Ye Fan squinted and patted Jiang Zhitao on the shoulder.
"You brat, don't be so reckless from now on. Although the Jiang family can act with impunity in Jiangcheng, there are always people beyond people. Some people, once provoked, will bring immense trouble."
Ye Fan said earnestly.
Given Jiang Zhitao's personality, it was obviously unrealistic to expect him to completely change his flamboyant nature.
But Ye Fan had to remind him that once he provoked an irresistible existence, it would bring disaster to the Jiang family.
As expected, Jiang Zhitao laughed, "Brother Ye, in this Jiangcheng, no one is beyond my provocation. You're definitely overthinking it."
He paid no heed to Ye Fan's admonition.
Ye Fan's expression gradually turned serious. He genuinely considered Jiang Zhitao a brother, so he couldn't just watch him continue his reckless behavior.
"Have you heard of the Dark Alliance?"
His voice deepened, carrying an irresistible authority.
Sensing the shift in Ye Fan's attitude, Jiang Zhitao trembled inwardly and quickly restrained the laziness on his face, listening intently to Ye Fan's lecture.
"The Dark Alliance? It should be a very old antique organization, right?"
Beside them, Doctor Hao gasped and spoke solemnly.
Ye Fan nodded, "Exactly, it's this organization. Even the Jiangcheng Antique Association treats them with great respect. This organization consists of four families, and those three people just now were from one of them, the Liu family. Liu Cheng, although not yet twenty-five, his appraisal skills are no less than Elder Sun's. In Jiangcheng, he can indeed walk sideways. If the Jiang family truly makes an enemy of them, they will likely be suppressed by them very soon."
He briefly explained the stakes to Jiang Zhitao, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"Damn it, it's a good thing you reminded me in time, Brother Ye. Otherwise, I would have truly caused trouble today."
Although he was a prodigal son, he wasn't stupid. An existence that even the Jiangcheng Antique Association feared, what was a mere Jiang family to them?
"But Brother Ye, your tactic of diverting disaster is too brilliant. I've disliked that brat Zhou Youde for a long time. If it weren't for the opening of Bogu Zhai last time, and that brat wisely siding with you, I would have made you suffer. But now it seems the Liu family will definitely cause trouble for the Zhou family."
His previously terrified face was now filled with triumphant smiles.
Jiang Zhitao's personality was something Ye Fan envied.
No matter what storms he weathered, he could face them calmly, even dismiss them with a smile. He lived much more authentically than many others.
As they were chatting and laughing about Zhou Youde, a young man about seventeen or eighteen years old strode over, dressed in black, with a hood obscuring half his face.
"Mr. Ye, Mr. Cao requests your presence,"
He came before Ye Fan, bowed his head, and said respectfully.
Mr. Cao?
Ye Fan was stunned. After the Liu family left, Mr. Cao had also dispersed with the crowd.
He thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, Mr. Cao wanted to see him.
Shaking his head with a sigh, "Lead the way."
Ye Fan was also curious about who the great figure behind this ghost market was.
He instructed Elder Sun and Jiang Zhitao to wait for him there, and Ye Fan followed the young man deeper into the ghost market.
After winding through more than ten turns, they finally stopped in front of a low, single-story house.
Seeing the house, Ye Fan frowned.
The house was only a little over two meters high, with no windows, and the door faced north.
The house faced south and was thus north-facing, never seeing the sun.
"An Yin house?"
Ye Fan frowned and whispered.
Yang houses were typically north-facing, while Yin houses were designed this way.
"Creak."
The door opened by itself, and the young man gestured, "Mr. Ye, please go in. Mr. Cao is waiting for you inside."
Although Ye Fan was reluctant, he had come this far and couldn't turn back, so he had to walk in with gritted teeth.
As he stepped through the door, a bone-chilling coldness assaulted him, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
Ye Fan gritted his teeth, secretly channeling his inner energy to resist the biting cold.
"Ye Fan, you are quite remarkable."
Mr. Cao's voice came from the inner room.
Ye Fan's face was solemn, his eyes filled with displeasure.
"Is this Mr. Cao's hospitality?"
As soon as he entered, he was met with such intense cold. If Ye Fan hadn't had an unusual constitution, he would have been frozen immobile.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Cao chuckled and slowly emerged from the darkness.
He still had that upright and uncompromising face.
"In recent years, very few people have been able to fool me. And to have lost face like this today has never happened before. You dare to humiliate me like this in my ghost market, do you expect me to be polite to you?"
Mr. Cao's face suddenly turned grim, his eagle-like eyes fixed tightly on Ye Fan.
Cold, overbearing, terrifying...
Facing Mr. Cao's terrifying gaze, Ye Fan was not the least bit afraid. Instead, he met his gaze with disdain and said, "In the antique world, talent has always been the deciding factor. Mr. Cao, having been immersed in this field for decades, do you not understand this principle? Or have you become more petty with age, unable to tolerate others surpassing you?"
His words were sharp, clashing head-on with Mr. Cao's, leaving no room for retreat.
Seeing Ye Fan's reaction, Mr. Cao was slightly taken aback.
However, after a brief moment of stunned silence, Mr. Cao said coldly, "As expected of a rising star. Your temperament is quite good. However, don't forget that this is the ghost market, not the antique trade outside. If you offend me here, don't think you'll leave unscathed."
The next moment, Ye Fan chuckled, "Does Mr. Cao think I'm afraid of death?"
A disdainful smile played on his lips, and he looked at Mr. Cao with a cold expression.
He was someone who had already experienced life and death, so he naturally did not fear death.
Moreover, although Mr. Cao had appeared very overbearing since he entered, Ye Fan could sense that he had never revealed any killing intent. This meant that he had been testing him all along, not truly intending to make a move.
The two stared at each other for a long time until Mr. Cao sighed.
"Ye Fan, I really didn't misjudge you."
The frost on his face finally dissipated, revealing a faint smile.
The lights in the room were turned on, illuminating the entire space.
Ye Fan could then clearly see the furnishings in the room.
A table, a chair, a bed, and on the table, a token.
The token bore some resemblance to the one in Sun Yilang's hand, but it was not entirely the same.
It seemed the skull on it was more ferocious, and there was a character for "order" carved in the center.
"Mr. Cao, what is the meaning of summoning me here? I don't seem to be acquainted with you,"
Ye Fan asked indifferently, looking at Mr. Cao.
"I summoned you here naturally because I have important matters."
Mr. Cao sneered.