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Lin Feng, like a naive fool, agreed to his bet, and Qian Liexian was almost laughing out loud. To him, this was a fantastic opportunity; he could see that none of Lin Feng's several Rough Stones had any chance of significant appreciation. Did he really think it was that easy to make a big profit?
"Alright, let's get started. Please," Qian Liexian said politely for the first time, feeling pleased. It was rare for someone like him, Qian Dazongzi, to treat another with such courtesy on Jade Street.
At that moment, Lin Feng clearly had no intention of observing formalities. Seeing that there were no further complications, he strode forward confidently. He felt quite good because, in Lin Feng's eyes, Qian Liexian was essentially paying him. Just moments ago, he had bought a Rough Stone for five million, and now Qian Liexian was eager to hand over another five million. Wasn't that paying for himself?
Of course, in Lin Feng's mind, this time it wouldn't be as simple as Qian Dazongzi losing money. The reason was simple: Lin Feng didn't want him to just lose money.
"This one will do," Lin Feng casually walked over to the five or six Rough Stones he had purchased and pointed at one of them.
"Are you serious?" Even though he knew any choice Lin Feng made would lead to a loss, Qian Dazongzi still asked cautiously.
"Absolutely! Come on, White Boss, let's crack the stone. The cost of the operation can be put on credit for now; Qian Dazongzi will settle it later," Lin Feng said without hesitation. It didn't matter which stone he chose; they would all yield the same result. After answering Qian Liexian's question, he turned to Bai Laosan.
"Young Master Qian, this..." Bai Laosan understood Lin Feng's intention. As a witness himself, he thought it best to check with Qian Dazongzi just in case someone tried to back out later and made things difficult for him.
White Boss was indeed very shrewd.
"Just do as he says," Qian Liexian said with a glare at Lin Feng and waved his hand dismissively.
Then he looked at Lin Feng and said word by word, "Don't get too cocky; you'll be the one crying later."
"Heh... I'm not here to exchange insults; we'll see who comes out on top," Lin Feng responded to Qian Liexian's threat. However, it was ironic since it was Lin Feng who had started the banter earlier.
However, at this moment, even though Qian Liexian knew that Lin Feng was just talking big, he couldn't say anything. After all, he was used to living as Qian Dazongzi, and although he had learned to be insincere, his face wasn't as thick-skinned as Lin Feng's since his rebirth.
Moreover, he believed that Lin Feng would soon be left in a pitiful state, so he decided not to hold it against him. Of course, this was just his one-sided wishful thinking.
"Alright then, since both parties agree, everyone present can join Bai in serving as witnesses. Master Huang, please come forward with the knife." Bai Laosan saw that both sides had agreed and naturally took on the role of mediator and witness. He even invited everyone present to act as witnesses. He was quite experienced in such matters because people from Gambling Stone often had a gambling gene and would fight tooth and nail over a point of pride, ultimately leading to a gamble.
However, today’s bet between Lin Feng and Qian Liexian was clearly much larger than usual; it was the biggest wager Bai Laosan had ever seen.
There was a reason for this. Those who would go to such lengths over a point of pride and even gamble were mostly young people with some spare cash who understood Gambling Stone. Young gamblers naturally didn't have the same boldness as Lin Feng and Qian Dazongzi. The real experts who could place large bets were all people of status with high cultivation; they generally wouldn’t engage in self-destructive actions like gambling in public for the sake of their reputation.
The Master Huang called by Bai Laosan was a teacher he had hired; he was an expert in stone appraisal and had been invited at great expense by Bai Laosan. However, there had been very few instances of Master Huang working on-site lately, making this appearance quite rare.
Of course, even though Master Huang rarely took action, he was still someone who received a salary regularly. Therefore, whether or not someone worked on stone appraisal was acceptable to him; he didn't lack money.
In fact, for someone like Master Huang, who had lived into his fifties or sixties with a certain economic foundation, the pursuit of wealth wasn't particularly high anymore. Even if he stopped working from now on, his savings would be enough to support him for the rest of his life.
Thus, what Master Huang truly desired now was to uncover good jade with his own hands. Although gambling on price wasn’t his own money—at most the wealthy would give him a big red envelope—this pursuit was about life goals rather than wealth. For an excellent old Stone Master, how many pieces of Rough Stone he cut successfully were all honors of his life.
This mindset could be seen as a direct manifestation of the saying "love what you do."
"Young brothers, although this old man is eager to demonstrate his skills in stone appraisal right here, the stakes are too high for that. I wonder if there’s any possibility for reconciliation between you two?" Hearing Bai Laosan's instructions, Master Huang stepped forward. He had been watching from the side and had seen the Rough Stone chosen by Lin Feng; while it wasn't completely worthless, the chances of gambling on price were slim. Naturally, he didn't want Lin Feng to lose outright.
This clearly showed how unpopular Qian Liexian was on Gambling Stone Street.
"Old Huang, stop dragging your feet! If you're going to appraise the stone, just do it already! Why all this nonsense?" Upon hearing this, Qian Liexian became displeased. He could see that Lin Feng was about to lose and be humiliated in front of everyone; how could he possibly agree to any reconciliation?
"Master Huang, I’ll trouble you with this." Lin Feng didn’t share Qian Liexian's bad attitude; he understood Master Huang's intentions well enough. At this moment, he cupped his hands toward the teacher respectfully. His demeanor contrasted sharply with Qian Liexian's rudeness, causing everyone present to nod and smile. Regardless of Lin Feng's abilities in Gambling Stone, at least his character had already won the approval of those present.
"People die comparing themselves to others, and goods are discarded when compared. Perhaps it is precisely because of Qian Liexian's bad attitude that everyone feels Lin Feng's attitude is so good.
'Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. Lin Feng, how do you plan to proceed? Or should I take care of it myself?' Master Huang was also an experienced figure. Although his influence and status were not comparable to the Qian Family, being scolded by this wastrel, Qian Liexian, naturally made him angry. Even a clay figurine has some temper; at this moment, he looked down on discussing anything with someone like Qian Liexian and instead turned to Lin Feng to discuss how to open the stone.
Of course, the reason for discussing it with Lin Feng was that Lin Feng was the owner of this Rough Stone, so Master Huang had to consult him before proceeding.
As a Stone Master, it is essential to ask the owner of the Rough Stone about their thoughts on how to open it before starting. For instance, where to begin, whether to make a clean cut or gradually polish it—these are all industry rules.
Naturally, if the owner of the Rough Stone has no idea, then the work will proceed according to the Stone Master's judgment. Regardless of the outcome, the owner cannot blame the Stone Master.
Otherwise, if the Stone Master misjudges, how can he compensate? Moreover, he only receives a small fee for his efforts and cannot bear such significant risks for you.
'Haha... Master Huang, being an elder, I am just a young lad without any insights. You just go ahead and do your thing. If it turns out well, besides the fee, I will also give you a big red envelope. If it doesn't go well, then it's my fault for choosing the wrong Rough Stone, and I won't blame you; I'll still pay your fee.' Knowing where the jade was located within the Rough Stone, Lin Feng humbly responded and left everything to Master Huang.
There was a reason why Lin Feng chose this particular Rough Stone. The jade was located in the center of the stone core; as long as there were no accidents, it would be impossible for Master Huang to ruin it. This also served as a favor and demonstrated his full trust in this elder.
The reason for doing this was that Lin Feng had his own plans. Initially, he did not intend to reveal his abilities by opening stones in front of everyone; quietly accumulating wealth was the way to go. However, after being stirred up by Qian Liexian, he had no choice but to demonstrate his skills on-site. Since he had to do it publicly, he prepared himself to be recognized as a master of Gambling Stone. In this way, he believed that such confidence and demeanor were qualities that a true expert should possess.
What does it mean to have an expert's demeanor? It means being confident, decisive, and respectful towards elders—what part of this isn't an expert's demeanor? In short, Lin Feng believed this was how an expert should carry themselves; whether others believed it or not didn't matter—he certainly did.
Indeed, Lin Feng's little scheme worked quite well. His humble yet respectful attitude towards elders and his full trust in his collaborators quickly earned him more respect in everyone's eyes.
In contrast, seeing Qian Liexian with his nose in the air made everyone feel... sigh... there's no need to say more; one phrase sums it up: people die comparing themselves to others, and goods are discarded when compared—this saying truly makes sense.
'Haha... Young brother's kindness is appreciated; I will certainly do my best,' said Master Huang, who was influenced by Lin Feng's demeanor. He patted his chest and spoke confidently to Lin Feng.
'Haha... I look forward to good news from you, Master Huang.' Knowing that Master Huang was about to start opening the stone, Lin Feng naturally stepped aside and moved away; this was a great opportunity for observation that he certainly wouldn't want to miss."
Lin Feng had already gained a lot of knowledge from Chen Sheng last night, including techniques for identifying jade. Unfortunately, even though Lin Feng was confident in his photographic memory, he could only grasp some theories spoken by Chen Sheng, which were essentially just empty talk. At this moment, with the opportunity to witness it firsthand, he naturally would not let it slip away.
Qian Dashao also sneered at Lin Feng and Master Huang. He knew that he wasn't particularly well-liked, but he was even more aware that no matter how much Lin Feng and that old buddy named Huang managed to win others' favor, if they ended up with a pile of worthless stones, he would ultimately win this bet and achieve his goal.
With this thought in mind, Qian Dazongzi was filled with anticipation for the actions of the old man named Huang next. He knew that his moment of revenge against Lin Feng was approaching.
Not to mention Qian Liexian's self-delusion, Master Huang truly deserved his reputation as a master of jade identification. His experience was undeniable. Lin Feng knew where the jade was located within the rough stone, but Master Huang was unaware. Yet, he still cut with such precision that not only did he reveal the jade shell inside the rough stone, but he also preserved the entire piece of jade intact.
As time passed, the most critical moment finally arrived. Master Huang began to polish the stone. Whether it would be a gamble on price or a disaster would soon become clear.
At this moment, everyone held their breath while watching Master Huang's actions, except for Lin Feng.
"Wow... it's really a gamble on price! And it's this top-quality jade type. Unbelievable." Finally, the crowd transitioned from silence to an uproar. It was evident that Lin Feng had indeed gambled on price.
Lin Feng already knew the answer; he simply smiled without any significant emotional fluctuation. However, Qian Liexian and Qian Dazongzi were drenched in cold sweat at the moment they realized Lin Feng had gambled on price.
A rough stone that looked unpromising had actually allowed Lin Feng and this old man Huang to identify top-quality jade. This was not just a gamble on price; it was a slap in the face.
To think that Qian Dazongzi, a renowned expert in gambling stones, was publicly humiliated by an unknown rookie was something he could not accept.
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