Dong Zi, standing nearby, frowned. He had tried to stop Ye Fan several times, but he knew Ye Fan’s personality; once a decision was made, even ten cows couldn’t pull him back. Helplessly, he could only accept Ye Fan’s reckless actions.
Upon hearing Ye Fan’s words, Elder Lu was taken aback, but then he chuckled, "Good, you are indeed a rising star, possessing such boldness."
As he spoke, Elder Lu took a bead from his pocket.
The bead was crystal clear, and what was most astonishing was that within the bead, a dragon-like creature was constantly swimming.
Seeing the bead, Jiang Zhong and Mr. Fu sneered dismissively. "It looks like a modern craft. This old man is truly laughable, trying to fool us with a modern handicraft. Ye Fan has presented the Shaoran Pavilion and all its contents, worth hundreds of millions, and you want to get something for nothing with a craft? How utterly shameful."
Despite their taunts, Elder Lu showed no outward reaction. Instead, he turned to Ye Fan, "How about it? Do you bet or not?"
While others failed to see the bead’s anomaly, Ye Fan understood it instantly.
"Li Long Zhu," he murmured. "Legend has it that after Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he began excavating his mausoleum at Mount Li. Mount Li was already a place of dragon veins. During the excavation, a Li dragon suddenly appeared. The First Emperor then kept the Li dragon in the palace. After the Li dragon died, it transformed into a bead, known as the Li Long Zhu. It is said that this bead possesses miraculous abilities. Ye Fan had only heard the legend and had never witnessed its effects firsthand."
However, the moment Elder Lu produced the Li Long Zhu, Ye Fan's blood seemed to boil.
It was as if the bead contained a power that resonated with Ye Fan's body.
Ye Fan frowned and said calmly, "Alright, this shall be the stake."
No matter what, he had to acquire the Li Long Zhu.
Seeing Ye Fan agree so readily, Elder Lu was slightly taken aback. But when he saw the faint smile on Ye Fan’s face, Elder Lu couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
It seemed this young man had noticed something, but perhaps didn't truly understand the bead.
After all, the Li Long Zhu was a cursed bead.
Anyone who possessed it would encounter misfortune.
This time, it was obtained by the Prefect after considerable effort and given to Elder Lu with the purpose of dealing with Ye Fan.
However, what Elder Lu didn't know was that Ye Fan was not afraid of this Li Long Zhu.
Because his body had integrated the Sui Hou Zhu, the bead with the most malevolent energy in the world, he barely gave the Li Long Zhu a second thought.
Elder Lei personally drafted the betting agreement. After both parties signed, the grand gamble officially commenced.
Seeing Ye Fan's still calm expression, Jiang Zhong lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "Brother Ye, that bead doesn't look like a treasure at all. For it, you've risked the Shaoran Pavilion. The risk is too great. Perhaps you should reconsider."
Jiang Zhong was quite worried about this wager.
It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that Elder Lu was an old fox with no bottom line, resorting to any means to achieve his goals.
Therefore, the possibility of Ye Fan losing to him was extremely high.
Seeing Jiang Zhong's sincere gaze, Ye Fan smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Brother Jiang. But if I can't even deal with Elder Lu, how can I deal with the Heavenly King's Mansion? How can I establish myself in Jiangnan City? Elder Lu will be the stepping stone for me to gain fame in Jiangnan City."
Ye Fan was full of confidence, not out of arrogance, but because he possessed absolute certainty.
In other fields, he might be powerless, but in the realm of treasure appraisal, he had never feared anyone.
Seeing Ye Fan’s resolve, Jiang Zhong could do nothing but sigh.
As for the others, except for Wang Feng, they all adopted a "wait and see" attitude.
Ye Fan was a rising star. Previously, he had only gambled with Feng Xiao in Jiangnan City, but no one dared to say that Ye Fan's skill had reached an unsurpassable level at that time.
After all, judging a treasure appraiser’s skill required a comprehensive evaluation.
Therefore, no one truly knew Ye Fan’s capabilities.
This time, Ye Fan's multiple performances had shocked them. Describing him as a dark horse was no exaggeration.
It was natural for such a dark horse to compete with a renowned senior like Elder Lu, making it a highly anticipated event.
"Please, Ye Fan, come on stage. Since it's a bet, we must carefully examine the items. Otherwise, it won't be fair to you," Elder Lei said with a smile, offering Ye Fan convenience.
Although this deviated from the rules, no one could object.
After all, Ye Fan had put his entire fortune on the line as the stake.
Such boldness was enough to drive everyone wild.
Feng Xiao and Fatty Chen snorted disdainfully but did not intervene.
Ye Fan, however, smiled and waved his hand, "Thank you for your kind offer, Elder Lei, but I don't think it's necessary. Since this is a treasure appraisal convention, everything must be done according to the rules, lest someone claim that I, Ye Fan, won unfairly."
Ye Fan was simply that stubborn.
In his eyes, nothing was more important than the rules.
Therefore, as long as he set his mind to it, he would abide by the rules.
Hearing Ye Fan’s words, Jiang Zhong and the others cheered loudly.
Wang Feng’s eyes were filled with admiration.
In the past, he only knew that Ye Fan was very strong, but he hadn't worked with Ye Fan, and everything he knew was hearsay.
But this time, having witnessed Ye Fan’s performance firsthand, Wang Feng was genuinely and wholeheartedly impressed.
"How about it? Elder Lu shouldn't have any issues now, right?"
He looked at Elder Lu, who appeared quite smug.
Ye Fan was simply walking to his own doom. This item, including himself, had been appraised by no less than ten treasure appraisers, and even modern scientific methods had been used for testing. The results were consistently that it was genuine.
Therefore, Ye Fan was bound to lose this time.
"Let's begin," Elder Lu said with a faint smile, his eyes betraying his hidden excitement.
This time, Ye Fan was bound to lose.
Once he was defeated, he could be suppressed, and eventually, he would disappear from this world without anyone noticing.
It had to be said that Elder Lu had indeed devised a clever plan.
Regardless of whether Ye Fan won or lost, his fate was sealed.
It was just a pity that he didn't truly understand Ye Fan and was unaware of Ye Fan's capabilities.
Ye Fan curved his lips into a smile and said calmly, "The prototype of this porcelain vase is a court-commissioned imperial porcelain from the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a celadon-wrapped peony dragon-ear vase. It is one of the few surviving pieces from the early Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, its value immeasurable. It is not an exaggeration to call it a national treasure. The original vase stands fifty-eight centimeters tall, with a flared mouth, a bulging belly, a ring foot, and a wide neck. At the bottom of the vase, there are markings of the Hongwu reign year, as well as a personal seal."
Ye Fan did not pick up the porcelain vase, but his description was perfectly accurate.