With these words, the auctioneer suddenly whipped off the red cloth draped over the stand, and in an instant, an ancient sword with a simple and unadorned design, its blade thin as a cicada's wing, was revealed to everyone!

This ancient sword, with a blade as thin as a cicada's wing, was both flexible and firm, with two archaic characters inscribed upon it: Rope Curve!

This ancient sword was clearly the very one that Lu Yu meticulously observed in the security department that morning, the sword of Gu Yanzhou, the Rope-Curled Sword!

This ancient sword was Gu Yanzhou's personal sword, and Gu Yanzhou was a member of the Gu Family!

Since the Dongdao Group was established from the division and reorganization of the Lu Family's assets, this indicates that this company has direct ties with those families that attacked the Lu Family years ago!

If the Dongdao Group has direct connections to those families that attacked the Lu Family, then the person in charge of the Dongdao Group must recognize the Rope-Curled Sword!

Now that the Rope-Curled Sword has appeared as the grand finale item, if the person in charge of the Dongdao Group is present, they will surely react!

This Rope-Curled Sword, just with its craftsmanship value alone, proves its exceptional worth. Like contraband, this sword is a hot potato; if it stays in Lu Yu's hands for too long, it will inevitably bring unnecessary trouble upon him!

Just this morning, Lu Yu was thinking of finding a reliable auction house to sell off this ancient sword.

And now, the Ink Pavilion's antique appraisal auction has appeared at just the right time.

It's like receiving a pillow when you're drowsy—a very timely occurrence indeed!

If this sword can draw out the person in charge of the Dongdao Group, all the better. If not, Lu Yu can use this opportunity to offload the sword!

In any case, this approach is absolutely advantageous to Lu Yu!

For this reason, after Leng Qingqiu visited Lu Yu in the morning, he hurriedly sent the sword to the Ink Pavilion auction house, aiming to use it as a centerpiece to bait out the person in charge of the Dongdao Group!

Although Lu Yu is not a master of antique appraisal, he is battle-hardened and won't mistake the authenticity of a weapon.

The craftsmanship and sharpness of the Rope-Curled Sword are more than enough to serve as tonight's centerpiece exhibit!

"This Rope-Curled Sword, as appraised by our Ink Pavilion's chief appraiser, is at least eight hundred years old. It is extraordinarily well preserved, with a blade as thin as a cicada's wing, capable of bending like a rope. The edge is extremely sharp, effortlessly slicing through strands of hair. The starting bid is fifteen million..."

At this moment, the auctioneer was enthusiastically introducing the history of the Rope-Curled Sword, only to be suddenly interrupted by a steady voice.

"This sword is a fake!"

With these words, a brawny man rose from the corner, his voice rough and his eyes as sharp as knives, exuding an extremely fierce aura.

Buzz!

The moment the words were spoken, a commotion erupted among all the bigwigs present!

Everyone knows that the Ink Pavilion is LA City's most authoritative antique auction house. For this man to stand up and declare this sword a fake is tantamount to trying to undermine the Ink Pavilion!

"Sir!"

Hearing the man's words, the auctioneer's voice turned frosty: "What is your basis for this claim?!"

Even a clay figure has some temper; with the man disrupting the event so brazenly, how could the auctioneer possibly show him a pleasant demeanor!?

"Basis!?"

Upon hearing the auctioneer, the man chuckled coldly and said, "The authentic Rope-Curled Sword is a personal sword in my friend's collection. My friend treasures it greatly and would never part with it casually, so this sword is definitely a fake!"

Hearing these words, a wicked smile appeared more prominently on Lu Yu's face!

Perhaps others may not understand what the man was referring to, but Lu Yu knew very well—the 'friend' this man was talking about belonged to the Gu Family!

It seems that the so-called Dongdao Group is indeed closely related to the Gu Family this time!

Now, Lu Yu's lips curled up slightly, clearly satisfied with his arrangement.

Such a trivial tactic revealed this information; this outcome is quite remarkable!

Next, it's essential to find out which family owns the Dongdao Group and exactly who this man is!

"Sir, how should we address you?"

The auctioneer asked coldly; the words were polite, yet his tone was quite unfriendly!

How could he possibly be friendly after the man's public disruption!

"The president of the Dongdao Group, Zhou Huchen!"

Upon hearing the auctioneer, the man straightened his back and stated loudly, revealing a hint of arrogance in his words.

"Look, the person you're looking for has jumped out by himself, hasn't he?"

Hearing Zhou Huchen announce his identity, a sly smile appeared on Lu Yu's lips as he spoke to Leng Qingqiu, amusement evident in his eyes.

Meanwhile, in his mind, he could not help but label Zhou Huchen as a 'fool'.

The auctioneer only asked for his name; a cautious person might have given only a surname. Yet Zhou Huchen directly revealed his full name and even mentioned the Dongdao Group—such behavior, in Lu Yu's view, is utterly foolish!

Wow!

Once these words were spoken, every bigwig present was momentarily stunned.

Even Leng Qingqiu was surprised, not expecting this man to be the president of the rapidly rising Dongdao Group!

In this manner, the mysterious president of the Dongdao Group made his appearance to these bigwigs by disrupting the event!

Amid the astonishment, Leng Qingqiu was profoundly shaken, her beautiful eyes gazing at the smiling Lu Yu, revealing a hint of contemplation.

From the start of the auction, Lu Yu had been telling her that the person in charge of the Dongdao Group would show himself. Initially, she did not believe it, yet now Zhou Huchen indeed appeared, and in such a high-profile way!

How did Lu Yu know so clearly about the situation, and why was he certain Zhou Huchen would appear?!

Could it be... was all of this planned by Lu Yu from the beginning!?

With this thought, Leng Qingqiu looked at Lu Yu with renewed puzzlement.

Even though Lu Yu's skills and his calmness in killing without flinching could be learned in the deadly fights on Paradise Island, planning everything beforehand with such foresight could not be acquired merely through combat!

Moreover, Lu Yu never mentioned when he left Paradise Island, leading Leng Qingqiu to make a bold assumption!

That is, what Lu Yu told her is just a small part of his five-year disappearance, and he has not mentioned his true experiences at all!

(End of five updates, goodnight everyone~)