The herbal dicine Lin Tang had intended to buy, the "Ninefold Pagoda," had actually been purchased monts earlier by Yao Qian.
He had paid a painful, hefty sum for it, all to placate Sun Siwei and beg for forgiveness. After all, his theft of the Soul-breaking Grass was a truly despicable act. If Sun Siwei wished it, a single word from him could destroy Yao Qian's career in the world of Chinese dicine. More than a decade of arduous study would be utterly wasted. How could he not be terrified?
"Honey, you've really bled dry!" Yao Qian complained under his breath. His family wasn't rich, and spending hundreds of thousands of yuan at once was a major financial blow.
"Hey, what's that supposed to an? Are you blaming ? You're the one who was greedy!" Shang Yuenong retorted, deeply displeased.
Just as she was about to blow up, her gaze inadvertently swept to the side and landed on Lin Tang, who was carrying a hemp sack.
Shang Yuenong stared in shock, rubbing her eyes. It's really him! But this doesn't make any sense. Doesn't he have the recipe for the Morning Yuan Qi Soup? Everyone says that stuff is incredibly valuable, sothing people would practically kill for. Ge Shijian was so shaless he even took a young man like him as his master. Even if the recipe hasn't been monetized and Lin Tang is broke, he could have easily gone to Ge Shijian for help after Shen Youling kicked him out. Why would he be picking up junk off the street?
"I get it now!" Shang Yuenong clapped her hands. There could be only one truth. He's a complete fraud! That's why he refused to go see Ge Shijian, no matter how many tis he called. Sun Siwei and a whole group of veteran Chinese doctors were there. He might be able to fool one person, but he can't fool a crowd.
As for Ge Shijian's claim that Li Weihai was fine after taking the dicine, Shang Yuenong, coming from an ordinary family herself, had no idea who Li Weihai was. She just assud he was a regular patient. It was even possible he was a shill, working with Lin Tang to trick Ge Shijian.
And to think I actually thought highly of you, even considered partnering up to manage that worthless recipe! Shang Yuenong felt a mix of relief that she hadn't been duped and fury at the deception. She stord over, grabbed Lin Tang, and shouted that she was taking him to the authorities.
Seeing Lin Tang's shabby state, Yao Qian was also indignant. Is Shen Youling blind? Why would she marry such a disgraceful loser? If he's a con man, then it all makes sense. He must have used so kind of trick to sleep with her, forcing her into this marriage. Shen Youling must be swallowing her pride and suffering in silence!
"What fraud? Are you insane? What did I ever defraud you of?" Lin Tang asked, completely baffled.
"Hmph, you know perfectly well what you did!" Shang Yuenong sneered.
"This is absurd," Lin Tang said, pushing her away and trying to leave.
"Honey, quick, help grab him!" Shang Yuenong yelled in a fury as she stumbled and nearly fell.
"Oh, okay." Yao Qian cracked his knuckles, preparing to step in.
But Lin Tang just gave him a single, level look. An involuntary shiver ran down Yao Qian's spine; the man was surprisingly intimidating.
"You know, maybe we should just let it go. It's better not to get involved…" he mumbled.
"Useless!" Shang Yuenong shot him a vicious glare before latching onto Lin Tang like a shrew, refusing to let go.
"Get off !" Lin Tang snarled, genuinely angry now.
"Excuse , young man. Could you let have a look at that sword of yours?" a well-dressed old man, who had just been watching the spectacle from the side, asked suddenly. He had noticed the rusty sword Lin Tang was carrying, and his eyes lit up.
"Sorry, there's nothing special to see here," Lin Tang refused flatly.
"Heh, you might be able to fool a layman with that line, young man, but you can't fool the eyes of Zhou Rushan!" the old man said with a proud smile.
Lin Tang was startled. Could this old man be a master of such profound skill that even I can't see through him? Did he also discover the precious Geng Sand hidden within this sword? This is going to be trouble…
"This is an antique sword, isn't it? It must be at least a thousand years old," Zhou Rushan stated with certainty.
Lin Tang was speechless. And here I thought you were soone impressive. What a waste of a reaction.
"Is the sword for sale? The price is negotiable," Zhou Rushan added.
Shang Yuenong glanced from Lin Tang to Zhou Rushan and let out a series of cold sneers. A con man, of course. I just exposed him as a fraud, and now this old guy pops up to bail him out? He's even claiming this piece of junk is a valuable antique. Does he really think I can't see he's a shill too?
"A shill?" Zhou Rushan chuckled, exasperated. Given his noble status, who on earth was qualified to hire him as a shill? This woman was utterly unreasonable!
"Young lady, you should watch what you say. Disaster often cos from a careless mouth," Zhou Rushan said, casually producing a set of credentials.
Shang Yuenong glanced at it. It read: President of the Jiangbei Antique Association, Expert Appraiser. She scoffed, "I could get ten of these fake IDs made for a hundred yuan. Your scamming tactics are pathetic!"
Then, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Scamrs! We've got scamrs over here!"
The mall's security guards heard the commotion and hurried over. The security chief, Zhao Dajun, spotted Shang Yuenong. "Yuenong, what's going on?"
"Uncle Zhao! I'm so glad you're on duty! You have to take these two fraudsters to the authorities! They're so brazen, trying to scam people in broad daylight!"
"Fraudsters?" Zhao Dajun was taken aback. After Shang Yuenong gave him a frantic explanation, he glanced at the rusty sword on Lin Tang and agreed that it looked like a piece of junk. The two of them did indeed seem very suspicious. "Detain them!"
"Insolence!" Zhou Rushan's face darkened, and he clapped his hands once. Instantly, several formidable-looking n appeared and ford a protective circle around him. One of them barked, "Are you blind? How dare you slander our master!"
Zhou Rushan said coolly, "Find out who's in charge here. Then ask him if he still wants this mall to stay in business."
"Yes, sir!" One of the n pulled out his phone and began relaying the orders.
Seeing the display of power, Zhao Dajun's eye twitched with a deep sense of foreboding. Shang Yuenong, however, was still convinced it was all an act.
But the next scene was like a bucket of icy water dumped over her head, chilling her to the bone.
"Oh, Mr. Zhou, my sincerest apologies! This is all my fault, I've been neglectful!" The mall owner ca sprinting over as if his pants were on fire. He bowed and scraped before Zhou Rushan, stopping just short of getting on his knees.
"Director Chen…" the security guards stamred in a panic. Zhao Dajun's face turned ashen, his tongue tied in knots.
"Director my ass! You dare to offend Mr. Zhou? All of you can pack your bags and go back where you ca from! There won't be a place for any of you in Jiangbei anymore!" the mall owner screeched furiously.
"What?"
"No, please!"
"We were blind! We didn't recognize who he was…"
"It was all Zhao Dajun's fault! It had nothing to do with us!"
The security guards begged for rcy, then turned on Zhao Dajun, venting their anger by beating him rcilessly.
"Oh my god!"
"How can this be happening?"
Shang Yuenong and Yao Qian were petrified and tried to sneak away.
"And these two bastards!" The security guards sward and surrounded them.
Trembling, Shang Yuenong shrieked, "What are you doing?"
SLAP!
She was struck hard across the face, and the pain brought imdiate tears to her eyes. She tried to speak again, but successive slaps made her cheeks swell, forcing her to swallow her words. Yao Qian fared even worse. He was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly. He felt utterly wronged; he hadn't wanted to get involved but had been dragged into this disaster by his wife.
Zhou Rushan didn't even bother to look at them, turning to Lin Tang with a pleasant smile. "Young man, I'm willing to offer 500,000 for this ancient sword of yours. What do you say?"
Five hundred thousand? Who do you think you're looking down on! Even if it didn't contain Geng Sand and was just an antique, it was once part of the collection of Lu Liangfei, an esteed guest of the Xie Family. How could its monetary value be a re few hundred thousand? Lin Tang rolled his eyes.
Zhou Rushan wasn't necessarily being stingy. As an antique collector, he enjoyed the thrill of finding a bargain. It was all about the feeling. Seeing that Lin Tang wasn't buying it, he let out a laugh. "Alright, alright! Five million! I'll take it!"
Even though she was still being hit, Shang Yuenong heard the offer clearly and was stunned. That piece of junk is really worth that much? If Lin Tang just nods, he'll be financially set for life. Why would he ever need to pick up scrap again? What kind of insane luck did he run into?!
"I said, it's not for sale," Lin Tang replied, impervious to persuasion.
"Hm?" Zhou Rushan's brow furrowed. "Young man, it's not good to be too greedy. Five million is a very fair price."
"It's not about the price. I wouldn't sell it for fifty million or even five hundred million," Lin Tang said with a faint smile. "Just because you make an offer, that doesn't give you the right to force a sale, does it?"
Zhou Rushan stared at him, silent for a mont.
Before his own n could speak, the mall owner started barking like a loyal dog, "It's an honor that Mr. Zhou has taken an interest in your possession, and you dare to refuse? Who gave you the nerve? n, teach him a lesson too!"
"Yes, sir!" The security guards let go of Shang Yuenong and charged toward Lin Tang.
Whew— Shang Yuenong felt as if she'd been granted amnesty. Seeing that Lin Tang was now about to get a beating, she felt a surge of malicious glee. It's all Lin Tang's fault that I'm suffering so much. That bastard has the audacity to act tough and turn down a fortune. He deserves a beating!
Just as a guard's fist was about to connect with Lin Tang, Zhou Rushan waved his hand, stopping them. "That's enough," he said. "You can't force a bitter lon to be sweet, and I am not one to take things by force. Young man, you may go."
"Fine." Lin Tang gave the old man a final glance, thinking he was surprisingly reasonable, and then left.
Shang Yuenong was disappointed by this turn of events and tried to use the opportunity to leave as well.
"Did I say you could leave?" Zhou Rushan's voice was ice-cold.
"What are you standing around for? Keep hitting them until Mr. Zhou is satisfied!" the mall owner bellowed.
"No!!" Shang Yuenong howled, begging for rcy. She scread after the departing Lin Tang, "Considering I'm your wife's best friend, you have to save ! Just sell him that stupid sword! Co back..."
Lin Tang couldn't care less about her. Without a single look back, he disappeared from view. This only made Shang Yuenong's hatred for him burn even deeper.
"Hehehe…" Zhou Rushan's eyes narrowed into thin slits as he stared in the direction Lin Tang had gone. "There is nothing in this world that I, Zhou Rushan, have set my eyes on and failed to obtain!"
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