Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was beyond saving, utterly indifferent to emotions, and with a mindset as stagnant as dead water despite his youth, the Nuwa Stone quickly went into hibernation, unwilling to argue with Ye Tiancheng lest she be infuriated again.
"Fine, I won't say anymore. You'll regret it when you lose what you have. Just keep thinking about that woman who died long ago. It's all in vain; the dead cannot be brought back. Your talk of dreams is nonsense. Nothing will ever be the same again; it's all just your useless longing."
Even after the Nuwa Stone had been gone for a long time, her voice still echoed in his mind. Ye Tiancheng didn't consider himself a sentimental person, so why was he uninterested in anyone else? The only person he could think of was Hou Qing'er. Was this the legendary "except for Wu Shan, there are no other clouds"?
"Brother Hou, are you alright? You've been in there for ages."
Suddenly, Ye Tiancheng heard Su Muxian's voice. Su Muxian was actually calling his name outside the men's restroom, which was rather awkward.
However, Su Muxian was young, so such actions were understandable. A newborn calf fears no tiger.
Ye Tiancheng could no longer pretend. His stomach hurt, he stubbed out his cigarette, and quickly walked out of the restroom.
"I'm fine. My stomach was a bit sore earlier, but it's much better after using the restroom. I'm fine now."
"Oh, I was worried you might have a sudden case of acute enteritis. Acute enteritis causes severe stomach pain. I thought you might have fainted from the pain and fallen in the restroom, which is why I was calling out to you anxiously. If you didn't answer, I was going to rush into the men's restroom. Your health is paramount; face and reputation are unimportant. I've never cared about them."
Ye Tiancheng finally understood. This little fairy was really going all out for him, even willing to barge into the men's restroom. He felt a little touched.
"You, you usually don't show off your abilities, but I didn't expect you to be so bold."
Su Muxian wasn't angry at being called bold by Ye Tiancheng; instead, she smiled happily.
"It depends on the person, of course. I don't care about the lives of others. It's because I'm worried about you, Brother Ye, that I become so bold. I wasn't like this before. After meeting you, I understand myself less and less."
"Alright, there are many new exhibits at the agricultural product conference. Let's go take a look together."
Shortly after Ye Tiancheng left with Su Muxian, they ran into Hou Mingzhu. Hou Mingzhu was craning her neck, looking around anxiously, as if worried Ye Tiancheng had abandoned her.
"Brother Ye, you're finally out. I've been waiting for you for ages."
"It's nothing. Let's go look at the exhibition together."
Ye Tiancheng just wanted to smooth things over. After all, it wasn't a big deal. It had been awkward earlier, but he'd had some time to recover. Now, he didn't feel any awkwardness at all. Instead, he felt that the agricultural product conference was quite lively, with many more businesses than he had imagined. The main reason was that Ye Tiancheng had changed many trajectories, making things very different from his dreams.
"Come, come, everyone, take a look at my garlic. This new variety I've developed is implanted with the most advanced gene technology. Eating this garlic can boost our immunity. I chose garlic because it already has antibacterial properties. After experimenting with various agricultural products, we found that garlic is the most effective in carrying antiviral genes. Come and try it. It's an agricultural product and also a health supplement, which will greatly aid our future development."
Ye Tiancheng was wandering around the exhibition with Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian when he noticed an old man enthusiastically promoting his product. A crowd had gathered around the old man, indicating that this so-called garlic was quite popular and piqued everyone's interest. What kind of garlic could make the old man boast so much?
"Isn't this Mr. Ye? I heard you would be coming today, and I'm surprised to see you in person. Would you like to try my new garlic? I guarantee you'll never forget it."
Ye Tiancheng was genuinely curious to see what this old man's true capabilities were. Could he have obtained a divine artifact, leading to such arrogance?
"Sure. You have quite a crowd here, but no one dares to try it. I guess they're afraid it's poisonous. I'll be your guinea pig then."
Ye Tiancheng was quite interested. After all, it was an agricultural product exchange conference. The purpose of holding such a conference was to facilitate communication. If everyone was afraid of their treasures being stolen, the exchange conference would be meaningless.
"Brother Ye, don't go. These new products haven't been released yet, let alone inspected by the Food Safety Administration. What if you get poisoned or something bad happens to your health after eating it? Who will you seek recourse from?"
The one trying to stop Ye Tiancheng was Hou Mingzhu. Su Muxian, being naturally curious, was excitedly applauding from the side, cheering Ye Tiancheng on, showing no intention of stopping him.
"It's alright. If there's a problem, I won't eat it."
Ye Tiancheng felt it didn't matter. Protected by the divine stone and having cultivated his true qi to a certain level, he was sure he would detect any issues with the garlic.
"Brother Ye."
Words should not be spoken carelessly, and food should not be eaten indiscriminately. Of these two, the latter is more dangerous.
Hou Mingzhu had recently seen a news report about a family of four who were hospitalized after eating moldy food. The moldy food contained toxins, and those poisoned were transferred to the ICU that same day. In the end, only one person was saved, and that person suffered severe and likely permanent damage. Therefore, food safety was a major concern.
Seeing Hou Mingzhu's persistent obstruction, the old man showed his displeasure.
"What's wrong with you, young lady? Since you're at this exchange conference, don't worry so much. This is just ordinary garlic that has undergone genetic modification. How could it be poisonous? Our researchers have fed it to laboratory mice, and the mice not only were fine but also had enhanced immunity."
The old man had his own agenda. Even if his company's products were eye-catching, it was still an unknown small company that had a long way to go before being recognized. However, if he could hitch a ride with Ye Tiancheng, and Ye Tiancheng spoke highly of it, sales would skyrocket, and money would pour into the company's coffers. This was the old man's plan. He had been looking for Ye Tiancheng throughout the venue and, upon seeing him, quickly seized the opportunity to exploit him. Missing this chance would mean no more opportunities.
"Sir, please don't be difficult with a young lady. Miss Hou is my friend. Please be polite, or we won't be able to communicate normally. Even at an agricultural product exchange conference, shouldn't it be based on friendliness?"
Ye Tiancheng stepped in to defend Hou Mingzhu. The old man was momentarily speechless, knowing that Ye Tiancheng's influence was a crucial factor in helping him. Thus, the old man quickly put on a smiling face.
"Alright, Mr. Ye, I was just joking. Come and try the new product quickly. I'm sure you'll be very surprised."
"You've certainly hit the nail on the head. I love eating garlic with my noodles, and I eat it with meat too. Although some people can't stand it, I quite like the taste. If garlic, after processing, not only retains its flavor but also gains more functions, I think it would be a great human achievement."
Ye Tiancheng was eager and couldn't control himself. He immediately took a bite of the new product.
How to describe it? It did have a slight garlic flavor, but more so, it evoked a sense of nausea. The taste was strange, and as Ye Tiancheng chewed the garlic, he felt an evil force invading his true qi.
Previously, Ye Tiancheng's true qi was very pure. Since he began cultivating, he had never resorted to unorthodox methods for faster progress like others. Therefore, the true qi he cultivated was exceptionally pure. But after eating the garlic, he felt an uncomfortable sensation throughout his body, especially this evil aura.
"Brother Ye, are you alright?"
Su Muxian, who had been watching the spectacle, noticed Ye Tiancheng's distressed expression and began to worry if something was wrong, causing Ye Tiancheng to look so pained.
"I'm fine." Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to forcefully suppress the discomfort, thinking that if he collapsed in front of everyone, he would lose face. However, if an ordinary person ate this garlic, they might not be so lucky.
"Mr. Ye, are you doing this on purpose? My new product has already been fed to laboratory mice, and there were absolutely no problems. If you're making such a face now, who will be willing to buy my garlic?"
He had intended to use Ye Tiancheng for promotion, but unexpectedly, it backfired. Ye Tiancheng didn't give the old man face and showed his displeasure directly. The old man had no idea that the problem wasn't just about the taste; the food was harmful to humans.
"Your product will definitely not pass the review of the Food Supervision Bureau. I can be certain that regardless of the reason, laboratory mice can tolerate it, but it will definitely be harmful to humans."
Estimating the intensity of the evil energy he had just felt, Ye Tiancheng even suspected that if a person ate it, they might very well be poisoned to death. This was quite terrifying.
"Mr. Ye, you can't just say things like that. I've invested a lot of money in this product, and it's been researched for over half a year. Everyone in the laboratory has put in their heart and soul. You can't just dismiss all our efforts with such a casual remark."
The old man was flustered. He hadn't expected Ye Tiancheng to act contrary to his expectations, which completely disrupted all his plans.
"If you don't believe what I'm saying, you can be your own guinea pig and try it. However, I must warn you in advance that life safety is not a joke, especially for someone of your age. If anything were to happen, it might be too late for rescue. You should cherish your life."
Ye Tiancheng had to make his position clear. No matter how much he wanted to prove that the garlic was problematic, he couldn't risk someone's life. Ye Tiancheng had his bottom line.