"Elder Sun, do you recognize anyone from which family these people belong to?"
Ye Fan turned, his eyes burning with excitement. At such a young age, possessing such insight, Ye Fan wouldn't believe it if they weren't from a prominent family.
But what kind of family could cultivate such talent?
Sun Yilang frowned in thought, then after a moment, he said with some hesitation, "Judging by their attire, they don't seem to be people from the openly recognized powers in Jiangcheng."
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan's brow furrowed sharply as he stared at Sun Yilang, "Are you saying they belong to the Dark Alliance?"
He had only just heard of the existence of the Dark Alliance, and now, so soon, he was encountering their members.
Sun Yilang's expression grew serious, and he nodded heavily, "They should be from the Dark Alliance, otherwise, they wouldn't possess such capabilities."
At this, Ye Fan began to laugh, a strange curve forming on his lips.
This expression caused Sun Yilang to falter, unsure what Ye Fan was thinking.
"Let's go, we'll go meet these people from the Dark Alliance."
Ye Fan said with a smile, then slowly walked towards the crowd.
Seeing Ye Fan's keen interest, Sun Yilang swallowed the words of caution he was about to utter.
At this moment, the stall owner stared at the young man before him in shock.
He mused inwardly, "When did Jiangcheng produce such a discerning young talent?"
However, who among those in the antique business wasn't a shrewd individual?
"Young man, it's clear you're an expert. This copper coin is indeed a cast mother coin from the Yongzheng period, and moreover, it's a rare, unparalleled misprinted cast mother coin. I dare say, in this world, it's like a scorpion's excrement – one of a kind. So, the price..."
Rubbing his hands, the stall owner wore a smug smile.
Then, he held up three fingers, "Three million, and this misprinted cast mother coin is yours."
Finally encountering someone with deep pockets, how could the vendor let such an opportunity to get rich slip away?
Hearing the vendor's words, the onlookers around gasped in unison.
Three million, good heavens, this was an astronomical price!
Coin prices had been declining for a long time. Lacking visual appeal, their collection value had naturally decreased significantly.
Regardless of the era, cast mother coins and those of even lower quality had never exceeded one million.
Therefore, the young man's offer of 1.3 million was already audacious.
But to their surprise, the vendor, driven by greed, still wanted three million, far exceeding the coin's actual value.
Yet, this was the way of the antique trade: three years of no business, then a year's worth of profit. When a determined buyer appeared, the price would naturally skyrocket.
Upon hearing the vendor's words, the young man not only wasn't angry but sneered, "Three million?"
His cold eyes fixed on the vendor, as if intending to devour him.
This terrifying expression did not intimidate the vendor, whose smile only widened, as if he had the young man cornered.
"That's right, for only three million, this unique cast mother coin in the world can be yours. Young man, don't blame me for not reminding you, there are many people who want a Zhemù cast mother coin. I'm selling it to you because fate has brought us together. For anyone else, let alone three million, even five million, I likely wouldn't agree."
In terms of eloquence, having set up shop here for over a decade, his skill in deceiving people was outstanding.
"Noisy," the young man, however, let out a cold snort.
"I said 1.3 million, and it's 1.3 million. Not a cent more. Furthermore, besides me, no one else in Jiangcheng would dare to purchase this item. You can try me if you don't believe me."
The young man was incredibly overbearing, his defiant and arrogant demeanor making even Ye Fan feel speechless.
These words stunned the vendor, but he quickly shrugged and laughed, looking at the young man, "I say, young man, while your discernment is excellent, you seem a bit clueless about how to conduct yourself. Since ancient times, the antique trade has been about equal exchange. I've only heard of people not wanting to buy, never of people being afraid to buy. I think you're just putting on airs like an elephant in a pig's nostril, pretending to be something you're not. If you don't have the money, just say so, why argue here?"
Even ten or eight young men might not have been a match for such an experienced vendor.
Indeed, upon being ridiculed thus, the young man clenched his teeth tightly, his brow furrowing, "I am from the Liu family of the Dark Alliance. Our word in the Dark Alliance is law in the antique circle. Who dares to buy this coin?"
Uttering these words through gritted teeth immediately caused the onlookers to freeze.
Especially those few spectators who had just helped the vendor mock the young man. Upon hearing the words "Dark Alliance," their faces turned drastically pale.
In Jiangcheng's antique circle, there were two universally acknowledged entities not to be trifled with. One was the Jiangcheng Antique Association, composed of master appraisers whose knowledge and appraisal skills were beyond ordinary comprehension.
And even more daunting than the Antique Association was the Dark Alliance.
Legend had it that this organization was mysterious, overbearing, and even unreasonable.
As long as they desired an item, even the Antique Association would not dare to utter a word.
Once, a family vied with a member of the Dark Alliance for a sketch of a Bodhisattva bowl. The very next day, that family was massacred. Aside from a few who narrowly escaped alive, dozens of lives were brutally extinguished.
Afterward, not only did no one dare to investigate, but there was no one to even collect their bodies.
Ultimately, it was the City Lord's Mansion that couldn't bear it and hastily buried the bodies.
This illustrated just how terrifying the Dark Alliance was in Jiangcheng.
The vendor's face turned pale, and his body began to tremble violently, "You, you are really from the Dark, Dark Alliance?"
His speech was slurred, and he couldn't even articulate properly, showing the immense shadow the Dark Alliance cast in people's minds.
The vendor's reaction caused the young man to sneer dismissively. He then took out a jade token from his pocket.
On the jade token was carved a coiled dragon. Strangely, this was a three-clawed dragon, and each claw clutched a snake.
On the dragon's head, the character "Liu" was carved.
Sun Yilang, seeing this jade token, trembled, "This is a specially made identity jade token of the Dark Alliance. The three-clawed dragon signifies that this person is a third-generation disciple. The character 'Liu' represents his family. I didn't expect that after remaining hidden for over a decade, the Liu family would have a descendant emerge again today. It seems the skies in Jiangcheng's antique circle are about to change."
Clearly, the Dark Alliance had a significant impact on Sun Yilang.
Conversely, Ye Fan felt nothing. Having lived two lives, as a tomb keeper in his previous life, he had experienced too many tempests, ultimately perishing in a sea of fire.
However, in his previous life, he had never heard of the Dark Alliance.
It must have been an organization that emerged after his death.
The vendor had already collapsed onto the ground, paralyzed with fear.
"Young Master Liu, it was my fault for not recognizing your status. Please take this coin; consider it a token of my respect."
Holding the Yongzheng cast mother coin with both hands, the vendor lowered his head, not daring to breathe heavily.
Chapter 150 Rules Are Rigid, People Are Flexible
Young Master Liu snorted, "I said 1.3 million, and it is 1.3 million. What do you take me, a Liu family disciple, for? A robber? Or do you think my Liu family cannot afford this meager 1.3 million?"
Young Master Liu was unyielding, cornering the vendor.
If it could be said that the vendor had been excessive in deliberately raising the price earlier, then at this moment, Young Master Liu's actions were purely driven by personal vendetta.
The vendor dared not utter a word, only lowering his head, his body trembling slightly.
Some of the onlookers began to feel indignant for the vendor.
However, they only dared to whisper in the crowd, afraid to step forward.
Ye Fan frowned, highly displeased with the arrogance of this young master of the Liu family.
In the antique trade, no one was superior to another, especially not a buyer and a seller.
Walking forward slowly, Ye Fan said coldly, "I think this cast mother coin is worth three million. Boss, how about you sell it to me for three million?"
His words were like thunder from a clear sky, exploding in everyone's minds.
"This kid actually wants to buy the cast mother coin for three million?"
"Who is this person, daring to oppose the Liu family?"
"I think this kid is crazy."
Everyone pointed at Ye Fan, none of them optimistic about him.
After all, the name of the Dark Alliance's Liu family carried weight and was not to be trifled with. Whoever wanted to make a living in the antique circle could not escape the Liu family.
The vendor was also stunned, looking at Ye Fan in confusion.
Meanwhile, Young Master Liu, Liu Cheng, his face suddenly darkened.
He hadn't expected that after revealing his identity, someone would still be so reckless.
"Kid, who are you? Opposing my Liu family, are you seeking death?"
Staring coldly at Ye Fan, Liu Cheng questioned furiously.
But Ye Fan didn't even glance at him, shrugging, "Boss, are you selling or not? If you agree, I can transfer the money immediately."
In this situation, even a fool would understand Ye Fan's intention; he simply wanted to provoke Liu Cheng.
"Yes, of course, I'm selling. This brother has good taste. Three million, and this cast mother coin is yours."
Stuck in an awkward position, Ye Fan's appearance completely extricated him.
He took the cast mother coin, examined it carefully, and then immediately transferred the money to the vendor.
As the notification of the successful transfer chimed, the cast mother coin was now Ye Fan's.
Everything proceeded smoothly, without any hesitation.
Watching Ye Fan excitedly playing with the cast mother coin, Liu Cheng's body trembled, his teeth clenched tightly.
"You're looking for death."
To anger the young master of his Liu family to such an extent showed that Ye Fan's actions had indeed severely humiliated him.
Raising his eyelids, he gave Liu Cheng a dismissive glance.
"Many people have wanted me dead, yet in the end, I'm still alive, while those people are dead. I wonder if Young Master Liu wants to join their ranks?"
Completely unfazed by Liu Cheng's threat, he even threatened him in return.
"Who exactly are you? Don't you know our Liu family's strength? Offending our Liu family is not a wise move."
Seeing that threats were ineffective, Liu Cheng decisively chose another approach.
He also realized that Ye Fan was not afraid of brute force.
Ye Fan shook his head, "Who I am is not important. Your Liu family does not represent the Dark Alliance, and you, Young Master Liu, naturally do not represent the Liu family. So, don't always bring up the Liu family. I advise you to be more discreet in your conduct."
With a cold snort, Ye Fan pushed through the crowd and walked away slowly.
Leaving behind Liu Cheng, his brow furrowed in anger, his eyes as cold as frost.
"Mr. Ye, offending the Liu family like this is not a wise move. Although we have a reputation in Jiangcheng, we don't have much influence. If the Liu family attacks us, we might be unable to stand alone."
Following behind Ye Fan, Sun Yilang had tried to speak several times and finally managed to voice his concern.
Ye Fan simply shrugged, unconcerned.
"What do you think the Dark Alliance's actions are for?"
He stopped and leaned against a tree, looking at Sun Yilang as he asked.
Sun Yilang frowned and pondered, but after a long while, he still shook his head.
He truly couldn't understand why the Dark Alliance, which had been dormant for over a decade, had suddenly awakened and entered the public eye so ostentatiously.
Based on his understanding of the Dark Alliance, this was quite peculiar.
Ye Fan's voice grew colder, his gaze deepening.
"Currently in Jiangcheng, Tianyin Pavilion and Bogu Zhai dominate, their influence far exceeding that of the Antique Association. This has made the Antique Association, which considers itself the sole official organization in Jiangcheng's antique circle, very apprehensive. Therefore, they will inevitably take action. This appraisal conference is prepared targeting Tianyin Pavilion and Bogu Zhai. And as soon as the news of the appraisal conference emerged, the Dark Alliance began to act so brazenly. Who are they doing this for? They are doing it for us. They are creating psychological pressure to make us retreat and willingly hand over the resources we've acquired."
Ye Fan shook his head, scoffing at the Antique Association's methods.
"This so-called appraisal conference is a trap set by the Antique Association for us to fall into. However, this time, they will likely be disappointed. We will indeed jump in, but we will step on them as we do."
A cold glint flashed deep within his eyes, making Ye Fan appear inscrutable at this moment.
Seeing Ye Fan's demeanor, even Sun Yilang, who had seen much, couldn't help but tremble, "How can his expression be so terrifying?"
...
For the next half of the day, Ye Fan specifically targeted members of the Dark Alliance, provoking them and slapping the faces of over a dozen Dark Alliance individuals.
People from various families were present, and he spent tens of millions acquiring more than ten items.
Among these, a few items were profitable, while the rest were essentially losses.
But Ye Fan didn't care. Being able to humiliate the Dark Alliance members with such a small amount of money was well worth it.
"Mr. Ye, we still haven't found the items for the appraisal conference. Should we continue searching the antique street tomorrow?"
Sun Yilang reminded him from the side.
He was afraid that Ye Fan, in his focus on targeting the Dark Alliance members, might forget the main objective.
Ye Fan frowned slightly. Indeed, since he was going to participate in the appraisal conference, he naturally needed to be prepared. Going empty-handed would seem too disrespectful.
He looked up at Sun Yilang, "Does Jiangcheng have a ghost market?"
As the saying goes, the antique street is for open business, while the ghost market is for clandestine dealings, which is the most vivid description of the two.
Unlike the antique street, where items are displayed openly, the ghost market mainly deals with items that cannot be brought into the light. If these items were exposed to the public, it would not only disrupt the antique market but also potentially bring about fatal consequences.
Generally speaking, the value of publicly displayed artifacts is very high, as it is not easy to become a publicly displayed artifact. If not for their priceless value, what tomb occupant would take them to the grave?