Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Huo Tiexia gave Xu Zhen and Huo Gang no chance to speak, immediately calling a renowned expert from Provincial City.

The expert was not in Provincial City but still conducted an inspection of the medicinal herbs via video call. After confirmation, it was revealed that nearly half of the herbs were indeed fake.

The call ended, and dead silence fell over the room.

"How... how is this possible? These herbs were personally tested by Xu Zhen; how could they be fake!?"

"Xu Zhen is the director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association. How could he be mistaken? Could the person who tampered with them... be him!?"

While everyone was shocked at Zhao Dong's abilities, they were even more puzzled as to how there could be fakes. Subconsciously, all suspicions turned to Xu Zhen, and every eye in the room suddenly focused on him.

Xu Zhen's face looked as if he had swallowed something foul. At this point, he couldn't continue insisting that the herbs were genuine. He rushed to Huo Tiexia's side and pleaded, "Old Master, I was wrong. I admit I've been too busy recently, so I didn't personally test these herbs."

"But I definitely didn't do it on purpose. You must believe me! I'm engaged to Hongyan; how could I harm the Huo Family for some petty gain? You must believe me!"

"This must be the supplier's fault. I'll go confront them about this right away!"

Xu Zhen appeared sincere. Although Huo Tiexia still had his doubts, he found it hard to believe that Xu Zhen would commit such a disloyal act for a few million.

Therefore, Huo Tiexia sighed and said, "Young Xu, you know I think highly of you. Claiming you tested the herbs when you hadn't was your mistake. However, I understand you were so insistent because Hongyan doesn't trust you."

"Considering this is your first offense, I'll let it pass this once, but I don't want there to be a next time."

"There won't be! I guarantee there absolutely won't be!" An elated Xu Zhen immediately slapped his chest and vowed.

Since Huo Tiexia himself had said so, the rest of the Huo Family naturally let the matter drop. Xu Zhen and Huo Gang both breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Huo Hongyan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, uncertainty lingering in her expression.

Was it really just that he hadn't tested them?

She tried to spot something amiss with Xu Zhen but ultimately couldn't read anything on his face.

Zhao Dong remained silent. He was only here to repay a favor to Huo Hongyan; otherwise, he would have left when they first started being rude. Now that the herbs had been appraised, he had no interest in getting involved in the Huo Family's other affairs.

Just as Zhao Dong was preparing to leave, several Martial Artists hurried in carrying seven boxes. Once the boxes were opened, a rich Spiritual Energy and medicinal fragrance burst forth.

"Reporting to the Old Master, these seven top-grade herbs just arrived. Should they be stored in the warehouse?" the leading Martial Artist asked respectfully.

Huo Tiexia stood up, examined the herbs, and waved a hand. "These herbs are all top-grade, each worth over a hundred million. Take them to the warehouse for safekeeping. There must be no mistakes!"

"Yes!" The Martial Artists acknowledged the order, picked up the herbs, and were about to leave.

Just then, however, Zhao Dong quietly said, "There's something wrong with the herbs in the first and fifth boxes. Someone has tampered with them."

"What!?" Huo Tiexia's expression changed. He asked sternly, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Zhao Dong explained. "Those two herbs are genuine, but their greatest value lies in the rich Spiritual Energy they contain. Unfortunately, that Spiritual Energy has been siphoned off. The perpetrator is very clever; they soaked the herbs in Spiritual Liquid afterward, making it difficult to spot the deception from the aura they now emit."

At his words, the Huo Family members were instantly shocked. These two herbs were top-notch specimens, each worth over a hundred million. If something was wrong with them, it was a far more serious matter than the issue with the Thousand Leaves Grass. This was a major problem!

Nearby, Xu Zhen's face had turned pale with fright. He stepped forward and scolded, "How audacious! A greenhorn dares to spout such nonsense here! These herbs are worth over a hundred million each. How can you compare them to something like Thousand Leaves Grass!? Who do you think you are, questioning these herbs!?"

Zhao Dong sneered, "I came here to repay Miss Huo a favor, so naturally, I'm just calling it as I see it. If there was nothing wrong with the herbs, I wouldn't have said a word!"

"Ridiculous!" Xu Zhen raged. "I personally checked these herbs at the source! There's absolutely no way there could be a problem!"

With that, he turned to Huo Tiexia and bowed. "Old Master, Zhao Dong has ill intentions and an impure motive! You absolutely cannot believe a word he says!"

"But he did correctly identify the problem with the Thousand Leaves Grass just now," Huo Tiexia said, his expression grim.

Xu Zhen hurriedly replied, "Old Master, that was only because I didn't look closely at the Thousand Leaves Grass. If I had examined it carefully, do you think I wouldn't have noticed the problem? But these herbs worth over a hundred million are different. I will stake my reputation as the Director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association on it—these herbs are absolutely fine!"

Xu Zhen broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, he and Huo Gang were the ones who had tampered with everything, from the Thousand Leaves Grass to these incredibly valuable herbs. He was truly panicking now. He had to admit Zhao Dong was very capable, but he also knew the consequences would be terrifying if this matter came to light.

Seeing Xu Zhen vouch so earnestly, Huo Tiexia eventually wavered. He nodded and said, "That's a bit much, Young Xu. This Zhao Dong is a nobody. Naturally, I trust you more."

At his words, the other Huo Family members also began to mock Zhao Dong.

"This kid really is arrogant! At first, I thought he was someone special, worth befriending, but now it seems he's just an inexperienced brat!"

"Exactly! Considering Xu Zhen's status, if he says he personally inspected them and found no issues, then there are no issues!"

"Boy, this isn't the place for you to blather on. Now scram!"

Zhao Dong sneered, "Heh. If you don't believe me, that's fine." Unwilling to waste another moment arguing with these fools, he turned to leave.

However, Huo Hongyan grabbed the corner of his sleeve and said anxiously, "Mr. Zhao, I know you're extremely capable, but these herbs are invaluable. If they really have been tampered with, the trouble will be immense!"

"I feel that even if the perpetrator is daring, they wouldn't dare to be *this* bold."

"You..." Huo Hongyan's eyes flashed with hesitation. "Could you have made a mistake?"

Huo Hongyan's attitude was clearly wavering.

But Zhao Dong just smiled faintly and said with conviction, "I, Zhao Dong, have never been wrong when I appraise something."

"If I say these two herbs are compromised, then not even the Heavenly King himself could make them genuine!"

With that, Zhao Dong shot a glance at Xu Zhen. "This Xu Zhen doesn't seem incompetent, yet he's clinging to these adulterated herbs and claiming they're fine. Could it be that the one who tampered with them... was you!?"