Chang Jun was stunned, not expecting such a strong reaction from Elder Wu and the others.
Ye Fan also gave a slight start, surprised by how quickly the two men changed their expressions.
Despite this, Ye Fan’s heart remained calm.
“What? Is Xiao Ran Ge open for business, but only sees whose client it is? Is this Xiao Ran Ge’s business strategy? How utterly laughable. Perhaps I should spread the word outside. I wonder if the antique circle in Jiangnan City will have some thoughts about Xiao Ran Ge?”
A cold smile appeared on Ye Fan’s face.
These words were indirectly a threat to Elder Wu and the others. If they refused to do business with him, Ye Fan would surely publicize it extensively.
And those antique shops in Jiangnan City that had designs on Xiao Ran Ge would certainly cause trouble.
Although they claimed to the outside world that Xiao Ran Ge was unrivaled, as appraisers here, they knew very well that Jiangnan City was not currently the Feng family’s domain.
Even if the young master of the Feng family could do as he pleased, that was only towards smaller families.
Secretly, countless people coveted the Feng family’s business.
Elder Wu’s face darkened, his brow furrowed tightly.
His gaze towards Ye Fan was filled with intense hatred.
“As the saying goes, ‘open the door to welcome guests.’ Xiao Ran Ge is an antique shop. As long as you can present an antique that moves us, we will naturally do business with you. I’m afraid, however, that you cannot.”
After all, he was an old fox. Compared to Third Master, Elder Wu was much more astute.
In terms of composure and experience, he was far beyond what that Third Master could match.
Upon hearing Elder Wu’s words, Ye Fan’s smile widened. As long as they were willing to do business, that was enough.
Seeing the smile on Ye Fan’s face, Elder Wu suddenly had a premonition of something ominous, as if he had fallen into a well-laid trap.
Ye Fan winked at Chang Jun, and Chang Jun, with a smile, handed the box to Ye Fan.
Seeing the lingering anger on the faces of Elder Wu and Third Master, Ye Fan unhurriedly placed the box on the coffee table in front of him.
“Since you two are willing to do business with me, please take a look at this item. Perhaps you will be satisfied.”
Seeing the faint smile on Ye Fan’s face, Elder Wu and Third Master exchanged glances, both seeing something unusual in each other’s eyes.
But since they had already agreed to do business with Ye Fan, they would not yield.
After all, if they yielded, it would be tantamount to losing to Ye Fan.
Moreover, if Ye Fan managed to seize upon this and publicize it, Xiao Ran Ge’s reputation would plummet.
With no other choice, Third Master slowly opened the box.
As the box was opened, the item inside was revealed.
Both Elder Wu and Third Master gasped in unison.
In the next moment, they both suddenly looked up at Ye Fan.
Their eyes were wide open, filled with shock.
“You actually intend to sell an item of this caliber? Are you f**king crazy?”
Third Master, after all, was not as calculating. He looked at Ye Fan and cursed in a low voice.
Being cursed at by Third Master like this, Ye Fan’s expression suddenly turned grim.
“Is this the caliber of Xiao Ran Ge’s appraisers? If there’s a next time, I’ll make you understand what it means to wish you were dead.”
Although Ye Fan felt pleased seeing their astonished expressions, being cursed at by Third Master naturally made him unhappy.
Feeling the icy chill emanating from Ye Fan, Third Master trembled violently and dared not say anything more.
Elder Wu, however, maintained a grim expression, frowning at Ye Fan.
“Although I don’t like you, and because of Young Master Feng, we are in a state of opposition, I must still remind you that this item is of great value. Do you truly wish to sell it?”
As Elder Wu said, he didn’t have a good impression of Ye Fan.
But no matter what, he was an appraiser. Having been immersed in the antique world for decades, he naturally felt excited when he saw a treasure.
Ye Fan smiled slightly. “It’s just an external possession. As long as Elder Wu can understand this item and offer a suitable price, this item is yours. Of course, if Elder Wu cannot understand it, I will have to look elsewhere. After all, Jiangnan City is not the only antique shop besides Xiao Ran Ge.”
Ye Fan spoke very casually, completely nonchalant.
Seeing Ye Fan’s demeanor, both Elder Wu and Third Master couldn’t help but frown. This scoundrel was truly asking for a beating.
However, the item belonged to him, and if he wanted to sell it, there was nothing they could do.
With no other recourse, Elder Wu could only shift his gaze back to the item.
Within the box lay a dragon, quietly resting.
That’s right, it was a dragon, but it was a bronze dragon.
For thousands of years, the dragon had been the totem of the Chinese nation. Many artifacts featured dragon patterns, but bronze dragons had never appeared in the antique market.
The reason was simple: bronze artifacts were mostly from the Shang, Zhou, and Han dynasties. In later periods, there were few bronze artifacts because with the advancement of smelting technology, bronze had faded from the historical stage.
Therefore, any bronze artifact was primarily from the Shang, Zhou, and Han periods.
But during that era, the appearance of dragons was simple; they were not as domineering and majestic as they are today.
However, this one before him was different. It was completely identical to the dragon recognized by modern people.
Upon seeing the bronze dragon, Elder Wu’s first reaction was that the item was a fake.
But when he saw the seal script characters carved on it, he was completely stunned.
Seal script was a writing system from the pre-Qin period, dating back thousands of years. Very few people today could recognize seal script, but Elder Wu was one of them.
Although he couldn’t recognize all the characters, he recognized some of them.
“Qin Er Shi ordered the manufacturing, bestowed upon the Great General Wang Ben…”
Even though he only recognized these few words, it was enough.
One must understand that if this item were a modern fake, it would not be written in seal script. Even if it were carved in seal script, it might not be so coherent. Moreover, the calligraphy on it was entirely from the pre-Qin period; this was absolutely not wrong. Therefore, Elder Wu had already concluded that it was genuine.
Seeing Elder Wu examining the item intently, Ye Fan’s mouth curved into a faint smile.
“How is it? Elder Wu, do you recognize this item?”
Upon hearing Ye Fan’s question, Elder Wu slowly raised his head, his eyes now filled with solemnity.
“How much are you prepared to sell it for?”
His question had already confirmed the authenticity of the item.
Ye Fan shrugged. “What do you think this item is worth, Elder Wu? Something from the Qin Dynasty, and only this one piece. Even if you searched the entire world, you wouldn’t find a second similar bronze dragon. It can be said to be one of a kind. Even people from the national museum would spare no effort to buy it.”
Ye Fan did not name a price, but threw the question back to Elder Wu.
Elder Wu was certainly not a fool. He completely believed Ye Fan’s words.
For such a treasure, let alone a museum, even if news of it leaked, the country would immediately send people to negotiate.