C8 Small Fights!

As several people had purchased raw stones in this round of stone gambling, various cutters had already begun their work. The onlookers swelled to nearly a hundred, creating an impressive scene. Everyone was silent, eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a single thrilling moment.

Yet, the majority were focused on the large raw stones with promising colors, paying little attention to Lee Wen's modest dealings.

"Jadeite! It looks green!" Suddenly, a piercing shout cut through the crowd as if someone had seen a ghost.

Startled, Lee Wen quickly scanned his surroundings, on high alert to protect his treasure from potential thieves. He soon realized, however, that his concerns were unfounded.

"Where is it? Where is it?"

"Where?"

"Holy smokes, is that jadeite?!"

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, jostling to get a closer look at the large stones being cut.

"Oh my!" The cutter working with Lee Wen was either too excited or naturally stuttered, struggling to get his words out. "It's... it's out... There's jadeite in this eggstone!"

Despite his stutter, the cutter's voice boomed, drawing all eyes to their location.

Shush!

The crowd paused, then collectively converged around Lee Wen and the cutter.

"Handsome, you're quite lucky. Are you selling this jadeite?" A fashionably dressed, alluring woman gently tapped Lee Wen's shoulder, her smile as enchanting as her piercing gaze. She was certain the eggstone contained jadeite. "If you're selling, I'm ready to put down a deposit."

"Young man, if that's real jadeite, I, Wang Da Hai, will make you a generous offer!"

"Exactly. Don't rush to sell. There are plenty of interested buyers!"

Suddenly, the crowd came to their senses, eagerly advising Lee Wen, worried that the naive young man might hastily sell his find.

"Hehe, no rush. Let's peel it open first..." Lee Wen was no fool; he understood the art of driving up an auction price.

As the hum of the cutting machine subsided, the cutter wiped the sweat from his brow and exclaimed with joy, "It's done... it's been cut..."

With that, he handed the freshly cut jadeite over to Lee Wen.

Lee Wen could barely contain his excitement. He examined the piece, which was the size of a thumb. After meticulous polishing, it would surely be at least the size of a pinky finger, perfect for a heart-shaped necklace or ring.

"Thirty thousand!" Amidst the commotion and envious glares, an eager voice erupted. Everyone turned to see the old man in charge of the stone gambling, the owner himself, hurrying over. He grabbed Lee Wen's arm, his voice trembling with excitement. "You've found jadeite! Young man, you've struck it lucky! Will you sell it to me for thirty thousand? I'll pay you in cash right now!"

"Humph? Thirty thousand? How generous of you, boss!" A portly man approached Lee Wen and declared, "I, Wang Da Hai, offer sixty thousand! What do you say, brother? Will you sell?"

"I'll give seventy thousand!"

"Eighty thousand!"

"Eighty-eight thousand is my final offer. The additional work to turn it into a finished piece, with all the intricate details, won't be cheap. We all know that!"

Suddenly, Lee Wen found himself encircled by a throng of eager voices, with hardly a chance to get a word in.

Internally, Lee Wen was ecstatic, struggling to keep from bursting into laughter. His face flushed with excitement, he managed to say, "Gentlemen, the bid has reached eighty-eight thousand. Do I hear any more?"

After his inquiry, the crowd fell silent, with a couple of the bidders even shaking their heads and walking away.

Seeing this, Lee Wen, the antique novice, began to feel anxious.

"One hundred thousand, firm," the fashionable and alluring lady who had been ready to make a deposit earlier said with a smile. "What do you say, handsome?"

"Sold, to the lovely lady!" Lee Wen replied, his heartbeat racing.

Although he was a newcomer, he had done his homework, reading up on the subject and recognizing that the stone in his possession was too small. Moreover, it wasn't a supreme grade old pit ice species jadeite. A hundred thousand was a decent price. Fearing that the crowd might change their minds and he wouldn't fetch as much, he jumped at the offer of one hundred thousand and sold it without a second thought.

"Ms. Liu is truly generous!"

"Do you think she's as concerned with haggling as we are?"

The crowd murmured among themselves. Lee Wen noticed his hearing had sharpened considerably. He took another look at the woman before him, about thirty, with a figure that turned heads and sparked wild thoughts. Uninformed onlookers might suspect she worked in some illicit trade.

Listening to the hushed conversations, Lee Wen surmised she might be a well-known figure in the area; otherwise, they wouldn't have mentioned her surname.

While pondering this, a text alert confirmed the hundred thousand had been deposited into his account. Lee Wen contentedly lit a cigarette. Just hours before, his account balance was a mere 600 yuan. Now, it had multiplied exponentially!

It would take over a year of hard work to earn that much!

"If things keep up at this pace, I'll be able to pay off the boss's five hundred thousand yuan in no time!" Lee Wen mused, thanking the attractive woman before heading back to the pile of raw stones.

Those ready to leave paused at his action, curiosity piqued.

"Hey, this kid got paid and still isn't leaving. Is he planning to lose it all?"

"He's just too young."

The woman who had acquired the jadeite was also about to depart, but Lee Wen's behavior made her stay out of curiosity.

Lee Wen, with his unique ability unbeknownst to the onlookers, felt a bit awkward as he searched for raw stones containing jadeite and jade. After several uncomfortable minutes, he began to relax and focused intently, touching the stones with both hands. Concerned that his psychic force wouldn't hold out, he immediately discarded any stone deemed 'defective' after appraisal.

The stone gambling boss, while attending to other clients, kept an eye on Lee Wen, thinking to himself that if Lee Wen purchased another stone, he'd make sure to make a hefty profit from him.