Conditions

Chen Mo was stunned. He took a few steps back and approached Zhang Liwei. He swept him with his Spiritual Sense, which surprised him. He hadn't expected that the stones Zhang Liwei had picked out would also give him a feeling. Although it might not compare to his own, it felt good. He hadn't expected this fellow to be such a Stone Gambling master.

"How do you want to gamble?" Chen Mo frowned slightly, wanting to hear his conditions. If it was about gambling whether there was Jade in the Rough Material, he couldn't gamble, because four of his Rough Materials contained no Jade at all. He was already a little angry, but his mind wasn't completely clouded. He wanted to see the Rough Stones Zhang Liwei had chosen first, so he could be prepared.

"Heh heh! You've got some guts," Zhang Liwei said with a mocking laugh. The young girl accompanying him today was someone with a significant background, and she was also a rising star in the business world.

The young girl's name was Nangong Xue, the second young lady of the Jiangnan aristocratic family. Due to an accident in her childhood, she was unable to Cultivate. However, she had shown astonishing business talent since she was young and was now the chairman of Nangong family's Southern Jewelry. She was definitely a beautiful, rich, and eligible woman. Many pursued her, but none had yet become her intimate companion. Moreover, Nangong Xue had a very cold personality, which many couldn't tolerate.

Zhang Liwei was one of Nangong Xue's pursuers. Though he was the shùzǐ (son of a concubine) of the Zhang family, he was highly favored by everyone within it. Moreover, the Zhang and Nangong aristocratic families were old friends, which was why he had the opportunity to accompany Nangong Xue. Having been doted on since childhood, he had developed a vengeful personality.

If Nangong Xue hadn't been there today, Zhang Liwei would have definitely made Chen Mo doubt his entire life. However, due to Nangong Xue's intervention, Chen Mo was spared a dispute. But Zhang Liwei didn't want to let him off so easily; wasn't this him looking for trouble?

He himself was also a Stone Gambling master and had been in the Jade industry for many years, experiencing ups and downs. He was definitely miles ahead of Chen Mo. Therefore, with his confidence, he was sure he could achieve victory.

"You picked out seven Rough Materials, and I've also picked out seven Rough Materials! We'll gamble on the total price of the Rough Materials," Zhang Liwei said.

"Alright!" Chen Mo agreed after some thought. With the feeling from his Spiritual Sense, he wouldn't lose. This also made Chen Mo feel very fortunate to have the cheat method of Spiritual Sense. Wasn't this too much of a bully?

"The loser must not only hand over all the Jade they gamble out to the winner, but also kneel down and kowtow three times!" Zhang Liwei said arrogantly.

Seeing his arrogance, Chen Mo frowned but then gradually relaxed and asked, "What if the loser reneges on the bet?"

"Hahaha! If the loser reneges, then don't even think about leaving this courtyard!" Zhang Liwei was extremely confident. How could he possibly lose? If Chen Mo tried to run then, he would definitely beat him until he called him Grandpa. Although the country had restrictions on aristocratic families, preventing them from harming Ordinary People, it also depended on the situation. If the dignity of a Martial Artist was offended, the country wouldn't say much. Killing them would be killing them. That's why Zhang Liwei was so arrogant. As long as Chen Mo agreed, he would have no choice but to kneel and kowtow.

"Okay! I agree!" Chen Mo didn't ask why he couldn't leave the courtyard, but he still agreed. Zhang Liwei had the dignity of a Martial Artist, but Chen Mo also had the dignity of a Cultivator. Although he was weak now, he wasn't someone any cat or dog could mess with. Zhang Liwei's repeated provocations had also made Chen Mo somewhat disgusted.

Just as Chen Mo and Zhang Liwei were confronting each other, Nangong Xue and the others arrived in the backyard and overheard their bet.

Nangong Xue's delicate eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't speak or intervene. Her beautiful face showed no discernible emotion. The other old men beside her began to discuss.

"I've never seen this young man before! He might lose!"

"That's right. He doesn't understand the strength of the Zhang family's second young master, so why did he agree? He's too young!"

"If it were me, I would definitely not agree. The Stone Gambling skill of the second young master Zhang is truly rare."

"Yes, yes..."

There were quite a few people cutting stones in the backyard. A row of eight stone-cutting machines were all working with a "sizzling" sound, and there were many people around. Most of them had heard about Chen Mo and Zhang Liwei's bet. Anyone who knew Zhang Liwei didn't think Chen Mo could win.

At this moment, the owner of the shop also heard the employee's report and came to the backyard. He first greeted Zhang Liwei and Nangong Xue and the others, then looked at Chen Mo and shook his head. He also didn't think Chen Mo would win, but he didn't say much. Young people, after a few more lessons, they would grow up. Who hadn't been impulsive when they were young?

He specially cleared out two machines on the side and then loudly announced that someone was gambling on stones, and the stakes were the cut Jade. Immediately, almost everyone stopped and gathered to watch Chen Mo and Zhang Liwei's duel.

This was the effect the shop owner wanted. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come out to preside over this bet. Regardless of who won or lost, the merchant would ultimately benefit. However, it seemed that Chen Mo was more likely to lose.

The stone-cutting master who came out was also an experienced hand. He placed a chosen Rough Stone on the stone-cutting platform and began to operate.

From this, one could tell who was an experienced hand and who was a novice. When placing the Rough Stone on the platform, the stone-cutting master would look at the owner of the Rough Stone to see how they wanted it cut. Experienced hands would express their ideas and even step forward to draw lines, etc. Zhang Liwei stepped forward to direct, explaining how he wanted it cut.

The stone cutting here is not like yesterday when Chen Mo casually bought a few stones and asked the shop owner to cut them open. The master stone cutters here attach great importance to their reputation and the stone cutting process; stone cutting has become a skill. However, to avoid causing trouble, the master stone cutters cut according to the requirements of the stone's owner, unlike those small scraps, which are not worth much.

Chen Mo was completely bewildered. Seeing the stone cutter looking at him, he also looked at the stone cutter. The stones he cut open yesterday were small, and no one asked him about them. He really didn't understand why they were looking at him.

Both of them looked at each other in confusion. Finally, the master stone cutter couldn't hold back and asked.

Nangong Xue stood aside with a blank expression. However, after seeing the expressions of Chen Mo and the master stone cutter, her eyes flickered, and she understood some things. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips. However, she didn't say anything. She would not participate in or have any opinion on the bet between Chen Mo and Zhang Liwei because it had nothing to do with her.

However, she did look at Chen Mo with a bit more respect. Since she entered this stone gambling place, all the men's eyes had been on her, and the meaning behind their gazes made her feel sick. This was one of the reasons she developed a cold and aloof personality. But after meeting Chen Mo, she found that he only looked at her with admiration, and only for a brief moment. After that, he never looked at her again. It wasn't that he wasn't looking at her directly but then secretly watched her from the shadows; he genuinely didn't pay attention to her, treating her like an ordinary passerby. This made Nangong Xue very curious.

Nangong Xue was not only beautiful but also possessed an intuition since childhood that she had never told anyone, not even her parents. This intuition allowed her to sense goodwill or malice from someone at close range. But today, she felt a third feeling from Chen Mo: disregard!

Someone actually disregarded her. This had never happened before in her life. Nangong Xue maintained a blank expression on the surface, but inwardly, she felt a bit resentful. Therefore, she no longer tried to dissuade Zhang Liwei from the bet. She wanted to see how Chen Mo would handle it. She was well aware of Zhang Liwei's stone gambling abilities, or she wouldn't have let him accompany her to select jade materials.

In fact, Chen Mo wasn't unwilling to look at Nangong Xue. Everyone likes to look at beautiful women. However, Chen Mo was not someone who would be distracted by external factors. What was the point of her being beautiful? They weren't familiar with each other, and she was allied with the fellow who was causing him trouble. Therefore, she became someone Chen Mo chose to ignore. Since they had no relationship and were on opposing sides, ignoring her was the best course of action.

"Youngster, do you have anything to say?" The master stone cutter saw Chen Mo staring at him blankly and felt helpless. He waited for a long time, but Chen Mo said nothing. The stone cutting on the other side had already begun, so he asked.

Chen Mo finally reacted and said directly, "Master, cut it however you think best. I trust you!"

The onlookers all shook their heads. It seemed this youngster was a complete novice, not understanding anything.

With Chen Mo's consent, the master stone cutter calmed down and began cutting the stone. Even with his permission, the cutting was meticulous. Having done this many times, he had accumulated much experience and was working with ease.

The first stone was one that Chen Mo had felt particularly good about. He cut a finger's thickness along the stone, and there was green.

"It's increased! It's increased! It's increased!" The crowd was stunned. Seeing the green, they shouted. They hadn't expected this little novice to have such good luck, which made others envious and jealous!