Flames of Ambition

39: Shameful

Chapter 39: Shameful

All the noble families were furious. But their anger didn’t affect Fan Yaoli in the slightest. Instead, she laughed as if they were nothing more than a bunch of clowns. The nobles were confused by her reaction, but their emotions quickly turned into indignation.

“Did you really buy the antidote here?” Fan Yaoli challenged them, her voice steady and mocking.

The nobles looked at each other hesitantly before one of them finally spoke up.

“Yes! The antidote came from here!” one noble declared with conviction.

Fan Yaoli raised an eyebrow, her expression turning even colder.

“Then where is the bottle? And where is your receipt mark? All buyers who purchase the antidote directly from this shop have a receipt mark embedded in their palm when they touch the bottle after it's sold. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but we have a way to reveal it.”

She smirked, clearly enjoying their growing discomfort.

“Yesterday and today, I clearly explained the rules. But since you all seem to have trouble understanding, let me repeat them for you—one last time.”

The nobles paled as they looked at her. There was no mercy in her gaze.

“First, if the antidote fails to cure the buyer, we will pay triple what they spent. And if such an incident occurs, we will stop selling the antidote and immediately close the shop.”

At just the first rule, the nobles looked even more panicked. That meant the Herbal Medicine Shop—currently the only hope for many—would close because of their complaints.

“Second, the buyer must consume the pill immediately after purchasing it, and I, as the overseeing physician, will verify if they’ve been cured.”

Several nobles began to look away, shame washing over their faces. Not a single one of them had been present yesterday or taken the pill directly.

“Third, the antidote is only sold here. If you purchased it elsewhere, don’t blame us if it didn’t work. We have no partners, no connections, and no outside sellers. Even if the pill originally came from this shop, once it’s sold secondhand, we’re no longer responsible for what happens.”

Fan Yaoli’s grin turned vicious as she watched their expressions twist with humiliation and defeat. They had broken the rules—and they knew it.

“Lastly, we are not afraid of threats, especially from the palace. No royal family member has the power to control us or interfere with our business.”

With that, Fan Yaoli dropped the final nail into the coffin. Even the backing of royalty would not protect them from the consequences.

“Since you clearly violated both the first and third rule, this Herbal Medicine Shop will be closed starting tomorrow. We hold no responsibility for those who didn’t buy directly from us and now have the audacity to complain about our product. We are ending all sales immediately.”

Her voice was cold and final. The nobles turned paler, panic setting in deeper than before.

“Sixty-Two, Sixty-Four, Sixty-Six, Sixty-Eight, Seventy—spread the news. The shop will not open tomorrow. Also, bring me someone who legitimately purchased the antidote here.”

Her subordinates nodded and vanished.

In less than a minute, Seventy returned with two nobles who had bought the antidote earlier that day. Fan Yaoli waved her hand, and a strange device appeared on the table. The curious nobles stared at it, unfamiliar and tense.

Fan Yaoli smiled politely at the two buyers.

“May I see the hand that first held the bottle after I gave it to you?” she asked sweetly.

Both nobles raised their right hands. Fan Yaoli gently placed them on the surface of the device.

In seconds, a black ink-like mark glowed faintly on their palms. The word “SOLD”, spelled in stylized English letters, flickered briefly before vanishing after ten seconds.

The surrounding nobles gasped.

They instantly recognized that symbol. It was one often associated with the ZUGC—though no one had ever deciphered what it truly meant. They only knew that it was composed of twenty-six characters, matching some long-forgotten language from the modern era.

And now, that mark had revealed their lie.

Panic rippled through the nobles. They turned on the people who had sold them the pills secondhand, eyes sharp with anger.

“Well,” Fan Yaoli said, her smile turning cruel. “Let me share a little secret with all of you.”

She walked slowly in front of them, each step deliberate.

“The entire bottle of antidote is designed exclusively for the first person who consumes a pill from it. The remaining pills are bound to that person’s Qi. If anyone else consumes them, not only will they not be cured, but their illness will worsen.”

Gasps echoed through the room.

“As for your physicians and Pill Masters, even if they manage to dissect the formula, they will never perfect it. The ingredients are rare, and the process is too complex. I’d say it would take at least three to four years—maybe longer—to gather even a single ingredient.”

She laughed mockingly at the nobles' horrified expressions.

“I didn’t announce this before on purpose. It was a test to see whether the noble class could be trusted to act honorably.” She turned to look at each one of them. “Clearly, you failed.”

Fan Yaoli stood and made her way toward the exit.

“This Herbal Medicine Shop will now be closed. Don’t blame anyone but yourselves.”

One noble stepped forward, desperation written across his face. “Wait! You’re wasting such a profitable business. Do you know how much gold you’ll be losing if you close it? This shop could make you thousands—tens of thousands—of big gold coins!”

Fan Yaoli laughed again, as if the man had just told a joke.

“You think I care about gold?” she scoffed. “You think a mere shop can affect me or the ZUGC? It’s nothing.”

She turned to her subordinates. “Someone, spread the names of everyone here who complained about the antidote but didn’t purchase it here. Let everyone know that they are the reason the shop closed. I was going to keep it private—but that man just changed my mind.”

Her smile turned cold.

“If you’re going to be shameless, then so will I.”

She disappeared in a blink, leaving the nobles behind in stunned silence.

They slowly turned their furious gazes toward the noble who had spoken out against Fan Yaoli.

Within moments, the room exploded into another round of chaos.

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