Chapter 244 - 241: Leaving After the Deed Is Done, A Shocking Price

Chapter 244: Chapter 241: Leaving After the Deed Is Done, A Shocking Price

After exposing the scam and seeing the swindler surrounded by his previous victims, Gu Yifan took Su Qinghe’s hand, led Wang Zibo away, and slipped quietly out of the crowd.

It had the air of ’flicking one’s sleeves after a job well done, hiding one’s merit and fame.’

In reality, Gu Yifan just didn’t want the hassle of waiting for the police to arrive and ask a bunch of questions.

’Anyway, with so many people here, that swindler isn’t getting away. It doesn’t matter if I’m here or not.’

Just a short while after the three of them had left, the sound of police sirens rang out.

The nearest officers must have rushed to the scene.

...

The three of them wandered along, looking at this and that. Some of the trinkets were indeed quite exquisitely made!

But they were all just worthless little trinkets.

But!

No matter how exquisite they were, they were still fakes!

Can you believe it?

Some terracotta figurines, supposedly from the Qin Dynasty, were holding not spears, but AK-47s?

It was absolutely hilarious!

And to top it off, they were even artificially aged to look the part!

This was so ridiculous it was off the charts!

There were many other styles of trinkets, but they were all modern handicrafts, just good enough to fool some amateurs.

Old Street was a relatively famous commercial market street in Mountain City. Looking at the dazzling array of various items before him, Gu Yifan suddenly found it all rather interesting.

In a way, this Old Street could be considered one of Mountain City’s unique features.

...

After a quick look at the trinkets on the roadside, the trio headed straight for the most crowded area.

Because that was where the main event was today!

The first Mountain City Jade Trading Fair!

The three of them followed the crowd deep into Temple Street.

They all felt as if they had stumbled upon a hidden paradise, a whole new world opening up before them.

Who could have imagined there was such a large open space deep inside Temple Street!

A large, temporary stage had been set up in the open space.

A red banner hanging above it bore large characters: "Old Street Jadeite Raw Stone Trading Fair!"

The stage was surrounded by clusters of people. As far as the eye could see, there was just a dense, dark sea of heads.

The crowd surged, people chattering from time to time, making the entire area around the stage seem incredibly lively.

But!

There were just too many people.

With such a large and chaotic crowd, Gu Yifan pulled Su Qinghe protectively into his arms, then didn’t forget to turn back and remind Wang Zibo, "Zibo, watch your wallet and phone!"

There were too many people, so there were bound to be pickpockets. After all, an environment like this made it easy to snatch something and disappear into the crowd.

"Huh?"

Wang Zibo froze for a second before it dawned on him, and he started checking his pockets.

He realized he had been careless, but his wallet and phone were still there, so he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Brother Fan, my stuff is still here!" he said.

"Mm... Good, as long as it’s there."

"Let’s go over there and take a look."

Gu Yifan glanced at him, then nodded.

With that, he took Su Qinghe’s small hand and headed straight through the crowd toward the jadeite raw stones. After all, his main task today was to pick out a good piece of raw jadeite for Su Qinghe to make some jewelry.

A moment later, the three of them had squeezed through the crowd and reached the area by the large stage.

This area was even livelier than the previous spots. A crowd of people were all gathered around what looked like unremarkable jadeite raw stones.

Of course, with so many people, they couldn’t all be stone gamblers. Most, like Wang Zibo, were just onlookers who had come for the spectacle.

...

Just as Gu Yifan was observing and studying the stones...

"Brother Fan, Sister-in-law Qinghe, look over there."

Wang Zibo suddenly pointed to a huge stone, his face filled with shock. "Holy crap, that stone is selling for thirty-five million!?"

Hearing him, Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe followed his finger and looked over. A massive, green-skinned stone came into view.

Just as Wang Zibo had said, a large sign was placed on top of the stone, marking its price—thirty-five million!

!!!

’A single stone is that expensive???’

At that moment, Su Qinghe’s face was also filled with astonishment!

Gu Yifan, on the other hand, was much calmer. After all, when he accepted the mission, the system had already given him the Antique Appraisal ability. This ability included the jade category, of which stone gambling was a part. Therefore, Gu Yifan could now be considered a stone gambling expert!

When he looked at the stone, information about it instantly surfaced in his mind: its place of origin, and which mining pit the raw stone belonged to.

According to the data, this piece was a deep-pit raw stone from the Myanmar Store. Furthermore, it was one of the higher-quality pieces from its entire batch, which was why the price was so high.

With this kind of thing, one cut determines whether you win big or lose big; it’s a total gamble. A raw stone this large, few people would dare to take on the challenge. Usually, the only ones who would dare to gamble on it are the major jewelry and jade merchants.

For ordinary individual buyers or jade players, spending a few hundred thousand or even a few million would already be considered a lot.

"That one’s a deep-pit raw stone from the Myanmar Store. Its quality is relatively good, so the price is a bit higher."

"But since it’s so big, the risk is also much greater."

"Now look to your left. Aren’t those few washbasin-sized raw stones much more expensive than this one?"

Gu Yifan said casually, looking at the stunned Wang Zibo.

"Er..."

Wang Zibo looked in the direction Gu Yifan was pointing and was instantly floored.

"You’re right... Holy shit, there’s even one selling for over a hundred million!"

His eyes widened in shock as he said, "So this is the legendary stone gambling? This... This is too intense!"

"Stone gambling isn’t as mysterious as you think," Gu Yifan said coolly, glancing at him.

"Huh??"

Wang Zibo said in astonishment, "Brother Fan, you know about this stuff too??"

Hearing this, even Su Qinghe, whose hand Gu Yifan was holding, looked at him with curiosity.

Gu Yifan glanced at Wang Zibo and then at Su Qinghe, his silly Hanhan, seeing that both of them looked curious and expectant.

So, he began to explain slowly, "Alright... let me put it this way."

"’Stone gambling,’ or ’gambling on the goods,’ refers to jadeite that is still covered by a weathered rind when it’s mined. It’s impossible to know the quality of what’s inside. The quality can only be known after cutting, and such jadeite is called a ’gamble stone.’"

"These raw stones are also divided into many types."

"Generally, jadeite from old mines has a rind. However, water-stone jadeite, which is found in riverbeds, is also considered old-mine jade, and its rind is either very thin or nonexistent."

...

Gu Yifan explained quietly from the side, while both Su Qinghe and Wang Zibo listened intently, looking like a pair of curious children.