Chapter 1164: Gardener

Zhang Xuan was a transmigrator, possessing the excellent qualities and good habits of a Chinese person. He had always been unwilling to make enemies, preferring instead to resolve major issues into minor ones and minor ones into nothing, largely prioritizing peaceful business dealings.

However... a dragon has its reverse scale—touch it, and death is certain!

Sun Qiang had been with him since Tianxuan Kingdom, meticulously handling all his daily affairs. He worked diligently without complaint, dedicating himself fully to his duties. Although Zhang Xuan didn't want to comment on the man's cultivation, he knew that without Sun Qiang, he would never have been able to completely free himself from worries and devote his full attention to cultivation, reaching his current level in less than a year.

It could be said that Butler Sun had become one of the most important people in his life, holding the same status as Wang Ying, Zhao Ya, and others.

Now, for this guy to use Sun Qiang as leverage—how could Zhang Xuan not be furious?

"You dared to hit me?" The black-clad youth struggled to his feet, a strong hatred flashing in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected that someone would still dare to strike him, even with a hostage.

"I'll make you..." he roared, lunging forward. Before he could finish his sentence, he felt his body tighten as someone grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.

The youth then saw a pair of indifferent eyes.

"If you want to die, I can grant your wish!"

Feeling the murderous aura and hearing the icy, indifferent words, the black-clad youth's face turned pale. Whatever he had intended to say was swallowed back, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Having experienced life-and-death situations, he could discern the man's resolve. He knew that if he dared to utter even half a word more, the man would undoubtedly act to kill him.

"Who is your master? Where is Sun Qiang now?" Zhang Xuan asked, seeing that the other party had stopped spouting nonsense.

"I..." The black-clad youth shivered. "Our master is the First Prince of Qingyuan Empire, King Zhongqing..."

"King Zhongqing?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Why did he capture my man?"

He had only been in the Qingyuan Empire for a little over three days, and his activities had been limited to the Spirit Awakener Guild, the Frightened Swan Guild, and the Combat Master Hall. He hadn't visited any other places, so how could he have offended this so-called First Prince?

If he hadn't offended him, the other party shouldn't have had the audacity to lay hands on a Master Teacher. Even targeting a Master Teacher's subordinate was an affront to their dignity. To openly abduct him and then send someone to threaten Zhang Xuan... that was truly audacious.

"I'm just a servant... I really don't know anything else!" The black-clad youth trembled.

Seeing his demeanor, Zhang Xuan concluded that he might genuinely be unaware of the details. He patted the youth on the back, tossing him to the ground. "Lead the way!"

"Yes!" The black-clad youth cowered, his arrogance from earlier gone, and hurried forward.

"Master Zhang, I've heard of this King Zhongqing before. You must be careful..." Yu Feier said, her delicate brows furrowed as she followed closely behind.

As the princess of Hongyuan Empire, she might not have liked politics, but she had still picked up some knowledge from her surroundings.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan turned his head.

"This prince was originally a commoner. More than twenty years ago, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe found a passage from somewhere and launched a large-scale invasion. The Master Teacher Pavilion, the Combat Master Hall, and the Qingyuan Empire sent forces to resist... All three factions suffered heavy losses, and Hall Master Xing Tianming of the Combat Master Hall was severely wounded, almost perishing!"

"At that time... Emperor Chu Tianxing of the Qingyuan Empire personally led his army into battle, only to be ambushed by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Unable to escape, he was on the verge of being killed when King Zhongqing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, massacred his way through the enemy, and rescued the Emperor... Later, he repeatedly distinguished himself with meritorious deeds. In just over twenty years, he successfully rose from a commoner to a king, and he's even the top-ranked prince of a different surname!" Yu Feier explained.

"The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe invaded?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

The cracks on Hall Master Xing's primordial spirit were left from that invasion over twenty years ago.

"The Emperor is surrounded by countless experts and his own strength shouldn't be low... Yet, even he couldn't escape when surrounded by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. What kind of strength does this King Zhongqing possess to rescue him unharmed?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Even Hall Master Xing couldn't withstand them and almost perished. What methods did this obscure individual rely on to escape from the encirclement of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?

"I'm not exactly sure... Oh, right! I once heard my father muttering to someone about it, and it seemed to involve... using poison!" Yu Feier shook her head, then suddenly remembered something.

"Poison?"

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Could it be... that this King is a Poison Master?" If he used poison, it was highly plausible!

The reason the Poison Master profession was so dreaded was primarily because they feared no group attacks. As long as they used their poisons correctly, they could easily eliminate any number of opponents. It was similar to how eight or nine out of the Ten Kings of Qingtian had been poisoned to death by his Heaven's Path zhenqi.

If he had fought them head-on, he would have died countless times over.

"I'm not sure if he's a Poison Master, but many ministers who opposed King Zhongqing have all died without illness over the past twenty years... Because of this, he wields great power in the imperial court. Coupled with the fact that he once saved His Majesty, he is highly esteemed, and everyone shows him a certain degree of deference!" Yu Feier stated.

Zhang Xuan nodded, his brows furrowing even deeper.

Regardless of whether this person was a Poison Master, Zhang Xuan didn't know him and had never met him. So why would he abduct Sun Qiang?

"The ability to capture Sun Qiang indicates that he completely disregards my identity as a 6-star Master Teacher and the Head of the Master Teacher Academy. You two shouldn't come... I'll go alone!" Zhang Xuan paused, then said.

Whatever the other party's intentions were, it was clearly directed at him. Since that was the case, there was no need to involve the two women in this mess.

"Master Zhang, you are my teacher. As your student, I cannot just stand by and watch my teacher go into a dangerous place while I escape. How could I face the Master Teacher profession otherwise?" Luo Qiqi stepped forward, her eyes filled with determination.

She was Zhang Xuan's student in pill forging and artifact forging. Although not a direct disciple and without a formal apprenticeship ceremony, a bond of teacher and student nonetheless existed between them.

"I won't go back either! I want to advance and retreat with Master Zhang..." Yu Feier declared, lifting her pretty face.

"This..." Seeing their resolute gazes, which would not waver, Zhang Xuan shook his head. With a flick of his wrist, he produced two pills. "These are detoxification pills I refined. They can neutralize all poisons. Take them now. If the other party truly is a Poison Master, these will ensure your safety!"

His so-called detoxification pills were merely ordinary pills infused with Heaven's Path zhenqi.

"Understood!" Knowing that Zhang Xuan wouldn't take them if they refused, the two said no more, put the pills in their mouths, and swallowed them.

Their exchange had been conducted via telepathic communication, so it didn't affect their progress. Following behind the black-clad youth, it wasn't long before a massive mansion appeared before their eyes.

The mansion was grand and imposing. Though not as massive as a major power like the Combat Master Hall, it was in no way inferior. It was densely packed with formations, and even before they reached it, they could see spiritual energy slowly converging towards it from all directions, clearly a treasure trove for cultivation, rich in spiritual qi. Even ordinary people living in such a place would surely have their lifespans extended.

"This is the Prince's Mansion..." The black-clad youth arrived at the entrance and whispered something to the guards stationed there. One guard glanced at Zhang Xuan and the others, then entered the mansion.

It wasn't long before the guard reappeared and nodded. "Please come in!" A ruthless glint flashed in the youth's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, leading the way inside.

Zhang Xuan pretended not to notice, and followed him inside with Yu Feier and Luo Qiqi.

As expected of the mansion of the titled empire's First Prince, it appeared even more magnificent than the imperial palace of the Hongyuan Empire. Various rare ores were used to construct the paths, giving an impression of extreme luxury at first glance.

"This architecture not only features an incredibly powerful formation master's layout, but it also seems to have been designed by a horticulturist!" Luo Qiqi remarked after a few steps.

"Horticulturist?" Zhang Xuan heard this term for the first time.

"Yes, horticulturists, like Spirit Awakeners, are not among the Nine-Stream professions, but they are highly esteemed guests in many major powers and prominent clans!" Luo Qiqi explained.

"Oh? Does your Hongyuan Empire have horticulturists?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking at Yu Feier.

"I haven't heard of them..." Yu Feier shook her head.

"I read about them in an ancient text..."

Luo Qiqi smiled. "It's said that these horticulturists can design residences or sects based on terrain, feng shui, the surrounding environment, and numerous other factors. They can perfectly integrate architecture, formations, and mechanisms to complement each other and unleash the strongest possible power! If a sect or family can have a horticulturist design their premises, their overall defensive capabilities can more than double!" She continued, "Of course, this profession is extremely rare, and there's no complete lineage... I only inferred this by observing the highly peculiar layout here and how it harmonizes with the surrounding formations."

"It is indeed very balanced!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a peak 7-star formation master and possessing the Eye of Insight, he had naturally noticed it long before Luo Qiqi did.

He had also visited the imperial palace of the Hongyuan Empire. While it had many formations, almost every single one operated independently and only activated upon contact. Here, however, they were clearly interconnected, integrated with the architecture. Once one was triggered, a chain reaction would follow, making escape extremely difficult.

If the formations in the Hongyuan Imperial Palace were like individual mousetraps, only springing when touched, then this place was a set of dominoes; touching any one would trigger a chain reaction, making it impossible for anyone to escape. It was probably just as she said, related to a horticulturist.

As he made these conjectures, following behind the black-clad youth, he suddenly heard a rustle of footsteps. Dozens of guards rushed forward.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were surrounded.

"Boy, weren't you arrogant just now? Give him a good lesson, make him understand that people from King Zhongqing's Mansion cannot be offended!" The black-clad youth flashed behind the crowd, a cold sneer on his face, which was twisted into a cruel grimace.

He had gone to invite Zhang Xuan, thinking it would be an easy task, but he almost got kicked to death. He had long harbored deep hatred for Zhang Xuan, and earlier, at the entrance, he had secretly informed the guards to prepare an ambush.

*Clang!* Hearing his words, the surrounding guards surged forward in unison, their weapons clanging, emitting sharp, cold glints. Combined with the surrounding formations, their aura instantly swelled like a dragon.