Chapter 32  : Dharma Artifacts

Si Yinxia and the others could not believe what they had just seen.

Standing on his last leg, Chen Fan had the last laugh after his support finally showed up.

When Chang Wen and the others heard the real identity Wei Ziqin, their faces turned pale out of shock.

Chang Wen’s uncle was a manager of the Fang Sheng International Group, a similar level to Manager Zhu. Seeing how easily Wei Ziqin was able to fire Manager Zhu, Chang Wen wagered that it would be easy for Chen Fan to seek revenge by simply whispering his discontent of her to Wei Ziqin.

“Who would think that he is Wei Ziqin’s friend?” Ji Xingyu exclaimed incredulously.

Wei Ziqin was much more different than other girls such as Jiang Churan and Xu Rongfei.

Although she usually kept things to herself, most upper-class citizens of the Chu Zhou City knew her name very well. Her father had met tails winds during his business venture and was hopeful of pushing the influence of the Wei Family to a new height.

Before such an influential person, even Li Yichen and Chu Minhui would have to show deference much less Ji Xingyu.

Si Yinxia was silent for a second and then said, “Let’s go.” He turned around and started off.

They knew that with such a powerful ally backing Chen Fan, it would be impossible for them to challenge him.

Ji Xingyu heaved a sigh and followed Si Yinxia out of the hall. However, Chang Wen had stood behind. Calculating thoughts flickered in her eyes as she brooded over her next move.

“Fang Sheng International Group belonged to my second uncle. However, I was afraid that you might be hesitant to come to an event hosted by the likes of him, so I didn’t tell you everything. I apologize for what had happened back there.” Wei Ziqin said apologetically.

“It’s Ok. I have to thank you for fishing me out of that mess.” Chen Fan said lightly.

Although Chen Fan’s voice held no sign of rancor, Wei Ziqin’s heart caught in her throat as she registered the displeased undertone.

If Chen Fan was just an ordinary person, she might have believed him that he would let the matter rest. However, she knew that Chen Fan was a Transcendent Master, and he would not be able to stomach such insult.

So thinking, Wei Ziqin hurried a reply, “Chu Minhui is a foolish boy, but I have watched him grow up, so I want to beg you to spare him just for once. Please.”

“Oh?” Chen Fan stopped and turned to regard Wei Ziqin with a half smile.

Seeing the indifference in Chen Fan’s eyes, she knew her intuition was right. Slowly, her face turned to that of imploring.

Jiang Churan had thought Wei Ziqin was Chen Fan’s supporter, but little did she know that Chen Fan didn’t need anyone’s support.

However, powerful Chu Minhui was, if Chen Fan wanted him dead, he could have killed him with a snap of a finger. He was about to do exactly that right before We Ziqin showed up at the event. He was surprised that the girl was able to sense his well-hidden intent.

The two held each other’s gaze for thirty seconds, and seeing that Wei Ziqin was adamant in her pleading, Chen Fan finally gave in and snorted coldly:

“He is a dead man if it happens again.”

After he had said that, he looked away from Wei Ziqin’s pale face.

“Yes.” Wei Ziqin answered under her breath. She lowered her head and started to catch up with Chen Fan.

She reminded herself to have a serious talk with Chu Minhui so that he wouldn’t get himself into trouble again.

After having caught a glimpse of who Chen Fan really was, Wei Ziqin finally comprehended the insurmountable gap between her and Chen Fan. She started to become more careful when she talked to Chen Fan.

After the two left the hall, they were greeted by an old man.

“This is Uncle Lin, my second uncle’s right-hand man. He is going to show us the items being put on auction before it starts.” Wei Ziqin said with a smile.

“Thank you for the introduction, Missy. This way, please.” The old man was dressed in a sleek and meticulously ironed suit. His tempered and composed demeanor resembled that of a butler from an English Household.” I have heard that Xiao Zhu had offended our guest, that lad deserves the punishment. ”

The old man talked as he led the way, all the while, he didn’t look at Chen Fan even once.

As the most trusted advisor of Wei Sanye, Uncle Lin was one of if not the most influential people in the Fang Sheng International Group. Any rich upper-class citizen would have to greet him with a great measure of respect, and therefore, he didn’t take someone such as Chen Fan seriously. Let it be firing Manager Zhu or entertaining the guest; Uncle Lin would not oblige without the direct order from Wei Ziqin. However, like an old and loyal family dog, once the instructions were given to him, he followed them to the letters.

“These items were collected by the Third Lord from all over the world. He had spared no expense in amassing such an impressive collection.”

“This one is a Sapphire from South Africa. Rumor has it that it could bring great fortune to the wearer.

“This one is an Ancestral Compass; is was said to have the ability to attract wealth.

“This one is a supreme-grade mutton-fat-jade. It can ward off the cold.

“This one is...”

All sorts of artifacts filled the entire exhibition hall to the brim. They would soon be put on auction and be admired by all the rich people of the Chu Zhou City.

Uncle Lin could not suppress the pride in his voice as he went over each and every piece of the collection in great details.

“What do you think of these artifacts, Mr. Chen?” Wei Ziqin asked curiously.

Chen Fan scanned the roomful of antiques and shook his head. “They are trinkets, that’s all. ”

With his wealth of knowledge in all things magical, he could easily tell real Dharma artifacts from ordinary trinkets. As much as people wanted to believe in the alleged power in these artifacts, Chen Fan knew that they were simply useless baubles.

Uncle Lin was not impressed by what he had heard; his boss had spent a huge amount of resources in collecting these treasures, yet they were so easily dismissed by a sixteen-year-old boy.

“Seems like I will have to bring out the real treasure to teach this youngster a lesson.”

With that in mind, Uncle Lin smiled at Wei Ziqi. “My lady, these are not the most precious treasures. Please come this way.”

“Really? Sure!” Wei Ziqin followed the old man excitedly. The old man led them to the center of the exhibition hall where an iridescent colorful bead was housed inside of a lavishly decorated display case.

Wei Ziqin was confused for a second, and then she suddenly realized something.

“This... This is the Dharma Artifact that is going to be put on for auction?”

“Indeed.” Uncle Lin smiled smugly.

He looked at Chen Fan, and to his surprise, the boy still didn’t seem to be too impressed.

The artifact was able to suck the attention of any ordinary person would lay the first sight on it. Those who fell under the spell of the artifact wouldn’t be able to recover for a while.

It was already an incredible feat to be able to recover as fast as Wei Ziqin had, but Chen Fan seemed to be completely unaffected.

“This Dharma artifact was a Dzi Bead worn by a living Buddha from Tibet. It was said that the living Buddha was born with this bead in his hand and he had been wearing it ever since until his final nirvana. Boss had gone all the way to Tibet by himself to receive the blessing of the Living Buddha and bought this bead with a few million yuan.” Uncle Lin’s voice was filled with arrogance as he introduced the bead to the two youngsters.

“Incredible!” Wei Ziqin nodded to praise the story behind the rare artifact.

Uncle Lin beamed from side to side after hearing Wei Ziqin’s compliment.

He turned to Chen Fan again, expecting to see an impressed look on the boy’s face. However, Chen Fan shook his head disappointedly.

“It seems to me that Mr. Chen didn’t like any of Third Lord’s collection.”

Chen Fan said faintly, “It might seem like a Dharma artifact, but It’s not by a long chalk.”

“You!” Uncle Lin was seized by a fit of anger.

“What do you know about antiques? If not for Miss Wei, I would not even let you stand here, much less granting you the sight of such a treasure.” The old man thought to himself.

Uncle Lin sneered at Chen Fan and asked coldly, “If Mr. Chen was convinced that this Kang Duo Dzi Bead was not the real deal, would you be so kind as to show us the real Dharma Artifacts?”

“The real Dharma Artifact?”

Chen Fan glared at him and then said calmly, “The real Dharma Artifacts were things such as the Flying Sword and Dharma Treasures. One could use them to summon clouds and thunder among many other magical powers. This bead can only distract people when they lay the first sight on it. Other than that, it is practically useless,”

Uncle Lin laughed scornfully and then said, “Are you kidding me? Those are legends; they don’t exist in real life.

“But the magical power of this Dzi Bead was real. You had it completely wrong.”

“I think Mr. Chen’s claim is exaggerated.” A mocking expression appeared on Uncle Lin’s face. He was just one step away from calling the boy a liar.

“Is that so?” Chen Fan was unfazed by the accusation.

He pointed to deft fingers at the bead and suddenly evoked a huge explosion in the Void Dimension. The loud din of the explosion could not be heard in the real world unless one connected their Qi to the higher dimensions.

In a blink, Chen Fan had unleashed his soul energy onto the bead and erased the remaining soul energy of its previous owner.

“Look again.” Chen Fan pulled back his fingers and said with a calm face.

When the two looked again; they were both shocked.

“It’s impossible!” Uncle Lin exclaimed.

The Dzi bead had suddenly lost its strange ability to attract people’s attention.

“Oh, it’s very possible.” Chen Fan explained. “It had obtained some soul energy from its previous wearer, and therefore it was able to influence the attention of an ordinary person. Since I have erased the remaining soul energy, I have also got rid of its ‘power.’”

After hearing Chen Fan’s explanation, a sense of respect rose inside of Wei Ziqin. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Mr. Chen is truly a master.”

“Now there really is nothing special about this Dzi Bead any longer. As he had said, it is just an ordinary bauble.” Uncle Lin sucked in a breath as he was taken aback by the boy’s ability.

“You are right, young man. I have underestimated you. ”

Chen Fan nodded as he thought to himself. “Even the so-called ‘real deal’ was a useless piece of junk, much less the rest. I can’t count on finding any useful artifact here.”

Even as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of an artifact in the corner. Suddenly, his body tightened as he failed to suppress a light gasp.