"This..."

The security at Century Hotel was instantly bewildered, looking at Xu Fan and then at the people beside Xia Yanyu, unsure of what to do.

But fortunately, even though they were confused, they knew whom to listen to among the many people present.

They all promptly walked over to the ones being scolded by Uncle Yao, gestured with their hands, and then pointed towards the exit.

"Please leave, folks."

"Damn..."

They had intended to use Xu Fan as a stepping stone to rise up, but instead, Xu Fan tripped them up. Now, with everyone's gaze falling on them, they couldn't help but hang their heads in shame.

Staying any longer would only bring more humiliation. With a sigh, they dejectedly left the exhibition hall.

Just because they had offended Xu Fan, they were kicked out of the event, making those proud wealthy families who had previously looked down on Xu Fan involuntarily turn their eyes towards him.

They were very curious about what kind of energy this seemingly ordinary young man contained to make Uncle Yao give him such face.

"Uncle Yao, why are you being so stingy? It was just some extra food, and it's not like you're paying for it..."

Xu Fan completely ignored the curious stares from the crowd around him and, with a martini in hand, walked over to Uncle Yao.

"You little rascal, stop your nonsense. I didn't ask you to come today just to eat," scolded Uncle Yao, giving Xu Fan a glare before introducing him to Mr. Jiya beside him.

"This is the young man I was just telling you about, Xu Fan."

"Sawasdee ka."

Knowing that Uncle Yao had asked him to come help with receiving guests, Xu Fan was mindful of his manners; he put his hands together and greeted Mr. Jiya.

The man was staring at him as if he actually recognized him.

"Hmm? Mr. Jiya?"

Uncle Yao was even more puzzled by Mr. Jiya's behavior. Could he possibly see something special in this brat?

"It's nothing, just remembered something. Let's continue, Mr. Yao," said Mr. Jiya with a hurried smile, quickly regaining his composure, but Xu Fan could always feel that Mr. Jiya's attention was constantly on him.

This guy... he couldn't possibly be gay, right...

Xu Fan grimaced, feeling a chill down his spine, thinking that being handsome was a trouble indeed, having to be constantly on guard everywhere.

Following Uncle Yao, Xu Fan and the others strolled around the various exhibits in the exhibition hall.

Uncle Yao had a great love for cultural playthings and had delved into the culture of various countries. This visit to the exhibition almost didn't require Xu Fan to explain too much.

"Mr. Jiya, this sword was recently excavated from an ancient tomb in Jinling. When it was unearthed, the scabbard was already decayed, but the blade itself was as sharp as if it were newly forged. Here, take a look at the carvings..."

The group stopped in front of an ancient sword, as Uncle Yao earnestly explained the sword's provenance to Mr. Jiya.

Artifacts like these, excavated by the state, usually wouldn't appear in a private exhibition. Having them here was most likely due to Uncle Yao's influence.

Mr. Jiya seemed to have a strong affection for weaponry, and as he listened to Uncle Yao talk about the craftsmanship and history of the sword, he nodded with great interest.

"Indeed, it is sharp. Not to mention anything else, the forgery craftsmanship of your country at that time was indeed divine."

"Mr. Jiya,"

A group of people were chatting when several individuals approached them.

Xu Fan, following Uncle Yao's gaze, saw that the people approaching were the same Southeast Asian dignitaries who had previously been surrounded by a crowd.

They must have known Jiya from before, as they came over and started chatting with him very familiarly.

At that moment, a short-statured man stood out proudly and pointed at the Treasured Sword from the Han Dynasty on display, chattering away at length.

Despite his short stature, his voice was not small, and as he spoke, others who were already paying attention to the group turned their gaze his way.

He was speaking in the Dongying language; almost everyone present had brought a translator to assist with business, so understanding what he was saying was not difficult.

All those present, after hearing what the man had to say, suddenly had their faces turn grim.

Including Xu Fan.

With his years of experience carrying out missions around the world, it wasn't hard for Xu Fan to understand what the young man was saying.

The fellow rattled on, essentially telling Mr. Jiya that from ancient times to the present, Huaxia's forging techniques could only be considered mediocre, while Dongying's craftsmanship was truly formidable.

"Shuichi Akita, you shouldn't say that, each has its strengths,"

Shuichi Akita's words seemed poised to provoke a fight, and Mr. Jiya, clearly not wishing for conflict at the exhibition, laughed it off noncommittally.

"Young man, don't mistake your ignorance for a capital of arrogance, and don't forget, your Dongying technology originated from your ancestors here in Huaxia."

However, Uncle Yao had no intention of keeping the peace.

A native of Jinling, Uncle Yao had no great love for the people of Dongying, and now, how could he let one of them rant and rave on this Jinling soil where three hundred thousand had been buried?

"Haha, old man, there's no need to bring up ancient history, right?"

Akita Shuichi seemed unconcerned about Uncle Yao's anger at the moment.

He chuckled and said, "It's important to be self-aware, don't you admit that Dongying's forging is strong?"

"Fine, since you refuse to be convinced, it just so happens that today I also received several gifts from you. Let's do an experiment, to satisfy you completely."

Shuichi Akita, typical of the fearless inexperience of youth, seemed determined to argue with Uncle Yao to the end, while Uncle Yao looked at the man forty years his junior, ranting in front of him, and smiled calmly.

"Alright, I'm really curious to see what trick you're going to pull."

Then, they saw Shuichi Akita whisper a few words to his subordinate, who nodded and hurriedly left the exhibition hall.

"What the heck does this guy want to do?"

Everyone watched, completely puzzled.

Honestly, if it weren't for the sake of business, they wouldn't be eager to deal with this Dongying dwarf. Seeing his confident demeanor now, everyone was starting to feel a little worried...

After a short wait, the subordinate Shuichi Akita had sent out came back with two long, boxy containers.

"What is this?"

Everyone's eyes focused on the boxes in Shuichi Akita's hands, curious about what he had brought...

With everyone watching, Shuichi Akita opened the boxes.

He then took a long knife out of the box...

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