At that moment, Jia Lang was deeply engrossed in appraising treasures. Finally, on a delicately crafted wooden rack, he found a bronze dagger with a lustrous finish and a "Dragon Flying Phoenix Dance" pattern engraved on its surface. He immediately reached out and took it down.
"Ha ha, this treasure must be the gem of this hall!"
Holding the dagger, Jia Lang confidently presented it to Lin Xian’er, saying, "Miss Xian’er, here, with my ’Eye Power,’ there cannot be any mistake, this is the most precious treasure in Hall No.6."
"But..." Lin Xian’er hesitated as she looked at the small black stone in her hand.
Jia Lang noticed the inconspicuous stone in Lin Xian’er’s hand and immediately frowned, "Miss Lin, is this also a treasure from the hall? Could it be that the cleaning servants didn’t sweep the floor properly? This thing, it’s not a treasure; you should just throw it away."
Although Lin Xian’er felt that the stone was nothing special, she couldn’t help feeling utterly confident in Ling Feng’s choice.
As she hesitated whether to exchange it for the bronze dagger, a hearty laughter came from outside.
"Ha ha, Brother Jia, you’re willing to support the event, truly making my Treasure Pavilion shine!"
The man approaching was dressed in a pale golden robe, sturdy in build, and fairly handsome, though his eyes and eyebrows revealed a sinister fierceness.
"It’s Brother Ouyang!" Jia Lang turned his head to see the newcomer and casually raised his hand in greeting.
The newcomer was Mr. Ouyang, the young owner of the Treasure Pavilion in Hanwu County, and also a student at Heavenly Position Academy. Ouyang Yu and Jia Lang had always been close at the academy, often addressing each other as brothers.
But to put it bluntly, he was really just one of Jia Lang’s henchmen.
Ouyang Yu smiled obsequiously and his gaze fell upon Lin Xian’er standing next to Jia Lang, immediately struck by her beauty. He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Brother Jia, you are indeed fortunate! The lady is truly stunning, a beauty that could topple cities and nations!"
"Heh heh..." Jia Lang wore a proud expression, clearly very pleased with Ouyang Yu’s comments.
Lin Xian’er furrowed her brows slightly and explained, "Young Master Jia and I are just ordinary friends."
Jia Lang’s face turned somewhat awkward, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Still, he maintained a gracefully composed demeanor and chuckled, "Hehe, this is Miss Lin Xian’er from our Heavenly Position Academy, our junior. Xian’er, this is Ouyang Yu; they from the Ouyang Family are hosting this treasure appraisal event."
"Mr. Ouyang." Lin Xian’er bowed slightly, her demeanor cold, clearly not interested in further acquaintance.
Ouyang Yu gave an embarrassed smile, then looked towards Jia Lang with a sycophantic expression, "So, Brother Jia, have you made your choice? Let me help you get a front-row seat."
Jia Lang snapped his folding fan shut and commanded, "Not yet finished selecting, let this young master pick a bit more carefully."
He then winked at Lin Xian’er, "Xian’er, quickly throw away that broken stone. It would prevent others from saying that a top disciple of Vice Dean Huo from Heavenly Position Academy has no discernment!"
Lin Xian’er felt displeased inside and frowned, thinking to herself, What does my discernment have to do with you! Lady here is just trying not to embarrass everyone too much; don’t think I’m actually afraid of the Jia family!
With that thought, Lin Xian’er spread her palm open and held it out to Ouyang Yu, stating calmly, "Mr. Ouyang, I’ve already chosen, it’s this!"
"You!" Jia Lang frowned, about to reproach her, but then saw Ouyang Yu staring in amazement at the black stone in Lin Xian’er’s palm, exclaiming in surprise, "Wow, I didn’t expect Miss Lin’s appraisal capability to be so impressive, truly unimaginable!"
Jia Lang looked incredulous and asked in disbelief, "Brother Ouyang, what do you mean by this?"
Ouyang Yu chuckled, "It’s this treasure. Initially, even the senior appraisers at Treasure Pavilion couldn’t identify that this is a third-grade high-level treasure. It was only after our ancestor personally reviewed it that the treasure wasn’t left overlooked like a pearl covered in dust. However, it’s been sitting in Hall No.6 for about four to five years now, and no one has figured it out yet."
"What... What?" Jia Lang’s face showed shock, "Just this?"
Ouyang Yu nodded very confidently, "Yes, it’s this stone. It’s an extremely rare Thunder Cloud Stone and also the Hall No.6’s treasure of the hall. Miss Lin, your eye for treasures is truly impressive!"
"Not at all, not at all," Lin Xian’er’s face flushed slightly as she unconsciously looked towards Ling Feng.
The treasure had clearly been found by Ling Feng.
Ouyang Yu clicked his tongue in praise, "Miss Lin’s capability in treasure appraisal is absolutely superior to mine. It’s laughable that I am still the Young Master of the Treasure Pavilion; I am truly inferior!"
Jia Lang listened with his face turning ashen, as though he had swallowed a cockroach. He had just said not to bring out something and embarrass himself, yet here Ouyang Yu came running over calling it the "treasure of the hall." He furrowed his brows, somewhat unconvinced, and displayed the bronze dagger in his hand, "Brother Ouyang, what about this? What’s the quality of this treasure?"
Ouyang Yu took the dagger, his mouth twitching slightly before he forced a laugh, "This... this, *cough* Brother Jia, I’m afraid this treasure is a bit inferior, just a low-grade first rank, and... I’m afraid you might have to sit apart from Miss Lin later on."
Low-grade first rank, which was essentially the lowest grade in the Treasure Appraisal Hall.
Embarrassment swelled on Jia Lang’s face, like he had swallowed a fly. He had boasted about his own skills, only to end up choosing a low-grade first rank treasure!
Embarrassment, sheer embarrassment, as humiliating as it gets!
Seeing Jia Lang’s dejected expression, Ouyang Yu immediately chuckled, "Brother Jia, don’t worry. There’s still a way for you to sit with Miss Murong."
"Oh?" Jia Lang’s eyes immediately brightened. He patted Ouyang Yu on the shoulder and chuckled, "Brother Ouyang, how could I possibly trouble you?"
"Eh, what are you saying, Brother Jia?" A sly glint flashed through Ouyang Yu’s eyes. Though Treasure Pavilion had some influence in Hanwu commandery, Jia Mansion was one of the Three Great Families of Hanwu commandery, and one simply couldn’t talk about the two as equals.
Getting on Jia Lang’s good side was akin to grasping onto the Jia Family’s mighty tree; naturally, such an opportunity shouldn’t be missed.
"Inside Hall No.6, there are two third-grade high-level treasures. I’ll point them out for you right now," Ouyang Yu said with a chuckle.
Lin Xian’er overheard their conversation and immediately showed a look of contempt.
That Ouyang Yu, as the Young Master, was blatantly ignoring the rules set by Treasure Pavilion and leaking secrets directly to Jia Lang. Such behavior was downright disgraceful!
Ouyang Yu scanned the hall and then pointed at a square cauldron on a bookshelf to the right, groveling, "Brother Jia, that’s the other third-grade high-level treasure. If you hand this treasure to the appraiser at the door, you’ll secure the foremost VIP seating."
Jia Lang smiled faintly, about to reach for the square cauldron, when he found a large hand already grabbing the square cauldron.
Jia Lang frowned, a surge of nameless anger rising in his chest. Looking up, he was stunned to see that the person holding the square cauldron was none other, Ling Feng!