"Physician Cheng Feng, this... What's going on?"
It took Physician Bai Chan a moment before he recovered. Upon recognizing a familiar face, he asked hastily.
"Physician Bai, I was blind to not notice your greatness, to think that your medical skills have reached such an astounding levels in just a few years. I hope that you can forgive me for the times that I've offended you!"
With a reddened face, Physician Cheng Feng clasped his hands respectfully.
"..."
Countless question marks popped in Physician Bai Chan's head.
Did these fellows eat something wrong this morning?
Why have all of their attitudes changed after I fainted?
After a moment of doubt, the confused Physician Bai finally understood the situation. The fellow who stole his emblem seemed to have treated the Great Herb King under his identity.
Despite knocking him out, that fellow didn't take his money or his possessions. In fact, he even bought him medicinal herbs that were worth thirty thousand gold taels... All of these, just to help treat someone?
Why does this feel so suspicious?
How can there be such a good thing in this world...
If that’s really the case, shouldn’t I consider finding another remote alley to loiter in?
Shouldn’t I beg the heavens to show mercy and bring me a few more robbers like him...
...
Zhang Xuan was oblivious to Physician Bai Chan’s earnest pleas. In the past three days, he had been staying in the Great Herb King Manor. Other than reading through the books in the Library of Heaven's Path, he spent most of his time tutoring Mo Yu.
This was what he had promised her. Now that he had managed to convince the Great Herb King to help him, it was time for him to fulfill his end of the promise.
After a few days of tutelage under Zhang Xuan, Mo Yu was completely impressed with the capability of the man who was even younger than her.
Her apothecary teacher was a famous figure in Tianwu Kingdom, but in terms of imparting knowledge, his ability to identify crucial points and mistakes was nowhere near Zhang Xuan’s.
In just three days, her pill forging skills had made a huge leap. At this moment, she was already capable of forging a grade-2 pill independently.
And being able to forge a grade-2 pill meant that she could take the 2-star apothecary examination. To be able to reach such a standard with just three days of tutoring, even until now, Mo Yu could not believe that this was indeed reality.
Under normal circumstances, without at least five to six years of hard work, it is impossible for one to advance from a 1-star apothecary to a 2-star.
"Physician Bai, we've gathered all of the books that you require!"
On the morning of the fourth day, Zhang Xuan was guiding Mo Yu as usual when the Great Herb King walked in.
"Let's go and take a look!"
Zhang Xuan stood up.
He had been staying in the manor for the past three days for this, and he was glad that the other party didn't let him down.
"This way!"
The Great Herb King led the way, and soon they arrived at a huge room. Books of all appearance filled the interior, and with a glance at the outermost row, they were verified to be indeed Half-Zongshi and Zongshi realm cultivation technique manuals.
"I'll take a look, you can all leave first!"
Aware that his reading method was beyond unorthodox, Zhang Xuan waved them away.
"Yes!"
The moment the Great Herb King and Butler Lu stepped out of the room, they heard hurried footsteps from within, and it seemed to them that someone was running in the room.
Didn't he ask us to gather these books here so that he can browse through them?
Running?
The duo stared at one another in puzzlement.
"Physician Bai is an extraordinary expert, so it's not surprising for him to have extraordinary methods of doing things. It would be best for us... to leave him be!"
Suppressing the urge to peek inside, the Great Herb King shook his head.
Other physicians would observe and ask the patient numerous questions in order to confirm their diagnosis... Yet, this fellow does so by knocking the patient out!
The other physicians usually demand medicinal herbs and gold coins in return for treating others, but this fellow requested cultivation techniques that were regardless of tier...
'Being gluttonous just results in indigestion', this was a principle that everyone knew. Furthermore, cultivators could only practice a single cultivation technique, so they couldn't understand why Zhang Xuan required so many books.
For the past three days, this question had been plaguing their minds. They had come up with dozens of reasons, but none of them seemed viable.
They thought that they would be able to guess the other party's intention by observing his actions, yet all they got was the sound of running...
Since they've brought the books here, the other party should at least browse through them and learn!
Yet, he was running about in the room...
They knew that experts usually do things peculiarly, but... this was way too peculiar!
"Old master, what do we do now?"
They stood outside the room for a long while, but other than the sound of hurried footsteps, their ears failed to catch anything else. Finally, Butler Lu couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Should we... run with him as well?"
"There's no need, we'll just wait outside. He should come out once he's done!"
Shaking his head, the Great Herb King was just about to continue speaking when, 'jiya!', doors opened and Physician Bai walked out.
"That... Physician Bai, is something wrong with the manuals?"
Seeing the other party walk out of the room, the Great Herb King was astonished. He was unable to comprehend the situation at all.
Zhang Xuan had specially demanded these cultivation technique manuals, so the Great Herb King thought that he would at least immerse himself in them for a day or two. Why would he be out... right after running for a while in the room?"
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He shouldn't be able to finish more than a handful of books in such a short period of time, right?
"I'm done looking through them!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
"If there's anything wrong with the books, I can think of another way... Ah? What did you say? You fi-fi-finished reading all of them?"
The bodies of the Great Herb King and Butler Lu staggered, and they nearly vomited blood.
It took us so much effort to gather more than a thousand books. You've barely entered for a few minutes... and you say that you're done reading through them?
All we've heard was the sound of you running in the room, when did you read those books?
"Un, those books were extremely helpful to me. Thank you!"
Ignoring the shock on their faces, Zhang Xuan nodded.
There were just a thousand plus books inside, and it only took a few moments for Zhang Xuan to finish touching all of them. In fact, the reason why he took a few minutes was that he was busy breaking through Half-Zongshi, which took up some time. Otherwise, he would have probably finished 'reading' through them even before the other party walked out the door.
Of the books which the Great Herb King gathered, there were more on Half-Zongshi, and Zhang Xuan was able to form a complete Heaven's Path Divine Art, so he practiced his cultivation on the spot.
Half-Zongshi was merely a transition phase to Zongshi realm. With the correct cultivation technique, Zhang Xuan was able to improve swiftly. In just a few minutes, he managed to reach Half-Zongshi and reinforced his cultivation.
On the other hand, the Great Herb King had only gathered seven hundred to eight hundred of Zongshi realm cultivation technique manuals, so Zhang Xuan was still lacking a little more to forming the complete cultivation technique. Thus, he stopped at Half-Zongshi.
Upon reaching Half-Zongshi, Zhang Xuan's strength increased immensely. He broke through the 1000 ding barrier and reached 1500 ding.
At Zongshi realm, a cultivator usually possesses 1000 ding at primary stage, 2000 ding at intermediate stage, 3000 ding at advanced stage, and 4000 ding at pinnacle!
Possessing 1500 ding, Zhang Xuan's strength had already surpassed that of Zongshi realm primary stage cultivators despite being a Half-Zongshi.
More importantly... Other people took several years, some even decades, to reach Half-Zongshi realm, yet he... only took a few minutes!
It was fortunate that the Heaven's Path zhenqi was pure, making it impossible for anyone to see through his cultivation. Otherwise, if the Great Herb King were to know that Zhang Xuan's cultivation made a tremendous leap in the few minutes that he was inside the room, he would definitely cry on the spot.
One has to know that he had eaten countless medicinal herbs back then to reach Half-Zongshi. If one were to equate it to money, it was already more than sufficient for one to buy an entire city.
He had to spend so many resources in order to achieve a breakthrough, yet this 'Physician Bai' succeeded just by running around the room for a moment...
Even the world's greatest genius would blush furiously before Zhang Xuan.
"Don't worry about it, this is something that I should do!"
Suppressing the urge to tug out his hair, the Great Herb King asked, "Physician Bai, so... what do we do now? Are you still determined to head to the Poison Hall?"
"Of course I am!"
Zhang Xuan smiled. "Not only so, we'll also walk through their doors proudly!"
"Proudly?"
"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Didn't you say that the headquarter has already been informed of the old Hall Master's death?"
"Un! Just that, it's hard to tell whether the headquarter would send an envoy. If they do send one, the chaos should be quenched swiftly, and that would spare us from danger!" The Great Herb King said. "Otherwise... It would be troublesome."
"I have a plan in mind! Rather than waiting here for an envoy who might not even come, why not we... make an envoy ourselves!"
Zhang Xuan said.
"Make an envoy?" The Great Herb King was confused.
"It's simple. You'll bring me to the Poison Hall claiming that I'm the envoy! In any case, none of them has seen the envoy before, so I doubt that they'll be able to tell that I'm a fake."
In the past three days, Zhang Xuan gave this matter much thought. Rather than waiting here, he might as well take the initiative.
Since an internal conflict had broken out in the Poison Hall and it was dangerous to enter, why not he make an envoy himself to quench the conflict... After all, no matter how much they want the seat of the Hall Master, they wouldn't dare to lay their hands on an envoy of the headquarter.
On top of that, they didn't know who the headquarter would send!
Thus, why couldn't he pass off as the envoy?
In any case, his main motive was to get his hands on the books. He could leave right after duplicating them in the library, and even if someone were to notice that he was a fake after that, he would have been long gone.
He has already impersonated as a master teacher before, an envoy of the Poison Hall shouldn't be much of a problem.
"You want to pass off... as the envoy?"
The Great Herb King's face paled, and his body trembled in fear.
Brother, I'm already old and my heart is weak... Are you sure you aren't pulling my leg?
Impersonating the envoy wasn't a joke. If someone were to notice a flaw in their disguise, they would be beaten to death on the spot!
"Un! Make some preparations, we'll set out now. You've already promised me that you'll bring me to the Poison Hall. Surely you aren't thinking of going back on your words, are you?"
Zhang Xuan glanced at the Great Herb King with a frown. "If you're afraid, you only have to bring me to the Poison Hall. You don't have to follow me in!"
"I..."
This isn't a problem of being afraid or going to the Poison Hall...
If your impersonation of the envoy were to be exposed, even dying a thousand times wouldn't be sufficient to make up for our sins!
I was just pulled back from the hands of the grim reaper, and now, you are expecting me to leap into a valley of flames...
If I knew that this was the intention you have in mind, I would never have agreed to your condition!
Is it too late... to take back my words?
The face of the Great Herb King twitched. This time, he really burst into tears.