Volume One: Qin Yang of the Northern Sea Chapter 16: The Wager

“Hahaha, Qin Yang, don’t tell me you’re out of money. If you are, just say the word and I’ll lend you some. And look at that rough stone you picked—its quality is so poor! If you want to bet against me with that, you’re destined to lose.” Feng Bo spoke with evident pride and arrogance.

Qin Yang merely snorted coldly. Though his face was flushed with anger, he knew perfectly well that if he wagered with this stone, he would surely lose. He had already scoured the area and found nothing better among the rough stones.

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet, stubbed out his cigarette, his brows furrowed in disappointment as he cast his gaze around. Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he spotted the stone he’d been sitting on earlier.

“Boss, how much for this piece of rough jade?”

“Five hundred thousand.”

People crowded forward, shaking their heads at the huge rough stone before them, its surface riddled with cracks that ran deep inside. By anyone’s estimation, its appearance was terrible.

Feng Bo looked at Qin Yang, hoping he would make the purchase so that, when he couldn’t pay, he could finally teach him a lesson. The thought swept away his former frustrations, and his face was alight with excitement.

Buy it. Hurry up and buy it.

Oblivious to Feng Bo’s scheme, Qin Yang frowned at the quoted price, weighing whether five hundred thousand was worth it. Although his spiritual vision assured him there was jade within, the price was steep.

“Boss, it’s too expensive. How about three hundred thousand?”

The crowd was taken aback, jaws dropping. Some even chuckled quietly at the sight. This huge piece had been sitting in the shop for three years, never sold. Now, finally, someone was interested. The shop owner hesitated briefly, then sighed. “Alright, a loss is a loss. I’ll consider it promotion for the shop.”

After Qin Yang completed the purchase, Feng Bo strode over and sneered, “Qin Yang, if you’re planning to use this to bet against me, let me make it clear—you’re doomed to lose.”

“Oh? Is that so? It’s best not to jump to conclusions before the end,” Qin Yang replied with a wry smile.

Master Ma San, a renowned figure in the stone-gambling world, especially in Bin City, couldn’t stay quiet any longer. He’d seen this rough stone at least three times on previous visits but never bought it. The reason was simple: not only was its appearance terrible, marred by a long crack that would ruin any jade inside, but based on its features, he was certain it contained nothing of value.

“Young man, don’t be so confident, or you might just stumble hard,” Master Ma stroked his beard with a meaningful glance.

Those around nodded in agreement. If Master Ma didn’t rate the stone, none of them would ever consider buying it.

“Enough talk—let’s cut the stones now,” Qin Yang said, his tone resolute.

The onlookers shook their heads; this was the arrogance of youth, they thought.

Though Feng Bo’s face remained composed, the twitch of his brow and the fleeting smirk betrayed his inner turmoil. “Kid, no matter your relationship with Mengqi, from this day forward, you two will never have anything to do with each other,” he thought coldly.

The commotion had drawn a crowd, all eyes fixed on the two rough stones at the cutting table. The outcome of their wager hung on a million yuan, or two to three million if the cost of the stones was included.

Feng Bo adjusted his glasses, untroubled about losing—especially with Master Ma on his side.

“I can’t believe Young Master Feng bought that rough stone. When I asked yesterday, they wanted 1.2 million—it was too expensive, so I passed. I wonder how much he paid,” someone murmured.

“Exactly. With Master Ma present, it’s bound to be a grand show,” another added.

As the two stonecutters marked the lines, Qin Yang stood by, lighting a cigarette, his demeanor betraying little of the tension coursing through him. The stakes were high—millions of yuan. Losing would mean not just money, but public humiliation.

The harsh grinding of the cutters drew everyone’s attention, faces bright with anticipation.

“Green! It’s showing green!”

With a single cut, Feng Bo’s stone revealed jade; he’d clearly made the right choice. As for Qin Yang’s stone, there wasn’t a trace of green.

“It’s a bust.”

“Thirty thousand down the drain.”

“These youngsters are too reckless nowadays, thinking they can compete with Master Ma. It’s like going to the toilet with a lantern.”

“What does that mean?” a young man asked.

“It means courting death.”

“Qin Yang, you’ve lost. Hurry up and prepare my million,” Feng Bo crowed arrogantly.

Qin Yang chuckled. “Feng Bo, aren’t you celebrating a bit too soon? I’ve only just started scraping the skin off mine. The outcome isn’t decided yet, is it?”

Feng Bo eyed Qin Yang’s steady expression with suspicion. Could he really be that confident?

“Green! It’s green!”

A deep, muffled voice rang out, and the crowd’s eyes widened in disbelief. That massive, unremarkable stone—dismissed even by Master Ma—had revealed green.

And for such a huge stone, if most of it was jade, its value could easily surpass Feng Bo’s.

Impossible.

Master Ma’s face was ashen with shock. In all his decades in the business, especially in recent years, he’d rarely misjudged a stone. Yet here he’d been proven wrong, and in front of so many witnesses. His expression was grim; this concerned Feng Bo’s reputation, and failure would come at a high price.

His aged hand clenched in his pocket, nails digging into his flesh. He simply couldn’t accept defeat. Yes, there was a crack—if there was jade inside, it would surely be ruined, reducing its value.

The room fell silent. Normally, the jewelers would start bidding, but everyone was waiting to see who would win.

Feng Bo’s stone, being smaller, was done first. He’d bought it for 1.2 million, and with good quality, it could fetch around 2.5 million. Now, everyone turned their attention to Qin Yang’s stone, which was only half revealed. The jade inside shone with a crystalline luster.

Even at this stage, Qin Yang was sure to profit, and some buyers had already started bidding.

“Brother Qin, I’ll buy that jade for three million—what do you say?”

Feng Bo’s face paled at the offer; it signaled his defeat. If Qin Yang accepted, the bet would be over, with Qin Yang the winner.

His body trembled, his face clouded with anger and resentment.

“Let’s wait until it’s fully revealed,” Qin Yang replied with a cheerful smile.

The crowd sighed in disappointment, but Feng Bo let out a breath of relief. If the quality deteriorated further in, the value would drop, and he might still have a chance.

There’s still hope.

The stonecutting continued, and after another half hour, the entire stone was laid bare.

Everyone stared in utter astonishment. Two-thirds of the massive stone was pure jade—an incredible outcome.

“Four million!”

“Four point four million!”

“Four point six million!”

The bids came thick and fast, faces flushed and voices raised. Then, a crisp voice cut through the commotion, and everyone fell silent.

“Five million. I’ll take it.”