Hearing Sun Zhicheng's question, Meng Haoran felt uneasy as well.
If he were not a member of the Meng Family, after seeing the demonstration Sun Zhicheng had just put on, he would certainly have followed along and bought the defensive talismans sold by the Lin Family.
Seeing Meng Haoran's hesitant expression, Sun Zhicheng asked again, "Hey, kid, what are you thinking about? I've done what needed doing, and I've said what needed saying. Tell me, how are you going to handle this?"
"I absolutely can't back down at a time like this!"
Meng Haoran tilted his head slightly and looked toward the remaining onlookers by the door. If I refund Sun Zhicheng's Spirit Stones in front of them, then the Meng Family will have to tread carefully whenever we sell anything in the future. More importantly, once we open this loophole for Sun Zhicheng, if the Lin and Chen Families find out, they will surely use these despicable refund tricks by every possible means until they bring down our Xinghua Meng Pavilion!
"Stall him! I'll stall Sun Zhicheng first!"
With that thought, Meng Haoran raised his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Sun, I have a proposal. See whether it is workable. Don't you think the defensive talismans made by our Meng Family are inferior to those made by the Lin Family? Give me three days! Just three days! If, after three days, I cannot give you a satisfactory answer, I will refund the Spirit Stones you spent on those talismans in front of everyone! What do you say?"
Sun Zhicheng shook his head repeatedly. "No, no! I want my Spirit Stones refunded right now! I don't want anything else!"
How could Meng Haoran possibly grant Sun Zhicheng his wish?
"Fellow Daoist Sun, just three days!"
Meng Haoran insisted, "If, after three days, I cannot give you a satisfactory answer, not only will the Meng Family refund every last one of your Spirit Stones, we will also give you an extra one hundred Spirit Stones as compensation for making you wait these three days for nothing! What do you think?"
"One hundred Spirit Stones? Kid, are you serious?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Zhicheng was instantly overjoyed. As a Rogue Cultivator, he had no stable source of income. Every Spirit Stone he carried had been earned by wandering through the Tianyang Mountain Range and trading his life for it.
Now, he only needed to wait three days to easily obtain one hundred Spirit Stones. It was like meat pies falling from the sky, enough to make anyone deliriously happy!
"Though I am a junior of the Meng Family, as a member of the Meng Family, I have never spoken a false word. Just like our Xinghua Meng Pavilion—since the day it opened, we have never sold counterfeit goods!"
Meng Haoran abruptly turned around, looked at the remaining onlookers outside, and called out, "Since everyone is here, please bear witness for this junior Meng Haoran and Fellow Daoist Sun Zhicheng. If, after three days, I cannot give Fellow Daoist Sun a satisfactory answer regarding these defensive talismans, not only will I refund all his Spirit Stones, I will also give him an extra one hundred Spirit Stones!"
The moment those words were spoken, cheers erupted from the passersby outside.
"Good! Good! Good! We all heard that!"
"Hahaha! Has this kid gone mad? Isn't he just handing Spirit Stones over to that scoundrel Sun Zhicheng for nothing?"
"Aiya! If I'd known there was such a good deal, I would have come to return my goods too!"
Seeing this, Sun Zhicheng had no more harsh words to say.
"Kid, you said it yourself! Three days! Just three days!"
Sun Zhicheng stared into Meng Haoran's eyes and held up three fingers. "After three days, if you can't give me a satisfactory answer and refuse to honor the promise you made today, then we'll meet in the county yamen. We'll ask the county magistrate to decide!"
Meng Haoran clasped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Sun, everything will be decided three days from now!"
"Hmph! Farewell!"
With that, Sun Zhicheng flicked his sleeve, turned, and left.
Once the main troublemaker had gone, the crowd outside gradually dispersed as well.
"Brother Haoran, I bought it!"
A junior of the Meng Family, dressed in disguise, jogged all the way into the rear courtyard and handed the item in his hand to Meng Haoran.
After taking it, Meng Haoran smiled. "Thank you. If there's nothing else, go get busy first."
As soon as that junior of the Meng Family left, Meng Haoran placed the item in his hand on the table.
This item was precisely the cultivation item selling best at the Lin Family today.
"Five Elements Defensive Talisman!"
This talisman was the very defensive talisman Sun Zhicheng had brought back today.
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles!"
Meng Haoran said softly, "Since our Meng Family's defensive talismans have fallen behind, then we must seek out the advantages of the Lin Family's Five Elements Defensive Talisman!"
The moment his words fell, another burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
"Brother Haoran, how did things go?"
Meng Xiaoran's voice came from outside the door.
As soon as Meng Haoran looked up, he saw Meng Xiaoran and Meng Luohai.
He hurriedly rose to his feet. "Clan Uncle Luohai, you're here!"
Meng Haoran first gathered his thoughts, then briefly recounted to Meng Luohai how he had persuaded Sun Zhicheng to withdraw. Afterward, he explained why he had bought this Five Elements Defensive Talisman from the Lin Family.
After hearing him out, Meng Luohai let out a slight breath and praised him. "Haoran, you handled this matter well. Protecting the reputation of our Xinghua Meng Pavilion was the foremost priority, and you did that admirably. Then, using the lure of Spirit Stones to steady Sun Zhicheng's mind—that suited me even better!"
Meng Haoran replied, "Clan Uncle Luohai, I had no other choice. If I had not handled it this way, it would have been a small matter if Sun Zhicheng made a scene and took it to the county yamen. But if his disturbance caused customers to lose faith in our Xinghua Meng Pavilion, that would have been an enormous loss!"
Listening to their conversation, Meng Xiaoran asked, "Clan Uncle Luohai, Brother Haoran, what should we do now? We only have three days left. If we cannot give that bastard Sun Zhicheng a satisfactory answer after three days, not only will we lose one hundred Spirit Stones for nothing, we will also lose the century-old reputation our Xinghua Meng Pavilion has built in Qingyang County Town!"
Meng Luohai said coldly, "What should we do? Of course, we study the Lin Family's Five Elements Defensive Talisman properly! Dig out the strengths they developed, then incorporate them into the Meng Family's defensive talismans!"
"Perfect! This Lin Family Five Elements Defensive Talisman has just been bought, and Clan Uncle Luohai, you are our Meng Family's expert talisman maker. Surely you can crack the Lin Family's Five Elements Defensive Talisman in less than three days!"
Meng Haoran flattered him, "Then, the Meng Family's newest defensive talisman will be developed by your hands, Clan Uncle Luohai!"
A thousand things could be pierced, ten thousand things could be pierced, but not flattery!
Even someone of Meng Luohai's age and cultivation could not withstand others' praise. Smiling, he said, "Hehe! Though you may be speaking a little too soon, before the two of you, your clan uncle still has that confidence!"
Meng Haoran looked at the Five Elements Defensive Talisman on the table and said expectantly, "Clan Uncle Luohai, then let us begin now!"
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