Chapter 167 - 166: How Can I Let You Down?

Chapter 167: Chapter 166: How Can I Let You Down?

Having broken through to the Super Grade Realm, Song Yuyan now stood among the world’s top masters, thanks to her Glazed Fist Technique and the Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques she had amassed over the years.

If she were to face her old foes again, escaping would be easy, even if she couldn’t defeat them.

And all of this was thanks to that mysterious benefactor—the various Top Level Mortal Elixirs and Medicines for her recovery, and most importantly, the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit. Its value was no less than that of a High Level Mortal Treasure, perhaps even greater.

For her, a practitioner of the Glazed Fist Technique, it was even more valuable than a Top Level Mortal Treasure.

Standing in the courtyard, she gazed toward the distant Imperial Palace, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

The aura left behind by the mysterious benefactor felt strangely familiar. It was just a faint trace, almost undetectable.

But for her, who had longed for him for decades, it was utterly distinct. She had sensed it the very first moment.

As for why the mysterious benefactor hadn’t shown his face—if it truly was him—Song Yuyan had a faint inkling as to why.

’He probably feels he has wronged me, so he’s too ashamed to show himself.’

’But how could he know? I never blamed him for what happened back then. In fact, I feel I’m the one who let him down.’

’Suddenly crippled, his mother dying mysteriously right after, countless Princes and Princesses ganging up on him, and even his own father turning a blind eye—practically kicking him while he was down...’

’Who could endure so many calamities at once? The fact that he didn’t immediately break down and commit suicide was a testament to his resilience.’

’So, in my eyes, all the irrational things he did afterward were only natural. You could even say he was being extremely restrained.’

’Having come from a brothel and managed the Qinhuai Building for so many years, I know exactly what kinds of depraved, monstrous things most men would do in his situation.’

’Xia Wuyang made his share of mistakes, but compared to those other men, his actions were nothing. He always treated us with restraint.’

’Honestly, it was Xia Wuyang who saved me and the Qinhuai Building in the first place. Without him, neither of us would exist today.’

’Even if Xia Wuyang had demanded my life and the lives of everyone in the Qinhuai Building in return, it would have been only right and proper.’

’But while Xia Wuyang did repeatedly pressure us to find Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to cure him, which fractured the Qinhuai Building and put me in mortal danger many times...’ ℴ

’...that was ultimately my own choice. No matter how much Xia Wuyang pushed, his pressure was only ever verbal. He never raised a hand against us, much less threatened our lives.’

’At the time, I could have just walked away and ignored him. I was the one who insisted on risking my life, searching for and fighting over all kinds of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.’

’In the end, I was also the one who gave up. Granted, it was because I was heavily injured and lacked the strength to keep searching for and seizing Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.’

’Ultimately, while he wasn’t blameless, I and the Qinhuai Building made the final choice. Even when things ended tragically, I never blamed him.’

’The reason I haven’t set foot in White Jade City for so many years is because I was wracked with guilt and couldn’t bear to hear about his current state. That’s why I stayed away.’

’Besides, all these years, I never stopped searching for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could restore a person’s Foundation. But his Foundation was too thoroughly destroyed. Nothing short of a Spirit Level or higher Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure—an exceedingly rare one at that—could possibly cure him.’

’Treasures like that only appear once in a millennium. How could they be easy to find?’

’The reason I fought for the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit was not just to break through to the Super Grade Realm. I also wanted to become stronger so I could have a better chance of finding a treasure that could cure him.’

She hadn’t expected so many twists of fate. First, she was gravely injured while fighting for the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit. Then, she had no choice but to make her way to White Jade City.

Just when she thought all hope was lost, the mysterious benefactor delivered the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit right to her, along with countless healing Elixirs.

After her wounds healed, she rose from the ashes, found the catalyst for a breakthrough, and with the aid of the Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit, shattered her bottlenecks in one go. She stepped into the Super Grade Realm, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

She remembered when she first founded the Qinhuai Building. Besides using it as a haven for suffering women, she had also hoped to use it to amass resources and treasures. Her goal was to one day reach the Super Grade Realm and gain enough power to protect herself and the Qinhuai Building.

She had thought it was a goal she might never achieve in her lifetime. She never imagined she would break through so soon. This was all thanks to the mysterious benefactor.

’But from what I’ve heard, isn’t the man I’ve longed for all these years already decrepit and on his deathbed? They said he only had a few months left. How could he possess such power?’

’Is he hiding his true strength, or is there another reason?’

’Senile, lecherous, insatiable, carousing every night, utterly foolish... Is that really him?’

Thinking of that familiar aura, Song Yuyan had her suspicions. There was definitely something strange going on.

’I might as well stay and see what’s really going on.’

’Besides, I owe such a huge debt of gratitude. I have to repay my benefactor, regardless of whether or not it’s him.’

Having made this decision, Song Yuyan suddenly felt her heart, which had lain dormant for years, begin to race.

THUMP, THUMP...

She felt an overwhelming emotion, an indescribable impulse she could barely contain.

After taking some time to consolidate and adapt to her newfound power, night began to fall. On some impulse, Song Yuyan found herself at a tavern in White Jade City.

This was the former site of the Qinhuai Building’s headquarters in White Jade City. It had been destroyed long ago, besieged by various powers. Now, it had likely been seized by some other Prince or Princess and rebuilt into this tavern.

If one looked closely, traces of the past were still visible.

Standing on the street corner, she gazed at the brightly lit tavern. Memories of her time with Xia Wuyang flooded her mind, stirring a whirlwind of emotions.

’If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have advanced so quickly. I broke through several bottlenecks in just a few decades to reach the First Grade Grandmaster realm.’

’With his help, I obtained the various Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques I had always dreamed of, all perfectly suited for me. He never once looked down on me for my origins and even promised me a place among his Eight Main Consorts.’

’Others called me the "Glazed Desire Woman," but in his heart—the heart of one of the Great Xia Dynasty’s most important figures—I was always the "Glazed Jade Maiden."’

’Jade as in pure and chaste. Jade as in innocent and clear.’

’Even when he later faced desperate straits, surrounded by enemies, he held to his principles. He never once thought of sacrificing us to save himself.’

’These past few years, he has struggled to survive in the Imperial Palace, becoming a laughingstock both within and without its walls. Yet, he never contacted us again, unwilling to drag us into his troubles.’

’Your Highness,’ she vowed silently, ’if it is truly you, then Yuyan will help you rise again!’