Chapter 168: High-Stakes Gamble

With his hands clasped behind his back, Wei Jianjun pointed at Mu Lin and said,

"Did you come down with some terminal illness? Is that why you're so determined to die?"

Mu Lin replied, "I haven't!"

"Then for you to go and offend Master Ning... you've truly got a death wish!"

"Sell this raw stone to me. The money will allow your family to live a prosperous life! I give you my word, I will protect them and keep Master Ning from laying a hand on them."

In his words, Mu Lin was already a dead man.

"So you're convinced I'm going to die? You're a vicious old man," Mu Lin said, pointing at Elder Wei.

"How dare you speak to my grandfather like that?" Elder Wei's granddaughter, Wei Nianru, snapped. "My grandfather is doing this for your own good! If he wanted to harm you, he could just kill you and take the raw stone! But he isn't. He's offering to buy it from you and guaranteeing your family's safety. He's being more than fair, so what's there to be unhappy about?"

Elder Wei found his granddaughter's words too harsh and tugged her by the arm.

"That's enough. Stop talking. If he won't sell, we'll just ask the Manor Master for it later..."

Mu Lin said, "This stone might not be of any use for your ailment. How do you know it will be jade when it's opened? What if it's metal?"

Wei Nianru said sternly, "Wouldn't metal be even better? My grandfather needs a Divine Weapon to break through his limits!"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "Really? I think he'd prefer jade. Warm jade, to be specific. That's the only way to counteract the extreme cold poison in his body."

A violent shudder ran through Wei Jianjun, his body trembling so uncontrollably he could barely maintain his posture.

He had seen countless renowned physicians, and not a single one had mentioned the words "cold poison" right away.

Even after rigorous examinations, few had managed to connect his illness to cold poison.

It was an old friend who helped find

'But Mu Lin stated it outright. Does he already know who I am? But this has been my deepest secret; not even my own granddaughter knows about it.'

"What did you say?" Wei Jianjun's body shuddered violently.

"I said this high-stakes gamble of yours might not cure your cold poison," Mu Lin said, clasping his hands behind his back. "But it's different for me. I'll profit no matter what's inside. If it's ore, I'll sell it. If it's jade, I'll have it carved into a toy. If it's something else... well, there are other ways to handle it."

Wei Jianjun trembled. Mu Lin was right—this was a massive gamble.

He was betting that the object inside the raw stone could help him suppress his cold poison. Any method of suppression would do.

He was willing to spend a fortune on this gamble, because if his strength recovered, the Wei Family's power would rise to a new level.

But if his strength failed completely, it would be curtains for the Wei Family.

Mu Lin paused. "Elder Wei, why don't we open it right now? If it turns out to be warm jade or something else that can treat your cold ailment, I'll sell it to you—for half price. If it's not something that can treat your condition, then I'll happily take it for myself. How does that sound?"

Wei Jianjun's eyes lit up. That would work!

And at just half the price, it was the perfect solution for him, given his current financial straits.

"Agreed!"

Jiang Lan cut in, "Elder Wei, he's just a dead man walking. Once he's gone, the raw stone will be yours by default! Why entertain his foolishness?"

Elder Wei said coldly, "Silence!"

His voice was so filled with authority that it sent Jiang Lan stumbling back several steps in fear.

"He diagnosed my illness! My chance of survival rests entirely with him! And you're telling me to just let him die? What are you plotting?"

Only then did Jiang Lan realize she had misspoken. Elder Wei was too old for the flirtatious routine that usually worked on auction guests.

Now, she had only succeeded in embarrassing herself.

Mu Lin picked up the raw stone and pinched its surface lightly between two fingers.

The stone's outer shell flaked away in pieces, like the crispy crust of a pastry.

Elder Wei's own fingers ached just watching. The shell of this type of stone was known to be as hard as iron, typically requiring a circular saw to cut through.

While Wei Jianjun could break it open himself, his hand would ache terribly afterward.

Yet with a light pinch from Mu Lin, the surface cracked open...

'Doesn't that hurt?'

'Then again, he is a young man. They're always willing to suffer a little to show off for the ladies.'

Mu Lin, however, acted as if it was nothing, casually peeling away the stone fragments.

Seeing that Mu Lin didn't seem bothered, Wei Jianjun didn't bother to ask.

He pinned all his hopes on that stone.

'Warm jade. Please, let it be warm jade!'

When Mu Lin was halfway done, the shape of jade could be seen through the remaining loose bits of stone.

Wei Jianjun's eyes lit up. "It's jade! It's warm jade! My illness can be cured!"

Mu Lin gave Wei Jianjun a placid glance. "It's jade, but not necessarily warm jade. The odds are fifty-fifty, you know... You can celebrate later."

Wei Jianjun remembered himself and hastily suppressed his excitement.

Mu Lin continued peeling, stripping off a large section of the crust before tapping the raw stone against the lawn.

Mu Lin picked up the stone, and as his hand touched the jade within, a look of delight crossed his face.

Seeing Mu Lin's expression, Elder Wei thought, 'This must be it,' and eagerly reached out to grab it.

But he immediately let out a cry and stumbled backward. Wei Nianru had to catch him to keep them both from falling.

"Gods, what is this thing? It's so cold!" Wei Jianjun's cry was so pitiful it frightened Wei Nianru.

"Grandfather! Grandfather, are you alright?" she asked frantically before turning to shout angrily at Mu Lin,

"You bastard, what did you do to my grandfather!"

"I didn't do anything," Mu Lin said calmly. "It's just an unfortunate coincidence. This is a piece of cool jade. Your grandfather can't handle it."

Mu Lin handed the stone to Wei Nianru. She touched it dubiously and found nothing unusual about it; in fact, it felt slightly warmer than a windowpane.

'I can't believe Grandfather was in so much pain from just touching it... His illness must be really severe.'

Wei Nianru said hastily, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

Mu Lin smiled. "No harm done. You were just worried about him."

"So, according to our agreement, this cool jade is mine now?"

In his heart, Mu Lin mentally labeled the cool jade as 'top-grade'. Wearing it would make his Gang Qi purer and more condensed. It would also imbue his attacks with a trace of icy energy, making them even more powerful.

Wei Jianjun said, "That's right. Please, take it!"

But Jiang Lan interjected, "That's not right! This raw stone belongs to the manor, so whatever comes out of it also belongs to the manor!"

But no one was paying her any attention.

Wei Jianjun was extremely anxious. Since the stone didn't contain warm jade, his condition would only continue to worsen until he eventually lost all ability to fight.

'Since Mu Lin was able to diagnose my condition, maybe he can cure me?'

"Then... can you cure my illness?" Wei Jianjun asked, taking a difficult step forward.

Mu Lin replied, "And why should I? You were so eager for me to die. Shouldn't I just wait for you to join me in the afterlife?"

Wei Jianjun's lips trembled. 'He's right,' he thought, 'what I said earlier was truly out of line.'

Watching Mu Lin walk away was like watching his only chance at survival walk away.

"Sir, I beg you to save me! If you can save me, the Wei Family will henceforth spare no expense to repay this great debt!"

Mu Lin kept walking. Zhao Yang, unable to watch any longer, said, "Mu Lin, honestly, Wei Jianjun is a good man. He's righteous and public-spirited. He stepped up during the years of turmoil and made great contributions to the country..."

"You can't refuse to save him just because his words were a little harsh... A healer should have a compassionate heart. Please, help him!"

Wei Nianru also pleaded, "We're sorry. What we said was out of line. But please, I'm begging you to save my grandfather!"

Mu Lin stopped and turned around. "For Grandmaster Zhao's sake, I'll help you this one time."

He then pointed to a building in the small courtyard. "This house is empty, right? Can we perform the treatment in there?"

Everyone present pursed their lips. The owners, Huang Fengnian and Gouzi, were already dead, weren't they?

Mu Lin let out an "Oh" of dawning comprehension. "I get it. Then let's do it here. Miss Wei, help your grandfather inside."

As Wei Jianjun walked past Mu Lin, he said,

"Thank you, my young friend. Regardless of whether you succeed, the entire Wei Family will remember your great kindness!"

Jiang Lan realized she had lost control of the situation. The Wei grandfather and granddaughter had forgiven Mu Lin so easily. How was she going to explain this to Master Ning?

She was filled with anxiety. 'If something goes wrong,' she thought, 'how will I ever answer for it!'

"Elder Wei! He's just some young man from who-knows-where! You can't just believe him when he says he can treat you! You have to be responsible for your own life!"

Elder Wei completely ignored her.

As Mu Lin followed Wei Jianjun and Wei Nianru toward the room, he turned his head and called out,

"Grandmaster Zhao! Ling'Er! Come over here and help me."