C7 I Became Stronger

Qin Fen eyed the other's shoddy demeanor with a sneer of contempt. "We're classmates, and yet you distrust me so? If I were in your shoes, I'd happily fork over an extra two thousand as a show of support. And in front of these two lovely ladies, are you really going to haggle?" Qin Fen clearly had no intention of yielding.

Zheng Xu's face flushed with embarrassment upon hearing Qin Fen's challenge, especially under the watchful eyes of the two girls. Steeling himself, he conceded, "Alright, I'll take a liter."

He reached for a bucket of Nine-Taste Decoction, but Qin Fen swiftly slapped his hand away.

"What's the meaning of this?" Zheng Xu was teetering on the edge of fury, convinced that Qin Fen was deliberately scamming him.

"Payment first, then delivery. I'm not going anywhere. If you have any doubts about the quality, you can come to me anytime. Once sold, there are no returns if there's no issue with the quality," Qin Fen explained, punctuating his point with a wag of his index finger.

Zheng Xu was seething. While he admired Qin Fen's performance in the video, the idea of shelling out ten thousand yuan for this product was another matter. It would be worthwhile if it lived up to the hype, but if the video was just for show, he'd be taking a huge loss.

With the eager eyes of the two ladies upon him, Zheng Xu bit the bullet. "Alright, let's just consider it spending money to show off," he reasoned. "The admiring looks from these ladies are worth the extra expense." After all, Zheng Xu's family had money to spare.

Accepting the small bucket of Nine-Taste Decoction from Qin Fen, Zheng Xu inspected it closely, only for his expression to sour instantly. "Come on, man, this isn't right. There's a lipstick mark on it—it's clearly been used, and it's still wet. Are you expecting me to pay top dollar for damaged goods?"

Upon hearing the remark, Qin Fen felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He inspected the item and, as expected, there was a lipstick mark on it, which sent his mind racing.

This guy was so close to being swayed, and Qin Fen couldn't let a minor hiccup like this derail the deal.

He had an idea.

"Hey, man, you're missing the point. As the owner, I have to look out for my customers' interests. It's like how chefs taste their dishes before serving them to ensure quality. To guarantee that the product my customers get is the real deal, I have to sample it myself," Qin Fen explained with a straight face.

Zheng Xu's mood seemed to lighten a bit upon hearing this. After mulling it over, he began to see the logic in Qin Fen's words.

Still, this was a prime opportunity to negotiate the price.

"Look, Qin Fen, while you do have a point, it's still pretty off-putting to see that mark. So here's the deal: I'll buy it, but you've got to cut me some slack on the price. We're classmates, after all. You can't possibly treat me the same as everyone else," Zheng Xu proposed.

Feeling a bit sheepish, Qin Fen's eyes sparkled at the suggestion. Selling it for ten thousand yuan was indeed a bit steep, especially since he had already consumed about twenty percent of the Nine-Taste Decoction. Maybe eight thousand yuan would be fair.

"Fine, eight thousand yuan it is. You're the first customer for my Nine-Taste Decoction, so I'll give you a discount," Qin Fen said, feigning a pained expression.

A grin spread across Zheng Xu's face, pleased with the two thousand yuan discount. He sensed there was room for further negotiation, but before he could press on, Qin Fen made a sweeping gesture.

"Enough, Zheng Xu. This is my cost price. Take it or leave it. You're getting a steal. Just so you know, in less than three days, the price of my Nine-Taste Decoction is likely going to rise," Qin Fen said with a dismissive shrug.

Zheng Xu appeared to waver, and Qin Fen, determined to close the deal, spotted a few hard stones by the roadside. He strode over, picked up a couple, and confidently placed them against his chest.

Zheng Xu watched as Qin Fen approached with two large stones in his grasp, initially suspecting that Qin Fen intended to use the rocks as a means of intimidation. Dismissive, Zheng Xu, a black iron eight-star expert, was confident that even if Qin Fen unleashed his full strength, he would stand no chance against him with mere stones.

Yet, Qin Fen did not strike. Instead, he tossed one stone to the ground and held the other against his chest, challenging Zheng Xu, "Come on, Zheng Xu, punch me while I hold this stone."

Zheng Xu immediately questioned Qin Fen's sanity. "Listen, man, I get that you want to sell stuff and make some cash, but you can't just throw your life away. If I punch you, even with that stone in between, you're going to get seriously hurt."

Qin Fen just smirked and shook his head, asking, "So, are you going to punch me or not?"

Still conflicted, Zheng Xu hesitated, but Qin Fen didn't have the patience for further discussion. He swung his left fist and struck the stone against his chest.

The resulting crash was thunderous, the stone shattering into dozens of evenly broken pieces, leaving onlookers in sheer astonishment.

"This has to be a prop, right? How could it break so evenly? And what's with this guy's fist—is it made of iron? He smashed that hard rock so effortlessly," a bystander exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight. Observing Qin Fen's serene demeanor, he couldn't contain his amazement.

Qin Fen, slightly annoyed, retorted, "What are you blabbering about? Who's using a prop? If you're so sure, why don't you try knocking it against your own head?"

The passerby recoiled in fright and fell silent. Qin Fen, not one to squabble with strangers, turned back to Zheng Xu and suggested, "Why don't you give it a shot? Otherwise, you might keep thinking I'm scamming you."

Zheng Xu glanced at the stone Qin Fen had placed on the ground and shook his head decisively. "No need, I'll take it."

With that, he pulled out his phone and promptly transferred 8,000 yuan to Qin Fen. The transaction was successful, and Zheng Xu accepted the container of Nine-Taste Decoction that Qin Fen handed over.

"Is this really not just mineral water?" Zheng Xu shook his head, noticing Qin Fen's expression darken. He held his tongue and tilted his head back to gulp down the barrel of Nine-Taste Decoction.

"How's the taste?" one of the two beauties approached, eyeing Zheng Xu with a hint of curiosity.

"It's not bad, but why don't I feel any stronger after drinking it?" Zheng Xu glanced at Qin Fen, puzzled. Qin Fen remained silent, merely watching him with an amused smile.

Moments later, Zheng Xu's face changed, flushing as if his whole body was ablaze.

"Is this the power of the Nine-Taste Decoction? I feel like my strength has roughly doubled!" Zheng Xu exclaimed, nearly leaping with excitement.

"Will this strength last?"