Ye Fan, concerned for his sister, hurried to the hospital with Doctor Hao.
As soon as they left the Hall of Miraculous Hands, Shen Tianyin called.
"Ye Fan, Tianyin Pavilion is about to be sealed. Hurry over and take a look."
Ye Fan was stunned. Tianyin Pavilion was Shen Tianyin's private property; who dared to seal it?
Hearing Shen Tianyin's anxious voice, Ye Fan didn't have time to ask more.
"Doctor Hao, I have urgent matters to attend to. Please treat my sister. I will repay you handsomely in the future."
Then he looked at Jiang Zhitao, "I'm entrusting my sister to you."
From his interactions with Jiang Zhitao these days, he could tell that once this young man recognized someone, he would follow them wholeheartedly and was absolutely reliable.
Knowing Ye Fan's urgency, Jiang Zhitao nodded heavily, "Brother Ye, I will not disappoint you."
...
Upon arriving at Tianyin Pavilion, many people had already gathered. Inside, Ji Nanshan's angry roars could be heard.
"These items have not been appraised yet. How can you claim they are fakes? Moreover, even if they are fakes, as long as we haven't sold them, you still have no right to confiscate them and seal the shop."
But the reply was a sinister voice: "Ji Nanshan, do you think you need to instruct the Antique Association on how to conduct its business? Do you really think you can do whatever you want in Jiang City? If you know what's good for you, scram. Otherwise, I'll have you arrested too. Manufacturing and selling fakes alone is enough to land you in jail for the rest of your life."
This person clearly wasn't afraid of Ji Nanshan and showed him no courtesy.
Ye Fan, from outside, roughly understood what was happening.
Tianyin Pavilion must have acquired a batch of items that turned out to be fakes, and someone had targeted them. Consequently, the Antique Association sent people to cause trouble.
There was a rule in the antique circle: the Antique Association had the right to deal with fake items and shops that sold them.
Seeing Ji Nanshan speechless, Ye Fan quickly pushed through the crowd and walked in.
"What great authority! Since when did the Jiang City Antique Association become law enforcers?"
He glanced disdainfully at the elder leading the group. Over sixty years old, with graying hair and a long beard, his appearance bore some resemblance to Qin Zhonghe. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking exceptionally arrogant.
Seeing Ye Fan enter, the elder's expression didn't change, as if he had expected Ye Fan to come.
"This is Tianyin Pavilion's business. Outsiders, get out."
The elder immediately shouted, clearly intending to put Ye Fan in his place.
However, Ye Fan was not easily intimidated. He snorted, "Justice is in the hearts of the people. Whether I have anything to do with Tianyin Pavilion is not something I am obligated to explain to you. When you see injustice, everyone should step in. I'd like to ask, where are these so-called fakes you mentioned? Have they been personally appraised? Is there any substantial evidence?"
He gave Ji Nanshan a signal, and Ji Nanshan slowly retreated while no one was paying attention.
"Hmph. Our Antique Association's actions do not require an outsider to dictate. Kid, scram if you know what's good for you, or don't blame this old man for being impolite."
Anger flared in his eyes, growing increasingly gloomy.
Ye Fan narrowed his eyes in response, meeting his gaze head-on, "What if I say no? How do you intend to deal with me?"
In broad daylight, if they dared to make a move, Ye Fan would confront them directly.
Since they had no substantial evidence, Ye Fan wasn't afraid of them anywhere.
"Throw him out."
The elder roared, and several people behind him charged forward aggressively.
But in Ye Fan's eyes, these people were not even as formidable as Jiang Xiaobo's subordinates.
His body remained still, his feet as if leaden, standing straight. He suddenly grabbed the arm of the person rushing at him and exerted force, flipping him to the ground.
The remaining few were stunned and stopped in their tracks.
"What? Afraid to come forward? Weren't you just shouting very loudly?"
Ye Fan said coldly and mockingly to these people.
The elder's face darkened, and he gasped for air, his body trembling.
He thought he could easily take down Tianyin Pavilion this time, but he didn't expect Ye Fan to intervene.
"Kid, obstructing the Antique Association's business, I think you don't want to have any standing in the Jiang City antique circle."
Helplessly, he had to resort to mentioning the Antique Association again, which was his greatest reliance.
Seeing Ji Nanshan had already returned to the crowd, Ye Fan took two steps back. "As I said, if you want to do business, please present the evidence. Otherwise, we will not surrender meekly."
"Evidence? We received a report that Tianyin Pavilion is suspected of manufacturing and selling fakes. Those fakes must be here. As long as my people search, they will find evidence."
The elder finally found his direction, speaking righteously with a very confident expression.
At this moment, Shen Tianyin also walked over, looking angrily at the elder. "I can let you search, but what if no fakes are found? What do you say then?"
If not for Ye Fan's timely arrival, she would have been in a difficult situation. But now, she had regained her image as a strong businesswoman, remaining calm and composed in the face of crisis.
The elder glanced sideways at Shen Tianyin. "If no fakes are found, I will definitely apologize and admit my mistake. But once fakes are found, Tianyin Pavilion must be sealed. Does Miss Shen have the courage to let us search?"
With that said, Shen Tianyin could no longer refuse and cleared the way.
"Please."
Although she was reluctant, if she didn't let them search, Tianyin Pavilion's reputation would likely be ruined.
And if they found nothing, she could then use their words to win fame for Tianyin Pavilion.
The elder sneered and waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to search carefully...
After a full half hour, those people returned disappointed: "No suspicious items found."
"How is this possible? I clearly..."
The elder frowned and turned to Shen Tianyin, "Where did you hide those fakes?"
Before Shen Tianyin could reply, Ye Fan stepped forward, raised his hand, and slapped the elder hard across the face.
"You scoundrel who disrespects elders, falsely accusing and denying! Do you really think we are afraid of you? If the Antique Association is full of shameless individuals like you, I think the Jiang City Antique Association has no reason to exist."
Since they found no evidence, Ye Fan could do whatever he wanted, and they had to accept it.
"You, you dare to hit me?"
"Bang." The response was Ye Fan's foot, which kicked him fiercely in the stomach.
"So what if I hit you? You are aggressive and confused about right and wrong. Beating you is the least of it. We will sue you, sue the Antique Association. I want to see what explanation the Antique Association will give us."
His voice was cold, his eyes filled with chill.
The elder lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Fortunately, his subordinates helped him up.
"You, you wait for me! I will never let you go."
Knowing he had lost today, the elder was not foolish. Thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best.
As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.