Dong Zi’s voice was not loud, but since there were only a few people left here and the atmosphere was very quiet, everyone heard Dong Zi’s words clearly.
Elder Lei’s lips curved into a smile, showing no intention to stop him.
As for Jiang Zhong, he barely suppressed his laughter. Dong Zi, while seemingly simple and honest, was actually very shrewd and spoke with a powerful, direct, and incisive tone.
What Dong Zi had just said was enough to make Feng Xiao’s anger boil over.
As expected, upon hearing Dong Zi’s words, Feng Xiao’s entire body trembled.
If he hadn’t been trying so hard to restrain himself, he would have erupted long ago.
“Alright, this is an appraisal fair, not a place for children to play house. If you want to quarrel, you can do so after leaving here. For now, we should focus on the appraisal. Feng Xiao, quickly bring out the item your Feng family has prepared.”
Seeing Feng Xiao about to lose his temper, Elder Lei stepped forward at the opportune moment and reprimanded him coldly.
Feng Xiao, who was about to explode, heard Elder Lei’s words and had no choice but to suppress his anger.
He shot an angry glance at Dong Zi and Ye Fan, then turned his head and opened the box held by Fatty Chen.
Inside the box was a bronze artifact.
As soon as everyone saw the bronze artifact, their eyes widened, and gasps of cold air came one after another.
Among the people present, only two did not show any shock.
One was Ye Fan, and the other was Elder Lei.
Not only did they show no surprise, but there was also a smile on their brows.
Furthermore, both of them were trying their best to hold back their laughter.
The bronze artifact in the box was dragon-shaped, exactly the bronze dragon Ye Fan had used earlier to exchange for Xiao Ran Ge.
Unexpectedly, Feng Xiao had brought this bronze dragon to the appraisal fair; he really had quite an idea.
At this moment, Elder Han’s eyes widened, filled with shock and fervent admiration.
“Tsk tsk, a bronze dragon, and such exquisite craftsmanship. It’s likely an artifact from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, isn’t it?”
It had to be said that this Elder Han had completely cast aside his dignity to curry favor.
Originally, with his status as a first-level appraiser and vice-president of the Antiquities Association, he wouldn’t have needed to pay attention to families like the Feng family.
However, ever since Elder Lei also became vice-president, his authority had been sidelined, and he had gradually lost his position in the core circle of the Antiquities Association.
Even Jiang Zhong was subtly starting to overshadow him.
This made him feel very unbalanced, so he wanted to find a new path, and the Heavenly King’s Manor and the Feng family were excellent choices.
“Elder Han believes this bronze dragon is an artifact from the Shang and Zhou dynasties?”
Elder Lei asked him in a low voice.
Since both of them were on the stage, their conversation was barely heard by anyone.
Elder Han nodded heavily, “Indeed. This bronze dragon has exquisite craftsmanship, and look at the carving techniques. It is clearly an artifact from the peak period of bronze casting. Among all the bronze artifacts I have seen, this one can definitely rank among the best.”
Elder Han spoke boastfully, elaborating profusely, wishing he could praise this bronze dragon to the heavens.
Seeing Elder Han’s demeanor, as if he were willing to risk his life to flatter, Elder Lei was utterly speechless and shook his head with a bitter smile.
If the heavens wanted to rain, and a mother wanted to remarry, he couldn't do anything about it.
However, was it truly appropriate to disregard one’s dignity so much for the sake of profit?
Elder Lei sighed in his heart; at least he would never do such a thing himself.
Seeing Elder Lei’s expression, Elder Han frowned deeply, “What? Is what this old man says incorrect?”
Elder Han glared, and even his gaze towards Elder Lei was filled with anger.
When someone truly goes all out, they are indeed very crazy. It was just a pity that he had still underestimated Elder Lei’s composure.
Elder Lei smiled and shook his head, but said nothing.
What did this shaking of the head mean? Did it mean he disagreed with his opinion, or was he looking down on him and refusing to answer?
“You…”
Pointing at Elder Lei, Elder Han was furious.
But all he received was Elder Lei’s deep, hushed voice: “Self-inflicted suffering is unavoidable. The path you walk is your own. Cherish each step as you go.”
This abrupt statement left Elder Han bewildered, unsure of what Elder Lei was saying or trying to convey.
But Elder Lei stopped speaking, not adding another word.
This left Elder Han frowning and lost in thought.
“Everyone, please open your eyes and appraise carefully. If you are certain of your conclusion, you may write down your answer.”
Elder Lei gave a well-intentioned reminder.
Hearing Elder Lei’s words, Elder Lu snorted coldly, completely disregarding him.
“Are we really going to waste time on such a simple artifact? How ridiculous.”
Then, he quickly wrote down his answer.
Even faster than him was Ye Fan, who wrote his answer almost without thinking.
Seeing the answer Ye Fan had written, Jiang Zhong was stunned for a moment.
Although he completely trusted Ye Fan, this bronze dragon was indeed exquisitely crafted and did not look like a fake. Especially the dragon patterns on it, the carving craftsmanship was so exquisite, it seemed real. If all of this was a fake, then what was real?
It couldn’t be blamed on them; it was mainly because Ye Fan’s forgery skills were too terrifying.
He could make an absurd fake artifact appear as real as a genuine one, a feat that even first-level appraisers couldn't discern. Such a thing had never happened before.
But facts were facts, and no one else could argue against them.
Wang Feng was also taken aback, unsure of what to do. The bronze dragon looked like a fake to him.
But it seemed everyone else thought it was genuine.
As he was idly wondering what to do, he heard Ye Fan say in a low voice, “Fake.”
Wang Feng paused slightly, then a smile appeared on his face.
He always trusted Ye Fan’s words unconditionally.
Soon, Elder Lei announced the answers.
Everyone presented their answers. Except for Ye Fan, Jiang Zhong, and Wang Feng, who had identified it as a fake, the other three families had declared it genuine.
“Ye Fan, how dare you doubt me? Let me tell you, I specifically spent a lot of money to acquire this bronze dragon. How dare you call it a fake? It’s truly outrageous.”
Feng Xiao was completely enraged. Ye Fan was really going too far.
Naturally, he didn’t know that this bronze dragon was given to him by Ye Fan. Ye Fan had publicly stated that he had acquired Xiao Ran Ge at a high price.
Therefore, Feng Xiao had always assumed that his Xiao Ran Ge was exchanged for the bronze dragon by someone else, and then the behind-the-scenes owner sold it to Ye Fan at a high price.
He had also consulted Elder Gu, but Elder Gu insisted that the person who exchanged the bronze dragon for Xiao Ran Ge was a middle-aged man, definitely not Ye Fan.
It was precisely because of this that Feng Xiao remained completely unaware.
Looking at Feng Xiao’s furious expression, Ye Fan was truly speechless.
To think that such an idiot existed in the world; he truly didn’t know how he had managed to grow this old.