As soon as he walked out of the bunker, he was met by Gang Nan.
"Chef Zhang, how is my uncle?"
With so many people around, Gang Nan showed genuine concern and care.
Everyone around looked respectful; one could imagine Gang Nan's influence.
Zhang Wei said, "The situation is very complicated. Wolf Butcher's condition is dire, his potential is almost completely depleted."
"I am not a professional doctor. I can only activate the food cells in his body through delicious cuisine. Also..."
"I think you all know that I've lost my sense of taste and smell. I can only cook by instinct."
Gang Nan bowed deeply, "Thank you, Chef Zhang, for your hard work. When will my uncle recover?"
"I don't know... at least half a month? I can only say I'll do my best."
"Many thanks! Are you not going to escort Chef Zhang out?"
The surrounding people echoed in unison.
Zhang Wei said nothing and turned to leave.
...
That night.
Blue lightning crackled across the night sky of the Barbecue Castle!
A downpour.
...
The next day.
Due to the rain, much of the aroma from the Barbecue Castle had dissipated.
However, this did not dampen the locals' enthusiasm for meat. Cumin, sesame seeds, and peanut powder remained popular seasonings.
Everyone in Barbecue Castle was a hunter.
Apart from hunting and farming, there were no other professions.
Several giant dragons descended from the sky, and the staff below immediately unloaded the cargo.
Among the crowd, a richly dressed burly man stood out – it was Tie Nan.
"Young Lord, this shipment has arrived on time. The flying dragons pushed through the rain last night... the thunder was truly frightening."
Gang Nan opened the box, which contained cans of honey.
Honey-glazed roasted meat was a mainstream dish, and Wolf Valley had a large import volume.
He took a small sip and Gang Nan nodded, "As expected, it's an inferior product diluted with white sugar."
The merchant was shocked and angry, "Young Lord, you can't just say things like that!"
Gang Nan sneered, "The previous shipment also had problems, which were discovered later. However, it was only diluted with 3% white sugar, so I can let it go with a warning."
"But this shipment today, it's diluted with at least 9% white sugar, hahaha... that's a bit excessive."
Cold sweat broke out on the merchant's forehead.
He had been dealing with honey for years and used sophisticated methods.
He would trap the bees, preventing them from collecting nectar, and then feed them large amounts of white sugar to change their taste.
Then, he would place a small amount of real honey at the entrance of the hive. This way, the white sugar and pollen would ferment together, making it difficult to distinguish.
The merchant, who had been in the honey business for so many years, couldn't even tell the difference after using this method. Yet this burly man could discern it?
The merchant wiped his sweat, "What evidence do you have for saying that?"
Gang Nan took out a spoonful of honey.
He said to everyone around, "Everyone, look closely."
"Pure pollen honey is a deep yellow, like amber. But yours..."
The merchant's eyes widened, "This is also pure yellow... there's no difference!"
Gang Nan sneered, "When you add white sugar, there's less pollen, and the color will become lighter... although it's subtle, once you compare them, the difference is immediately apparent."
"If you had still used the 3% proportion, the difference might not have been so clear. Your greed ruined you."
Saying that, Gang Nan brought out the original honey.
Compared side by side, a slight difference could indeed be seen.
The merchant argued, "Are you trying to slander me with just this small difference? I don't know anything about diluting with white sugar!"
Seeing that the merchant was still unyielding, Gang Nan proposed other testing methods.
These included viscosity, sweetness, reflectivity, insect testing, and expert evaluation.
With each method Gang Nan mentioned, the merchant's face grew paler.
More and more people gathered around.
Everyone was genuinely pleased with this action against counterfeit goods, and cheers erupted.
"Lord Tie Nan is so meticulous!"
"Meticulous? He cares deeply for the people and is incredibly knowledgeable!"
"Yes, without sufficient knowledge, how could he explain it so clearly?"
"With Lord Tie Nan protecting us, Barbecue Castle has a bright future!"
"Indeed, Lord Tie Nan is the rising star of Barbecue Castle! He is the future!"
All sorts of sycophantic words came from the crowd.
One wondered how many of them were plants...
The masses are blind and easily swayed. At this moment, all the talk was praise for Tie Nan, with little criticism directed at the merchant.
Seeing the effect, Tie Nan smiled knowingly.
He announced loudly, "As punishment for selling inferior products, I will impose sanctions on your chamber of commerce."
"From this day forward, you will compensate tenfold the amount of inferior goods. These compensation goods will be distributed free of charge to all residents of Barbecue Castle!"
The merchant's eyes widened, "No, this is impossible! I'll go bankrupt before I can produce ten times the amount of goods!"
Gang Nan was furious, "Do you think you can get away with deceiving Wolf Valley? If you refuse to comply, I will resort to force! Given your actions, even if I were to flatten your chamber of commerce in the Flower Sea Plains, no one would say a word!"
The strong Gang Nan perfectly matched the people's expectations of a leader.
He was the epitome of a pure, tough man in everyone's eyes!
Even though such actions would deplete future potential...
Using force against the chamber of commerce would drive away many merchants.
Cheers erupted!
If it was just a crowd gathering earlier, once Gang Nan announced that the fines would be turned into welfare for the commoners, every face was beaming with happiness!
Ecstasy!
Praise for Gang Nan was unending.
What could win people's hearts more than distributing welfare to the public?
Public opinion is the most realistic thing!
And at this very moment, a guard riding a tall horse, brandishing his whip, was driving away the crowd.
Gang Nan was furious, "Stop! Who gave you the audacity to act so outrageously!"
The guard ignored him and rode directly in front of Gang Nan.
He dismounted and knelt on the ground.
"A hasty summons from the Flaying Courtyard, requesting Lord Gang Nan to return immediately!"
"What on earth happened?"
"This..."
"Speak quickly!"
The guard hesitated for a long moment, then said loudly, "Just now, Lord Tery, the third-generation Wolf Butcher, has passed away!"
"What!"
Gang Nan was struck as if by lightning.
His footsteps even faltered.
Tears then welled up in his eyes, and he said mournfully, "Uncle... rest in peace..."
The guard continued, "According to the old physician's diagnosis, the death of the third-generation Wolf Butcher, Tery... has unusual circumstances!"
Gang Nan wiped his tears and exclaimed in surprise, "Unusual circumstances, what does that mean?"
"The old physician said that Lord Wolf Butcher's eyes were bloodshot, and his Adam's apple was as black as charcoal – symptoms of poisoning!"
What?
Someone dared to poison the Wolf Butcher in Barbecue Castle?
Everyone's gaze fell on Gang Nan, then they shook their heads.
Gang Nan's filial piety was well-known, and as the undisputed heir, wasn't it only a matter of time before he inherited the title of Wolf Butcher?