Wang Qi walked around Ye Fan, closely observing him, and finally confirmed that there were no serious issues with Ye Fan's body. Given the situation at the time, it wasn't just a question of Ye Fan standing unharmed before him; even ensuring whether his body was intact was in doubt.
Therefore, Wang Qi believed that Ye Fan was completely faking it back then, and both Zhang Dahhu and Huo Zilong had been deceived by Ye Fan.
Wang Qi returned, arrogantly tilting his chin up, looking disdainfully at Ye Fan, and said, "Isn't this the man who was hospitalized and beaten by my Young Master? Just got hospitalized a few days ago, and already you've recovered from such serious injuries?"
Ye Fan was actually a bit scared by Wang Qi's words; Zhang Dahhu and Huo Zilong were not kind people, and if they really thought that Ye Fan had been pretending to be seriously injured and hospitalized, given Zhang Dahhu's and Huo Zilong's character, they would definitely seek revenge on Ye Fan.
Feeling uneasy, Ye Fan looked at Wang Qi with a grave expression. From Wang Qi's eyes, Ye Fan saw mockery and scorn. This feeling of being looked down upon made Ye Fan very uncomfortable,
It reminded Ye Fan of his school days when, out of fear of troubling his parents with a call to come to the school, he endured bullying from students and teachers without any complaint, all to avoid causing trouble for his parents.
After joining the workforce, worried about being fired, he was always on edge, silently tolerating the baseless accusations and oppression from his bosses, suffering in silence like a mute person eating bitter herbs...
Remembering these moments, a nameless anger rose in Ye Fan's heart. He thought to himself, "Anyway, I'm not working for Zhang Dahhu anymore, and there's no need to be afraid. Besides, now that I have the clairvoyance ability, my future looks bright; there's no need to be timid."
After shedding his psychological burden, Ye Fan felt much lighter. So, he lifted his head and said with confidence, "However you treated me before, I will definitely return it twofold."
Wang Qi paid no heed to Ye Fan's threat. In his eyes, Ye Fan, having neither power nor money, was just talking nonsense. This was as laughable as a child threatening to beat a professional boxer.
"I'll remember your words and relay them to Boss Zhang and Young Master Huo intact. By then, you won't even know how you died," Wang Qi said with a cold laugh, as he seemed to already envision Zhang Dahhu and Huo Zilong dealing with Ye Fan.
Ye Fan wasn't interested in arguing with Wang Qi. He turned his head to look at Ellor and said with a smile, "Miss Ellor, could I take a look at the cup?"
An agate cup covered in verdigris was hardly a treasure, and Ellor didn't pay it much mind, casually handing the cup over to Ye Fan.
After receiving the cup, Ye Fan smiled and said, "Miss Ellor, I've found something unique about this cup and suspect there might be a new discovery, so I want to verify it. This may cause some damage during the process, but rest assured, if it results in any loss, I will compensate you."
Ellor said, "The thing isn't worth much anyway; do as you please. If you break it, it's my loss."
With Ellor's permission, Ye Fan nodded, picked up a hammer from the stall, and smashed it down on the cup with a force that made everyone around look on in astonishment. A large piece of verdigris fell off. Then, Ye Fan went for a second blow...
The onlookers thought Ye Fan had lost his mind. Although the agate cup wasn't very valuable, if he knocked off the verdigris like that, it would be even less valuable, almost like garbage.
Wang Qi lit a cigarette and said with schadenfreude, "This thing could have been worth something, but now that you've smashed it like this, it can only be sold as scrap. I guess it could go for five bucks."
Ellor hadn't expected Ye Fan's idea of verification to involve hammering. But since she had already agreed to let Ye Fan do as he pleased, she didn't have the heart to stop him now. Besides, the item wasn't worth much to begin with.
Ignoring the gossip of those around him, Ye Fan focused on hammering. The first three strikes were forceful, but then he used much less force. Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed from inside the battered cup.
Before the crowd could react, Ye Fan took out a small, delicate cup from the remnants of the larger one. It was about the size of a lighter, exquisitely crafted, and flawlessly transparent.
With a bang...
The crowd watching seemed to have exploded like ignited gunpowder, uttering a series of admiring and sighing noises. Most people present were regulars here and had some discernment. They could tell that this small cup was carved from high-grade agate.
Wang Qi, who had been waiting to see a joke, practically had his eyes bulging out. Staring at the agate cup with dead-fish eyes, absorbed by its sight, he knew that agate was very hard. Polishing such an exquisite cup with ancient technology would probably take years, and the cup's design was especially elegant, with smooth lines that seemed natural, plus it was made of very high-grade material.
The conservative estimate for the cup's worth was at least over a hundred thousand, perhaps even more. Gradually, Wang Qi's breathing grew rapid, wishing he could snatch it away for himself immediately.
Now, Wang Qi regretted it so much, his guts turned green.
Ellor clutched her mouth tightly, astonished as she looked at the Agate Cup and then at Ye Fan. Although she didn't know how Ye Fan could have known that such a treasure was hidden inside the cup, she knew they had made a fortune this time.
"Congratulations, you've bought a real treasure," Ye Fan said as he handed the Agate Cup to Ellor.
Ellor carefully took the Agate Cup, unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, "How did you know?"
Ye Fan scratched his head and smiled honestly, "If I said I guessed, would you believe me?"
Ellor decisively shook her head. Although she only handled the company's operations and rarely participated in treasure appraisal, she still had some discernment. With her sight and experience unable to detect anything in the cup proved that Ye Fan's skills were superior.
All of a sudden, Wang Qi burst forth, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the Agate Cup in Ellor's hands and said with a deep voice, "Twenty thousand yuan, and it's mine."
A commotion arose from the crowd. Although the Agate Cup was small, it was of supreme quality and exquisite craftsmanship, undoubtedly worth more than one hundred thousand. Now, Wang Qi wanted to take it away for just twenty thousand, which was outrageously shameless.
Ellor turned around, her expression one of surprise as she faced Wang Qi and asked, "On what grounds?"
Wang Qi continued, "On what grounds? Because I am the local snakehead here. Hand over the item today, and I won't pursue the matter further. Otherwise," he sneered, "you and this pretty boy won't be leaving in one piece."
Threat!
A very straightforward threat!
As much as Ellor was infuriated, she was helpless. Young Master Huo's influence was significant, especially recently with many people from the Antique City collaborating with him for business. If Wang Qi made a call, gathering a dozen strapping lads wouldn't be an issue.
Ye Fan, who had been holding back his rage, lashed out on the spot without any courtesy, "I've put up with you for a long time, don't push your luck."
Ellor gently tugged at Ye Fan's sleeve and whispered, "We can't afford to offend these people. If he offers twenty thousand, we're not at a loss." In fact, Ellor didn't want Ye Fan to be implicated since this situation had arisen because of her.
Ye Fan said firmly, "Even without today's incident, I would have sought him out to settle old scores."
Seeing Ye Fan as if he was a changed man, no longer the timid fool of the past, Wang Qi immediately took out his phone and made a call. Soon after, about ten security guards arrived at the scene. Upon seeing Wang Qi, the guards immediately bowed and asked, "Brother Wang, who's been foolish enough to mess with your affairs?"
Wang Qi let out a sly chuckle, pointed at Ye Fan and said arrogantly, "This kid dares to covet the treasure I've set my eyes on."
The head of the security guards smiled obsequiously, "Brother Wang, please calm down. With us here, we won't let you suffer any loss."
"Then see to it," Wang Qi snorted coldly and took a seat, ready to watch the show.
Facing more than ten burly security guards, Ye Fan was honestly a bit intimidated, but he no longer wanted to be a coward. He gallantly waved his arm, signaling Ellor to step aside, and shouted, "Come on, as long as you don't kill me today, I'll make sure to visit all of you personally."
The head security guard spat at Ye Fan with disdain and said, "Who's this brat acting tough here? If we don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know that King Ma has three eyes. Boys, go ahead, beat him to a pulp."
As soon as the words were said, three security guards, wielding sticks, approached with a casual demeanor. They clearly didn't take the thin-looking Ye Fan seriously. To them, this fight was as easy as a stroll in the park, and their only concern was not to accidentally kill Ye Fan with a single blow.
Realizing it was better to strike first than to just take blows, the slender Ye Fan decided to go on the offensive and take down one person with a flurry of punches. As for the outcome, it was clear to him—he would probably just get brutally beaten, but with so many people around, the guards wouldn't dare to go too far.
With a plan in mind, Ye Fan immediately acted, grabbing a hammer nearby and swiftly striking the leading guard on his thigh. Following a scream, the guard who had been strutting about a moment ago was now hopping in place, clutching his thigh and howling in pain.
Having struck successfully, Ye Fan felt an intense rush of excitement and moved to act again.
At that moment, several other security guards charged at him, swinging their sticks wildly at Ye Fan with great speed. In that instant, Ye Fan saw the trajectory of the sticks clearly. The ones that seemed fast now moved slowly in his eyes, and simultaneously, Ye Fan's reaction speed increased immensely, allowing him to evade both sticks.