He knew that the other party was going to deal with him, but he didn't think that the other party would be so vicious as to torture Sun Qiang.
As the saying goes, one should look at the master before beating a dog. Sun Qiang was his butler, but the other party didn't even inform him of the matter before bringing him here. It was clear that the other party was looking down on him.
"What do you mean?"
Zhong Qingwang harrumphed coldly. "Bring Vice Hall Master Ming in!"
Hualala!
Along with those words, two guards walked in with a figure in tow.
Upon seeing the other party's appearance, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
He recognized the other party as the vice head of Jingyuan City's Poison Temple, Ming Zhen!
Back then, this fellow had stood up for his student and caused a huge ruckus in the Poison Temple, reducing it to rubble. Wasn't he sentenced to death by Hall Master Ruo Qing from afar?
Why was he still alive?
Furthermore, from the looks of it, he didn't seem to be injured at all, and his cultivation seemed to have improved?
Could something have happened to the Poison Temple?
More importantly, Sun Qiang was shackled tightly while the other party was unshackled. It was as if he was an honored guest of Zhong Qingwang, and this left Zhang Xuan's face a little livid.
"Paying respects to Your Highness!"
Ming Zhen clasped his fist.
"Un. Tell me what you know!"
Zhong Qingwang said.
"I am the vice head of Hongyuan Empire's Jingyuan City's Poison Temple, Ming Zhen. Two months ago, Sun Qiang changed his appearance and paid a visit to the Poison Temple, claiming to be the successor of the founder... He is an extremely formidable poison master, and even I am no match for him in terms of poison... "
Vice Hall Master Ming revealed everything that had happened in the Poison Temple.
"... Eventually, he handed the founder over to Poison Master Bai and Poison Master Hai before leaving. Initially, I was sentenced to death by poison, but it was fortunate that the one who fed me the poison was my student. That was the only reason I was able to escape …"
"The successor of the founder of the Poison Temple? Escorting the founder … If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed it to be true. Zhang Shi, despite being your butler, Sun Qiang is such a formidable poison master... What else do you have to say for yourself? "
Sneering coldly, King Zhongqing turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
"Just based on this, you accuse me of colluding with poison masters? Unworthy of being a master teacher? "
Zhang Xuan had thought that the other party might have some kind of evidence, but upon hearing those words, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "Putting aside whether Ming Zhen's identity is reliable or not, as a member of the Poison Temple, there's no way he would appear here. Could it be … Zhong Qingwang, you're also in cahoots with the Poison Temple? Perhaps, just as the others have said, you are a poison master? "
"Impudent!"
Prince Zhong shouted.
"It's not up to you to decide whether I'm impudent or not!"
Zhang Xuan waved his hand dismissively. "There are plenty of people in the world who go by the name of Sun Qiang. To claim that he is my butler … What proof do you have? If I capture a dog and bestow it with the name Zhong Qingwang, and the dog runs out to eat sh * t, can I say that it likes to eat sh * t? Besides, if my butler is really the successor of the founder of the Poison Temple, wouldn't he have been poisoned to death by the way you treated him? "
"You …" Not expecting the fellow before him to speak so infuriatingly, Zhong Qingwang nearly spurted blood. With a livid face, he spat, "As soon as we learned of his identity, we immediately took control of him, not giving him a chance to poison us at all! There's no doubt about Ming Zhen's identity, and he has already left the Poison Temple to lead our men to eradicate the malignant tumor known as the Poison Temple! "
"Eradicate the Poison Temple?"
Gedeng, Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
Jingyuan City's Poison Temple was indeed formidable, but if the Qingyuan Empire were to make a move, it would indeed be difficult for them to withstand the might of a mole.
Zhang Xuan wondered how Elder Xu You was faring after the Poison Temple was destroyed.
He didn't think that so many things would have happened in just two short months.
"Indeed! Regardless of what he was like in the past, just this fact is more than enough to prove his stance on the matter. He reported your butler, Sun Qiang, and his words are logical. I have interrogated the members of the Poison Temple, and the words I have obtained are the same. This has already proven the truth of the matter. "
Standing up, Zhong Qingwang flung his palm and said, "As the master of the Poison Temple, how dare you keep such a vicious poison master by your side, disregarding Mingshi Tang's rules … For the sake of the safety of the capital, I have the right to bring you to justice!"
"For the sake of the safety of the capital? I, Zhang Xuan, am an upright master teacher who has passed Mingshi Tang's examination. Even if there is a problem, Mingshi Tang should be the one to judge it. You? If I recall correctly, you aren't in charge of the Qingyuan Empire's Mingshi Tang, right? "
Mingshi Tang was the only one who could judge the mistakes of a master teacher. How could a mere king of an empire be qualified to do so?
Zhong Qingwang clasped his fist as he turned to the elder beside him. "I know that I am not qualified, so I have specially reported this matter to Mingshi Tang's Vice Pavilion Master Tian Qing so that he can make the decision himself!"
He was the one who had left Zhang Xuan feeling a little apprehensive the moment he entered the Poison Temple.
"Tian Qing?"
Hearing the name, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled a matter, and his eyes narrowed.
Huala!
Before Zhang Xuan could say anything, the elder had already stood up, and only then did everyone notice the seven stars on the emblem pinned on his chest.
A Seven Star master teacher!
"Vice Pavilion Master Tian Qing?"
Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er immediately turned to look at Zhang Xuan warily.
It would still be fine if there were no master teachers around, but the other party had actually invited the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire's Mingshi Tang Pavilion over as well. This was a little troublesome.
"He has indeed come prepared!"
Zhang Xuan swiftly calmed himself down as he made some calculations in his mind.
Previously, he had heard Wu Shi introducing the Qingyuan Empire's Mingshi Tang Pavilion to him, so he had heard some news about it.
Pavilion Master Gou Tianze had already reached Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, and he had stopped meddling in the affairs of the Poison Temple many years ago.
Currently, almost everything was decided by this Temple Master Tian.
This was precisely the reason why even though Gou Tianze was only a vice pavilion master, he wielded the authority of a pavilion master, and his standing was extremely respected.
Zhang Xuan had thought that Zhong Qingwang was just trying to make things difficult for him, and even if the other party wanted to cause trouble for him, he wouldn't be able to inflict any substantial damage on him. Who could have thought that he would actually invite this person over?
This person was in charge of the Mingshi Tang Pavilion, and he had the authority to communicate with the headquarters. If it was confirmed that Zhang Xuan was colluding with the Poison Temple, it would be impossible for him to clear his name no matter what he said.
Of course, while the Poison Temple had a bad reputation, as long as it didn't commit too many atrocities, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Zhang Shi, I have heard many things about you, and I am aware of your talents and capabilities!"
Vice Pavilion Master Tian said with a smile. "Zhong Qingwang is in charge of the defense of Qingyuan City, and it goes without saying that he has to investigate the matter thoroughly after learning that Sun Qiang is a poison master. He isn't intentionally trying to cause trouble for you. The reason why we are meeting here instead of Mingshi Tang Pavilion is because he doesn't want this matter to blow up and tarnish the reputation of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy. "
At this point, Vice Pavilion Master Tian shot a glance at Mingzhen before continuing, "I have investigated the identity of Mingzhen Pavilion's poison master from start to end, and I have verified that he isn't lying. However, you don't have to worry. Even though Sun Qiang is a poison master, Mingshi Tang will still deal with him if you don't know about it beforehand. He won't kill a talented principal like you with a single strike! "
"Even though he is a poison master?"
Hearing the other party's confident words, Zhang Xuan frowned. "Since Temple Master Tian has examined the matter from start to finish, is Sun Qiang a poison master? You should be well aware of the matter, right? "
No matter what, the other party was a Seven Star pinnacle master teacher. Whether Sun Qiang was a poison master or not was something that could be easily determined with just a little observation. Yet, at this very moment, the other party was actually saying that Zhang Xuan was a poison master. It was clear that he was speaking up for the other party.
Poison masters consumed and refined poison all year round. Even though they looked no different from ordinary people on the surface, if one were to take a closer look, one would realize that their internal constitution was vastly different from that of ordinary cultivators.
A single droplet of the blood of a formidable poison master was more than enough to wipe out an entire city.
The cultivation technique that Sun Qiang cultivated was a simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art. Even though he didn't put much effort into it, his zhenqi was still pure. It had nothing to do with being a 'poison master', so Zhang Xuan didn't believe that the other party wouldn't be able to tell.
"Even if Sun Qiang isn't a 6-star poison master, he has committed a grave sin by sending the founder of the Poison Temple back to the headquarters! The founder of the Poison Temple is said to possess the Constitution of Disaster. Her body is filled with lethal poison, and she brings destruction to the world. Regardless of how one looks at it, it's unforgivable to send such a person back to the headquarters. The Master Teacher Pavilion of the Poison Temple might not have any records of the war between mankind and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe several dozen millenniums ago, but I have seen it in the Empire Alliance Guild. The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe has poisoned countless master teachers to death, and countless lives have been lost. The founder of the Poison Temple is a crime that cannot be forgiven … "
Temple Master Tian spoke righteously, and there was a deep sense of benevolence between his eyebrows.
The war between mankind and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had resulted in heavy casualties. Innumerable master teachers had died to lethal poison. If not for the founder of the Poison Temple, there wouldn't have been the occupation of poison masters, and such a tragedy wouldn't have befallen mankind.
It could be said that the founder was the enemy of mankind.
"As a master teacher, you allowed your subordinate to escort the founder of the Poison Temple back, but you didn't restrain him. Where do you place the identity bestowed upon you by Mingshi Tang? Where do you place your responsibility as a master teacher to protect mankind? "
Temple Master Tian continued. "Of course, as long as you admit to your ignorance of the matter, Mingshi Tang will surely give you a lighter punishment."
"The founder of the Poison Temple? How can Temple Master Tian believe such nonsense? "
Zhang Xuan shook his head. "If I recall correctly, the founder of the Poison Temple is a figure from the same era as Kong Shi, right? Even Kong Shi isn't able to leave any traces on him. Do you think that the founder of the Poison Temple could have survived the calamity of time and lived to this day? "
"I don't believe it, but there's no reason for the other party to lie. Based on what I know, even a Celestial Master Teacher has appeared. Perhaps, the revival of the founder of the Poison Temple might not be a baseless rumor. "
Temple Master Tian said.
"Celestial Master Teacher?" Zhang Xuan sneered. "How is that possible? If there really is such a person, his name would have already spread far and wide. How can I, as a 6-star master teacher, not have heard of him?"
"I deduced this based on the situation in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall. Currently, the news is being kept a secret. Even in the Qingyuan Empire branch, there aren't many people who know about it."
Temple Master Tian nodded. "Even though it sounds ridiculous, as a master teacher, the lives of millions are at stake. It's best for us to handle this matter carefully."
"Vice Pavilion Master, you mean …"
"Simple. This Sun Qiang has committed a heinous crime, and he shall be executed on the spot! Despite being the master of the Poison Temple, Zhang Shi failed to notice it. Even though the crime isn't severe, we mustn't let this matter slide. He shall be exiled to the Subterranean Gallery for three months to atone for his crimes. "
Tian Shi said.
"Executed on the spot? Exiled to the Subterranean Gallery for three months? "
Hearing the other party's decision, Zhang Xuan looked as if he had heard a joke. He stood up, dusted his bottom, and said, "If …"
"What if I refuse?"
(Everyone was wondering why Laoya didn't go berserk. Actually, it's easy for him to go berserk. Once he's in a good state, he can easily do so. He can update two chapters a day, and it's difficult to upload them at a fixed time! After all, there are times when one gets stuck in a writing session. There are also times when one doesn't have the time to write. Laoya is really working hard. After all, he has two children, and he has to ensure that he writes at least six thousand words a day … I hope that everyone can understand and support him! Thank you!)
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