Chapter 298: False Accusation

"May I ask what you have lost, sir?"

Liu Shi could see that the other was deliberately saying this, and frowned.

"I have lost a very precious medicinal herb!"

Physician Bai Chan, long accustomed to this kind of routine, said calmly, "Hand over the herb immediately, or I will report this at once and have you thrown into prison!"

"Liu Shi, I didn't take anything from him. He's slandering me!"

Zhao Ya hurriedly explained.

"That's right, Liu Shi. Zhao Ya's father is the city lord of White Jade City. She has everything she could want. How could she possibly steal?"

"Teacher Zhang himself is an alchemist. What medicinal herb couldn't he buy? Why would he need to steal?"

Zheng Yang and the others also stepped forward.

Having been together for so long, they naturally trusted Zhao Ya's character.

How could she steal from this despicable old man?

"Mm!"

Liu Shi raised his hand to cut off their words and looked up. "I am Liu Ling, a one-star master teacher from the Northern Wu Kingdom. I brought some students here. There may be some misunderstanding..."

As he spoke, he turned his wrist, and a token representing his identity appeared in his palm.

"One-star master teacher?"

Physician Bai Chan was taken aback.

Master teachers held a very high status in the Heavenly Martial King City, far beyond that of physicians at the same rank.

However, in the Heavenly Martial King City, those with true high status were two-star master teachers; one-star was still somewhat lacking.

Moreover, a powerful dragon cannot crush a local snake. So what if he was a master teacher? As long as he wasn't from the Heavenly Martial King City, there were at least ten thousand ways to shut him up.

With these thoughts, and recalling how even some one-star physicians had treated him with respect these past days, his arrogance surged again. His face darkened. "Misunderstanding? Even the guild leader of the Physician Guild treats me with deference. Are you saying I'm falsely accusing your little student?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Seeing that the other still spoke this way even after he had revealed his identity, Liu Shi quickly explained.

A one-star master teacher commanded great respect in the Northern Wu Kingdom and the Tianxuan Kingdom, where no one dared to offend him, but in a first-class kingdom like Heavenly Martial, his importance diminished.

Some powerful families even kept such teachers as retainers.

Because of this, although this identity made many wary, those with real power and background did not care much—unless one reached the two-star level!

With the Master Teacher Pavilion behind him, although he wasn't too afraid and no one would dare harm him, it was different for Zhao Ya and the others.

They were strangers here. If this wasn't resolved properly and turned into a dispute, there would be no end of trouble.

If the other party truly resorted to underhanded tactics, it could even damage his reputation as a master teacher.

"If that's not what you meant, then what did you mean? Your student stole my things, and I've chased him here. Can't I even reclaim them?"

Physician Bai Chan waved his hand grandly, his momentum overwhelming.

He knew what the other feared and grew even more reckless.

"Gentlemen, what's going on here?"

The argument was loud, and at that moment, the owner of the Heavenly Martial Inn hurried over.

"One of your guests stole something from me. What do you think is going on?" Physician Bai Chan casually pulled over a chair and sat down.

"This..."

The owner looked anxious.

He had heard from the waiter that one party was a one-star master teacher and the other was Physician Bai Chan, who was currently at the peak of his influence in the Physician Guild. He couldn't afford to offend either.

"I won't make things difficult for you. Since you can't resolve it, go fetch the patrol. I'm sure there are some outside."

Raising his eyelids, Physician Bai Chan spoke confidently. A master teacher from a small place like the Northern Wu Kingdom was nothing to fear.

"Yes, yes!"

The owner breathed a sigh of relief and quickly signaled. The waiter, upon receiving the order, hurried out.

The Heavenly Martial King City was vast, and conflicts occurred daily. They needed to be dealt with promptly to maintain order. The patrol was a team dispatched by the royal family specifically for this purpose.

Whenever trouble arose, they could be notified to come.

"This... May I ask what medicinal herb you lost, sir? It's inconvenient to trouble the patrol so late. Perhaps we can settle this privately?"

Hearing that the patrol was being called, Liu Shi had no choice but to clasp his hands and speak.

The downside of being on someone else's turf was that the patrol would certainly side with them. If they determined that Zhao Ya had stolen something, the ensuing interrogations and trials would be extremely troublesome.

If it were just him, he wouldn't be afraid. Without an order from the Master Teacher Pavilion, no one would dare arrest him.

But Zhao Ya and the others came from a small place like the Tianxuan Kingdom and had no significant status. Once investigated, it would take at least a month or two to resolve. Moreover, once in prison, the other party could say whatever they wanted.

He had been entrusted by 'Big Brother' to bring the students here. If they ended up imprisoned, how would he explain to 'Big Brother'?

Thus, he intended to settle the matter quietly to avoid trouble.

"What herb did I lose? Since you want to know, I'll tell you. I lost a thousand-year [Iron Blue Flower]. If sold, it would be worth at least ten million gold coins. Settling privately is fine—either pay ten million gold coins, or hand the girl over to me."

Physician Bai Chan looked over smugly.

You want to settle privately? Watch me toy with you!

"You... nonsense!"

"Slander!"

Zhao Ya hadn't expected the other to be so shameless. Her pretty face flushed with anger, and her breathing quickened.

Zheng Yang and the others clenched their fists.

"A thousand-year Iron Blue Flower?"

Liu Shi's expression also darkened.

As a master teacher, though not well-versed in medicine, he had heard of the Iron Blue Flower. It was a precious herb, and a thousand-year-old one was even rarer. If sold, ten million gold coins might not even be enough to buy it.

Ten million gold coins—he had accumulated that much over the years, but being extorted for such a sum was unbearable even for him.

"Indeed!"

Physician Bai Chan tapped his fingers on the table and raised his eyelids. "I had just bought this herb when I ran into your student, and then it disappeared. Who else could have stolen it? Either pay up, or if you don't want to, let me take her back for questioning. Otherwise, I'll spread the word that you condone student theft, and we'll see if the Master Teacher Pavilion takes action."

As he spoke, he poured himself a cup of water from the table and looked over smugly.

"This..."

Liu Shi's face turned ashen.

The other party seemed to have grasped the weakness of a master teacher.

Any master teacher cherished their reputation. If he was falsely accused of condoning student theft, how could he ever take the two-star assessment? How could he face others?

Clatter!

As the room fell into a tense silence, a group of people arrived—the patrol summoned by the waiter.

Each of them was at the Acupoint Opening Realm, and the one at the front was even a Transcendent Realm expert.

Clad in iron armor and holding longswords, they exuded a cold, iron-blooded aura.

"Greetings, Physician Bai Chan!"

The patrol members entered the hall. The leader glanced around, recognized Bai Chan, and stepped forward with a cupped fist salute.

If anyone had been the talk of the entire king city recently, it was Princess Mo Yu. As for the second, it was probably the man sitting before them.

It was said that he had cured an illness that even three-star physicians couldn't treat. His true skill likely surpassed three stars and reached a higher level, but his cultivation was insufficient, so he hadn't taken the exam.

"Oh, Captain Yao!"

Raising his eyelids, Bai Chan recognized the man and waved his hand. "Since it's you, this is simple. That girl stole the herb that Great Medicine King just gave me—a thousand-year Iron Blue Flower. How do you think this should be handled?"

"Great Medicine King?"

Captain Yao's expression shifted slightly.

The Great Medicine King was immensely famous and represented the Poison Hall. Because of this, he had become something of a local tyrant in Red Lotus City, and the Heavenly Martial royal family had never sent troops against him.

If the Great Medicine King personally gave him herbs, it seemed the rumors were true. This matter had to be handled carefully.

"How dare you steal Physician Bai Chan's herbs? What audacity!"

With a cold snort, Captain Yao stepped forward and approached Liu Shi. "Master Teacher, I respect your status and won't use force. Hand over the student! Let me take her back for questioning. Rest assured, the patrol is fair and just. If she is innocent, we will give you a just verdict. If she truly stole, even if you are a master teacher, we won't hesitate to take this to the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"This... Please don't rush. We are willing to settle privately."

Seeing that the two knew each other and knowing that once Zhao Ya was arrested, the theft charge would be pinned on her, Liu Shi took a deep breath and said.

"Liu Shi, no!"

"Zhao Ya didn't steal anything. Why settle privately?"

"That's right, Liu Shi. Settling privately would be admitting that Zhao Ya took their things. It would greatly damage your reputation..."

...

Hearing that Liu Shi wanted to settle privately, Zheng Yang, Lu Xun, and others cried out in alarm.

Settling privately would imply guilt, as if they had truly stolen. Liu Shi's reputation would suffer greatly, and the Master Teacher Pavilion might even launch an investigation.

Then it would be impossible to defend themselves.

"Enough! All of you, be quiet!"

Liu Shi waved his hand.

If they didn't settle privately, Zhao Ya would inevitably be taken back for interrogation. How could he face 'Big Brother' if he lost a student he was supposed to look after?

"Settle privately?"

Unexpected that this master teacher would be willing to part with ten million gold coins for his student, Bai Chan clicked his tongue and then sneered, "Settling privately is fine. I've thought it over. This thousand-year Iron Blue Flower is extremely precious. Ten million can't buy it. It's worth about fifty million gold coins. Bring the gold, and I'll leave. If you can't, sorry, but I'm taking the girl today."

"Fifty million? You... what herb could be worth that much?"

"You just said ten million, and now you've raised the price. Despicable..."

...

Hearing the man suddenly raise the price to fifty million, everyone was furious and glared at him.

Liu Shi also clenched his fists.

In all his years as a master teacher, he had never suffered such humiliation!

"What? If you want to settle privately, hurry up. Don't dawdle here. My time is precious; I don't have time to waste with you."

Physician Bai Chan picked up his teacup and looked over smugly.

"You..."

Liu Shi's face was livid.

"Liu Shi, I'll go with them. He harassed me and then falsely accused me of stealing herbs. I don't believe there's no law in the entire Heavenly Martial Kingdom!"

Zhao Ya stepped forward and said loudly.

...

In the room, Zhang Xuan, who had just finished washing up and was about to sleep, suddenly paused.

"That sounds like... Zhao Ya? Could they have arrived?"