"Stop!"
The stall owner ran in front of Li Mo and shoved a thousand bucks into his hands.
Li Mo looked back at the red-clothed beauty just in time to see her winking at him in satisfaction. It was a sight to behold.
Li Mo frowned but didn't hesitate as he returned the jade pendant to the stall owner.
This heavily damaged jade pendant had no value as a toy. Li Mo bought it for a thousand only because he fancied the tiny bit of chalcedony it contained.
Even a godly refining master wouldn't be able to extract the slightest bit of Chalcedony from it. Only Li Mo, with his Fortune of Heaven and Earth Art, had that ability.
That tiny bit of Chalcedony wasn't worth anything. It wasn't something Li Mo cared for in the first place. So Li Mo didn't even bother arguing.
'Fine, fine. It doesn't matter.'
"Beauty, beauty, I brought the jade pendant back for you!"
The stall owner ran and gave the jade pendant to the red-clothed beauty.
"I changed my mind. I don't want it."
The red-clothed beauty snorted and left.
The stall owner's smile froze on his face.
"Y-y-you …"
"What me? I haven't paid yet. I can take it or leave it. Don't tell me you're going to force me to sell it?"
The red-clothed beauty made a face at the stall owner and walked away.
"Eh?"
The stall owner was on the verge of murder. But seeing the red-clothed beauty's departing figure, he was helpless. Thinking it over, he stomped his foot and chased after Li Mo.
"Friend, friend, I was just thinking. This jade pendant … I think it's best if I sell it to you!"
The stall owner caught up to Li Mo, panting from exhaustion. He was truly panting.
"I don't want it."
Li Mo spoke blandly and the stall owner was on the verge of tears.
A damaged jade pendant sold for fifty bucks. He sold it for a month and no one wanted it. Now that he finally found a buyer, his greed ruined it.
'It's all that damned red-clothed girl's fault!'
But now wasn't the time for cursing and complaining. He had to do business.
"900, how about 900?"
Li Mo walked slowly, looking over the items on both sides. He didn't comment on the stall owner's offer.
"Eight hundred, eight hundred. I admit my loss today. How about we make friends?"
"Why don't you name a price?"
Seeing no reaction from Li Mo, the stall owner panicked.
Li Mo raised one finger, "100."
The stall owner's lips were trembling.
"Sell it, sell it! Take the money!"
Seeing Li Mo walking away, the stall owner knew there was no room for negotiation. He gritted his teeth and sold for a hundred.
This lousy jade pendant had been on sale for a month, and not a single person had asked for a price. To put it bluntly, it was already good that he had made a profit.
Just like that, Li Mo spent a hundred bucks to buy the damaged jade pendant.
"Who told you to be greedy? Who told you to be greedy?"
The stall owner took the 100 yuan and slapped himself as he walked. He was depressed.
Li Mo put the jade pendant away. It was worthless in other people's hands, but in his, it was worth more than a perfectly preserved antique.
A single strand of Chalcedony was worth ten thousand kilograms of jade. The value of jade that could produce Chalcedony could no longer be measured by money.
"Take a look, take a look. Riches and honor in a single stroke. Don't miss this great opportunity!"
A shout came and Li Mo looked up to see a stall full of people.
The items on display at the stall were nothing more than a pile of earthen-yellow stones of various sizes. Many people were holding stones in their hands, either knocking, smelling, or licking them. It was a lively scene.
They were gambling on stones.
The yellow rocks were all jadeite ores, of varying quality. A single stroke could make one rich or poor. A rock could make one rich in an instant, or make one bankrupt in a single night.
Gambling on stones was a game of heartbeat. Because of the thrill, because of the possibility of riches, no matter where the stone-gambling stall was, it never lacked customers.
"This, this, and this, rub together!"
A skinny bespectacled youth picked out three millstone-sized jadeite ores and told the stall owner to rub them on the spot.
There were three popular ways of gambling on stones: rubbing, cutting, and grinding.
Rubbing was the safest way.
Any reckless action could easily cause the green to 'break' and run away.
So once there was an opening, a strong light could be shone inside to determine the depth, width, and intensity of the green.
Cutting was simple. One cut in half, and the good and bad could be seen. Grinding and rubbing were about the same, with the only difference being that rubbing was more refined.
The stall owner shouted, "Three ores, 300,000 each, and the rubbing fee is 3,000 each. Friend, are you sure you want to rub?"
The bespectacled man had bought no less than twenty ores, but he would shout every time. This was to let the onlookers hear and testify for him, lest they renege on their debt.
"Rub!"
The bespectacled man pushed his glasses and his eyes flashed with determination.
The stall owner shouted, "Pay first, scrub later!"
"Have I ever been worse than you?"
"You haven't been worse before, but in the business of gambling on stones, there is a rule. One at a time."
"Here's the money!"
The bespectacled man took out his phone and transferred the money.
Then the rubbing began.
The bespectacled man's luck was not very good. He had opened twenty ores before, and the best one was barely enough to cover the cost of the stone. The rest could not even cover the cost.
The three ores began to be rubbed. After a while, it became grinding, and after a while, it became cutting. In the end, the three ores became six. There was nothing but a green strip that was barely visible to the naked eye.
"What a loss …"
"It's over. I've lost everything."
The bespectacled man's face was pale. He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit it with trembling hands. He lit it several times before it was lit. When he put the cigarette back, it fell to the ground again.
"Gambling on stones is just for fun. Don't be greedy."
"This guy lost a lot today."
"At least six million has passed since this morning."
"Oh my God, if I had six million, I wouldn't gamble anymore."
"Again, the biggest stone in your shop!"
The bespectacled man's voice was hoarse. He pointed to the most conspicuous and largest stone.
That stone was half a person's height and weighed more than ten thousand pounds.
The owner of the gambling stone shop said with a smile, "Friend, the starting price of this raw stone is 100 million, and it has already been bought by someone. In a few days, it will be sent to the Priceless Treasures Auction to be auctioned as a treasure of the auction!"
Hearing the bid from the boss, the crowd exclaimed.
A base price of one hundred million. This was definitely a huge sum.
The bespectacled man's face turned paler. He started to choke on his cigarette. He lowered his head and walked around the pile of ores. After looking at it for more than ten minutes, he did not call out to buy it.
"Boss, grind this one!"
A white-haired old man dressed in traditional Chinese clothing picked up a fist-sized raw stone and handed it to the owner of the stone-gambling shop.
"Aiyo, Old Yu."
The boss saw the old man and immediately smiled. He took the stone and passed it to a worker beside him. "This was picked by Old Yu. Be careful."
The bespectacled man stood up and said angrily, "Why didn't he pay first?
Why do I have to pay first?
What do you mean! "
The crowd burst into laughter. The boss did not have to say anything. The crowd told him.
"This is Old Yu, Yu Boyan. Can you compare to him?"
"Yu Boyan, Old Yu, a first-class appraiser in the country. Just his name alone is worth ten million. Letting him pay first, looks like Boss Wei doesn't want to do this anymore."
"Hahahaha …"
The crowd burst into laughter. The bespectacled man had nowhere to vent his anger. He squatted in the pile of ores and looked around.
Just when the bespectacled man was in a dilemma, the result of Yu Boyan's stone came out.
"Old Yu's stone. Five thousand raw materials. Sun Green high grade. Estimated value of nine hundred thousand!"