“Young Master, I’ll have someone prepare a VIP pass for you right away. May I ask your surname?” The steward asked Terra Su courteously as he led him into the Five Treasures Hall.
“My surname is Su,” Terra Su replied calmly. The attitude of the Five Treasures Hall was exactly as he had expected.
If the Five Treasures Hall lacked even this bit of acumen, it wouldn’t be in business.
“Is there something specific you wish to purchase today, Young Master Su?” the steward inquired.
Terra Su nodded and casually handed over a list. “I need one of each herb listed here.”
The steward took the list and examined it carefully. “Young Master Su, we have all the herbs listed here, except for one…”
“What is it?” Terra Su asked.
“There’s a Snake Blood Ginseng on the list. I can’t make the decision to sell it. We only have one, and it’s our store’s prized treasure,” the steward said with a troubled expression. The Snake Blood Ginseng was far more valuable than a hundred-year-old Supreme Yang Herb and required the approval of the person in charge to sell.
“Take me to see the person in charge,” Terra Su said directly, wasting no words.
The steward led Terra Su to a room on the third floor of the Five Treasures Hall and knocked on the door. “Manager Min, a distinguished guest wishes to purchase the Snake Blood Ginseng!”
“Come in!” a voice from inside responded.
Terra Su pushed the door open and saw two people sitting face-to-face inside.
One was an elderly man with white hair and beard, and the other was a middle-aged man in a purple robe, his eyes sharp and piercing.
“Manager Min, this is Young Master Su, a distinguished guest of our Five Treasures Hall. He wishes to purchase the Snake Blood Ginseng,” the steward said to the elderly man, who was evidently the person in charge, Manager Min.
Manager Min stroked his white beard and looked at Terra Su with a hint of curiosity. “I don’t believe we’ve met before, Young Master Su. May I ask which Young Master Su you are?”
The steward quickly interjected, “Manager Min, this is the Young Master Su who cured the Cold-Hearted Python bite the other day!”
Upon hearing this, Manager Min’s eyes widened in surprise. He quickly stood up and cupped his hands in respect. “So it’s that Young Master Su. My apologies for not recognizing you.”
“Greetings, Manager Min,” Terra Su also cupped his hands in return. “I wish to purchase the Snake Blood Ginseng. Would you be willing to part with it?”
“Since it’s you, Young Master Su, there’s no problem at all!” Manager Min said, then instructed the steward, “Go fetch the Snake Blood Ginseng from the storeroom!”
The steward was about to leave when a cold voice suddenly interrupted, “Hold on!”
Manager Min was taken aback and looked questioningly at the middle-aged man in the purple robe. “Envoy Feng, is there a problem?”
The man referred to as Envoy Feng, with a cold and disdainful demeanor, glanced at Terra Su and said, “The Snake Blood Ginseng is the prized treasure of Clear River City’s Five Treasures Hall. How can such a valuable item be sold to a mere boy?”
Manager Min quickly explained, “Envoy Feng, you may not know, but Young Master Su is not an ordinary youth. He is a skilled Alchemist who cured a Cold-Hearted Python bite the other day.”
Envoy Feng remained unmoved and sneered, “An Alchemist? Just because of one incident, how can you be sure he’s a real Alchemist? He might have just been lucky!”
He then looked at Terra Su with contempt and said, “If you’re an Alchemist, show me your Alchemy Guild certification badge. Without it, not only will we not sell you the Snake Blood Ginseng, but we’ll also charge you with deceiving the Five Treasures Hall and beat you out with sticks.”
As he spoke, a powerful aura of a Condensing Origin Realm expert began to emanate from him, enveloping the entire room.
If Terra Su were an ordinary Inducing Qi Realm Martial Practitioner, or even a regular first-level Condensing Origin Realm practitioner, he would have been terrified by this pressure.
However, Terra Su stood tall and unaffected, as if the pressure didn’t exist. He looked at Envoy Feng with a hint of disdain and said, “Who are you? Do you have any authority over my dealings with the Five Treasures Hall?”
“How dare you!” Envoy Feng roared, slamming the table. His face contorted with anger. “I am an inspector sent by the Five Treasures Hall headquarters. I just arrived in Clear River City today. Do you think I have the authority?”
Manager Min quickly added, “Young Master Su, this is Envoy Feng from the Five Treasures Hall headquarters in the capital. You must not be disrespectful to him.”
The Five Treasures Hall had branches in every city of the Cloud Abyss Empire, with its headquarters in the capital, where many powerful individuals gathered. It was a significant force in the capital.
Terra Su knew this but remained unafraid. He sneered, “I don’t care if you’re a mad envoy or a crazy envoy. Since you’re in business, and I have money, is there any reason not to do business and instead beat a paying customer out with sticks? There’s no such logic anywhere in the world!”
Manager Min was momentarily speechless. Normally, there would be no issue selling the Snake Blood Ginseng to Terra Su, especially since he was a proven Alchemist. But today was different. Envoy Feng had intervened, and Manager Min, as the head of the Clear River City branch, couldn’t defy him.
“Young Master Su, I’m sorry,” Manager Min could only say.
However, he was also puzzled. Why was Envoy Feng making things difficult for Terra Su? They had no prior acquaintance or grudges.
Envoy Feng spoke again, disdainfully addressing Terra Su, “Since you can’t produce an Alchemy Guild certification badge, you can leave now!”
He then instructed the steward, “Go to the storeroom and bring the Snake Blood Ginseng. I’ll take it!”
Manager Min suddenly understood. Envoy Feng needed the Snake Blood Ginseng himself and was obstructing Terra Su to buy it for himself.
Though it was against the rules of the Five Treasures Hall, who would dare oppose an envoy from the headquarters?
Manager Min could only tell the steward, “Go get the Snake Blood Ginseng.”
At that moment, a cold voice came from behind, “Whatever he’s paying for the Snake Blood Ginseng, I’ll pay double!”
It was Terra Su, speaking coldly from behind!
“How dare you!” Envoy Feng roared in fury. “Who do you think you are to challenge me to my face?”
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