“Of course! Just go ahead and speak!”


Master Qi sneered, “I’d love to see how swindlers like you usually go about deceiving people.”


Ye Chen shrugged. “I originally didn’t want to expose your scam, but since you insist, I have no choice.”


“Scam? Kid, are you saying we all got it wrong?”


The previously composed and dignified Guo Ming suddenly scoffed.


Ye Chen glanced at him and smirked. “You, especially, are the dumbest of them all.”


“You brat! You’re courting death!” Guo Ming was instantly enraged.


Ignoring him, Ye Chen continued, “The jade is real, I’ll give you that. At least you swindlers have some scruples.”


Then he added, “But this is not some Zhou Dynasty Blood Vein Jade, nor has it been nurtured by a so-called enlightened monk. It’s just a piece of high-quality Hetian yellow jade, which indeed has some value, but at most, it’s worth 500,000 yuan on the market.”


“Bullshit! Can’t you see the jade is red?” Master Qi immediately cursed.


Ye Chen continued, “The red color is due to manganese minerals infiltrating the stone, not some ancient monk’s blood. What, did you really think it was soaked in the blood of a high monk?”


“Then what about the warm sensation we all felt?” Qin Gang asked with a frown, clearly unsettled.


Ye Chen shook his head. “That’s even simpler. It’s caused by the roots of African Gralla grass, ground into a fine powder and dissolved in water. If you soak this jade in it for six months, it will naturally produce that effect. It’s not real warmth—it’s a hallucinogenic effect. If you want to confirm it, just burn the jade over a flame, and you’ll see for yourself.”


“You little bastard! How dare you spout such nonsense?!”


The fat seller slammed the table in anger.


Li Tailai, his expression darkening, turned to the fat man and said, “Then let’s test it with fire, shall we?”


Cold sweat began dripping down the fat man’s forehead. “What fire test? This brat is obviously just talking nonsense! You can’t believe him!”


Qin Gang tapped his fingers on the table and said, “If the jade retains its effect after being burned, I’ll buy it. But if the effect disappears… you know the consequences. Our Qin family might be facing some troubles lately, but we’re not pushovers.”


Song Wanting also nodded. “If Mr. Ye is wrong, then a fire test won’t matter—the jade won’t be damaged. But if Mr. Ye is right, you owe us an explanation.”


The fat man was now drenched in sweat.


He knew these three families weren’t people he could afford to offend.


This scam had only worked because Master Qi had agreed to collaborate, planning to trick Song Wanting into paying a fortune and then splitting the profits.


But now, this Ye Chen had completely exposed the con!


To be honest, Ye Chen hadn’t known much about jade before.


The only reason he had seen through the trick so quickly was because of the Nine Heavens Scripture.


For some reason, the moment he saw the jade, the answers appeared in his mind.


It seemed that appraising antique jade was one of the skills recorded in the Nine Heavens Scripture.


Seeing the fat man’s hesitation, Ye Chen smirked and taunted, “What’s the matter? Feeling guilty? Cat got your tongue?”


The fat man’s face turned red and white, but he refused to agree to the test.


Ye Chen’s voice turned colder. “Fatty, do you think staying silent will save you? Let me remind you—this is Jinling! Every single person here is wealthy and powerful. If they want you dead, you won’t live to see tomorrow! I advise you to come clean, or no one will be able to save you!”


Song Wanting immediately caught on and joined in, her expression turning icy. “Our Song family has a reputation in Jinling. If someone dares to swindle us, we will set an example out of them. If we don’t act, others will think they can trample on our family name. So don’t expect mercy.”


The fat man was completely terrified!


He knew how powerful the Song family was. If he offended Song Wanting, he would be lucky if he only disappeared from Jinling!


Panic-stricken, he turned to Master Qi and screamed, “Master Qi, help me! This isn’t just my problem—it’s ours!”


Master Qi’s face drastically changed.


Furious, he roared, “You… you liar! You dare scam the Song family and then drag me down with you? I’ll kill you!”


With that, he pulled out a knife from his pocket, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, and lunged at the fat man.


The fat man’s face contorted in fear. “You bastard! You flip sides faster than a book! You’re the one who said that the Song family relied entirely on your word and that as long as you vouched for the jade, they would buy it! You set me up!”


Song Wanting’s gaze turned cold as she looked at the two men. Then she turned to Ye Chen and said, “Mr. Ye, I apologize for this disgraceful display. Thanks to you, we avoided being scammed today. Let’s leave—our family will take care of them.”


Ye Chen nodded slightly. “Alright, let’s go.”


With that, the two of them stood up, ready to leave.


Seeing Song Wanting walking away, Master Qi was terrified.


He immediately knelt on the floor, begging for mercy. “Miss Song, please spare me! I’ve been loyal to the Song family for so many years—please, just this once!”


Before Song Wanting could respond, Li Tailai stood up, laughing coldly.


“You old bastard, you really have a death wish! You tried to con me, your own employer, and multiple powerful families—and for what? A few billion yuan? You really think the Song family will let this slide?”


Master Qi’s face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed onto the floor.


Li Tailai sneered. “Even if the Song family lets you off, I won’t!”


Hearing this, Master Qi broke down in tears, completely shattered.


Song Wanting sighed and shook her head slightly before turning to Ye Chen. “Mr. Ye, my apologies. This was a serious lapse in judgment on my part.”


Ye Chen remained indifferent. “There are snakes everywhere. Don’t blame yourself.”


At that moment, Li Tailai, Guo Ming, and Qin Gang all approached.


Li Tailai cupped his hands and said, “Master Ye, it’s thanks to you that we weren’t scammed today!”


Guo Ming, looking somewhat embarrassed, added, “Master Ye truly deserves his reputation. I am ashamed—I failed to see through the deception earlier.”


Qin Gang also bowed slightly and said, “Mr. Ye, you saved us today. If we had fought over a fake treasure, not only would we have lost a fortune, but we’d have become a laughingstock in Jinling.”


Ye Chen smiled faintly. “No need for thanks. I was simply here to appraise the jade for Miss Song.”


After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ye Chen and Song Wanting got into their car.


As they drove off, Ye Chen noticed something in the rearview mirror.


A group of men in black suits had quietly entered the courtyard.


It seemed that Master Qi and the fat man were doomed.