Divine Level Witch Doctor

Everyone in the small courtyard turned their heads in unison, looking toward Old Wu, who had just set himself up for a fall with his bold declaration.

Old Wu had been planning to quietly slip away, but he never expected to be put on the spot by everyone’s collective action. With all eyes on him, he couldn’t leave. His face was grim, as ugly an expression as one could imagine.

’Useless teammates, a bunch of fucking useless teammates!’ Old Wu glared at the other dealers around him, cursing them in his heart.

He never would have imagined that not only would his colleagues put him on the spot, but they would also kick him while he was down!

Someone next to him spoke up. ”Old Wu, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Just like Master Zhao said, you should fulfill your promise now.”

More people chimed in, jeering.

”That’s right, Old Wu! You swore up and down that if any Jade was cut from the scrap stone, you’d eat the rind. You have to keep your word, you can’t go back on it!”

”Old Wu, from the look on your face, you’re not planning on slipping away, are you?”

”Stop dawdling. Get a move on... no, I mean, get your mouth moving. I’ve never seen anyone eat a stone rind before. I’ve been waiting for you to open my eyes. Oh, right! I need to get my phone and record this. I’ll post it to my Moments and Weibo. It’s sure to get a ton of likes and replies!”

Hearing their words, Old Wu’s face turned as black as the bottom of a sooty pot. He sighed to himself, ’The old saying is right, colleagues in the same trade are truly fucking rivals. Every single one of these bastards is hoping I’ll make a fool of myself!’

After a moment’s hesitation, Old Wu finally decided to fulfill his promise. Gritting his teeth, he strode over to the cutting machine, picked up a piece of the stone rind, and shoved it into his mouth with his eyes closed. He had barely taken a bite when he cried out in pain, the hard rind having jarred his teeth.

”Is it good?” Zhao Yuan glanced at him and asked.

Old Wu’s face turned green. He cursed inwardly: ’What kind of stupid-ass question is that? Can a stone rind be good? Why don’t you give it a try?’

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his annoyance and replied, ”It’s not good.”

Zhao Yuan said with the patronizing air of an elder, ”Consider today a lesson. In the future, don’t run your mouth so carelessly. As the old saying goes, ’Sickness enters through the mouth, and trouble comes out of it.’”

”Yes, yes, I’ll definitely learn my lesson,” Old Wu said, nodding hastily as he put down the piece of stone rind in his hand.

Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow and said, ”Hey, why did you put the rind down? Keep eating.”

”Huh?” Old Wu’s jaw dropped, his face a mask of astonishment.

’This isn’t how the script is supposed to go! According to the usual tropes, after you’ve taught me a lesson and I’ve obediently admitted my mistake, aren’t you supposed to let me off the hook? Why are you still making me eat?’

Zhao Yuan said, ”What ’huh’? You’re the one who promised to eat the stone rind. If you don’t finish it all, how will you ever take this lesson to heart? I’m just doing this for your own good. It’s fine, no need to thank me. I don’t have many hobbies, I just love to help people!”

Old Wu was dumbfounded.

’You call this loving to help people? This is for my own good? I’m supposed to fucking thank you for this? Shit, how can you be so shameless!’

Complaining was one thing, but he still had to keep eating the stone rind.

As he ate, Old Wu started to worry about his rear end—after eating all this stone, he’d probably be completely blocked up tomorrow, unable to take a shit. That was going to be its own special kind of suffering!

’I regret it so much. If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn’t have run my mouth…’ Tears streamed down Old Wu’s face. This experience had truly taught him a profound lesson, ensuring that for the rest of his days, he would be cautious in his words and actions, never speaking recklessly again.

By the time Old Wu finished one piece of the stone rind, Boss Cao had also completed the transfer.

Logging into his online banking to check his balance, Zhao Yuan nodded in satisfaction and thought to himself, ’No wonder so many people rush headlong into stone gambling. The profits are insane! A stone I bought for fifty thousand yuan yielded Jade that I immediately flipped for over six million! And that’s even after I cut off the Qi-containing part for myself. Otherwise, selling it for ten or twenty million wouldn’t have been out of the question! It’s just a shame I’m no expert in Jade. My Qi Observation Technique can only be used to find Qi; it can’t see through the stone like x-ray vision. If it could, I really could make a fortune from stone gambling to fund my cultivation and Talisman Creation…’

Although he felt a tinge of regret, what Zhao Yuan felt most at that moment was excitement.

The transaction complete, Zhao Yuan called out to Cheng Yunlong and strode out of Shi Xuemin’s small courtyard.

Watching his retreating figure, Shi Xuemin’s feelings were incredibly complex.

Fifty thousand yuan! A piece of Jade worth tens of millions, sold for the paltry price of fifty thousand yuan. To say he didn’t regret it or feel the heartache would be an absolute lie.

However, what was done was done. Regret was useless now. This matter was destined to be a source of lifelong regret for him!

The news of Top Grade Mutton Fat Jade being cut from a scrap stone quickly spread, carried by the various bosses who had witnessed the entire event. Before Zhao Yuan had even left Antique Street, everyone there had heard about it and was rushing over to have a look.

”That’s the guy! He’s the one who cut Top Grade Mutton Fat Jade from a piece of scrap stone!”

”I never would have thought! That stone, which Elder Lin and everyone else considered worthless, was actually hiding a supreme treasure! If I had known, I would have bought that scrap stone myself. I would have been the one to get rich overnight.”

”What’s the point of being a Monday-morning quarterback? What I’m more curious about is how this kid knew there was treasure in that scrap stone. Could his skill in stone appraisal actually be higher than Elder Lin’s?”

”I heard this kid has a powerful background. Maybe he’s an elite trained by some major family with a deep foundation and long-standing traditions. It wouldn’t be surprising if he knew how to appraise stones!”

Most of the onlookers were expressing their envy and speculating about Zhao Yuan’s identity. But in one corner, a few people were staring at Zhao Yuan with eyes full of greed and malice.

They huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

”Is that the kid?”

”That’s right, it’s him!”

”Good, we’ll move according to the plan! That six million-plus has to be ours!”

”It’s not just six million. They say the kid has a powerful background, so he might have even more money on him. After this one job, we can retire, go home, build a house, and get married!”

The men all laughed together, their eyes gleaming with a frightening light, like hungry wolves that had spotted their prey.

Zhao Yuan, unaware that he was being targeted, was busy chatting with Cheng Yunlong.

”Master Zhao, where are you heading now? I’ll give you a ride,” Cheng Yunlong said eagerly.

”No need, I can get back on my own.” Zhao Yuan politely declined Cheng Yunlong’s offer. ”You should hurry and find someone to make that Jade Ring for me. I need it urgently.”

”Don’t worry, Master Zhao. I guarantee you’ll have the Jade Ring by tomorrow evening!”

Cheng Yunlong slapped his chest with a THWAP, THWAP sound.

This was a golden opportunity to get on Zhao Yuan’s good side; how could he not put his heart into it? Besides, Zhao Yuan had given him 650,000 yuan for his trouble. Even if it were just for the money, he would get the job done as quickly as possible!