"Old Sun, do you recognize who these people are?"
Ye Fan turned his head, his eyes burning with eagerness. For someone his age to have such insight, Ye Fan absolutely wouldn't believe he wasn't from a prominent family.
But what kind of family could cultivate such talent?
Sun Yilang frowned in thought, then after a moment, he said hesitantly, "Judging by their attire, they don't seem to be from any of the factions openly recognized in Jiangcheng."
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan's brow furrowed sharply, and he stared at Sun Yilang. "You mean they belong to the Dark Alliance?"
He had only recently heard of the Dark Alliance's existence, and now he was meeting their people so soon.
Sun Yilang's expression turned serious, and he nodded heavily. "They must be from the Dark Alliance, otherwise, they wouldn't possess such capability."
At this, Ye Fan began to laugh, a peculiar curve forming on his lips.
This expression made Sun Yilang's heart skip a beat, unsure of what Ye Fan was thinking.
"Let's go, we'll go meet these people from the Dark Alliance."
Ye Fan said with a smile, then slowly walked towards the crowd.
Seeing Ye Fan's keen interest, Sun Yilang swallowed the words of dissuasion that were on the tip of his tongue.
Meanwhile, the stall owner was staring at the young man before him in shock.
He inwardly pondered, "When did Jiangcheng produce such a discerning prodigy?"
However, what kind of person in the antique business wasn't shrewd?
"Young man, you clearly know your stuff. This coin is indeed a 'Zhu Mu Da Qian' from the Yongzheng era, and it's an exceptionally rare misprinted 'Zhu Mu Da Qian'. I can assure you, in this world, it's like a scorpion's excrement – one of a kind. So, the price..."
Rubbing his hands together, the stall owner's face split into a triumphant grin.
He then held up three fingers. "Three million, and this misprinted 'Zhu Mu Da Qian' is yours."
Finally encountering someone with deep pockets, how could the stall owner let go of such an opportunity to strike it rich?
Hearing the stall owner's words, the surrounding onlookers gasped.
Three million, good heavens, that was an astronomical price.
For a long time, ancient coins had been declining in price. Lacking aesthetic appeal, their collector's value had naturally diminished considerably.
Regardless of the era, 'Da Qian' or 'Zhu Mu Da Qian' of such quality had never exceeded one million.
Therefore, the young man's offer of 1.3 million was already exorbitant.
But to think that the stall owner was so greedy, demanding three million, far exceeding the coin's actual value.
Yet, this was the way of the antique trade: three years without a customer, then a lifetime of earnings from one. When they found a determined buyer, they would naturally ask for the moon.
Upon hearing the stall owner's words, the young man, instead of getting angry, let out a cold laugh. "Three million?"
His icy gaze fixed on the stall owner, as if intending to devour him.
However, this terrifying expression did not faze the stall owner. Instead, the smile on his face widened, as if he had the young man cornered.
"That's right, only three million, and this unique 'Zhu Mu Da Qian' in the world will be yours. Young man, don't blame me for not warning you, there are many who want a 'Zhe Mu Zhu Mu Da Qian'.
I'm selling it to you because fate brought us together. For anyone else, forget three million, even five million, and I probably wouldn't agree."
In terms of eloquence, having worked at this stall for over a decade, his ability to deceive was truly exceptional.
"Noisy." To his surprise, the young man let out a cold snort.
"I said 1.3 million, and it's 1.3 million, not a cent more. Moreover, besides me, no one else in Jiangcheng would dare to buy this item. You can try and see if I'm wrong."
The young man was extremely overbearing, his arrogant and imperious demeanor making even Ye Fan feel speechless.
These words stunned the stall owner, but he immediately shook his shoulders and laughed, looking at the young man. "I say, young man, while your discernment is excellent, you're a bit lacking in social graces. Since ancient times, the antique trade has been about equal bargaining. I've only heard of people not wanting to buy, never of people not daring to buy. I think you're just trying to impress, like a donkey trying to sniff a scallion, putting on airs. If you don't have the money, just say so, why argue here?"
Even ten or eight young men would have been no match for someone as seasoned as the stall owner.
Indeed, being mocked in such a manner, the young man gritted his teeth and frowned. "I am from the Liu family of the Dark Alliance. Our word in the Dark Alliance is law in the antique circles. Who dares to buy this 'Da Qian'?"
Uttering these words through gritted teeth, the onlookers who had been enjoying the spectacle were all stunned.
Especially those few spectators who had just helped the stall owner mock the young man. When they heard the words "Dark Alliance," their faces turned ashen.
In Jiangcheng's antique circles, there were two universally recognized entities not to be trifled with: one was the Jiangcheng Antique Association, filled with master appraisers whose judgment and knowledge of antiques were beyond ordinary comparison.
And even more daunting than the Antique Association was the Dark Alliance.
Legend had it that this organization was mysterious, overbearing, and even unreasonable.
Whatever item they coveted, even the Antique Association dared not utter a word.
Once, a family had competed with a Dark Alliance member for a sketch of a Bodhisattva bowl. The very next day, that family was wiped out in a bloodbath. Apart from a few who narrowly escaped, dozens of lives were brutally extinguished.
Afterward, not only did no one dare to investigate, but there wasn't even anyone to collect their bodies.
It was only when the City Lord's mansion could no longer stand by that they hastily buried the bodies.
This illustrated how terrifying the Dark Alliance was in Jiangcheng.
The stall owner's face turned pale, and his body began to tremble violently. "You, you really are from the Dark, Dark Alliance?"
His words were slurred, and he couldn't even speak coherently, showing the immense shadow the Dark Alliance cast in people's minds.
The stall owner's reaction made the young man sneer dismissively. He then took out a jade token from his pocket.
The jade token was carved with a coiled dragon, and strangely, it was a three-clawed dragon, with each claw gripping a snake.
On the dragon's head, a character "Liu" was carved.
Beside him, Sun Yilang's body trembled upon seeing this jade token. "This is a special identity jade token of the Dark Alliance. The three-clawed dragon signifies that this person is a third-generation disciple, and that 'Liu' character represents his family. I didn't expect the Liu family, who had been in seclusion for over a decade, to have a descendant emerge today. It seems the heavens in Jiangcheng's antique circles are truly about to change."
Clearly, the Dark Alliance had a profound impact on Sun Yilang.
Ye Fan, on the other hand, felt nothing. Having lived two lives, and as a tomb keeper in his previous life, he had weathered countless storms, ultimately perishing in a sea of flames.
However, in his past life, he had never heard of the Dark Alliance's existence.
It must have been an organization that emerged after his demise.
The stall owner had already been so frightened that he had collapsed onto the ground.
"Young Master Liu, it was my ignorance, my failure to recognize your eminence. Take this 'Da Qian', consider it my offering to you."
Holding the Yongzheng 'Zhu Mu Da Qian' with both hands, the stall owner lowered his head, not daring to breathe heavily.