Chapter 146: Your Daydream, My Prize in Hand

By evening, the three of them arrived in Ruili.

Sun Peng and Duan Wei hadn’t come here for sightseeing. Their goal was clear-once they reached Ruili, they wanted to head straight for Delong Market.

According to them, late at night, with flashlights in hand, was exactly the right time to inspect rough stones.

Zhang Yang wasn’t in a hurry, but since they were going, he might as well go along and take a look. It was only natural.

“So this is Delong Jewelry City?” Zhang Yang looked at the massive archway outside the car window, the bustling crowds, and the jade and jadeite shops lining the place every few steps. He was somewhat surprised.

“First time here, right? You’ll be even more surprised in a minute.” Sun Peng wasn’t surprised by Zhang Yang’s reaction at all.

After all, most newcomers reacted more or less the same way when they first saw the grand scale of Delong Jewelry City. To him, Zhang Yang’s reaction was very newbie-like and perfectly normal.

The three got out of the car and walked into Delong Market.

The market was brightly lit, with license plates from all over the country everywhere. On both sides were shops and semi-open-air stalls lit by lamps.

Other night markets sold food and daily goods.

This one did not.

Ever seen street stalls selling rough stones?

“These are just for casual fun. At most you’ll hear a crack when you cut them. There’s definitely nothing good inside,” Sun Peng glanced at the rough stones on one of the street stalls.

“But you get what you pay for. Stones from the eight major mine sites are definitely expensive. There’s a saying-you can never earn money beyond your understanding. Since you’re a newcomer, spending a lot just to make mistakes isn’t worth it. So for you, casually playing around with these stall stones is actually pretty suitable.”

The words sounded slightly condescending, but Zhang Yang didn’t mind.

Keeping a low profile was pretty good.

“I’ll just take a look first.” Zhang Yang smiled casually, then took out the Luck Stone and kept it on him.

He wandered past a few stalls and casually picked up several stones, completely random, the very picture of an amateur.

Several stall owners immediately brightened up when they saw him.

“Handsome guy, want to take a look? They’re all fine rough stones. Taking a chance won’t cost much,” one stall owner said with a smile.

“How much is this one?” Zhang Yang casually picked one up and asked.

“This one? This one is eight thousand.” The stall owner gave the price without hesitation.

The Luck Stone on Zhang Yang showed no abnormality, no reaction at all. He weighed the stone in his hand twice, smiled, and put it back down.

No reaction from the Luck Stone meant it was definitely worthless material.

Naturally, he wouldn’t fall for it.

“Where are you two planning to look?” he asked Sun Peng and the other man with a smile.

“Up ahead. Those are all stones from the eight major mine sites, so of course they’re much more expensive. If you’re interested, come take a look too.” Sun Peng had the air of an old hand.

“Sure. I’ll learn more first and not rush into buying anything.” Zhang Yang nodded.

A little later, throughout the huge market, flashlights were everywhere.

At stall after stall, customers stood in front of the rough stones with their flashlights, examining them closely.

Sun Peng also took out a flashlight and slipped into professional mode.

“Even texture, fine grain, hmm, strong translucence too. This is from the Pakant site, right?” Sun Peng shone his flashlight over one stone and immediately displayed his expertise.

“Professional!” The stall owner looked at Sun Peng and gave him a thumbs-up.

Since he had shown he knew what he was doing, he naturally wouldn’t be treated like an ignorant newbie and ripped off.

After walking around and looking at different stalls, Sun Peng finally decided to make a move.

“This one is from Damakan, right? How much?”

He held up a fist-sized stone and asked the stall owner.

“This one? This one is this much.” The stall owner made a hand gesture without hesitation. “Look at the oiliness and the water head on this one. It’ll definitely produce something good.”

“How much? One hundred thousand?” Sun Peng asked with a laugh. “I’ll take it for ten thousand.”

“That won’t work. Lowest is fifty thousand.” The stall owner grinned.

“Let’s go.” Sun Peng signaled to Duan Wei and Zhang Yang with a look and turned to leave.

They walked away cleanly and decisively, and sure enough, a voice called after them, “Twenty thousand. It really can’t go any lower. If you want it, take it.”

“Fifteen thousand at most!”

“Deal!”

A moment later, Sun Peng had secured his first rough stone purchase of the day at the market.

“Brother Sun, I’m going to look around on my own for a bit. I’ll find you later.” After following them for a while, Zhang Yang had already gotten a rough idea of the routine.

For example, the real price usually started at about one-tenth of the quoted price.

Bargain hard. In fact, their asking prices were even more outrageous than expected. They were simply trying to fleece whoever they could.

“Alright, go have a look around. If you see anything you like, don’t rush to buy it. You can come find me and I’ll help you check it.” Sun Peng waved a hand and said warmly.

“Sure, I’ll definitely trouble you later.” Zhang Yang casually humored him and left.

In front of the tightly packed rows of stalls, Zhang Yang stopped and looked over the stones like a tourist taking in the scenery.

He truly knew nothing, so his inspection was completely random.

“Hm?” While touching a rough stone at one stall, Zhang Yang suddenly noticed that the durability of the Luck Stone in his mind had dropped slightly.

“So… the luck effect activated?”

Zhang Yang looked at the stone in his hand and calmly put it back down.

He casually picked up another stone.

“How much is this one?”

“This is a high-grade rough stone from the Mowanji site. Two hundred thousand.” The stall owner sized Zhang Yang up and opened with a lion’s price.

“And this one?”

“And this one?”

Zhang Yang didn’t even really look. He randomly picked up several stones, slipping in the one he had just marked among them.

Sometimes, being too professional could backfire.

If he acted like a complete newbie, people wouldn’t take him seriously. At worst, they’d only want to overcharge him a bit.

“You mean these few stones together and you want half a million from me?” Zhang Yang couldn’t help laughing and turned to leave.

“Hey, hey, if you really want them, I can lower the price a bit.” The stall owner quickly called out to stop him.

Because he could tell Zhang Yang was just looking around for fun and wasn’t desperate to buy anything. If he let him walk away, then he’d really be gone.

Every customer who asked about prices had to be taken seriously.

“Lower it? Even if you lower it, would you bundle these together for ten thousand?” Zhang Yang turned back and casually asked.

“That… of course not.” The stall owner smiled helplessly. Some things simply couldn’t be explained to a clueless tourist. “How about this, I’ll be honest with you. If you really want these stones, the lowest bundle price is eighty thousand.”

“Eighty thousand?” Zhang Yang deliberately showed a look of disbelief.

“If that’s still too much for you, then just take fewer.” The stall owner shook his head.

Standing in front of the stall, Zhang Yang casually weighed the stones in order, then seemingly absentmindedly picked up the one he had originally wanted. “I’m just trying my luck. I’ll take one piece to test the waters. Will you sell it for five thousand?”

“Lowest is ten thousand.” The stall owner held up one finger.

“Mm, then I’ll take this one.” Zhang Yang paid neatly and secured the rough stone.

There were simply too many rough-stone stalls spread endlessly throughout the market.

By now, Zhang Yang had figured something out: whenever he picked up a stone that actually had something inside, the durability of the Luck Stone would drop.

If the drop was larger, then it usually meant there was something particularly good inside.

So as he wandered through the market, Zhang Yang stopped caring how much the durability dropped each time. If there was any reaction at all, he bought it.

Among them, some made the durability drop by fractions of a point, some by a whole point, and once it even dropped by two points at once.

After all this, the Luck Stone’s ten points of durability had quickly been reduced to only five.

“Hm? This actually…”

Zhang Yang paused, outwardly calm, but inwardly enormous waves rose in his heart.

Because just now, he had discovered that the Luck Stone’s durability had suddenly dropped all the way to zero.

And right now, in his hand was a rough stone about the size of a small pumpkin, with a thick outer shell and not a trace of color visible on the surface.

“This is a stone from the Houjiang site. Fifty thousand for this one.” The stall owner spoke little. Before Zhang Yang even asked, he held up one hand.

“Too expensive.” Zhang Yang shook his head and put the stone down.

“Then look at the others. Everything here is honestly priced. No fake tricks.” The stall owner shook his head and pointed at a few slightly smaller stones nearby.

Zhang Yang thought that if, when he finally started cutting the rough stones, every single one turned out to contain jade, it would be a little too obvious.

Maybe he should just buy a few random ones as cover.

“Then what about this one?” Zhang Yang picked up another piece and asked.

“Two hundred thousand.” The stall owner answered flatly.

All this time, hardly anyone had stopped at his stall, but he still wasn’t in a hurry, remaining leisurely and unbothered.

“I’ll take both. Give me a better price.” Zhang Yang decided to ask directly.

Since the good stuff was obviously good, the stall owner wasn’t stupid. There was no way to truly snag a bargain, so it was better to negotiate properly.

“You want both?” The stall owner looked Zhang Yang up and down with some surprise. “Maybe you should take a better look first. Once I sell them, there are no returns.”

“I definitely want both. Fifty thousand for the two?” Zhang Yang asked.

“Can’t do fifty. Sixty is fine, though. These two have been sitting here for a long time. Since you know how to recognize them, I’ll give you a discount.” The stall owner thought for a moment and answered.

“Alright, deal.” Zhang Yang nodded.

A moment later, the transaction was complete, the Luck Stone was completely used up, and Zhang Yang let out a long breath of relief.

Because the mission for this trip was finally complete.

“No need to cut them open yet.” He looked at the suitcase full of rough stones in his hand and decided to go meet up with Sun Peng and the others first.

In a corner of the market, Zhang Yang found Sun Peng and the others.

At the moment, Sun Peng was repeatedly examining a stone, his expression somewhat uncertain.

“Have you decided?” Duan Wei urged from the side.

“Wait, let me take another look.” Sun Peng held the flashlight over the stone, leaning closer to inspect it again. Finally, he smacked his lips.

“This is the one.”

“Three hundred thousand.” The stall owner held up three fingers.

“Three hundred thousand?!” Sun Peng widened his eyes and casually put the rough stone down. “Let’s not beat around the bush. Don’t treat me like a fat sheep to slaughter. This piece has lots of loose fibers on the surface and a lot of mixed colors. The risk is huge. At three hundred thousand, you’ll never sell it.”

“Fortune favors the bold. The material is right here, and the price is right here. Whether you accept it or not is up to you.” The stall owner smiled.

“Two hundred thousand. If you sell it, I’ll buy it right now.” Sun Peng gritted his teeth.

“Feel free to keep looking.” The stall owner said calmly, as if he held all the initiative.

“Duan Wei, how much money do you have on you? Lend me some first!” Sun Peng’s expression changed repeatedly as he turned to Duan Wei.

“Me?” Duan Wei was stunned. “How much are you short?”

“Lend me a hundred thousand. Do you have it?” Sun Peng asked eagerly.

“I really don’t have a hundred thousand, and I can’t pull together that much either. At most I can lend you a few tens of thousands. Didn’t you sell your wedding house already?” Duan Wei shook his head decisively.

“You know that house of mine-it’s small and couldn’t sell anyway. The money I have now is borrowed.” Sun Peng sighed.

Seeing Sun Peng looking troubled, Zhang Yang stepped forward.

“Brother Sun, found a rough stone you like?”

The moment Sun Peng saw Zhang Yang, it was as if he had spotted a lifesaver. “Zhang Yang, lend me a hundred thousand. Once I cut open this batch of stones, I’ll pay you back immediately.”

“A hundred thousand?” Zhang Yang blinked.

To him, a hundred thousand was nothing, but they barely knew each other. Asking him for that amount so directly-was that really appropriate?

“Brother, if I cut out good material, I’ll definitely repay you double. Even if nothing good comes out, I’ll still return the principal. Just trust me! My judgment definitely won’t be wrong.” Sun Peng became anxious, speaking rapidly.

“I’ll write you an IOU and show you my ID.”

“Alright… I can lend it to you.” Zhang Yang nodded.

It wasn’t that he was generous; he was simply curious about how the stone Sun Peng had chosen would turn out.

Besides, it wasn’t like Sun Peng wouldn’t repay it.

“Thank you so much, brother.” Sun Peng was instantly overjoyed. He quickly wrote an IOU and took out his ID card for Zhang Yang.

Soon, the money was transferred and the rough stone was secured.

“Come on, brother, let’s go see how this stone performs. Let’s see how good my judgment is.” Sun Peng excitedly pulled Zhang Yang along.

As a professional rough-stone trading market, the place naturally provided full services.

Near the angle grinder, a crowd had already gathered.

Sun Peng went over and, after a brief discussion, the stones he had purchased at the rough-stone market were unloaded one by one, ready to be cut open on the spot.

“Five pieces in total. At least one of them should produce something good,” Sun Peng said with his arms crossed, confidence burning in his eyes.

Zhang Yang stood quietly to the side, observing.

This time, Sun Peng had spent four hundred thousand yuan on rough stones, not even counting the money he borrowed from Zhang Yang. It could be considered an all-in gamble.

Gambling mentality and bold recklessness-those were Zhang Yang’s only impressions of him.

“Boss, should we start cutting?” Before beginning, the worker asked Sun Peng again.

“Yes, hurry up and cut it.” Sun Peng waved his hand decisively.

The angle grinder started, and the stone worker immediately got to work.

Soon after, the first rough stone was cut open.

A bucket of water was poured over it.

“Ah! Bean variety!” someone with sharp eyes exclaimed from the crowd.

Sun Peng’s expression instantly darkened a little, though he still forced a relaxed tone. “It’s fine. A small loss. It didn’t cost much anyway.”

The second stone was quickly cut open as well.

“Damn, waste rock. Even worse than the first one.” Laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Sun Peng’s face turned even paler.

“That’s impossible!” he muttered to himself.

When he had examined that stone earlier, it had seemed to have decent potential and should have produced something good. But why was the result so terrible?

Soon, the third stone began to be cut.

Sun Peng stared intently at it.

If this one didn’t give him some confidence, things would be bad.

Splash!

Water was poured over the cut surface.

“Icy bean variety. Not bad. Much better than the first one.”

“Ten thousand. Will you sell it? If you do, I’ll take it.”

This time, although it was still bean variety jade, the cut surface had a slightly more watery texture.

Sun Peng’s expression immediately improved.

“A small recovery, a small recovery.” He let out a light breath of relief and showed a faint smile.