Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

"Fine! You spout nonsense and dare to sling mud at me!?" Xu Zhen was infuriated, his demeanor utterly flustered. "Hongyan, look at this piece of trash you've brought here!"

"You pretend to know what you're talking about, and now you're framing me?"

"Let me ask you, are you so displeased with me that you deliberately brought him here just to humiliate me?"

"If you really can't stand me, I can leave. It's not your place to find some random nobody to insult me like this!"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant," Huo Hongyan said, torn and anxious. "I had no intention of bringing someone to humiliate you. I just wanted to find out if there was really a problem with these medicinal herbs."

"This matter concerns my Huo Family's honor. How could I act so recklessly?"

"I don't care about any of that!" Xu Zhen said angrily. "I am the dignified vice president of the Provincial City Traditional Medicine Association and a member of the Alchemy Pavilion. How could I tolerate being humiliated and questioned by this nobody?"

"Today, either he leaves or I do. You choose!"

"Sigh, that kid was able to identify the Thousand-leaf Grass, so he clearly has some skill. But he's a nobody, and he has no connection to our Huo Family. I still think Xu Zhen has a point."

"Yes, I'm more inclined to trust Xu Zhen. After all, he's Hongyan's fiancé. How could he possibly harm her?"

"But why do I feel like what this kid said also makes sense? What if he's telling the truth?"

Faced with Xu Zhen's uncompromising stance, the Huo Family members began to hesitate.

Huo Hongyan was also torn, her expression filled with conflict as she looked at Zhao Dong, stammering.

Seeing this, Zhao Dong waved his hand. "I've said what I needed to say. Whether you believe me or not is your business."

With that, he turned to leave. His only purpose in coming here today was to repay his debt to Huo Hongyan. Now that he had done what he came for, the Huo Family's decision was no longer his concern.

"Mr. Zhao, please wait!" Huo Hongyan cried out in a panic, rushing forward to stop him.

"Get back here!"

At that moment, Huo Tiexia's angry shout suddenly rang out. He snapped coldly, "Haven't you brought enough shame upon us?"

"Xu Zhen is your fiancé! How could he possibly harm you or deceive you?"

"Since it's impossible for Xu Zhen to be lying, then this kid is definitely just a charlatan looking for fame!"

"Why are you still trying to keep him here!?"

Huo Tiexia's words were sharp and impactful, leaving Huo Hongyan frozen on the spot. She looked up at Zhao Dong, her expression complex, and said with a bitter smile, "Mr. Zhao, my grandfather is right. Xu Zhen wouldn't lie to me."

"Perhaps you really are mistaken this time..."

Saying this, she turned to face the others and declared seriously, "But I trust Mr. Zhao's character! He is definitely not a charlatan!"

As her words fell, before anyone could respond, a rush of hurried footsteps came from the doorway.

The next moment, two women hurried in, supporting a man with a deathly pale face. The man appeared to be in his fifties, his face ashen and his breathing faint. One of the women supporting him looked to be in her forties, still well-maintained, but her anxious face was covered in sweat, and her eyes were red-rimmed. The other was a girl in her early twenties.

The girl wore a simple yet elegant black miniskirt, its fitted design perfectly accentuating her curvaceous figure. She was lovely, with pearly white teeth, and her slightly wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her captivating eyes, however, were filled with tears. The girl's beauty was exquisite, but the sorrow on her face made her appear distressed.

"Mr. Qin!" Seeing the newcomer, Huo Tiexia immediately stood up to greet him. "Quick! Help Mr. Qin to his seat!"

Huo Tiexia hurriedly had someone make room, guiding the man to a sofa.

"Patriarch Huo, I've brought my husband here today to beg you for a medicinal herb!" the older woman pleaded, rising to her feet.

"Madam Qin, please don't worry," Huo Tiexia said comfortingly. "Mr. Qin controls dozens of auction houses in Provincial City and has been a partner of the Huo Family for many years. If we have the herb you need, we will certainly provide it!"

Madam Qin's face lit up. "That's wonderful! Divine Doctor Lu said my husband's illness can only be cured by Soul Devouring Grass. Do you have any?"

"What a coincidence!" Huo Tiexia laughed. "This Soul Devouring Grass was just delivered. If you had come a day earlier, we truly wouldn't have had it!"

With that, Huo Tiexia immediately turned and retrieved a box from the table.

Upon seeing the box, Xu Zhen's face turned green. This Soul Devouring Grass was one of the two fake herbs Zhao Dong had pointed out.

Zhao Dong glanced sideways, and a playful smile touched his lips when he saw Xu Zhen's expression. Then, he turned and walked right out of the Huo Family residence. Everyone's attention was fixed on Mr. Qin, so no one even noticed him leave.

Meanwhile, the young girl who had come with them hurriedly took the herb. "Grandpa Huo, do you have a mortar for grinding medicine?" she asked anxiously. "Divine Doctor Lu said my father will recover as soon as he takes this Soul Devouring Grass. I want to give my father the medicine right now!"

"Of course!" Huo Tiexia immediately sent someone to fetch a mortar.

Five minutes later, the herb was crushed. The girl quickly dissolved the powder in water and fed it to Mr. Qin. As the medicine entered his system, Mr. Qin's complexion visibly began to improve. Seeing this, everyone around sighed in relief.

However, just a moment later, Mr. Qin's face turned pale once again.

"What's happening?" the girl asked, stunned.

"Just wait a moment. Perhaps the medicinal effects haven't fully kicked in yet," Huo Tiexia said reassuringly.

The girl nodded worriedly and said no more.

But after a full half hour had passed, Mr. Qin's breathing was still faint as a thread, with no sign of improvement.

The girl grew frantic and turned to question him. "Grandpa Huo, this isn't right. Could your medicine be a fake?"

"Impossible!" Huo Tiexia immediately shook his head. "This is a top-tier medicinal herb, personally inspected by Hongyan's fiancé. How could it possibly be fake?"

Hearing this, Xu Zhen also spoke up, suppressing the tremor in his heart as he nodded. "Of course! I personally inspected this medicine. It cannot be fake!"

"Could it be the wrong medicine for the illness?" the girl wondered aloud, her brow furrowed as she looked toward Madam Qin.

Madam Qin's face was a mask of anxiety. She looked at her husband and finally took out her phone to make a call.

"Hello, Divine Doctor Lu? Yes, this is Madam Qin."

"I'm at the Huo Family's residence now, and I've already followed your instructions to grind the Soul Devouring Grass and give it to my husband."

"But he's showing no reaction at all."

"What?" the voice on the other end of the line suddenly shot up. "How is that possible? Your husband is only suffering from a severe depletion of vital energy due to years of overwork. Soul Devouring Grass contains an immense amount of Spiritual Energy. It should have replenished his depleted vital energy. It's impossible for it to have no effect!"

"But I'm not lying to you," Madam Qin said bitterly. "My husband is lying right beside me. Are there any other solutions?"

"There must be a problem. Wait for me. I'll be right over!"