Chapter 619: Betting on Garbage

Ye Mo took Xu Wei to a middle-aged man sitting on some rocks. His gambling addict look left Ye Mo speechless. No matter how rich you were, ignorance of rock betting meant losing everything.

Betting rocks was exciting but brutally realistic. Everyone watched you bet, but when you lost, no one pitied you; they simply moved on. Winning, however, drew envious stares. Perhaps those who bet rocks enjoyed those envious, shocked looks most.

Ye Mo approached, patting the man’s shoulder. “Friend, are these pebbles yours? Can you sell one to me?”

The man looked confused. “These are waste rocks I opened. Why do you want one? Take one if you like.”

“Thank you, but I don’t like taking things for free. How about this, I’ll buy one for $200.” Ye Mo signaled Xu Wei to pay the man.

Two hundred dollars meant nothing to the man, but he understood the need for exchange in rock betting. He nodded. “Alright, one last try. If I lose, I’m done for the day.”

Ye Mo picked up a pebble he’d previously scanned. It contained a small piece of green jade, unseen by the man.

This happened often. Without spirit sense, it was impossible to detect.

Seeing Ye Mo buy a pebble for $200, everyone shook their heads. Were it not for the man’s obvious wealth, they’d have suspected collusion to swindle Xu Wei.

Xu Wei looked worriedly at the stone. “Ye Mo, is this stone useful?”

“Of course. Open it.” Ye Mo took the stone to the opening area.

“Who can help me open this stone?” Ye Mo asked. Everyone ignored him. Who wanted to open a useless rock?

Gambling customs dictated that finding jade brought luck. But Ye Mo’s ferocious look made him seem untrustworthy. What if he blamed them for an empty stone?

“Brother, don’t bother. It’s empty. I, however, found a top-grade ore—black outside, something good inside. Watch me open it later,” the middle-aged man said.

Ye Mo knew the man’s stone was empty. He pointed to a fresh-looking rock. “Buy that one; it has something inside. Yours is empty, and this one’s cheaper—only $100,000.”

He’d been helped, so he returned the favor.

But ridicule erupted. Even Xu Wei pulled back Ye Mo.

“Brother, are you alright? That one doesn’t even have a shell! It wouldn’t sell for $100,000 except for its size. Brother, you’re worse than me at this,” the middle-aged man shook his head.

Ye Mo smiled, saying nothing. He took out the $200 pebble. “Who’ll open this? I’ll pay $500.”

A shabby-looking man approached. No one was surprised; it was Huo Duocai, a rock opener known for never finding jade. Even the boss rarely used him.

A rule existed: the opener received a tip if jade was found.

Ye Mo disregarded Huo Duocai’s reputation, but to secure the opportunity, Huo Duocai declared, “Don’t worry, my technique is top-grade.”

“Okay, open it. Don’t ask questions until all the jade is out,” Ye Mo said.

Huo Duocai, fearing Ye Mo’s regret, immediately started.

Huo Duocai didn’t fully grasp Ye Mo’s implication, but others did. This scarred man was cruel. He meant Huo Duocai had to keep opening until jade appeared, regardless of its absence. Some wanted to warn Huo Duocai, but Ye Mo’s ferocious look deterred them.

“Ye Mo, I don’t have $500,” Xu Wei said.

“Don’t worry, deduct it from the jade’s earnings,” Ye Mo replied.

Huo Duocai, expecting nothing, cut straight through the middle.

Ye Mo shook his head. The man called his skills top-grade, yet this slice had already damaged the jade.

“Huh? It’s green—bright green! Good stuff!”

“And Huo Duocai cut a bit off; it’s ice jade!”

Laughter turned to awe as everyone gazed at the jade.

Huo Duocai, sweating, realized his negligence. He hadn’t expected jade. What if he had to compensate?

“Hurry and cut it all out. If this happens again, I’ll get someone else,” Ye Mo said.

“Yes, yes! Boss, it won’t happen again.” He carefully extracted the jade, surprised by Ye Mo’s leniency. It was entirely his fault.

Luckily, he reacted quickly and his skills were good. Soon, he’d completely extracted the ice jade.

“It’s ice jade. High purity, dense green.” Such jade was worth almost $200,000.

The middle-aged man stared at Ye Mo in shock, regretting his earlier dismissal. Ye Mo's ability to find jade in his leftovers was impressive.

“I’ll take that jade, $200,000,” a woman said.

She was in her early thirties, well-dressed, and seductive, accompanied by a bodyguard.

Ye Mo frowned. He disliked her chemical perfume, preferring the natural scents of Luo Ying and Ning Qingxue.

“$200,000?!” Xu Wei was stunned. $200 had turned into $200,000.

Ye Mo, unaware of the jade’s true worth, tossed it to the woman. “It’s yours, cash or check.”

The woman, sensing his displeasure with the price, hesitated, but Ye Mo tossed the jade as if it were worthless.