Chapter 1491: Three Birds with One Stone
While the other party had not revealed his exact strength so far, much could be said just by the natural majesty that he commanded. It was clear that he had experienced the vicissitudes of life and braved through countless storms.
Even if the other party was not the legendary Yang shi, it was likely that he was of considerable standing, someone a small clan like them could not offend.
Understanding this, Han Shuiliu immediately humbled himself and said, "Yang shi, there's no need to stand on ceremony! It's the honor of our Han Clan to have you here. May I know what you need to ask of us? As long as it's within the means of our Han Clan, we will definitely try our utmost to accomplish it!"
"It's nothing much. I happened to be passing by the area when a saint beast attempted to attack me, so I swiftly subdued it. But in light of the fact that it wasn't an intentional act on its part and that it expressed willingness to submit to me, I decided to treat its injuries. However, I never bring medicine on me during my travels, and I happened to hear that the Han Clan has an inventory of medicinal herbs, so I came over hoping to request some!" Zhang Xuan said with a slight smile.
"Medicinal herbs?" Han Shuiliu nodded. "May I know what saint beast it is, and what kind of medicinal herbs does it require?"
As each saint beast had its own constitution, the medicinal herbs they required to treat the same injury could be different. For one, fire attribute medicinal herbs would be more effective for the Inferno Qilin whereas the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast would do better with cold attribute medicinal herbs.
Only by learning what kind of saint beast they were dealing with would they be able to retrieve the medicinal herb that it required.
"It's them..." Zhang Xuan said as he flicked his wrist, and two saint beasts immediately appeared right in the middle of the main hall.
As soon as they appeared, a fearsome aura immediately filled the room, leaving one feeling as if the entire main hall would be flipped upside down.
"Saint 9-dan Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast?"
"Saint 9-dan pinnacle Inferno Qilin?"
"He was actually able to injure those two saint beasts without sustaining any injuries?"
...
Seeing the two massive fellows appearing all of a sudden, the room suddenly plunged into silence. The elders of the Han Clan began shivering involuntarily out of fear.
It was just a moment ago that some of them had felt that the clan head was making a big fuss by coming over to greet the guest personally, but after seeing the two gigantic saint beasts, such thoughts were utterly vanquished from their minds.
To be able to wound Saint 9-dan beasts so easily, not to mention the utter nonchalance he had when speaking of the matter, as if it was nothing at all... just how powerful was he?
Just imagining it was enough to make their guts churn in horror!
"I'll require a Rubysun Grass, Amityfire Flower, Green-leafed Violet Stem, Pristine Vine..."
"... That should be all." After stating roughly a dozen medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed, "Their injuries are truly regrettable. I failed to control my strength well and accidentally exerted a tenth more, resulting in this unfortunate outcome. It seems like I really should pay careful attention to this in the future!"
Just by exerting a tenth more strength, he was able to cause this much damage to the two Saint 9-dan beasts?
Han Shuiliu gulped unconsciously. He swiftly went through the herbs that the other party had stated, and a moment later, his complexion suddenly turned a little awful. With a slightly hesitant voice, he clasped his fist and said, "Yang shi, regarding those medicinal herbs..."
"Rest assured. Since I'm asking for them, I'll compensate you according to the market rate," Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
"That's not what I mean," Han Shuiliu quickly clarified. "Of the medicinal herbs that you have listed, I'm afraid that we can only procure seven of them. It might be beyond our means to procure the other eight..."
"You can only procure seven of them?" A frown slowly etched its way onto Zhang Xuan's brows. It was a subtle gesture, but it fully displayed his displeasure.
In an instant, the surrounding air turned viscous, stifling the breath of everyone in the room.
A powerful aura that seemed as if it would tear even the world apart abruptly burst forth from the middle-aged man.
Geji! Geji!
Under this suffocating aura, Han Shuiliu and other elders could not stop trembling. It was as if a mountain was sitting on their shoulders, pushing them down onto the ground.
"Ah. Pardon me, my thoughts wandered..." Just as they were about to reach their limits, the frown on the middle-aged man suddenly cleared, turning back into a slight smile.
And just like that, the tempest that they were in vanished altogether, as if the pressure they had felt earlier was just a figment of their imagination.
"I-it's fine..."
As the pressure vanished, Han Shuiliu and the other elders swiftly noticed that their robes were firmly clinging onto their sweat-soaked backs, and they could hardly suppress their shock.
"I didn't mean to alarm you. I was just thinking of how inconvenient it would be for these two pitiful fellows to recover without the required medicinal herb that I lost control of myself for a moment." Zhang Xuan shook his head apologetically. "As the saying goes, 'worry provokes mayhem'."
After experiencing the fearsome might of the middle-aged man, how could Han Shuiliu dare to say no anymore? Gritting his teeth, he said, "Actually, Yang shi, there might be a way to procure those herbs. Our Han Clan might not have them, but the Glacier Plain Court might have them. If you really need them, Yang shi, I'm willing to enquire on your behalf. Given our Han Clan's relationship with the Glacier Plain Court, this shouldn't be too difficult!"
"Is that so?" Zhang Xuan shot a glance at Han Shuiliu.
"Yes, Yang shi!" Han Shuiliu nodded. "Our Han Clan has always been responsible for procuring the rations of the Glacier Plain Court, so we have a close working relationship with Elder Bai. Given our ties, it shouldn't be too difficult to engage her help for this matter!"
"I'll be counting on you, Clan Head Han! I don't mean to urge you, but I require the medicinal herbs as soon as possible. Is it possible for you to contact Elder Bai and have her send the medicinal herbs over right now? While the injuries sustained by these two saint beasts might not be too severe, it might leave behind some trauma if their treatment is delayed for too long!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Of course, of course! That won't be a problem at all! Yang shi, please give me a moment as I contact Elder Bai right now to have her deliver the medicinal herbs!" Han Shuiliu swiftly nodded.
"Also, I don't like to cause a huge fuss over nothing, so..."
"I understand! I'll make sure to keep your identity a secret!" Han Shuiliu replied before swiftly taking his leave.
At the same time, the other elders swiftly got into action as well. They arranged for the other party to take a seat in the most resplendent room in the Han Clan and readied their finest tea.
How impressive...
Watching as everything unfold before her eyes, Chen Leyao was shocked beyond words. Her red lips remained agape for a very long time.
What incredible slyness this was!
Through showcasing the Inferno Qilin and the Netherworld Azure Dragon Beast, not only was he able to fully convince the Han Clan of his standing, he was also able to make use of this to utilize the Han Clan's connections to gather the medicinal herbs required for their recovery... and more importantly, he even managed to use it as an excuse that was not too abrupt to have them invite Elder Bai over!
Three birds with one stone!
In comparison, her initial thought of Zhang Xuan requesting the Han Clan to help them contact Elder Bai was truly crude and possibly infeasible.
After all, for an unfathomably powerful master teacher to name an elder of the Glacier Plain Court and request to meet her... such an action would surely draw suspicion.
And once the news reached the ears of the Glacier Plain Court, it would surely alarm them.
By using his tamed beasts as an excuse, he was able to conceal his true intention and achieve his goal without drawing any suspicion. This was truly cunning!
Had she not seen Zhang Xuan altering his appearance, she would have thought that Yang shi had come in person!
While sipping leisurely on the fine tea prepared, roughly ten minutes later, Han Shuiliu suddenly walked in with a middle-aged lady wearing a hat.
"Yang shi, Elder Bai is here!" Han Shuiliu swiftly walked forward and clasped his fist.
Zhang Xuan nodded, but just as he was about to speak, the middle-aged lady suddenly frowned as she caught sight of the young lady standing beside him and asked, "Leyao, what are you doing here?"