Chapter 77

Such a straightforward answer immediately aroused Isabel's suspicion. "Really?"

"I have no reason to lie to you," Xu Jianxing said seriously.

"I hope so. If you deceive me first, don't force me to use special means. As the ancient saying in the Dragon Country goes, an eye for an eye," Isabel said nonchalantly.

Xu Jianxing couldn't help but laugh bitterly in his heart. If Isabel used special means, it would be equivalent to exposing himself. Although he knew that exposure was inevitable, he still wanted to delay it as long as possible. So, he said irritably, "Go back to my home."

"Oh, Yingchuan, a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. It is said that Yingchuan is the birthplace of the Dragon Country, where the Yellow Emperor was born, with a rich cultural heritage. Even the capital of the Xia Dynasty was established in Yingchuan. Historically, Yingchuan has produced countless talents. I've always wanted to visit, and this is a good opportunity."

After Isabel sighed, she added, fearing that Xu Jianxing might misunderstand, "I learned about your home from Mr. Zhao."

Xu Jianxing didn't care that Isabel knew his home address. He also knew that the so-called Mr. Zhao was probably the police officer who had checked his ID.

The only thing that surprised Xu Jianxing a bit was that Isabel knew some ancient information about his hometown. But then he laughed and teased, "You looked it up online, right?"

"Uh-huh." Isabel was slightly taken aback but quickly understood what he meant. A look of embarrassment appeared on her face. The information was indeed found online. Otherwise, even a native of the Dragon Country wouldn't know so much. However, the embarrassment quickly disappeared from her face, and she asked a question she was more concerned about, "Don't you mind me going to your home?"

"Would it be useful if I minded?" Xu Jianxing shrugged. "If I minded, would you not go?"

"No." Isabel shook her head without hesitation and then giggled, "My dream of traveling through the mountains and rivers of the Dragon Country won't change just because you mind."

Xu Jianxing looked at her disdainfully and was about to speak when he heard a chorus of cheers around him, "It's green, it's green."

Xu Jianxing hurriedly looked over and saw that the piece of rough stone he had chosen at random had revealed a small patch of green. Although the quality didn't look great, it was still a pleasant surprise, making Xu Jianxing feel a bit excited. At that moment, he truly felt the charm of gambling on stones.

Boss Li chuckled and said, "Congratulations, Young Master Xu. It seems you not only won the beauty but also have very good luck."

"Haha, thank you," Xu Jianxing laughed heartily.

Isabel, not wanting to be left out, said, "Darling, I brought you such good luck, so you have to share half with me."

"You wish." Xu Jianxing mouthed silently.

"Stingy." Isabel showed extreme dissatisfaction, but she didn't really mind. She just found it amusing.

At this moment, the bidding started.

"Little brother, I'll give you 200,000 for it."

"I'll give you 300,000."

"I'll give you 400,000."

Before anyone could continue bidding, Xu Jianxing waved his hand and said, "Those who know me know that I like to fully reveal the stone before selling it. So, everyone, please wait and see."

"Old master, keep going," Xu Jianxing said to the old man cutting the stone.

"Uh-huh." The old man nodded, then observed the rough stone, avoiding the side that had revealed the jade, and chose a point on the other side to cut. Unfortunately, it was just a grayish-white area, causing a chorus of sighs from the crowd.

The old man remained expressionless. In his examination, there was no possibility of cutting out green from that side. He then chose another point and cut again, revealing more grayish-white. He continued cutting, one slice after another...

After just ten minutes, the large piece of rough stone was reduced to the size of a child's fist. Apart from the small patch of green that had initially appeared, the rest was all grayish-white.

"It's a total loss. There's probably just a bit of green on the surface."

The crowd sighed deeply. The person who had bid earlier was drenched in cold sweat. Although the money wasn't much for them, no one wanted to throw their money away.

Even Xu Jianxing showed some disappointment. It was like having a gold mine and finding a nugget while playing, only to discover that it was just a small piece of gold on the outside, with the rest being ordinary rock. The disappointment was immense.

This was the difference between known and unknown.

However, the old man didn't stop. After wiping a few times, he confirmed the crowd's guess: the rough stone contained only a small, thin piece of jade, about the size of a fingernail. It was unlikely that even a ring could be made from it.

Xu Jianxing shook his head and laughed bitterly. If it weren't for his mining skill, gambling on stones wouldn't be something just anyone could do.

At this moment, Boss Li consoled him, "Young Master Xu, this is normal. There are losses and gains. Didn't you make a big profit yesterday?"

"Yes, Xu, I believe your last piece of rough stone will definitely yield jade," Isabel said, encouraging him with a small fist. The other piece of rough stone that Xu Jianxing had chosen at random had already been cut and was a loss.

Xu Jianxing smiled and said, "I'm fine, just a bit disappointed."

"Uh-huh." Both Boss Li and Isabel nodded in understanding.

Although they knew Xu Jianxing didn't care about the money, they understood the psychology of gamblers. Some people might not care about the amount they win or lose, but no one wants to lose. Otherwise, some people might cause a huge fuss over a few dollars, which would be insignificant to anyone. This was the charm of gambling, regardless of wealth or poverty.

The last piece of half-gambling rough stone continued to be wiped, but the result was already determined.

After ten minutes, following the green, a considerable piece of jade was revealed, causing another stir among the crowd.

"Little brother, I'll give you 3.2 million, consider it."

"I'll give you 3.3 million."

"I'll give you 3.5 million."

Although Xu Jianxing had said he wouldn't sell, seeing the decent quality, three people still bid, believing that Xu Jianxing had been somewhat discouraged and might not want to continue cutting.

But could Xu Jianxing sell it at such a price? Clearly not. However, he had a trick up his sleeve. According to his detection, he knew that only in this direction was there a larger piece of jade with decent quality. Other directions had green, but it was just green, not jade.

So, Xu Jianxing said to the old man, "Old master, follow the green and see how big it is. I don't believe this piece of rough stone has only a little bit of green."

"Ha ha ha..."

The crowd burst into laughter, but they understood Xu Jianxing's thoughts. Although leaving the green for last would create more anticipation, it was also very torturous. At least, when the green finally disappeared, it would be even more disappointing.

"Alright." The old man smiled at Xu Jianxing and nodded. He then picked up a fine sanding wheel and carefully wiped along the edge of the jade, then wiped off the dust with a cloth.

The crowd looked closely and saw that the green area had expanded a bit.

"It's green, it's green again."

This immediately sparked another round of cheers, and the bidding resumed.

"Little brother, 4 million."

"4.2 million."

"I'll give you 4.5 million."

These people were now certain that there was jade inside, but they didn't know how big it would be. However, looking at the edge of the rough stone, the jade would definitely continue for a while. Bidding 4 million was reasonable.

Xu Jianxing shrugged and said, "Sorry, everyone, even if I sell, I want to see how big the jade is first. So, wait until it's fully revealed before bidding. I don't want to regret it later."

"Ha ha." The crowd laughed.

The old man smiled at Xu Jianxing and started wiping carefully, clearing the debris as he went...

Five centimeters, ten centimeters, twenty centimeters long, three to four centimeters wide, the green slowly disappeared.

At this moment, the crowd erupted again, "It's green, it's a big green."

Those who knew about Xu Jianxing's success yesterday looked at him with envy, as if they could see through him, angrily thinking, "What kind of luck does this guy have? He cut out a piece of jade worth tens of millions yesterday, and this one, though not as good, is still not cheap."

Isabel, like a little girl, grabbed Xu Jianxing's hand and shouted excitedly, "Look, look, I told you there would be jade in this piece of rough stone. And it's such a big piece. If it weren't for my golden advice, you wouldn't have such good luck. You have to treat me to a meal later."

Xu Jianxing rolled his eyes at her and then laughed, pulling out a one-yuan coin and putting it in her hand, "Here, enough for two lollipops. See how generous I am."

"Go to hell." Isabel, embarrassed and angry, threw the one-yuan coin at Xu Jianxing's shoulder. She felt that this man showed no courtesy to foreign friends, inviting her to a meal with just a coin. It was too disrespectful. In France, many men would have wanted to invite her to a meal, but couldn't.

"Don't waste it if you don't want it." Xu Jianxing happily picked up the money.

"Stingy to death."