Seeing Elder Zheng's determined gaze, Feng Xiao finally nodded with satisfaction.
He slowly walked off the stage, his face grim, and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Ye Fan had already tossed the second plastic bag over, it hitting the table with a thud.
Watching Ye Fan toss it around so casually, Elder Lei felt the veins on his forehead throb.
This scoundrel, the previous priceless luminous pearl, he had tossed it over just as casually. Did he truly regard these treasures as mere trifles?
In fact, he was quite right. In Ye Fan's eyes, truly precious items were few and far between. Even items of national treasure status might not be considered much.
What he valued was always the quality of an object, not its price.
There were many expensive items, like a golden pagoda, easily worth millions or even tens of millions.
But in Ye Fan's eyes, these were mere yellow and white (money), holding no value whatsoever.
Conversely, if it was a meaningful antique, even a brick, Ye Fan would consider it worth a thousand taels of gold.
Elder Lei slowly walked forward, opened the plastic bag, and took out the item within, immediately freezing.
For Elder Lei to be stunned was proof enough of the object's extraordinary nature.
As Elder Lei kept his back turned, outsiders couldn't see the item in his hand. They only saw his body tremble slightly, filling them with shock.
What could possibly have stunned such a figure as Elder Lei so profoundly?
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Elder Lei slowly turned around.
All eyes were drawn to his palm.
There, lying quietly in his palm, was a wooden box.
It was narrow at the front and wide at the back, low at the front and high at the back, forming a gentle slope.
"This, this seems to be a small coffin," someone exclaimed in surprise.
Elder Zheng, however, his face dark, glared at Ye Fan in anger.
"Ye Fan, this is a competition venue. You actually brought a coffin here, what is the meaning of this?"
His face was filled with fury, as if he wanted to tear Ye Fan to shreds.
Seeing Elder Zheng's enraged demeanor, Ye Fan sneered, "What? Elder Zheng can't stand to see a coffin? Are you afraid of death?"
Looking at Elder Zheng indifferently, Ye Fan was unconcerned.
"Coffin, coffin, symbolizes promotion and wealth. This is a good omen. Yet, when it comes to Elder Zheng, it becomes me, Ye Fan, causing trouble. What? Elder Zheng thinks we are all fools here, and only he is clever?"
Since he was already on the opposing side, Ye Fan wasn't afraid of escalating the situation, and he continued to taunt Elder Zheng relentlessly.
Humiliated by Ye Fan's words, Elder Zheng trembled violently, his chest heaving, even his breathing becoming rapid.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! A scoundrel like you, claiming to be an appraiser, is a grave insult to the profession of appraisal."
As the vice-president of the Antique Association and a top-tier appraiser, how had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Everyone had always shown him utmost respect. Yet today, Ye Fan's incessant insults had driven him to madness.
Watching Elder Zheng's frenzied state, Ye Fan sneered, "What? Do you want to bite me? Let me tell you, this is the Antique Association's appraisal competition, not your home, Elder Zheng. If you're not satisfied, you can defeat me in appraisal. But if you want to attack me, you're not worthy."
Ye Fan showed no mercy to Elder Zheng, and a fierce anger even tinged his expression.
From his understanding of Elder Zheng, this old man was by no means a good person.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Elder Zheng gritted his teeth but had no way to retort.
Indeed, in such a setting, he had no recourse but to defeat Ye Fan in appraisal.
However, Ye Fan's appraisal skills were beyond his imagination, and he had already been put in his place.
A surge of anger remained in his heart, with no outlet for release.
Helplessly, he cast his gaze back to the coffin in Elder Lei's hand.
It was a finely crafted small coffin, coated in a layer of vermilion lacquer. The coffin lid was carved with dragons and phoenixes, lifelike and vivid.
The side panels were painted with figures of immortals, auspicious clouds, and other patterns.
Elder Lei and the others were also looking at the coffin, nodding their heads.
"First-class craftsmanship, exquisite design, truly excellent," Elder Lei couldn't help but exclaim.
A moment later, Elder Zheng finally raised his head, cast a cold glance at Ye Fan, and then said sternly, "Golden silk nanmu coffin. Nothing unusual about it. Moreover, it's just this small piece of wood, not worth much money."
This was his appraisal.
Everyone was stunned, looking at Elder Zheng in disbelief.
When they had seen the dressing box earlier, everyone had assumed it was an ordinary item, but Ye Fan had revealed so many intricacies, finally appraising it as a national treasure.
But now, with Elder Zheng, it was appraised in just a few words?
Feng Xiao was no fool. Did Ye Fan look like a fool? How could he bring such an easily appraised item to the competition?
Not only the crowd below, but even Feng Xiao frowned at this moment.
Last time, Elder Zheng had appraised it so casually, and the result was their defeat. This time, he was doing the same. Was he incompetent, or was he in league with Ye Fan, intending to make them lose this competition?
Sensing Feng Xiao's cold gaze, Elder Zheng's heart trembled. He quickly focused his attention back on the coffin.
However, no matter how he looked, he could find no anomalies with the coffin.
He even picked it up. The coffin was only slightly heavier, with no peculiar features.
After a long while, he finally spoke again: "Golden silk nanmu coffin. No other special features."
This was the final appraisal.
Hearing Elder Zheng's words, everyone present despaired. His statement sealed their defeat, a complete loss with no chance of turning the tide.
Ye Fan, however, shook his head with a smile. Competing with such a useless person was truly an insult to him.
"Elder Lei, you are also a top-tier appraiser. Please lend your discerning eye and see if you can unravel this item," Ye Fan suddenly turned his head and said with a smile to Elder Lei.
Elder Lei had seen this coffin before, but only at a glance, without studying it too closely.
Therefore, upon hearing Ye Fan's words, his curiosity was piqued.
Moreover, everything had already been decided, and he was more relaxed. He might as well take a good look.
After all, since Elder Zheng couldn't figure it out, it wouldn't be embarrassing even if he couldn't.
He walked over slowly and examined the coffin meticulously. From the outside, as Elder Zheng had said, there was indeed nothing out of the ordinary.
But when he picked it up, the coffin felt a bit heavier.
Elder Lei knew that golden silk nanmu wood was fine-grained, but it shouldn't reach such a weight.
There must be a hidden secret within this coffin.