Chapter 671: His face is about to swell up like a steamed bun soon.
Hearing his words, Ye Fengyun and the others all felt a hint of embarrassment. They had made a grand entrance, and wasn’t that just to disrupt the proceedings? Could it be that Mu Hanyan really hadn’t realized it?
"Alright, alright, bring out the medicinal herbs quickly. We’ll help you identify them in no time. We’re eager to get to lunch," Mu Hanyan said impatiently.
"Someone, bring over those medicinal herbs," Ye Fengyun gestured and said, sneering inwardly: Hmph, lunch? Once you see these herbs, let’s see if you still have the appetite to eat.
Soon, a group of young swordsmen carried in a large wooden chest taller than a person, and a faint scent of sandalwood spread through the hall. Obviously, the wooden chest was crafted from ten-thousand-year-old agarwood—it could prevent insects and decay and also ensured that the medicinal herbs wouldn’t spoil or lose their potency for a hundred years.
One must know that such agarwood was more valuable than gold. The cost of such a large chest would be enormous; even if one had the money, it might still not be available for purchase. It seemed that although Ye Fengyun intended to cause trouble for the Nanyan Commerce, he hadn’t lied: these herbs were indeed purchased by Wenren Qingqiu. Otherwise, with Ye Fengyun’s status and wealth, he would have been unable to produce such precious agarwood.
"Here is the list of medicinal herbs requested by the Master. Young Master Mu, the task is now yours," Ye Fengyun handed Mu Hanyan a list with a fake smile on his face.
The list was originally meant for Mu Nan, but with Mu Hanyan eagerly stepping forward to embarrass himself, it suited Ye Fengyun’s purpose perfectly.
Mu Hanyan took the list and glanced at it: Dragon Armor Three Spirit Grass, Purple Perilla Dark Fragrance Flower, Cold Dew Earth Emperor Ginseng...
Indeed, they were all unheard of and rare medicinal materials.
If it had been someone else, they would have been at their wit’s end, but Mu Hanyan was not worried in the slightest. If Ye Fengyun had posed another kind of challenge, she might have been stumped, but with this, she could only secretly chuckle.
Don’t forget, she had a Blessed Beast Egg. She could accurately obtain Meteorite Gold Ore with just a grab; identifying a few herbs was a piece of cake for her.
Mu Nan and Qu Shanling also leaned over to take a look and frowned at the first glance.
Noticing their expressions, Ye Fengyun sneered inwardly: This time, I’d like to see what sort of tricks you can pull.
The presidents of the major commerce chambers were clearly reveling in another’s misfortune. These herbs, even they could not identify, let alone the Nanyan Commerce with its limited heritage.
Among them, it seemed that only Mu Hanyan remained calm. But what could such an ignorant playboy understand? He probably hadn’t even heard of many common herbs, let alone recognize the rarity of these few. That’s probably why he appeared so unfazed.
"President Mu, Young Master Mu, shall we begin?" Ye Fengyun said to Mu Nan and Mu Hanyan.
"These medicinal herbs are not easy to appraise, and there’s no room for the slightest error. Why don’t you all have some tea here while we go to the back room to appraise them?" Qu Shanling spoke up.
"Let’s do this, you take your time to appraise them here. I will go to the restaurant with the presidents and have a meal. By the time we return, it should be just about done," Ye Fengyun, thinking they wanted to discuss strategies, did not object and instead pretended to agree amiably.
Even the major commerce chambers had called upon their retired tributors to identify these herbs one by one. He did not believe that Nanyan Commerce could come up with any solution; at best, they would just be more frazzled for a while.
"It’s good this way," Mu Nan nodded.
Shortly afterward, Ye Fengyun and the others left the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce.
Watching Ye Fengyun’s retreating figure, Mu Nan spat with disdain, "Let’s let you be smug for a moment."
"Let him prance about. His face is going to be swollen like a bun soon enough," Che Xiang, one of Mu Hanyan’s fervent fans, trusted her unconditionally. Thinking about hitting Young Master’s face, huh, his own face will be swollen soon!
"I really didn’t expect Ye Fengyun to pose such a difficult challenge for us. Thankfully, Master Qu is here," Mu Nan said as he took out the medicinal herbs one by one, laying them out on the long table, and then addressed Qu Shanling, "Master Qu, we are counting on your Star Divination Technique. Shall we start now?"
Seeing Qu Shanling had managed to send Ye Fengyun and his group away, Mu Nan naturally assumed he was about to employ the Star Divination Technique to appraise the herbs.
"Uh... I haven’t yet bathed and changed, nor have I fasted and burnt incense," Qu Shanling stammered, with a sheepish expression on his face.
Others might not know his true capabilities, but did he not know himself? His past divinations for others were mostly a mixture of guesswork and deception. It was only after learning the Star Illusion Thousand Machine Technique that he gained a bit of confidence, yet every application of it was so taxing that it made him vomit blood, and would only recover after consuming an entire roast pig, not to mention the risk of making mistakes.
It was a matter of great importance for the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, and he dared not take such a risk.
"What should we do then?" Having known him for a long time, Mu Nan had some understanding of this old god-man’s true nature, and said anxiously.
"Don’t worry, Sixth Young Master. I might find it a bit difficult to appraise these herbs, but for others, it’s a trifling matter," Qu Shanling said confidently.
"You mean..." Mu Nan looked towards Mu Hanyan. Since Qu Shanling lacked confidence, they could only rely on Mu Hanyan now, after all, his Star Divination Technique relied on guidance from Mu Hanyan.
Qu Shanling also looked in the direction of Mu Hanyan and smiled without saying a word.
Mu Hanyan smiled. With an auspicious beast at her side, who needed the Star Illusion Thousand Machine Technique? She could just guess directly.
"Brother Han, it’s time for you to make a move," However, to Mu Hanyan’s utter surprise, Qu Shanling was not referring to her but to Han Jinglun, who was standing by her side.
"That’s right, Sixth Young Master. This Mr. Han Jinglun, Mr. Han here, is my life-saving benefactor and a descendant of the Tianji Family. He has seen and heard about more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures than all of us here combined have eaten rice. If we talk about appraising any rare item, there’s no one more suitable in the world than him," Qu Shanling boasted as he introduced Han Jinglun’s identity.
"You flatter me, Brother Qu. I’ve merely heard a few more intriguing tales than most," Han Jinglun said modestly, yet his manner brimmed with strong confidence. Clearly, appraising these herbs was not a difficult task for him.
Mu Hanyan slapped her forehead, realizing she had forgotten about him. She had been preoccupied discussing matters of the Han Family and had neglected to mention the Chi Xiao Sword. Now that she thought about it, he must have been aware of the sword’s whereabouts early on, which is why he purchased it without hesitation.
"I saw that Chi Xiao Sword once, many years ago. The last person to possess this sword was a Sword Master Realm expert, who was an intimate friend of my father. He knew that with his own strength, he was not yet worthy to wield such a divine weapon, so he hired someone to craft a shell to conceal its true form and even added a prohibition to prevent detection of anything peculiar.
His intention was to use the sword after ascending to the Sword Saint status. Now that the Chi Xiao Sword has changed hands, it seems he likely met with misfortune. If I had not seen the Chi Xiao Sword before and knew its secret, the sword might have remained hidden for a millennium, or perhaps never seen the light of day again," Han Jinglun said reflectively, as he noticed what Mu Hanyan was thinking.
Given that the senior revealed the secrets of the Chi Xiao Sword to him, his relationship with the Han Family was undoubtedly very close. It was a mystery if his death had any connection to the Han Family.