Chapter 135: Startling Speech Knows No End!

"Boy surnamed Ling, you're provoking the Ouyang family!"

A middle-aged man from the Ouyang family's side seat stared coldly at Ling Feng.

The middle-aged man in question was none other than the grand elder of the Ouyang family and also the father of Ouyang Yu. This collusion between father and son, attempting to cheat and seize the position of heir to the Treasure Pavilion, was all seen through by Ling Feng at a single glance.

The two senior appraisers in charge of this appraisal were also deeply concerned.

With these words, wasn't Ling Feng implying their ignorance?

The president of the Treasure Appraisal Guild, Liu Xudong, immediately stood up from his seat and rebuked, "You insolent brat! You're far too arrogant! With your limited insight, I'm ashamed to share a seat with you! Ouyang Rui, if your Ouyang family doesn't expel this kid today, I'll leave right away. I refuse to participate in such a poorly conducted Treasure Appraisal Convention!"

"I'm leaving too!"

"I'm out as well!"

In an instant, senior appraisers from various treasure appraisal guilds stood up alongside Liu Xudong, filled with righteous indignation.

Ling Feng sneered coldly, maintaining his composure. "Very well, feel free to leave. With your meager discernment, I, Ling Feng, am ashamed to share a seat with you as well!"

"What did you say?"

"Absolutely audacious!"

"This ignorant brat is challenging our Treasure Appraisal Guild!"

The entire venue of the appraisal event erupted into chaos, with countless icy stares fixed on Ling Feng, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

"

Hahaha,

this kid is digging his own grave. He can't blame anyone else!"

Jia Lang squinted his eyes, chuckling coldly. With just a word from each of them, they could drown Ling Feng in a deluge of spittle.

Meanwhile, Lin Xian'er couldn't help but sweat nervously.

Ling Feng is too arrogant. Even if he has differing opinions, it's unnecessary to resort to such extreme measures.

Given the current situation, how would this all end?

"The ones who are ignorant are all of you!"

Ling Feng slowly placed his tea cup down and stood up, attracting the attention of everyone as he proceeded to ascend the platform where the appraisals were conducted.

"What's he doing?"

"Is he out of his mind? Is he trying to challenge both the Treasure Pavilion and the Treasure Appraisal Guild at once?"

Witnessing Ling Feng's audacious move, the prominent figures of Yuzhou City—wealthy merchants and seasoned appraisers alike—stared in disbelief at his seemingly unremarkable figure.

Lin Xian'er, too, fixed her gaze on Ling Feng's silhouette, puzzled by his intentions.

In the midst of countless scrutinizing gazes, Ling Feng stood firmly on the appraisal platform, facing numerous angry glares with a serene smile, his demeanor unaffected. "A tampered, insignificant bowl deemed as the second-place treasure? Accusing you all of having no discernment is not an overstatement!"

"Nonsense!"

"Youngster, refrain from speaking recklessly here!"

Simultaneously rising from their seats, the two senior appraisers responsible for assessing the treasures chosen by the six younger members of the Ouyang family glared at Ling Feng with indignation.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, why not re-evaluate the items more carefully?" Ling Feng remained calm, pointing towards the golden jade glass bowl. "Since there's still the head of the Treasure Appraisal Guild here, perhaps he should take a closer look. If I'm wrong, I'll accept whatever consequences may come today!"

Once again, the expressions of everyone present changed, with the grand elder and Ouyang Yu furrowing their brows simultaneously. As for whether there was any tampering involved, they, father and son, knew all too well!

"

Hmph!

"

With a flick of his robes, Liu Xudong strode onto the appraisal platform, where he carefully examined the golden jade glass bowl. After a moment's scrutiny, his gaze turned icy as he remarked, "I've been appraising treasures for many years, and I've seen more treasures than you'll ever see in your lifetime. This treasure exudes a restrained brilliance, unmistakably a top-tier item of third-grade caliber! Youngster, modesty is a virtue that the youth should learn!"

Liu Xudong's words stirred up waves of contemptuous glances from the audience below, all directed at Ling Feng.

"Ridiculous! Is this youngster not embarrassed enough? Now he's even provoking President Liu to personally discredit him?"

"That so-called young genius who identified the Thunder Vein Cloud Stone before, it must have been a stroke of luck!"

Mocking laughter and sneers echoed incessantly.

However, just as Liu Xudong was about to set down the golden jade glass bowl, his right hand suddenly trembled, and his heart skipped a beat.

Something's not right!

His eyes twitched as he abruptly realized that this seemingly flawless golden jade glass bowl was unusually light!

"Realized something?" Ling Feng caught sight of the expression in Liu Xudong's eyes and knew that the president had discovered the anomaly with the golden jade glass bowl.

Though Ling Feng was aware of the tampering, explaining the exact method was beyond his capability. Hence, he intentionally prompted Liu Xudong to reappraise.

As anticipated, being the president of the Hanwu County Appraisal Guild, Liu Xudong possessed a certain level of discernment.

"Only amateur appraisers focus solely on surface appearances without discerning the essence. Am I right, President Liu?" Ling Feng remarked with a faint smile.

Mr. Liu Xudong's countenance immediately darkened as he took a deep breath, fixing an intense gaze on Ling Feng.

After a moment, Mr. Liu Xudong gritted his teeth, his face flushing with embarrassment. It seemed as though the words were forced out from between his clenched jaws as he uttered, "Th-this... this piece of golden jade glass bowl indeed had its contents tampered with!"

"

Hiss!

"

The entire venue fell into a stunned silence, not a sound to be heard.

A turnaround!

A miraculous turnaround!

Despite scrutinizing the object three times over, Mr. Liu Xudong, the head of the guild, only now realized the manipulation, while Ling Feng, with just one glance, saw through it!

Didn't that indicate that Ling Feng's appraisal ability surpassed even that of the president of the Treasure Appraisal Guild!

Ouyang Rui's expression darkened as he crushed the golden jade and glass bowl into pieces with one hand. With a crisp sound, the bowl shattered into seventeen or eighteen fragments, and among the shards at the bottom, a gleaming golden bead rolled out.

"This is it!"

Mr. Liu Xudong picked up the bead, his eyebrows furrowing into an inverted eight[1] and his facial muscles visibly twitching.

It was evident to everyone that this elderly president was seething with anger!

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! After devoting my entire life to appraising treasures, I, Liu Xudong, never imagined that I would be defeated by a small, aura-glowing golden bead!" Liu Xudong's face was filled with indignation and sorrow. He never imagined that such a solemn appraisal conference would have such trickery.

It was precisely because of the spiritual energy emanating from the golden bead that it deceived Ouyang Jing's eyes, as well as those of the senior appraisers present, and even the president's.

"What's happening? Is the Treasure Pavilion really resorting to such tactics?"

"This isn't appraisal at all! It's simply deceiving everyone."

"There's definitely a conspiracy going on here!"

The entire venue erupted into chaos. None of the individuals present were fools, and the fact that such an incident occurred precisely during the selection of the Treasure Pavilion's heir—was it merely a coincidence?

And the biggest beneficiary of this appraisal was undoubtedly Ouyang Yu!

"Xiaoyu, care to explain what's going on?"

Ouyang Rui's gaze turned instantly icy as he fixed his eyes on Ouyang Yu nearby.

At that moment, cold sweat dripped down Ouyang Yu's forehead, his face pale as a sheet. Under the scrutiny of numerous questioning gazes, he even began to tremble slightly. "Rui... Uncle Rui, this... this has nothing to do with me!"

"If it has nothing to do with you, why are you afraid?" Ouyang Rui's voice grew colder. "I am deeply disappointed in you! What is the rule of our Ouyang family? Transparency, honesty, and no deceit. Are you tarnishing the reputation of our Ouyang family?"

Under the overpowering display of authority from Ouyang Rui, Ouyang Yu's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with a '

thud

.'

The unfolding of events caught him completely off guard.

"Xiaoyu! You've truly disappointed me! How could you do such a thing?" At that moment, the grand elder from the main seat abruptly rose, strode over to Ouyang Yu and delivered a resounding slap across his son's face. "You worthless scoundrel! I disown you as my son!"

One must admit, the grand elder's performance was emotionally invested, perfectly portraying the image of a father deeply disappointed in his son.

"Old man, you're wasting your talent by not acting in dramas!" Ling Feng narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Come on, tell us, how did your dear son pick out that Eight Treasures Wishing Ring?"

Upon hearing Ling Feng's words, Grand Elder Ouyang Gong's pupils contracted, his movements freezing abruptly.

Ling Feng's words immediately made it clear to those around: the cheating at the treasure appraisal convention was undoubtedly orchestrated by Ouyang Yu and his father!

1. Eight is written as / \, when inverted will look like \ /, resembling angry bird ^^ ☜