63: Chapter 63 I am just a work of art, really.

In an instant, all the experts present immediately recalled the moment Ye Xiao shook the chixin copper bell earlier.

Although they had not heard any sound, they had clearly seen the members of the Archaeological Team pause slightly.

Thinking back, because they hadn't heard the ringing, they had assumed it was just a coincidence.

But now it seemed... this was by no means a coincidence!

There was definitely something fishy about the bell in Ye Xiao's hand!

Suddenly, even Professor Zhou at the conference table couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in his heart after realizing this.

And after the audience in the Live Stream Room figured it out, the comments in the Live Stream Room suddenly became turbulent.

"Holy crap! The chixin copper bell in Ye Dao's hand is actually useful!"

"I thought it was just a bell that couldn't make a sound; it actually has the effect of breaking illusions!"

"What is going on? Didn't the chixin copper bell in Ye Xiao's hand not make a sound? Why could the members of the Archaeological Team hear it?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Ye Xiao for the answer to that!"

"I'm shocked! Truly shocked! What on earth is the origin of the bell in Ye Dao's hand?"

"Could this be some kind of divine artifact for tomb raiding?"

"Looking at its age, this thing is very old! Could it be... some kind of heirloom passed down in Ye Xiao's family? Is this job also passed down from generation to generation?"

The audience in the Live Stream Room speculated one after another.

While Ye Xiao was sitting at the conference table, nervously sipping tea, he suddenly saw that "passed down from generation to generation" comment on the screen and immediately spat it out.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Choking on the tea, it took Ye Xiao a good while to recover.

Turning around, Ye Xiao put down his teacup and explained earnestly:

"That..."

In fact, Ye Xiao really wanted to say, "Whoever said that about it being passed down from generation to generation, send me your address, and I'll come find you!"

But after all, Ye Xiao was not a rude person, so he explained:

"My ancestors have all been honest, hardworking farmers; this isn't some job passed down through generations!"

Immediately, Ye Xiao scanned the experts present.

He discovered that even though Ye Xiao had already put the chixin copper bell away, the experts' gaze toward him had become incredibly intense.

It seemed... as if they regarded Ye Xiao as a peerless treasure that had just been unearthed,

or perhaps as if they were looking at a superpowered being with an immortal body, wanting to pack him up at any moment and put him on an anatomy table for a thorough dissection.

This feeling made Ye Xiao shudder.

Professor Zhou pondered slightly, then walked slowly toward Ye Xiao with a radiant smile on his face.

Ye Xiao stared at Professor Zhou guardedly, and seeing Professor Zhou's smile, he immediately became highly vigilant.

"Ahem!"

Pretending that nothing was wrong, Professor Zhou coughed lightly twice, then continued:

"Hehe, Little Ye, don't be nervous, relax!"

Ye Xiao didn't speak, just stared at Professor Zhou with a guarded expression, stepping back half a step, already prepared to "retreat" at any moment.

Seeing this, Professor Zhou had no choice but to pretend to be nonchalant and cough lightly twice more, then slowly leaned in and said:

"Little Ye, this red chixin copper bell of yours... it seems one was unearthed before!"

As he spoke, Professor Zhou slowly rubbed his chin with his index finger, then looked at Ye Xiao again and said:

"No wonder it looked familiar! Can you let me take a look?"

As he spoke, a hint of a smile appeared on Professor Zhou's face again.

However, in Ye Xiao's eyes, this was undoubtedly the smile of the Big Bad Wolf.

Ye Xiao was very cautious.

Of course, Ye Xiao wasn't worried that the chixin copper bell wouldn't be returned.

After all, the experts present were public figures, and a nationwide live broadcast was taking place.

He naturally didn't need to worry about such things.

But one had to know, this chixin copper bell was, after all, a reward from the system.

If any issues were detected, Ye Xiao truly wouldn't know how to explain it.

So immediately, Ye Xiao could only smile and politely decline:

"Professor Zhou, I picked up this chixin copper bell at an antique market during my spare time; there's nothing special about it!"

Ye Xiao smiled, waved his hand, and then added another sentence:

"It's just a craft, nothing special!"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Professor Zhou's face did not fade.

Of course, he wouldn't believe Ye Xiao's words.

They had all just witnessed such a magical chixin copper bell.

It clearly didn't make a sound, yet through the radio headsets, the Archaeological Team members underground had heard the ringing while in the illusion.

And this ringing helped the members of the Archaeological Team break through the illusion.

It saved the entire Archaeological Team.

If anyone said this chixin copper bell wasn't special, I'm afraid no one would believe it now.

The audience in the Live Stream Room, seeing this scene, couldn't help but start jeering, and for a moment, the entire Live Stream Room became incredibly lively.

"Uh, this, this, this... why does Professor Zhou's smile look a bit like the Big Bad Wolf!"

"What? Is Ye Dao a Little Red Riding Hood? Hahahaha!"

"I'm dying of laughter! Looking at Professor Zhou like this, why does he look a bit like a child trafficker?"

"The chixin copper bell in Ye Dao's hand is definitely not ordinary! Being able to help people break through illusions is definitely a divine artifact!"

"But just now, did any of you hear the ringing? No one did, right? Maybe it was just a coincidence?"

Command Headquarters

Seminar Hall

Professor Zhou looked at Ye Xiao with a smile, about to say something again.

However, Ye Xiao preemptively "fished out" an ancient-looking, crimson chixin copper bell from the pocket on his waist.

On the chixin copper bell, spots of blood rust revealed its extraordinary nature.

The many experts present, including Professor Zhou.

The moment they saw this chixin copper bell, their eyes all lit up violently, and their breathing couldn't help but quicken quite a bit.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the entire Live Stream Room became a bit eerie.

Ye Xiao looked at the "wolf-like and tiger-like" gazes of everyone present, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly, saying:

"This really is just an ordinary chixin copper bell!"

As he spoke, Ye Xiao picked up the chixin copper bell, suspended it in mid-air, and shook it gently.

Ye Xiao could naturally hear the cheerful, light ringing.

Every sound made Ye Xiao's mind clearer, dispelling some distracting thoughts.

But compared to the rest of the experts present and the many audience members in the Live Stream Room, Ye Xiao seemed to be performing a pantomime.

They couldn't hear any sound from the chixin copper bell at all.

Professor Zhou's brows were also tightly knitted, staring at the chixin copper bell in Ye Xiao's hand, his brows twisted into a "river" shape.

He muttered to himself:

"Strange, this chixin copper bell has an ancient style; it looks a bit like... an artifact from the Three Kingdoms period?"

As he spoke, Professor Zhou very naturally reached out his hand toward the chixin copper bell in Ye Xiao's hand.

Seeing this, Ye Xiao retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted.

Professor Zhou had no choice but to smile sheepishly and rub his nose.

Ye Xiao stared at Professor Zhou vigilantly, then spread the chixin copper bell in his palm again and said:

"This chixin copper bell is just a defective product; the internal clapper is already lost, so it's impossible for it to make any sound!"

As he spoke, Ye Xiao held the chixin copper bell up, letting the camera give it a close-up.

Professor Zhou also saw it; the inside of the chixin copper bell was empty.

Indeed, there was no clapper!