Chapter 280: Displaying Strength

"Your teacher's uncle?"

"The envoy's grand-uncle?"

Great Medicine King and Steward Lu exchanged a glance, nearly tearing out their beards.

Aren't you Doctor Bai?

Didn't you say you didn't know if the envoy would come, or when?

Aren't you an impostor?

Since when... did you become the envoy's teacher's uncle?

Damn it!

The key point was... the envoy looked bewildered, as if he himself didn't know he had a grand-uncle!

Pretending to be a senior brother, junior brother, fellow disciple, friend—anything would do... but to go straight for such a high rank...

Brother, you really dare to say that!

If it were them, they wouldn't even dare to think of it.

Both felt blood surging in their chests, ready to spurt out at any moment.

On the side, Liao Xun, the other two hall masters, and many elders also looked dizzy, staring at each other with wide eyes.

They had originally thought this impostor would be slapped to death by the envoy, or at least beaten senseless, but never expected that the two knew each other and... seemed to have a generational relationship.

Could it be such a coincidence?

"Your teacher calls you uncle?" Gu Mu also froze, his whole body stiffening.

The person before him knew everything about him; he had assumed it was some unseen comrade from the branch, but never imagined it would be... such an identity!

He had followed his teacher for so many years and never heard of having an uncle!

But if not, how did the other know everything about him, down to the smallest detail?

Not to mention anything else, just that kind of insight was not something ordinary people could achieve, and even his teacher might not possess it.

"It's just a form of address by seniority. I've always been a free spirit, living in seclusion far away; your teacher might not even know I exist!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, putting on the airs of a master.

To make the other dare not act, he needed an identity that could completely intimidate him.

Since they had attended lectures together, they could call each other fellow disciples. Pretending to be an identity that couldn't be verified or imagined made it hard to expose him without sufficient reason.

It wasn't like he could run back and ask his teacher if he really had this uncle!

Besides, he had already set the terms: maybe his teacher didn't even know, so even if he wanted to check, he couldn't.

However, just bluffing wouldn't do. Since he had pointed out the other's problem, he had to help solve it to gain complete trust.

So Zhang Xuan stopped wasting words, smiled lightly, and looked over: "Alright, let's not dwell on that. Since we meet here, it's fate. I only want to ask you one thing: do you want to solve the problem in your body?"

"I... that problem... can it still be solved?"

Gu Mu still had some doubts about the identity of the person before him. Now, hearing him drop the subject and ask this instead, his face flushed with excitement.

Who would want to die if they could live?

Moreover, he bore a deep blood feud.

His wife had been poisoned to death by a four-star physician. He had been suppressing his pain and anger, training hard, hoping one day to avenge her.

He was only a hair's breadth away from a higher realm, and revenge seemed within reach, but recently he had clearly realized that years of forcibly raising his strength had drained his body, and as the other said, he didn't have long to live.

His death was not worth regretting!

But even if he died, he had to tear that enemy into pieces first.

"Forcibly using poison to enhance cultivation has depleted your body. Others might be helpless, but to me, it's nothing—I can fix it easily!" Zhang Xuan said calmly.

Even a body ravaged by a contract gu could be repaired by the Heavenly Dao true energy; his, still lively, was naturally no problem.

"Please, grand-uncle, take action!"

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Mu knelt down, his eyes showing determination: "As long as you can cure my illness and help me kill my enemy, I will do anything, even be your slave!"

After his wife died, he had long wanted to follow her, but he lingered on just to avenge her.

This person before him, though of unknown origin, could see his problem at a glance and mention things even his teacher hadn't noticed. Perhaps he could truly resolve his hidden danger!

Once the hidden danger was gone, he was confident that his years of accumulation would break through the final barrier and reach the realm he dreamed of.

In other words, this was an opportunity; if successful, revenge was within reach.

Of course, if the other was just playing games, he would rather die together. After all, he didn't have long to live, so he had nothing to fear.

"Ah..."

As he knelt, everyone's eyes nearly popped out.

The headquarters envoy, lofty and exalted, a three-star peak poison master with supreme peak strength, kneeling to an impostor...

Was this real?

Especially Great Medicine King.

He knew the true identity of this Doctor Bai, not some grand-uncle, not even remotely related.

With just a few words, he made the other willingly kneel...

Doctor Bai, you're amazing!

If it were them, caught impersonating someone, they would have long knelt down in fear, not daring to talk back.

But in the end, someone did kneel—only it was the person he was impersonating...

Even seeing it with his own eyes, he felt like he was dreaming.

The change was too fast, catching them off guard, nearly breaking their backs.

But after the shock, they could understand.

If it were him a few days ago, and someone said they could cure the contract gu, he would willingly call them grand-uncle, or even grandfather.

Only when facing death does one understand the value of life; dignity and face mean nothing before it.

"I can act, but there are some rules I need to clarify first!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand and called out: "Great Medicine King, tell Gu Mu my rules!"

His current strength was only half-step master; if the other was conscious during treatment, he would surely reveal his flaws, and his lofty image would collapse.

It was best to treat him while unconscious.

That way, he wouldn't reveal his true cultivation, nor the peculiarity of the Heavenly Dao true energy.

But if he said this himself, it would invite suspicion. Having Great Medicine King say it would be much better.

Great Medicine King, being perceptive, immediately understood his intention and stepped forward: "When Senior Bai treats a patient, the patient must be completely unconscious!"

"Completely unconscious?"

Gu Mu frowned.

In a strange place, falling unconscious meant putting his life in someone else's hands, completely out of his control.

Though what the other said was accurate, it wasn't enough to make him fully trust.

"Don't worry, this is Senior Bai's rule. When he helped me with the contract gu, he also made me sleep!" Great Medicine King persuaded, seeing his hesitation.

"Curing the contract gu? You mean... he cured your contract gu?"

Gu Mu was stunned, full of disbelief.

The contract gu—Liao Xun and the others didn't fully grasp it, being only two-star poison masters with limited knowledge, but as a three-star peak, he had seen many powerful poison masters and knew the terror of this poison!

Legend had it that once infected, even a five-star poison master couldn't cure it.

If even a five-star poison master couldn't solve it, and this grand-uncle could, did that mean his level surpassed that?

"That's right. A few days ago, I was near death, and Senior Bai saw me and cured me!" Great Medicine King said.

"We can confirm that. He was indeed infected with the old hall master's contract gu!" Liao Xun and the others nodded.

"He can cure the contract gu?"

Clenching his fists, Gu Mu carefully looked at Great Medicine King and indeed noticed something off.

As a three-star peak poison master, he could tell if someone had been infected with a contract gu and had suffered an attack.

Confirming his judgment, his face flushed red, and he gained a bit more confidence in the level of this 'grand-uncle' before him.

Still, he was uneasy about being unconscious during treatment.

"I know what you're worried about. Once unconscious, your life is in someone else's hands, and you wouldn't even know how you died. Who would willingly do that?"

Zhang Xuan saw his concern: "If it were someone else questioning me like this, I'd ignore them and leave. But since you're my grand-disciple, I'll tell you this... if I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble!"

With a soft sound, Zhang Xuan stamped his foot.

Swoosh!

Before anyone could react, he had already appeared sixty meters away. The next moment, the distant figure slowly faded, while he himself stood still, as if he hadn't moved.

"Such speed!"

"Even a supreme peak expert couldn't do that!"

"Could it be... he has surpassed the supreme realm?"

...

Everyone around was startled, their pupils contracting.

They were all masters or below, never having seen such speed.

Someone who could move that fast couldn't be weak in cultivation. Luckily, they hadn't acted earlier, or he might have wiped out the entire poison hall branch with a single move!

Great Medicine King also turned pale.

He had always thought this Doctor Bai was on par with him in strength, but he never dreamed the gap was so huge.

With such speed, if he wanted to kill him, his head would have fallen before he even reacted.

Gu Mu's fists clenched instantly.

The speed the other had just displayed was far beyond his own current ability.

And judging by his demeanor, he hadn't even used his full power, appearing completely at ease.

In other words...

This 'grand-uncle's' strength had definitely surpassed the supreme realm, reaching another level.

"Looks like the effect is good!"

Seeing everyone shocked, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

With his cultivation at half-step master, the Heavenly Dao movement technique was faster and covered greater distances.

That was how he had just performed that move.

This move looked flashy and was fast, but in reality, given his current physical strength, he could only use it twice at most. Moreover, at such speed, even he couldn't react, let alone injure or kill anyone.

In short, while this move was fast and useful for escaping, it was utterly useless for killing enemies.

Of course, now it had another use... showing off.

Suppressing the intense tearing sensation in his body, he quietly circulated his true energy while standing still, hands behind his back, like an otherworldly master untouched by worldly dust. He looked calmly at Gu Mu, his voice flat and emotionless.

"With my strength, killing you..."

"...is easier than killing a chicken, don't you think?"