Chapter 1001: 青涎毒

The courtyard was not large, but its spiritual energy was astonishing. With just a glance, Zhang Xuan knew a Spirit Gathering Formation had been set up there, and it was powerful, at least at the peak of Level 6.

Thanks to the Spirit Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy here was several times denser than outside. The entire courtyard was densely planted with medicinal herbs, nearly all of them rare items not found on the market.

"Excellent!"

A quick scan revealed at least ten Saint-grade herbs. Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Even Yu Xu hadn't possessed so many back then.

Creak!

As he was looking around, the door opened, and a dishevelled-looking old man walked out. He glared at Zhang Xuan and the others, roaring furiously.

"Who let you in? How dare you!"

His rage soared. Anyone would be furious; someone barging into their home uninvited... Could they be any more arrogant?

"Senior, he forced his way in, I didn't expect..." Seeing the eccentric old man's anger, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but tremble and rushed forward to explain. He didn't want his long-maintained good image to be ruined because of this.

"Azure Tiger, escort them out!" Ignoring his words, the eccentric old man commanded.

Whoosh!

Following his words, a massive five-meter-long Saint Beast emerged from a room to the side. Each step made the ground tremble violently.

It was an Azure Tiger, a Saint Beast at the early Saint 2-dan. Its combat power was no weaker, possibly even stronger, than a Violet Sun Beast.

The wave of air and immense pressure made everyone's faces pale and bodies tremble involuntarily. Especially Hu Yunsheng, who nearly spat blood. He had visited a few times before and had been beaten beyond recognition by this huge creature each time. Meeting it again, he instinctively trembled from the depths of his being.

Zhou Xuan also involuntarily took a few steps back. A Saint Beast of this level was simply beyond his current strength to contend with.

"Will you get out on your own, or shall I beat you into a cripple and throw you out?" The Azure Tiger stared at Zhang Xuan with its lantern-like eyes.

"What if I choose neither?" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.

"Stop with the nonsense, throw him out!" The eccentric old man waved his hand and turned to walk back into the room. With his beast companion acting personally, he was completely at ease and saw no need to worry further.

Just as he turned, he heard an angry roar from the Azure Tiger behind him. Immediately after, under the impact of powerful airwaves, the ground trembled continuously. Then something flew high into the air.

*Boom!*

It crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up dust throughout the courtyard.

"Ungrateful wretch!" The eccentric old man nodded in satisfaction. The Azure Tiger was always fierce; hearing these sounds, he knew it must have given that arrogant fellow a good beating.

"Alright, a lesson is enough, don't kill him... huh?" Waving his hand, the eccentric old man turned around. Although he didn't care about the other party's true identity, anyone who dared to barge in like that must have a high status. He merely desired peace and quiet and didn't want to escalate the matter.

Before he finished speaking, he saw the scene before him, and his body stiffened. The eccentric old man couldn't help but stand rooted to the spot.

"W-what's going on?"

It was a long while before he managed to speak, seemingly dumbfounded. He saw that the situation ahead was completely different from what he had imagined. The Azure Tiger, which should have been teaching someone a lesson, was now lying at the feet of the middle-aged man opposite, licking his palm, its eyes full of fawning servility, looking exactly like a lapdog.

"What in the world is going on? I told you to throw him out, not to grovel and fawn over him! Why do I feel like you're not my beast companion, but his?"

Perplexed, he hurriedly looked at Zhou Xuan and the others nearby. He saw that all three of them were also standing there dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Azure Tiger, what are you doing?" Unable to bear it any longer, the old man roared. What kind of situation was this? His own beast companion, ordered to teach the other party a lesson, was now groveling at the man's feet, making a humiliating spectacle of itself. Where would he put his face? This was utterly absurd!

"Master, I..." The Azure Tiger turned its head, scratching its head with a massive paw, unsure how to answer.

"Alright, I'll handle this!" With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan took a few steps forward, approaching the old man.

Although he was currently at Pseudo-Saint peak, his true strength was such that even Battle Master Zhuo Qingfeng, a Saint 2-dan, was no match for him. Powerful as the Azure Tiger was, it wasn't a match for even a single move. One punch sent it flying into the sky, and the next moment, it obediently followed his commands. Although it had an owner and hadn't been truly tamed, it no longer posed a threat.

"You must be Senior Eccentric Old Man!" Zhang Xuan looked at him. "I'm here with a request. I'd like to purchase an Earth Vein Flower from you; the older, the better."

"A request?" Glancing at his shattered front door lying nearby and his fawning beast companion, the eccentric old man's mouth twitched. "Are these the actions of someone making a request? You arrived and not only demolished my front door but also turned my beast companion into this... It seems you're not here to ask something of me, but to make me ask something of you..."

"If you want to buy medicinal herbs, you'll have to step over my dead body!" Clenching his teeth, the eccentric old man's face flushed with anger.

"Step over your dead body?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Since you put it that way, I'm afraid I'll have to."

As he spoke, his eyebrows lifted, and a powerful aura erupted from his body. Immediately after, his body swayed, and his five fingers spread open.

*Boom!*

The eccentric old man felt the opponent's true qi surge towards him like a hurricane. Although its level was not yet as high as his, its power and purity were far beyond anything he could match. He could foresee that if the opponent's palm struck him, he would most likely be instantly flattened into a bloody pulp.

"Damn it!" His face turned ashen. Stamping his foot on the ground, the eccentric old man hastily leaped backward. This jump utilized all his strength, making his figure as swift as lightning. Although his strength was only at Saint 1-dan, his evasion technique was extremely profound, and in the blink of an eye, he had escaped the reach of the palm.

Fearing that the opponent's attack would continue to pursue him, the eccentric old man didn't dare to stop after leaping out of the battle circle. He leaped backward twice more, nearly hitting the house with his back, before finally stopping.

"Huh?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that the other party was still standing in place, with no intention of pursuing him. With his hands behind his back, head slightly raised, and clothes fluttering in the breeze, he looked like an unapproachable transcendent master.

His face twitched. "The change was too fast! Just moments ago, that palm strike seemed intent on taking his life, but now, in the blink of an eye, he looked like a super expert, as pure as a lotus emerging from mud. Does it have to be this dramatic?"

Not just him, but Zhou Xuan and Hu Yunsheng on his side also exchanged bewildered glances, completely confused. This guy, not only was he incredibly powerful, but his face-changing speed seemed even more formidable. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or what he wanted to do.

"If you want to kill me, just do it. Don't try to toy with me!" The eccentric old man's face was ashen. He felt as if the other party was deliberately toying with him, possessing the power to easily kill him, yet refraining from doing so.

"Toying with you? You're overthinking it!" Zhang Xuan shook his head, looking at him with sympathy. "I just wanted to ask you, it must not have been easy to endure the invasion of Azure Saliva Poison for so many years, right?"

"Ah? You... you..." The eccentric old man, who had been about to explode in anger, took two steps back upon hearing this. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Just as the other party said, he had indeed been afflicted by the Azure Saliva Poison. After being poisoned, he had barely managed to cling to life by relying on his excellent medical skills. Even so, he was about to give up. Yet, no one knew about this, and he had never met this person before. How could he know it just from their first meeting? He was utterly bewildered.

"Hehe, the Azure Saliva Poison is refined mainly from the venom of the Saint 4-dan Azure Saliva Serpent; it can easily poison Saint 4-dan experts to death. The reason you managed to survive, if I'm not mistaken, is because you consumed a Seven-Flower Grass when you were young, right?"

Before he could ask, the other party's calm voice continued to ring out.

"I..." The eccentric old man trembled all over. What the other party said was true. When he was seven, he had accidentally ingested a Seven-Flower Grass. This item was a slow-acting substance; although it didn't kill him instantly, he suffered greatly from its effects. It was precisely because of this that he diligently studied medicine, hoping to resolve it completely. Few people knew about this matter, yet this person before him stated it outright. Could he be an old friend from the past? He took a closer look, but couldn't help but shake his head. Neither the appearance nor the aura were familiar. He could confirm that he had never seen this person before.

"Actually, discerning this isn't complicated. After ingesting Azure Saliva Poison, not only does the body turn bluish, but the eyes also change, developing blood-red thin lines within a blue-gray hue, resembling a serpent's eyes from afar." Zhang Xuan looked at him. "Of course, based solely on that, one can only infer whether you were bitten by an Azure Saliva Serpent. The true confirmation is because your finger is pale, not bluish-gray. If I'm not mistaken... you used this hand to pick the Seven-Flower Grass back then, and it pricked you, didn't it?"

"This..." The eccentric old man trembled again. He was too young back then and couldn't remember many things, but at the other party's words, he recalled that this finger had indeed been pricked by the Seven-Flower Grass.

"The Seven-Flower Grass has thorns on its surface and contains toxins, yet it also has an inhibitory effect on the Azure Saliva Serpent's venom. When the two combine, the blue color turns white, temporarily preventing your death, but also tormenting you with unbearable pain... You should experience full-body swelling and bone itchiness every night at midnight, right?"

Zhang Xuan continued. The eccentric old man's body stiffened.

"Alright, may I now enter your room to discuss purchasing the Earth Vein Flower with you?" Seeing his expression, Zhang Xuan knew his objective had been achieved and smiled again.

"Please, come in! Please, come in!" The eccentric old man quickly bowed.

"Senior..." Having overheard their conversation, Zhou Xuan was utterly bewildered and couldn't help but step forward, wanting to understand what was going on.

"Why are you just standing there dumbfounded? Hurry up and serve tea!" The eccentric old man snapped.