"Five Foundation Establishment Pills are all subpar?"
Everyone appeared shocked, and the atmosphere in the hall had quietly become a lot more tense.
The faces of everyone from the Ye Family turned ugly. The Yangg Family had come to apologize, but to bring only five subpar Foundation Establishment Pills—if it were truly as Ye Chen said, then the Yangg Family seemed excessively unreasonable, practically bullying.
Though the five Foundation Establishment Pills were precious, for a family, face often seemed more important than tangible things.
If they really brought subpar items to apologize, the Ye Family's dignity would also be completely lost.
Yangg Yi's pure and charming face showed shock, thinking to herself how could Ye Chen possibly know, he's just a useless person and couldn't have noticed.
But when she saw Ye Chen's confident and resolute expression, for some reason, Yangg Yi instinctively felt that he had identified them correctly, which surprised her even more.
What had happened in the past few days? Ye Chen, the useless one, seemed to have undergone some sort of change.
The other members of the Yangg Family were also shocked; Elder Yangg even flashed a hint of nervousness but concealed it well. Naturally, he couldn't admit to any of it, and immediately rebuked Ye Chen coldly, "Kid, what nonsense are you talking? These are genuine Foundation Establishment Pills, second-grade middle, with a Pill Fragrance that is faint but persistent. Where do you see any substandard products? If the members of the Ye Family don't believe it, they are welcome to inspect them. My Yangg Family has certainly not deceived anyone."
In fact, many members of the Ye Family held a half-believing attitude, and even many chose to believe the people from the Yangg Family.
To come personally to apologize, the Yangg Family would certainly not dare to offer substandard items face-to-face; if that got out, it would only tarnish the reputation of the Yangg Family and further deteriorate the relationship between the two great families, benefiting no one.
Moreover, as for the quality of Pills, unless one is an Alchemist or proficient in such matters, it is very difficult to discern.
In the hall, several clan youths were shouting, "Ye Chen, you're just a disabled person, do you even understand Alchemy? If you don't know, don't embarrass yourself and lose all the dignity of our Ye Family. Just shut up."
"Right, if you don't know, don't pretend you do."
"The esteemed guests from the Yangg Family came to apologize with such sincerity, and yet you insult them, easily causing discord between the two great families. Elders, I suggest disciplining Ye Chen to appease the anger of the Yangg Family's esteemed guests."
Hearing many people scolding the young master, Huan'er's tender little face showed anger; considering her low status, she dared not speak up.
Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. Are these so-called clan members? At a critical moment, they sided with outsiders instead of insiders, truly disappointing.
Bang—
Seated at the head, Ye Ao slammed his hand on the table with such force that the entire table nearly shattered. His gaze swept over these younger generations, making their hearts tremble, and they dared not speak any longer.
Following this, he looked toward his son and frowned, "Chen'er, don't speak recklessly about this matter. It can easily lead to a dispute, if you are wrong, admit it soon."
His mother also gently advised, "Chen'er, you mustn't speak carelessly about this matter."
In her eyes, she also somewhat believed that Ye Chen was upset over the matter with Yangg Yi and thus spoke those angry words.
But Ye Chen looked confident and resolute; he patted his mother's pale jade hand and smiled, "Don't worry, Father, Mother, I wouldn't speak nonsense; I will prove it to you."
Then, he looked toward Elder Yangg and another mysterious elder, "Elders, I haven't spoken incorrectly, have I?"
Elder Yangg wouldn't admit it, and scoffed, "Young man, you are still young and don't understand what a Pill is. If you're not clear, don't speak casually. Confidence is good, but being overly confident is arrogance—that's ignorance."
"Aren't you going to admit it even now?" Ye Chen smiled, but the curve of his lips carried a bit of mockery, "Since that's the case, I'll just prove it to everyone."
Elder Yangg really wanted to disregard him, but seeing the young man's resolute gaze, for some reason, he always had a bad feeling, and he couldn't help but keep his eyes on him.
Yangg Yi then spoke, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her red lips parted slightly, "Ye Chen, stop this. This is not good for you."
Ye Chen merely glanced at her indifferently, his gaze lacking the passionate obsession of the past. Accompanied by a sense of detachment, he firmly gripped the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand, making sure everyone present could see it clearly, and said, "Foundation Establishment Pill, a second-grade pill, is divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Generally speaking, if the pill body is smooth as jade, uniformly colored, and flawless with a dense and lingering fragrance, it is considered top-grade."
"Middle-grade, the pill body is green with hints of blue, half green and half blue, representing a harmonious color, with a fragrance that is neither light nor strong."
"Lower-grade, the pill body is blue, and the fragrance is faint."
"However—" Ye Chen shifted his tone, pointing at the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand, and said, "A pill like this one, where the body is primarily blue with green spots, doesn't fall between lower and middle grade; strictly speaking, the essence of the pill leaked during preparation due to improper practices, revealing the exterior and causing more than half of the pill's essence to dissipate. It can be referred to as a defective product."
"The intense fragrance is merely a phenomenon caused by the dispersal of the defective pill's aroma, constantly leaking its essence."
"Members of the Yangg Family, I should be correct, shouldn't I?" Ye Chen looked towards the four individuals of the Yangg Family, smiled faintly, his smile laden with sarcasm.
Silence!
The entire scene fell silent!
Everyone's gaze was fixed on Ye Chen, filled with disbelief, unable to fathom how he managed to articulate such a reasoned and justified statement.
Is this true?
Although most people present were ignorant of alchemy, for some reason, after listening to him, they felt that what he said was plausible and credible.
The members of the Yangg Family completely changed their expressions, staring at Ye Chen in shock, with Elder Yangg mumbling, "How is this possible?"
Wasn't this young man from the Ye Family supposed to be a good-for-nothing? How could he know so much?
Yangg Yi looked conflicted, feeling as though she was meeting Ye Chen for the first time.
The mysterious elder couldn't help but take a deep look at Ye Chen, thinking this boy was definitely not simple.
Seeing the expressions of the Yangg Family, Ye Ao and several elders felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, sensing that this matter was very likely just as Ye Chen had said. Ye Ao's expression darkened as he demanded, "Yangg Long, my son is not wrong, is he? Do I really need to invite Master Zhao De to come and appraise these Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Master Zhao De was an alchemist residing in Luofeng City, highly respected and courted by major forces due to his extensive alchemy experience. Naturally, he could also discern the quality of these Foundation Establishment Pills.
Hearing this, Elder Yangg's complexion changed again, looking very ugly. He hadn't expected to be seen through, but still tried to explain, "City Lord Ye, esteemed elders, please give our Yangg Family another chance. We really didn't know these Foundation Establishment Pills were defective. We don't understand the quality of pills and hope for your forgiveness, as well as that of the Ye Family."
Instantly, Ye Ao and the others from the Ye Family looked displeased. These words indirectly confirmed the pills were indeed defective, just as Ye Chen had said. The people of the Yangg Family were far too insincere.
Looking at Ye Chen, their gazes inevitably held surprise and admiration; he was right, these Foundation Establishment Pills were merely defective products. If he hadn't spoken out, they might have been deceived by the Yangg Family, kept in the dark while falsely rejoicing all this time.
But wasn't Ye Chen supposed to be a good-for-nothing? Having already fallen into despair, how could he know so much about alchemy? It was truly beyond everyone's expectations.
At this moment, Yangg Yi stood up from her chair, bowed deeply to Ye Ao and the three elders, her chest slightly revealing a stunning glimpse of snow-white skin that dazzled onlookers and drew many eyes.
Her charming little face was full of apology as she said, "Uncle Ye, three elders, I'm sorry. Yi'er and the other members of the Yangg Family were kept in the dark. We don't understand alchemy. We've always felt guilt for hurting Ye Chen in the past and sincerely wanted to come and offer our apologies, with no other motives."
Then, she turned to look at Ye Chen, her beautiful face innocently containing a hint of unusual coquettish allure. Her large eyes watery, nearly tearful, appeared as if she was about to cry, evoking pity as she said, "Ye Chen, I'm sorry. Yi'er really didn't intend to deceive you. This time it was truly just a heartfelt attempt to apologize, nothing more. Can you forgive Yi'er once more, for old times' sake?"
This tearful, pitiful appearance, with misty eyes and a touching face, immediately softened the hearts of many young men from the Ye Family. They almost wished to forgive her on Ye Chen's behalf and then fiercely embrace Yangg Yi, known as the most beautiful woman in Luofeng City, to tenderly protect her.
Ye Chen seemed moved as well, suddenly rushing forward. Under the astonished gazes of everyone, he fiercely embraced the girl's soft, flawless body in his arms: "I forgive you..."