Chapter 244: Gimmick
This tiny gesture instantly sent a wave of goosebumps prickling all over Wu Chenggang’s skin.
He was a shrewd man and immediately saw through it—Long Wu was actually waiting for a signal from Qin Tuo beside him.
An utterly absurd feeling welled up inside him.
Long Wu was the great Southwest Underground Emperor, the Hall Master of Huaiyi Hall! How could he possibly submit to someone so young?
But now, the ironclad truth was laid bare before him.
Long Wu said nothing, merely waiting for Qin Tuo’s command.
Wu Chenggang’s mind raced, and in an instant, he understood.
He finally understood. Qin Tuo was the real powerhouse here—even Long Wu had to obey him!
Wu Chenggang scrambled to turn around and kowtowed deeply to Qin Tuo.
"Mr. Qin, I was blind just now! How dare I offend you! I deserve to die!"
He groveled, adopting the lowest possible posture, praying that Qin Tuo would be merciful and spare his worthless life.
Wu Chenggang knew you could probably count the number of terrifying figures like Qin Tuo in the entire Celestial South Province on one hand. His only hope for survival—that pitiful, slim chance—was to make himself as small as possible.
Nearby, Zhou Qihua and Lin Yuyan’s eyes were wide as saucers, their minds struggling to process what was happening.
This was especially true for Zhou Qihua, who knew exactly how high Wu Chenggang’s status was in all of Jin City.
Yet here he was, kneeling before Qin Tuo, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.
The stark contrast made the entire scene feel like a hallucination, utterly surreal.
A constant stream of surprise flashed through Lin Yuyan’s beautiful eyes. She couldn’t help but stare at Qin Tuo, her gaze filled with an intense, overwhelming curiosity.
’She didn’t get it. Wasn’t her cousin Chen Man Ni’s boyfriend just some pretty boy?’
’How had he suddenly transformed into such a terrifyingly powerful figure?’
In the face of Wu Chenggang’s desperate pleas, Qin Tuo said coldly,
"I already gave you a chance to follow the rules of business. You’re the one who refused. Don’t blame me for what happens next."
The moment he finished speaking, Wu Chenggang was scared out of his wits. He nodded frantically.
"Mr. Qin, I was wrong! I’m willing to offer you all the century-old herbs in my shop! I just beg you to spare me this one time!"
Qin Tuo asked with a faint, unreadable smile,
"Oh? You’ll give me all your century-old herbs? Won’t that break your heart?"
Wu Chenggang shook his head vigorously, his face plastered with a sycophantic grin.
"Mr. Qin, what are you talking about? It’s my honor to be able to present all these herbs to you!"
As he said this, however, his heart was bleeding.
Qin Tuo nodded slowly. Seeing Wu Chenggang’s satisfactory attitude, he decided not to press him further.
He said casually,
"Tell you what. I won’t take your herbs for free. I’ll buy them all at market price. How does that sound?"
Wu Chenggang was stunned. Then, moved to tears of gratitude, he kowtowed several more times.
"Mr. Qin, you put me to shame!"
Wu Chenggang also let out a massive sigh of relief.
If Qin Tuo had really just cleaned out all the century-old herbs from his shop, the Hundred Medicines Workshop would have suffered a devastating blow. It would take who knows how many years to recover.
Qin Tuo gestured with his hand.
"Get up. Bring all the herbs over for me to have a look."
Wu Chenggang immediately scrambled to his feet and scurried off, bringing back all the century-old herbs in the shop.
He didn’t dare hold anything back, terrified that Qin Tuo would notice and finish him off for good.
He understood perfectly well that Qin Tuo was a master in this field; you couldn’t pull a fast one on him.
After taking inventory, Qin Tuo nodded in satisfaction.
He couldn’t help but say,
"I don’t have much cash on me right now, but I can trade you with Small Rejuvenation Pills."
The moment he heard the name "Small Rejuvenation Pill," Wu Chenggang’s eyes went wide.
The name was famous enough to shake the heavens. After all, he had recently bought a Small Rejuvenation Pill himself and personally experienced its effects. The memory was still fresh.
Based on Qin Tuo’s tone, Wu Chenggang asked in astonishment,
"Mr. Qin, these Small Rejuvenation Pills... could they be...?"
Qin Tuo nodded and smiled.
"That’s right. I refined these Small Rejuvenation Pills myself."
Wu Chenggang shuddered, suddenly not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
He finally realized he had truly picked a fight he couldn’t win.
He had been wondering what legendary figure was behind the Small Rejuvenation Pills, never imagining he was standing right in front of him.
He was finally beginning to understand why a man like Long Wu would choose to follow Qin Tuo.
Beside him, Zhou Qihua was also staring at Qin Tuo, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
"What? You’re not willing?"
Seeing Wu Chenggang staring blankly, Qin Tuo prompted.
Wu Chenggang snapped out of it and began nodding frantically, like a chicken pecking at grain.
"I’m willing! Of course I’m willing, Mr. Qin!"
Wu Chenggang wasn’t a fool. An item like the Small Rejuvenation Pill had enormous market value and could be converted into cash at a moment’s notice.
The Small Rejuvenation Pill was arguably even more sought-after than century-old herbs.
’This might even be a blessing in disguise,’ Wu Chenggang thought.
In that instant, his fear of Qin Tuo transformed into genuine admiration!
Qin Tuo suddenly thought of something and added,
"Tell you what. That prize of your shop, the thousand-year-old Ganoderma—I’ll trade you twenty Small Rejuvenation Pills for it."
Qin Tuo hadn’t forgotten about that one. After all, it was a genuine thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine!
However, Wu Chenggang’s expression was worse than if he’d been crying. He waved his hands dismissively.
"Mr. Qin, the truth is, I don’t actually have a prized thousand-year-old Ganoderma or anything like it."
At that, Zhou Qihua couldn’t help but step forward.
"That’s not right, Boss Wu. Everyone says you have a thousand-year-old Ganoderma. How could that be fake?"
Wu Chenggang explained, his face a mask of embarrassment,
"To be honest, I made that up. It was just a marketing gimmick for the Hundred Medicines Workshop. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been so desperate to bid for this Thousand-Year-Old Snow Lotus..."
As he spoke, his face flushed bright red with shame.
Hearing this, Zhou Qihua rolled his eyes, utterly speechless.
Qin Tuo frowned slightly and muttered to himself,
"What a shame... I really thought you had a thousand-year-old Ganoderma."
Seeing Qin Tuo’s displeased expression, Wu Chenggang immediately began begging again.
"Mercy, Mr. Qin! I really didn’t mean to deceive you!"
Seeing Wu Chenggang’s terrified state, Qin Tuo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"All right, I don’t blame you. If you don’t have one, you don’t have one."
Seeing that Qin Tuo truly wasn’t angry, Wu Chenggang breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
’Well, there’s no thousand-year-old Ganoderma,’ Qin Tuo thought, ’but I did get another thousand-year Spirit Medicine today.’ With that, he decided not to dwell on it.