Translator: StarveCleric Editor: GaiaNove

"Have your Vice Hall Masters and elder come out to meet me!"

Despite being surrounded by a large group of poison masters, Zhang Xuan wasn't flustered at all. Rather, as if he didn't notice the situation, he raised his chin, placed his hands behind his back, and stared at the group with frosty eyes.

"You wish to meet our Vice Hall Masters and elders? Who do you think you are!"

To think that the fellow would fearlessly demand to meet their Vice Hall Master and elders after having attacked their colleague! Infuriated, Poison Master Zhou roared savagely, "To dare to kill in the Poison Hall, you shall become dead meat..."

Harrumphing coldly, he had decided to make his move in order to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson. But at the next moment, the vision before him blurred.

Hu!

In the flash of a shadow, a hand was already grabbing at Poison Master Zhous neck and he was held dangling in midair.

"Yo-you..." Poison Master Zhou trembled in fear. The middle-aged man who was ten meters away from him had appeared right before him all of a sudden.

His face paled with every passing second, and through gritted teeth, he spat, "Let go of me! Otherwise, you don't have to dream of leaving here alive..."

"This is the Poison Hall, not a place for you to behave atrociously!"

Poison Liu and the others didn't expect the fellow who came with the Great Herb King to be so arrogant, attacking them the moment there was a verbal conflict. Feeling incensed, they roared angrily.

Even though the Poison Hall was located in such a remote region, it was an entity which struck fear into the hearts of countless powers. Yet, for an outsider to rush in and kill their men... Who gave him the guts to do so?

Disregarding their furious roars, Zhang Xuan remained grabbing Poison Master Zhou's neck with an indifferent expression. At the same time, he whipped him with his other hand.

Pah pah pah pah!

Four consecutive sounds echoed crisply in the air. Poison Master Zhou's face swelled up immediately, and fresh blood spilled from the corners of his lips. Several of his teeth also fell to the floor.

"This is your punishment for being disrespectful toward me!"

After smacking him, Zhang Xuan casually threw the other party onto the floor. Then, placing his hands behind his back once more, he stood proudly with the aura of a conqueror. "There's a limit to my patience. Don't make me angry, I don't mind wasting a bit of my time to destroy this useless branch of yours!"

"Destroy this useless branch..."

The Great Herb King felt his vision turn dark.

Destroying this branch...

Physician Bai, do you know how many Zongshi realm experts there are in the Poison Hall?

With just the strength of us both... We probably won't even reach the elders before we are beaten to death. Furthermore, this is assuming if the other party didn't use their poison on us...

Even though the Great Herb King felt stifled, he understood Physician Bai's intentions.

Since the other party is playing as the envoy of the headquarter, he has to have the disposition of one as well.

How can an expert from the headquarter allow himself to be bullied by the poison masters from a branch? If he didn't dare to retaliate, no matter what he says later, no one would believe his words.

Thus... It is vital for him to instill fear among them!

He has to make everyone in the Poison Hall know that... the envoy is here!

This way, he can establish his standing rapidly. However... if he shows an opening and gives himself in, he will die tragically.

The Great Herb King felt his legs tremble with fear.

As the dominant power in Red Lotus City, he wasn't an amateur in such matters. Even so, when he recalled how the Poison Hall dealt with their enemies, a cold chill went down his spine immediately, and he found himself unable to remain calm.

"You..."

Upon hearing those words, no matter how foolish Poison Master Liu and the others could be, it was clear that the person before them wasn't a simple figure. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to act so arrogantly in the Poison Hall. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "May I ask... how I should address you?"

Zhang Xuan stood quietly on the spot, as though he were saying that these small fries weren't worthy of his words.

Seeing Physician Bai act in such a manner, the Great Herb King could only muster his courage, step forward, stabilize his breathing as far as he can, and say, "This... This is... the envoy sent by the headquarter!"

"Envoy?"

The expressions on Poison Master Liu and the others faces darkened immediately.

They knew that the elders had requested for an envoy from the headquarter to quench the inner conflict, but they didn't think that the headquarter would really send a person over!

It was no wonder why the other party acted so arrogantly, attacking them the moment there was a conflict without any regards to the possible consequences.

If the other party was really an envoy from the headquarter, he did have the qualifications to do so.

"Since you're the envoy... do you have the Golden Poison Heart Token from the headquarter?"

Steadying his breathing, Poison Master Liu stepped forward.

The Golden Poison Heart Token was the identity token the headquarter issued to their envoys, and only with this would the envoys be recognized. In a sense, it was similar to a Sword of state, and it represented the headquarter, as well as its full authority.

Upon hearing the question, the Great Herb King clenched his fists.

This Physician Bai is a fake, how can he possibly have the Golden Poison Heart Token!

However, if he doesnt produce it, the other party will definitely not believe him...

The Great Herb King tried to think of several excuses, such as having lost it along the way or having forgotten to bring it along... However, all of them didn't seem feasible.

How can an envoy of the Poison Hall lose his Golden Poison Heart Token? It is equivalent to an ambassador losing the Sword of state, and this is equivalent to courting death!

No matter how foolish one is, such a thing would appear implausible!

Worried, he turned to Physician Bai to see how he would resolve the issue. However, what he saw was Physician Bai glaring at the crowd through narrowed eyes, and exuding an intimidating aura which left all of them breathless.

"Who do you think you are?"

Harrumphing coldly, Zhang Xuan commanded authoritatively, "Have your Vice Hall Masters and elders meet me!"

"I..."

Poison Master Liu's face flushed in anger.

He was a respected and feared figure no matter where he went ever since he became a poison master. This was the first time someone was criticizing him right in his face!

However, he also knew that if the other party was truly an envoy, he was likely to be at least a 4-star poison master. Before such a figure, he was no different from a nobody.

"What's wrong?"

Just as Poison Master Liu was conflicted over whether he should report this matter to the Vice Hall Masters and the others, a cold voice sounded. Then, an elder walked over with widened strides.

"Elder Blackeye..."

Upon seeing the elder, Poison Master Liu clasped his fist immediately.

The person who came was the Fourth Elder of the Poison Hall, Blackeye.

The eyes of this Fourth Elder were completely black, devoid of the white pupils ordinary humans possessed. From afar, he looked like a horrifying demon. Rumors have it that he accidentally poisoned his eyes in the midst of concocting poison, resulting in his current state. Since then, he had been reputed after his black eyes, and his original name was gradually forgotten.

It was a known fact in the Poison Hall that this Elder Blackeye was in charge of executing punishments, and he was the most ruthless and merciless poison master here.

Usually, when they see this elder, they would experience fear and run away as far as they could out of instinct. But at this moment, they felt as though they had found their backing, and they heaved a sigh of relief.

"Reporting to Elder Blackeye, this... elder was brought here by the Great Herb King, and he says that he is the envoy sent by the headquarter..."

Stepping forward, Poison Master Liu explained.

"Envoy?"

Frowning, Elder Blackeye stared at the middle-aged man before him.

Despite knowing that the other party was looking at him, Zhang Xuan ignored him and continued to gaze forward with indifferent eyes.

"The envoys sent by the headquarter can be classified as red, white, gold, and green... May I ask which of the four you are?"

After hesitating for a moment, Blackeye clasped his fist.

As an elder, he knew about the authority an envoy wielded. Thus, he didn't act as rashly as Poison Master Zhou and the others did.

Thus, he adjusted his initial attitude.

"Red, white, gold, and green? Are there different types of envoys?"

Gedeng! The heart of the Great Herb King leaped.

He knew that the Poison Hall headquarters could send an envoy to the branch, but he didn't know that there were different tiers to the envoys. Naturally, Physician Bai was ignorant of the matter as well.

At the same time, it was possible to be a trap prepared by the six elders. If Physician Bai were to answer with any of the four options, the other party would be able to ascertain that he was a fake, and he would be killed in an instant.

Nervous, the Great Herb King turned his eyes toward Physician Bai once more.

He knew that passing off as a special envoy would be difficult, but he didn't think that it would be so nerve-wracking!

If his heart were slightly weaker, he might really be scared to death.

"Are you a Vice Hall Master of this branch?"

Disregarding the anxious Great Herb King and the other party's question, Zhang Xuan asked.

"I... am not!" Elder Blackeye was stunned. "I am just the Fourth Elder..."

"If you aren't, who gave you the right to be spouting nonsense here?" Zhang Xuan's complexion darkened.

"I..."

Elder Blackeye was at a loss for words.

"Is it because the previous envoys were too kind that you have all grown spoilt? Do you think that you're qualified to ask about the matters of the headquarter?"

Flinging his sleeves, Zhang Xuan's expression was frosty, "How dare a poison master of an insignificant branch question me! Who gave you the guts to do so!"

"I..."

Elder Blackeye's breathing hastened. It seemed as if a storm was brewing within his pitch-black eyes. After a moment, he held himself back and replied, "I dare not. I will call the Vice Hall Masters and the Grand Elder over now to welcome the envoy!"

After which, he walked back into the city.

"Elder Blackeye..."

Seeing the cold and unfeeling Fourth Elder being yelled at in public and leaving without daring to refute at all, Poison Master Zhou, Poison Master Liu, and the others shuddered.

They turned to look at Zhang Xuan again, and awe reflected in their eyes.

"Un!"

Sensing the change in their attitudes, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

From his experience of passing off as a master teacher, he knew that the key to convincing others was to maintain a powerful front!

A moment later, just as Poison Master Liu and the others were about to crumble from the pressure, a few figures walked over.

They were the three Vice Hall Masters, the Grand Elder, and a few other top personnel of the Poison Hall.

The old Hall Master had accepted a total of three disciples, and they were these three Vice Hall Masters.

They were all 2-star poison masters and Zongshi realm pinnacle experts.

Each of the three had been managing a portion of the Poison Hall for many years now, and they had already built a following for themselves. At present, they were on equal footing.

This was also the reason why the fight for the seat of the Hall Master was likely to drag on for a long time.

"I apologize for failing to welcome the envoy upon arrival!"

A green-robed middle-aged man stepped forward.

With a single glance, Zhang Xuan immediately knew that he was the first Vice Hall Master, Liao Xun!

While the Great Herb King didn't know much about envoys from the headquarter, he was well aware of the three Vice Hall Masters of the Poison Hall. On the road here, he had already described the unique characteristics of each of the three to Zhang Xuan in detail.

Liao Xun was a 2-star pinnacle poison master, and it was probable that he would become a 3-star poison master in the near future. Even though he put on a gentle front, he was the kind to have a blade hidden beneath his smile.

It was completely possible for him to be smiling at you at one moment, only to stab you in the back once you turn around.

The typical wolf cloaked in a sheep's skin.

The other two middle-aged men beside Liao Xun also stepped forward and bowed, "Red Lotus Range Poison Hall branch Vice Hall Master Yao Qing (Ge Xiao) pays respect to the envoy!"

Zhang Xuan lightly nodded in response to their greetings.

"How should I address you? If it's convenient, can you show me your [Golden Poison Heart Token]? It's not that I am doubting your identity, but it's a rule from the headquarter. The envoy has to flash the token representing his identity before we can welcome you in!"

The three Vice Hall Masters and the several elders walked toward Zhang Xuan. The first Vice Hall Master Liao Xun smiled politely as he asked.

"You wish to see my Golden Poison Heart Token? I don't mind showing you!"

Zhang Xuan looked at him impassively. With a perfectly calm and cold voice, he uttered, "But..."

"Are you qualified?"

Sword of state: In China, it is known as Shangfang Baojian. In ancient times, the bearer of the sword was able to represent the emperor himself.