Chapter 128: You Have Lost!

Master Li paused and gave Zhao Xiujie a thumbs-up. Being praised by a master stone cutter is the honor of every jade gambler.

Zhao Xiujie laughed triumphantly, his chin held so high it almost reached the sky. "Ye Tianci, did you see that? My very first raw stone was a winner!"

"This is real talent! This is true expertise!"

Hearing the growing chorus of praise around him, he felt even more carried away.

Ye Tianci offered a playful smile. "Perhaps that was the only one out of your five stones that would turn a profit?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Zhao Xiujie glared, his face flushed with anger. "Ye Tianci, your intentions are truly malicious! You’re clearly just jealous and bitter because I hit a winner on my first try!"

"You only found jade in one out of five stones; what exactly is there for me to be jealous or bitter about?" Ye Tianci shot him a sidelong glance.

"Damn it! Are you still going to be a smart-ass?" Zhao Xiujie was losing his temper. He waved his hand indignantly, "Master Li, keep cutting! Let the facts shut this kid’s mouth!"

Master Li placed his second stone onto the machine and began to cut.

Zhao Xiujie curled his lip and rolled his eyes at Ye Tianci. "Idiot! Open your eyes wide and watch closely!"

But no sooner had he finished mocking Ye Tianci than Master Li stopped the machine.

"Huh?" Master Li let out a soft sound of surprise. Having cut stones for over twenty years, he had picked up many appraisal skills along the way. In his view, this stone of Zhao Xiujie’s had a high probability of containing jade. However, with the first cut, he saw only a faint trace of green—just a few thin veins—while the rest was plain, white rock.

"How is there no green? Could this stone be a loser?"

"It won't be a loser! The stone Young Master Zhao picked is guaranteed to have jade!"

"It’s only the first cut, why worry? In my opinion, this stone will still be a winner."

The people around them scrambled to make excuses for Zhao Xiujie, almost all of them convinced that his second stone would still turn a profit.

Zhao Xiujie was also certain he would win. Full of confidence, he waved at Master Li, "Seeing a trace of color on the first cut is a good sign! Don't stop, keep going!"

"Vroom!" Master Li operated the machine to continue.

The second cut: no green.

The third cut: still plain white!

They flipped it over and cut again, and even the faint green veins and lines had vanished!

"No way! Are you kidding? It didn't produce any green?"

"It really turned out to be a loser?"

"I never thought Young Master Zhao would misjudge it, and we all misjudged it too."

The crowd sighed in disappointment. Zhao Xiujie’s face turned ugly, his skin burning with embarrassment.

"Master Li, cut the third one!" Zhao Xiujie said, growing restless.

"What’s the point of cutting? Everything you have left is just waste," Ye Tianci said calmly from the side.

"Shut your damn mouth!" Zhao Xiujie glared at him viciously.

Master Li continued to operate the machine. "Vroom!" As the blade cut through, each stone revealed its true nature.

The third stone: plain white, waste!

The fourth stone: dull gray, waste!

Only one stone remained.

"Three in a row are just waste! This is pathetic!"

"There's only one left, it won't be waste too, right?"

"Maybe it is. That guy said all of Young Master Zhao's remaining stones were waste. But wait, how did he know?"

"Yeah, I heard him say it too. Could he have the ability to foresee the future?"

"So much for being the young master of Qingshan Jewelry. To me, he's just a fancy pillow—all show and no substance!"

The people mocking Zhao Xiujie now were the very same ones who had been flattering him just moments ago.

Shamed until his face was bright red, Zhao Xiujie rushed forward and shoved Master Li aside. "I'll do it myself!"

He operated the cutter personally. "Vroom... screech!"

He cut the final stone right down the middle. It was still waste!

"How can this be? This can't be!" Zhao Xiujie’s eyes widened, and he roared in disbelief, cutting the two halves into even smaller pieces. Still waste!

Zhao Xiujie was completely stunned, standing frozen in place. The mockery from the crowd grew louder; he wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground!

Ye Tianci said coolly, "Zhao Xiujie, I was right, wasn't I? The remaining four were all waste."

"Since that’s the case, there's no need to continue. You should concede."

Zhao Xiujie immediately flew into a rage from embarrassment. "Ye Tianci! Even if I only had one winner, do you think you’re guaranteed to beat me? Maybe yours are all waste too!"

Knowing he would be this stubborn, Ye Tianci looked at Master Li. "Master, please, you don't need to cut them all. Just two will be enough."

"Why?" Master Li asked instinctively.

Ye Tianci smiled slightly. "I only need to cut two to win. Why bother with the rest?"

Master Li shook his head meaningfully. "Young man, having confidence in yourself is a good thing, but excessive confidence is just arrogance."

Ye Tianci said no more and gestured for him to begin. Master Li stepped up to the machine once more.

"Whoosh!"

The first cut revealed green.

A dazzling green! A brilliant green! It was emerald!

The stone that had been black, ugly, and rejected by all the other guests had actually produced green? And it was top-grade emerald at that!

The crowd erupted! Even the experienced Master Li couldn't help his hand tremble slightly. He didn't pause, cut a window on the other side, and saw more green! He flipped it over and cut again—still vibrant green!

Ye Tianci’s first stone was a massive success!

"Continue," Ye Tianci said with a casual wave.

Master Li wasted no time and cut the second stone.

Green! Even thicker, more vibrant, and a deeper hue! It was pure Imperial Green!

"My god! Imperial Green!"

"The first stone was already top-tier emerald, and the second is Imperial Green?!"

"Two top-grade stones in a row, this is incredible!"

"This brother is truly a hidden master!"

"I agree, this is the real deal! He’s a stone appraisal expert—no, a stone appraisal master!"

"Who exactly is this guy? He's too good!"

The Mingyu Studio was in an uproar! The sound of discussion and gasps surged like a tidal wave. Everyone stared at Ye Tianci in shock and disbelief. Before this, no one thought he could win, yet he had done it. And he had beaten Zhao Xiujie’s five stones using only two of his own. He had won with absolute ease!

The way the crowd looked at Ye Tianci changed completely.

"Grandpa, it's so amazing! That man named Ye Tianci actually won!"

"I saw it. I never expected this; even I misjudged the situation!" The grandfather and granddaughter in the crowd exclaimed in astonishment.

Ye Tianci looked at Zhao Xiujie mockingly. "You lost."

Zhao Xiujie stood there, eyes wide and face blank, as if he had lost his mind. He had imagined ten thousand possibilities, but never that he would lose so thoroughly! The sounds of praise for Ye Tianci and the mockery aimed at him pierced his ears like hundreds of needles.

Zhao Xiujie was utterly humiliated, his face the color of a pig's liver.

"Ye Tianci, what is there to be proud of? You only won because you got lucky." Zhao Xiujie stubbornly insisted, his mouth as stiff as a boiled duck.