Chapter 411: Huo Hongyan
The onlooking crowd, unaware of the full story, became enraged by the saleswoman's embellished account, showing their righteous indignation.
Huo Hongyan suppressed her anger and spoke in a cold voice, "Has my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion offended you in some way, sir? Why must you cause trouble for us?"
Zhao Dong replied calmly, "I'll say it again: I am simply speaking the truth. If you insist on being a big business that bullies its customers, I have nothing more to say."
Hearing this, Huo Hongyan let out an angry laugh. "A big business that bullies its customers? What an accusation! My Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion has been in Provincial City for decades and certainly holds some influence in the medicinal herb industry. So if you say we use our size to bully customers, I might not argue.
"But do you know who I am? I am Huo Hongyan, a lady of Provincial City's premier Huo Family! The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion is merely one inconspicuous asset among my family's countless businesses! Do you truly believe the Huo Family would allow the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion—and by extension, the entire Huo Family—to be disgraced over such paltry profits!?
"So! I can tell you unequivocally: nothing sold by my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion is fake!"
Huo Hongyan's tone was emphatic. Though her voice was icy, its cadence remained incredibly alluring. Even her angry rebuke left the men with an irresistible itch in their hearts. As soon as she finished, the men in the crowd burst out in agreement.
"Exactly! The Huo Family is a massive enterprise; they wouldn't care about such petty cash! The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion has no reason to sell fakes!"
"I've never bought anything here, but I believe that beauty is justice! Miss Huo is breathtakingly beautiful, so her heart must be exceptionally pure. Not only do I refuse to believe she sells fakes, I refuse to believe she even goes to the bathroom!"
The crowd was stunned into silence. What in the world was that bizarre declaration of support!?
"A mere greenhorn thinks he knows about medicinal herbs? He's either trying to start a fight or he can't even tell good herbs from bad!"
"I've seen Red Training Grass before, and it looks exactly like the one the saleswoman is holding. How could it possibly be fake?"
"Look at the girl with him. I bet this kid is just trying to show off in front of her by pretending to know something!"
"Heh, posers always get what's coming to them!"
"Kid, get on your knees and apologize right now! You can't handle the consequences of slandering the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, Miss Huo, and the Huo Family!"
The crowd's jeers were relentless.
The saleswoman said haughtily, "Well, kid, you were so arrogant a moment ago, weren't you? Now that my boss is here, you've lost your nerve? Where's that swagger now? Go on, keep being arrogant! What's wrong? Turned into a coward? Cat got your tongue?"
The saleswoman perfectly demonstrated what it meant to have a razor-sharp tongue.
"That's enough. You will be silent," Huo Hongyan snapped. The saleswoman immediately flinched and shrank back.
Huo Hongyan fixed her cold gaze on Zhao Dong. "Your actions have already damaged the reputation of my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion. I will ask you one last time: are you absolutely certain that the Red Training Grass sold by my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion is a counterfeit?"
Zhao Dong said dismissively, "You can ask ten thousand times. What's fake can never become real."
"Good!" Huo Hongyan took the Red Training Grass from the saleswoman and held it out to Zhao Dong. "Since you claim this Red Training Grass is fake, you must provide proof!
"According to the rules of my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, if you can present evidence proving this herb is counterfeit, or even that it's merely of poor quality, we will compensate you at a rate of ten for one. I, Huo Hongyan, will also personally apologize to you!
"But if you can't back up your words, you will kneel before the sign of my Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, publicly admit your mistake, and restore our reputation!"
Huo Hongyan spoke with a resounding voice and an unyielding gaze.
Being stared at so intensely by her made Zhao Dong feel a bit uneasy. Her innate charm was so powerful that it was impossible to suppress, no matter what she did. Even her furious glare felt like a form of flirtation...
However, Zhao Dong's momentary discomfort was misinterpreted by the crowd as hesitation. Instantly, they erupted in laughter.
Even Qing Yu's delicate brows furrowed as doubt crept into her mind. Huo Hongyan's attitude was simply too resolute; she showed no sign of guilt. In contrast, Zhao Dong was wavering, looking utterly uncertain.
Could it be... Zhao Dong was just pretending to be an expert to show off!?
Qing Yu didn't want to believe it, but given the circumstances, it seemed to be the only plausible answer. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, and her beautiful gaze toward Zhao Dong was now tinged with a trace of disgust.
If Zhao Dong is the type of person who loves to posture, then perhaps the pill's fragrance at the Su Family residence that day wasn't his work at all! Maybe it was someone else!?
The crowd's mocking laughter and doubtful murmurs continued to fill the air. Just then, Zhao Dong snapped out of his brief reverie. He took the herb from Huo Hongyan's hand and said calmly, "Alright. Ten times the compensation, is it?"
With those words, Zhao Dong strode to the front of the crowd, herb in hand. The onlookers immediately fell silent, their eyes wide with surprise.
This Zhao Dong... he actually dares to follow through!?
Huo Hongyan was also taken aback. She had been certain that he was about to fold and perhaps even beg for mercy.
Could it be... there really is something wrong with this herb?
At that moment, Zhao Dong began to speak slowly.
"Since you all know the origins of Red Training Grass, I won't elaborate too much. This herb grows in extreme heat. It is considered precious because the fire qi it contains can be purified into Spiritual Energy. Furthermore, because of this internal fire qi, any object in prolonged contact with Red Training Grass will be scorched by its fiery nature, causing a subtle physical change!"
Saying this, Zhao Dong opened the box containing the Red Training Grass. "But look at this box. It's brand new, without a single trace of being scorched. Is that reasonable?"
"Damn! He's right! That box does look brand new!"
"While the fire qi within Red Training Grass isn't hot to the touch before purification, its inherent properties create extreme aridity in its immediate surroundings. Under normal circumstances, this wooden box should absolutely show faint scorch marks!"
"Nonsense! That's utter nonsense!" the saleswoman retorted anxiously. "The box has no marks because I take meticulous care of it! I replaced it with a new one!"
Hearing her explanation, the crowd nodded in agreement. The saleswoman's excuse was very plausible.
"Fine! For now, I'll believe that you're just meticulous," Zhao Dong said with a calm smile. He then picked up a bottle of mineral water from a table and sprinkled a few drops onto its surface. "Everyone, watch closely. If this is genuine Red Training Grass, then the moment I place it next to these small water droplets, they will surely evaporate."
As he spoke, Zhao Dong placed the Red Training Grass right next to the water. Yet, after several seconds, the droplets remained completely undisturbed.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened, their faces a mask of utter shock.
"It really didn't evaporate!?"