Chapter 183: Treating Shen Hong

Just as Lu Xun and Wang Chao were thinking about how to borrow three million and pay respects to 'Master Yang,' the person in question, Zhang Xuan, was frowning.

The purpose of Lu Xun's visit was easy to guess; whether to meet him or not made no difference to Zhang Xuan, nor did he have Sun Qiang deliberately make things difficult.

Between them, it was merely a normal master's assessment, with no enmity involved, so there was no need to deliberately cause trouble. Besides, he had no time to consider this now, because... a man in black stood before him.

This fellow had entered through the back door, dressed entirely in black, his face concealed, making it impossible to identify him. Zhang Xuan initially thought he was here to cause trouble, but the moment he approached, he immediately bowed and slowly removed the black cloth covering his face.

'Your Majesty Shen Zhui, you are...'

Recognizing the face, Zhang Xuan stood frozen.

He had thought it was a thief or a robber, but it turned out to be His Majesty Shen Zhui, whom he had seen only yesterday.

A dignified king, the entire kingdom his own, yet instead of visiting openly, he came secretly in black, acting all mysterious—what was he up to?

'I have come presumptuously to ask Master Yang to... save someone!'

Seeing his questioning gaze, His Majesty Shen Zhui quickly explained.

'Save someone?' Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

Dressed in black, sneaking into the residence—this wasn't saving someone... it was more like murder, wasn't it?

'Didn't I say I would act?'

He frowned and looked over.

The other party had wanted to treat their ancestor, as mentioned yesterday, and he had already set conditions. It was agreed upon, so why come running over now?

Could it be that this fellow thought the Tongxuan realm techniques were too hard to gather and intended to use force?

At this thought, he couldn't help but become alert.

As a king of a nation, this His Majesty Shen Zhui had surely long reached the peak of the Tongxuan realm. Although Zhang Xuan had improved greatly recently, he was still no match for a super-strong expert of this level.

However, as soon as this idea arose, he immediately shook his head.

Not to mention that the other party knew he was a 'master teacher'; even if he wasn't sure, wanting him to save someone, he wouldn't dare act this way.

What if he got angry and refused to act, or deliberately made a mistake? Not only would he not save anyone, but the person might die even faster.

'I know it is my fault for coming presumptuously to find Master Yang. I should have prepared the Tongxuan realm techniques before inviting you, but... the ancestor's condition suddenly worsened last night... I'm afraid he won't make it through today...'

His Majesty Shen Zhui saw the other's displeasure and quickly bowed to explain: 'So... I had no choice but to come presumptuously, hoping Master Yang could come with me to treat our ancestor.'

'Can't hold on? Even if you want me to save someone... there's no need to dress like this...'

Zhang Xuan was utterly speechless.

You are a king, a Tongxuan realm peak expert. Even if your ancestor is dying and you want me to act, you don't have to wear black clothes, cover your face, and climb over the wall to come.

It looks like you're about to commit murder. Luckily, those guards aren't strong; otherwise, if they killed you on the spot, it would probably be for nothing.

'The ancestor's health is the greatest secret of the entire kingdom; not a word can leak out...' His Majesty Shen Zhui explained.

Tianxuan Kingdom relied on this ancestor to remain safe. Many knew he was unwell. If His Majesty Shen Zhui openly came to invite him, other forces would learn the reason. If the treatment failed, they would surely stir and take advantage of the chaos.

And if he sent someone else to invite, it would be disrespectful. Helpless, he had to personally conceal his form and come quietly.

As a Tongxuan realm peak expert, evading everyone and entering here was not difficult.

'Mm!' After hearing his explanation, Zhang Xuan finally understood. 'Alright, I'll go with you to take a look.'

It seemed this king regarded him as his last lifeline.

But for him, it didn't matter; it was a transaction anyway. If he could truly save that ancestor, the matter of the Tongxuan realm techniques would surely not be evaded.

As long as he found a thousand Tongxuan realm techniques and gathered the correct sentences, his strength would surely increase rapidly.

'There are many eyes and ears outside; I may have to trouble Master Yang to leave through the back door with me...'

Hearing his agreement, His Majesty Shen Zhui's eyes flashed with excitement, then he spoke with slight apology.

'No matter!' Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had someone summon Sun Qiang, gave instructions, and followed His Majesty Shen Zhui, quietly leaving the residence.

Whoosh!

Above the rooftops of Tianxuan Royal City, two figures swept by like birds. Those whose cultivation hadn't reached the Dingli realm, even if they focused their gaze, would only see two black shadows, unable to make out who they were.

They were Zhang Xuan and Shen Zhui, heading to the royal palace.

As a Tongxuan realm expert, coupled with his extraordinary martial techniques, Shen Zhui moved extremely fast. However, when he looked back at Master Yang behind him, he had no trace of pride left.

Along the way, he changed his movement technique twelve times, running until he was exhausted, his tongue nearly hanging out, while Master Yang behind him remained calm and composed, his breathing not the least bit hurried, as if he didn't care at all.

Although he couldn't discern the other's true strength, from this alone, he could tell that the other's true qi was much more abundant than his, and his movement technique was incomparably superior.

They were not on the same level at all.

With such abundant true qi and exquisite movement technique, how could his strength be low?

No wonder he had earned the admiration of three master teachers; with such strength alone, he had surely surpassed the Tongxuan realm peak, and might even be... a super-strong expert of the Zongshi realm!

Thinking of this, he felt even more admiration.

Shen Zhui ahead grew more fearful the more he thought, while Zhang Xuan behind, to be honest, was full of frustration.

This guy had been sprinting with all his might from the start. If he couldn't keep up, his identity would easily be exposed, so he had to grit his teeth and persist, nearly vomiting blood.

He was only at the peak of the Aperture Opening Realm. Although the apertures he had opened were unprecedented, his strength rivaling the mid-stage of the Tongxuan Realm, he was still far behind an expert standing at the pinnacle of the kingdom.

Fortunately, he had just learned the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique a few days ago, which greatly increased his speed. Otherwise, forget about keeping up—if he lost focus for a moment, the other would vanish without a trace, leaving him eating dust.

Even so, he had nearly been shaken off several times. He had to use the Library of Heaven's Path to find the flaws and habits in the other's movement technique, make predictions in advance, and take shorter routes to avoid falling behind.

"Thank goodness his movement technique has many flaws. Otherwise, if I were truly shaken off, I wouldn't be able to keep up the act of being a master teacher..."

The other was rushing ahead at top speed. First, the royal ancestor's condition was certainly not optimistic, so he was anxious. Second, it was definitely a test. A true master teacher would naturally be much faster; even using full effort was nothing. If he couldn't keep up, even if His Majesty Shen Zhui didn't say it outright, he would surely harbor doubts.

It was precisely because he understood this that he felt frustrated.

What kind of situation was this? They said they were going to save someone, but it turned into a race, forcing him to chase desperately. If not for the need to maintain the image of a 'master teacher,' he would have kicked the other long ago.

Was this asking for help or asking for a race...

The key was that he had to chase with all his might without showing any sign of fatigue. If not for his recent breakthrough, with true energy surging inside him, he would have surely slipped up.

Damn it, playing the master teacher was so hard. This really wasn't a job for humans.

If Sun Qiang knew this thought, he would deeply agree. He had nearly gotten himself killed just by playing the master teacher once... even now, he still had lingering fears and wanted to vomit blood.

"Zhao Ya and the others' things have arrived. Once I find the Tongxuan Realm manual, I'll have this 'Yang Xuan' leave..."

He made a decision in his heart.

Although pretending to be a master teacher earned him respect and high status, it also brought many troubles. Once exposed, being beaten to death would be a light punishment.

Now it seemed that once His Majesty Shen Zhui found the manual, he would make this 'Master Teacher Yang Xuan' disappear.

Advancing all the way, after more than ten minutes, the royal palace came into view.

It seemed instructions had been given in advance. They encountered no obstacles along the way, and before long, they saw a spacious hall.

"He's inside..." His Majesty Shen Zhui pushed the door and entered.

Inside the hall, Master Liu, Master Zhuang, and others were all present, their brows furrowed as they looked at an old man lying not far away.

The cornerstone of the Tianxuan Kingdom, Shen Hong.

When he had first arrived a few days ago, this white-haired old man could still walk independently. Now, he could only lie in bed, with more breath out than in, appearing as if he could die at any moment.

"Master Yang!"

Seeing them enter, Liu Ling and the others came forward to greet them.

After the previous visit, they knew that this Master Yang might be a master teacher of a higher rank than themselves, so the three did not dare to be presumptuous.

"Please, Master Yang, take action..." His Majesty Shen Zhui looked over, his face full of anxiety.

"If I can save him, I will certainly act."

Zhang Xuan responded and approached the old man.

The Shen Hong before him was even more deathly than the alchemist Chen Xiao he had seen earlier. He lay flat on the bed, unable to move. If not for his eyes moving, one would suspect he was already dead.

No wonder His Majesty Shen Zhui had come specifically to find him. In this state, if not treated quickly, it was uncertain whether he would survive the day.

After circling around and seeing nothing amiss, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to place his fingers on the other's pulse.

"Hmm?"

The Library of Heaven's Path showed no movement.

It wasn't that his technique was wrong, but... this Shen Hong was not unconscious. His eyes were still moving; he was awake...

"In this state, making him get up and practice boxing is not realistic..."

Zhang Xuan's expression turned unpleasant.

This guy was in such a state now. Forget about boxing—just keeping his eyes open was an achievement. If forced to box, he would probably die right in front of him before even throwing a punch.

"Master Yang... is there a way to treat him?"

Seeing him frown, His Majesty Shen Zhui couldn't help but ask nervously.

This was the last hope. If there was no way, they could only watch the ancestor die.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

He couldn't just say he saw nothing, could he...

For conscious people, boxing; for unconscious ones, touch. He had tried both, and both could generate books in the library. But... what to do with this half-dead state?

Couldn't box, and touch had no effect...

At least faint for a moment! His eyes were barely open, so why wasn't he unconscious!

"Ahem..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan paused and looked up: "This... do you have anything here that can make someone quickly lose consciousness... without dying?"