Chapter 189: Treatment of Shen Hong

Lu Xun and Wang Chao were engrossed in thoughts of how to borrow three million and gain an audience with "Teacher Yang." Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan, the man they sought, was frowning.

The purpose of Lu Xun's visit was easy to guess. Whether to see him or not made no difference to Zhang Xuan, nor did he instruct Sun Qiang to make things difficult. Their interaction was merely a standard teacher evaluation, not involving any animosity, so there was no need to deliberately create trouble. Besides, Zhang Xuan didn't have time to consider that now, because... a person in black was standing before him.

The figure had entered through the back door, dressed entirely in black with their face obscured, making it impossible to tell who they were. Zhang Xuan initially thought they were there to cause trouble, but as soon as they approached, the person immediately bowed and slowly removed the black cloth covering their face.

"Emperor Shen Zhui, what are you...?"

Upon recognizing the face, Zhang Xuan froze. He had thought it was a thief or a bandit, but it turned out to be Emperor Shen Zhui, whom he had met just yesterday. A dignified emperor, with the entire kingdom under his rule, visiting secretly in black, full of mystery, instead of openly – what was he up to?

"I've taken the liberty of coming to ask Teacher Yang... to save someone!"

Noticing Zhang Xuan's questioning gaze, Emperor Shen Zhui quickly explained.

"Save someone?" Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled. Dressed in black, secretly sneaking into a residence – this wasn't saving someone... it looked more like murder, didn't it?

"Didn't I say I would help?" Zhang Xuan frowned and looked at him. The emperor had mentioned yesterday that he wanted to heal their old ancestor, and Zhang Xuan had also stated his conditions. It had all been settled, so why was he here now? Did this guy think it was difficult to collect Transcendent Mortal Realm cultivation techniques and plan to use force instead? A wave of vigilance washed over him at the thought. To be the emperor of a kingdom, Emperor Shen Zhui's strength must have long reached the peak of the Transcendent Mortal Realm. Although Zhang Xuan had made great progress recently, he was still no match for a super expert of that caliber.

However, as soon as the thought appeared, he immediately shook his head. Even if the emperor didn't confirm Zhang Xuan was a "master teacher," he wouldn't dare act like this if he truly wanted Zhang Xuan to save someone. If Zhang Xuan became angry and refused to help, or intentionally made a mistake, not only would he fail to save the person, but they would likely die even faster.

"I know it was wrong of me to come to Teacher Yang so presumptuously. I should have prepared the Transcendent Mortal Realm techniques before inviting you. However... the Old Ancestor's condition suddenly worsened last night... I fear he might not even last through today..."

Emperor Shen Zhui noticed Zhang Xuan's displeasure and quickly bowed, explaining, "So... I had no choice but to come impolitely, hoping Teacher Yang can accompany me to treat my Old Ancestor."

"Can't last much longer? Even if you want me to save someone... you don't need to dress like this, do you?" Zhang Xuan was speechless. "You're an emperor, a peak Transcendent Mortal Realm expert. Even if your Old Ancestor is dying and you want my help, there's no need to wear black, cover your face, and climb over walls, right? You look like you're here to commit murder. Thankfully, the guards aren't strong; otherwise, if they killed you on the spot, it would probably be for nothing."

"The Old Ancestor's health is the kingdom's greatest secret; not a single bit of information can be leaked," Emperor Shen Zhui explained. The Tianxuan Kingdom relied on this Old Ancestor for its peace and stability. Many knew his health was failing. If Emperor Shen Zhui openly came to invite Zhang Xuan, other forces would get the news, guess the reason, and if the Old Ancestor couldn't be cured, they would certainly become restless and seize the opportunity to plunder. On the other hand, having someone else invite him wouldn't be respectful enough. Out of options, he had no choice but to conceal his identity himself and come discreetly. As a peak Transcendent Mortal Realm expert, avoiding detection and entering the residence was not difficult for him.

"Understood!" After hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan finally understood. "Alright, I'll go with you to take a look." It seemed this Emperor saw him as his last hope. However, it didn't matter to Zhang Xuan; it was a transaction. If he could truly save the Old Ancestor, the emperor would certainly not dare to renege on the Transcendent Mortal Realm cultivation techniques. As long as he found over a thousand Transcendent Mortal Realm cultivation techniques and collected the correct insights, his strength would definitely increase rapidly.

"There are many eyes and ears outside, so I might have to trouble Teacher Yang to leave with me through the back door," Emperor Shen Zhui said, a glint of excitement in his eyes, followed by an apologetic tone.

"No problem!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He had Sun Qiang summoned, gave him instructions, and then quietly left the residence with Emperor Shen Zhui.

Above the rooftops of Tianxuan Royal City, two figures darted like birds. Those whose cultivation hadn't reached the Dingli Realm, even if they focused intently, would only see two black blurs, completely unable to discern who they were. It was Zhang Xuan and Shen Zhui, heading towards the royal palace.

As a Transcendent Mortal Realm expert with excellent cultivation techniques, Shen Zhui moved extremely fast. However, upon seeing Teacher Yang behind him, all his pride and confidence vanished. Throughout the journey, he switched between twelve different movement techniques, running until he was exhausted, his tongue almost hanging out. Yet, Teacher Yang behind him remained calm and composed, his breathing not the slightest bit labored, as if entirely unconcerned. Although he couldn't discern the other party's true strength, this alone showed that Teacher Yang's zhenqi was much deeper than his, and his movement technique was incomparably superior. They weren't even on the same level. With such profound zhenqi and exquisite movement techniques, how could his strength be low? No wonder he earned the admiration of the three master teachers. This level of strength alone surely surpassed the peak of the Transcendent Mortal Realm. Perhaps... he was even a Grandmaster Realm super expert! The thought filled him with even greater respect.

The more Shen Zhui thought, the more intimidated he became. Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan, who was behind him, was, to be honest, feeling utterly exasperated. The emperor had been running at full speed from the start. If Zhang Xuan couldn't keep up, his disguise would easily be exposed, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and push through, feeling as if he was about to spit blood. He was only at the peak of the Aperture Opening Realm. Although he had opened unprecedented acupuncture points and his strength was comparable to a middle-stage Transcendent Mortal Realm expert, he was still far behind a top-tier expert like the emperor, who stood at the peak of the kingdom. Fortunately, he had just learned the Heaven's Path Movement Technique a few days prior, which significantly boosted his speed. Otherwise, let alone keeping up, he might have disappeared without a trace with just a moment's distraction, left to eat dust. Even so, there were several times when he almost got left behind. He had to use the Library of Heaven's Path to find the flaws and habits in the emperor's movement technique, anticipate his moves, and take shorter routes, which was how he managed not to fall behind.

"Luckily, his movement technique has many flaws; otherwise, if I were truly left behind, I wouldn't need to pretend to be a master anymore..."

The other party was moving at extreme speed. First, the royal ancestor's condition was clearly not optimistic, causing the emperor anxiety. Second, he was undoubtedly testing Zhang Xuan. If he were truly a formidable master teacher, his speed would naturally be much faster; exerting full effort would be nothing. If Zhang Xuan couldn't keep up, Emperor Shen Zhui would surely harbor doubts, even if he didn't voice them directly. It was precisely because he understood this that Zhang Xuan felt frustrated. What kind of situation was this? He was supposed to be saving someone, but it had turned into a race, requiring him to desperately keep up. If he weren't concerned about maintaining his "master" image, he probably would have kicked the emperor long ago. Was he being asked for help or for a race...? Crucially, even while chasing with all his might, he couldn't show the slightest sign of fatigue. If he hadn't just made a breakthrough in his cultivation a few days ago, with his zhenqi surging, he likely would have given himself away. Damn it, pretending to be a master was so difficult. It was truly not a job for humans.

If Sun Qiang knew this thought, he would surely agree wholeheartedly. He had almost worked himself to death pretending to be a master once... and even now, he felt lingering fear and wanted to spit blood.

"Zhao Ya and the others' items have arrived. Once the Transcendent Mortal Realm techniques are found, I'll let this 'Yang Xuan' leave..." He made a silent decision in his heart. Although disguising himself as a master teacher brought respect and high status, it also came with a lot of trouble. If he were ever seen through, being beaten to death would be a light punishment. It seemed that once Emperor Shen Zhui found the cultivation techniques, he would make this "Master Teacher Yang Xuan" disappear.

They continued forward, and about ten minutes later, the royal palace appeared before them. It seemed arrangements had been made in advance, as they encountered no obstacles along the way. Before long, they saw a spacious hall.

"He's inside..." Emperor Shen Zhui pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the hall, Master Liu, Master Zhuang, and others were present, their brows furrowed in concern as they looked at an old man lying nearby. This was Shen Hong, the cornerstone of the Tianxuan Kingdom. When Zhang Xuan had first arrived a few days ago, this white-haired old man could still walk on his own. Now, he could only lie in bed, breathing shallowly, appearing as if he could die at any moment.

"Teacher Yang!" Seeing them enter, Liu Ling and the others came forward to greet them. After their previous visit, knowing that Teacher Yang might be a master teacher of a higher rank than themselves, the three dared not be presumptuous in the slightest.

"Please, Teacher Yang, lend your aid..." Emperor Shen Zhui looked over, his face full of anxiety.

"If he can be saved, I will certainly help," Zhang Xuan replied, then came to the old man's side.

Shen Hong, lying before him, had an even stronger aura of death than Pill Master Chen Xiao, whom Zhang Xuan had seen previously. He lay motionless on the bed; if his eyeballs hadn't been moving, Zhang Xuan would have wondered if he was already dead. No wonder Emperor Shen Zhui had specifically rushed over to find him. In this condition, if immediate treatment wasn't given, it was hard to say if he would even survive the day.

After circling him, unable to discern anything, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to place his finger on the old man's pulse.

"Hmm?" There was no reaction at all. It wasn't that his method was wrong, but rather... Shen Hong was not unconscious. His eyes could still move; he was awake...

"In this state, asking him to get up and practice a fist routine isn't very realistic..." Zhang Xuan's expression was not good. In his current condition, let alone practicing a fist routine, it would be good if he could even keep his eyes open. If Zhang Xuan forced him to do it, he would probably die right there before he even started.

"Teacher Yang... do you have a way to treat him?" Seeing Zhang Xuan frown, Emperor Shen Zhui couldn't help but ask nervously. This was their last hope. If there was no other way, they would just have to watch the Old Ancestor die.

"Well..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head. He couldn't very well say he couldn't figure anything out, could he...? Having conscious people perform fist routines and touching unconscious people – he had specifically tried both methods, and both could generate books in the Library. But... how was he supposed to deal with someone who was half-dead like this? He couldn't practice a routine, and touching him yielded no reaction... At least faint, for goodness sake! He could barely open his eyes, yet he wasn't unconscious – what was he doing?!

"Ahem..." After a moment of internal struggle, Zhang Xuan hesitated, then looked up. "Uh... do you have anything here that can make someone quickly lose consciousness, but... not die?"