Ye Fan and Shen Tianyin looked at each other, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
But what happened next completely bewildered them.
One after another, guests arrived with items, and their quality was acceptable. However, after inquiring about the price, they all left in a hurry, not even bothering to say goodbye.
Throughout the entire afternoon, more than ten people came.
Shen Tianyin was full of anger, and Ye Fan's face was equally grim. There was definitely something fishy going on.
As it was nearing closing time, Ji Nanshan hurried in, his face full of anxiety.
"Second Miss, Brother Ye, someone is targeting Tianyin Pavilion."
Upon entering, Ji Nanshan said urgently.
These words caused Ye Fan and Shen Tianyin to pause.
Ye Fan frowned, "Elder Ji, what's going on? Explain it more clearly."
Ji Nanshan picked up a teacup and quickly drank a few sips, panting as he said, "A guest just came to my Qinfang Pavilion. During our conversation, I learned that many people who went to Bogu Pavilion to sell items were told to find Brother Ye for appraisal. After getting the price, Bogu Pavilion would offer them ten percent more. Bogu Pavilion, relying on its great reputation and large number of daily customers, would then acquire these items at a high price once Brother Ye provided an accurate appraisal. If this news spreads, I fear Tianyin Pavilion won't be able to acquire a single treasure."
Briefly relaying the information he had investigated, Ji Nanshan's forehead was already covered in sweat.
"So that's how it is. No wonder those people left in such a hurry. It turns out Bogu Pavilion was behind this scheme."
"Sun Yilang, I'll go find him and argue with him. We're all doing business on the same street, and he's being so despicable. I'd like to see if his reputation as Bogu Pavilion will be damaged if this matter blows up."
Shen Tianyin was furious, flailing and roaring.
But Ye Fan stopped him, "It's useless. They won't admit it, and even if it's true, they'll have countless excuses. You want to make a big scene at Bogu Pavilion, but you won't succeed."
Since Sun Yilang dared to do this, he must have thought of a countermeasure.
However, if Sun Yilang wanted him to be his free appraisal expert, Ye Fan naturally wouldn't let it go.
"Let's leave it at that for today. I'll think of a way to deal with them. Since Sun Yilang has made his move, if we don't retaliate, we'll become a laughingstock. However, you must not act rashly. Wait until I've figured something out."
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes. He didn't like to provoke trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either.
If Sun Yilang dared to plot against him, he would never let him off lightly.
Seeing the deep chill flash in Ye Fan's eyes, Shen Tianyin and Ji Nanshan nodded simultaneously, knowing he intended to deal with Sun Yilang.
...
This night was destined to be restless. Ye Fan tossed and turned, thinking about how to deal with Sun Yilang.
It wasn't until the next morning that he walked in with dark circles under his eyes.
When Shen Tianyin and Ji Nanshan saw Ye Fan walk into Tianyin Pavilion with prominent dark circles, they were both stunned.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
Shen Tianyin warmly brought over a cup of hot tea and asked with concern.
"With an opponent like Sun Yilang, how could I sleep?"
After taking a sip of tea, Ye Fan put down the teacup.
"Since he made the first move, we might as well go all the way. Since he has drawn his sword, we will accept the challenge."
His eyes narrowed, and a formidable aura emanated from him.
At this moment, Ye Fan exuded an unfathomable aura, and at the same time, the coldness emanating from him lowered the temperature in the room considerably.
"Little Friend Ye, can you tell us your specific plan?"
Although they trusted Ye Fan, their opponent was Sun Yilang, who had been established in Jiangcheng for decades. In terms of connections and foundation, they were no match for Tianyin Pavilion.
A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Ye Fan sneered, slowly rising, "An eye for an eye."
...
In Bogu Pavilion, Sun Yilang was leisurely drinking coffee, humming a tune, leaning back in his armchair with a smug expression.
In the past two days, Bogu Pavilion's business had been booming. The pure profit in just two days had surpassed the profit of the entire first quarter of the previous year.
If this continued, Bogu Pavilion would soon become the leader of the antique industry in Jiangcheng, and perhaps even expand to Jiangnan Province.
All of this, naturally, was thanks to Ye Fan.
The items appraised by him had basically been flawless, and the purchase prices were not high. This allowed them to earn a significant price difference.
"Ye Fan, you're still too naive. Fighting with us, you have only one way out. However, I hope you can live a few more days, so that Bogu Pavilion can earn the maximum profit."
Finishing his coffee, Sun Yilang muttered to himself with a smile.
At this moment, inside Bogu Pavilion, Ye Fan, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, holding a box, walked in slowly.
"Buying or selling?"
A shop assistant, who had long been waiting, asked arrogantly.
As an employee of Bogu Pavilion, they felt superior. After all, Bogu Pavilion's great reputation was enough to make them proud.
Frowning, Ye Fan tossed the box he was holding to the young assistant.
"It has been appraised by Ye Fan of Tianyin Pavilion, and the asking price is ten million. Bogu Pavilion promised to give me ten percent more, which is eleven million. Pay up."
Since he already knew their trick, Ye Fan naturally played along.
Hearing his words, the young assistant was stunned, and then a smile appeared on his face.
"Esteemed guest, please wait a moment. I'll get an appraiser to examine it. As long as the quality is satisfactory, Bogu Pavilion will never deceive its customers."
Saying so, he led Ye Fan towards the inner hall.
Bogu Pavilion occupied a vast area, with the inner hall covering a hundred square meters and featuring many individual small rooms.
Each room had a professional appraiser responsible for the appraisal.
Knocking on the door of one of the rooms, and receiving permission, the assistant led Ye Fan inside.
"Elder Chen, this guest has an item for sale that has already been appraised by Ye Fan, with an asking price of ten million. I hope Elder Chen will appraise it again."
Hearing the assistant's words, Elder Chen arrogantly raised his head.
Elder Chen looked to be around sixty years old, with half-white hair and wrinkles on his face. His eyes were somewhat cloudy.
"Hmph, does everything appraised by Ye Fan become a treasure? If we let him appraise everything, then what are we appraisers for? Ridiculous."
Clearly, Elder Chen disdained Ye Fan.
However, it wasn't hard to guess. After all, Ye Fan, at such a young age, had already become famous throughout Jiangcheng. Moreover, Sun Yilang instructed all customers selling items to first visit Tianyin Pavilion for a preliminary appraisal.
Although this was a scheme, it also showed from another perspective that Sun Yilang highly valued Ye Fan's appraisal skills.
How could Elder Chen tolerate a young junior surpassing him?
Even though he knew it was a scheme, he couldn't stand it.