Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 726: Chapter 723: The Smashed Chicken Blood Stone

”Did it go up?”

The young man thought seeing red meant an increase in value and immediately felt elated, both happy and excited, ”Master, what should we do with this stone next?”

The old master found himself in a difficult position. In fact, he wasn’t optimistic about this rough stone, but since he was employed by the shop, it wouldn’t be good to openly say the stone was of poor quality. Otherwise, it could ruin the store’s business and threaten his own livelihood. Now the young man was asking how to proceed with the stone gambling, and the master felt torn.

If it were up to him, with such a stone, being able to cut out red flesh around the smeared red area, it would certainly fetch the initial investment of 500,000 back if sold. But cutting further into it, what lay inside was anyone’s guess.

But everyone knows that stone gambling is highly addictive, and with the rule of preferring a streak over a piece, no one would be foolish enough to buy such a stone at this point. After all, 500,000 was no meager sum, and the potential for loss was too great.

”We can’t judge yet if the value will increase. If someone wants to buy, selling it now could earn you around fifty or sixty thousand,” the old master kindly reminded.

The young man was there to gamble on stones and make money. How could he easily lose his nerve? He didn’t even glance at the people around him, just urgently wanting to know if the Chicken Blood Stone was entirely red inside. He waved his hand impatiently, ”I’ve only made the first cut, it’s still early! I’m not selling, keep cutting!”

The old master sighed inwardly upon hearing this. He nodded and drew another line on the stone as instructed.

The electric grinding wheel whirred into life, its fine gears descending as the second cut followed the line swiftly.

Possibly feeling the thrill, the young man’s face flushed with excitement as he stood rooted to the spot, eyes fixed intently on the grinding wheel, oblivious to the fragments flying around.

Slabs of cut stone fell to the ground, a whitish mess. Seeing this, the old master couldn’t help but feel a torrent of emotions.

There was no need to look at the stone’s cut surface behind the wheel; the scattered fragments were enough to tell—the stone had broken on the second cut.

The crowd fell silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward. The young man also realized the second cut had failed.

But he couldn’t let go, snatching the rough stone from the old master’s hands and moving it away.

After the second cut, the once red-tinted smooth surface faded, leaving no trace of red at all.

Even the smeared red area, the most likely place to yield the prized Da Hong Pao, showed no red. It wasn’t just lacking full blood; it couldn’t even be considered skin-deep red. This young man really had terrible luck.

The people watching couldn’t help but shake their heads. Only the young man stared, his eyes wide with disbelief at what lay before him. His face contorted and twisted, he shook as he clutched the rough stone, his expression filled with disbelief:

”Impossible, how could this be? With the stone showing such promise, even the skin was red, how could there be no red inside?”

Seeing him so distraught, the old master felt a pang of compassion and tried to offer some comforting advice:

”Young man, gambling on Chicken Blood Stones isn’t that simple. Even if there’s red on the surface, there’s a lot to consider; you can’t rely solely on that to gamble on Chicken Blood Stones. In Changhua, it’s common for one cut to make you poor and another to make you rich; whether the value goes up or crashes, you shouldn’t take it too seriously. While your stone still has five uncut faces, you should sell it if you find a buyer.”

How could he not care? That was the entirety of his five hundred thousand savings spent on that purchase! With just two cuts, the stone was ruined. Forget about making a fortune; he couldn’t even get his capital back.

The young man’s mind buzzed, blanking out completely. He couldn’t take in the old craftsman’s advice; instead, he pushed the old man away, unwilling to accept the outcome. He swiftly aligned the stone with the stone cutting machine and cut a thick slice off each of the remaining faces.

With each cut, his spirits edged closer to collapse, his complexion growing paler and paler.

The remaining slices were all dotted with white cotton-like inclusions, completely devoid of any red. Such Changhua Stones were worthless.

The young man slumped to the ground, his eyes red as he stared at the now worthless Changhua Stone, his gaze filled with despair, muttering incessantly, ”It’s over... Haha, there goes five hundred thousand...”

Everyone knew that the Changhua Stone had become scrap, and there was nothing left to see. Although they sympathized with the young man, such sights were too common to be surprising.

However, there were quite a few people at the scene who loved to flock to a spectacle, and after witnessing the entire event, they grew curious.

These onlookers knew that the young man had bought this raw material after being persistently bamboozled by the gambler’s shop owner. Now that the stone had been cut and he had directly lost five hundred thousand, it was indeed a pitiable loss, so these spectators were all wondering whether the young man would seek trouble with the shop owner.

The young man, new to Chicken Blood Stones, was aware of the rules of stone gambling: once the deal is made and the silver changes hands, the outcome, whether a gain or a bust, is the gambler’s own responsibility.

Although he had already sensed something was amiss, he could only swallow his losses along with his blood.

”Lad, learn from this and turn back. Stone gambling isn’t so easy. If you really want to get into this business, find an expert to apprentice yourself to, and learn for thirty or fifty years before you try again. There’s much to understand about this craft. While your stone isn’t completely cut yet, see if anyone is willing to buy your scrap. Even though you won’t recover your investment, selling it for thirty or fifty thousand should still be possible.”

The old master truly couldn’t stand by and watch the young man’s despondence, reminding him of his own impetuous youth, when he was unbending and carefree. The old man advised him kindly.

Having suffered such a heavy blow, particularly after cutting black moss, the young man lost all courage to gamble. His eyes, once bright, dulled. He looked up at the few remaining people in the area, his voice weak as he said, ”Anyone who wants my stone, name your price.”

Seeing that no one around was bidding, Huo Sining thought it over and decided to buy it nonetheless.

After all, she was not short on money now, and this scrap was just thirty or fifty thousand. If it turned out to be a bust, it would just be a costly lesson. Besides, she saw how pitiable the young man was; buying this scrap would at least offer him some comfort.

Seeing no one bidding, the young man’s hopeful expression faded to desolation. He drooped his head in defeat, stood up, and planned to leave with the worthless stone in his arms.

”If no one buys it, sell it to me. I’ll offer ten thousand.”

Unexpectedly, just then, the gambler’s shop owner, from who knows where, emerged from the crowd. He looked at the young man, a cunning gleam in his eyes.