Chapter 24: Trust

Ten days later

“Over there, no one is responsible for the customers. Hurry up and go. You, the cashier, can’t handle it alone. Go lend a hand. Hey, everyone is busy; how dare you slack off? Quickly go to the warehouse and get some hemostatic powder. We’re running low on stock here.” Qi Yuan stood on the side, assigning tasks to his subordinates one by one.

Watching the others nod obediently without daring to refute him, Qi Yuan felt secretly delighted. Signing a lifelong agreement with the Qi family was the most correct thing he had ever done in his life!

Look at this: in just over ten years, because of his efficient work and the master’s favor, he was given the Qi surname and managed a branch. If he accumulated enough experience in a few more years, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be transferred to the main store!

Under a great tree, one can enjoy the shade. Relying on the Qi family, he was now considered a prominent figure on the Huangsha Star.

Thinking about it, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander. What if the master wanted to transfer him to the main store? Should he refuse?

Although the branch had less money, it was more comfortable! He was the shopkeeper, and what he said goes.

But if he went to the main store, things would be different. Eyes would be watching everywhere, and everyone would be more skilled than him. Although the main store paid more, there were no extra earnings! Unlike now, he occasionally slips returned goods into his own pocket without anyone noticing.

However, what if he refused and the master wasn’t pleased?

Qi Yuan, with nothing else to do, began to agonize over imaginary scenarios.

“Bang!” A porcelain bottle was slammed onto the table, and a strong man stood beside the table with an angry expression, loudly saying, “What’s wrong with your pharmacy? What kind of rubbish is this that you dare to sell it casually?”

Qi Yuan remained unperturbed. The master had high standards, and all returned goods were required to be handled properly. He welcomed customers returning goods, as it allowed him to pocket some extra money.

Unfortunately, after being the manager of the branch for two years, he rarely encountered customers coming to return goods.

Smiling to reassure the customer, Qi Yuan said, “Don’t worry, sir. Let’s talk about it. Our store is here to stay, and we won’t run away.” He even managed to make a joke.

The anger of the strong man subsided slightly. “I heard that your hemostatic powder is the best on Huangsha Star. I bit the bullet and saved up to buy a bottle. And what did I get? What kind of stuff is this in my hands?”

Qi Yuan suddenly realized this. Probably some confused fool had mixed up the medicinal powder and put it in the wrong bottle.

Tsk, despite repeatedly warning them to be careful, the reputation of the Qi family was the most important. Making such a low-level mistake, he would have to investigate who it was and dock their salary.

Qi Yuan had encountered similar situations a few times before; after all, people were prone to mistakes. He didn’t know what kind of medicine had been put in the bottle this time.

But previously, when other medicinal powders were put in the wrong bottle, his subordinates were always extra cautious when making hemostatic powder. If a customer needed hemostatic powder to save a life, pouring out different medicines would be a matter of life and death!

While cursing the confused fool in his mind, Qi Yuan, with a smiling face, said, “Let me take a look.”

He picked up the porcelain bottle, poured some into his hand, and sniffed. He was dumbfounded. As if not believing it, he sniffed the powder again, shocked.

It was hemostatic powder; the substance was not mixed up.

“Are you sniffing like a dog? I don’t care, but you must give me an explanation today.” The strong man complained discontentedly.

Qi Yuan, unable to dwell on details, asked in confusion, “This is indeed hemostatic powder. What issue does the customer have?”

The strong man seemed incredulous. “The substance is not mixed up? This is the renowned hemostatic powder from your store on Huangsha Star?”

“Yes.” Qi Yuan proudly stood tall; his posture straightened a bit.

“How is that possible? Is this the effect of the top-ranked healing medicine? The hemostatic ointment from Zhao Pharmacy, newly opened on the next street, has a better effect than this!” The strong man seemed quite shocked, and his voice raised a few decibels.

Qi Yuan’s expression turned cold; it seemed this person was causing trouble under the guise of being a customer. The next street? The newly opened Zhao Pharmacy? Hemostatic ointment? Knowing so clearly, it was evident he came to stir up trouble!

“Oh? I wonder how effective their hemostatic ointment is. I’d really like to see and experience it.” Qi Yuan showed a playful smile.

This wasn’t the first time someone had come to pick a fight. Every time he said these words, the customers in the store would join in the commotion. When the person brought out the supposedly more effective medicine, everyone would laugh at the idea of comparing it to other products, especially hemostatic powder.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the customers in the store joined in on the excitement.

“How effective is it? Bring it out and let me see.”

“It’s not good to shop at Qi Family Pharmacy because of this. Why do we always encounter these fools? Do they really think they can successfully promote their own store like this? Do they think everyone in the world is foolish?”

“Don’t say that. What if someone’s mental resilience is not up to par, and they just turn around and run away? I still want to see the joke!”

The strong man showed an angry expression, pointing at those who spoke. “I see now, you’re all shills, working with the store! Deliberately deceiving people for money!”

One of them frowned displeasedly and said, “As a sixth-level martial artist, it’s the first time I’ve been accused of being a shill. Don’t say this is just a branch of the Qi family; even if it’s the main store, even if Qi Xing himself comes forward, he can’t make me work as a shill for his store and give his family some empty words of praise. If the stuff from that new store is really good, bring it out and let me broaden my horizons.”

“Are you really not a shill?” the strong man hesitated to ask, seeming somewhat incredulous.

The person rolled their eyes and said, “If you have the ability, then show some proof. I’m a regular customer at the Qi family’s place. If you can prove that the new store has something better, I won’t say a word and will immediately go with you to buy ten boxes of hemostatic medicine.”

The strong man relaxed his expression, seemingly starting to believe, muttering from time to time, “Ten boxes, that’s 1,800 credits, quite expensive.”

Then he turned to Qi Yuan and complained, “I’m telling you, your business is really not honest. The other shop sells one box for 180 credits, and your shop sells one bottle for 200 credits. And what’s the result? not as effective as theirs, not as good in quality, and still more expensive. What kind of business is this? Isn’t this just cheating people?!”

Qi Yuan cursed the other party in his heart, convinced that he was there to cause trouble. He put on a professional smile. “There are many people present at the moment. If you feel that the Qi family’s products are not as good as others, you can try them on the spot, compare the results, and let everyone judge.”

The strong man tentatively asked, “Well, if what I say is true, would you be willing to let me return the goods and refund me in full?”

Qi Yuan waved his hand and said, “Sure, no problem.”

A level six martial artist interjected, “Don’t worry, even if the Qi family refuses to acknowledge it, I’ll give you 200 credit points. Consider it a reward for telling me about a better healing medicine.”

The strong man looked pleased, rubbing his hands together. “Alright, alright, you said it yourself; I didn’t force you.”

“You said there’s something good? Bring it out.” The level six martial artist crossed his arms, waiting to see the show.

The strong man carefully took out a bamboo box from his pocket, holding it in his hands. “The stuff is in here. How do we test it?”

Qi Yuan clapped his hands, and two employees came out, one after the other. “They will cut wounds on their hands and apply the medicine at the same time. It should be very clear how the effects differ.”

The strong man was shocked and stammered. “They…they voluntarily cut, cut wounds on their hands? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Qi Yuan chuckled inwardly, realizing that he was finally scared when it came down to it.

The level six martial artist, accustomed to such situations, directly snatched the bamboo box from the strong man’s hand and threw it to one of the employees, saying, “Let’s get started.”

Qi Yuan gestured to the employees, and the two of them indeed simultaneously cut wounds on their wrists. The wounds they made seemed to be of similar size and depth.

One of them used the ointment from the bamboo box, and the other used the powdered medicine from the porcelain bottle that the strong man had placed on the table. They both applied it to the wounds at the same time.

For the one using the powdered medicine, the bleeding stopped after about half a minute, and the wound scabbed over after one minute.

The one using the ointment saw the wound quickly contract after applying the ointment, roughly within ten seconds, and the bleeding stopped. After about half a minute, a thin layer of tender pink skin formed at the wound site.

The difference was clear.

Qi Yuan’s gaze was blank, completely unexpected for such a result.

The level six martial artist’s eyes narrowed, lifting the strong man with his right hand and swiftly leaving.

From afar in the sky, the strong man’s miserable cries echoed, “My money!”

The level six martial artist casually handed him 200 credits, saying, “Where’s the new store? Show me the way!” The items were cheap, and the effects were good; they must be in high demand. What if he went too late and everything was sold out!

The people left in the Qi family pharmacy stared in shock, witnessing the level six martial artist carrying away the strong man as if he were carrying a chick. They couldn’t snap out of it for a long time.

Suddenly, someone screamed, and while running after them, shouted, “Wait, take me with you! I don’t know the way!”

It was like someone had flipped a switch.

At the cashier’s desk, a customer who had selected medicine suddenly slapped their forehead and said, “Sorry, I forgot to bring money.” Then, without taking anything, they rushed out the door, seemingly going home to get money.

Qi Yuan was so angry that he couldn’t speak. In his heart, he thought, You’ve charged an account in the store several times before. Using forgetting money as an excuse, who would believe that!

Next to the shelves, a few customers who were originally competing for hemostatic powder began to show a spirit of courtesy.

“I’m not in a hurry to use it; I’ll give it to you.”

“I have hemostatic powder on me; I just want to stock up. Take it, take it; don’t be polite.”

Finally, one person couldn’t stand it anymore: “Damn it, don’t be so polite at a critical moment! The one who knew the way got taken away by a level six. If you don’t chase after them now, will you still see their shadows? If you can’t find that store, just cry and go home! I’m leaving first.”

As this person ran out of the store, he complained, “It seems like it’s the Zhao Pharmacy that opened on the next street? Damn, who knows which street it is from here! With so many people I’ve met and so many things I’ve encountered, I’ve never seen such an unreliable shill! Can’t they make the address clear?!”

Customers in the store ran out one after another, some attempting to catch up with the level six martial artist’s departure, some trying to figure out which street had been mentioned, and others pulling passersby to search for keywords like the newly opened Zhao Pharmacy, ointment, in the vicinity.

Looking at the customers running out and the now desolate branch, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but shiver in his heart. An ominous feeling rose within him, and he muttered to himself, “Big trouble is brewing!”