Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Making a Move

"What? It’s a fake?"

Chen Wenxiong was utterly stunned, unable to understand why Qin Tuo would say that.

Chen Man Ni was curious as well. Though she trusted Qin Tuo’s eye for things, she couldn’t see what was fake about the ginseng.

As for Xu Chao, his face turned livid, and he shot to his feet in anger.

"You punk! You’re just pretending to know what you’re talking about. What gives you the right to say this ginseng is a fake? Do you have any idea how much I spent? I paid over a million and had to pull strings just to get my hands on it!"

Seeing his furious expression, Qin Tuo simply shook his head and scoffed,

"What are you getting so worked up about? It’s just a fake Thousand-year-old Ginseng. The fact that you spent over a million and pulled so many strings for it... I don’t know whether to call you stupid or just plain clueless."

"You..."

Xu Chao was absolutely livid, his teeth grinding audibly.

If they weren’t in Chen Wenxiong’s home, he would have dropped all pretenses and started spewing curses on the spot.

However, to maintain his image, he forced himself to bottle up his rage.

"Alright, kid. Go on and tell us why this is a fake ginseng. If you can’t give a good reason, I swear I won’t let you get away with this!"

Xu Chao sneered, certain that Qin Tuo was just spouting nonsense.

Chen Wenxiong remained silent as well. Clearly, even he wasn’t sure who was telling the truth.

Qin Tuo nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I’ll put your doubts to rest."

He then stood up, walked slowly over to the so-called Thousand-year-old Ginseng, and examined it for a moment.

After a moment, Qin Tuo pointed to a specific pattern on the ginseng’s surface.

"Look closely. These lines are clearly man-made. See how irregular and unnatural this section is? It’s painfully obvious, a shame none of you noticed."

"What? A man-made pattern?"

At this, Chen Wenxiong’s eyes widened.

He immediately leaned in, peering at it intently. This time, he finally saw the flaw.

"He’s right. This pattern is unnatural. It must be man-made."

The color drained from Xu Chao’s face.

But he wasn’t ready to give up. He retorted,

"Maybe it just grew that way! How can you be so sure it’s man-made?"

’He’s not going to give up that easily,’ Qin Tuo thought. He nodded and let out a cold snort.

"Fine. Then take a look at this."

As he spoke, everyone’s attention was drawn to a few small rootlets at the base of the ginseng.

The color of these rootlets was clearly a little different from the rest of the ginseng.

While Chen Wenxiong was still looking on in confusion, Qin Tuo suddenly reached out and snapped off the rootlets.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!"

Xu Chao’s eyes bulged with rage.

Chen Wenxiong and his daughter both felt their hearts leap into their throats.

If this really was a Thousand-year-old Ginseng worth over a million, then Qin Tuo tearing off even a few rootlets would be a heart-wrenching waste.

But to their surprise, Qin Tuo simply rolled the rootlets between his fingers, and they crumbled into a fine powder that slipped to the floor.

For a moment, Chen Wenxiong and Chen Man Ni were too stunned to speak.

Even a fool could see that the rootlets had been artificially attached.

The goal was clearly to make the ginseng look older than it was, proving it wasn’t a true Thousand-year-old Ginseng.

A glance at Xu Chao showed his face flashing between pale and livid. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find a single word to defend himself.

The truth was undeniable: the ginseng was nothing more than a cleverly made fake.

It might have fooled Chen Wenxiong, but it couldn’t fool Qin Tuo’s discerning eyes.

"I told you it was a fake," Qin Tuo added. "Do you believe me now?"

Xu Chao’s face went a shade paler. He didn’t even dare to look at Chen Wenxiong or his daughter.

Chen Wenxiong coughed awkwardly and said with a wry smile,

"So that’s how it is. It’s alright, it’s alright. A genuine Thousand-year-old Ginseng is a once-in-a-lifetime find. It’s perfectly normal to be tricked when looking for one."

Undoubtedly, Chen Wenxiong was trying to smooth things over and help Xu Chao save face.

Chen Man Ni, however, just snorted and said mockingly,

"Xu Chao, I can’t believe someone of your status would buy a fake. And to present it to my father with such fanfare... you really have no shame!"

Those words made Xu Chao’s temper explode.

He could take it from anyone else, but hearing it from Chen Man Ni was unbearable.

Xu Chao snapped his head up. Seeing the intimacy between Chen Man Ni and Qin Tuo, he could no longer control himself. A furious fire ignited in his heart.

"Chen Man Ni, why would you choose an ex-con over me? Tell me, what does this punk have that I don’t?"

He panted heavily, like an enraged beast.

Chen Wenxiong was so startled by the outburst that he didn’t dare to say a word.

But Chen Man Ni shot back without hesitation.

"Heh, why don’t you take a good look at yourself? In what universe are you better than Qin Tuo? I can’t believe you have the nerve to ask such a stupid question!"

Seeing Chen Man Ni’s utterly dismissive attitude, Xu Chao felt like he was about to go insane.

He had come today to give a gift to Chen Wenxiong, hoping to get closer to Chen Man Ni.

He never imagined that Qin Tuo’s sudden appearance would ruin all of his plans.

Staring at Qin Tuo, Xu Chao’s eyes filled with profound hatred.

He stormed over to Chen Man Ni and snarled,

"Chen Man Ni, you dare talk to me like that? Today, I’ll show you that I, Xu Chao, am not someone to be messed with!"

With that, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to grab Chen Man Ni.

Chen Wenxiong’s brows furrowed deeply, and he moved to intervene.

’Even though I’m wary of his status, that’s my daughter he’s threatening!’

However, Qin Tuo had already stepped in front of Chen Man Ni, his voice like ice.

"Xu Chao, you call yourself a man? Trying to lay your hands on a woman, again and again. It’s pathetic."

Humiliated, Xu Chao’s face turned beet red. Shamed and enraged, the blood rushed to his head, and he threw all caution to the wind.

He gritted his teeth, his face twisting into a sinister grin.

"Punk, you say I only dare to go after women? Fine, then I’ll let you see what I, Xu Chao, am really made of!"

With that, Xu Chao turned his fury on Qin Tuo, swinging both fists down hard.

"Qin Tuo, look out!"

Chen Man Ni hadn’t expected Xu Chao to attack so suddenly. She shrieked a warning.

Qin Tuo, however, just gave a disdainful smirk.

’Xu Chao’s punches were slow and completely lacking in power.’

Qin Tuo casually raised a hand and effortlessly caught Xu Chao’s wrist.

"Agh...!"

Xu Chao let out a pained cry, all the strength draining from his body.

Seeing this, Chen Wenxiong’s expression changed!