Yang Fan suppressed his excitement.
He took a giant stride toward the fourth stall and reached out to grab a basketball-sized piece of black wusha!
Hearing the commotion, the surrounding gamblers curiously looked over.
"I looked at that stone a dozen times just now. The outer crust is ridiculously thick—how could it possibly yield any jade?"
"Hmph, this kid is obviously an amateur. He doesn't know the rules of a major venue!"
"..."
Strictly speaking, the rules of a major venue like this were never formally written down. However, as more people gambled and lost money, certain unwritten, hidden rules naturally came to be.
Take this fourth stall, for example.
Because the number four sounds like the word for death, most vendors avoided placing good raw stones here. It was generally reserved for the leftover, inferior stones after all the other stalls were stocked.
Consequently, the prices here were much cheaper than at the other stalls.
It mainly targeted gamblers who wanted to try their luck but were strapped for cash.
Right then, seeing that Yang Fan had pulled his raw stone from the fourth stall, Zhou Lin was grinning from ear to ear!
Others might not know, but Wang Hu was his uncle—how could he not know the inner workings and rules of Wanbo's venue?
The truly good merchandise was hidden in stalls one and ten; the ones in the middle didn't even have a single hair worth looking at!
"Hahahaha, Yang Fan, don't say this young master didn't warn you. That fourth stall is the 'death stall,' and the name sounds so ominous. Are you really sure you want to pick a stone from there?"
Zhou Lin wore an arrogant expression. He wasn't the least bit worried that Yang Fan might change his mind and pick a good piece from stall one or ten instead.
That was because, while they were selecting stones, Wang Hu had already secretly slipped him a piece of raw jadeite that was guaranteed to show green!
"Stop talking nonsense!" Luoli lifted her delicate chin, gave a thumbs-up, and boasted, "Whatever Yang Fan picks is definitely the best! We don't need your warnings!"
This sort of "blind" confidence actually made Yang Fan feel a little embarrassed.
Yet very soon, he would prove to everyone whether the material he chose was good or bad!
"Stone gambling is just a gamble, isn't it? Who's to say we won't find a path to survival in a desperate situation and pull a rare treasure right out of the 'death stall'?"
Yang Fan smiled slightly, his dark, bright eyes flashing with confidence.
Seeing that he was dead set on the worthless rock in his arms, the smile at the corners of Zhou Lin's lips deepened. "Fine, fine! Since we've both made our choices, let's cut them right now!"
"I'll go first!"
With that, he strode over to the counter and asked the Wanbo staff to help cut the stone.
Gamblers generally had little interest in petty squabbles, preferring a detached, wait-and-see attitude, but stone gambling was entirely different!
Once it reached the cutting stage, it was like a mental roller coaster—just watching it was a thrill!
"This material looks good! The outer crust is fine-grained; you can tell it'll show green just by looking at it!"
"I think so too. This is bound to skyrocket in value!"
"..."
Amidst the chorus of discussions, the staff member started up the cutting machine and brought it down directly against Zhou Lin's raw stone.
Sure enough!
The next moment, a flash of dazzling green caught everyone's eye!
"It went up! It really went up!"
"Look! Didn't I say it would show green?"
"The texture and transparency are pretty good, though the size is a bit small. Still, it's definitely enough to make a bangle and a ring!"
Listening to the exclamations coming from all directions, Zhou Lin was brimming with smugness.
Even though this was a prime piece intercepted by Wang Hu that wouldn't end up in his hands afterward... so what? He had saved face and gained substance either way, so he wasn't losing out!
"Miss Wen, it's your turn now."
Zhou Lin wore a playful expression, fully convinced that Yang Fan couldn't possibly cut open any good material.
Hmph, when that time came, let's see who could protect him!
"Hmph, who's afraid of whom!" Don't let Luoli's small stature fool you—her temper was huge!
Wen Wan pouted her little lips and retorted defiantly, "Yang Fan, let's cut our stone too and show them what truly good merchandise looks like!"
"No rush."
Yang Fan smiled faintly. Having learned from the lesson at Brocade Pavilion, he was now accustomed to being fully prepared. "Let's get this straight first: are you buying this stone, or am I?"
"I'm buying it, of course!"
Wen Wan replied without a moment's hesitation.
To put Yang Fan at ease, she even proactively asked Wang Hu, "Boss Wang, how much for this material? I'll buy it, and then we'll cut it!"
"Hahahaha, as expected of Miss Wen! Truly generous!"
Wang Hu laughed heartily and held up three fingers. "This piece of black sand stone isn't small at all. If it turns out to be good material, its value could multiply many times over... How about this? Considering Miss Wen is a regular customer, I'll give you rock-bottom price: three hundred thousand!"
"No problem, just scan the code!"
To Wen Wan, three hundred thousand was as trivial as pocket change.
After paying, she seemed to remember something and leaned in close to Yang Fan, deliberately lowering her voice. "Yang Fan, don't put any psychological pressure on yourself. Just go ahead and cut it without worry."
"Even if there's no material inside, I won't let them bully you! Because..." Wen Wan giggled, her bright, sparkling eyes flashing with mischievousness, "Because a person of honor stands by their word—and I'm no person of honor!"
Well, well!
So she had that trick up her sleeve!
Warmth flooded Yang Fan's heart. He hadn't expected this little girl to be so loyal!
"All right, let's cut it then." With that, he took a piece of chalk, drew two lines on the black wusha, and handed it to the staff member. "Please cut along these two lines."
"Diagonal lines?"
The staff member was momentarily stunned, gave Yang Fan a meaningful look, and couldn't help reminding him, "Brother, if there is actually any material inside, cutting it this way will completely ruin it..."
"It's fine, just cut it like that." Yang Fan's gaze was firm.
"Fine then."
The staff member didn't insist further. After all, he had already said his piece.
Sasha, sasha!
As the cutting machine roared to life, the reactions of the surrounding gamblers were worlds apart from before.
"This kid is a complete idiot. Who cuts a stone diagonally?"
"Hahahaha, exactly! With his level of skill, he dares to come gamble at Wanbo's venue? He'll probably lose the shirt off his back in a couple of days!"
"Lose what shirt? Didn't you see Miss Wen is footing the bill for him?"
"Tsk tsk, if I were that handsome, I'd definitely be able to find a little rich heiress to pay for me too!"
"..."
The crowd chattered and mocked him, their faces full of disdain and contempt.
In their eyes, Yang Fan was just a greenhorn who had latched onto a wealthy daughter; it would be a miracle if he could cut open any material!
Before long, the cutting machine stopped.
The staff member opened the stone up and poured water over it.
Everyone rushed over impatiently, eager to find out what was inside.
Among them was Zhou Lin...
Yet the next second, the entire gambling venue plunged into dead silence!
It wasn't until three full seconds later that someone let out a roar—
"Holy shit! It went up! And it's a massive surge!!!"
"Good lord, I've been playing with stones for so long, and this is my first time seeing such incredible material!"
"This kid has amazing luck to actually stumble upon something so rare!"
"..."