Chapter 518: Depressed Zhang Xuan

The Yaochen Beast, a creature renowned throughout the entire Ten-Nation Alliance, weighed over ten thousand kilograms. Sitting down directly from above... the sheer impact was enough to make anyone shudder just thinking about it.

Shaking their heads, the two glanced at the nearly fainting seductive woman, their eyes full of sympathy.

Why did you have to provoke this guy of all people?

This Master Zhang seemed easygoing, but in truth, he feared nothing and acted without restraint. Otherwise, how could he have single-handedly wiped out the Xuan Yuan Kingdom?

Speak to him politely, and he’d be courteous... but if you came at him with a fierce demeanor, he’d teach you a lesson!

It was already generous of him not to make you his disciple on the spot!

Back then, he’d directly told a Mortal Transformation Realm Level 9 soul oracle to become his disciple. Teaching you a lesson? That was easy and pleasant!

While the two were merely shocked, the seductive woman pinned under the Yaochen Beast was going mad.

She was strong, beautiful, and held a high status, with countless people vying to please her. She had thought that this guy asking to borrow something was just trying to get her attention or even flirt, but not only was he serious, he even had his spirit beast sit on her with its rear...

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the seductive woman, Luo Qingyan, was utterly frantic.

“You... I’ll kill you!”

With a roar, she was about to gather her strength to push off the massive creature on her when she heard the displeased voice of the young man not far away.

“Yaochen, what’s wrong with you? I told you to discuss it with her and borrow the invitation—borrow! Not to injure her. How unruly!”

“Roar?” The Yaochen Beast was stunned, its lantern-like eyes blinking in confusion.

Although it possessed intelligence no less than a human’s, it still misjudged human language. When Zhang Xuan said “discuss,” it probably only caught the word “hurt.”

Besides, this creature had always been arrogant. If it fancied something, it would either snatch it or steal it. Otherwise, the Ten-Nation Alliance wouldn’t have sent people specifically to hunt it down.

When its master told it to discuss, it didn’t care and just charged over.

“Alright, stop pretending. If you’ve done wrong, you must accept punishment. So, as punishment, sit here for half an hour. Without my order, don’t move!”

The young man’s angry voice rang out.

“Pfft...” Luo Qingyan spat blood again, tears streaming down her face.

Are you punishing it or me?

It’s not enough that it sat on me once; you want it to sit for half an hour... If it keeps sitting like this, I’m afraid I’ll die before half an hour is up...

As she was spitting blood, she heard the girl disguised as a man speak from the side: “We’re here to buy herbs. It’s better not to cause any more trouble...”

“True.” The young man nodded, turned to the maid at the entrance of the herb garden, and handed over the invitation he had just obtained. “Alright, I have an invitation now. Can I go in?”

“...” The maid.

To be honest, she was about to go mad too.

She had seen arrogance, but never this arrogant.

The invitation I mentioned represents status, represents identity, represents the garden owner’s invitation... and you just snatch one? What’s that supposed to mean?

Is this how things are done?

Most importantly... even if you wanted to do it, you should have done it secretly in a place with no one around, so that if no one knew, I might turn a blind eye and let you in.

But snatching it right in front of me—do you think I’m blind or can’t see?

What’s even more infuriating is... after doing all this, you innocently hold up the invitation and ask if you can go in...

Go in your sister!

Fuming, her chest heaved, and she seemed ready to explode at any moment.

“No! You openly snatched the invitation. If you want to go in, you’ll have to kill me first...”

Clenching her teeth, the maid circulated her true qi, ready to resist to the death.

“No?”

Just as she was about to strike to defend the garden’s inviolable dignity, she heard the young man’s slightly hesitant voice: “Miss, are you sick?”

The maid stumbled.

Isn’t this too much? Just because I won’t let you in, you call me sick... You’re the one who’s sick! Your whole family is sick!

Never in her life had she been so angry. She wished she could rush up and beat him to death on the spot. Flipping her wrist, a weapon appeared in her palm. Just as she was about to strike, she heard the young man’s voice again.

“I see that your Yintang and Yangbai acupoints are red, and the true qi on the left side of your body flows unevenly. If I’m not mistaken, do you suffer from severe headaches every night, with a convulsive feeling at the back of your head?”

“You...” The furious maid froze, her charging figure coming to a halt.

He was absolutely right. She did have splitting headaches every night, feeling like her back of the head was convulsing. She had even gone to the Physician Guild to have it checked, but they couldn’t find the cause, so she had gotten used to it over time.

How did this guy... say it in one go?

“Not only that, but the meridians in your right leg are blocked, causing uneven strength and preventing your cultivation from breaking through. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve secretly practiced a cold-attribute cultivation technique!” His voice continued.

“You, you... how do you know?” The maid was startled.

Recently, her strength had stagnated. To break through quickly, she had indeed practiced a cold-attribute technique. But she had never told anyone about it, not even her close sisters. How did this guy figure it out?

“Never mind how I know. You were once attacked by someone with a yang-attribute technique, and a strand of yang qi accumulated in your body, blocking your meridians. You thought that by practicing a cold-attribute technique, you could balance yin and yang, remove the obstruction, and restore your cultivation talent...”

The young man shook his head: “Good idea, but... the method is completely wrong.”

The maid trembled, her eyes nearly popping out, her mouth agape, speechless.

A year ago, she had indeed fought with someone who practiced yang-attribute techniques. Because of that injury, her cultivation stopped growing, she lost her qualification to cultivate herbs, and ended up as a gatekeeper here.

“Yin and yang do counteract each other, but unfortunately, that yang-attribute true qi has already merged with your meridians and blood. Rashly practicing a cold-attribute technique will turn your body into a battlefield. The yang-attribute true qi will indeed weaken with each battle, but... the cold-attribute true qi will also scatter during combat, entering your sea of consciousness along with your blood, naturally causing the convulsive headaches you experience.”

With his hands behind his back, the young man looked at her calmly.

“This...” The maid’s lips trembled: “Is there a cure?”

What he said was precise and without error. She had thought the headaches were from fatigue, but never dreamed they were caused by practicing the cold-attribute technique.

Thinking carefully, the headaches really did start when she began practicing that technique, without a single mistake!

In other words, he had not only diagnosed her illness but also found the cause that even the Physician Guild couldn’t identify!

With just one look, he knew she was sick and found the root cause...

Who exactly was this person?

“The cure is actually very simple. Every day, without circulating true qi, practice the Falling Flower Sword Technique five times. After ten days, you’ll be healed!” Zhang Xuan said.

“You... know I practice the Falling Flower Sword Technique?” The maid staggered again.

The Falling Flower Sword Technique was taught by Garden Owner Xue. Among all the sisters, only she had mastered it. She hadn’t even made a move, only drawn her longsword, and he could tell...

How did this feel like a dream?

Snatching the invitation, making Garden Owner Qingyan spit blood on the ground... seeing her illness at a glance and giving a cure—was this guy talking nonsense or was he serious?

Ignoring her question, the young man looked at her calmly: “Falling Flower Sword, sword qi like falling flowers. Practicing it without circulating true qi will cause the yang-attribute true qi in your body to automatically be expelled with the sword qi. Five times a day, after ten days, the true qi in your body will completely dissipate, and even if you continue practicing the cold-attribute technique, there will be no effect.”

Hearing that the cure was so simple, the maid hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth, brandished her longsword, and began to practice according to his instructions.

Falling Flower Sword, sword qi like falling flowers. In an instant, it seemed as if a peach blossom paradise appeared before everyone’s eyes, with sword qi crisscrossing and an aura like frost.

Watching her perform the sword technique, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but marvel. As expected of the Ten-Nation City—even a gatekeeping maid had reached half-step Mortal Transformation.

Soon, she finished one set of the sword technique. Feeling the changes in her body, the maid’s eyes widened.

Although she had only performed the Falling Flower Sword once, her body felt much more comfortable. The yang-attribute true qi that had been like a shadow had indeed dispersed somewhat. Though it was still far from complete elimination, this alone was enough to know that what he said was absolutely correct!

He really could cure her illness!

“Thank you for your guidance!” Sheathing her longsword, the maid clasped her fists respectfully.

By now, her anger had vanished.

To see the problem in her cultivation at a glance and provide a cure, something even the physicians of the Physician Guild couldn’t do... this person was definitely not ordinary.

How could someone so formidable come here to cause trouble?

“Mm.” Zhang Xuan waved his hand dismissively. The problem with her body was very simple, just a small favor. Smiling lightly, his tone was elegant, like a graceful gentleman: “May I go in now?”

“This... may I ask this gentleman’s name?” The maid couldn’t help but ask.

Although she guessed he was definitely not ordinary, she still needed to know his specific identity, otherwise she couldn’t explain to the garden owner.

“This is Master Zhang Xuan!” Jin Conghai stepped forward.

“Master Zhang? You’re... a master teacher?” The maid was startled.

“Mm.” Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

Even if he was a master teacher, why be so nervous? The Ten-Nation City had plenty of master teachers; why be so scared?

“If I had known you were a master teacher, I wouldn’t have stopped you. Today’s banquet, besides inviting other garden owners, the garden owner instructed that... any master teacher could enter freely without being stopped...”

The maid said.

“Master teachers can enter directly?” Zhang Xuan staggered, his vision going dark.

What kind of nonsense was this?

If he had known it was this simple, he wouldn’t have had the Yaochen Beast act. Now, after beating someone up and giving guidance... he had wasted all that effort for nothing...

“Master Zhang, please come in!” Confirming he was a master teacher, the maid no longer blocked him and quickly gestured.

“Mm...” Suppressing his frustration, Zhang Xuan led Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai inside. After taking two steps, he heard the maid point at Luo Qingyan, still pinned under the Yaochen Beast’s rear: “Master Zhang, Garden Owner Qingyan...”

“Oh, you go rest for now. I’ll call you when it’s time.”

Understanding her meaning, Zhang Xuan waved at the Yaochen Beast.

Although the Yaochen Beast had misunderstood, this woman had been rude and disrespectful to a master teacher. Teaching her a lesson wasn’t a big deal.

Roar!

Hearing the command, the Yaochen Beast nodded, wiggled its fat rear, flapped its wings, and flew straight into the sky.

“Despicable, despicable...”

Feeling her nearly flattened body, Luo Qingyan watched Zhang Xuan and the others enter the herb garden, gritting her teeth and trembling all over.

She, the dignified owner of the Qingyan Herb Garden, with a status comparable to some nobles of the Ten-Nation Alliance, had never suffered such humiliation!

Being sat on by a spirit beast’s rear... it was an insult!

Even if he was a master teacher, she couldn’t swallow this anger.

“Garden Owner Qingyan, what happened to you?”

As she was seething with rage, she suddenly heard a surprised voice. Turning, she saw a young man approaching, wearing a master teacher badge with four shining stars on his chest.