The village beauty and me!

"Five million?"

"Is it real? Or just a publicity stunt?"

The onlookers immediately erupted in uproar.

At this point, there was no need for the atmosphere-building team to create excitement; the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

Chen Huan frowned. "Such a large sum?"

The host on stage smiled and said, "Don't you all find it unbelievable?"

"When Mr. Ma proposed to offer five million as the grand prize, we were also taken aback."

"However, this matter is true, just like the antiques sold in our antique market—absolutely genuine and reliable, without a trace of falsehood!"

"Look, everyone!"

The host pointed to the side.

At this moment, two burly men in suits and sunglasses carried a rather large leather suitcase and walked from the factory entrance area onto the stage.

Judging from how hard they were working, the contents of the suitcases were quite heavy.

  

With a whoosh, it was opened right in front of everyone, and its contents were dumped onto the stage.

"Money, so much money!"

"This must be worth several million, right? Could it be that what the host said earlier was true?" The people in the crowd who were responsible for creating excitement shouted in unison, as if they had planned it beforehand.

The crowd erupted again.

Some people were still able to maintain their composure, but now, seeing the stacks of hundred-yuan bills piled up together, almost everyone went crazy.

At this point, some people were already eagerly asking, "How can I win this ultimate prize?"

"Could there be something fishy going on here?"

The host on stage was beaming. "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to my explanation."

"There's definitely no trickery involved, but to win the grand prize, you'll definitely need some real talent."

"Since this is an antique market, and the transactions are mainly about antiques, this grand prize event should naturally be related to antiques as well."

The host noticed that the audience had quieted down considerably.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Speaking of antiques, one cannot ignore antique appraisal."

"Actually, the rules of the activity are very simple: everyone participates and is responsible for judging the authenticity of the antiques."

"Those who persevere through all the challenges and complete the most difficult antique appraisal will be able to take home this huge sum of five million!"

The people in the audience whispered and discussed among themselves.

One person looked dejected. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

"We also need to appraise antiques. More than 90% of us are laymen; we wouldn't know anything about this stuff."

"Just joining in the fun is fine, but those five million are probably harder to win than the lottery."

But there is another group of people who are eager to try.

In their view, this thing actually involves gambling.

After all, antiques are either real or fake.

Those with discerning eyes and experience should rely on their judgment; those who know nothing should just go with the flow.

"Let's get started."

"Everyone's getting impatient." The impatient ones had already started urging them on.

Everyone seemed very excited, after all, the host had just said that everyone present could participate.

In other words, everyone has an equal chance to win the five million prize.

However, even with the audience urging him on, the host on stage kept talking nonsense, clearly trying to waste time.

Chen Huan looked around and behind him again.

He discovered that in just a short while, the entire small square was almost completely packed with people.

"Popularity..."

"These bastards are quite good at creating hype."

"Five million is quite an attraction."

Chen Huan immediately understood Ma Yanping's intention: to build up popularity and use the five million yuan, which was visible but not necessarily obtainable by others, as bait.

At first, Chen Huan was only thinking about how to expose the scam and how to cause trouble for Ma Yanping.

After all, that was his idea before he came here.

However, he immediately changed his mind after seeing the hostesses bring several antiques onto the stage.

Chen Huan had never seen an antique before, or more precisely, he had never seen a real antique.

Jin Dacheng's shop was also an antique dealer, but he didn't have any genuine items. Chen Huan looked at them and immediately thought they were fake, but there was nothing particularly special about them.

But looking at the items displayed on the stage from a distance of more than ten meters, Chen Huan immediately noticed some clues.

His eyesight and other senses, after receiving the inheritance of cultivation techniques and being tempered by the Golden Core, had long surpassed those of ordinary people by countless times.

At this moment, he clearly saw that during the moving process, the antiques that revealed part of their outlines and appearances were covered with a layer of something like fluorescence.

He immediately realized that this was what was called precious energy.

The common saying "pearls are shiny and precious" refers to the bright and lustrous appearance of jewelry.

Those who are truly knowledgeable or capable will discover the precious aura that Chen Huan is observing.

"Anything that has a precious aura is the real thing."

"If it's not there, it's fake, a counterfeit!"

"Is it that simple?" Chen Huan blinked, a sudden surge of excitement rising within him.

Then he realized that regardless of whether the antiques were real or fake, the five million on the stage was real.

Moreover, the host, on behalf of Ma Yanping and the antique market, publicly promised that whoever could complete all the appraisals without making a mistake would be able to take away the five million.

If I were to get my hands on this money, wouldn't that be like stabbing a knife into Ma Yanping's chest?

Five million might not shake Ma Yanping's foundation, but it would be enough for me to vent my anger on him first.

Thinking of this, Chen Huan began to push forward, intentionally or unintentionally.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A burly man in front of him was pushed over and immediately turned around to glare at Chen Huan, cursing as soon as he opened his mouth.

Chen Huan raised an eyebrow and casually replied, "One? You have two?"

"Damn it!" The burly man reached out and grabbed Chen Huan by the collar, completely disregarding someone of his size.

But the next second his large hand grasped nothing.

Chen Huan was like an extremely slippery eel, skillfully shifting his position in the crowd.

She circled around to the side of the burly man, reached down with her palm in a delicate, orchid-like gesture, and flicked between his legs.

With a loud thud, it landed squarely.

"Ugh!" The burly man's face turned red instantly, and he instinctively reached out to cover his groin and squatted down.

Chen Huan withdrew his hand and continued to push forward as if nothing had happened, quickly reaching the front.

By this time, the square was so crowded that it was impossible to move.

The host glanced around, cleared his throat, and announced to the audience, "So, our prize-winning quiz is now starting!"

"Those who wish to participate, please remain silent. Anyone who dares to make a sound will be immediately expelled and disqualified from the event."

That really worked; the scene became even quieter.

Chen Huan could even hear the breathing of the person next to him and the excited, nervous heartbeat.

"First antique on display!" The host made an exaggerated gesture, taking a large step to the side.

He pointed at the table.

A tall, elegant hostess in a cheongsam gently lifted the red cloth covering an antique at the very edge of the table.

"Now, all those who want to participate in the event and win the five million grand prize, please make your decision!"