The oiled paper was completely peeled away, revealing the true appearance of the object within.
It was merely a piece of turbid jade, palm-sized, its surface covered with a greasy substance, as if it had just been fished out of a pot of oil.
"The quality of this jade is too poor, isn't it?"
Jiang Zhong chuckled and whispered, remarking that jade was prized for its clarity, high transparency, and fine emerald green luster.
However, this piece of jade had nothing to do with the term crystal clear.
The elder beside Wang Feng also shook his head with a smile, clearly not optimistic about this ancient jade.
Meanwhile, the appraisers from forces like Tianbao Pavilion and Tianwang Manor sneered contemptuously. These were people with exceptionally high standards, accustomed to seeing good things. Seeing such an item suddenly, they naturally dismissed it.
Especially an item of such quality, yet dared to be brought to an appraisal convention, was a colossal joke.
Thus, these individuals couldn't help but mock it mercilessly.
Only Ye Fan, at this moment, stared intently at the jade, his gaze profound.
To have nurtured the ancient jade into a sentient item was truly remarkable.
Speaking of which, looking at Mr. Fu, Ye Fan's gaze held a hint of increased interest.
This was a profession, much like Ye Fan's past life as a tomb keeper. They were known as jade keepers.
Jade keepers nourished jade with their souls, and jade was their very life.
Furthermore, a jade keeper would never possess a second piece of jade when nurturing one.
This was also why their numbers remained scarce.
For nurturing jade was incredibly draining.
It not only required immense energy but also substantial financial support.
At this moment, seeing the serious expression on Ye Fan's face, Jiang Zhong was taken aback. "Brother Ye, what are you thinking?"
Although he knew it might not be appropriate to disturb Ye Fan at this time, Jiang Zhong couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Why did Ye Fan attach such importance to what, in his eyes, was clearly a murky jade?
Human curiosity was the most formidable thing. Once aroused, it would not rest until the matter was clarified.
Ye Fan had now snapped out of his shock. Hearing Jiang Zhong's question, he nodded faintly. "This is a piece of raw jade."
Raw jade?
Pú, the beauty of jade. How could this jade, which looked so ugly, be evaluated as raw jade by Ye Fan? Had Brother Ye lost his hearing?
Although he believed Ye Fan deep down, the facts were before his eyes, how could Jiang Zhong believe it?
"Brother Ye, you're not joking, are you? How could this possibly be raw jade?"
Jiang Zhong also lowered his voice and asked Ye Fan in a deep tone.
It wasn't that he didn't believe Ye Fan, but rather that he found it impossible.
Unless Ye Fan could give him a sufficiently convincing reason, he would firmly adhere to his own judgment.
But this time, Ye Fan merely smiled without speaking, his gaze lingering on Mr. Fu's face, observing him with curiosity.
As Ye Fan observed Mr. Fu, Mr. Fu was also looking at him.
He saw all the expressions on the faces of those present. Apart from mockery, there were cold smiles.
But only Ye Fan maintained a serious, somber expression, which made Mr. Fu feel surprised.
What was Ye Fan's true identity? Or was he merely putting on a show somewhere?
Mr. Fu was unsure and unable to figure it out, so he stared intently at Ye Fan, hoping to find an answer.
Unfortunately, Ye Fan's gaze was too aggressive. After only a few seconds, Mr. Fu surrendered, shifting his gaze away and no longer meeting his eyes.
"Such a profound gaze. What is Ye Fan's identity? Didn't City Lord Li say he was merely an appraisal prodigy from Jiang City? But how could a mere high-level appraiser possess such a deep gaze? Even I am no match for him."
Mr. Fu was also a standout among the younger generation, but before Ye Fan, he seemed so humble.
This was not due to his inferiority complex; it was simply that under Ye Fan's terrifying gaze, he had already succumbed.
Even though he was unwilling in his heart, there was nothing he could do.
This was a mark deeply imprinted in his soul, something human effort could not change.
Seeing Mr. Fu avert his gaze, Ye Fan revealed a victor's smile.
"Hmph, you're still far from being my match. After all, I've lived two lives. With the experience of my past life and the knowledge of this one, if I were still to be defeated by you, wouldn't my current life have been lived in vain?"
As soon as he had recognized Mr. Fu as a jade keeper, Ye Fan had already decided to recruit him.
With the jade keeper's special sensitivity to jade, as long as Mr. Fu was present, all the beautiful jade in the world could be acquired.
Moreover, jade keepers not only nurtured beautiful jade but also possessed a special ability: to nourish people with jade.
If one's body was weak or their yin and yang were imbalanced, a jade keeper could use their special methods to balance yin and yang, achieving a state of abundant vitality, and much faster than medicinal remedies.
If Mr. Fu and Doctor Hao were to join forces, there would be no illness that could not be cured.
For a moment, Ye Fan thought of many things. Whether for a noble cause or personal gain, whether subjective or objective, he was determined to recruit Mr. Fu.
Ye Fan's aggressive gaze left Mr. Fu completely speechless.
He could only pretend to be relaxed and look elsewhere.
"Everyone, please announce the answers."
Elder Lei said solemnly.
Even he couldn't quite understand what was going on with this piece of jade.
However, he vaguely recalled that the appearance of this jade seemed somewhat familiar.
But he couldn't remember it for the moment.
Undoubtedly, apart from Ye Fan, everyone else had concluded it was a fake.
Only Ye Fan gave the result of it being genuine, and even a treasure.
Ye Fan's uniquely individualistic behavior stunned everyone, especially Chen Pangzi and Feng Xiao, who had already started to mock him.
Although Feng Xiao had been disheartened earlier, he wouldn't miss an opportunity to mock Ye Fan now. Coupled with Elder Lu, he was now repeatedly snorting coldly.
"He truly got lucky. Such a piece of trash can also be appraised as genuine. Such a good-for-nothing actually deserves to be here, which is truly laughable. And yet I lost to someone like this, it's truly unjust."
Elder Lu said fiercely.
As the chief appraiser of Tianwang Manor, what treasures hadn't he seen?
Although his abilities were mediocre in Ye Fan's eyes, he was still a legitimate Level One Appraiser, not to be doubted.
Feng Xiao and Chen Pangzi had already burst into laughter.
"This is genuine? If such garbage is genuine, then my grandmother's foot-binding cloth is a national treasure."
"Young Master Feng is absolutely right. What kind of person was your grandmother? Foot-binding cloth is naturally a national treasure. I'm curious, is Ye Fan blind or does he have a blind heart?"
Chen Pangzi was gloating and couldn't wait to trample Ye Fan underfoot and ravage him severely.