Library of Heaven's Path

“You know?” Chu Tianxing and King Zhongqing looked at Butler Qin in bewilderment.

It was a poison that even the 7-star pinnacle Royal Physician Sun was helpless before, even passing out after being afflicted with the poison himself, so how could a butler who didn’t know the slightest thing about poison possibly know how to alleviate it?

“To be honest, I was also afflicted with the poison a while back, but I managed to keep it under control using a certain method,” Butler Qin replied.

Hearing that his subordinate had been poisoned by Zhang Xuan as well but managed to overcome the poison, King Zhongqing immediately exclaimed, “Is that true? What are you waiting for then? Hurry up and treat me!”

“Yes, Old Master! The treatment might be a little painful, so I ask you to bear with it,” Butler Qin said grimly as he stepped forward.

“I have been through innumerable life and death situations. What kind of pain have I not suffered before? Rest assured and do it!” King Zhongqing replied proudly.

Back in his time, he had charged into many a battlefield and survived against the odds. No matter how painful a poison neutralization process was, how could it compare to the experiences he had been through on the battlefield?

“As long as you are able to cure my poison, I’ll immediately promote you to the official head butler of my manor, granting you authority to mobilize anyone within the manor…” Before King Zhongqing could finish his words, he suddenly saw a palm enlarging swiftly before him, covering his entire sight in an instant.

Pah!

The slap struck King Zhongqing’s face squarely, and the stinging pain threatened to tear his cheeks into two.

“You…” Not expecting his subordinate to slap him instead of treating him, King Zhongqing felt so furious that he was on the brink of insanity. However, before he could even finish his words, another slap had already flown right for his face.

Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!

A series of consecutive slaps left King Zhongqing’s face swelling up as if a crimson bun.

Butler Qin had exerted his full strength in those slaps, such that he was already panting from exhaustion. He carefully raised his gaze and looked at King Zhongqing. “Old Master, are you feeling better now?”

“Better your head! You bastard, I’m going to kill you!” With his eyes reddening in rage, King Zhongqing stood up with a belligerent air around him.

To think that he, the First King of the Qingyuan Empire, would actually be pummeled by his own subordinate, not to mention, in front of Emperor Chu Tianxing at that. And as if that was not enough, the other party even had the cheek to ask him if he was feeling better after.

Better your head!

That is as good as a rapist asking his victim if it felt good!

I’m going to beat you into the ground, you bastard!

King Zhongqing was so furious that it also seemed as if smoke was pouring out of his head.

“You still aren’t feeling better yet? Old Master, worry not! I still have another trick up my sleeve…” On the other hand, Butler Qin didn’t expect the slaps to not work, so he hurriedly tried to appease the other party first.

“You still have another trick up your sleeve?” King Zhongqing was taken aback for a moment upon hearing those words. Before he could even process what was going on, he saw Butler Qin taking off his shoes, and in the next moment, a leg emanating an exceptional scent flew right toward his face.

Peng!

The impact of the kick left King Zhongqing’s face distorted into the shape of a fried dough twist before he flipped around two and a half times in the air and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Butler Qin had experimented on himself when he found the effectiveness of the slaps a little lacking, and he had to admit that the kick did have miraculous effects against the poison. In an instant, the pain vanished from his body like a receding tide.

He had been planning on treasuring this secret art as his family heirloom, vowing to only pass it down to those of his lineage. However, since the Old Master required it, he had no choice but to take it out.

“I’ll kill you…” Seeing the teeth that had dropped to the ground and the amazing stench that filled his nostrils, King Zhongqing nearly went insane on the spot.

He had ordered his subordinate to treat his poison, but not only did the latter do nothing of that sort, the latter even dared to slap and kick him. Unforgivable!

Standing up furiously, he glared at his subordinate with a piercing glare, ready to tear the fellow before him into two.

But before he could make a move, Chu Tianxing suddenly spoke. “King Zhongqing, your poison… has been cured?”

“Poison?”

Those abrupt words jolted King Zhongqing out of his rampage. All of a sudden, he realized that the pain from the lethal poison had really receded after the slaps and kick.

Overwhelmed by astonishment, the rage from a moment ago completely vanished from his mind. He quickly asked Butler Qin in bewilderment, “This… What is going on?”

Butler Qin clasped his fist and explained the matter. “Old Master, earlier today, when you asked me to invite Zhang Xuan over to the manor, we had a small verbal conflict, and he discreetly planted a poison in me. I had a physician look at the poison, and the latter said that not only is the poison indiscernible, it will even corrode one’s inner organs, putting one in unbearable agony. However, he did inform me of a way to alleviate the poison, and that is to hit one’s face. The more vicious the strike is, the more effective it will be against the poison. That’s also why I brazenly made a move against you, and I beg for your pardon!”

“The poison is alleviated through slapping? There’s actually such a poison in the world?” King Zhongqing and Chu Tianxing glanced at one another in disbelief.

They had never encountered or heard of such a bizarre poison in the world.

“That’s right!” Butler Qin replied affirmatively.

“To actually concoct such a poison, that Zhang Xuan sure is a depraved individual…” King Zhongqing’s lips twitched furiously as he cursed, but halfway through his words, his body suddenly jolted. He felt that excruciating pain from before slowly returning to his body.

“This is bad; it’s acting up once more. Quick, hit me again!” Recalling that unbearable pain, King Zhongqing could not help but tremble in fear. He never wanted to experience such a sensation ever again.

He quickly pulled Butler Qin over as he stuck his face out to the other party and exclaimed in desire, “Harder!”

…

“To think that it could work this way as well…”

Shortly after walking out of the Master Teacher Pavilion, Zhang Xuan suddenly chuckled beneath his breath.

Wu shi turned around and asked, “Is there something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Zhang Xuan replied calmly with a smile.

When he had been curing King Zhongqing’s wounds earlier in the latter’s manor, he had secretly slipped a sliver of his will into the other party’s body. It was concealed within his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, making it difficult for even a Primordial Spirit realm expert to notice it.

He had made it such that in fixed intervals or whenever the other party insulted him, the Heaven’s Path zhenqi would turn into lethal poison and ravage the other party’s body. It was precisely because he had left such a hand that he did not hesitate to have King Zhongqing released.

In any case, King Zhongqing’s life and death hinged on a single thought of his, so it mattered not whether the other party was imprisoned or not.

Initially, he had only chosen to spare Butler Qin in case he might require a pawn to use in the near future, but who would have thought that the latter would actually end up believing in his ‘Face Slapping Treatment Method’?

That actually worked to his advantage for the time being, so he decided to go along with it. After all, even though he had set King Zhongqing free for the moment, he was still more than willing to see the other party suffer, especially after seeing with his own eyes what the other party had done to Sun Qiang and the Poison Hall.

Under the control of the sliver of will he had slipped into the other party’s body, he was able to create the impression that slapping one’s face would be able to alleviate the corrosion of the poison. Of course, the slapping would not actually cure the poison—in truth, the Heaven’s Path zhenqi was just switched back from its poisonous state temporarily…

The poison would recede under vicious slapping and act up if the slapping were to halt for some time. He could probably entertain himself for quite a few days with that.

However, it was another question whether King Zhongqing would be able to last that long or not.

After communicating with the will that he had hidden within the other party’s body for a moment, Zhang Xuan decided to put aside the matter and follow behind Wu shi. Not too long later, they arrived at a massive trading hall.

Zhang Xuan took a look at the surroundings, and after confirming his location, he could not help but ask in bewilderment, “Isn’t this where the Appraiser Hall is located?”

Based on the directions from Hall Master Xing, the location they were currently at should have been the Appraiser Hall, so why was a huge trading hall standing before them instead?

“You should also know about how intricately linked the Appraiser Hall is with trade. Many businesses rise in the vicinity of its establishment, so it was inevitable that it eventually developed into a trading hall,” Wu shi explained with a smile.

“That’s true.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Appraisers were capable of determining the authenticity of artifacts, and in the Master Teacher Continent, authenticity had always been a problem for both buyers and sellers alike. Receiving an appraiser’s certificate on a good was equivalent to having a guarantee on the quality of the good, and naturally, sellers would be able to sell it at a higher price. At the same time, knowing that the authenticity of the good had been verified by an expert, buyers could also purchase it with their mind at ease.

Thus, it was inevitable that businesses would gradually sprout in the vicinity of the Appraiser Guild, and as time passed, a trading hall would be constructed around it, thus becoming the center of commerce within the city.

“Actually, there is something that has been on my mind for quite some time already. If I’m not mistaken, the Appraisal Convention that you spoke of should be an event to verify the authenticity of precious artifacts. However, if that’s the case, why would the head of the Painter Guild attend the convention as well?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Since the main focus of the event was appraising, it was peculiar that those of another occupation would be there as well.

“As you know, appraisers deal with artifacts of all sorts. Tonight, one of the artifacts that will be appraised is a painting left behind by the Sorrowless Old Man,” Wu shi explained.

“Sorrowless Old Man?”

“He’s the most famous painter in the history of the Qingyuan Empire. An extremely talented individual, he was an 8-star painter before he reached three hundred years old. Unfortunately, on the third day after his three hundredth birthday, he vanished without a trace. As for where he went, no one knows for sure. However, there are rumors that he was killed by his enemies,” Wu shi explained.

“Three hundred years old? Isn’t that age considered young for Saint realm cultivators? Why would others address him as the Sorrowless Old Man?” Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

Even Hall Master Xing and Wu shi were at least five hundred years old. In comparison, three hundred years could really be considered young among Saint realm cultivators, so that title seemed to be a little inappropriate.

“It is said that in the earlier years of the Sorrowless Old Man, his talents in cultivation and painting were unexceptional. Even as he approached 180, he was still nowhere near to reaching Saint realm. However, his talents suddenly blossomed one day. Within a short ten years, his mastery in painting surged all the way to 7-star, and he managed to advance his cultivation to Saint realm as well. Nevertheless, due to his late breakthrough, he still retained his old appearance despite his lengthened lifespan, and it was because of his old appearance that others addressed his as the Sorrowless Old Man,” Wu shi explained.

“I see…” Zhang Xuan nodded.

The average lifespan of a Transcendent Mortal was around two hundred, and typically speaking, a 180 years old Transcendent Mortal cultivator stood no chance of achieving a breakthrough at all. To suddenly be enlightened in the Way of Painting and successfully advance to Sainthood at his age, it must be said that the Sorrowless Old Man was indeed a legend.

While chatting, the duo entered the trading hall.

The trading hall was far larger than Zhang Xuan had expected. There were all sorts of artifacts on display, and a huge crowd was walking back and forth between the vendors, seeking the items they required.

Curious, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and scanned through the array of items on display. A while later, he could not help but shake his head in disappointment.

There were a couple of items that could be considered a treasure to Transcendent Mortal cultivators, but to him, they were completely useless.

“Most of the items on the first floor of the trading hall are miscellaneous goods that have not yet been appraised, so they are relatively inexpensive. Most of those on this floor loiter with the hopes of stumbling on a treasure. It would be best if they could hit the jackpot, but even if they do not, they won’t make a big loss either,” Wu shi said.

“It’s from the second floor onwards that the artifacts have been appraised. While their prices are slightly pricier, there’s at least a guarantee on the authenticity of the goods. Does Principal Zhang want to take a look around the trading hall first?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “There’s no need for that.”

What he lacked the most at that moment was concentrated high-tier spirit stones. Other than that, there was not any particular artifact that he required.

As for medicinal herbs, ores, and the sort, he had already gotten what he needed from Emperor Chu Tianxing, so there was no need for him to go to the trouble of purchasing them.

Since there was nothing he required, there was no need for him to browse through the items in the trading hall either.

“Since that’s the case, let’s head straight for the fifth floor then. The Appraisal Convention is being held there.” Nodding with a smile, Wu shi led the way forward.

Walking through the crowd, it did not take long for them to arrive on the fifth floor.

Instead of stores, there was a vast hall on the fifth floor.

Before Zhang Xuan could enter the hall, he suddenly spotted two men walking over, and upon seeing one of their faces, he could not help but halt for an instant.

The person was none other than the young man whom he had encouraged earlier in the day—the offspring of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Jiuxiao!