Chapter 220: Poison Palace

Outside was already in chaos. Zheng Yang held a long spear, and Wang Ying and the others were on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy. Yuan Tao, meanwhile, was holding tables and chairs from the room, looking murderous.

Right in front of the room, ink was spilled all over the floor. Three figures, completely covered in black, stood at the doorway, looking frantic. Clearly, they had tried to enter but were directly doused with ink by his disciples, leaving them completely black.

"Teacher Zhang, these three shameless guys come here every day to peek..."

"So old, and still peeping at female students, don't they have any shame?"

Seeing Zhang Xuan emerge, Yuan Tao and Liu Yang immediately shouted, as if trying to please him. However, before they finished speaking, they saw the usually calm Teacher Zhang's mouth twitch, and his body sway, almost falling over.

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Zhuang, Teacher Zheng... how could it be you?"

Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears. His many disciples had previously mentioned three lewd old men who had been hiding and observing every day for the past few days. He had truly believed they were some perverted men, never dreaming they would be the Three Grandmasters.

Grandmasters... it would have been fine if they had just come to find me openly. What on earth were they doing, dressed in plain clothes and secretly hiding to the side? Now look what happened. They were doused with ink right to their faces, making them look completely disheveled. Not only that, but they were also called shameless and lewd.

"Teacher Liu?"

"Teacher Zhuang?"

"Teacher Zheng?"

Hearing Teacher Zhang's words, Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya, and the others all stumbled. The news of the Three Grandmasters arriving in the Royal City was widespread, and they had heard it long ago, so they naturally knew how to address them. They had thought the men who had been peeping for the past two days were lewd scoundrels coveting Zhao Ya's beauty. They never dreamed they would actually be the Three Grandmasters, renowned throughout the kingdom.

Aren't Grandmasters supposed to be lofty and difficult to even meet? Why did they come here and keep following them?

"Teacher Zhang, are you mistaken? What Grandmaster would be so lewd, wearing these clothes, hiding to the side, afraid of being discovered?" Zheng Yang couldn't help but speak.

"Mistaken?" Zhang Xuan almost choked on his own saliva. Damn it, what kind of students had he taught? Others might trick their fathers, grandfathers, or at worst, their grandsons. But his students, they came here to trick their teacher.

Those were Grandmasters, powerful figures who could make Emperor Shen Zhui tremble with a stomp of their feet. And these students, they doused them with ink, didn't even apologize, and called them lewd... Lewd, my foot! Honestly, he truly wished he *was* mistaken; then there would be no problem. But in this situation, how was he supposed to fix it?

Zhang Xuan was so frustrated he was about to cry. The Three Grandmasters, meanwhile, were almost driven mad; their mouths twitched, and they felt like dying. They had come straight to the academy from Elder Tian's residence. They found the classroom, pushed the door open, and had just stepped in when black ink splashed directly into their faces. They didn't even have time to react or dodge...

What the hell is going on? We are Grandmasters, revered figures who command boundless respect wherever we go. How did we end up here, getting doused with ink? Treated as lechers? If word gets out, how can we face anyone?

"Teacher Zhang, I'm certain it's them. These three have been lingering around for the past two days, peeping at us. What else could it be but malicious intent?" Afraid that Teacher Zhang wouldn't believe Zheng Yang, Wang Ying also spoke up.

"I can also confirm; I'd recognize them even if they turned to ash!" Liu Yang stated confidently.

"All of you, shut up!" Seeing these students becoming more and more unreliable and outrageous, Zhang Xuan could no longer hold back.

After scolding them, he bit the bullet and stepped forward. "Three Grandmasters, I have failed in my disciplinary duties and caused you trouble. I will properly teach them a lesson later and give you a satisfactory answer..."

"No matter, no matter!"

"Ignorance is no sin..."

"Forget it, we were at fault first!"

Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and Zheng Fei forced out smiles that looked almost like cries.

"Yuan Tao, Zheng Yang, hurry up and buy some clothes for the Three Grandmasters to change into!" Seeing that the Grandmasters showed no intention of flying into a rage, Zhang Xuan finally relaxed. He kicked Yuan Tao and Zheng Yang in the backside, sending them flying far away, and shouted loudly.

"Yes, yes!" At this point, the students finally understood that these three lewd old men might actually be Grandmasters, and their faces turned green with fright. Everyone knew how formidable Grandmasters were. They had actually doused three Grandmasters' faces with ink, making them look like this... The mere thought made them want to cry.

But... they truly hadn't done it on purpose. Who could have imagined that dignified Grandmasters would wear plain clothes, sneak around their classroom, observe quietly, and even point fingers?

"Um... Three Grandmasters, have you been around here for the past few days?" As he found towels for them to wipe the ink from their faces, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

You dignified Grandmasters, why aren't you enjoying service in the Royal Palace? What are you doing running around here? Even if you wanted to take me as an apprentice and knew I wasn't here, you wouldn't go around pointing fingers at my students, would you?

"We... we..." Hearing his direct question, Teacher Liu and the others opened their mouths, too embarrassed to say a word. What should they say? Should they say they had heard about his deeds and wanted to secretly come and inquire? Peeping at students, secretly gathering information, and being afraid of being discovered... If they said that, where would the dignity of a Grandmaster be?

"I have an old friend at Hongtian Academy, and I've been free for the past few days, so I came to visit him daily. Your surroundings here are quite nice, so... we stayed a bit longer," Zheng Fei, being quicker to react, said with a smile.

"Nice surroundings?" Zhang Xuan looked at them, utterly baffled. He had seen people tell blatant lies, but never seen anyone lie so brazenly with a straight face. This was the worst and most secluded part of the academy. How ignorant must the Three Grandmasters be to think this place had nice surroundings? Besides, you have friends at Hongtian Academy? Why have I never heard of it? If they truly did, they would have come long ago!

"Oh, I see. My students haven't seen much of the world and mistook you for bad people. Please don't take it to heart..." Knowing that the other party didn't want to reveal the truth, Zhang Xuan didn't press the matter.

Soon, Yuan Tao and the others bought new clothes. The Three Grandmasters changed into them and finally felt much more comfortable.

"Teacher Zhang, we came to find you. You probably know what that means, right?" Having regained his composure, Liu Ling smiled as he looked at the young man. Their observations over the past few days, both of Teacher Zhang and his students, had left them very satisfied. If they could take him as an apprentice, it would be a huge gain.

Zhao Ya knew these three were indeed Grandmasters, and she and the others all pricked up their ears, wanting to see what was happening.

"I've guessed as much. You three Grandmasters wish to take me as an apprentice, don't you?" Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Zhang Xuan spoke directly.

"Take an apprentice?"

"The Three Grandmasters want to take Teacher Zhang as an apprentice?"

"If Teacher Zhang agrees, he'll be a Grandmaster's apprentice?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ya and the others' faces flushed with excitement. As teachers, their greatest dream was to become Grandmasters, and becoming a Grandmaster's apprentice was an indispensable step. Only by becoming an apprentice could one have the chance to achieve Grandmaster status and soar to great heights. The Three Grandmasters had actually come directly to Teacher Zhang, instead of Teacher Lu Xun. How could they not be excited?

"Yes, that's right. All three of us intend to. You can choose to become a student of any one of us!" Seeing that he understood, Liu Ling nodded in satisfaction.

"Can choose any of you?" The disciples were so excited they nearly jumped up and down. This meant all three Grandmasters had their eyes on their Teacher Zhang?

"Um..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Can I refuse?"

Thump! Thump! Thump! Zhao Ya and the others fell to the floor. A Grandmaster personally invited him to be an apprentice, and he actually refused? They hadn't misheard, had they?

"Refuse?" Liu Ling and the others were clearly in disbelief and paused, stunned.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. With his abilities, he was destined to go much further. For Liu Ling and the others to be his teachers, honestly... they were still too far below his level.

"I know we were a bit rash in this matter. Don't worry, how about this: we'll give you time to consider. Replying to us tomorrow isn't too late!" He hadn't expected such a firm confirmation, so Liu Ling, realizing their rashness, gave an awkward laugh.

"Replying tomorrow is fine, just think it over carefully today. You should know that without the status of a Grandmaster's apprentice and a Grandmaster's recommendation, you cannot take the Grandmaster assessment," Zhuang Xian, from the side, spoke up.

"That's right, with your teaching level and talent, it would be a true waste not to take the Grandmaster assessment..." Zheng Fei added.

"Oh... I'll consider it carefully then!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He definitely had to take the Grandmaster assessment. However, letting these three men be his teachers was quite a headache. It wasn't for any other reason... It was because these three men had always wanted to become Master Yang's students. They had always wanted to be *his* students, and now they wanted to take *him* as their student... What a mess...

"Alright then! We'll come again tomorrow." Seeing that he didn't refuse again, the Three Grandmasters breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, by the way, Teacher Liu, Teacher Zhuang, Teacher Zheng, there's something I wanted to ask you." Seeing that they weren't dwelling on the previous matter, Zhang Xuan recalled the poison gas in his body and couldn't help but ask.

"Oh? What is it? Speak freely! As long as we know, we will tell you everything without holding back," Liu Ling said, stroking his beard.

"It's like this: I'd like to ask where I can find books about poisons? The more, the better," Zhang Xuan began. He couldn't say what the poison gas in his body actually was, as he had never encountered it before. He certainly couldn't ask directly, as asking too many questions might arouse suspicion, so it was better to simply ask about books. Anyway, as long as he had enough books, he could easily figure out what kind of poison it was, and even how to easily neutralize it.

"Books about poisons?" The Three Grandmasters exchanged glances, surprised that the young man in front of them would ask such a question.

"If you're talking about places with the most knowledge of poisons, that would naturally be the Poison Hall!" After a moment of hesitation, Liu Ling spoke with a grave expression.

"The Poison Hall?" Zhang Xuan was bewildered. The Xuanxuan Kingdom's Library contained many books on poisons, but this place had never been mentioned, and it was his first time hearing of it.

"Yes, the Poison Hall!" Liu Ling nodded.