Old Lei looked at Ye Fan in surprise. He wasn't very skilled with such small coins, but he felt that this Jiaqing Tongbao was different from the small coins he had seen before.
Pushing the copper coin back to Ye Fan, Old Lei shook his head without hesitation, "I can't understand it."
In front of Ye Fan, he had no need to save face.
His trip to Qianfo Mountain last time had already proven that Ye Fan's ability far surpassed his.
Ye Fan was very satisfied with Old Lei's honesty and took the copper coin with a smile.
Then, he smiled and said, "This is not a Jiaqing Tongbao small coin, but the famous Jiaqing Baodong Branch re-tested coin. The inner frame is two and a half centimeters, and the font is Shou Dong style, presenting a three-dimensional effect. Such re-tested coins are extremely rare and can be considered the best among Jiaqing Tongbao. Any single one is worth at least 100,000 yuan. If it's part of a set of Five Emperors coins, its price will be even better. Therefore, buying this set of Five Emperors coins for 70,000 yuan is not a loss."
Although the price difference was only tens of thousands of yuan, this was the market price in the antique business. Even if one could only make one yuan, one should act decisively when the time came.
Hearing Ye Fan's explanation, Old Lei nodded, looking enlightened.
"So that's how it is. It seems the antique coin business is quite interesting."
After playing with it for a while, he handed the copper coin to Ye Fan.
Seeing Old Lei drinking by himself, Ye Fan smiled, put away the copper coin, and then looked at Old Lei and asked, "You asked me to come here, Old Lei, probably not just to look at these Five Emperors coins, right?"
Based on his understanding of Old Lei, if he didn't have something to ask him, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to invite him out for a meal.
Seeing Ye Fan's knowing look, Old Lei finally sighed.
"Of course, I have something to ask you."
Lowering his voice, a hint of gloom flashed in Old Lei's eyes.
Seeing the change in Old Lei's expression, Ye Fan realized that the old man seemed to have encountered a major problem.
"Old Lei, there's no one else here. What's wrong? Feel free to speak."
Staring at Ye Fan, Old Lei slowly said, "My Jiangnan Antique Association is in big trouble."
Ye Fan did not speak, and looked at Old Lei, waiting for him to continue.
However, the first sentence made Ye Fan pause.
The Jiangnan Antique Association was no small player. The big trouble they encountered, which made Old Lei so apprehensive, what could it be?
And who would cause such great trouble for the Antique Association?
"A year ago, a traitor appeared in our Antique Association. After being caught, a lot of confidential documents of the Antique Association were found in his residence. However, these documents had already been passed on by him. We don't know who they were passed to. To investigate, we spared his life. But a few days ago, that person was mysteriously rescued. We suspect that the other party is planning a conspiracy against the Jiangnan Antique Association. Although we don't know their ultimate goal yet, once they take action, they will surely bring immeasurable losses to the Antique Association."
Old Lei briefly explained the situation to Ye Fan, his face full of solemnity.
Ye Fan also understood the seriousness of the matter and sighed, "In that case, finding that mysterious force will tell us their purpose. Have you found any clues in the past year?"
With the capabilities of the Jiangnan Antique Association, they shouldn't have been investigating for a year without any leads.
"We only know that the person should be from the Lin family in the southwest."
"The Lin family in the southwest?" Ye Fan was stunned. This was a well-known family. In his previous life, the Lin family in the southwest was already very powerful.
The Lin family controlled half of the antique market in the southwest. Both circulating and non-circulating artifacts were traded by the Lin family.
It could be said that half of the artifacts that left the southwest passed through the hands of the Lin family.
But why would they target the Jiangnan antique industry?
There shouldn't be any inevitable connection between the two, right?
Or was the Lin family trying to develop their business in Jiangnan? But even so, they wouldn't need to target the Antique Association, would they?
Ye Fan pondered, unable to figure out the relationship for a moment.
Seeing Ye Fan in deep thought, Old Lei sighed, "Right now, we are only speculating. The inside story still needs to be investigated. Unfortunately, the Jiangnan Antique Association cannot find a suitable person right now, so..."
He looked at Ye Fan, his eyes filled with embarrassment.
Only then did Ye Fan finally understand the old man's intention. It turned out he needed his help.
However, it wasn't Old Lei's fault. Among the people he knew, Ye Fan was the most suitable.
In his previous life, he was a famous tomb keeper, and in this life, he had made a name for himself in Jiangcheng. With Ye Fan's abilities, it would not be difficult to investigate this matter thoroughly.
With a wry smile, Ye Fan shook his head, "Old Lei flatters me. I am just an unknown nobody in Jiangcheng and dare not bear such a heavy responsibility. Moreover, the Jiangnan Antique Association is full of talented people. I have already seen them before. Just send someone to the southwest."
Ye Fan did not want to get involved in this mess, at least not at the moment.
He had not yet established a foothold in Jiangcheng, let alone confront a giant like the Lin family in the antique world in the southwest. Wasn't that courting death?
Even though Ye Fan was confident in himself, he wasn't so arrogant as to believe he could roam the world unchallenged.
Seeing Ye Fan refuse outright, Old Lei gave an awkward smile.
"Actually, I'm not asking you to leave for the southwest immediately, just to prepare yourself mentally. If the time comes when it's necessary, you can help my Jiangnan Antique Association. You can rest assured, as long as you help me then, you won't be shortchanged."
Old Lei also knew that this matter was dangerous, so he didn't force Ye Fan.
Ye Fan ignored Old Lei's words and continued to drink by himself.
At this moment, he just wanted to settle the matters in Jiangcheng, which was the most important thing.
Seeing Ye Fan's expression, Old Lei said no more and drank with Ye Fan.
The old man had a good capacity for alcohol, but Ye Fan's capacity was even greater. After a few glasses of white wine, Old Lei was already tipsy.
Ye Fan, on the other hand, only had a flushed face and no other reaction.
"Kid, I know your identity. Being buried in Jiangcheng is an insult to you. Sooner or later, you will soar to the sky. The vast sky outside is where you should soar."
Old Lei was drunk and started talking nonsense.
Ye Fan was not surprised by Old Lei's words. He had long suspected that the old man knew his identity.
"Let me tell you, kid, last time I went back and told my granddaughter about you, she's been wanting to compete with you. My granddaughter is called a once-in-a-century antique genius by people in the industry. You and my granddaughter are a perfect match."
...
Cold sweat kept streaming down Ye Fan's forehead. A drunk Old Lei was indeed quite terrifying.