Chapter 23: Chengshi King
Luck?
Heh.
Cheng Yuan gave Master Liu a calm look. "Master Liu, please continue cutting the stones. Just follow the lines I’ve drawn. Don’t worry about damaging the Jade Flesh."
As he spoke, Cheng Yuan began to draw lines on the raw stone.
Even with his Double Pupil granting him X-ray Vision, Cheng Yuan couldn’t perfectly avoid all the Jade Flesh. After all, much of it was irregularly shaped, with nooks and crannies that weren’t worth fussing over in such detail.
WHIRR...
Master Liu picked up a stone with completed lines and began to cut.
The moment he sliced off a small piece of the stone’s rind, it drew gasps of surprise!
"There’s green! Another win!"
"Heavens! Two in a row showing green?"
"Another ice type! But the cross-section of the Jade Flesh on this one looks a bit smaller."
"Mr. Cheng, hold off on the cutting! I’ll offer three million for this stone!"
This time, Cheng Yuan readily agreed. He could see that the jade inside this stone was relatively small, weighing about three or four catties.
"Alright, three million it is!"
The transaction was quickly completed. Cheng Yuan turned back to Master Liu. "Master Liu, please continue."
"You got it."
WHIRR...
After that, the cries of astonishment never ceased.
A win!
A win!
And another win!
Master Liu had cut more than ten stones in a row, and every single one was a win!
The cheapest was worth hundreds of thousands, the most expensive millions. By now, Cheng Yuan had already earned over twenty million!
The surrounding crowd was completely at a loss for words.
’How is this possible?’
’More than ten stones, all of them wins?’
’This isn’t scientific!’
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao were completely stunned!
If one or two were wins, it could be chalked up to luck. But for more than ten in a row to be wins—that wasn’t luck, it was skill!
This meant Cheng Yuan was an incredibly badass stone gambling master!
With this stone gambling prowess alone, Cheng Yuan was qualified to be their son-in-law!
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao’s expressions changed completely. They flanked Cheng Yuan, one on each side, praising him to the high heavens.
"Xiaoyuan, your stone gambling skill is definitely on par with the three Stone Kings of our Great Xia!"
"Xiaoyuan, you’ve been hiding this too well! To think you’re such a powerful stone gambling master! Why didn’t you tell your auntie sooner?"
Cheng Yuan gave a wry smile. He had only just figured out this use for his Double Pupil; before this, he hadn’t even known stone gambling was a thing.
"Auntie, it just never came up."
Hua Yao corrected him. "Still calling me Auntie? You and Ruoxi are already registered. You should be calling me ’Mom’!"
’Mom?’
Cheng Yuan subconsciously glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who gave him an encouraging look.
Cheng Yuan cleared his throat. "Mom..."
"Yes! My good son-in-law! Xiaoyuan, you truly are my good son-in-law! Once the jewelry company’s losses are completely covered, Mom will arrange a wedding for you and Ruoxi!"
’A wedding??’
Cheng Yuan’s heart pounded wildly. If they had a wedding, his relationship with Ruoxi would take a huge leap forward!
"Thank you, Mom!"
Hua Yao beamed, her eyes crinkling with delight. The more she looked at Cheng Yuan, the more she liked what she saw.
Beside them, Lin Xinghe frowned slightly but didn’t speak. ’Even if Cheng Yuan is skilled at stone gambling, getting the old man’s approval won’t be that simple.’
’Ah well, I’ll just take it one step at a time.’
Cheng Yuan turned to the several jewelers. "Fellow bosses, my apologies, but my father-in-law also has a jewelry company. The remaining stones are not for sale."
The bosses were slightly disappointed, but they didn’t leave. Instead, they continued to watch the stone cutting.
A win.
A win.
And another win.
The crowd had gone numb.
Soon, it was time for the final stone—the highest quality one among all those Cheng Yuan had selected, the only high-ice type.
Cheng Yuan was particularly focused on this stone, trying to outline even the smallest nooks and crannies.
Lin Xinghe laughed. "Xiaoyuan, a few rough lines would have been enough. Aren’t you being a little too detailed? Don’t tell me you have X-ray Vision and can see the layout of the Jade Flesh?"
"Dad, you’re joking. How could I have X-ray Vision?"
Of course, Cheng Yuan wouldn’t admit it. To avoid suspicion, he deliberately drew a few incorrect lines.
WHIRR...
Master Liu began cutting the stone according to the lines Cheng Yuan had drawn.
CLACK. A piece of the stone rind was sliced off, and a dazzling emerald green reflected in everyone’s eyes.
Even though the crowd had grown somewhat numb, they couldn’t help but cry out in shock!
"A high-ice type! This is high-ice type material!"
"My God! Can a small raw stone market like ours in Luocheng really produce a high-ice type? I thought jelly type was the best quality we could get!"
"This material is incredibly close to a glass type! The green is so full, and the quality is exceptionally high. If the Jade Flesh is large enough, it could sell for a sky-high price!"
Lin Xinghe was trembling with excitement!
’High-ice type material!’
’If the jewelry company gets this material, we won’t run out of mid- to high-quality jade!’
’This stone weighs a full twenty catties. I hope the Jade Flesh is large, not just a thin layer!’
WHIRR!
Master Liu sliced off another piece of the stone rind. This time, he hit one of the spots Cheng Yuan had deliberately drawn incorrectly, cutting away a large chunk of Jade Flesh.
Lin Xinghe’s heart ached at the sight.
"Master Liu, you’ve hit the Jade Flesh! Stop cutting, just grind it down slowly from here! That one slice just cost me over a million!"
Cheng Yuan knew there would be no more damage to the Jade Flesh, so he smiled. "Keep cutting. It’s fine if a few scraps get sliced off. If they can’t be made into bracelets, they can be made into ring faces or Jade Pendants."
"Alright..."
Ten minutes later, the cutting was complete.
A full ten-plus catties of Jade Flesh were revealed, all of it high-ice type quality!
Everyone was now thoroughly convinced by Cheng Yuan’s ability. Their form of address for him changed again, from the initial Brother Cheng to Mr. Cheng, and now, from Mr. Cheng to Stone King Cheng.
Whether Cheng Yuan accepted it or not, from this day forward, the name "Stone King Cheng" would begin to spread.
Cheng Yuan had already said the stone wasn’t for sale, but the jewelers couldn’t resist making offers anyway.
"Stone King Cheng, for this high-ice type material, I can offer twenty million!"
"Old Niu, you sure know how to find a bargain! I’ll offer twenty-four million!"
"Twenty-six!"
Soon, someone called out thirty million.
This was already a relatively high price. The crowd quieted down, no one wanting to be the sucker who overpaid.
Cheng Yuan deeply felt the allure of stone gambling.
’Fifty million in the bank, just like that?’
’This feeling of getting rich overnight is really amazing!’
Unfortunately, he couldn’t use this method too often. Just by selecting a little over twenty stones, he had nearly exhausted his Spiritual Power. His head was still feeling a bit dizzy.
’I wonder how long it will take to recover my Spiritual Power.’
Fearing Cheng Yuan might actually sell the stone, Lin Xinghe quickly cupped his hands towards the crowd. "Fellow bosses, thank you all for your generous support, but I’m very sorry, this stone is truly not for sale."
The jewelers all exchanged phone numbers with Cheng Yuan, expressing their hope to cooperate with him in the future.
After a bit more pleasantry, the jewelers dispersed.
When Lin Xinghe looked at Cheng Yuan now, there was no longer any trace of disgust or disdain. His gaze was filled with nothing but fatherly affection and indulgence, as if he were looking at a cornucopia.
"Xiaoyuan, at the end of the month, the Provincial City is hosting a mid-sized raw stone trading convention. When the time comes, you come to the Provincial City, and Dad will take you to sweep the floor with them!"