The stall owner's greasy hands were about to pick up the small cauldron, his smile fawning to the extreme.
Xiao Fan's mind was blank, only a buzzing roar remained.
He watched helplessly as that heaven-defying opportunity, within his grasp, was about to slip away from him.
No!
Unacceptable!
This should have been mine!
A surge of blood, mixed with humiliation and fury, rushed to his head; he almost wanted to pounce forward recklessly and snatch the small cauldron back!
However, he didn't dare.
Reason told him that the man in front of him was someone he couldn't afford to offend.
That innate, seemingly effortless control over everything made him feel fear from the depths of his soul.
It was at this critical moment.
Behind another stall not far away, Bai Zhi, who had hidden herself in the shadows, finally heard the cold system notification sound in her mind!
"Ding! Detecting that the Heavenly Mandate Villain is about to seize a crucial opportunity, please make a choice immediately, Host!"
"Option One: Rush forward immediately, shout'Stop!', intimidate the Villain with your aura, attract everyone's attention, and buy time for the Son of Heavenly Mandate. Reward: Skill 'Lion's Roar', 100 System Points."
"Option Two: Portray a hidden archaeological expert, step forward to expose the 'true origin' of the small cauldron (you can freely fabricate), use professional knowledge to inflate its value, and make Lu Cheng pay a heavy price (money) for his arrogance and snatching behavior. Reward: Skill 'God-tier Bluffer', 500 System Points."
"Option Three: Disregarding everything, snatch the small cauldron from Lu Cheng's hand, and flee the scene at the fastest speed, completing the ultimate snatch against the Villain and returning the opportunity item to its rightful owner. Reward: Skill'Shadow Step' (short-distance instant movement), 2000 System Points."
Looking at these three options, Bai Zhi's breathing paused for a moment.
The reward for Option Three was undoubtedly the highest.
"Shadow Step" – that was a top-tier life-saving divine skill!
But she immediately recalled that dark alley yesterday, the brick that missed its mark, and the two women who appeared like ghosts.
No!
Taking action was absolutely the worst strategy!
This man's strength was unfathomable; the outcome of a direct snatch would only be worse than yesterday!
Bai Zhi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her greed for the divine skill.
She told herself to be calm, to use wisdom.
She was a professional, high-quality individual; she couldn't always think of resorting to violence.
Of the first two options, the first was too reckless and useless except for attracting attention.
So, only the second one remained.
To defeat this demon with "wisdom"!
To make him pay a monetary price for his actions!
To make him bleed heavily!
This plan sounded flawless!
Bai Zhi made her decision in her heart.
She cleared her throat, deliberately tidied her clothes, and put on the air of a mysterious expert.
Then, she walked out with confident steps.
"Wait a minute!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a just-right amount of shock and pity, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Whether it was Lu Cheng, who was about to take the cauldron, or the stall owner, who was about to hand it over, or even Xiao Fan, who was already on the verge of internal injury from anger, all subconsciously looked over.
They saw a petite woman, wearing a hat and a mask, whose face couldn't be seen, walking quickly.
Her gaze was fixed on the small bronze cauldron, and in her eyes, there was excitement, regret, and a hint of... disdain for "outsiders."
Bai Zhi walked closer, completely ignoring everyone else; in her eyes, there was only the small cauldron.
She extended her gloved hand, carefully, as if touching a peerless treasure.
"Oh my goodness… oh my goodness!"
She let out an exaggerated exclamation.
"I thought I would never have the chance to see it in this life… I never expected, never expected it to appear here!"
This actress-level performance successfully piqued everyone's curiosity.
The fawning smile on the stall owner's face froze, replaced by a hint of doubt and greed.
Xiao Fan was also stunned; could this cauldron be even more amazing than he had imagined?
Lu Cheng, on the other hand, watched her with interest, a playful smile on his lips, as if enjoying a splendid stand-up comedy.
Bai Zhi ignored everyone's reactions; she immersed herself in her "expert" persona and began her performance.
"Do you know what this is?"
She looked around at everyone with a tone of profound distress.
"This is no ordinary bronze cauldron!"
"Look at the patterns on it; these are Taotie cloud-and-thunder patterns, typical of the late Shang and Zhou dynasties!"
"But then look at the shape of the cauldron's legs; they also carry a hint of the ancient simplicity and grandeur of the Qin and Han dynasties!"
She spouted nonsense, piecing together knowledge she had seen in history museums.
"Most importantly, the material! This isn't bronze; this is a long-lost 'Heavenly Mysterious Iron' from beyond the heavens!"
"Legend has it that when the First Emperor collected all weapons under heaven to cast the Twelve Golden Men, he used this very material!"
"This cauldron, in all likelihood, is one of the Nine Cauldrons used by the First Emperor for heaven worship, the Ji Province Cauldron, which was lost among the populace!"
"This… this is a national treasure!"
The more Bai Zhi spoke, the more excited she became, her voice even trembling.
She pointed at Lu Cheng, looking at him with an expression that said, "You've stumbled upon a treasure."
"Sir! You… you truly have excellent eyesight!"
"How can such a national treasure be measured by a mere ten thousand yuan? Its true value is priceless! It is a shocking discovery worthy of being recorded in history!"
"Today, you've stumbled upon an immense fortune!"
After speaking, she even cooperated by showing a complex expression of envy and jealousy.
Her goal was simple: to praise him to death!
To hype this thing up to the heavens, leaving Lu Cheng in a difficult position!
Either you admit you don't know your goods and just bought it casually, losing face.
Or, you have to pay a price commensurate with its "status" for this "national treasure"!
At that time, this greedy stall owner would definitely demand an exorbitant price!
Ten thousand?
Dream on!
If I don't make you pay several tens of millions, then I, Bai Zhi, lose today!
Bai Zhi felt a surge of triumph at her own cleverness.
However, the expression of surprise or anger she had anticipated from Lu Cheng did not appear.
After listening to her impassioned "scientific explanation," Lu Cheng was not only not angry, but instead… he applauded.
"Clap, clap, clap."
The crisp applause stood out clearly in the noisy Antique Street.
"Wonderful."
Lu Cheng looked at Bai Zhi, his smile growing even more sincere.
"Truly… a brilliant explanation."
He looked at the small cauldron with a "suddenly enlightened" expression, then at Xiao Fan beside him.
"So that's it, I wondered why I felt it was extraordinary the first time I saw this item."
"Turns out, it's a national treasure used by the First Emperor for heaven worship."
He patted Xiao Fan's shoulder and spoke in a heartfelt tone, as if mentoring a junior.
"Thank you to this… lady for her explanation, which prevented this pearl from being covered in dust."
"Since it's a national treasure, its significance is extraordinary."
Lu Cheng paused, then continued with a "righteous" expression.
"This immense wealth was discovered by you first; how could I, Lu Cheng, take what someone else loves?"
"This opportunity is still yours."
"You must seize it!"
Boom!
These few sentences were like several bolts of lightning, striking Bai Zhi and Xiao Fan one after another!
Bai Zhi was completely stunned.
The script… the script wasn't supposed to go like this!
How did he… how did he throw the responsibility back?
And the stall owner, upon hearing the words "national treasure," "First Emperor," and "priceless treasure," the fire of greed in his eyes had completely overwhelmed everything else!
With extremely quick hands, he shoved the ten thousand yuan Lu Cheng had left on the stall back into Lu Cheng's hand.
Then, he tightly hugged the small bronze cauldron to his chest, as if embracing his own father!
"Not selling! Not selling!"
He looked at Xiao Fan, his greasy face filled with vigilance and madness.
"Little brother, just now, it was me, Fatty, who was blind to Mount Tai!"
"This… this is a national treasure! It's a treasure of our Dragon Country!"
"Without… without ten million, no one will take it from me!"
Ten million!
This number made Xiao Fan's vision go black, almost causing him to faint on the spot!
Where was he going to get ten million?
The money the system had given him earlier had all been taken back!
He glared intensely at the masked woman who had suddenly appeared, wishing he could kill her with his eyes!
This stupid woman!
Is she a pig?!
Who exactly is she?
Was she sent by Lu Cheng to put on a double act?!
"Warning! God-tier choice mission failed, rewards will be distributed based on your actions."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have acquired a new title: 'Heavenly Mandate Killer'!"
"Title Effect: When you attempt to help the Son of Heavenly Mandate, there is a 99% chance of inflicting double critical damage to the target's spirit and wealth!"
A series of system prompts made Bai Zhi's brain buzz as well.
She… she messed up again?
Not only did she fail to make Lu Cheng suffer, but instead… she pushed the Son of Heavenly Mandate into an abyss of eternal damnation!
Looking at Xiao Fan's man-eating gaze, Bai Zhi's heart went cold by half.
It's over.
This feud has grown huge.
In the entire scene, only the smile on Lu Cheng's lips grew even deeper.
He looked at Bai Zhi and Xiao Fan, who were completely petrified, and didn't forget to remind them repeatedly.
"Kid, I remember, you seem to be very rich, right?"
"You even only use air-freighted roses."
"So, I suppose a mere ten million is nothing to you, is it?"
"You must definitely seize this national treasure."