Chapter 293: This Time It's Really Over

Inside the main hall, the Grand Alchemist sat on a stool, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Just now, not only Liao Xun but also the Second and Third Vice Hall Masters had sent people to specifically inquire. If he hadn't prepared an excuse beforehand, he probably wouldn't be able to stand right now.

The pressure was immense!

He was just a figurehead. It was one thing to show off his power outside, but deceiving people here was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before. If it weren't for the fact that the other party had saved his life and the Poison Hall had indeed acted ungratefully, he wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

But now, there was no turning back.

If Physician Bai was exposed, he would not only gain nothing, but both of them would certainly die here. Setting everything else aside, simply failing to recognize the envoy and being bluffed by a mere physician would be enough for the three Vice Hall Masters to poison all those who knew. If such a disgraceful matter were to spread, how could they possibly maintain their authority over their subordinates or contend for the Hall Master position? Of course, they would have to kill a few people to quell their anger.

Therefore, to survive, he could only try to make everyone believe that Physician Bai was the real envoy, thereby making them hesitant to act. So far, it seemed to be working well. At least the three Vice Hall Masters, despite their suspicions, dared not act rashly.

"I wonder what this person is doing here in the Poison Hall. I hope he finishes quickly and leaves..."

The Grand Alchemist shook his head, thinking of Physician Bai. Physician Bai insisted on coming to the Poison Hall, though he hadn't stated his exact purpose. The Grand Alchemist assumed it was for some treasures or essential items. If that was the case, why wasn't he searching quickly? What kind of nonsense was it to go to the library to read books? The library only contained books about poison masters; it was a place accessible to any poison master, so there definitely wouldn't be any treasures there. Coming here risking his life... just to find a book? If that were true, it would be utterly ridiculous!

"Never mind, he probably knows the danger and won't stay too long..."

As he was muttering to himself, he heard an uproar outside the room, and countless poison masters rushed out. The Poison Hall was always enclosed, and each poison master performed their duties, rarely moving around aimlessly. What was happening?

"Poison Master Han, what's going on?" he asked, standing up and grabbing a poison master.

"Don't you know? I heard someone else came outside, claiming to be an envoy, and wants everyone in the Poison Hall to greet him!" Poison Master Han replied.

"Another... envoy?" Physician Bai was fake, but this one... surely couldn't be real, could it? If he was real, then things would really be messed up! It was like a fake encountering the genuine article, and they weren't even trapped inside the Poison Hall yet... The Grand Alchemist felt his vision go black.

"Yes, let's go take a look together. The headquarters never used to send anyone over, so why two at once?" Poison Master Han muttered, his face full of surprise, and pulled him forward.

"I..." The Grand Alchemist's legs cramped, and he shook his head repeatedly: "I... I'd rather not go!" He had just managed to muddle through, avoiding exposure, and then the real envoy arrived. "Heaven, are you playing with me?!"

"Let's go!" Not allowing him to say more, Poison Master Han grabbed him, and the two quickly headed towards the main gate.

Soon, they arrived. By then, the area in front of the gate was already crowded with poison masters, and the three Vice Hall Masters and many elders had also arrived. In front of the crowd, two figures stood.

"Steward Lu?" With just one glance, he recognized one of them. It was Steward Lu from his own residence. Steward Lu had previously brought him here once, but only stayed outside for a while before leaving and hadn't entered the Poison Hall. He hadn't expected him to still remember the route. It seemed Steward Lu must have led the way; otherwise, even a genuine envoy would have difficulty finding this place.

Realizing this, he looked at the person standing next to Steward Lu. It was a middle-aged man wearing a dark red cloak, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his chin slightly raised, his face devoid of emotion.

"That's... a poison master badge... a Three-star Poison Master?" The Grand Alchemist's mouth twitched as his eyes fell upon the other person's robe. On the other person's chest hung a poison master badge, with three stars sparkling on it. The most powerful old Hall Master of the Red Lotus Branch only had early Three-star rank. After his death, the strongest was Vice Hall Master Liao Xun, who was at the peak of Two-star. A Three-star Poison Master... He had still been wondering if this person might also be fake, but now his last shred of hope vanished.

No one in the Poison Hall would dare offend a Three-star Poison Master, even if he wasn't an envoy. Otherwise, they would surely be poisoned into a hornet's nest immediately, dying without even knowing how. Reaching such a rank, his cultivation had probably reached the Supreme Realm. Even without using poison, he could destroy the entire Poison Hall with one hand, effortlessly.

"This..." Liao Xun hadn't expected another envoy, and a Three-star Poison Master at that. His demeanor became respectful, and he clasped his fists: "May I ask the envoy's name? Would it be convenient for me to see your Golden Poison Heart Medallion? I'm not questioning your identity, but it's a rule left by the headquarters that an envoy must have an identification token for us to engage."

He said the same words he had used when facing Zhang Xuan earlier.

The envoy said nothing. With a flick of his wrist, a heart-shaped golden medallion appeared in his palm and he tossed it over casually. Liao Xun and the others quickly caught it and looked down. After just one glance, their pupils simultaneously contracted, confirming its authenticity.

"It's real!" The Golden Poison Heart Medallion was something only envoys possessed, representing the Poison Master Headquarters. It carried a special, ancient aura, and even if one had never seen it before, a single glance was enough to easily distinguish its authenticity.

"This person is a Three-star Poison Master and has the Golden Poison Heart Medallion... he definitely can't be fake. So that other one..." After examining the identification item, a thought simultaneously struck Liao Xun and the others. Since this one was real, the other one was very likely fake. Otherwise, why would he be evasive when asked for the Golden Poison Heart Medallion?

"What, is there a problem?" Seeing their faces alternate between red and white, unsure of what they were thinking, the envoy's expression darkened, radiating an imposing aura without even needing to get angry.

"No..." Liao Xun hesitated: "It's just that an envoy already arrived earlier, and suddenly seeing you, venerable envoy, has surprised us a little!"

"Hmm?" The envoy frowned: "The headquarters only sent me here to handle the establishment of the new Hall Master and to retrieve that item, which has matured. They haven't dispatched anyone else. Someone already arrived? What does that mean?"

"It's like this, about an hour ago, someone arrived who also claimed to be an envoy, and he's currently reading in the library!" Liao Xun quickly explained.

"Claiming to be an envoy? Does he have a Golden Poison Heart Medallion?" The envoy's eyebrows rose.

"Well..." Liao Xun hesitated: "He didn't give us the medallion!"

"Nonsense!" The envoy flicked his sleeve, and an astonishing aura surged skyward: "How can he be an envoy without a Golden Poison Heart Medallion? Take me to him. I want to see who dares to impersonate a headquarters envoy!"

"Yes, envoy, this way!" Liao Xun and the others quickly made way, and everyone immediately walked towards the central hall of the Poison Hall.

As everyone strode forward, the Grand Alchemist swayed as if his spirit had been drained, his entire body stiff.

"Master..." Steward Lu saw him and quickly walked up.

"What's going on..." The Grand Alchemist couldn't help but transmit a message telepathically.

"You and Physician Bai had just left for a day when this person arrived, asking you to lead the way to the Poison Hall. I had no choice but to guide him. I originally thought we might catch up on the way, so I sped up, but who knew... we kept going all the way here!" Steward Lu also looked on the verge of tears.

A total of four people knew about Physician Bai's plan to impersonate an envoy to the Poison Hall: the Grand Alchemist, Steward Lu, Physician Bai himself, and Miss Mo Yu. Miss Mo Yu had already gone to Tianwu Royal City and left long ago, so he was the only one left who knew. When this person revealed his identity and the Grand Alchemist wasn't present, he had no choice but to lead the way himself. He had thought that by speeding up, they might catch up on the road, thus at least avoiding disaster, but he never dreamed... that they would keep going all the way here without catching up.

"This time... it's really over!" After hearing Steward Lu's explanation, the Grand Alchemist's mouth twitched, and a mouthful of blood felt trapped in his chest, ready to burst out at any moment. If they had arrived a little slower, Physician Bai would have gotten what he wanted and left the Poison Hall, and even if they had found out, it would have been too late. If they had arrived earlier and caught up with them, knowing that the real envoy had come, they wouldn't have needed to pretend and could have just followed as attendants, still gaining entry.

But... now, he had just finished claiming to be an envoy, completed all the pretense, and the other party was starting to believe him, when suddenly... damn it, the real envoy appeared! It was like being caught naked entwined with a beautiful woman and claiming there was nothing between them. Who the hell would believe that?! Caught red-handed, it was too late even to try to explain! He should have known that impersonating an envoy was unreliable... But he never expected it to be *this* unreliable! It seemed his old life, which he had just barely saved, might be lost again...

"Master, what do we do now?" Steward Lu also thought of this, his face mournful.

"I don't know what to do either..." The Grand Alchemist shook his head: "It looks like we can only wait for death..."

His face full of despair, he looked around and noticed many poison masters focusing their gaze on him. There was no way to escape, so he could only follow behind the crowd towards the main hall.

"Oh, right... it seems Physician Bai still doesn't know that the real envoy has arrived!" After a few steps, the Grand Alchemist's expression changed as a thought suddenly struck him. If he had known in advance, he could have thought of a solution. But now, knowing nothing, he was caught completely off guard... However, with the Vice Hall Masters and elders, and even the real envoy, all ahead, it was too late even to try to send a message.

While he was lost in thought, everyone had already entered the room.

"Elder Blackeye, please go and invite that envoy out!" Having settled into his seat in the main hall, Liao Xun waved his hand and said nonchalantly.

"Yes!" Elder Blackeye quickly walked out, striding towards the library.

In a little over an hour, Zhang Xuan had finished reading all the books inside. Seeing the person coming to invite him, he walked out.

"What, are you ready? If you're ready, let's begin!" Arriving in the hall, Zhang Xuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, glancing at Liao Xun and the others, and said casually.

"You're the one claiming to be an envoy?" Liao Xun and the others didn't speak. The envoy stood up, his eyes narrowing.

"What are you?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, his voice imbued with an almost blasphemous authority: "Did I give you permission to speak?"

"Damn it!" The Grand Alchemist spurted blood: "It's truly over..."