Chapter 279: White Toad Physician

"Indeed, this could work!" An idea sparked in Zhang Xuan's mind as he watched the official physician pass through unimpeded with his emblem. "Let's go!" Without another word, he strode back towards the street they had come from.

"What, are you planning to take the physician's exam?" Miss Mo Yu asked, following behind him. "Tianwu Royal City has a Physician Guild, and I was planning to take the exam there anyway. We could go together; the round trip only takes five or six days, so it wouldn't delay us too much." To enter the Grand Apothecary's residence, one needed to be a Grand Apothecary, a Poison Master, or have an invitation—all three were incredibly difficult. The only relatively straightforward way was to possess a physician's emblem. As an apprentice, she had originally intended to take the exam after becoming a beast tamer. After seeing Zhang Xuan treat the Roaring Heavenly Beast, she had gained considerable insight into the profession. She believed that finding the guild and passing the exam to become an official physician shouldn't be too hard.

"Five or six days?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "No, I have another method!" Going all the way to Tianwu Royal City just for an exam would be too much trouble. What if the Grand Apothecary were to be cured or die in the interim? An emblem would be useless then.

"Then what's your plan? Do you intend to collect medicinal herbs to become a Grand Apothecary? That's even more problematic, and you'd face suppression from existing Grand Apothecaries..." Mo Yu was perplexed. They had just spent time in front of the Grand Apothecary's residence and learned that, apart from the specified conditions, no one else was being received. Zhang Xuan didn't even know the location of the Poison Hall, so he certainly wasn't a Poison Master, nor did he have an invitation. The only remaining option was to become a Grand Apothecary... but that was far more difficult than becoming a physician. Red Lotus City, with its three-thousand-year history, had only produced thirteen Grand Apothecaries. These individuals had long since carved out their territories; anyone audacious enough to aggressively acquire medicinal herbs would risk being eliminated by them.

"Right here!" Without addressing her concerns, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, walked a short distance, and then stopped. Mo Yu looked up. It was a high-end medicinal herb market, where only a few people were browsing, unlike the bustling street they had just left.

"How dare you! Do you take me for a fool, or is this your first time here? Are you trying to pass off this junk to me? Did you find a new buyer and no longer wish to cooperate?" As they walked along the market, a loud shout suddenly erupted from a nearby stall. It came from a middle-aged man, about forty years old, dressed in a light blue robe, with a physician's emblem on his chest glinting brightly.

"It's Physician Bai Chan!" Miss Mo Yu frowned. "You know him?" Zhang Xuan asked, looking over. "Yes, he's a one-star physician from Tianwu Kingdom. He's known for being lustful and greedy, always seeking petty advantages, and generally disreputable. I didn't expect to run into him here," Mo Yu scoffed. "If his reputation is so poor, that makes things even simpler!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "Let's go have a look!" Mo Yu nodded.

"Physician Bai, you're an old customer of mine; I wouldn't dare cheat you! These are already the finest green bamboo herbs I could find!" As they drew closer, they saw the stall owner negotiating with Physician Bai Chan. "Alright, how about this? I won't say five thousand or four thousand; let's make it three thousand gold coins per stalk, so thirty thousand for ten! This is truly the lowest I can go..." "Thirty thousand? I'll take them all for twenty-five thousand!" Physician Bai Chan countered. "Twenty-five thousand wouldn't even cover my costs..." The stall owner shook his head.

As the two continued their negotiation, Zhang Xuan approached, his face alight with excitement. "Physician Bai, I can't believe you're here! What a coincidence!" "You are...?" Physician Bai Chan, in the midst of bargaining, looked utterly bewildered by the strange young man's sudden appearance and enthusiastic demeanor. "I'm a great admirer of yours, Physician Bai! I've heard so much about you and always hoped to meet you, but never had the chance. Our meeting today must be fate!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Owner, please wrap these ten green bamboo herbs for Physician Bai. Here are thirty thousand gold notes!" He then handed over three gold notes, each worth ten thousand.

"Excellent!" The stall owner quickly took the gold notes and wrapped the medicinal herbs. "Physician Bai, here you are!" Zhang Xuan presented the wrapped herbs. "This..." Physician Bai Chan was taken aback. Though he mumbled polite refusals, his hands had already accepted the package. "How can I accept such a valuable gift on our first meeting...?" "As your admirer, it's only right for me to help you acquire some herbs," Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"What in the world is he doing?" Miss Mo Yu, trailing behind, was utterly baffled. This notoriously stingy man had just spent thirty thousand gold coins on someone else's medicinal herbs. Hadn't he been constantly asking her for money? Why was he suddenly so generous? "Could it be... he wants Physician Bai to escort us into the Grand Apothecary's residence?" A thought suddenly occurred to her. Given that he wasn't taking the exam but was instead paying for Physician Bai's purchases, he likely had this in mind. However, Zhang Xuan didn't know Physician Bai Chan, but she certainly did. He was greedy and lustful, with little real ability. He probably wouldn't dare approach the Grand Apothecary's residence even if asked. The Grand Apothecary's home... that was like a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. Rushing in without genuine skill would be suicidal.

"Since my young friend is so persistent, it would be rude of me to decline!" While Mo Yu was making her secret conjectures, Physician Bai Chan had already put away the herbs, smiling slightly with an air of self-importance. "Not at all! It's my honor to assist my idol in purchasing medicinal herbs!" Zhang Xuan chuckled. "I wonder if Physician Bai is free now? Since we've met, I'd be honored if you'd join me for a drink, as a token of my admiration." "This..." Physician Bai Chan hesitated. Someone suddenly appearing, paying his bills, and then inviting him for a drink—even for someone who loved petty gains, it was rather suspicious.

"Ah, Physician Bai seems to be unfamiliar with me, and has some reservations!" Understanding the other's thoughts, Zhang Xuan smiled subtly and took two steps towards Mo Yu. "You must recognize her, right? She's a friend of mine. With her presence, what could possibly be cause for concern?" "Princess Mo Yu?" Physician Bai Chan was taken aback when he saw Mo Yu. Though she was only a physician apprentice, she was truly the kingdom's Third Princess, a status far exceeding his as a mere one-star physician. "Indeed," Mo Yu could only nod, surprised that he had suddenly pulled her into this. "Ah, so you're a friend of the princess! In that case, I should be the one treating you to drinks..." Seeing that the young man was not only a friend of the princess but also appeared to have a close relationship with her, Physician Bai Chan quickly abandoned his pretense and chuckled.

"It doesn't matter who treats; since we've met, it's destiny. Let's go!" Zhang Xuan led the way, smiling, and the three quickly exited the market, arriving at a deserted street.

"Why are we here? I know a tavern with excellent wine..." Physician Bai Chan looked wary upon seeing a small alley, but then, remembering the princess was with them, he assumed nothing untoward would happen and chuckled. "We can enjoy fine wine later. Actually... I have something I'd like to discuss with you, Physician Bai." Zhang Xuan turned to face him.

"Oh, what is it?" Physician Bai looked at him. "Well, I was hoping to borrow your physician's emblem for a moment, Physician Bai. Would that be possible?" Zhang Xuan asked. "My physician's emblem?" Physician Bai was stunned. "How could that be! An emblem represents a physician's identity and status; how could I possibly lend it out so easily..." Before he could finish his sentence, his vision went black as a fist connected with his face.

With a sharp crack, Physician Bai Chan's world went dark, and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. "I asked to borrow it; you could have just handed it over without so much talk!" With one swift motion, he removed the physician's emblem from the unconscious man.

"You... what are you doing?" Mo Yu had assumed the young man planned for Physician Bai Chan to lead them to the Grand Apothecary's residence. She was utterly stunned when he knocked the man unconscious with a single punch. "Oh, nothing much, just borrowing his emblem for a moment!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Borrowing?" Mo Yu was exasperated. "This is practically robbing an official physician! Once he wakes up and reports this to the Physician Guild, you'll be in immense trouble..."

Every profession had its own guild for protection. Luring a physician, knocking him unconscious, and stealing his emblem—if he reported this to the guild, you would undoubtedly face severe repercussions. This was far too reckless! "Trouble? What trouble? He doesn't know me anyway, and I didn't give my name just now!" Zhang Xuan waved a hand dismissively, his face showing complete indifference. "Doesn't know..." Hearing this almost made Mo Yu gag. "He might not know *you*, but he certainly knows *me*!"

"Then that's not my concern. You're a princess, so you should be able to resolve it. And if you truly can't..." Zhang Xuan paused. "I won't ask for the money you owe me. Besides, I just spent thirty thousand gold coins helping them buy medicinal herbs, so consider that payment..." "You..." Mo Yu stumbled, almost driven to distraction. *Are you serious?!* How could he be so underhanded? He might not know him, but Zhang Xuan had just put her forward! When the physician woke up and couldn't find Zhang Xuan, he would definitely come looking for her! And the money she supposedly owed him... How much could riding a flying beast possibly cost? He'd stolen the man's emblem, and she'd end up taking the blame... Her reputation as a princess...

"Put the emblem down; let's think of something else... Ah, what are you doing now?" Just as she was about to intervene, Mo Yu was startled once more by his subsequent actions. She watched as he crouched down and began removing Physician Bai Chan's clothes. Stealing the emblem wasn't enough; he was taking the man's clothes too... And the most critical part was that she was inadvertently an accomplice... Mo Yu felt as if she might faint at any moment.

"Just a moment to prepare, then we'll head to the Grand Apothecary's residence!" Too unconcerned to engage in further conversation, Zhang Xuan put on the coat he had stripped from the physician. "Go to the Grand Apothecary's residence? Just like that? Physician Bai Chan isn't particularly famous, but his emblem has his name on it. If any other physician sees it, you'll be exposed immediately..." She had imagined he had some brilliant plan, but now Mo Yu finally grasped it: he intended to impersonate Physician Bai Chan to sneak into the Grand Apothecary's mansion. While this might work for other professions, a physician's emblem bore an engraved name. Any other physician would instantly recognize it as fake.

"Exposed? What are you talking about?" Before Mo Yu could finish her sentence, Zhang Xuan, now fully dressed, turned to face her. Seeing the young man's transformed appearance, Mo Yu froze for a moment, then her delicate body trembled, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Physician Bai Chan... Oh, no, this is... a Disguise Master's ability? How is that possible...?"