The next two jadeite rough stones both revealed green simultaneously. They were dazzling and translucent.
Despite the din of the sports stadium, all the onlookers near this vendor’s stall fell silent. They hardly dared to breathe, staring intently at the stone cutting.
Seeing green on the first cut wasn’t particularly strange; what mattered were the next few cuts. As they watched the masterful stonecutter reveal the complete forms of the three soccer-ball-sized rough stones, the onlookers’ eyes turned red with envy.
Each piece retained at least one-third of its volume, with the largest retaining half!
How much would each of these be worth? Two million? Five million? Ten million?
No one dared to name an exact figure.
The vendor’s heart, however, went ice-cold. Even without an expert’s appraisal, by his own judgment, these three pieces of supreme Imperial Green were worth at least fifty million on the market, if not more! And he had only invested fifty million for this entire lot of rough stones. Read full story at NoveI(F)ire.net
After a bitter laugh, the vendor shook his head with some regret, then turned to Su Daiyi with a congratulatory smile.
Stone gambling was always . No one knew what was hidden inside a rough stone—it could mean overnight riches or complete ruin. The stall owner hadn’t dared to take the gamble. But seeing someone cut a supreme Imperial Green from his stall left him with complex feelings.
Ignoring the purchase offers from the crowd, Su Daiyi respectfully turned to Xu Lai.
"Mr. Xu, regarding your jade, are you planning to sell it here or take it with you?"
Xu Lai gave Su Daiyi a deep look and said casually, "You paid for it. Naturally, it’s yours."
Su Daiyi was at a loss for words. Even if sold cheaply, this was still jadeite worth tens of millions. Was he really just... giving it to her?
Meanwhile, Old Jiang Ba’s admiration for Xu Lai surged like an endless river. He was now determined to cling to this great tree, Xu Lai, and never let go. Three casual points of his finger, and three Imperial Greens were revealed. What kind of keen eye was that?
"You said that the Fang Family is one of the organizers here, right?" Xu Lai asked.
"Yes, their stall is right in the center."
"Feel like playing for higher stakes?"
Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba exchanged glances, unsure of what Xu Lai meant.
Xu Lai smiled and took the lead.
The Fang Family’s stall occupied the largest and best area. And because they sold only the finest-quality rough stones from the best mines, it was also the most crowded, bustling like a marketplace.
"Did you hear? Just now at Crippled Liu’s stall, they cut open three pieces of Imperial Green one after another! The largest was the size of half a soccer ball!"
"Stop bluffing and get back to selling your stones."
"Why the hell would I lie to you? Wait, there she is, she’s coming! She’s wearing high heels, carrying the jadeite... Yes, that’s her!"
The crowd grew increasingly excited. The sports stadium wasn’t terribly large, so when something big happened, news spread like wildfire. Su Daiyi was already being revered as a jade master by many stone gambling enthusiasts.
Over at the Fang Family’s stall, the person in charge was a young man of about thirty. His birth name was Zheng An, and he held a respected position within the Fang Family—because he was a Martial Artist. Later, he married into the Fang Family and changed his name to Fang An. Having had a fortuitous encounter in his youth, he could vaguely sense the Spiritual Energy inside Spirit Stones, which was why he was also known as Master Fang in the jade industry.
He sized up Su Daiyi, his expression shifting from initial amazement at her beauty to surprise.
She’s the Pearl of the Su Family of Hangcheng!
Then, when he saw Old Jiang Ba beside Su Daiyi, Fang An was even more shocked.
That’s the Eighth Master of Liu City. What’s he doing here!?
Though perplexed, Fang An dared not show any slight and hurried to greet them. "Eighth Master, Miss Su."
Old Jiang Ba carried none of the gravitas of a powerful man; he just chuckled and fell into place half a step behind Xu Lai. Su Daiyi did the same, not daring to cross that seemingly insignificant half-step distance.
This small detail made Fang An’s pupils contract slightly. These two were renowned figures in Hangcheng and Liu City, yet they deferred to this stranger. Who is he?!
"We’ve come to buy jade stones," Su Daiyi said with a slight smile.
Suppressing his confusion, Fang An nodded and said, "Please, go ahead."
Xu Lai’s eyebrows rose slightly. The quality of these rough stones was indeed higher than at the previous vendor’s stall. But... they still didn’t pass his muster.
After scanning the area for about five seconds, Xu Lai suddenly stomped his foot.
The ground trembled. The immense force sent the neatly arranged rough stones flying into the air. Except for thirty-seven stones that rolled to Xu Lai’s feet, the rest all landed back in their original positions, perfectly.
Many people clapped and cheered. Several women’s eyes shone with fascination; the kick was like a magic trick.
Laymen watch for the spectacle. Experts observe the technique.
Fang An stared gravely at Xu Lai. This man was also a Martial Artist. That kick, with its exquisite use of hidden energy, was far beyond what a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist could manage. He had to be at least Fifth Grade!
"Senior," Fang An asked respectfully, his own cultivation stalled at the peak of the Third Grade, "these... you want all of them?"
"Mm." Xu Lai chuckled. "Do you trust me?"
Old Jiang Ba and Su Daiyi both nodded. Having already witnessed Xu Lai’s ability, how could they possibly have any doubts?
"If you trust me, then pay up. I’ll grant you a great fortune," Xu Lai said lightly, his hands clasped behind his back.
Fang An hesitated. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on the stones, touching them one by one. A moment later, he smiled bitterly. "Senior, we’re both Martial Artists, so I’ll be blunt. None of these stones has any Spiritual Energy. You’ll lose money if you buy them."
Xu Lai was a little surprised. "You can sense Spiritual Energy?"
Fang An nodded. "Normally, only a Martial Ancestor can sense it, but I learned an ancient technique from a damaged scroll. It’s unreliable, but it works sometimes."
Xu Lai asked no more questions.
"These thirty-seven stones total two hundred and five million. Let’s round down and call it an even two hundred million. Are you... absolutely sure you want to buy them?" Fang An confirmed.
It wasn’t that there were no wealthy clients today. But even the richest among them, when buying rough stones, would want to peel back every layer of a stone’s exterior, examining it meticulously time and time again. But there wasn’t a single customer like Xu Lai, who would casually kick out over thirty stones and buy them all.
Is he just that wealthy and bold? Or a fool with too much money?
"We can’t produce that much cash at the moment. We’ll write you a check," Su Daiyi said, decisively taking out her checkbook.
Old Jiang Ba, on the other hand, clearly hesitated for a moment. But he still gritted his teeth, took out his own checkbook, and they each wrote a check for one hundred million.
Such a large purchase quickly drew everyone’s attention. Crowds began to gather around, ready to witness the stone cutting.
"Mr. Xu, shall we cut them?" Old Jiang Ba asked, licking his lips in excitement.
One hundred million. Even for him, this was a staggering sum. After all, being worth several hundred million was one thing, but that was mostly in fixed assets. This one hundred million represented the entirety of the Jiang Family’s liquid assets.
Old Jiang Ba’s hands were trembling slightly.
This was a gamble that staked the very destiny of the Jiang Family!