Supernatural Insight Eyes-Chapter 74 - 007 The young ’old fox

74: 007 The young ‘old fox

74: 007 The young ‘old fox

All turned out green, not a single miss.

Huo Qian looked at Ye Qiu, feeling him to be even more mysterious.

How did he do it, to be able to tell at a glance whether a stone would turn out green?

It was almost supernatural.

Huo Qian really wanted to ask, but he swallowed his question, feeling immense admiration for Ye Qiu.

At the same time, a tinge of envy twirled in his heart.

Where did this guy come from?

Not only was he better than himself at racing, but he was also a master at gambling on stones.

In less than an hour, the two of them had made a clean profit of ten million.

If it weren’t for his rule of not taking out too much money for gambling on stones, he would have gone back to withdraw money and gamble big.

Yet, Huo Qian still managed to restrain his desire for money.

Compared to how much money was earned, Huo Qian was more interested in the process of gambling on stones; the moment of revealing green brought an unparalleled satisfaction.

After selling all their raw stones, the two wandered to another stall’s location, followed by a large crowd curious to see how Ye Qiu and his friend selected stones and if they could continue their streak of finding green.

Of course, there were also those with different motives, hoping to pick up any missed opportunities; such people were not in the minority, harboring schemes and following alongside, waiting for their chance.

Ye Qiu was completely unconcerned, as if unaware of the wolves around him, eyeing him like prey.

“Heh, do they want to gamble on bigger stones?” Some were surprised when they saw Ye Qiu and Huo Qian stop at the only largest stall in this area of the market.

Everyone who gambled on stones here started at millions; the prices were too high for ordinary people to bear.

Considering the raw stones the two had sold just before, fetching millions each, it seemed they could afford the prices here.

“Interesting, daring to gamble on large stones means you can’t make a judgment without showing your hand.

I’d like to see how you guys select stones,” someone said with an amused smile.

Some newcomers attracted to the scene, who had just entered the world of stone gambling, did not know the ins and outs and thus asked someone nearby, “Is there a difference between gambling on big stones and small ones?”

The person nearby laughed and couldn’t help but explain, “Of course there is, and the difference is quite significant.”

Whether it’s a large or small raw stone, its outer layer is covered with a weathered skin.

If it’s not cut open, no one can see whether it’s good or bad, but insiders all know that another important factor is the size of the raw stone.

For small raw stones, whether they turn out green or not, generally, their weathered skin isn’t as thick as that of the larger stones.

The thinness of the skin on small raw stone materials allows a certain degree of mystery to be pried open under intense external light.

Therefore, most gamblers prefer not to play with large stones; besides, small stones are relatively cheaper.

Even if one makes a bad purchase, it wouldn’t bankrupt them.

Large stones, however, are different due to their large surface area.

Usually, the weathered skin is thicker, and due to years of geological changes, its surface is mixed with impurities, making it harder to discern.

It is often said, even gods find it hard to judge a piece of jade; this appears to refer to small stones but actually pertains to large stones.

The arrival of Ye Qiu and Huo Qian made the stall instantly overcrowded.

Those who were unaware of the situation even thought that some big stone gambling bosses had arrived, given the grand spectacle with so many people following them.

“Gentlemen, which one have you taken a fancy to?

Let’s look at the stones first, then talk price,” said the stall owner, seasoned in the ways of the world and adept at sizing up people.

From the first glance at Ye Qiu and Huo Qian, he sensed they were not ordinary people; judging people wasn’t just about their youth, but also their temperament.

Ye Qiu’s gaze swept over each piece, eventually settling on a large raw stone nearly as tall as a person.

“Selected this piece?” the stall owner said with a smile, “You both have good eyes.

This rough stone was specially brought from Myanmar by me.

It took a lot of effort, and look at this shape.

Once it turns green, the value will absolutely skyrocket by a hundredfold.”

Ye Qiu pinched his chin, deep in thought without a word.

The people around him, seeing his uncertain expression, thought the price tagged was too high.

Immediately, someone’s eyes flashed, and they quickly spoke up, “Boss, I’ll take this piece of rough stone.”

Whoosh!

A middle-aged man squeezed out from the crowd, and everyone looked at him with surprised eyes, all wondering at his showy demeanor.

The stall owner was surprised by this Cheng Yaojin who came out of nowhere.

His gaze collided with Ye Qiu’s for a moment.

Ye Qiu smiled and said, “Then give it to him,” but he didn’t continue to speak, and his face was a picture of icy indifference.

The stall owner nodded and asked eagerly with a smile, “Shall we cut it now?”

“Cut.” The middle-aged man’s face was full of smugness.

Despite spending two million, if he could cut some green, it would be totally worth it.

And considering the size of the stone, if green appeared, it would not be small.

The presence of so many spectators around them instantly satisfied the middle-aged man’s desire to show off.

After receiving the money, the stall owner began to cut the stone.

The first cut revealed white stone flesh.

The second cut, still white stone flesh.

The third cut, the fourth cut, the fifth cut…

After more than twenty cuts, not a hint of green had appeared, leaving the middle-aged man dumbfounded.

It was clear that he had lost the gamble.

Not a trace of green came out!

“Impossible, how could there be no green.” The middle-aged man’s eyes widened, wishing to question Ye Qiu why this was happening.

“Ye, what’s going on?

You were also interested in this stone just now, weren’t you?” Huo Qian asked.

He too wanted to know why the stone they had just selected yielded no trace of green.

Earlier, he had been annoyed that the middle-aged man had bought it first, but now he watched with a hint of schadenfreude, though still curious, and wanted to get to the bottom of it.

The middle-aged man also looked over, eager to hear what Ye Qiu would say.

Ye Qiu said calmly, “It’s true that I was looking at this stone just now, but what I was wondering wasn’t about whether it would turn green or not, but rather…”

Ye Qiu purposely paused to whet everyone’s curiosity, gaining their attention, before continuing, “but rather I was curious how such a large piece of rough stone could contain not even a hint of green, being a mere piece of waste stone.

Having it displayed here is clearly a scam.”

“Then why did you seem so regretful afterward?” Huo Qian pressed.

Ye Qiu chuckled and replied, “Such a large piece of rough stone, not yielding any green, and yet this middle-aged uncle bought it for a high price.

Two million, just gone like that.

Don’t you think it’s a pity?” Ye Qiu’s rhetorical question made everyone feel an urge to hit someone.

Dammit, it’s utterly a piece of waste stone, and you still have a regretful expression; isn’t that misleading people?

Many around them had been deceived by Ye Qiu’s expression, thinking he was upset because someone else got it first, when in fact, he wasn’t annoyed at all but feeling pity for the buyer.

The middle-aged man nearly choked with rage upon hearing this, but it was entirely his own doing, taking the initiative to buy this rough stone.

Now, no one else could be blamed; it was his own greed at fault.

The middle-aged man was too aggrieved to speak.

He glared at Ye Qiu with indignation and felt too embarrassed to stay any longer, afraid of becoming the laughingstock of everyone.

The stone betting did not end with the middle-aged man’s resentful departure.

Because Ye Qiu made another move.

Ye Qiu took interest in a raw stone that was placed at an angle.

It was one meter tall, slender, and unlike the other large, rounded stones, it stood out conspicuously.

“How much for this one?”

The stall owner stretched out ten fingers, the message clear.

Ye Qiu nodded.

The onlookers around him clicked their tongues in shock—a whole ten million!

Ye Qiu seemed particularly fond of this stone, scrutinizing it repeatedly and starting to haggle with the stall owner.

“Young chap, this stone has been with me for seven or eight years; it’s never moved, practically the treasure of my shop.

I can’t let it go for less than ten million,” the stall owner declared, his words resolute.

Ye Qiu pondered, tapped the stone with his hand, peered closely at it, and scratched his head, as if he were undecided because of the price.

Some astute onlookers carefully watched Ye Qiu’s expressions, almost certain that the raw stone was of good quality.

They couldn’t let him buy it—this fellow had bought so many stones that turned out to have jade, this one couldn’t possibly be wrong.

In the end, someone couldn’t resist and jumped in front of Ye Qiu, throwing down a bank card and handing it to the stall owner.

“Young chap, look, someone beat you to it.

I’m sorry, but since you don’t want it, I’ll sell it to him,” the stall owner’s face bloomed into a chrysanthemum smile.

Today, Ye Qiu truly was his lucky star.

He had sold two raw stones in succession and for good prices at that.

Could it be that he was a wealth-bringing child sent by the heavens?

With his imagination in overdrive, the stall owner smiled as he transferred the money, including the bank’s take, into his account.

This was also a young man, though smaller and shorter in stature, with a thin face and eyes that shone with shrewdness.

One’s first impression was that this guy was slippery.

The man asked the stall owner to start cutting the stone, and the stall owner promptly began, as all eyes once again gathered.

The first cut.

White stone flesh—could it be another dud?

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat.

Even the man who bought the stone looked uneasy, feeling he had acted impulsively.

But the second cut changed everything.

His complexion immediately improved as jade appeared, and a sizable area at that.

“Wow, such a large piece of green,” came the exclamations from the crowd.

Many envied the man, believing he had made a smart move by snatching the stone away from Ye Qiu’s grasp.

“Continue cutting?”

The man nodded proudly: “Keep going.” At this moment, being the center of attention, he felt extremely smug.

He wanted to see just how much his stone could multiply in value.

The second cut expanded the green area; it seemed the stone would make him a fortune.

When the third cut was made, everyone’s expression froze—white flesh again…

How could white suddenly appear where there was green?

To everyone’s astonishment, it turned out the green they saw before was just a small patch, and a fault had appeared right after it, blocking the path of any further green with plain stone flesh.

Even the stall owner paused, dumbfounded.

Although this situation is rare, it’s not unheard of.

He had thought this stone was certain to appreciate in value, yet due to the next two or three cuts, its worth plunged drastically, becoming nearly worthless.

“Ye Qiu, you’re not going to tell me that you foresaw this scenario, that’s why you hesitated and didn’t make a move?” Huo Qian asked.

It was the second time this happened; the raw stones Ye Qiu was interested in both had issues—first, no jade at all, a complete dud, and then jade with a fault appeared, a stark contrast to his previous streak of perfect outcomes.

Could it be that Ye Qiu’s luck had run out?

Huo Qian felt compelled to come to this conclusion.

“I expected the appearance of jade, which was exactly as I had predicted.

That’s why I was conflicted and lamenting that a great piece of raw stone should meet such a rare occurrence,” Ye Qiu said calmly.

The man who bought the stone was looking rather upset.

It goes without saying that anyone who casually wasted ten million wouldn’t be in a good mood.

After Ye Qiu’s two missteps, the people around began to see through him; they thought he was just a shill for the stall owner, his hesitations and changing expressions merely a show for them.

The stall owner was unaware that most people had come to regard Ye Qiu as his plant.

If he were to grasp what they were thinking, he would feel profoundly wronged—it had nothing to do with him.

Just as the crowd was treating Ye Qiu as if he was in cahoots with the stall owner, Ye Qiu’s voice rang out again.

“Boss, how much for this one?”

“Twelve million!”

“Boss, that’s too expensive; you’re not being fair.

If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to sell those two stones just now,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.

If the person who had previously bought the raw stones heard this, they would surely be spitting blood in fury.

“Hehe, fine, since you’ve been so good for my business, young chap, the lowest I can go is eight million, not a cent less,” the stall owner said.

“Deal,” Ye Qiu replied with a smile, paying the owner, to the astonishment of everyone present.

Bought it?

Since no one had the courage to try their luck after Ye Qiu’s previous blunders for fear of being duped, no one was quick to jump in this time.

Thus, Ye Qiu smoothly acquired the large raw stone.