Chapter 35: What's Going On?

"You... nonsense!"

Seeing the crowd buzzing with discussion, Steward Wu broke out in a cold sweat and, gritting his teeth, shouted.

He couldn't admit it now. Once he did, not only would Hong Tianlou's reputation be ruined, but his own future would surely be finished as well!

If I had known that this teacher was actually a gourmet chef, I would never have agreed to Shang Bin's request to cause him trouble, even if it killed me!

"Are you saying I'm talking nonsense?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Indeed, you claim these dishes of mine are fake. Do you have evidence? Without evidence, you're just spouting nonsense. Do you believe I can have you arrested for slander right now?" Steward Wu's face twisted with rage.

"Evidence? You want evidence? Fine then!"

Seeing that this guy wouldn't be convinced until he saw the evidence, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He hadn't wanted to get involved in these matters anyway; since Shen Biru was paying, the amount didn't matter much to him. But this guy had to come looking for trouble, accusing him of extortion. Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

"As for those dishes just now, I've already given the evidence. Everyone can examine them carefully according to the characteristics I mentioned! Of course, it doesn't matter if he doesn't admit it, because even knowing these things, some gourmets would find it hard to identify them, let alone everyone else. However..."

Zhang Xuan looked around and casually picked up the most expensive bottle of wine on the table: "This bottle of wine, everyone can easily verify!"

"Verify? Hongtianlou is the designated restaurant for [Immortal's Delight]! Everyone knows that. Many people come here just for this wine. Are you trying to say this wine is also fake?"

A customer couldn't help but say.

"That's right, Immortal's Delight is Hongtianlou's signature. It can't be fake, right? If even this is fake, then probably nothing is real."

Another customer said.

The wine that had been served to Zhang Xuan and his group earlier was called Immortal's Delight, sold only at Hongtianlou. The wine was mellow and fragrant. It was this wine that had contributed greatly to Hongtianlou's current scale and reputation.

If this wine is all fake... that would be too much!

"I told you, this is very easy to identify!"

As if knowing the crowd would question him, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly and raised the bottle: "This bottle says 'Immortal's Drunk.' Normally, if it were truly Immortal's Drunk from Baijingfang, it would indeed be worth 1,200 gold coins!"

"Unfortunately, this is just the bottle; inside it contains Green Rock Brew from Zizhuxuan. These two wines are somewhat similar in smell and taste, but the former is made from the rarest ground-root grass and green leaf cicada hearts. Drinking it is not only harmless but beneficial. As for this Green Rock Brew, if you drink too much, the toxicity of the fallen petal grass will invade your heart and lungs, and over time, damage your internal organs, causing your cultivation to plummet and making life worse than death!"

"Using Green Rock Brew to fake Immortal's Drunk?"

"I've heard of this Green Rock Brew; it seems its taste is indeed somewhat similar to Immortal's Drunk!"

"I always trusted the quality of Hongtian Tower; I never expected them to fool customers like this!"

"This is outright fraud! I must report this to the academy and have them investigate thoroughly!"

...

The surrounding customers, upon hearing they had been deceived, were so angry they shouted and yelled.

"You say it's Green Rock Brew, so it is? Where's the evidence?" Steward Wu gritted his teeth and snorted.

Glancing at him, Zhang Xuan said calmly: "Wine can burn. I haven't drunk much of this bottle's wine; you can light it. Real Immortal's Drunk emits an intoxicating aroma like orchids and musk. Green Rock Brew, on the other hand, gives off a burnt smell. Anyone with a nose can sniff it out!"

"You..."

Steward Wu's whole body stiffened.

What the other said was absolutely correct, but this method of identification was known to very few—only the brewers of Green Rock Brew and some who sold it. He himself had heard it by chance. How could this kid know it so clearly?

In fact, the wine served to other customers was basically Immortal's Drunk—after all, it was their restaurant's signature. Following Shang Bin's plan, he deliberately gave this young man fake wine, thinking he wouldn't recognize it and they could fool him and cheat him out of more money. But now, not only did the other party know a great deal, he was also perfectly clear about the identification method!

Now, even if he explained that everyone else had drunk Immortal's Drunk, he couldn't explain it away!

"What? Afraid to try?"

Seeing the other's nervousness, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, casually turned the wine bottle in his hand upside down, and the liquor immediately splashed onto the ground. He then took out a fire striker and flicked it gently.

Whoosh!

The liquor on the ground ignited upon contact with the fire, and the crowd immediately smelled a pungent odor that made them dizzy and lightheaded.

"How foul! Is this what we were drinking?"

"Hong Tian Lou simply has no regard for its customers!"

"It smells this awful; drinking it must be poisonous..."

"Refund, refund! I've been drinking here for three years. Not only do I want all my money back, but you also need to compensate me!"

...

The entire restaurant erupted.

Everyone surged forward.

"What... is going on?"

Cao Xiong and Shang Bin were going mad.

They had set up a trap specifically to frame this Zhang Xuan, to make him lose face, but instead of losing face, the guy had stolen the spotlight!

They had become the clowns, humiliated!

"What's going on... what the hell!"

Steward Wu, who was off to the side, might not have reacted if he hadn't heard that, but upon hearing it, he nearly exploded on the spot. He raised his foot and kicked.

Bang! Bang!

He was a martial artist at the sixth level, the Acupoint Opening Realm. The two didn't even have time to react before their vision went black from the kick, and they both fell to the ground, each with a large footprint on their face.

No wonder Steward Wu had gone mad. If it weren't for these two, how could this situation have occurred!

It was foreseeable that not only would his career end, but he would also face the wrath of Elder Hong Hao!

After this incident, Hong Tian Lou's reputation would surely plummet, and they would never recover their former business.

The cause of it all was agreeing to these two to teach a lesson to someone who ranked last in the teacher qualification exam!

This guy wasn't last; even the top-ranked wasn't this impressive!

If he had known that this gentleman possessed such keen insight, he wouldn't have sought trouble with him; he'd be lucky if the gentleman didn't come after him!

Damn it!

"Looks like no one will be charging us. Let's go!"

Seeing the chaos, Zhang Xuan called out to Shen Biru, who was somewhat dazed, and walked out first.

With the matter resolved, staying here would only bring endless trouble; it was better to leave.

"Mm!"

Shen Biru quickly followed, her gaze complex as she watched the young man striding ahead.

Previously, she too had always thought he was a waste, knowing nothing, a disgrace to the teaching profession!

But after this half-day of interaction, she realized... if he was a waste, what was she?

Wouldn't that make her nothing at all?

Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward, her dark, beautiful eyes still filled with disbelief: "You're so knowledgeable about food... could you be... a gourmet?"