Chen Yu didn't think he had done anything all that impressive. Wasn't it just crippling some pampered young rich kid?
Of course, this was still before Chen Yu fully realized how powerful the Wu Family was. In Dongling Prefecture, the Wu Family had the backing of Lord Wu, one of the major crime lords of Jiangdong, making them one of the top elite families in Dongling Prefecture. Otherwise, arrogant individuals like Zhou Jian and Gao Yao would never have stooped to sucking up to a rich brat like Wu Tian.
Jiang Wu Shuang said to Chen Yu, "The Wu Family is one of the most prominent top families in Dongling Prefecture, and they've got serious pull. Now that you've crippled the only heir of the Wu Family, they're never going to let this go. You'd better watch your back."
Han Chong chimed in, "Brother, the Wu Family's a bunch of nobodies! Just for having the balls to pull that off, I, Han Chong, am claiming you as a friend."
Hearing this, Jiang Wu Shuang said nothing. Her whole reason for dragging Chen Yu along in the first place was precisely to introduce him to Han Chong. After all, Han Chong's influence in Dongling Prefecture was nothing to sneeze at either.
Chen Yu chuckled. This chubby guy really struck his fancy.
Afterward, chatting away, the three of them arrived at the Dongling Prefecture Jade Market.
"What kind of place is this?" Chen Yu looked up at the bustling market before him. Everything in the city was completely novel to a country bumpkin who had just stepped out of the sticks.
Han Chong threw an arm around his shoulder and said, "Chen Yu, this is the biggest jade market in our Dongling Prefecture. Practically everyone who comes here ends up altering their destiny. You wanna try your hand at it, kid?"
"Really, it's that magical?" Chen Yu asked, feeling rather curious.
Jiang Wu Shuang shot him a disdainful look and said, "It definitely changes a person's destiny—either turning paupers into millionaires, or millionaires into paupers. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer. This is Stone Gambling, and success doesn't just rely on luck; it takes real skill."
"Stone Gambling?" This was Chen Yu's first time hearing such a novel term. With explanations from Jiang Wu Shuang and Han Chong, Chen Yu finally gained a basic understanding of what Stone Gambling was all about.
The three of them walked into the jade market together. The place was bustling with crowds. Everywhere the eye could see, small mounds of stone blocks in various colors and shapes were piled up. People swarmed around these stones, and the sound of discussion rose in waves.
When it came to Stone Gambling, Chen Yu and Han Chong were both complete laymen, though Jiang Wu Shuang had a smattering of knowledge. The Jiang Family business involved the jade trade, and Jiang Wu Shuang usually managed those operations herself.
This trip to the jade market by Jiang Wu Shuang and Han Chong was primarily because Han Chong wanted Jiang Wu Shuang to help him pick out a high-grade piece of raw jade to use as a congratulatory gift.
"Wu Shuang, my girl, how's it going? Found any good material yet?" After strolling around for a while, Han Chong turned and asked Jiang Wu Shuang.
Jiang Wu Shuang shook her head. "Not yet. Even if some of these raw stones look promising on the surface, the risks are still massive."
Chen Yu trailed right behind the two of them, his roving eyes spending far more time ogling the pretty women than looking at the jade. After all, there were quite a few beauties to be found in this jade market.
Just then, however, Chen Yu abruptly stopped. He suddenly sensed a strange force emanating from a piece of jade nearby—a force remarkably similar to the energy circulating within his own body.
Feeling this, Chen Yu was startled. He stared blankly at the stone beside him. Although the energy radiating from inside the jade was extremely faint, he could guarantee that the power inside it was identical to the energy he cultivated.
"What is it?" Jiang Wu Shuang and Han Chong both turned around to look at Chen Yu. Catching this guy staring dead-eyed at that piece of stone without being able to tear his gaze away, Jiang Wu Shuang sneered, "You aren't actually eyeing this rock, are you? Never mind whether this stone can even yield green jade to begin with, just the million-dollar price tag alone is way beyond anything you can afford. I suggest you get that thought out of your head."
Han Chong said, "Chen Yu, if you like it, I can spot you a million so you can mess around with it."
Damn, this little fatty was generous!
Chen Yu gave an awkward chuckle. "I'm just looking, not playing."
A million bucks? Hell, if he didn't have the cash, he'd probably have to spend the rest of his life paying it back!
Yet, after experiencing that sensation just now, Chen Yu gradually began to pay attention to the jade stones, and his roving eyes stopped wandering toward the beauties of the jade market.
As they walked along, over the course of the next stretch of time, Chen Yu sensed that same energy emanating from quite a few more jade stones, varying in strength.
Soon enough, the trio had finished touring the entire jade market.
Jiang Wu Shuang told Han Chong, "There's nothing worth grabbing in this batch of raw materials today. We'll just have to come back and take another look in a couple of days."
Han Chong wasn't particularly surprised by this outcome.
However, just as Jiang Wu Shuang and Han Chong were about to call out to Chen Yu to leave, they saw that this guy had already scurried over to the front of a pile of stone rubble. Like someone hunting for treasure, he started frantically clawing through the debris, as if searching for something.
"What the hell, bro, what are you looking for?" Han Chong asked, utterly baffled as he looked at the wildly excited Chen Yu.
Jiang Wu Shuang's face flushed slightly, and she scolded angrily, "Aren't you embarrassed? These raw stones are all discarded scrap, absolute trash! Don't tell me you're actually hoping to dig up treasure in a pile of garbage?"
Chen Yu ignored the two idiots. With his backside sticking up and his waist bent, he kept right on searching, looking for all the world like he was grave-robbing his ancestors for valuable antiques.
"Holy shit, what is this guy doing? Must be out of his mind wanting money—he's actually busting his ass in a pile of waste material!"
"These scraps are just the leftover rubbish cut away by the jade market. Who would've thought someone would actually have the eyes for this kind of trash?"
"Heh, trying to unearth treasure from scrap material? The kid must be dirt poor out of his mind!"
Passersby caught sight of Chen Yu's antics and cast looks of utter contempt in his direction.
Hearing these remarks, Jiang Wu Shuang and Han Chong felt even more awkward. Just as Jiang Wu Shuang was about to haul Chen Yu out of that pile of unwanted waste, a middle-aged man walked over to the two of them and smiled, "Miss Jiang, Young Master Han! Please forgive me, Zheng Shan failed to welcome you both properly!"
"So it's Boss Zheng." Jiang Wu Shuang greeted him somewhat awkwardly.
Zheng Shan looked at Chen Yu, who was still rummaging through the pile of scrap, and let out a somewhat disdainful smile. "Miss Jiang, Young Master Han, is this gentleman a friend of yours?"
Hearing this, Jiang Wu Shuang's face turned red.
Han Chong wasn't having it. "He's my brother. Got a problem with that?"
Zheng Shan smiled. "I certainly have no objections to friends of Young Master Han and Miss Jiang. It's just that this is the first time Zheng has ever seen anyone hunting for treasure among unwanted garbage and waste."
"Sister Shuyi, look, what is that guy doing?" Not far away, two women looked over at Chen Yu at that moment.
Qin Shuyi, wearing dark sunglasses, said calmly, "Perhaps he's hoping to try his luck in the waste pile."
"Hmph! If you could dig up treasure from waste material, pigs could fly," Li Weier said with clear disdain.
Right then, amidst the jeers and pointing from the surrounding crowd, Chen Yu—still poking his rear in the air and digging with all his might—suddenly clutched a piece of raw stone and burst into an excited laugh. Because deep within this piece of material, he sensed a violently powerful surge of energy.