I'm invincible once I descend the mountain; the beautiful CEO is forcing me to get our marriage

Chen Zheyuan led the way, his back bent even lower than before.

After what just happened, he fully realized the gap between himself and Ye An, and became increasingly cautious, even holding back his breathing.

Unable to wait for the auction to officially begin, Chen Zheyuan directly contacted the behind-the-scenes boss of Wansheng Group.

When Li Sanye, the person in charge of Wansheng Group, heard that Minister Chen of the Jiangnan Military Region Guard Department wanted to see the exhibits in advance, he immediately agreed.

By doing a small favor, Chen Zheyuan can gain a huge favor; this deal is too good to pass up.

As soon as the group stepped out of the hall, an elegantly dressed elderly man was already waiting at the end of the corridor.

The old man's hair was slicked back and polished, his suit was impeccably tailored, and even his bow tie was neatly tied, exuding the air of an English butler.

Chen Zheyuan turned to the side and began to introduce himself politely.

"Mr. Ye, this is Uncle Lin, Li Sanye's right-hand man and the chief planner of tonight's auction. He will take us to the inner exhibition hall for a look around."

Uncle Lin bowed slightly, placing his hands folded in front of him, displaying impeccable manners.

"Minister Chen, you're too kind. Third Master instructed that you are a distinguished guest and should receive the highest level of hospitality. Please come this way."

He spoke with a smile on his face, but his gaze remained fixed on Chen Zheyuan, completely ignoring Ye An who was standing next to him.

At Wansheng International Group, Uncle Lin was a favorite of Master Li.

Normally, when the important people in the city see him, they have to politely offer him a cigarette.

He only came out to lead the way because of Li Sanye and Chen Zheyuan.

As for the young man next to him, dressed casually and whose entire outfit cost no more than two hundred yuan, he didn't take him seriously at all.

He's probably just a lackey that Minister Chen brought out to broaden his horizons.

After passing through a quiet corridor, Uncle Lin pushed open two heavy mahogany doors.

The interior exhibition hall is very large, with dim lighting and spotlights shining in each individual glass display case, illuminating the artifacts inside in great detail.

These are all items that will be auctioned tonight. Any one of them could be fiercely contested by the wealthy people of Jiangcheng.

Uncle Lin walked up to the first display case, his tone filled with undisguised pride.

"Minister Chen, this exhibit was purchased from overseas by Third Master at a high price."

A string of dark-colored wooden prayer beads was displayed in the cabinet.

"These are thousand-year-old Himalayan Bodhi prayer beads, said to be sacred objects worn by high-ranking Tantric monks during their ascetic practices. For ordinary people, wearing them can calm the mind and protect against illness. However, if a person with evil intentions touches them, they will be plagued by nightmares and possessed by evil spirits."

Su Wanqing leaned closer to take a look. Even through the glass, the prayer beads did indeed exude an indescribable ancient charm.

Uncle Lin then walked to the next display case.

"Look at this again, a golden snake bracelet buried with an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Legend has it that it can protect the fortunes of the powerful and wealthy, ensuring the prosperity of the family for centuries. But if ordinary people forcibly wear it, their good fortune and longevity will be drained away, resulting in anything from a serious illness to the destruction of their family."

Chen Zheyuan nodded repeatedly, finding it very novel.

Uncle Lin got more and more excited as he spoke, pointing to a bead the size of a fist on the central display stand.

"This deep-sea luminous pearl was salvaged from a century-old shipwreck. It emits a ghostly blue light at night. Several people who have seen it claim to have seen visions of the shipwreck in its glow, which is very eerie."

The entire exhibition hall was filled with all sorts of rare and unusual items.

Uncle Lin knew the origin and legend of each of his collections like the back of his hand, and he told them in vivid detail.

Su Wanqing listened intently, captivated by the stories behind several of the collectibles. Even she, who doesn't usually pay much attention to antiques, was tempted to bid for and collect them.

Chen Zheyuan turned to look at Ye An, his tone respectful.

"Mr. Ye, what do you think of these items? Is there anything you like?"

Ye An put his hands in his pockets, glanced casually at the display cases, and shook his head slightly.

"It's just hearsay; they're all ordinary antiques."

With his cultivation level, he could naturally see through the truth at a glance.

The claims of high-ranking monks bestowing blessings, pharaohs cursing, or shipwreck illusions are all just gimmicks fabricated by people to inflate prices; they are all far-fetched and contrived.

These things have no spiritual energy whatsoever; they are just old, lifeless objects.

Uncle Lin's smile froze instantly.

This is a top-tier collection that Third Master painstakingly gathered after traveling across half the globe!

Many experts in the art appraisal field in Jiangcheng praised it highly after seeing it.

How could he be completely negated by a mere sentence from a brat who hasn't even grown his first beard?

Uncle Lin felt a surge of anger, thinking that this kid was simply being incredibly arrogant.

If Minister Chen hadn't been there, he would have already ordered security to kick them out.

Since you love to show off so much, then I'll show you what I'm made of.

Lin Shuqiang suppressed his displeasure and spoke with a forced smile.

"Minister Chen, Ms. Su, we have a final treasure to reveal tonight. Please follow me to the center of the exhibition hall."

"The grand finale treasure?" Su Wanqing immediately became interested and quickly followed.

On the circular display stand in the very center of the exhibition hall, there is a bulletproof glass cover.

Inside lay a bronze fox mask.

The mask is extremely crudely made, covered in verdigris, and has hollowed-out sections for the two fox eyes, giving it an eerie allure.

Su Wanqing froze on the spot as soon as she looked over.

Her expression was initially blank, then her breathing became rapid, and her hand unconsciously rose up, wanting to touch the glass cover.

Several seconds later, she suddenly jolted awake, her back covered in a cold sweat.

"This...this is the legendary magical artifact?" Su Wanqing's face was full of shock, and her voice was trembling.

In that instant, countless crazy thoughts flashed through her mind, and she even had an impulse to smash the glass and put the mask on her face without thinking.

"Miss Su has a good eye." Uncle Lin laughed smugly.

He turned to look at Ye An, ready to enjoy the boy's stunned and embarrassed state.

As a result, Ye An still had his hands in his pockets, his expression so calm that he didn't even frown, and he was looking at the chandelier on the ceiling with a bored expression.

Uncle Lin's heart skipped a beat, and he was secretly surprised.

This magical artifact is extremely evil. Any normal person who sees it for the first time will be captivated and will take a long time to recover.

Chen Zheyuan was a martial artist with the power of a Transformation Realm expert, whose mental strength far surpassed that of ordinary people, but he was still momentarily dazed.

Su Wanqing almost lost her composure.

But this young man surnamed Ye didn't react at all?

Uncle Lin suppressed his doubts, cleared his throat, and spoke with an air of arrogance.

"This ritual artifact was brought out by Third Master from the ruins of the Lu King's Palace at an exorbitant price. Once worn, it amplifies the deepest greed in one's heart, giving rise to extremely realistic hallucinations. According to several masters of metaphysics, this is a genuine pre-Qin witchcraft artifact."

"A witchcraft artifact?" Su Wanqing gasped and moved closer to Ye An.

"It is indeed very unusual." Chen Zheyuan gave a solemn assessment. "I was just observing it from a distance, and I already felt a little uneasy. If I were to actually wear it on my face, I'm afraid there would be serious problems."

Hearing Chen Zheyuan's affirmation, Uncle Lin's smugness deepened.

He turned around, facing Ye An directly, his tone laced with barbs.

"Mr. Ye, you seemed to have looked down on our Third Master's other collections earlier. Now, would you like to see this final piece of his collection? Does it meet your standards?"

Ye An looked at the bronze mask in the glass case, his tone remaining completely flat.

"It has only a superficial appearance and cannot be considered a true magical artifact."

Uncle Lin felt a surge of evil fire rushing straight to the top of his head.

You're just a lackey who got in here through someone else's connections, what do you know about appreciating antiques?

He sneered repeatedly, completely abandoning all pretense of civility.

"If even this bronze fox mask doesn't meet Mr. Ye's standards, then I'd like to ask you, what exactly is a true magical artifact?"

Ye An glanced at him, her voice flat.

"A true magical artifact is one that can summon wind and rain, control thunder, and possess all sorts of supernatural powers."

"And this bronze mask, apart from being able to disturb a person's mind when first seen, has no other effect; it's just a piece of broken copper and scrap iron."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Lin burst out laughing.

"Mr. Ye, have you been reading too many online novels? Commanding the wind and rain, controlling thunder and lightning? Those are all myths and legends; where can you find that in reality?"

Chen Zheyuan also looked embarrassed and tried to smooth things over in a low voice.

"Mr. Ye, this mask is indeed quite amazing. I almost fell for it just now."

Uncle Lin pressed closer, his eyes full of mockery.

"Minister Chen is right. I completely disagree with Mr. Ye's statement that this mask is all show and no substance. Young people should be more down-to-earth and stop exaggerating."

Ye An completely ignored him.

"Yeah?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye An raised his right hand and pointed lightly at the bronze fox mask in the display case.

"Bang!"

An invisible thud exploded in the exhibition hall.

The sound did not travel through the air, but resonated directly in a person's mind.

Uncle Lin and Chen Zheyuan hadn't yet realized what had happened.

Su Wanqing felt a sudden clarity in her mind, and the vague sense of oppression she had felt earlier vanished without a trace.

With a single flick of his finger, Ye An activated the "Minor Divine Evolution Technique," transforming his vast spiritual power into an invisible needle that pierced directly into the mask, completely erasing the faint remaining spiritual energy within.

"You can look at it now." Ye An put his hand down, his tone casual.

Uncle Lin turned his head suspiciously and looked at the display case again.

Upon seeing this, he was so shocked that he stepped back, his face changing drastically.

"This...how is this possible!" Uncle Lin exclaimed in shock, taking two steps back.

The bronze fox mask, which had originally exuded a strange allure, had now become dull and lifeless, and its sinister charm that once captivated the mind had completely vanished.

No matter how you look at it now, it's just an ordinary bronze piece with a peculiar shape and covered in rust.

"Why not?" Ye An explained casually. "The previous owner of this thing had stronger mental power than ordinary people. He wore it for many years, so it just has a little bit of residual mental power on it. The dizziness you feel is because you are being disturbed by this residue."

"I just wiped away the spiritual energy on it, and it naturally returned to its original form."

After hearing this, Chen Zheyuan gasped and felt a deep sense of awe.

"Mr. Ye's skills are truly extraordinary; I've certainly seen something new today!"

"Looking at this mask now, it's really just an ordinary antique, with nothing magical about it anymore."

Uncle Lin stood to the side, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

A storm raged within him, and when he looked at Ye An, a deep sense of apprehension filled his eyes.

With a single finger pointing from a distance, he destroyed an evil artifact that had baffled countless masters.

What kind of divine power is this!

It turns out I was the one who was blind and ignorant; this young man was definitely someone important!

Ye An put his hands back in his pockets, shaking his head inwardly.

The so-called magical artifacts in the secular world are not even as good as the lowest-grade magical artifacts in the cultivation world.

It seems that tonight's auction is destined to be a wasted trip, and I won't get anything out of it.

Just as he was getting bored and was about to call Su Wanqing to leave...

His gaze inadvertently swept over a dimly lit corner at the far end of the exhibition hall.

Ye An's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of extreme surprise appeared on his previously calm face.

"what?"

After letting out that soft exclamation, Ye An walked straight to the darkest corner at the back of the exhibition hall.

Chen Zheyuan and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

Uncle Lin strode forward and eagerly led the way.

The display case in the corner wasn't illuminated by spotlights, so the lighting was somewhat dim.

Inside, a small jade bonsai, about the size of a palm, sits quietly.

The base of the bonsai is carved from fine mutton fat jade, presenting the shape of a rockery and flowing water, and the craftsmanship is quite exquisite.

But in the crevices of the artificial hill, a small, dark, dry piece of dead wood was stuck out abruptly.

The piece of dead wood, covered in cracks and pitted, looked extremely out of place against the warm and delicate mutton fat jade base.

Uncle Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly began to introduce the situation.

"Mr. Ye, you've taken a liking to this one?"

"This is a mutton-fat jade bonsai that came from the Ming Dynasty Imperial Workshop. The jade material for the base is of excellent quality and has no impurities. It was originally acquired from the capital by a wealthy salt merchant from Jiangnan at a high price. After changing hands several times, it ended up in the hands of the Third Master."

"However, apart from the jade itself, there are no special legends surrounding this thing. It's just an ordinary old object with no mystical explanations."

Having just experienced the bronze mask incident, Uncle Lin was now extremely cautious when speaking to Ye An, afraid that he might say something wrong and make this unassuming big shot laugh again.

Su Wanqing leaned closer to take a look and frowned slightly.

"This jade carving is indeed beautiful, but what's with the piece of wood stuck in it? It looks dilapidated and completely ruins the overall aesthetic."

Chen Zheyuan echoed this sentiment.

"Yes, this piece of wood looks no different from any scrap wood picked up from a woodpile, and it doesn't match this white jade at all. Uncle Lin, why don't you pull it out?"

Uncle Lin gave a wry smile and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Minister Chen, you are unaware of this."

"The wood and the jade base are connected. The master carver used some unknown technique to embed the wood firmly into the jade. Third Master consulted several craftsmen, and they all said that forcibly pulling it out would definitely ruin this top-quality mutton fat jade."