All five Foundation Establishment Pills are just defective products?
Everyone looked shocked, and the atmosphere in the hall subtly grew much more tense.
All members of the Ye family wore ugly expressions. For the Yang family to come offering an apology this time, only to bring five defective Foundation Establishment Pills... if it was truly as Ye Chen said, then the Yang family was going too far, simply bullying them beyond endurance.
Although five Foundation Establishment Pills were precious, for a family, face was often more important than tangible gains.
If they truly came to apologize with defective products, the Ye family's dignity would be utterly trampled.
On Yang Yi's pure yet charming, captivating face, a look of astonishment surfaced. She wondered inwardly how Ye Chen could possibly know. He was just a cripple; he shouldn't be able to tell.
But after seeing Ye Chen's confident and resolute gaze, for some reason, Yang Yi's intuition told her he had indeed seen through it, which shocked her even more.
What had happened these past few days? This cripple Ye Chen seemed to have undergone some kind of change.
The other Yang family members were equally surprised. Elder Yang, in particular, had a flash of nervousness cross his face, but he hid it well. Naturally, he couldn't admit to any of this. Immediately, he put on a cold face and berated Ye Chen: "Brat, what nonsense are you spouting? These are genuine Foundation Establishment Pills, Second Grade medium quality. The pill fragrance is light yet lingering. How could they be defective? If you don't believe it, all members of the Ye family can take a look. Our Yang family absolutely isn't deceiving anyone."
In truth, many of the Ye family members held a half-believing, half-doubting attitude toward this. Quite a few even chose to believe the Yang family.
For them to personally come to apologize, no matter how bold the Yang family was, they wouldn't dare to openly apologize with defective products. If such news spread, it would only damage the Yang family's reputation and completely worsen the relationship between the two great families, offering no benefit at all.
Moreover, regarding the quality of pills, unless one was an alchemist or proficient in such matters, it was very difficult to discern.
In the hall, many clansmen and disciples were shouting: "Ye Chen, you're just a cripple. Do you even understand pill refining? If you don't understand, don't come out and make a fool of yourself. You'll only disgrace our Ye family's dignity. Shut up immediately."
"That's right. If you don't understand, don't pretend you do."
"The Yang family's esteemed guests came with such sincerity to apologize, yet you insult them. This could easily cause discord between our two great families. Several Elders, I suggest we punish Ye Chen to appease the anger of the Yang family's esteemed guests."
Hearing so many people scolding her young master, Huan'er's delicate little face was filled with indignation, but her status was lowly, and she didn't dare to speak up.
Ye Chen shook his head helplessly. Were these the so-called clansmen? At a critical moment, they actually sided with outsiders instead of their own. Truly disappointing.
*Bang!*
From the main seat, Ye Ao slapped the table with his palm. The force was so great it nearly shattered the entire table. His sharp gaze swept over these younger generation disciples, instantly making their hearts tremble, and they dared not speak again.
Then, he looked at his son and frowned. "Chen'er, don't speak recklessly about this matter. It could easily cause disputes. If you're mistaken, admit it early."
Beside him, his mother also advised kindly, "Chen'er, you absolutely must not speak carelessly about this."
In her eyes, she also somewhat believed Ye Chen was only saying these angry words out of fury over the incident with Yang Yi.
But Ye Chen's expression was confident and resolute. He patted his mother's fair, jade-like hand and smiled. "Don't worry, Father, Mother. Your son would never spout nonsense. I'll prove it to you right now."
Then, he looked at Elder Yang and the other mysterious elder. "Gentlemen, I'm not mistaken, am I?"
How could Elder Yang admit it? He snorted coldly. "Young man, you're still young. You don't understand what pills are. If you're unclear, don't speak randomly. Having confidence is good, but overconfidence is arrogance, is ignorance."
"Still don't want to admit it even now?" Ye Chen smiled, but the curve of his lips carried a hint of mockery. "Since that's the case, I'll prove it for everyone to see."
Elder Yang very much wanted to dismiss it with disdain, but seeing the youth's resolute gaze, for some reason, he felt an uneasy premonition in his heart. His gaze couldn't help but fall on the other.
Yang Yi spoke up then, her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, her red lips parting slightly. "Ye Chen, stop making trouble. This isn't good for you."
Ye Chen merely glanced at her indifferently, without the previous fiery, infatuated gaze. What accompanied it was an aloofness. He held up the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand so everyone present could see clearly, and said, "The Foundation Establishment Pill, as a Second Grade pill, is divided into upper, medium, and lower grades. Generally speaking, if the pill body is smooth and lustrous like jade, comparable to emerald, pure in color and flawless, with a pill fragrance that is rich and lingering, it is considered upper grade."
"Medium grade: the pill body is emerald green mixed with azure, half azure half green, a harmonious color. The pill fragrance is neither light nor strong."
"Lower grade: the pill body appears azure. The pill fragrance is faint."
"But—" Ye Chen's tone shifted. Pointing at the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand, he said, "A Foundation Establishment Pill like this, where the pill body is mainly azure but has emerald green spots, is not strictly between lower and medium grade. The essence within the pill leaked out due to improper refinement, revealing itself on the pill's surface. This causes over half of the pill's essence to dissipate. It can be called a defective product."
"And the strong pill fragrance is merely a phenomenon caused by the fragrance from within the defective pill dispersing outward, its essence constantly escaping."
"Gentlemen of the Yang family, I shouldn't be mistaken, should I?" Ye Chen looked at the four Yang family members, smiling slightly, but his smile was filled with sarcasm.
Silence! Complete silence throughout the hall!
Everyone's gaze fell on Ye Chen, filled with disbelief. They couldn't imagine how he could speak such well-reasoned, evidence-based words.
Was this true?
Even though basically no one present understood the art of pill refining, after hearing his words, they all felt what he said wasn't far off and was credible.
The Yang family members' expressions completely changed, looking at Ye Chen in shock and horror. Elder Yang even murmured, "How is this possible?"
Wasn't this Ye family youth before him a waste? How could he know so much?
Yang Yi's expression was complex. She felt as if she was meeting Ye Chen for the first time.
The mysterious elder couldn't help but take a deep look at Ye Chen. He felt this youth was absolutely not simple.
Seeing the expressions of the Yang family members, Ye Ao and the several Elders felt their hearts sink, sensing this matter was very likely exactly as Ye Chen said. Ye Ao's expression darkened further as he shouted, "Yang Long, is what my son said correct or not? Do I, the City Lord, really need to invite Master Zhao De over to appraise these Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Master Zhao De was an alchemist in Luo Feng City, residing there long-term, highly respected and sought after by various major powers. With his rich pill refining experience, he could naturally also discern the quality of these Foundation Establishment Pills.
Hearing this, Elder Yang's face changed repeatedly, looking very ugly. He hadn't expected to be seen through, but he still tried to explain: "City Lord Ye, esteemed Elders, please give our Yang family a chance. Actually, we also didn't know these Foundation Establishment Pills were defective. We don't understand the quality of pills. We hope the City Lord and all members of the Ye family will forgive us."
Immediately, Ye Ao and the other Ye family members' expressions turned ugly. These words indirectly admitted these Foundation Establishment Pills were indeed defective, just as Ye Chen said. The Yang family had been utterly insincere.
Their gazes toward Ye Chen naturally couldn't lack surprise and admiration. It was actually true, as he said. These Foundation Establishment Pills were nothing but some defective products. If he hadn't spoken out personally, this time they truly would have been deceived by the Yang family, kept in the dark, and pointlessly happy for so long.
But wasn't Ye Chen a cripple? He had clearly sunk into despair. Why would he know so much about pill refining knowledge? It was truly beyond everyone's expectations.
At this moment, Yang Yi stood up from her chair and bowed in apology to Ye Ao and the three Elders. As she did so, the front of her garment parted slightly, revealing a stunning glimpse of snowy white that dazzled the eyes, attracting many gazes.
Her captivating little face was filled with apology as she said, "Uncle Ye, three Elders, I'm sorry. Yi'er and the other Yang family members were also kept in the dark. We don't understand the art of pill refining. Previously, we always felt guilty for harming Ye Chen. This time, we truly only sincerely wanted to come and offer an apology. We had no other intentions."
Then, she looked at Ye Chen. On her beautiful little face, her pureness carried an additional, unique charm and spring-like allure. Her large eyes were watery, as if about to shed tears, looking pitiful and evoking sympathy. She said, "Ye Chen, I'm sorry. Yi'er really didn't mean to deceive you all. This time, it was only with sincere intentions that we came to apologize, nothing more. Can you... can you forgive Yi'er this one more time? For the sake of our past interactions, alright?"
This tearful, pitiful appearance, her large eyes misty with tears, her pretty face captivating, immediately softened the hearts of many Ye family disciples. They wished they could forgive her on Ye Chen's behalf, then fiercely embrace this Yang Yi, hailed as Luo Feng City's number one beauty, and protect her dearly.
Ye Chen also seemed moved. Suddenly, he rushed forward and, under everyone's astonished gazes, fiercely embraced the girl's warm, flawless, delicate body in his arms. "I forgive you..."