Chapter 40: Master Arrives

"Punch me?" The stall owner had no idea what the young man was up to.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"You're messing with me!" Seeing the young man's serious expression, the stall owner's anger flared, and he threw a punch. He had seen sick people, but never anyone this crazy. Asking to be punched? Fine, did the young man really think he wouldn't kill him?

His punch used his full strength, the whistling wind indicating his cultivation level: Martial Artist Triple Realm, True Qi stage, early phase!

"Not bad!"

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan moved and dodged the attack. He had already reached the peak of the Martial Artist Fifth Realm, Dingli stage, so the power of an early-phase Martial Artist Triple Realm naturally couldn't harm him!

"Hmm?" He had initially thought the young man was just a troublemaker with no cultivation. Seeing him easily dodge the attack, he immediately realized the young man's strength was even greater than his own. The stall owner couldn't help but stop, feeling puzzled. A person who had reached the Martial Artist Triple Realm wouldn't really come to buy things with only 8 gold coins, would they?

"If I'm not mistaken, you're from Xiapingyi!"

As the other party made a move, Zhang Xuan's mind, as expected, received information about this person, and he smiled faintly.

"You... how did you know?" The stall owner was stunned. Xiapingyi was a small suburban town near Tianxuan Royal City. There were at least eighty, if not a hundred, towns of that size around the royal city. The fact that this young man named it immediately filled him with doubt. He couldn't help but look himself over; there seemed to be no distinguishing features on his body that would reveal his origin!

"Never mind how I know!" Zhang Xuan switched into his 'pretentious' mode, looking at the stall owner again with a calm and arrogant expression. "Half a year ago, in Tianxuan Forest, you encountered a dangerous situation and were bitten by a Cold Bamboo Snake! Although you escaped with your life, your kidneys were damaged. If I'm not mistaken... it's difficult for you to perform like a man in that regard."

"You... you..." The stall owner stumbled back two steps, his eyes wide, almost popping out of his head. Half a year ago, he had indeed been bitten by a Cold Bamboo Snake in Tianxuan Forest! And the subsequent issue... was also very real. But he had never told anyone about this, except for himself and his beloved. How did this young man know? Could he be a fortune teller? A clairvoyant? The stall owner was full of disbelief.

"What, am I wrong?" Seeing the other party's expression, Zhang Xuan knew that the Heaven's Path Library was definitely not mistaken, and he showed a look of regret. "If you think I'm wrong, I can forget about the herbs and leave right now. However... your only chance to be cured might be lost forever! Alas, don't blame me for not warning you if you can never be a man again..."

"I... Young Master, don't leave!" Hearing that the young man could cure him, the stall owner trembled and quickly stepped forward. "You... you can really help me get better?"

For a man, nothing was more tragic than losing his virility. These days, when friends invited him out, he didn't dare to go, fearing that his problem would be noticed. He had endured much suffering and consulted many physicians, but they all gave him the same conclusion: it was difficult to treat, and the only solution was amputation... He never expected that a casual buyer he encountered would immediately pinpoint his condition and even claim to be able to treat it, which made him somewhat disbelieving.

"You can choose to believe it or not; I won't force you! However, since I can identify your condition, I naturally have a way to treat it!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Please, Young Master, help me! As long as I can be cured... never mind one stalk of Cold Sun Grass, you can take all these herbs!" The stall owner quickly stepped forward, his voice full of pleading. There were too many extraordinary people in the world. The young man was right; since he could identify the problem, he must have a cure! Moreover, even if there was just a glimmer of hope, he had to listen, as it concerned his future happiness...

"Alright, you were bitten by a Cold Bamboo Snake. This creature is inherently yin-cold. Once bitten, its yin-cold energy invades the body, and no medicine can expel it, leading to loss of function! Even some alchemists are powerless against it!"

"But what's strange is that while the snake's entire body is cold, its gallbladder is scorching hot. You just need to find another one, skin and kill it, then ingest its gallbladder. This will completely expel the yin-cold energy from your body, and your damaged kidneys will also recover!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Although there were many antidotes for Cold Bamboo Snake venom, the best one was found within the snake itself. Its gallbladder was the key to neutralizing its unique cold energy. This was detailed in a book from the Hongtian Library. As soon as he thought of the Cold Bamboo Snake, this information immediately appeared. It was precisely because he had this reliance that he mentioned the Cold Bamboo Snake; otherwise, the Heaven's Path Library could reveal countless flaws, and he could have simply picked any one for which he had an answer, without needing to bring this up.

"Eat the Cold Bamboo Snake's gallbladder?" The stall owner was still somewhat unconvinced. It was that simple? If it were truly that simple, why had none of the many physicians he consulted ever mentioned it?

"This marketplace should have Cold Bamboo Snakes for sale. If you don't believe me, you can buy one and try it now. I'll leave after you get your answer!" Zhang Xuan said. Tianyu Marketplace not only sold countless herbs and various treasures, but also savage beasts and animals. The Cold Bamboo Snake was a low-level savage beast; although highly venomous, it could be used in medicine, and indeed, some people sold it.

"Alright then, wait here..." After a brief hesitation, the stall owner turned and left. It wasn't long before he returned, carrying a cage in which a Cold Bamboo Snake was coiled. As a True Qi Realm martial artist, killing a Cold Bamboo Snake was quite simple if prepared. In a short time, the gallbladder was extracted, and without much hesitation, the stall owner swallowed it directly.

"Hmm?" It wasn't long before the stall owner's eyes lit up. He clearly knew whether it had worked.

"Thank you, Young Master, for the cure! All these Cold Sun Grasses are yours!" With eyes shining with excitement, the stall owner was so happy he almost knelt down. This issue had always been a burden on his mind; for a while, he didn't even want to live. He had spent most of his savings from recent years on treatments. He never dreamed it would be cured like this!

"I told you you'd give them to me, didn't I lie?" With the gift offered, Zhang Xuan didn't stand on ceremony, casually taking the box containing the Cold Sun Grass. Knowledge was also wealth; it was only right for him to accept some compensation for helping to cure the other party's ailment.

"Young Master is truly talented. I was blind not to recognize your greatness... please forgive me!" The stall owner scratched his head, feeling very embarrassed. Just moments ago, he had vowed that if he really gave away the Cold Sun Grass, he would call Zhang Xuan "grandpa." He never imagined he would actually do it...

"It's nothing!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, about to leave, when he suddenly saw a group of people rushing forward anxiously, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Hurry, Master Moyang is here!"

"To receive guidance from Master Moyang is a great honor! We absolutely cannot miss this opportunity!"

"If Master Moyang can appraise a treasure for me this time, I'll pay any price!"

"Yes, it's such a pity we missed the last chance..."

The crowd chatted as they moved.

"What's going on?" Seeing their attitude, as if some celebrity had arrived, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel curious.

"It's Master Moyang!" The stall owner was also visibly excited, his eyes sparkling.