A little over half an hour later, the people Fang Yi had called began arriving at Hundred Herbs Hall one after another.
To ensure the Soul-Stabilizing Incense made a spectacular debut, Fang Yi had put some thought into it. The friends he'd summoned were all influential figures in Rongcheng City's business community. As long as he won their approval, the Soul-Stabilizing Incense was guaranteed to be a hit!
"Old Fang, what kind of treasure did you get your hands on? You sounded so frantic when you called us all over." A middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked into Hundred Herbs Hall, accompanied by his secretary, and asked curiously.
Before Fang Yi could say a word, a pot-bellied man sitting next to him started complaining, "Oh, President Lin, you're here too? I was just asking Boss Fang the same thing, but he's being all mysterious, insisting he won't reveal the secret until everyone has arrived."
Fang Yi stood up, shook President Lin's hand, and gestured for him to sit down. Handing him a cup of tea, Fang Yi said with a smile, "Boss Sun, don't be so impatient. I can guarantee you all that today's treasure will absolutely satisfy you. Please, just wait a little longer. As soon as everyone's here, I'll bring it right out!"
Fang Yi's coy and secretive attitude immediately piqued everyone's curiosity.
After another ten minutes or so, everyone had finally arrived.
Fang Yi had called ten people in total. He wanted to create the impression that the Soul-Stabilizing Incense was in high demand and short supply right from the very beginning.
The harder something was to obtain, the more people wanted it. Fang Yi had a thorough understanding of this kind of sales psychology.
"Boss Fang, everyone's here. Isn't it time you brought out your treasure for us to see?" the impatient Boss Sun urged once again.
Fang Yi didn't keep them in suspense any longer. He took out six boxes of Soul-Stabilizing Incense and placed them on the coffee table with extreme care. His movements were so gentle, it was as if the boxes contained some priceless, fragile treasure.
"The treasure I want to introduce to you today is this," Fang Yi said with a smile.
"The box looks pretty plain. What's inside?" Boss Sun picked up a box and opened it. After seeing its contents, he couldn't help but stare, frowning. "This is... incense? You called us all here just to show us some incense?"
"That's right." Fang Yi nodded.
Seeing everyone frown in unison, he quickly explained, "Don't underestimate this incense. It's a medicinal incense carefully developed by a master of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Not only does it calm the mind, soothe the spirit, and relieve fatigue, but it also improves your focus at work and stimulates mental vitality! Regular use can even fight aging, restore your mental and physical youth, and help you regain your vigor in all aspects of life!"
A man sitting opposite him couldn't help but scoff. He shook his head and said, "Boss Fang, if you ever stop dealing in medicinal herbs, you could have a great career as a salesman. What you just said sounds exactly like one of those TV infomercials selling fake products. I know a thing or two about incense. This stuff can indeed help improve one's mental state, but any claims about major effects are just hype. I have to say, though, I've never seen anyone hype something up as ridiculously as you just did!"
Without waiting for Fang Yi to explain, the man stood up and said, "Boss Fang, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving. Don't call me for this kind of thing again. My time is precious, and I'd rather not waste it on such unreliable nonsense." With that blunt remark, he turned and walked out.
"Hey, Old Liu, why are you leaving?" Boss Sun stood up, intending to leave with Old Liu. But just then, he heard Fang Yi say, "Boss Sun, don't call out to him. If President Liu wants to leave, let him. He'll regret it sooner or later."
Boss Sun's brow furrowed slightly. Fang Yi's calm tone didn't seem feigned, which sparked a flicker of curiosity in him. 'Could this incense really have the effects Fang Yi described?'
So, he dismissed the thought of leaving immediately and sat back down, thinking to himself, 'I'm already here. What's the harm in waiting a little longer?'
The other nine people had similar thoughts.
President Lin narrowed his eyes, sizing up the Soul-Stabilizing Incense in the box. He asked, "Boss Fang, is this incense really as magical as you say?"
Fang Yi nodded and said earnestly, "It's even more magical than I've described!"
"How can you prove it?" another person chimed in. "Talk is cheap. We can't just take your word for it, can we?"
Fang Yi frowned. He knew what they meant—they wanted to experience the effects of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense for themselves. But he was a little reluctant. It wasn't because of the price, but because he only had three sticks of Soul-Stabilizing Incense left. He had no idea when Zhao Yuan would deliver the next batch, and he wanted to save them to enjoy slowly.
After a brief hesitation, Fang Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. I'll light a stick for you all to experience." As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. To promote the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, he had no choice but to make a little sacrifice.
Fang Yi's pained expression both surprised and intrigued the crowd. He took out a stick of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, hesitated for a moment, then broke off two-thirds of it and put it back in the box.
"You can't be serious, Boss Fang! You're not even willing to part with a single stick? You have to break off a huge piece?" Boss Sun's jaw dropped in surprise, finding it hard to believe that Fang Yi could be so stingy.
"Once you've experienced the charm of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, you'll be just as stingy as I am," Fang Yi said grumpily.
The crowd roared with laughter, clearly not buying what he said. 'It's just a stick of incense, right? What's there to be so stingy about? Does he really think we've never seen the world?'
Fang Yi said no more. He lit the small piece of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense and placed it in the Incense Burner.
A wisp of smoke drifted upwards, quickly filling the VIP room with a refreshing, soul-soothing fragrance. The people who, just a moment before, had been laughing and joking with looks of indifference on their faces, all had their expressions change the instant they smelled the aroma.
"What an incredible scent! Is it coming from this incense?"
"This fragrance is so refreshing. After smelling it, my whole body feels at ease."
"I feel completely relaxed. I haven't felt this way in years..."
"My mind suddenly feels so much sharper. All sorts of creative ideas are popping into my head. Old Fang, do you have a pen and paper? Quick, let me borrow them! I need to write these ideas down."
Seeing their reactions, the corner of Fang Yi's mouth curled into a smirk. He lifted his teacup, took a sip, and felt a surge of pride. For some reason, a quote from Tang Taizong, Li Shimin, came to mind: "All the heroes of the world have fallen into my trap!"
And now, hadn't these elites of Rongcheng City's business world fallen into his trap, all because of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense?!