Chapter 1146 - King Zhongqing
“Teacher…” Luo Qiqi’s face warped in shock, and she hurriedly stood in front of Zhang Xuan to shield him.
Individually, these Half-Saint guards were no threat at all. However, when their prowess was enhanced by the surrounding formations and the perfect harmony crafted by a landscaper, the nature of the matter became completely different.
Even a Saint 3-dan expert would find it difficult to flee from their combined might!
“There’s no need to panic.” Seeing the anxious state the young lady was in, Zhang Xuan pulled her behind him before turning to the black-robed young man. His lips curled up as he asked, “You wish to teach me a lesson?”
“Considering that our Old Master has specially invited you over, I’ll allow you to keep your life for the time being. However, you won’t be getting away from here without suffering some pain!” the black-robed young man sneered.
The Old Master had said that if the other party refused to heed his words, he had his permission to teach the other party a lesson, there was no need to hold back just because the other party was a master teacher. It was for this reason that he dared to pull a thing such as this on Zhang Xuan.
“Pain?” Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply. “I was considering whether I should let you off with just a kick, but it seems like you just won’t learn… It seems like there’s no need for me to hold back anymore then!”
Right after saying those words, Zhang Xuan snapped his fingers.
Pah!
A crisp sound echoed resoundingly through the manor. Initially, the black-robed young man thought that Zhang Xuan was just feigning calm, but in the next moment, he suddenly felt excruciating pain assaulting every single part of his body.
Pu!
A mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth, and in an instant, his face flushed completely pale. He turned to face Zhang Xuan with a look of horror.
“Y-you… you poisoned me?”
The answer was already apparent at this point, but what was truly fearsome was that he couldn’t even fathom when the other party had poisoned him!
With his body twitching from pain, the black-robed young man hurriedly whipped out two antidotes from his storage ring and swallowed it. However, the antidotes only seemed to have further worsened his pain. Cold sweat gushed down his head, and he felt as if he would simply cave in to the pain at any moment.
“Poison? When did you see me poison you? If I were to say, you probably just ate something unclean! However, worry not. I am a capable physician, so why don’t you allow me to treat you instead?” Zhang Xuan waved his hand leisurely as he said.
Naturally, as a master teacher, he couldn’t possibly admit to being a poison master.
“You…” Veins popped out on the temples of the black-robed young man as he clenched his jaws so forcefully that it seemed like his teeth would chip. He was tempted to make a move and end the life of the young man before him there and then, but eventually, he clenched his fists tightly and spat, “Let them pass!”
He had wanted to teach the other party a lesson, but at this point, the tides were no longer in his favor anymore. As indignant as he was, he could only let this matter go.
“Yes!”
The guards quickly split apart to open up a road for Zhang Xuan and the others to pass.
With a smile, Zhang Xuan stepped forward, and just as he was about to walk by the black-robed young man, he placed his mouth before the other party’s ear and whispered in a silent tone that only the latter could hear. “The only way to alleviate my poison is to have your face slapped viciously. Otherwise, the pain will gradually intensify until it reaches a point where you can’t bear it any longer and snap!”
The black-robed young man was startled for a moment before he regained himself and sneered, “The only way to alleviate the poison is to have my face slapped? Hah, do you take me for a fool? How can there be such a poison in the world?”
“You’re right, I’m just fooling around with you. I’ll be going ahead first, so have fun!” Not bothering to explain anything, Zhang Xuan left with the two ladies.
“You…”
The black-robed young man thought that Zhang Xuan would at least attempt to justify his words, but who could have thought that the latter would admit to lying to him so blatantly and shamelessly? This unexpected response left him stunned instead.
Just as he was at a loss of what to do, his body suddenly churned up once more, and he felt as if his organs were being gradually corroded by sulfur.
Pu!
Yet another mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth.
At this rate, I could really die! It felt as if his life force was gradually being sapped from his body, and this made him realize that he was at an imminent threat of death. Cold sweat immediately flowed down his back. Desperate, he turned to a nearby guard and ordered, “You, come over here. I want you to slap my face!”
“S-s-slap your face? Butler Qin, I dare not to!” The guard was horrified to hear such words, and he quickly lowered his head humbly and responded.
“Hurry up, do it!” The face of the black-robed man distorted hideously from the excruciating pain.
At this point, he had no other choice. He wasn’t prepared to face death yet, so he could only heed whatever the other party told him, even though there was a good chance that it was a lie.
“This…”
No one had heard his conversation with Zhang Xuan, so everyone was taken aback by Butler Qin’s abrupt request. No one here could have imagined that Butler Qin would actually have masochistic tendencies… Appalled and speechless, they stared at one another, not knowing what to do.
“Hurry up and do it, or else I’ll have every single one of you killed!” Seeing that none of the guards were making a move, Butler Qin roared furiously.
“Yes!” A guard stepped forward, and gritting his teeth in resolution, he raised his hand and slapped Butler Qin’s face forcefully.
Pah!
Butler Qin’s face immediately swelled up.
“Hm?” While there was burning sensation on his face, the excruciating pain within his body seemed to have lessened considerably.
Could it be that the other party isn’t lying? There’s truly such a poison in the world?Butler Qin was thought in astonishment as he bellowed, “Continue hitting me, don’t stop!”
“Yes!”
Fearing that Butler Qin would really claim their lives, the guard could only continue striking with all his might.
Pah pah pah pah!
With just a few slaps, Butler Qin’s face had already swollen to a point where it bore no resemblance to how it was previously. However, it did seem like the poison within his body had alleviated significantly. The excruciating pain from before was no longer as unbearable anymore.
“It really is effectively!” Enduring the stinging pain on his cheeks, Butler Qin heaved a sigh of relief.
It was rather embarrassing to be slapped by others, especially before such a crowd, but his fear of death had surpassed all of his other emotions.
He had the guard slap him a few more dozen times, and after confirming that he was fine, he stood up once more. Hatred and hostility began welling up in the depths of his eyes once more.
“Damn that fellow, how dare he humiliate me with such a poison? I hereby vow that I’ll surely return this favor to him tenfold, or else I shall renounce my humanity!” Butler Qin clenched his jaws furiously.
As the loyal follower of the powerful King Zhongqing, the butler of the massive residence, when had he suffered such grievance before?
“Let it be clear that if I were to hear a single word about this matter anywhere else, I’ll have all of your tongues severed!” Butler Qin turned to the guard and harrumphed coldly.
“Y-yes, we won’t speak of this matter to another soul…” the guards quickly lowered their heads subserviently and replied.
‘Un.” Harrumphing coldly, Butler Qin hurriedly walked down the path where Zhang Xuan had headed to previously.
…
“Zhang shi, that fellow won’t let this matter rest just like that. Are you really going to let him off like this?” Walking closely behind Zhang Xuan, Yu Fei-er couldn’t help but ask worriedly.
While Zhang Xuan may seem like a leisurely and easygoing person most of the time, he wasn’t the type to show mercy to those who had crossed him. Back then, she had crossed him too, and he forced her into becoming his maid through trickery. That matter had truly left her fuming mad for a very long time.
It was apparent with a look that the black-robed young man was a vicious character, and to such a person go after a complete fallout… This truly wasn’t Zhang Xuan’s style.
“To dare to confront the principal of a Master Teacher Academy head-on, a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, there’s no doubt that King Zhongqing must have prepared a foolproof plan. At this point, it might play to our advantage to spare that fellow, at least for now…” Zhang Xuan replied Yu Fei-er telepathically.
If it had been on any other occasion, even if he didn’t kill that fellow, he would make sure to pummel him to the point where even limping was impossible. However, with Sun Qiang in the other party’s hands, it was best for him to proceed carefully for the time being.
There was only one path that led to the main hall, so it didn’t matter whether there was anyone bringing him along. Very soon, they arrived at their destination.
A hall that towered several dozen meters high had four thick and bulky pillars supporting its entrance. Each of these pillars was at least three meters big, and from afar, the grandeur was truly impressive.
‘You must be Zhang shi. Our Old Master has been waiting inside for you for some time now…” A guard stepped forward and ushered Zhang Xuan in.
Nodding, the trio made their way into the hall.
The hall was exceptionally spacious, stretching for more than a thousand square meters large. The ceiling was embedded with Night Illumination Pearls of all sizes, bringing radiance to the insides of the hall.
Seated on the main seat in the room was a middle-aged man with tanned skin and eagle-like eyes. Even without coming close, one could already feel the aura of authority and bloodshed that he emanated. It was clear that he was a powerful man no stranger to slaughter.
Without a doubt, he was the famous King Zhongqing!
Not too far away from King Zhongqing sat an elder, who seemed to be in his sixties. The elder wasn’t too tall, and he was a little hunched over even. However, his presence felt similar to a silent, unmoving painting. If one didn’t see him with one’s physical eyes, one might not even be able to However, the aura that he emanated felt tranquil like a painting, completely
King Zhongqing is a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert, and the hunched over elder… seems to be even stronger than him! In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuan managed to assess his current situation.
King Zhongqing’s aura felt condensed and powerful, and it was imbued with overwhelming killing intent at that. However, in terms of scariness, the hunched back elder was definitely an individual whom Zhang Xuan had to guard carefully against.
Even though he didn’t use his Eye of Insight to assess the other party’s strength yet, the fact that the other party was able to conceal his breath so perfectly indicated that his fighting prowess had already reached an incredible level. Most likely, the other party was even stronger than Wu shi, even after the latter’s breakthrough in the Qiu Wu Palace.
“You are Zhang Xuan, Zhang shi?”
While he was assessing the other party, the other party was also assessing him. When the trio finally reached the center of the hall, King Zhongqing turned to look at him with a frown.
“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan nodded as he walked up to a guest seat by the side and sat down.
Even though the other party wielded great authority in his hands, Zhang Xuan didn’t pale in comparison either, so there was no need for him to fear.
It was one thing if the other party didn’t provoke him, but if the other party didn’t know what was better for him, he didn’t mind flipping the entire Qingyuan City upside down!
To be honest, they should already be counting their blessing that he hadn’t gone around causing trouble. To actually attempt to provoke him… they are truly courting death!
“Did I give you permission to sit?” King Zhongqing uttered with a cold, authoritative voice. His powerful presence swept across the room, commanding others to obey him.
“I am a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, as well as a principal of a Master Teacher Academy. In terms of standing, I am on par with any 7-star master teacher. Not even your emperor is worthy of dictating where and when I should sit, so who do you think you are?” Zhang Xuan raised his eyelid and glanced at King Zhongqing coldly.
Upon hearing those words, Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi’s face twitched as cold sweat filled their palms.
To act so brazenly despite being within the other party’s brazenly, even going to the extent of criticizing the other party… Wasn’t Zhang shi a little too gutsy?
However, master teachers also had their own dignity to uphold. If Zhang shi couldn’t even stand his own ground after what the other party had done, how could he stand before his students and lecture others?
“6-star pinnacle master teacher? Hmph, you still dare to say that you are a master teacher? Flouting the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion, colluding with the poison masters of the Poison Hall… Do you honestly think that no one will know of these, principal of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy?” King Zhongqing harrumphed coldly.
“Colluding with the poison masters?” Zhang Xuan glanced at King Zhongqing and sneered, “Watch your words, King Zhongqing. You should know the consequences of slandering a master teacher.”
Master teachers mustn’t be sullied.
Slandering a master teacher was an extremely grievous crime. Even if the other party was the number one King of the Qingyuan Empire, he could still be beheaded on the spot over this matter.
“Slander? It seems like you simply won’t concede until you see your own coffin!” King Zhongqing said as he raised his hand.
Huala!
The sounds of rattling chain echoed in the room, and a plump figure was dragged into the room.
“Young Master!” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, the plump figure immediately shouted. However, despite shouting with all of his might, his voice sounded feeble and powerless.
Sun Qiang.
Upon seeing the state that Sun Qiang was in, Zhang Xuan’s face turned livid.
There was not a single part of Sun Qiang which could be said to be in good shape. It was apparent that he had been severely tortured. There were even two Golden Soul Lock piercing through his chest, preventing him from exerting any strength at all.
“What do you mean by this?” Zhang Xuan turned to look at King Zhongqing with narrowed eyes.