"Eccentric Old Man? Where is he at? Bring me over to meet him!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Since there was someone who had the Sepulture Flower, all he had to do was to purchase it! There was no need for him to hesitate at all!
"This…" Hearing those words, Hu Yunsheng smiled bitterly. "It isn't that easy! The medicinal herbs in his possession are not for sale. It is impossible to purchase them no matter how much money one had. On top of that, the Eccentric Old Man has a very bad temper as well. There was once an incident where the Jingyuan City Lord required a rare medicinal herb urgently, so he prepared a great amount of spirit stones that was threefold of its market price. Yet... he was thrown out the door before he could even speak a word…"
"The city lord was thrown out? Is the Eccentric Old Man very powerful?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
The city lord of Jingyuan City had to be at least a Saint 1-dan cultivator at the very minimum. Yet, for the other party to throw him out the door... it seemed like the Eccentric Old Man wasn't going to be an easy person to deal with.
"His cultivation is on the same level as me, Saint 1-dan pinnacle. However, he has a Saint 2-dan tamed beast with him…" Hu Yunsheng replied.
"He is a beast tamer?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
Even taming a saint beast weaker than one was already arduously difficult, but the Eccentric Old Man was actually able to tame a Saint 2-dan beast despite only possessing a cultivation of Saint 1-dan. That was truly an impressive feat.
One must know that no one, not even School Head Mo, in the Master Teacher Academy had managed to achieve this feat! Thus, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but be bewildered as to why a talented figure like the other party would choose to reside at the remote Jingyuan City.
"I am not too sure either, but that tamed beast obeys every single one of his words. If anyone tries to cause trouble, it would kick them out immediately. Even I dare not do anything to it…" Hu Yunsheng said.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.
Through Hu Yunsheng's words, it could be seen that the Eccentric Old Man was indeed a rather peculiar person.
The Eccentric Old Man was indubitably a huge hoarder of valuable artifacts and medicinal herbs. Typically speaking, hoarders accumulated their goods in wait for a hike in the market price so that they could profit off their collection. However, putting aside selling his collection, the Eccentric Old Man didn't even allow guests to enter his residence!
"Bring me over to take a look!"
Regardless of how eccentric that fellow was, Zhang Xuan knew he would need to meet him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have anything to lure the poison masters in.
In the ten days flight to Jingyuan City, Wei Ruyan remained unconscious throughout the entire duration. This went to say that her condition was steadily declining, and her life would be in grave danger if she wasn't treated soon. Time wasn't on their side, so Zhang Xuan had to grasp onto everything there was.
"You still intend to look for him?" Hu Yunsheng's face turned bitter. "There is no way he will let us through the doors of his residence, and he might even send his tamed beast after us…"
The person before him had just arrived at Jingyuan City, so it was only natural that he knew not of how fearsome the Eccentric Old Man was. On the other hand, he had experienced it with his own body. A person whom even the city lord was helpless before, what could they possibly do?
Due to the many valuable artifacts and medicinal herbs that the Eccentric Old Man possessed, he had tried to visit the other party to negotiate with him many times, but he would be thrown out each time without fail.
"It's fine, I know what I am doing." Zhang Xuan replied.
His current identity was that of a poison master and not a master teacher. He didn't need to abide by the troublesome rules that master teachers had to follow.
When there is a will, there is a way. There was bound to be a way in which he would be able to obtain the Sepulture Flower from the other party.
"Alright then." Seeing that the other party had his mind made up, Hu Yunsheng knew that it was impossible for him to convince the other party otherwise. His life was still in the other party's hand, so he could only agree to it.
Just as the both of them walked out of the room, Zhu Xiao also happened to be seen walking towards them. At the moment that Zhu Xiao saw the both of them, he couldn't help but notice that not only was the middle-aged man still alive, his boss was even walking subserviently behind the middle-aged man. In that instant, disbelief covered his entire face.
However, there was no way Hu Yunsheng could explain anything to Zhu Xiao at this moment, so he quickly instructed Zhu Xiao to look after Inkcloud Quarter before leading Zhang Xuan to the Eccentric Old Man's residence.
Had he not been poisoned, he could consider hinting to Zhu Xiao to gather a few men and hide in the surroundings to prepare an ambush on Zhang Xuan. However, as long as he remained afflicted with the poison, he dared not to do so. Otherwise, he could very well die before making a move.
Furthermore, even if an ambush was carried out, he had a feeling that his subordinates would be the one who would be lying on the ground at the end of it, poisoned.
If poison masters could be killed that easily, the lineage of the Poison Hall wouldn't have persevered for so long.
The residence of the Eccentric Old Man was located not too far from Inkstone Quarter. It took only a brief walk before an average-sized residence came into sight.
The entrance doors were tightly shut, and there was a plaque which stated that no guests were welcomed in the residence. The surroundings were cold and desolate, not a single guard was in sight. There was no way one could tell that it was the home of an esteemed Saint realm expert just by looking at it.
"Knock on the door!" Walking up, Zhang Xuan glanced at Hu Yunsheng and commanded.
"W-we are just going to knock on the door like that? Are you sure there is no need to prepare a visiting scroll?" Hu Yunsheng was taken aback.
It was manners to present a visiting scroll ahead of one's visit to indicate one's identity and reason for the visit… Would they really be able to enter just by knocking like that?
The other party was already a hot-tempered man. If they were to act so discourteously on top of that, wouldn't that just place them in a worse position?
"Just knock on the door." Instead of replying, Zhang Xuan urged Hu Yunsheng on with a smile.
Be it whether the other party was eccentric or not, as long as he was human, he was bound to have desires and goals. As long as that was the case, he was confident that he would be able to persuade the other party to sell the medicinal herb to him.
"Alright then…" Seeing that Zhang Xuan wasn't listening to his advice, Hu Yunsheng shook his head as he walked up to the door and knocked on it.
Dong dong dong dong!
The knocking sounds were particularly resounding in the quiet streets.
Jiyaaa!
Before the doors to the Eccentric Old Man's residence opened, the doors to the residence opposite to it opened instead. Following which, an old man and a servant walked out.
"There is no point knocking. The owner of that residence won't meet with you." Glancing at the duo, the old man advised.
"Won't meet with us?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Are you a subordinate of the Eccentric Old Man?"
"Of course not. I am just an admirer of his…" The old man waved his hands casually.
"I see. Continue knocking!" Hearing that the old man had nothing to do with the Eccentric Old Man, Zhang Xuan turned around and commanded Hu Yunsheng.
"You…" Seeing how that fellow refused to listen to his advice, the old man frowned in displeasure.
The face of the servant beside him also turned livid in anger. He walked up and glared at Zhang Xuan furiously, "How dare you speak to our old master like that! Do you know who he is?"
Zhang Xuan took a brief glance at the servant before turning his gaze away impassively, paying no heed to the other party at all.
Who cares who your old master is! Do you know who I am?
I am just afraid that your heart might not be able to take the blow!
Dong dong dong!
The knocking continued.
Not expecting to be ignored, the servant's complexion turned awful. "Our old master is the head of the Physician Guild, Master Zhou Xuan!"
"Zhou Xuan?" Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "Never heard of him before. Continue knocking!"
"Yes!" Hu Yunsheng's lips twitched.
He didn't have much interaction with Zhou Xuan in the past, so he only felt that the other party looked familiar. However, upon hearing the introduction, it immediately came back to him.
The head of the Physician Guild... Even the city lord would treat him with utmost respect, not daring to offend him in the slightest. Yet, this fellow actually disregarded him altogether... Just the thought of it left him frenzied.
However, with his life in the other party's hand, he could only feign ignorance and continue knocking on the doors.
On the other hand, both the servant and Zhou Xuan were leaping with anger.
As the guild leader of the Jingyuan City Physician Guild, Zhou Xuan's standing was comparable to the city lord... After all, all humans would eventually be wounded or fall ill at some point in their life.
As such, while there were cultivators who dared to offend the leaders of the other guilds, there were none who were willing to get on Zhou Xuan's bad side.
Yet, this fellow actually disregarded Zhou Xuan, treating him as if he was air...
"Didn't you hear my words? Our old master is a 6-star physician!" the servant said through gritted teeth.
"I heard your words loud and clear. But the person I am looking for is the Eccentric Old Man, not your old master!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.
So what if the other party was a 6-star physician? Three months ago, a vice school head of the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, who was a 6-star pinnacle physician as well, attempted to take advantage of him, only to be nearly played to his death. Given so, why should he have to fear the person before him?
"You…" the servant nearly fainted from anger.
6-star physicians were esteemed individuals who were respected no matter where they went, and yet, this fellow actually... didn't care at all?
Damn it!
Did they not know what price they would have to pay for offending a physician?
Just as the servant was about to say something more, Master Zhou Xuan suddenly raised his hand to stop him before walking forward, "This friend over here, I have no idea who you are, and it doesn't matter whether you know my identity or not. However, Senior Eccentric Old Man is unwilling to meet any guests, so there is no point for you to continue knocking!"
As the head of the Physician Guild, Master Zhou Xuan had met plenty of people in his time. Considering how the other party was able to remain composed even after learning his identity, it could only mean that the other party came from an exceptional background.
Thus, instead of bellowing at the other party like how his servant did, he chose to take on a persuasive tone.
"Unwilling to meet any guests?"
"That's right. Senior Eccentric Old Man is a hot-tempered person, and he doesn't like to be disturbed. Even our city lord had to send in several visiting scrolls before paying a visit himself. Just a word of advice, you will fare better leaving for the time being and have someone deliver your visiting scroll in first. Otherwise, you will just incur the other party's ire by continue knocking here." Master Zhou Xuan said.
What he said was true.
The Eccentric Old Man was a person who valued peace and didn't like to be disturbed. Even after seeking an audience for so many days, he still wasn't able to meet the Eccentric Old Man. To walk straight up to the doors without even preparing anything, wasn't the other party just asking to be shut out completely?
"I see." Zhang Xuan frowned before shaking his head in frustration. "Since that is the case…"
Zhou Xuan thought that after hearing his piece, the other party would turn around and back down for the moment to prepare his visiting scroll. Yet, the next few words he heard nearly left him keeling over.
"... Hu Yunsheng, knock the door down!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, as if he was just doing something insignificant.
"Knock the door down?" Hu Yunsheng's lips twitched, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
"That's right." Zhang Xuan shot a glance at Hu Yunsheng, and seeing the fear in the other party's eyes, he sighed deeply. "Forget it, I will do it myself!"
Knowing that Hu Yunsheng dared not provoke the Eccentric Old Man, Zhang Xuan walked up to the door himself and thrust his fist forcefully against it.
Boom!
How could a wooden door possibly be able to withstand his tremendous might? In just a mere moment, countless wooden fragments and splinters flew into the residence.
The buzz from the previous explosion lingered in the air as a cloud of dust slowly drifted down.
"This…"
Seeing the lack of hesitation in the other party's actions, a shiver ran through Zhou Xuan's body, and he nearly blacked out.
I told you that the Eccentric Old Man doesn't like to be disturbed, and yet, you knocked down the other party's door...
Overwhelmed with anger, Zhou Xuan's breathing hastened to the point that he could hardly catch his breath.
Where in this world did this fool come from?
Initially, he also didn't pay much attention to the Eccentric Old Man, thinking that the other party was just putting on airs. A personal visit from the Physician Guild should have other party rushing out to welcome him. But there was one occasion which he chanced on the other party treating a patient that changed his view of the other party entirely. He realized that the other party possessed a mastery in the Way of Medicine that was far beyond his... In other words, the Eccentric Old Man was likely to be either a 6-star pinnacle or a 7-star physician!
It was also for this reason that he rented the residence opposite to the Old Eccentric Man's and delivered a visiting scroll over every single day. He hoped that he would be able to win the other party's favor and learn a hand or two from him.
This was also why he ran out upon hearing someone knocking on the doors of the Eccentric Old Man's residence. He was hoping that he could possibly leave a good impression with the other party through this.
But... he had already said all that should be said, so why was this fellow so foolish? To knock down the other party's door with a single fist...
What were they to do now?
No doubt about it, the Eccentric Old Man was bound to be fuming!
"Look, isn't the problem settled now? Alright, let's enter!"
Ignoring the frenzied Zhou Xuan, Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually and walked in.