Fortunately, Hua Tianxiong was still young. Although he had already gone through his coming-of-age ceremony, he had yet to experience the affairs of men and women, and thus remained largely immune to the seductive charms of the woman before him.
"Yes, it is my first time here," Hua Tianxiong said, steadying himself.
"Xiao Li, what does this gentleman require?"
"My lady, it is like this: this old gentleman wishes to sell a large quantity of spiritual herbs and has requested to speak with you personally."
"Oh? A large quantity of spiritual herbs?" The seductive woman looked Hua Tianxiong up and down, a meaningful glint in her eyes. While few dared to cause trouble for the Continent Chamber of Commerce, there were always reckless fools who lacked perspective. As the branch manager in Shicheng, she was no stranger to men throwing themselves at her like moths to a flame.
Noticing her expression and attitude, Hua Tianxiong understood her implications immediately. Without another word, he pulled a pile of herbs from his storage bag, spreading them out in the VIP room. With a provocative look at the woman, he said, "Well? Can we begin the inspection?"
"Oh, my apologies, please forgive my rudeness. These are truly excellent herbs; their spiritual energy is at least 20% higher than standard stock. We will take all of them: Qingling Grass at 60 taels per stalk, Silverleaf Grass at 110 taels per stalk, and Blood Essence Grass at 160 taels per stalk. Are you satisfied with these terms, senior?" Murong looked at Hua Tianxiong with wide, surprised eyes, filled with both apology and anticipation. For some reason, there was also a hint of regret in her gaze; she was accustomed to men fawning over her, but the arrival of a serious business client had genuinely caught her off guard.
Without further ado, Hua Tianxiong moved the rest of the herbs from his storage bag directly into the room. They filled more than half of the expansive three-hundred-square-meter VIP suite, leaving the seductive woman completely stunned. She stared at Hua Tianxiong in silence for several seconds.
"Is there something on my face?" Hua Tianxiong teased in a gravelly voice.
"Oh, no. You are selling all of this to our Continent Chamber of Commerce?" Even with her years of experience, this was a first. She had seen larger deals, but in Shicheng, even the best mercenary teams usually only brought in a few dozen or a hundred stalks at most. The sheer volume of First-grade Spiritual Herbs filling the room took her by surprise, though she quickly regained her composure.
"I am selling it all. Count it up!" Hua Tianxiong said, maintaining his haughty tone while carefully keeping his voice raspy. He couldn't afford to be exposed.
"Sir, please follow me. Xiao Li, go call more people to start counting immediately!" The woman gestured for Hua Tianxiong to follow her into the inner chamber of the VIP suite.
Once they were inside, the beauty named Murong Qiudi walked over to her millennium-old sandalwood desk and retrieved a silver card from the top drawer.
"Senior, please accept my deepest apologies. I am Murong Qiudi, the person in charge of the Continent Chamber of Commerce branch in Shicheng. This is a silver card from our Chamber of Commerce; it is valid at every branch across the Huaxia Continent. From now on, you will receive a 5% discount on all purchases and a 5% bonus on all items you sell here. Please forgive my earlier slights," Murong Qiudi said solemnly, presenting the card with both hands.
Although she had casually swept her divine sense over Hua Tianxiong and detected only the cultivation level of a First-Rank Martial Disciple, she treated him with the respect due to a senior. The fact that he could conceal his cultivation so effectively that even a High-Level Martial Master like her could not perceive his true level was beyond her capabilities. In her experience, she had clearly encountered a master of great stature.
"Manager Murong is too kind. I am merely a simple villager, growing a few herbs in my spare time to earn some pocket money. I look forward to our future cooperation," Hua Tianxiong replied.
"Very well. We look forward to your next visit to our Shicheng branch, and I am certain our future cooperation will be even more pleasant!" Murong Qiudi added.
Internally, however, she was skeptical. Even though these were the lowest-grade spiritual herbs, it was impossible to harvest so many from the ordinary Tieshi Mountains unless they came from some spirit-rich Secret Realm. This man must have a significant background. Since he was unwilling to reveal the origin of the herbs, she could not force him. Such a person was best not offended; otherwise, it would surely lead to trouble.
Yet, with a woman's keen intuition, she felt something was slightly off about this seller. Although he was cloaked to hide his face and body, that was not rare on the Huaxia Continent—many Martial Practitioners preferred to hide their identities and cultivation levels to avoid trouble. Thus, while Murong Qiudi remained curious, she could not pinpoint anything concrete.