Elder Lei smiled and glanced at Liu Yuan.
Then he walked around the bronze artifact and exclaimed in amazement.
“It truly is a good treasure, a bronze bell from the Western Zhou Dynasty, with exquisite craftsmanship.”
He sighed, Elder Lei’s face filled with envy.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Yuan, “As expected of the Liu family, with profound heritage, to possess such a fine treasure.”
Hearing Elder Lei’s words, Liu Yuan’s lips curled into a smile, “How can my Liu family be compared to yours?”
Liu Yuan was very proud, and increasingly looked down on Elder Lei, his gaze also carrying disdain.
Although Elder Lei praised the bronze artifact, he hadn’t gotten to the main point, which gave Liu Yuan a sense of security.
But at this moment, Ye Fan smiled and said, “Beyond the mountains are more mountains, and beyond the buildings are more buildings; in the depths of the peach blossom spring, there are homes. What fine poetry, what fine poetry.”
Ye Fan’s words made Elder Lei pause for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he lowered his head again, tapping the bronze bell carefully.
“Ye Fan, what do you mean by this?”
Liu Yuan’s face sank, his eyes tinged with frost.
But Ye Fan was unconcerned.
“Is it not allowed to recite poetry?”
Ye Fan was not afraid of Liu Yuan at all.
And then, Elder Lei coldly sneered, “This bronze bell is not as simple as it appears. This should be a nested bell.”
Nested bell?
Hearing Elder Lei’s words, the surrounding crowd frowned, not understanding the meaning.
Only Liu Yuan’s body trembled violently, his eyes filled with shock.
And Ye Fan’s lips curved into a smile. Having known Elder Lei for so long, there was a certain understanding between them.
The two lines of poetry he had just recited were a reminder to Elder Lei.
As expected, Elder Lei understood.
“Elder Lei, what is a nested bell?”
Someone asked in confusion.
Elder Lei stroked his beard and chuckled, “A nested bell, as the name suggests, is when a copper bell is inlaid inside the original bronze bell, with the two bells tightly wrapped together. Because of the gap in between, when such a nested bell is struck, it will produce a different sound, with an extremely wide range. This craftsmanship is still difficult to achieve in modern times; I truly wonder how the ancients managed it.”
Elder Lei sighed, his admiration for the bronze bell growing.
Hearing Elder Lei’s explanation, the crowd finally showed a look of sudden realization.
“So that’s how it is, the wisdom of the ancients is truly admirable.”
At this time, Ye Fan looked at Liu Yuan with a cold smile, “What? Young Master Liu, do you have anything else to say? Is this bronze bell a nested bell?”
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth, the anger in his eyes blazing intensely, the surging wrath wishing to burn Ye Fan to ashes.
Meeting Liu Yuan’s gaze, Ye Fan’s eyes held disdain.
Staring fiercely at Ye Fan, Liu Yuan suddenly stood up, “Ye Fan, we’ll see.”
With that, he left quickly with his subordinates.
Watching Liu Yuan’s retreating back, the smile on Ye Fan’s face gradually faded.
This was only the beginning. Given Liu Yuan’s personality, he would certainly not give up so easily.
The most important thing now was to get the Boguzhai unsealed as soon as possible, so he could regain his freedom.
At that time, no matter how the Liu family acted, he would not be afraid.
It was unexpected that the Tianyin Pavilion could win. After all, with the current strength of the Tianyin Pavilion, being able to withstand the Liu family’s attack was a miracle in itself.
Everyone praised the Tianyin Pavilion incessantly, and then slowly dispersed.
Only Ye Fan and his companions remained.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Shen Tianyin’s solemn expression finally eased a little.
“I hope the Tianyin Pavilion has weathered this tribulation and will not have trouble in the future.”
Shen Tianyin sighed.
But Ye Fan shook his head, “I’m afraid the Liu family will not let this matter go so easily, unless I leave the Tianyin Pavilion.”
He gave a bitter smile. All of this was naturally related to him.
If he hadn’t provoked the Liu family, perhaps the two sides would not have formed this animosity.
But Shen Tianyin quickly stepped forward and linked her arm with Ye Fan’s.
“Even if the entire Tianyin Pavilion is destroyed, I will not break ties with you.”
Although there was no passionate affection, her firm words touched Ye Fan even more.
Ye Xuanyuan, standing beside them, rolled up her sleeves and shook them, her face displaying an exaggerated expression.
“You two don’t need to show off your affection here; you’re giving me goosebumps.”
This girl, speaking without regard for the occasion, caused Shen Tianyin’s face to flush instantly.
Giving Ye Xuanyuan a glare, Ye Fan said exasperatedly, “Why did you take it upon yourself to invite Elder Lei? Do you know that because of this matter, Elder Lei will also be implicated? Is the Liu family someone to be trifled with?”
This was originally Ye Fan’s feud with the Liu family. He didn’t want to involve others, but in the end, everyone around him was implicated.
Ye Xuanyuan stuck out her tongue, “I’ve disliked that Liu Yuan for a long time. Today, I just let my master help me vent my anger. Judging by that idiot pig, he actually dares to have designs on my sister-in-law. It’s like a toad wanting to eat swan meat.”
Ye Xuanyuan had no good feelings for Liu Yuan, and her words were even filled with indignation.
Ye Fan was quite pleased with Ye Xuanyuan’s protective behavior.
At this moment, Elder Lei looked at Ye Fan with a somber and serious expression, “The Liu family’s retaliation will not end so easily. What do you plan to do next?”
Clearly, Elder Lei also harbored reservations about the Liu family.
However, this was understandable. Given the Liu family’s modus operandi, how could they not retaliate?
Shrugging his shoulders, Ye Fan spread his hands, “Currently, I have lost my appraisal qualification. If I confront the Liu family head-on, it would be a path to certain death. Therefore, I must regain my freedom as soon as possible to have the strength to fight. However, the Liu family is in league with Zheng Zhiyuan, and this matter is not easily resolved.”
Ye Fan wore a bitter expression. It was not that he was timid or cowardly, but this matter was indeed troublesome.
Elder Lei also frowned. If this matter had been in Jiangnan, he might have been able to resolve it easily through his connections.
But it happened to be in Jiangcheng. Even though his status was higher than Zheng Zhiyuan’s, he had no way to directly command Zheng Zhiyuan.
The room fell silent for a moment, and everyone wore worried expressions.
But Elder Ji smiled and said, “We will block the incoming soldiers and absorb the incoming water. Since we have braved great storms, why should we fear this small matter?”
“But I am very curious, Brother Ye, what was the item you presented for the Liu family to appraise?”
Elder Ji’s words immediately piqued everyone’s curiosity.
Although Boguzhai was famous, it had only recently opened. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t have such a treasure.
Hearing Elder Ji’s question, Ye Fan smiled without answering, while Sun Yilang covered his mouth and burst into laughter.
Their reactions made others even more puzzled, unsure of what trick they were playing.
“What exactly happened?”
Elder Ji scratched his head and asked Ye Fan and Sun Yilang.
Ye Fan gestured for Sun Yilang to answer and picked up his teacup to drink.
Sun Yilang then chuckled and said, “Actually, this item is not a treasure, but a handicraft.”
As he spoke, Sun Yilang brought over the Buddha statue and smashed it fiercely onto the ground.
In an instant, the Buddha statue was shattered into pieces.
Everyone quickly looked over, and indeed, the Buddha statue was made of plaster.