A hint of coldness flashed in Mr. Bai's eyes. He suddenly lunged forward, and at the same time, a short knife appeared in his palm. A cold gleam flashed.
Zhao Dong had no reaction at all. He only felt a chill on his wrist, and the next moment, he saw bright red blood flowing from his wrist.
"Ah."
A scream rang out. Zhao Dong looked at his left wrist, which was now devoid of a hand, and completely collapsed. He fell to the ground, trembling.
Mr. Bai showed no mercy, his face filled only with icy coldness.
"This is your punishment. If there's a next time, the punishment won't be this simple. I will take your life."
Mr. Bai's face was full of coldness. At this moment, even Zhao Dong, lying on the ground, felt chills and trembled even harder.
"Your subordinate, your subordinate will never dare again."
Enduring the sharp pain from his wrist, Zhao Dong nodded heavily.
Seeing Zhao Dong's contorted face from the pain, Mr. Bai snorted coldly and then ordered his subordinate beside him, "Take him to the hospital."
This was already considered extraordinary leniency on his part.
Zhao Dong expressed his profuse thanks and was taken away to the hospital, along with his severed left hand.
...
No one would have imagined that Boss Zhao, who was so brazen in the Jiangnan antique circle, would suffer such a terrible fate.
The night grew darker. Watching Zhao Dong being sent away, Ye Fan sneered repeatedly.
"Zhao Dong, is this your day?"
Thinking of how arrogant Zhao Dong was during the day, yet in just one day, his palm was severed, and he plummeted from heaven to hell.
Heaven and hell, a single thought away!
Leaving the coffee shop, Ye Fan took a detour to the backyard of Tianbao Pavilion. Seeing that there was no one around, he exerted force with his feet and leaped over the courtyard wall.
Agile as a leopard, light as a falling leaf, he made not the slightest sound.
Leaning against the wall, his gaze swept across the courtyard. There were only a few surveillance cameras swaying back and forth.
"For the dignified Tianbao Pavilion, the security is so lax. No wonder the Heavenly King's Mansion's strength is weakening."
Seizing an opportunity, Ye Fan dodged the cameras and moved through the courtyard like a ghost.
After more than a dozen breaths, Ye Fan broke through a window.
Fortunately, it was already late, and Tianbao Pavilion had closed very early today. Otherwise, Ye Fan would surely have been discovered.
As the saying goes, timing, location, and human harmony are all essential. To accomplish tonight's feat, none could be lacking.
Having visited during the day, Ye Fan was familiar with Tianbao Pavilion's layout. He tiptoed and went straight to the entrance of the underground warehouse.
His purpose for coming here tonight was to find the hidden secret room.
Confirming that there was no one in the room, Ye Fan opened the door to the underground warehouse, his figure quickly disappearing into the room.
He was already very familiar with the way. Arriving at the stone door, Ye Fan took out a key from his pocket.
This was a key he had specifically had made after returning.
When Zhao Dong had opened the door with the key, Ye Fan had observed it carefully from the side. He had seen the shape of the key clearly and, with his excellent memory, Ye Fan had easily replicated the key.
He inserted the key into the keyhole and gently turned it. With a click, the stone door opened.
Ye Fan tried his best to control his footsteps as he slowly walked in.
It was still silent here, just as it had been during the day, as if no one was present.
Looking at the rows of display cabinets, Ye Fan did not stop. Instead, he walked towards the last row of display cabinets.
That was where the entrance to the secret room was located.
During the day, Ye Fan had noticed that the ground here was uneven, with a protrusion.
However, he had initially thought it was natural terrain. But upon reflection afterward, he suddenly realized there was definitely something amiss.
That protrusion should be the mechanism to open the secret door.
Under the light emitted by the fluorescent lamp, Ye Fan quickly reached the protrusion.
However, what he saw now seemed somewhat different from what he had seen during the day.
This protrusion appeared to have been tampered with.
Ye Fan frowned, a sense of confusion in his heart. But the deed was done, and he had no choice but to see what would happen.
He placed his hands on the protrusion and applied a little force. The protrusion was instantly pressed down.
As the protrusion was pressed down, a stone door slowly opened on the wall beside it.
Finally, a smile curved Ye Fan's lips.
He got up and quickly entered the stone door. Then, the stone door automatically and slowly closed.
This mechanism was truly ingenious, so cleverly designed.
Ye Fan marveled inwardly but did not have much time to study it.
At this moment, he emerged from the secret room. This secret room was much smaller than the warehouse outside.
There were no display cabinets inside; instead, there were platforms.
On each platform, several objects were displayed.
And on a platform near the entrance, more than a dozen fakes were displayed.
These fakes were of many kinds: porcelain, jade, even pottery and calligraphy paintings.
Seeing these more than a dozen fakes, Ye Fan's expression immediately darkened.
"What exactly is the Heavenly King's Mansion trying to do? Why are so many fakes stored here?"
It was evident that these fakes were very important to the Heavenly King's Mansion, otherwise, they would not have been hidden in this secret room.
But Ye Fan could not comprehend the purpose of the Heavenly King's Mansion.
Just then, a cold voice sounded.
"Mr. Ye, coming here late at night, are you perhaps wanting to admire the collection of Tianbao Pavilion?"
This voice made Ye Fan's heart tremble. He quickly turned his head.
He saw a slender figure standing about four or five meters behind him.
"Mr. Bai?"
The person who arrived was Bai Sha. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Ye Fan indifferently.
Seeing Ye Fan looking at the more than a dozen fakes, Mr. Bai's face showed a faint smile.
"So, it's about these fakes."
He walked over slowly and stood opposite Ye Fan.
He casually picked up a porcelain vase.
"These are all antique replicas made by the Heavenly King's Mansion. The cost is low, but they can be sold for a good price. Through this alone, the Heavenly King's Mansion earns a large amount of cash every year. Mr. Ye, are you interested in joining our Heavenly King's Mansion? As long as you join, I guarantee you a prosperous life, where you can have anything you desire."
Given Mr. Bai's personality, he had never said such things to anyone before, and he was speaking with a gentle expression.
This clearly showed how much he valued Ye Fan.
But looking at Mr. Bai, Ye Fan smiled slightly. "Good and evil have always been irreconcilable. You know very well how the Heavenly King's Mansion operates, and I do too. Do you think I would defect to the Heavenly King's Mansion? Or perhaps, Mr. Bai, your IQ is problematic, and you are daydreaming here?"
Ye Fan showed no pleasantries towards Mr. Bai.
They were people from different worlds, standing on opposite sides. Naturally, Ye Fan would not be polite to him.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Mr. Bai's face immediately darkened.
"Ye Fan, you're refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I originally wanted to give you an opportunity, but you didn't cherish it. Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Saying this, Mr. Bai suddenly moved.