Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 721: Chapter 718: Enemies on a Narrow Road

Even though Huo Sining was quite confident in the heavy makeup she had applied to herself, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be a slip-up, and if she was recognized by the father and daughter of the Liu Family, trouble would be inevitable.

Huo Sining was clear that the grudge between her and Liu Yuxuan could not possibly be resolved so quickly and wasn’t something that could be sorted out with just a few words.

Given the Liu Family father and daughter’s vengeful nature, if they knew she was here, there’s no telling what sort of obstacles they might throw her way.

Adhering to the philosophy that less is more, Huo Sining thought it best to keep her distance.

Unfortunately, Huo Sining’s idea was good, but the heavens didn’t seem to want to oblige.

Just as she hid herself in front of an inconspicuous stall pretending to examine stones, those two had also made their way to the next stall, mere five meters apart from her.

Liu Yuxuan and Liu Yunhui’s decision to come to Changhua to buy Chicken Blood Stones was a spur of the moment one when they received news that a batch of Jadeite Raw Stones smuggled from Myanmar had arrived in Tonglu.

The Liu father and daughter hurried to Tonglu, spending a hefty sum to purchase this batch of raw materials.

Once the business was done, the two were about to make their way home when they passed by Changhua by chance.

Learning that Changhua’s Laba Festival would feature a Chicken Blood Stone trade fair, Liu Yuxuan was immediately intrigued, so the two of them decided to stay in Changhua.

Though the Liu father and daughter were both considered top players in the Jadeite gambling stone realm, as the saying goes, every trade has its master. Despite Chicken Blood Stones and Jadeite both originating from stones, there is a world of difference when it comes to gambling on stones.

Even for Liu Chongren, the Gambling King Liu who succeeds in nine out of ten Jadeite bets, betting on Chicken Blood Stones might not necessarily yield good results.

Gambling on stones is like practicing Tai Chi, it requires at least ten or eight years of practice. Without it, not to mention mastering it, even getting started is doubtful, and many people who have been into Chicken Blood Stones for a lifetime can still be taken for a ride.

Luckily, the two outsiders at the trade fair had the sense to look more and speak less, touch more and buy less. As a result, they didn’t end up as big losers.

After checking out quite a few Chicken Blood Stone stalls, Liu Yuxuan became somewhat disinterested.

Although they were all stones, Chicken Blood Stones still couldn’t compare to Jadeite, not just in value, but also in terms of aesthetics, Jadeite was indeed classier than Chicken Blood Stones.

At least from Liu Yuxuan’s point of view, the colorful Jadeite was definitely much more exquisite than these dull Chicken Blood Stones.

Therefore, after making a round, she found it boring and would have left long ago if it were not for Liu Yunhui still showing some interest.

While she was listlessly looking around, she inadvertently glanced up and saw a woman in a fur coat not far away.

To be honest, the woman looked pretty good and was also dressed in an upper-class manner, but her face was covered with layers and layers of powder, thick like a plastered wall. Liu Yuxuan couldn’t help but show a hint of disdain and contempt in her eyes and turned her head away, not intending to look again.

But for some reason, after she turned her head, an odd feeling welled up in her heart, as if she had seen that woman somewhere before.

Startled, Liu Yuxuan couldn’t help but look back at the woman once more, only to find that in the blink of an eye, the woman had vanished.

Liu Yuxuan subconsciously furrowed her brows, looking around in search of the strange woman.

Soon, she spotted the woman loitering in front of a nondescript Chicken Blood Stone stall, holding a stone and examining the merchandise.

Liu Yuxuan didn’t know what had come over her, why she had suddenly taken an interest in a complete stranger.

From the woman’s attire alone, it was clear she must be a nouveau riche – why else would she wrap herself in gold and silver so ostentatiously?

That leather piece alone was worth at least ten thousand; how could she possibly know a woman of such vulgar taste?

Yet she couldn’t help but want to get closer and see for herself, so she found an excuse to pull Liu Yunhui towards the woman.

Huo Sining stood in front of a stall, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed Liu Yuxuan and her son approaching her; she was trapped in indecision about whether to stay or go.

Her face tensed slightly in nervousness as she wondered if there was a problem with her disguise that might have given her away to the two of them.

At that moment, Huo Sining could no longer focus on examining the stones and instead fumbled with a piece in her hands, pretending to inspect it without really wanting to let go.

After about four or five minutes of this, the vendor’s eyes flickered with amusement as he smiled at Huo Sining and asked, ”Madam, have you taken a liking to this piece?”

Interrupted by the vendor, Huo Sining felt a slight panic. She had intended to conceal her presence, but with Liu Yuxuan and Liu Yunhui right at the next stall, and the vendor inappropriately trying to chat with her, she was left with no choice but to respond.

Feeling helpless inside and worried that those two might detect something amiss, she deliberately lowered her voice and, bracing herself, asked, ”Owner, how do you sell your stones here?”

Seeing Huo Sining inquire about the price, the vendor’s eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, and his open mouth revealed a set of yellow teeth:

”Madam, you really do have a good eye. What I have here all comes from the old pits, and I won’t hide it from you – my family has lived on Yuyan Mountain for generations. I know exactly where the Chicken Blood Stones come from at Yuyan Mountain. The stuff I sell here is sure to yield top-quality pieces! Just look at the veins, the surface of this stone, it’s definitely going to increase in value once cut...”

With little actual interest, Huo Sining was simply thinking about how to get rid of those two nuisances. Now that the vendor had blathered on with so much irrelevant nonsense, she started feeling irritable and asked impatiently:

”Do you sell these stones by the piece, or by weight?”

Far from being put out by the interruption, the vendor replied with a smile:

”I sell these stones individually. One hundred thousand per piece, what do you think?”

One hundred thousand for a piece?

Although Huo Sining had been holding the stone with her left hand and feigned inspection for quite a while, she hadn’t actually looked at it closely. Now that the price had been mentioned, it made sense to take a closer look.

Having accompanied Zhong Zifan in examining stones these past few days in Changhua, she had seen quite a number but hadn’t had much practical experience. It wouldn’t hurt to take a closer look now.

Only then did Huo Sining start to really observe the stall. It was no different from the others, with tarpaulin spread on the ground and stones of varying sizes and colors casually piled into different areas, apparently with varying prices for each area.

She studied the stone in her hand meticulously, yet without using the Heavenly Eye Skill.

The stone’s appearance was indeed pleasing: a three to four-kilogram piece, with a smooth and warm texture, relatively pure substance, clear veining, and a fine and shiny surface – it was high-quality kaolin.

If, as the vendor claimed, this stone was from an old pit, then the price of one hundred thousand was indeed very consistent with the market value.