Chapter 297: Zhao Ya Was Harassed

"Hmm!"

Seeing the Bareback Tiger pacing beside the middle-aged man Jiang Shu, its cultivation indeed having advanced to the peak of Grandmaster, Zhang Xuan knew it had been tamed. Satisfied, he nodded and glanced over calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Your teacher is Yang Xuan. I am merely passing through Tianwu Royal City and will stay here for a time. During this period, you and I share the bond of master and student. After I leave, you will still be you, and I will still be I—nothing more than a chance encounter. You must not use my name to swindle others, or you will be killed without mercy!"

The purpose of taking this student was to form a golden page, so naturally he could not keep him forever. He made this clear in advance.

"Yes!"

Jiang Shu nodded, a hint of disappointment flickering across his face.

When he had been asked to become a disciple earlier, though he did not refuse, he still felt some resistance in his heart.

But when he saw the other give that pill to the Bareback Tiger, and the beast indeed broke through, he realized how fortunate it was to be accepted as a student by such a person.

An ordinary healing pill, casually refined, became a treasure that allowed a savage beast to break through. Such a method, even for someone well-traveled, was unheard of.

With just this one skill, the man before him was likely far more than a mere three-star master teacher.

"May I ask where you reside, Teacher, so that I may call on you from time to time?"

Knowing that even being his student for a short while was a gain, Jiang Shu suppressed his disappointment and clasped his fists.

"I have no fixed lodging yet. Once I do, I will send word to you." Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Alright, you may go back now."

Making him grateful to form a golden page could not be accomplished in one go. Taking him as a student today and gaining some trust was already significant progress.

If he pushed too fast, it might backfire.

"Yes!"

Knowing that experts had their ways, Jiang Shu dared not say more. He mounted the Bareback Tiger again and turned to leave.

"Phew!"

After the other left, Zhang Xuan let out a sigh of relief.

Pretending to be a master in front of a master teacher was quite troublesome.

After all, the other had keen eyesight, and the slightest mistake could lead to problems.

"Oh, I forgot to ask about the location of Tianwu Academy!"

He had intended to ask about Tianwu Academy's location, then take a few more students and cultivate them all at once, multitasking. But he forgot, so he would have to find someone in the city again.

He returned to the royal city.

This time, no one followed him, and there were no other matters, so asking around was much simpler.

Tianwu Academy was the largest concentration of talent in the royal city, known to almost everyone.

He soon found out its exact location.

It was near the Master Teacher Pavilion, close to the city center. Walking there would take at least one or two hours.

Hearing it was so far, Zhang Xuan, who had planned to go find someone to fool that night, stopped.

By the time he arrived at Tianwu Royal City, it was already dark. Eating, taking the painting and calligraphy exam, and reading had taken over an hour. Now, dealing with the attacker and taking Jiang Shu as a student had taken another hour. By his previous life's time, it was almost eleven at night.

If he went now, by the time he got there, everyone would be asleep. Going to recruit people in the dead of night... he might be mistaken for someone crawling out of a grave and buried again.

"Forget it. I'll do it tomorrow. Let's find a place to rest for the night."

After continuous travel, plus the exam, fighting, and showing off, he was exhausted.

"Hmm? [Tianwu Inn]? I'll stay here!"

Walking along the street for a while, he looked around and saw an inn. He stepped inside.

The inn was spacious and clean. He entered the lobby, asked, and found there were vacant rooms, so he checked in.

Just as he entered his room, several figures hurried into the lobby.

"Zhao Ya hasn't returned yet?"

"Yes, Teacher Liu." Wang Ying said timidly.

"Didn't I tell you to return in an hour, whether you found her or not? It's been so long now, why hasn't she come?" Teacher Liu frowned.

"We... separated as soon as we left. When I came back, I didn't see her, thinking she had already returned to her room. I didn't expect that after waiting for so long, she still hasn't shown up..." Wang Ying said.

"Alright, Lu Xun, take Zheng Yang and search the east. Sun Qiang, you and Liu Yang and Yuan Tao search the west. Wang Ying, Huang Yu, and I will search the north. The south is the city gate, so no need to go there."

Teacher Liu instructed: "Regardless, same rule as last time: return within an hour!"

"Yes!"

Everyone nodded and walked out.

...

Physician Bai Chan had been riding high lately.

Ever since returning from the Red Lotus Mountain Range, all physicians treated him with respect and courtesy.

Even the guild leader of the Physician Guild had a different attitude toward him.

Once always cold-shouldered, he had now become the center of attention. Those two-star physicians who used to look down on him now dared not speak loudly in his presence...

This made him increasingly happy and satisfied with his current life.

"Who would have thought that being knocked out in an alley would bring me such benefits..."

Today, after drinking with the guild leader like brothers, he was already feeling dizzy and bleary-eyed as he walked.

The starting point of his life change was being knocked out in Red Lotus City.

After waking up, countless physicians' attitudes toward him had changed.

Thinking about it, he wondered if it was all a dream.

Of course, after these days, I finally understood completely.

That young man who appeared with Princess Moyu knocked him out, then borrowed his name and appearance to rescue the Great Medicine King.

These physicians deliberately showed him goodwill and approached him, first, to get some good medicine at a low price from the Great Medicine King through his connections, and second, to find out what the so-called contract gu was and how it was cured.

At that time, he was just lying in a cold alley, his clothes stripped off. How could he know any Great Medicine King? Naturally, he knew even less about the so-called contract gu...

But having finally turned his life around and being valued by so many people, if he denied it, wouldn't that be disgraceful and likely get him beaten to death?

After much deliberation, he had been lying until now.

Whenever someone asked about the Great Medicine King, he would clench his teeth and change the subject.

Seeing that he wouldn't speak, everyone thought it might involve secrets and stopped asking, which only raised his status further.

This result thrilled him. He would dive into every alley he came across, hoping to be knocked out again and gain even greater fame.

Today, after taking leave of the guild master and returning alone to his residence, he saw an alley and was about to enter when a young girl walked toward him.

The girl was not old, only sixteen or seventeen, but her appearance was extraordinarily beautiful, surpassing all the beauties he had ever seen. Even Princess Moyu, known as the number one beauty of the Tianwu Kingdom, paled in comparison.

His lecherousness was well-known. That was why Moyu had originally disliked him. Having played the role of a lofty expert for so long, suddenly seeing such a beauty, coupled with the effects of alcohol, his eyes lit up.

...

Knowing that Teacher Zhang had appeared at the Calligraphers and Painters Guild, Zhao Ya and the others left the inn to search everywhere.

To be more efficient, they split up.

They had searched almost every street and tavern around, but there was no trace at all.

Having just searched this alley, Zhao Ya rubbed her slightly tired eyes and was about to return to the inn when she saw a lecherous-looking old man approaching.

"Drinking alone is dull. Young lady, how about joining me for a few cups?" Physician Baichan blocked her way.

"Move aside!"

Zhao Ya frowned.

Since her Pure Yin constitution had awakened, her appearance and temperament had undergone a qualitative change. She often encountered such harassment, but usually from men her own age. An old man old enough to be her grandfather popping up made her expression turn unpleasant.

"And if I don't?"

Physician Baichan snorted.

It was nearly midnight, and the once-bustling alley was almost deserted. Even if someone were around, seeing his luxurious clothes, they probably wouldn't dare to intervene.

"You're asking for death!"

Seeing this guy's thuggish demeanor, Zhao Ya frowned, flipped her wrist, and a long sword appeared in her palm.

She activated her Pure Yin constitution to its limit, and a cold sword aura shot straight at the man before her.

"Ungrateful!"

Seeing Zhao Ya dare to use a sword against him, Physician Baichan snorted and grabbed at it.

Ding!

The long sword landed in his palm.

Physician Baichan might have been knocked out with one punch by Zhang Xuan, but he was a genuine peak Tongxuan realm expert, far beyond what Zhao Ya, who had only opened two acupoints, could contend with.

"Damn!"

Her sword taken, Zhao Ya's heart tightened. She knew this man's strength was beyond her ability to resist. Leaping up, she dashed straight toward the inn.

With her Pure Yin constitution awakened, her speed, though not as fast as Wang Ying's, was still considerable. The inn was not far from here. If she could reach it and have Teacher Liu intervene, she was sure this fool would be taught a lesson.

"Trying to escape? Think you can?"

Having finally encountered such a beauty, Baichan wasn't about to let her get away. He pursued closely.

"Zhao Ya?"

After a frantic dash, Zhao Ya arrived at the inn's lobby, where she happened to run into Teacher Liu and the others, who were about to go out.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

Seeing her rush in flustered, everyone was puzzled.

"This old man harassed me..."

Zhao Ya pointed behind her.

Physician Baichan had also entered the lobby by now.

"What?"

Hearing that she had been harassed, Zheng Yang and the others were furious. Their brows shot up, and they were about to charge over.

"Hold on!"

Teacher Liu immediately saw the man's strength and stopped them.

Physician Baichan, seeing that there were people here, flashed a glance. "No wonder you ran so fast—you have people here! Since that's the case, it's simple!"

As an old hand, he had seen such scenes many times and wasn't afraid at all.

"May I ask, friend, what business do you have chasing my student?"

Knowing that this was the Tianwu King City, a place of mixed company, Teacher Liu, though angry, forced himself to stay calm. He stepped forward and cupped his hands.

"This young lady stole something of mine, so I came to demand it back. Since you know her, it's simple: either hand over the item, or hand her over to me to deal with!"

Physician Baichan waved his hand and said coolly.

"Stole something of yours? You... nonsense!"

Unexpectedly, this man not only harassed her but also turned the tables and accused her of theft. Zhao Ya's face flushed with anger, and she nearly exploded.