Chapter 187: Too Much Nonsense

He didn't have even a ten-thousandth of confidence in the medicinal liquid that Master Yang had prepared, but as the other had said, if no other way could be found, this ancestor probably wouldn't last even three more minutes.

Either way, he was going to die, so he might as well take a gamble!

Regardless, this Master Yang had successfully cured Ling Tianyu's wife and Du Miaoxuan and the others. Even if his actions over the past half day had been highly unreliable and left people utterly bewildered, he was still the only hope.

After a dozen or so breaths, he gritted his teeth: "Fine, I'll try!"

He had to treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

At this moment, there really was no good option.

Having made his decision, Emperor Shen Zhui gritted his teeth, picked up the jade bottle from the table, and walked over to the ancestor.

"Ancestor, forgive me..."

He found a spoon, pried open the mouth, and poured the medicinal liquid down.

"Wuwu..."

Although Ancestor Shen Hong was on the verge of death, he still had some awareness. Feeling the liquid being forced down his throat, he almost cried.

He had basically seen everything that had happened earlier, and knowing that in the end they had brought in this Master Yang filled him with utter dismay.

He was the venerable ancestor of the Tianxuan Kingdom, a super-strong expert even more revered than the king himself, and yet they brought him untested poison... using him as a test subject for pills! And not just any test, but one where a mistake meant instant death...

Why is my fate so bitter? It's hard to live in peace, and even dying in peace is too much to ask...

Soon, Emperor Shen Zhui had forcibly poured the entire jade bottle of liquid into Ancestor Shen Hong's mouth.

Cough, cough, cough!

Shen Hong's eyes rolled back, his body twitched twice, and then he was still.

"Ancestor..."

Emperor Shen Zhui's face turned pale, he stepped back a few paces, and burst into tears.

Had it failed?

The ancestor was not only the cornerstone of the Tianxuan Kingdom, but more importantly, there was the grace he had shown and the unbreakable blood bond!

Calling Shen Hong 'ancestor' was actually because he was the king from two generations ago, his own grandfather.

His own grandfather had just died before his eyes, and died because he had forcibly poured medicine down his throat. The grief in his heart was easy to imagine.

"If medicinal liquid were that easy to prepare, poison masters wouldn't be worth much..."

Liu Ling shook his head and looked at Zhang Xuan nearby: "Master Yang, even though Shen Hong would have died without taking the medicine, he died from your liquid. That should count as you killing him, right?"

"Killing him?"

"Exactly. You prepared the liquid, and you ordered it to be poured. Now the man is dead. Who else is responsible?" Liu Ling stared at him intently.

"Master Yang, weren't you very confident in your liquid?" Emperor Shen Zhui also looked over, his gaze accusatory.

I listened to you and poured it down for the ancestor, and now he's dead...

"My responsibility?"

"Exactly. Shen Hong was the cornerstone of the Tianxuan Kingdom. Now that he has died from your liquid, why don't you take his place and stay here to guard the kingdom as compensation?" Liu Ling said.

In truth, he also knew that even without the liquid, Shen Hong was doomed. He deliberately said this to achieve that goal.

Shen Hong's greatest role was to sit guard over the kingdom and keep the various forces in check. Since he was dead, if this Master Yang agreed to stay, the effect would certainly be even greater than if Shen Hong were alive.

Perhaps the Tianxuan Kingdom could even leap forward and become a second-class or first-class kingdom.

"Stay here?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head: "Impossible."

He planned to leave as soon as Emperor Shen Zhui gathered the Tongxuan realm manuals. Stay here?

What a joke!

"Impossible? Master Yang, you not only failed to save Shen Hong but caused his death. Do you feel no regret or shame?" Liu Ling raised an eyebrow.

"Caused his death? You're overthinking it... I thought it was something serious!" Zhang Xuan smiled slightly: "Don't worry, with me here, dying isn't that easy!"

With that, he walked over to Ancestor Shen Hong, who had already lain flat, raised his hand, and slapped him across the face.

Slap!

The sound was crisp.

Cough, cough, cough!

Then the coughing resumed. Shen Hong, who had been motionless, spat out a mouthful of liquid and slowly opened his eyes.

"This..."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Liu Ling, Zheng Fei, and the others, who had been about to speak, had eyes that nearly fell out of their sockets, afraid they were seeing things.

"Ancestor, you..."

Emperor Shen Zhui stepped forward in utter disbelief.

"You unfilial wretch, are you trying to choke me to death? Cough, cough..."

Shen Hong's beard bristled; he no longer looked frail and on the verge of death.

"Master Yang, what exactly is going on..."

Emperor Shen Zhui quickly looked over.

He had clearly seen the ancestor stop moving, so how had he suddenly woken up and could speak?

What was going on?

Not only him, but even Liu Ling, Zhuang Xian, and Zheng Fei felt their understanding was about to collapse.

Resurrection from the dead?

This couldn't be real, could it?

"Shen Hong was weak and near death. I told you to feed him the liquid, but you poured it all in at once. The thick liquid blocked his trachea, making him look dead. As for why he's now full of energy, it's simple: my liquid was successfully prepared and it works."

Zhang Xuan's expression was calm.

It seemed strange, but when explained, it was actually very simple.

The All-Healing Liquid he had prepared had passed the library's inspection, so its efficacy was naturally beyond doubt. Although Shen Hong was near death, after taking it, it still took effect, restoring his vitality in a short time.

Originally, a small amount would have been enough, but Emperor Shen Zhui had poured the entire bottle. With so much liquid blocking his throat, it was a miracle he wasn't choked to death.

Seeing this, Zhang Xuan had slapped him to dislodge the liquid stuck in his throat, allowing him to regain consciousness.

"This..."

After hearing the explanation, Emperor Shen Zhui and the three masters were stunned.

Something concocted so haphazardly actually... damn it, worked?

Other poison masters prepared liquids with various instruments, terrified of the slightest error, but this guy just mixed things with his hands... and succeeded...

Heavens, are you messing with me?

Of course, that wasn't what shocked them most. The key was... this Master Yang, a moment ago, didn't even know what this liquid was, and the next moment, he had prepared it...

Heavens, earth, can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?

Was he really learning on the spot, as he said?

Standing still with eyes closed for a while counts as learning?

And he even learned the poison master profession...

The four of them felt as if they were dreaming.

"Thank you, Master Yang, for saving my life..."

Before their shock had subsided, Ancestor Shen Hong struggled to climb down from the bed and clasped his hands.

The All-Healing Liquid, no matter how close to death one was, as long as one took it, it would cause a temporary revival, allowing one to live normally for a period.

Although he had no strength, getting out of bed was very simple.

"No need for these formalities. Now, perform a set of punches for me to see."

Too lazy to waste words with him, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

The purpose of preparing the liquid to let him move was this. Since he was up, let's get on with it.

"Perform punches? I'm weak now and can't muster any true energy. Even if I did, it would be useless... I'd rather not make a fool of myself."

Shen Hong shook his head: "Having experienced life and death, I've come to understand. If the kingdom can be preserved, so be it; if not, it's fate. There's no need to force it..."

"..." Zhang Xuan.

I want you to perform punches so the library can form a book and I can find out what's wrong with you. Why are you giving me a long-winded speech?

And now you're playing philosopher...

"Brother Shen Hong, having such insights after experiencing life and death is indeed good! All wealth is useless; one's own strength is what matters most. Although the power of the kingdom is good, it has limited your development. Otherwise, with your talent, you would surely have broken through to Grandmaster long ago."

Before Zhang Xuan could speak, Liu Ling nodded approvingly, his eyes full of praise.

"Yes, it's a pity I realized it too late!"

Ancestor Shen Hong sighed, then looked at Zhang Xuan again: "Even so, I still thank Master Yang for helping me regain consciousness. Even without strength, I am very happy..."

Ancestor Shen Hong was about to continue when he saw Master Yang's face turn grim, and then a slap came flying.

Slap!

It landed squarely on the back of his head.

Thud!

Before he could finish his sentence, Ancestor Shen Hong's vision went black, and he immediately lay flat on the ground, unconscious.

"I told you to perform punches, and you give me all this damn nonsense..."

Clapping his hands, Zhang Xuan snorted.

Turning his head, he saw Emperor Shen Zhui and the three masters staring at him, utterly dumbfounded.