Ye Fan turned his head sharply, his icy gaze fixed on the man.
Instantly, the man felt a bone-chilling cold spread throughout his body.
He was also a man of considerable experience, naturally aware of Ye Fan of Jiangcheng, but he had only heard of him, never seen him in person.
Seeing him today, he felt Ye Fan was far too arrogant. How could such a person be worthy of leading the antique trade in Jiangcheng?
"If you don't want to die, then kowtow to my sister and apologize."
The words slowly emanated from the depths of his throat, a terrifying coldness erupting and instantly engulfing the man.
It had to be said, at this moment, Ye Fan was truly terrifying, like a god of war.
Especially his gaze, which held a sharp brilliance, piercing directly into the man's soul.
His body trembled violently, his uncontrolled legs staggering back two steps.
"Ye Fan, you, what do you want to do?"
Ye Fan was seen slowly approaching him, the oppressive cold air gradually enveloping the man.
Just then, Jiang Zhitao rushed forward and delivered a swift kick to the man's legs.
"Brother Ye wants you to kneel and apologize, are your ears deaf?"
If Ye Fan were truly angered, this man might very well lose his life.
*Thump*
The man's body uncontrollably sank to the ground, right in front of Ye Xuanxuan.
Glancing at Jiang Zhitao, Ye Fan said no more, turning to Elder Chen. "I said you were wrong. With your eyesight, you could actually hold the position of an appraiser. It's utterly laughable."
"Nonsense, Ye Fan, who the hell do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that?"
Elder Chen exploded in rage, pointing at Ye Fan's nose and cursing.
"Stop the damn nonsense and appraise it quickly. I want to see what tricks you can come up with."
Elder Chen was almost driven mad. After being humiliated by Ye Fan time and again, how could he, a distinguished Level One Appraiser, tolerate it?
Ye Fan picked up the jade pendant and displayed it to everyone.
"This is not Qingyang jade, but Qingtian jade."
Although Qingyang jade and Qingtian jade differ by only one word, their jade quality is entirely different. Qingyang jade is hard and difficult to carve, while Qingtian jade is very soft and is a supreme quality of jade.
"Impossible, this is clearly Qingyang jade. What basis do you have to say it's Qingtian jade?"
A middle-aged man stepped forward, questioning loudly.
He was also from the Jiangnan Antique Association, and furthermore, Elder Chen's prized disciple.
Seeing his teacher being insulted, he naturally had to step forward to retaliate.
Ye Fan took a short knife from a nearby table and fiercely stabbed it into the jade pendant.
"You scoundrel, what are you doing?"
"You're asking for death."
"Despicable."
No one expected Ye Fan to be so decisive, destroying the artifact with a knife without a word.
But their intervention was too late. The short knife instantly sliced through the surface of the jade pendant.
The jade pendant was revealed to be jade wrapped in jade, the hard jade exterior merely a layer, with the core inside.
Handing the jade pendant to Elder Lei, Ye Fan looked at everyone and said calmly, "It's just the simplest form of illusion. If you can't even see through this, what's the point of talking about antique appraisal?"
Elder Lei took the jade pendant and examined it carefully, then looked at Ye Fan. The shock in his heart could no longer be described in words.
"Elder Lei, quickly tell us if this is Qingtian jade..."
Someone nearby couldn't wait any longer and asked urgently.
Elder Lei sighed and nodded heavily. "Apart from that layer of Qingyang jade, the large piece of jade inside is indeed Qingtian jade, and it's high-grade Qingtian jade."
Then, he asked without pause, "Ye Fan, how exactly did you figure it out?"
Even he hadn't realized it was jade wrapped in jade. Moreover, such a situation had never appeared in the antique world; they would never have thought of it.
"When appraising jade, you must look at its transparency. Regardless of the quality of the jade, its transparency differs. This piece of jade has extremely poor transparency, which is completely unworthy of the word 'royal.' Yet, it is carved with phoenix patterns. Therefore, there is only one possibility: this jade pendant is double-layered. The reason for this is to preserve the inner jade core for a long time. Furthermore, wrapping it in a layer of Qingyang jade can highlight the domineering and arrogant aura of the jade pendant's owner."
"Domineering, arrogant? Are you saying the owner of this jade pendant is not a woman, but a man?"
Elder Lei asked, looking at Ye Fan in surprise.
Ye Fan nodded slowly, "That's right. This is indeed an item worn by a man, and it must be a prince or descendant of the imperial family."
"How is that possible? If it were an item worn by a prince or descendant of the imperial family, why is it carved with phoenixes and not dragon patterns?"
It was still the same middle-aged man, frowning as he asked.
Indeed, this was highly illogical.
But Ye Fan smiled, "There's nothing difficult to understand. The phoenix pattern is carved on the outer layer, merely for concealment. The Qingtian jade inside is the key. This Qingtian jade is carved with nine horizontal lines. Ancients revered the number nine, and nine horizontal lines are a symbol of an emperor. Therefore, it must be an item worn by a man."
Upon hearing Ye Fan's words, Elder Lei immediately stripped away the outer layer of the jade pendant. As Ye Fan had said, both the front and back of the jade pendant were carved with nine horizontal lines.
Moreover, at the bottom of the jade core, there was a seal: "Seal of Prince Yong."
Prince Yong? Wasn't that Emperor Yongzheng?
With everything revealed, all speculation and doubt vanished.
Elder Lei breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze towards Ye Fan filled with admiration.
A talent, this is truly a talent! This discerning eye is probably unique even throughout Jiangnan.
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
Seeing everyone stunned, Elder Lei asked.
Silence reigned, and everyone's eyes were filled with shock.
Only Elder Chen's body trembled incessantly. "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."
He never dreamed that he would experience such a ridiculous situation one day.
All his appraisal results were incorrect, and instead, they provided an opportunity for a young man to show off.
Where would he put his old face from now on?
The middle-aged man quickly stepped forward and supported Elder Chen. "Teacher, why bother about the outcome of one round? This brat just got lucky; we still have a chance."
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Elder Chen was stunned for a moment, then looked at the middle-aged man, his gray eyes gradually brightening.
"That's right, I still have a chance. This was just my momentary carelessness. I will not give him any more opportunities in the remaining two rounds."
Saying that, the dejected aura around him instantly dissipated, replaced by an air of fighting spirit.
Seeing Elder Chen's transformation, Ye Fan couldn't help but be stunned, and then a cold smile curved his lips. As expected, he was a shameless person.
He spoke so righteously, didn't he know what shame was?
A distinguished Level One Appraiser of the Jiangnan Antique Association, humiliated in such a small place like Jiangcheng, yet he could still say it so calmly. Truly shameless.