Medical and Martial God

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Catching a Sheep and Plucking it Mercilessly

”Number 9 is good. A fine piece of jade...”

”Take this number 21 rough stone...”

”Number 27 isn’t bad either...”

It took Master Lu a full half-hour to help Fei Xiang choose ten rough stones, and he was exceptionally meticulous throughout the process. With each selection, he would state his reasons, using various technical terms that left Fei Xiang and the other gamblers dumbfounded.

Ye Xiu’s face darkened. The technical terms Master Lu was using were pure gibberish. It was like he was looking at a donkey and praising it for being a fine pig—utterly incongruous. He was now one hundred percent certain Master Lu was a fraud.

”Fei Xiang, go and print the contract. After we sign it, you can pay and take home the treasures I’ve chosen for you,” Master Lu said, patting Fei Xiang on the shoulder benevolently.

”Wait!” Ye Xiu interjected. ”All the rough stones at the Jade Gambling Festival are supposed to be sold through open bidding. Isn’t it inappropriate for Fei Xiang to just pay directly?”

He wasn’t actually trying to help Fei Xiang, but rather to confirm a suspicion.

”Wang Dazhuang, are you an idiot?” Fei Xiang scoffed smugly. ”Everyone in the country knows that wherever Master Lu goes, his word is the law. For any rough stone he selects, you just have to pay twice the marked price.”

The gamblers all looked at Ye Xiu with disdain, as if looking at some clueless rookie who didn’t even know about Master Lu’s ”special privilege” in the industry.

Just then, the organizer of the Jade Gambling Festival, ”Old Wang,” came over. ”Mr. Wang,” he said, ”the reason Master Lu is so revered and loved by enthusiasts is largely because his selections save them a lot of money in bidding. This allows them to turn around and sell the stones for a much larger profit.”

”Wouldn’t you sellers be at a huge disadvantage then?” Ye Xiu asked.

”Having Master Lu participate in the Qingfeng Road Jade Gambling Festival is an honor that makes the whole event shine. I don’t mind earning a little less,” Old Wang said with an air of magnanimity.

At this point, Ye Xiu was almost certain. This Master Lu was a fake, a brand manufactured by someone else—most likely Old Wang. And their goal was to scam people together!

”Jealous, Wang Dazhuang?” Fei Xiang gloated, laughing loudly. ”Hahaha, I struck it rich today, all thanks to Grandpa Lu! You can just sit there and eat your heart out. I’m off to print the contract.”

With that, he eagerly rushed off to find a staff member to print the contract.

Ye Xiu sneered inwardly. That fool. Can’t he be a little more discerning? To be this happy about getting scammed... Pathetic.

Soon, the contract was printed. Fei Xiang and Master Lu signed it in front of everyone, stamped their fingerprints, and made the payment. With the contract signed, even if Fei Xiang discovered all ten rough stones were worthless junk, Master Lu would bear no responsibility.

”Alright, who’s next...” Master Lu said, surveying the crowd of gamblers before quickly picking his next target.

This time, Ye Xiu didn’t follow the excitement. Instead, he watched as Fei Xiang, with the help of the staff, had the ten rough stones Master Lu had selected for him loaded onto his car.

”Why didn’t Fei Xiang have the stones cut in public?” Ye Xiu asked.

In the stone gambling trade, it was tradition to have the rough stones cut on-site after purchase. If a Treasure was found, it would either be auctioned on the spot or taken away. Yet Fei Xiang didn’t have his stones cut and had the staff move them straight to his car.

”Master Lu is a quirky man,” Jin Lian explained. ”If he helps someone choose a stone and they have it cut in public, he takes it as a sign that they don’t trust his judgment and gets angry. It happened a few times when he first became famous, and after that, no one dared to have their stones cut in front of him anymore.”

Ye Xiu had a sudden realization. Master Lu’s schemes ran deep! He’d been laying the groundwork for future scams right from the moment he started building his reputation. Just imagine! If Fei Xiang had the stones cut in public and they all turned out to be garbage, no one else here would dare ask Master Lu for help. It would have made it much harder for Master Lu to help Old Wang swindle the other gamblers.

In less than two hours, Master Lu had swindled twenty-eight more people. He had promised to help only thirty today, and including Fei Xiang, that made twenty-nine.

”Young man, have you made up your mind?” Master Lu asked kindly as he approached Ye Xiu.

He had chosen Ye Xiu because Old Wang had tipped him off, calling Ye Xiu an idiot with more money than sense who had spent 15 million on a huge rock. Master Lu thought Ye Xiu would be an easy mark, which was why he had picked him first.

”Master Lu, what do you think of this rough stone?” Ye Xiu asked, holding out the No. 589 rough stone.

”That’s just a worthless rock! Not worth a penny!” Master Lu declared confidently without even taking it, merely giving it a quick glance. ”Young man, you should let me pick one for you. Rest assured, with my help, you’ll definitely make a fortune.”

”No rush,” Ye Xiu said, turning to Old Wang. ”Old Wang, this No. 589 rough stone is priced at 50,000, but Master Lu himself has just called it a worthless rock. I doubt anyone here will give it a second glance now.”

”What are you getting at?” Old Wang asked.

”Since it’s destined not to be sold, how about you sell it to me at a discount? I’ll offer 300,” Ye Xiu said.

The gamblers were speechless. Master Lu had already declared it a worthless rock, yet this Wang Dazhuang was still willing to spend money on it. While 300 wasn’t much, this was a clear challenge to Master Lu!

”Wang Dazhuang, are you a damn fool?” Fei Xiang shouted, popping up from nowhere. ”Grandpa Lu already said the No. 589 rough stone is worthless, and you still want to buy it? You’re openly questioning his judgment!”

The other gamblers were also furious.

”Wang Dazhuang, you’re going too far! Master Lu is kindly trying to help, and you dare to question him?”

”What are your intentions, publicly challenging Master Lu?”

”Master Lu, don’t help such a malicious person!”

”Even if you did help him, he wouldn’t be grateful! Master Lu, please help me instead!”

One by one, the gamblers began to indignantly denounce Ye Xiu.

”I don’t blame him,” Master Lu said, adopting the air of a magnanimous elder. ”This young man is obviously new to the stone gambling trade. He isn’t familiar with my eye for jade, so a little doubt is to be expected.”

His words once again won over the gamblers, who fell over themselves to sing his praises.

”Young man, this rough stone really is just rubbish. You should trust my judgment,” Master Lu advised kindly.

Ye Xiu ignored Master Lu and kept his eyes on Old Wang. ”Are you selling or not?”

”Sell it? Sure, why not!” Old Wang said with a shrug. ”Since Master Lu says it’s a worthless rock, it’s useless for me to keep it. If you want it, it’s yours!”

”Thank you.”

Ye Xiu went and paid the money. The No. 589 rough stone was now his.

”Young man, now I can help you pick a truly fine rough stone,” Master Lu said, refusing to give up.

Ye Xiu was almost touched by his dedication to fleecing a single mark.

”Master Lu, how about we make a bet?” Ye Xiu asked with a smile.