Chapter 1146: The Loyal Youth King

"Teacher..."

Her expression changing, Luo Qiqi quickly stepped in front of Zhang Xuan.

The strength of these guards was nothing special—they were only at the Half-Saint level—but combined with the surrounding formations and the special environment left by the gardener, they immediately became a different matter.

The attack power they generated would make it difficult even for a Saint Domain Triple-Realm expert to escape if trapped.

"No need to be nervous!"

Seeing the girl like this, Zhang Xuan pulled her behind him, looked at the young man before him, and curled his lips: "You want to teach me a lesson?"

"You were invited by the prince, so your life can be spared, but making you suffer a bit of physical pain is nothing!" The young man sneered.

The prince had once said that if the other party truly didn't obey, he could be taught a lesson without regard for his identity as a master teacher, so he felt emboldened.

"Physical pain?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed: "Originally, I would have just kicked you and been done with it, but you just won't listen... I don't like people who don't listen!"

With that, he lightly rubbed his thumb and middle finger together and snapped.

Snap!

The crisp sound echoed through the courtyard. The black-clad young man, who had initially thought the other was putting on an act, suddenly felt his whole body convulse as a sharp pain surged from within.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed out, his face turning pale in an instant, and he looked over in terror.

"You, you... poisoned me?"

In an instant, he understood what had happened—he had been poisoned by the other party without knowing when.

His body trembling, he hastily took out two antidote pills from his storage ring and swallowed them. But instead of helping, they made the pain worse. Cold sweat poured from his head, and it seemed he might vomit blood and die at any moment.

"Poison? When did you notice I poisoned you? You must have eaten something unclean! But don't worry, I'm a very skilled physician; I can treat you for free..."

Zhang Xuan spread his hands, looking innocent and sincere.

He was now a master teacher and couldn't reveal his identity as a poison master, so of course he wouldn't admit it.

"You..."

Veins bulging on his forehead, the black-clad young man ground his teeth... He wanted to attack, but finally gritted his teeth: "Let them pass!"

Originally intending to teach the other a lesson, he had instead fallen into the other's trap. Though full of resentment, he had no choice but to let it go.

"Yes!"

The guards said no more and made way.

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan approached the black-clad young man, leaned close to his ear, and said in a voice only the other could hear: "This poison of mine can only be neutralized by slapping your own face hard. Otherwise, the pain will worsen, and you'll eventually vomit blood and die."

"Slap my face? Are you bluffing me? What kind of poison is that?" The young man was taken aback.

"There really isn't one... I'll be going now. Do as you please!" Without explaining, Zhang Xuan led the two women forward.

"You..."

Expecting the other to explain such a deadly poison, he instead directly admitted there was none, acknowledging it so frankly and shamelessly that the black-clad young man was stunned.

Just as he was at a loss, his body seethed again, and his internal organs felt as if they were being corroded by sulfuric acid, on the verge of shattering.

Pfft!

Another mouthful of blood sprayed out.

"If this continues, I'll definitely die..."

Feeling his vitality gradually fading, just as the other had said, he was on the brink of death. Cold sweat streaming down his head, the black-clad young man gritted his teeth and turned to a nearby guard: "Come over and slap my face..."

"Slap, slap your face? Manager Qin, I... I dare not!"

The guard was startled.

"Hurry up!"

The young man's face twisted.

He had to do it; he didn't want to die.

Though the other was likely tricking him, he had no other choice now.

"This..."

Zhang Xuan's conversation with him had not been heard by the others. The guards were baffled that Manager Qin had such masochistic tendencies, exchanging glances, unsure what to do.

"Hurry up, or I'll kill you all..."

Seeing no action, the young man shouted.

"Yes..."

The guard approached, gritted his teeth, and raised his hand to slap.

Slap!

The young man's face immediately reddened and swelled.

"Hmm?"

His face stung, but the pain inside indeed seemed to lessen somewhat.

"Could there really be such a poison?"

Surprised, he said, "Keep slapping, don't stop..."

"Yes!"

Fearing for his life, the guard slapped him frantically.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

After several slaps, the black-clad young man's face was swollen beyond recognition, but the poison inside seemed to have eased considerably, and the previous pain was gone.

"It really works..."

Suppressing the pain on his face, the black-clad young man breathed a sigh of relief.

Though being slapped was humiliating, as long as he could neutralize the poison and save his life, it was a bargain.

After another few dozen slaps, feeling no longer in danger, he stood up, hatred in his eyes flowing like a river.

"Damn it, making me slap my face to neutralize the poison—I'll kill you if I don't..."

Gritting his teeth and roaring, the black-clad young man clenched his fists.

As a loyal subordinate of the Loyal Youth King and the mansion's steward, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"If I hear anyone discussing today's events outside, I'll cut out all your tongues!"

He turned and snorted.

"Yes, we wouldn't dare..."

The guards quickly bowed their heads.

"Hmph!" The black-clad young man finally relaxed and hurried after Zhang Xuan in the direction he had gone.

...

"Teacher Zhang, that guy will probably come after us again. Are we just letting him go?"

Following closely behind Zhang Xuan, Yu Fei'er couldn't help but look at the young man before her.

Although Teacher Zhang usually seemed cheerful, once he acted, he never showed mercy—just like when he took her as a maid; she had been furious but helpless.

That black-clad young man was clearly not a good person. Having offended him so badly... letting him go didn't fit his character.

"Daring to openly target a master teacher academy's dean, a six-star peak master teacher, he must have made thorough plans. Not killing him might yield better results..."

Zhang Xuan transmitted his voice.

Normally, he would have killed such a person or at least beaten him until he couldn't walk, but now that Sun Qiang was in their hands, he had to be cautious.

There was only one path to the main hall, and no guide was needed. They walked straight ahead and soon arrived.

The towering hall was dozens of meters high, with four thick pillars standing in front, each over three meters in diameter, giving a strong sense of pressure from afar.

"You must be Teacher Zhang. The prince is waiting inside..."

A guard approached.

Without answering, the three stepped inside.

The hall was extremely spacious, covering over a thousand square meters, its ceiling inlaid with countless night pearls of the same size, illuminating every corner clearly.

At the main seat sat a middle-aged man with a commanding presence, dark-skinned, eyes like lightning. Even before approaching, he exuded a deterrent force, clearly someone wielding great power and accustomed to killing.

This should be the legendary prince, the Loyal Youth King.

Not far from the Loyal Youth King, in a guest seat, sat an elderly man in his sixties, not very tall, somewhat hunched, with no discernible aura. He sat as still as an oil painting; if not for his visible presence, one might not notice him at all.

"This Loyal Youth King is at the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm... this hunched old man is probably even stronger!"

In an instant, Zhang Xuan assessed the situation.

Though the Loyal Youth King's strength was heavy and vast with a strong killing aura, the truly fearsome one was definitely the hunched old man.

Even without using his Insight Eye to observe carefully, the fact that he could hide his aura so perfectly indicated his strength, not inferior to Teacher Wu after his promotion.

"Are you Teacher Zhang Xuan?"

As he observed them, they observed him. When the three reached the center of the hall, the Loyal Youth King raised an eyebrow and looked over.

"That's right."

Nodding, Zhang Xuan walked to a guest seat on one side of the hall and sat down.

Though the other party held great power and was strong himself, he was not afraid.

If they didn't provoke him, fine; if they did, he wouldn't hesitate to turn the entire Qingyuan City upside down.

To be honest, wherever he went, it was a blessing if he didn't cause trouble. Picking a fight with him... was asking for death!

"Did I give you permission to sit?"

His expression darkening, the Loyal Youth King exuded an imposing aura without anger, and a powerful pressure bore down.

"I am a six-star peak master teacher, dean of the Master Teacher Academy, with status comparable to a seven-star master teacher... I sit when I want. Even your emperor wouldn't dare say a word. Who do you think you are?"

Lifting his eyelids, Zhang Xuan looked over.

Hearing this, Yu Fei'er and Luo Qiqi both twitched inwardly, their palms slick with cold sweat.

Coming alone to someone else's mansion and still being so righteous, directly cursing... Teacher Zhang's courage was too great!

But a master teacher had the dignity of a master teacher. Without such boldness, he wouldn't be qualified to be called the number one profession, teaching the world.

"Six-star peak master teacher? Hmph, do you have the face to call yourself a master teacher? Violating the Master Teacher Pavilion's rules, colluding with poison masters and the Poison Hall... Do you think you can still be the dean?"

The Loyal Youth King sneered.

"Colluding with poison masters and the Poison Hall?" Zhang Xuan looked over, lifting his eyelids: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't speak carelessly. You should know the crime for slandering a master teacher!"

A master teacher could not be insulted.

Slandering a master teacher was a grave crime. Even if the other party was the foremost prince, he could be directly executed.

"Slander? It seems you won't cry until you see the coffin!"

The Loyal Youth King waved his hand.

Clatter!

The sound of chains rang out, and a fat figure was pushed in.

"Young master..."

As soon as the figure saw Zhang Xuan, he called out, but his voice was weak despite his effort.

It was Sun Qiang, who had been captured.

Zhang Xuan glanced at him, his expression darkening.

Sun Qiang's body was covered in wounds, clearly having suffered severe torture. Two Golden Soul Locks were pierced through his chest, preventing him from using his strength. His appearance was utterly miserable.

"What do you mean?"

Turning abruptly, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.