He glanced at Feng Xiao as if looking at an idiot.
"Everyone, please take a look."
Ye Fan spread his hands, palms facing upwards.
On each of his palms rested half a luminous pearl.
"Elder Lei, please dim the lights."
Ye Fan said calmly to Elder Lei.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, although Elder Lei was puzzled, he still ordered the curtains to be drawn and the lights extinguished.
Instantly, the entire venue plunged into darkness.
Only the two luminous pearls in Ye Fan's hands emitted a faint glow.
"The lighting effect is so poor, yet they dare call themselves luminous pearls? Utterly laughable."
"I thought it was some great treasure, but it turns out to be such rubbish. I can acquire hundreds of luminous pearls of this quality."
"Hurry back to Jiangcheng. This Jiangnan City is not a place for a clown like you to act recklessly."
The crowd chimed in, their expressions conveying a desire to devour Ye Fan alive.
But Ye Fan remained unperturbed.
He forcefully brought the two luminous pearls together.
In an instant, a dazzling radiance erupted from the pearls, illuminating the entire venue, which could accommodate hundreds of people.
"This, how is this possible?"
"Magic, this must be magic."
"No, this isn't real."
Everyone was dumbfounded. Even Elder Lei and Jiang Zhong could only exclaim in admiration.
"A treasure, indeed a fine treasure."
Luminous pearls emitting light is the most basic knowledge for appraisal.
The greater the light, the higher the value.
But something like the one in Ye Fan's hands was profoundly mysterious.
"Impossible, you must have tampered with it just now."
He had seen clearly that the luminous pearl had nothing special about it, so how could it erupt with such terrifying brilliance?
But Ye Fan smiled and said, "The facts are right before your eyes. Elder Zheng, why don't you believe it? Or perhaps Elder Zheng is refusing to honor the bet?"
Ye Fan's lips curved into a smile, and he sneered at Elder Zheng.
Elder Zheng was furious, and malevolence flashed in his eyes.
"Young man, you indeed have skillful means. This old man admits he couldn't comprehend this luminous pearl in your hand, but do you even know the origin of this luminous pearl?"
Given the situation, further words were futile. Ye Fan's face was adorned with a faint smile.
"Has anyone here heard of the Empress Dowager Cixi's three treasures?"
He scanned the crowd below, but no one responded to his words.
Clearly, they had decided to ignore him and let Feng Xiao win.
Ye Fan let out a wry smile. This was the advantage of fighting on home turf.
If this competition were held in Jiangcheng, Feng Xiao would likely be the one being ignored.
Seeing that no one spoke, Elder Lei chuckled wryly and then spoke.
"I have heard of it. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi had three favorite treasures during her lifetime. The first was a jade cabbage, emerald green throughout, exquisitely carved, indistinguishable from a real cabbage. The second was a piece of stone resembling braised pork, also a rare treasure. The third was a..."
At this point, Elder Lei suddenly paused, then turned abruptly to look at the luminous pearl in Ye Fan's hand.
"Could it be that the one in your hand is Empress Dowager Cixi's most beloved luminous pearl?"
Elder Lei was stunned. This luminous pearl had a great reputation; Empress Dowager Cixi cherished it the most during her life and it was buried with her in the imperial mausoleum.
Recalling that Ye Fan had said these items were retrieved from underground, the answer was obvious.
"A Mingqi, so this is actually a Mingqi! Ye Fan, you are incredibly audacious!"
Upon hearing Elder Lei's words, Feng Xiao was the first to react, rising to his feet and shouting indignantly at Ye Fan.
The crowd below also began to clamor.
"This fellow actually dared to use a Mingqi to participate in the competition. He's truly courting death."
"Mingqi should not be revealed. No matter how precious, once recognized as a Mingqi, he automatically loses."
"Hmph, this kid is finished now."
...
Elder Lei's expression also turned grim. If he hadn't spoken just now, they probably wouldn't have recognized it. Now, Ye Fan was likely beyond redemption.
Yet, Ye Fan wore a faint smile.
"When did I ever say this was a Mingqi? Can you all recognize this treasure? Then why didn't you speak up earlier?"
He looked dismissively at the crowd, especially Feng Xiao.
The intelligence of this Young Master Feng was truly wanting.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Feng Xiao laughed rather than getting angry.
"Then tell us, what exactly is this treasure you have?"
The crowd below echoed him.
"Yes, tell us what it is?"
"Empress Dowager Cixi's luminous pearl can illuminate a hundred meters. What else do you have to argue?"
"Kid, just admit it. Perhaps Elder Zheng can show you leniency."
For a moment, Ye Fan became the target of everyone's criticism.
But these were mere trifles to Ye Fan.
"Empress Dowager Cixi once possessed a luminous pearl, but after her death, it became a burial item. Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb was robbed nearly a century ago, and the whereabouts of those treasures are unknown. Therefore, it is naturally difficult to see those items again. The luminous pearl in my hand, however, is a pair to Empress Dowager Cixi's luminous pearl, and was once bestowed upon Empress Dowager Dong, later flowing out of the palace."
Ye Fan smiled faintly, but these words were clearly not accepted by others.
"Words are cheap. How can you prove this luminous pearl is not Empress Dowager Cixi's?"
Feng Xiao once again posed a difficult question.
"It's very simple. Everyone, please look at the broken surface of the luminous pearl. Are there any characters carved on it?"
Saying this, Ye Fan split the pearl in two again, revealing the fractured surface.
Elder Lei, Jiang Zhong, and others quickly got up and came forward to examine it closely.
On the broken surface, there was a small character "Dong."
The script was traditional. Although very small, it was discernible to the naked eye.
"Indeed, there is the character 'Dong' carved on it. This is definitely not an item belonging to Empress Dowager Cixi. If it were Empress Dowager Cixi's property, how could it be carved with 'Dong'?"
Elder Lei let out a sigh of relief, saying excitedly.
In this way, the notion that the luminous pearl was a Mingqi was self-defeating.
Elder Zheng furrowed his brows tightly, a frost settling on his face.
He hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Originally, victory was within his grasp, and he could even use this to attack Ye Fan, leading to his imprisonment.
But unexpectedly, it had allowed Ye Fan to turn the tables.
What they didn't know was that this luminous pearl was a burial item for Empress Dowager Cixi.
Ye Fan's previous life was very close to that era, so he was aware of certain secrets.
That year, this luminous pearl was bestowed upon Empress Dowager Dong because Empress Dowager Dong's status was higher than Empress Dowager Cixi's.
Therefore, the character "Dong" was carved on the broken surface.
Later, Empress Dowager Dong died, Empress Dowager Cixi gained power, and she took the luminous pearl, making it her private possession.
Of course, these secrets were unknown to outsiders.