Su Daiyi, too, had bet the future of the Su Family, but she trusted Xu Lai unconditionally.
"Go ahead and cut," Xu Lai said. His words were like a tsunami, setting everyone abuzz.
"They’re cutting! They’re cutting!"
"Thirty-seven stones, two hundred million in total. How many will actually have green inside?" The source of this content ɪs novel·fıre·net
"Master Fang personally inspected them. Not a single one had a trace of jade. Heh, let’s just wait for this young man to break down right in front of us."
Fang An stared at Xu Lai intently. I can’t comprehend how this senior Martial Artist has such immense confidence. Two hundred million was not a small sum for anyone.
But the money had been paid, so he had no choice but to cut. Indeed, Fang An personally took hold of the cutting machine.
This caused a sensation among the onlookers. Fang An hadn’t cut a stone in ten years, yet today he was doing it himself. This honor was a symbol of status!
"Give me a break. You don’t recognize that woman and the old man? That’s Su Daiyi, the Pearl of the Su Family, and the Eighth Master of Liu City!"
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath followed, and the surrounding noise died down. The reputation of Liu City’s Eighth Master was simply that great.
Seeing this, Old Jiang Ba raised his eyebrows and gave Xu Lai a wry smile. "My apologies, Mr. Xu. I hope this hasn’t been an embarrassment."
Xu Lai simply shook his head, not minding the situation.
The first rough stone was quickly cut. Not only did it reveal green, but it was a top-quality, old-mine glass-type jade. Then came the second piece, the third... Ten consecutive stones all revealed green, and each was a specimen of the absolute finest, supreme quality.
The first green stone shocked the onlookers. The second astounded them. The third left them stunned. By the time the next few were cut... they were simply numb.
Even Fang An had grown numb. He had personally inspected these stones and sensed absolutely no Spiritual Energy within them. In other words, they should have been worthless scraps. How can this be?
With growing bewilderment, Fang An cut one stone after another. The area had fallen so silent you could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere was eerily strange.
"What’s happening? Somebody say something! What are the results?" someone who couldn’t squeeze through the crowd yelled anxiously from the back.
"It’s normal for one or two out of thirty-odd stones to be a hit."
"All thirty-seven of them were hits! Supreme Imperial Green, supreme Ice Seed, supreme..."
The man who asked was baffled. "Are you taking me for an idiot?!"
But when he finally squeezed his way to the front and saw the ground covered in a sea of brilliant green, he was utterly dumbfounded.
By the time the astonished crowd regained their composure, Su Daiyi and the others had already vanished, as had Fang An.
Some of them hastened to check their phones and cameras. They were reporters who had rushed over, ready to uncover a major scoop.
Then, a chilling realization dawned on them. The videos they had just recorded on their phones and cameras were all static, completely unwatchable.
Xu Lai and his companions were ushered to a VIP box on the second floor of the stadium, reserved for entertaining distinguished guests.
Fang An’s expression was now incredibly complex. He was in awe of Xu Lai’s skill in jade appraisal, but he was also beginning to doubt his own time-tested methods.
"Relax. After all, we’re talking about Mr. Xu," Old Jiang Ba said, grinning from ear to ear. That one-hundred-million-yuan check was well worth it. I’ll easily make a profit of two hundred million!
"Mr. Xu..." Fang An furrowed his brow. He felt like he’d heard that name somewhere before.
At that moment, the Fang Family Head, Fang Zheng, rushed over after hearing the news. Though his name was quite elegant, he was a burly, broad-shouldered old man with a loud voice.
"Hahaha, Eighth Master! What brings you to my stone-gambling event? And the young lady from the Su Family, you..."
Before he could finish, Fang Zheng inhaled sharply. He had seen Xu Lai. He had been present at the Ye Family’s grand banquet. He immediately clasped his fists, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Mister... Mister Xu."
Fang An felt as if his mind had exploded. He finally remembered where he’d heard the name "Mister Xu"—from the Family Head himself. This is the mysterious Martial Artist who killed Han Buming, Tang Yi, and even the prodigy Ye Wuxuan?! His Boundary must be at least a half-step Grandmaster. In fact, he’s probably a true Martial Arts Grandmaster!
Fang An’s breathing grew ragged with excitement. He dropped to one knee and declared loudly, "Fang An, a Third Grade Martial Artist of the Fang Family, pays his respects to the Martial Ancestor!"
Martial Ancestor! The title weighed as heavily as Mount Tai.
Fang Zheng’s face twitched. He quickly followed suit. "I... I pay my respects to the Martial Ancestor!"
Xu Lai opened his mouth, then closed it again. Fine. Believe whatever you want.
Fang An now completely understood why every stone Xu Lai had chosen contained top-grade jade. It’s because he’s a Martial Ancestor. That title itself is synonymous with miracles! Far from being surprised, Fang An now felt a deep sense of honor. "Martial... er, Mister Xu," he stammered, "shall I have the jade packed up for you?"
"They belong to them," Xu Lai said, gesturing toward Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba.
Su Daiyi quickly interjected, "Mister Xu, we couldn’t possibly! We only need to recoup our initial investment. The rest..."
"Take it," Xu Lai said flatly. "I still have tasks for you."
"Is there any way the Fang Family can be of assistance?" Fang Zheng’s tone grew eager.
He had heard that starting yesterday, Su Daiyi had begun contacting the major Wealthy Families of East Sea and Hangcheng about some secret undertaking. The Fang Family was the only one left out. Fang Zheng had sensed something was wrong, and only now did he realize it was all connected to Xu Lai.
"You?" Old Jiang Ba sneered. "You’re about to become relatives of Mister Xu by marriage. Who would dare ask for your help?"
"Huh?" Fang Zheng was completely baffled. Relatives by marriage?
"Still playing dumb? Your son has been in a vegetative state since his car accident," Old Jiang Ba said, glancing at him sideways. "And I hear he’s about to get engaged."
Because the Jiang and Fang Families were of comparable strength, Old Jiang Ba’s tone was completely blunt.
Fang Zheng frowned. A few months ago, the Ruan Family from East Sea City had been desperately trying to curry favor with the Fang Family. I initially refused, but they were relentless. So, I told them my second son, the one in a vegetative state, needed a wife to care for him. If they sent a daughter over, I would agree to help the Ruan Family get into the real estate business. They agreed immediately and even sent a photo of Ruan Lan. I was quite satisfied with her appearance, so I let the arrangement proceed.
Wait a moment—the Ruan Family!?
Sweat beaded on Fang Zheng’s forehead. If he remembered correctly, Xu Lai’s wife was also a Ruan.
"The woman your son is supposed to marry is none other than the younger sister of Mister Xu’s wife," Old Jiang Ba said with a sly chuckle. "I’m not sure if you were trying to deliberately humiliate the Ruan Family, or... deliberately humiliate Mister Xu."
Fang An dropped to his knees, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Mister Xu, I swear our Family Head had no such intention! Please, see the truth of the matter!"
The path of the Martial Dao had rigid rules. A First Grade Martial Artist had to show deference to a Second Grade one as a junior. And a Martial Ancestor, a master from the upper echelons, was a titan of the Martial Dao—a figure of faith in the hearts of all practitioners.
They could not be insulted.
The penalty for doing so...