"Young master…"
They had barely entered when a few people approached them.
Nodding his head, Zhao Chen introduced, "This is Mr. Shen Zhe!"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shen!"
Everybody bowed.
"Bring the best leather armor in our shop to Mr. Shen!" Zhao Chen waved his hand.
"Yes, sir!"
The clerks left in a hurry and soon returned with a black armor. "Mr. Shen, this is purely made of rhino hide. It can protect you from a fully-blown attack of a stage four expert of body polishing!"
Shen Zhe touched it. The armor was indeed soft and tensile.
It was good stuff!
He wouldn't be hurt too badly when the teacher punished him if he wore that in class!
No wonder so many students vomited blood but few died… Shen Zhe didn't know the trick behind it.
All of those students were probably wearing armor. Even the blood might be fake…
"How much is this?"
"I didn't pay you for the awesome herb liquid. This is just an armor. It's nothing…" said Zhao Chen with a smile.
"Thank you!"
Shen Zhe didn't insist after seeing that the offer was sincere.
He wasn't afraid of physical punishments anymore, but since he would rather not reveal his capabilities, the armor would be the best defense for him.
Zhao Chen asked the clerks to bring a few more items to him. Shen Zhe accepted them with a smile after knowing that his friend was repaying for the herb liquid. Then he said, "We've been friends for years. Just speak if you have anything you want to say…"
Zhao Chen had invited him over and given him so many things. He clearly had other purposes.
"Well…" Blushing, Zhao Chen said awkwardly, "My father wants to meet you…"
"The patriarch of the Zhao family?"
Shen Zhe frowned.
"Hadn't we just met in the morning?"
Besides, that man could have invited him to the Zhao family estate directly. Why did he ask Zhao Chen to take him there by using that excuse? It was so mysterious!
"This way, please!" Zhao Chen led the way.
Shen Zhe was puzzled. He followed him into a nearby room where the patriarch of the Zhao family was sitting.
The room was hidden in the deepest part of the mall. Without Zhao Chen leading the way, Shen Zhe wouldn't have noticed it even if he passed by.
"Mr. Zhao!" Shen Zhe clasped his hands.
Zhao Fan smiled, "Please sit down!"
"I'll take my leave…" Zhao Chen left the room.
The door was closed; Shen Zhe and Zhao Fan were left alone.
"Why did Mr. Zhao go through all this trouble to look for me?" Shen Zhe had nothing to worry about, because Zhao Fan could've killed him easily if he wanted to. So, he looked at the guy in confusion.
"If my stupid son was half as capable as Mr. Shen, I wouldn't be worried!"
Zhao Fan sighed after seeing that the teenager was unperturbed, straight off asking him a question before he did.
Why was their gap so vast?
His son excelled at nothing but eating and sleeping. However, Shen Zhe was apparently far better than his peers in all aspects.
Shen Zhe waited for a moment, sensing that the guy had yet to finish. Then, the patriarch of the Zhao family stood up and bowed. "I was too reckless. Please forgive me, Mr. Shen!"
"What do you mean, Mr. Zhao?" Shen Zhe was stunned.
Instead of replying, Zhao Fan asked again, "If I may ask, was the herb liquid you gave to my son really made personally by you?"
Shen Zhe nodded.
He had admitted it before. There was no point in denying.
"That is the problem!"
With a bitter smile, Zhao Fan explained, "Without the eighth stage of body polishing, nobody would've paid much attention to an herb liquid that could quickly help a person reach the sixth stage. However, there's a higher chance to become a Connate through body polishing, all thanks to the Stage of Unity! Now, the existence of an herb liquid that grants a quick advancement in such a scenario… what do you think it means?"
"Well…"
Shen Zhe was stiffened by the prospect.
Body polishing had been previously seen as a secondary choice and nobody paid attention to it. However, he would be mired in infinite trouble if the news that he could create the herb liquid were leaked!
He hadn't thought about any of that.
Zhao Fan definitely thought deeper than him, being the leader of a prestigious family.
It was quite understandable. He had only been a high school student in his previous life; never did he go through similar situations.
After the shock, Shen Zhe took a long breath and asked carefully, "Mr. Zhao, since you've foreseen the possibility and have approached me to talk about this matter, do you have a solution?"
He didn't trust Zhao Fan completely. The herb liquid would make a lot of people crazy. The patriarch of the Zhao family might have other thoughts.
"Rest assured, Mr. Shen. I do not covet the herb liquid!"
Zhao Fan bowed again and said, "After I visited you this morning, most people in the school knew that Zhao Chen had reached stage six of body polishing overnight. It can't be undone now, and we can only seek remedies!"
If he knew that stage eight of body polishing would be created, he wouldn't have thanked Shen Zhe publicly!
What he did had placed his son's lifesaver in the spotlight.
"Remedies?"
Shen Zhe clenched his fists.
Yes, the news was already out and couldn't be recalled.
"Yes, I've informed both the Liu and the Wang families, asking them not to reveal the herb liquid's effect. Also, I've spread the word that your grades were bad not because you didn't work hard, but because you spent more time in body polishing!" said Zhao Fan.
"Being the case…" Shen Zhe immediately understood what he meant. "Our breakthroughs weren't made overnight but as a matter of course, and the role of the herb liquid would be less important!"
"That's right…" Zhao Fan nodded. "Nobody notices whether or not other people are polishing their bodies. So, this might fool them for a while…"
Shen Zhe nodded.
The truth would be revealed sooner or later; someone would definitely investigate the herb liquid, even if they claimed that it was not important.
It wasn't easy to deceive them; everybody in that world was smart.
"Unless…" Zhao Fan hesitated.
Shen Zhe looked at him.
"Unless you're strong enough, or so talented that others wouldn't dare to covet it!"
Zhao Fan said, "Almost all the Druggists above level four can make herb liquids that can improve an ordinary person to stage six of body polishing overnight, but nobody dares to ask them for it!"
Shen Zhe trembled.
It did make sense.
Why were certain countries scoured for nuclear weapons, but America and Russia were exempt of this treatment?
Because it was apparent that they did have such weapons!
Everybody knew what the level-four Druggists were capable of, but did anyone dare to demand their herb liquid?
Of course not!
Power meant everything in any place.
Therefore, Shen Zhe had to raise his power as soon as possible.
Once he became a real Mage or a Druggist of a higher level, other people would have to consider carefully if they wanted to ask for trouble.
It seemed that he needed an extra pot apart from lightnings.
"Thank you for your advice and support, Mr. Zhao…"
Shen Zhe bowed deeply.
He was still too simple as a student.
If Zhao Fan hadn't reminded him, he would've been surrounded by countless people. Even his life could be at risk.
"You're too kind, Mr. Shen. You and my son are best friends, and you even refined herbs for him at a great cost. This is the least I can do!"
Zhao Fan said with a smile, "Besides, your future is nothing but promising when considering that you've made such an astonishing herb liquid at such a young age. I'm wagering on you!"
He was helping Shen Zhe for two reasons: Firstly, Shen Zhe was the young master of the Shen family; their fury would be too much to bear if he tried to blackmail him. Secondly, Shen Zhe was his son's best friend and had enormous potential. Therefore, the best choice was to make friends with him.
He had calculated the gains and losses clearly, thanks to his capabilities as a patriarch and a level-one Martial Artist.
"I owe you one for this, Mr. Zhao. I'll definitely help Zhao Chen whenever I can!"
Shen Zhe clasped his hands, knowing what Zhao Fan had in mind.
Whether or not the patriarch of the Zhao family meant what he said, he was doing Shen Zhe a favor right then.
"I'm relieved to hear that, Mr. Shen…"
Zhao Fan was relaxed.