Chapter 45: Trying to Steal a Chicken, Only to Lose the Rice

The one who spoke was a young man with an utterly average appearance. He had been standing off to the side quietly, not saying a word, and hardly anyone had noticed his presence. But the moment he opened his mouth, he immediately drew a great deal of attention. As he spoke, he walked directly up to the piece of raw jade, glaring coldly at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng looked up at him and noticed the young man’s expression was extremely arrogant, completely dismissive of others. Even though he was looking at Jiang Feng, it was as if he didn’t even see him. Jiang Feng couldn’t help but frown.

The young man completely ignored his reaction and said to the chubby boss, “Boss, did you hear me clearly? I want this piece of raw jade. Hurry up and get these idle bystanders out of my way. They’re blocking me.”

That semi-gamble jade rough had been sitting in the shop for over half a year without anyone paying it any mind. The chubby boss couldn’t bear to lower the price, so it had just been left there. He didn’t expect someone to take interest in it today. If it had been just one person, that would have been fine, but now two people wanted it, and that left him in a tough spot.

His eyes darted around quickly as he looked at Jiang Feng and asked, “Friend, what do you think we should do about this?”

The young man sneered and cut in, “What’s there to discuss? He’s already made plenty of money today. He’d better be careful—too much money might burn his hands. It’s not good to have the luck to earn money but not the life to spend it.”

Jiang Feng chuckled coldly. It wasn’t as though he had to have that semi-gamble jade rough. He was well aware that the amount of money he’d made today was more than an ordinary person could earn in a lifetime—he had indeed made enough. He had no intention of hogging all the benefits either. After all, he knew that no one could ever finish making money.

If that young man had just spoken civilly from the start and hadn’t come on so aggressively, Jiang Feng would’ve simply let him have it. But the moment he reached for the stone, the young man snatched it right out of his hands and even threatened him. Naturally, that left Jiang Feng feeling annoyed.

“Sorry, but I saw this piece of jade first,” Jiang Feng said calmly.

“So what if you saw it first? As long as I buy it, it’s mine,” the young man retorted without giving an inch.

He had seen Jiang Feng cut open four pieces of raw jade in a row, all of which had appreciated in value. While others chalked it up to luck, he didn’t think so. In his opinion, Jiang Feng was likely highly skilled in stone gambling, which was why he could consistently strike it rich.

He had been itching to follow Jiang Feng’s lead and make a move, and now that he saw Jiang Feng heading for that semi-gamble piece, he wasted no time in stepping in to claim it.

With that in mind, he was determined not to back off, no matter what—it was a juicy opportunity, and he had to snatch it away.

Ma Lianhao, who had been dreaming of striking it rich, suddenly noticed that the young man didn’t speak with a local accent and looked unfamiliar. His bad temper flared up at once, and he shouted, “Hey kid, what the hell do you mean by that? Just because someone’s interested, you’re going to buy it out from under them? You planning to pay for him or what? You think you’re the only one with money?”

The young man sneered, “Business is business—first come, first served. And if I’m not mistaken, I didn’t hear anyone say they were buying it before me. But I’m a generous guy. If you really want it, I can let you have it… for twenty million.”

Everyone around gasped sharply at the mention of twenty million. Stone gambling might be a fast way to make money, but asking such an outrageous price was just too much.

“Twenty million? Are you dreaming?” Ma Lianhao cursed.

“If you can’t afford it, then get the hell out of my way,” the young man snapped, his tone turning cold.

“Oh, getting cocky, huh? You think I won’t teach you a lesson?” Ma Lianhao rolled up his sleeves, clearly ready for a fight.

Jiang Feng, however, simply laughed and suddenly said, “Ma Lianhao, forget it. Just let him have it.”

“Young Master, you…” Ma Lianhao was stunned. He knew Jiang Feng was someone who valued his pride immensely. Not to mention he was on a hot streak—this could be a major payday. Even if he ended up losing everything but his underwear, being publicly humiliated like this wasn’t something he could just swallow.

“Let it go,” Jiang Feng waved his hand. He understood the principle of not backing down, but he had just sensed the jade’s spiritual energy and found it to be extremely weak—less potent even than the cheap piece he’d bought earlier for a thousand yuan from that middle-aged man. The patch of green at the windowed area was just a hollow shell. If that guy wanted it, let him take it.

Ma Lianhao was still unwilling, scowling as he muttered, “Consider yourself lucky, kid. Otherwise, I’d really make you suffer.”

The young man had thrown out that sky-high price just to intimidate Jiang Feng into giving up. When he saw Jiang Feng actually back off, he was overjoyed and immediately wrote a cash check for the chubby boss.

“Cut the stone,” he ordered.

“Right now?” the boss asked.

“Right now,” the young man replied firmly.

The old man who specialized in stone cutting opened his mouth to speak, but the chubby boss quickly shot him a look, signaling him to keep quiet. The old man chuckled and gave Jiang Feng a knowing glance.

Ma Lianhao couldn’t stand it anymore and tugged at Jiang Feng. “Young Master, let’s go.”

“No rush. Let’s watch first,” Jiang Feng said with a faint smile.

Though he had sensed that the jade’s spiritual energy was weak, the piece was quite large, so his reading might not have been accurate. He was still curious to see what was actually inside once it was cut open.

There was one thing he was absolutely certain of, though—even if there was green jade inside, it definitely wouldn’t be worth more than the listed price.

The old man had never cut such a large stone before. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work, with the chubby boss assisting him. They started by wiping down the area around the window.

As the machine buzzed to life, the windowed area was slowly polished open. A hazy mist of crystal-like particles began to emerge. The old man gave a surprised grunt and sped up his work, wiping the entire area around the window clean.

The chaotic patterns and glaring gray hues were revealed to everyone, but there wasn’t a trace of green to be seen.

“What’s going on? Is it really going to be a dud?” someone asked, puzzled.

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man shot a sharp glare over and strode forward a few steps, staring at the chaotic textures in disbelief. His eyes were practically bulging from their sockets.

“Something’s not right. Was I scammed?” he muttered to himself, a bad feeling creeping over him. He raised his voice and barked, “Stop dawdling. Hurry up and cut it down the middle for me.”

The old man replied, “This raw stone is quite large. There might be something good inside. Cutting it straight through would be a waste.”

The young man snapped impatiently, “Cut the crap. If you won’t do it, I will.”

He snatched the machine and began cutting straight through the middle of the raw stone. The entire stone split cleanly in two and thudded heavily to the ground—but there wasn’t a trace of green.

His face turned livid. Clutching the stone-cutting machine, he began slicing the stone into scattered fragments. Yet still, there was no hint of green.

“It’s a dud.”

“Another bust.”

The surrounding crowd sighed in disappointment. No one had expected this outcome. Earlier, when the half-gambled raw stone was polished, a green band had surfaced—yet after further cleaning, the green appeared chaotic and shallow, never penetrating into the stone’s interior.

The young man’s expression shifted between fury and disbelief. He had hoped to make a big profit but had ended up losing instead. Suddenly, he grabbed the fat shop owner’s collar and growled, “You two planned this, didn’t you? You scammed me together!”

Startled, the fat shop owner cried, “No! Absolutely not! I’ve been doing business here for years. Ask anyone around—see what kind of person I am!”

The young man snorted coldly and shoved him aside. His dark gaze turned toward Jiang Feng. He strode over and stared at Jiang Feng as though he were looking at a dead man.

“You punk. Did you already know there was something wrong with that raw stone? Is that why you let me have it on purpose?” he asked coldly.

Everyone turned their eyes to Jiang Feng, clearly confused and curious.

Before Jiang Feng could respond, Ma Lianhao jumped in, cursing, “Bullshit! Are you stupid or just shameless? If the stone turned out valuable, it’s because you’ve got a good eye. If it’s a dud, it’s our fault? What the hell are you on about? We’re not your babysitters—don’t go blaming others for your bad luck!”

Ma Lianhao, a veteran of the Beijing scene, spoke in a smooth Beijing dialect, leaving the young man red in the face with fury. He snapped, “Shut up!”

“Shut your ass! I could tell you weren’t anything good from the moment you snatched that raw stone. You better know what’s good for you, or I swear I’ll find someone to teach you a lesson,” Ma Lianhao spat.

“Get lost! I don’t have time to waste on you,” the young man snarled and threw a punch at Ma Lianhao.

But halfway through, his punch was intercepted by another.

Jiang Feng’s cold voice rang out, “If you dare lay a hand on him, I’ll make sure you don’t leave here standing.”

The young man had full confidence in his punch, but to his shock, Jiang Feng stopped it effortlessly. His face changed instantly, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

“Fine. You’ve got guts. I’ll remember your face. You better pray you don’t cross paths with me again,” he said coldly.

He pointed a finger at Jiang Feng, then turned and left.

Ma Lianhao spat at his back with disdain and grumbled, “Who the hell does he think he is? Just ‘cause he’s got a little money? Toad. If I get my hands on him next time, I’ll show him exactly what ‘soul-crushing’ means.”

Jiang Feng said nothing, but his brows furrowed slightly. When the young man threw that punch earlier, Jiang Feng had sensed something odd about the way he exerted his strength.

Most people threw punches relying solely on brute force. But that young man’s strike, while lacking internal force, was delivered with precision and technique. Though it didn’t appear powerful, had Jiang Feng not stopped it, Ma Lianhao would’ve been knocked flat.

Jiang Feng gave it a moment’s thought before letting it go. After all, China was a land of hidden talents and strange masters. Maybe that man had trained in some obscure Chinese martial arts.

Still, if such skills did exist, Jiang Feng found himself a little intrigued. What truly caught his attention, however, was the flicker of killing intent he sensed from the man earlier. In Jiang Feng’s view, that young man was anything but what he appeared to be.

The lively chatter around them had yet to die down even after the young man left. Some who had seen Jiang Feng score big wins earlier had been itching to try their luck—but after witnessing that mess, they immediately gave up the idea.

Ma Lianhao tilted his head and looked Jiang Feng up and down before suddenly asking, “Young Master, did you already know there was something wrong with that raw stone? Is that why you passed on it?”

Jiang Feng smiled calmly. “I didn’t know. Just had a feeling something was off.”

Of course, he wouldn’t reveal what he truly sensed. It would be far too shocking and might expose his own secrets.

Ma Lianhao thought for a moment, then chuckled. “Ah, who cares! It wasn’t our money on the line anyway. That punk tried to take advantage and ended up screwing himself over. Serves him right.”

Jiang Feng said nothing more, his gaze falling once again on the scattered fragments on the ground. Earlier, he had clearly sensed a trace of spiritual energy—so why was there nothing now? Could he have been mistaken?

He stepped forward and picked up a few shards, examining them closely. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something and said, “These stones are useless now, right? Mind if I take a few to mess around with?”

The old man chuckled. “Take all of them if you want. Saves me the trouble of throwing them out.”

Jiang Feng laughed and picked up two pieces, tossing one to Ma Lianhao and the other to the middle-aged man who had sold him the raw stone.

“Here, have some fun with them,” he said.

The middle-aged man froze, unsure of Jiang Feng’s intent. Ma Lianhao, on the other hand, couldn’t wait. “My hands have been itching all day. Old man, help me out a little, will ya?”

The old man rolled his eyes but obliged. After a few cuts, there was still nothing. Ma Lianhao gave an awkward laugh and rubbed his hands. “Guess my luck’s just not in today.” Then he turned to the middle-aged man. “Hey buddy, want to give it a try? Who knows—might be a surprise.”

Ma Lianhao knew Jiang Feng well. He was sure Jiang Feng had a reason for tossing those two stone fragments their way. Since his piece had nothing, the other likely held something.

The middle-aged man glanced at Jiang Feng, lips twitching slightly, but didn’t speak. Jiang Feng simply smiled and called over the fat shop owner to handle the payment. He wrote down an address and asked him to have the raw stones he bought delivered.

Then he signaled Ma Lianhao, and the two walked away.

They hadn’t gone far when a loud cry rang out behind them:

“It’s up! Emerald! A huge rise—huge profits!