts inevitably drifting to her missing son. A wave of sadness washed over her, and her eyes slightly reddened.
Seeing her like this, the princess understood all too well. The two women were kindred spirits, both suffering the loss of their children. Her own daughter had also vanished without a trace.
Xu Sanyan watched as the two women comforted each other, unsure of what to say. He simply stood by, observing the soldiers and servants scurrying around like headless flies.
After a while, the princess calmed down a bit and leaned closer to Xu Sanyan, saying, "I've heard from the steward that the prince has already led his troops to besiege the imperial city."
"So soon?"
Xu Sanyan was slightly surprised. The last news he had heard was that the two armies were still in a standoff, and now it seemed the conflict was nearing its end.
The princess nodded. "I heard that the defending generals along the way all surrendered without a fight, opening their city gates to welcome Prince Rui. So there was basically no resistance."
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly. For the defending generals, it didn't matter who became emperor—it was all the same Yang family in the end.
Time passed, and there was still no trace of the thief. Lady Huan returned to her room first, and the princess began to yawn repeatedly.
Finally, a guest room was arranged for Xu Sanyan, and he spent the night at the prince's residence.
The next day at noon, Xu Sanyan went to the Cui family to retrieve the precious herbs. The head of the Cui family had been waiting for some time, and on the table was a wooden box containing exactly fifty plants.
"Good," Xu Sanyan nodded in satisfaction.
The head of the Cui family forced a smile, not daring to take credit. "I only hope that Young Master Xu will not hold my son's mistakes against us."
"Haha..."
Xu Sanyan waved his hand magnanimously. "I had almost forgotten about it."
The two chatted for a while, and Xu Sanyan stood up to leave, showing no trace of the previous discord.
As he walked out of the Cui residence, Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes, pondering how to eliminate the Cui family.
He then hurried back home and swallowed the fifty precious herbs. The "Vitality" on his panel reached 105 points, and the plus sign indicating a breakthrough had appeared.
Xu Sanyan smiled. He had probably gathered most of the precious herbs in Xiang city. Even if there were some left, there weren't enough to make it worth staying any longer.
Moreover, his cultivation technique could only take him to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. He needed to head to Zhongzhou as soon as possible to find the subsequent techniques.
Xu Sanyan wasn't in a hurry to break through. He decided to keep the "Vitality" for now and planned to return to Dafeng Town first to retrieve and refine the Blood Demon.
"Someone!"
"Yes, master," came the voice of a servant from outside the door.
"Prepare two fast horses, along with dry rations and water."
"Yes, sir."
Xu Sanyan was ready to set off immediately.
...
Five days later.
Outside the imperial city, within the military camp's grand tent, Prince Rui sat at the head. Below him, two middle-aged men dressed in Daoist robes sat with their eyes closed, meditating. The two men looked strikingly similar, even down to the beards on their chins. The only difference was that one wore a blue Daoist robe, while the other wore black.
At that moment, a man entered the tent, knelt on one knee, and reported, "Your Highness, news has come from Xiang City. Thieves infiltrated the prince's residence last night and cleared out the treasures from the inner vault. Master Zhu was also unfortunately killed."
Prince Rui slightly furrowed his brows. "They only took the treasures?"
The guard replied, "Your Highness, that is what the letter states."
Prince Rui waved his hand, signaling the guard to leave. A faint smile appeared on his lips—he already knew who was behind this.
The black-robed Daoist opened his eyes and asked, "Your Highness, why do you smile?"
Prince Rui shook his head, not elaborating. His son-in-law harbored a great secret.
He had previously sent people to investigate in Tai'an City. When Xu Sanyan first arrived in the city, he was only at the Inner Qi realm. Yet, in such a short time, he had already broken through to the Heavenly Realm. Prince Rui didn't believe this was solely due to talent; there had to be some hidden secret.
Moreover, Xu Sanyan had been diligently collecting treasures in Tai'an City and continued to do so after arriving in Xiang City. For people of their cultivation level, such treasures were practically useless. Yet, Xu Sanyan remained relentless in his pursuit, which made Prince Rui suspect there was more to it.
Prince Rui picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. The most pressing matter now was to breach the imperial city and achieve the Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Xu Sanyan's affairs could wait.
"Summon Fairy Lan Yue," Prince Rui called out to the tent entrance.
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Xu Sanyan rode two horses, traveling day and night without rest. Finally, on the morning of the seventh day, he arrived at Tai'an City.
As he stepped through the city gates and looked at the familiar streets, Xu Sanyan let out a long sigh of relief. He silently vowed that once he achieved greater cultivation, he would learn a flying technique—one that could cover tens of thousands of miles in a single leap.
Tai'an City was exactly as he had left it. The common folk were still struggling in poverty. Xu Sanyan decided to rest here for a day and take the opportunity to visit Madam Wu.
Arriving at the Wu residence, he knocked on the door. After a moment, a man's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
As the door slowly opened, Xu Sanyan looked at the man inside and smiled. "You're still here, huh?"
It was none other than Big Yellow Teeth.
"Ah, Fourth Master! You're back!" Big Yellow Teeth exclaimed with excitement, quickly stepping forward to take the horse reins. "Why didn't you let us know you were coming? We could've prepared a feast to welcome you."
Xu Sanyan stepped inside. "I'm just passing through and thought I'd drop by. How's the city been lately?"
"Eh, same as always. After you wiped out those gangs, the White Horse Gang has been dominating everything. That Xuan Hong is really something now. Even the county magistrate has to tread carefully around him."
Xu Sanyan nodded. The White Horse Gang was Prince Rui's operation. With Prince Rui's growing influence, the gang naturally rose in power.
Just then, a voluptuous woman peeked out from around the corner, her face lighting up with joy. "Fourth Master, you're back!"
Xu Sanyan turned to look. It was the wife of the bandit chief, though she had grown even more curvaceous, to the point where her chest seemed barely contained.
"How have you been, Madam?" Xu Sanyan asked with a smile.
He had missed Madam Wu, mainly because her skills were truly exceptional, leaving him utterly captivated.
"Your absence has made me miss you so much," Madam Wu swayed her ample hips as she approached, throwing herself into Xu Sanyan's arms.
"Where did you miss me?" Xu Sanyan asked with a suggestive tone.
Madam Wu glanced at Big Yellow Tooth, her face blushing with shyness, "Oh, everywhere..."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (HB) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c124. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.5K+) Chapters, (4.9M+) Words.