Chapter 319: Struck It Rich
A smug smile spread across the shop owner’s face. He knew his scheme had succeeded.
’This time, I can pocket Ouyang Lei’s money without a worry!’
"Go ahead and pick a stone yourself!" the shop owner said casually.
He figured Qin Tuo didn’t have any real knowledge anyway. ’He’s so young, what could he possibly know about stone gambling?’
’That last cut was definitely just dumb luck, a total fluke.’
Seeing that Qin Tuo had already spoken up, Ouyang Lei couldn’t bring himself to say much more.
Qin Tuo casually swept his gaze over the pile of raw stones before him, his eyes calm.
Then, his gaze shifted to a pile of discarded stones nearby.
After observing them for a moment, Qin Tuo unexpectedly asked,
"I’d like to pick from these. Is that okay?"
At Qin Tuo’s words, Ouyang Lei’s eyes went wide, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’These are already discarded stones, obviously worthless. I can’t believe Qin Tuo is actually interested in them.’
Everyone in the vicinity thought they must have misheard. ’This guy actually wants to pick from the scrap pile?’
Just moments ago, some had wondered if Qin Tuo might be a hidden expert. Now, they were certain he was a complete amateur. That last success was just a blind squirrel finding a nut!
The shop owner was ecstatic. ’These stones are scrap; there’s no way they’ll produce anything good. I can’t believe I ran into such a moron today.’
"Fine, pick whichever you want. I’ll let you have these discarded stones for ten thousand a piece. You can pick ten!"
The shop owner was deliberately putting on an act, making himself seem very generous.
Ouyang Lei held his head in his hands, too embarrassed to even look at Qin Tuo.
He was sure of it—’Today’s money is going right down the drain!’
Qin Tuo paid no mind to the crowd’s murmuring and instead began to seriously pick through the discarded stones.
Seeing Qin Tuo selecting from the discarded stones with such a solemn expression, everyone couldn’t help but snicker.
Finally, Qin Tuo selected ten discarded stones and placed them in front of him.
"I’ve chosen. It’s these."
The shop owner said gleefully,
"All done, young man? That was fast. Do you want to do it yourself, or should I help you?"
Qin Tuo replied simply,
"I’ll do it myself."
So, the shop owner handed over a professional stone cutter.
Qin Tuo took the cutter, casually picked a stone, and without another word, sliced it open.
Everyone shook their heads. Just from the way he handled the cutter, they knew Qin Tuo truly didn’t have a clue.
Besides, these were discarded stones. Even if his technique were perfect, he wouldn’t get anything out of them!
After all, you can’t make bricks without straw. Everyone understood that.
Many people had already lost interest in watching, convinced Ouyang Lei was destined to take a loss today, and they began to turn and leave.
Ouyang Lei couldn’t even bring himself to look at Qin Tuo, knowing for certain that these ten discarded stones would produce nothing of value.
However, to everyone’s surprise, when the blade cut through, a brilliant light burst forth!
"Whoa, what’s happening?"
Instantly, everyone’s eyes shot wide open, their gazes fixed on the discarded stone.
Once cut, the stone revealed a piece of sparkling, translucent jadeite inside.
Suddenly, someone couldn’t help but cry out in shock!
"Heavens, isn’t that a top-grade Ice-type Jadeite?"
The crowd instantly erupted. No one could believe their eyes, and they rubbed them vigorously.
But upon a closer look, it was, indeed, the legendary Ice-type Jadeite!
This type of jadeite is extremely precious; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s one in a million!
The shop owner was completely stunned, speechless for a long moment.
Ouyang Lei stared blankly, wondering if he was dreaming.
’To cut a top-grade Ice-type Jadeite out of a discarded stone... this is too surreal!’
But Qin Tuo just smiled faintly, taking in everyone’s reactions.
Then, he decisively picked up the cutter and sliced open the second discarded stone.
And from inside the second discarded stone, another brilliant light shone!
"Heavens, another piece of Ice-type Jadeite! This... this... this..."
No one could remain calm. They never, ever imagined that the second discarded stone would also contain Ice-type Jadeite.
With this, Qin Tuo had struck it rich!
As everyone stared at Qin Tuo in shock, their hearts filled with envy, jealousy, and hate...
The shop owner’s jaw dropped, and he felt as awful as if he’d eaten shit.
But when Ouyang Lei snapped out of it, his face flushed red and he threw his head back and roared with laughter!
"Hahaha, this is great! Brother-in-law, you’re my lucky star!"
Although Chen Man Ni and Ouyang Feifei didn’t understand the specifics, they knew Qin Tuo had uncovered a treasure and felt genuinely happy for him.
Qin Tuo felt no ripple of emotion. Completely ignoring the commotion, he continued to cut the remaining discarded stones.
The third discarded stone was cut open—another piece of Ice-type Jadeite!
Everyone felt like their brains were short-circuiting. Since when was Ice-type Jadeite so worthless?
And the most terrifying part was, why would Ice-type Jadeite appear in discarded stones like these?
People couldn’t help but have a strange thought: ’Could it be that real top-tier treasures can only be found in discarded stones?’
The shop owner’s face was thunderous, and he trembled with rage.
The sight of three pieces of Ice-type Jadeite laid out before them was a tremendous visual shock.
Just then, Qin Tuo cut open the fourth discarded stone. A green light flashed, dazzling everyone’s eyes.
A closer look revealed it to be a genuine piece of Imperial Green!
Everyone gasped in amazement.
"You’ve struck it rich, young man! You’ve really hit the jackpot!"
"Heavens, I’m an old man who’s been in this business for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a miraculous sight. It’s truly unbelievable!"
Listening to the buzz of discussion, a venomous thought gradually formed in the shop owner’s mind.
"Brother-in-law, you’re a god! This... this is probably worth tens of millions!"
Ouyang Lei’s eyes were wide, and his words came out in a stammer.
"Help me pack them up," Qin Tuo said with a smile.
"Right!" Ouyang Lei agreed, his hands trembling as he reached to put the revealed treasures into a bag.
However, the shop owner immediately stretched out a hand to stop him!
"Hm? What’s the meaning of this?"
Ouyang Lei’s brow furrowed deeply.