“Zzi zzi~~”
The piercing sound of stone-cutting rang out. Li Feng stood bored to the side. Stone-cutting? More like cutting worthless rocks. If he wasn’t playing along with Li Quan and the others, he wouldn’t waste his time here.
To avoid arousing suspicion, every time a stone yielded no jade, he put on a disappointed expression or cursed harshly.
Even Li Feng had to admire his own acting skills.
But who in this world doesn’t act? Li Quan, Liu Shichao, Wang Xiong—each had their own hidden motives. Life is a stage, isn’t it?
Liu Shichao, however, held some hope. He had bought this batch of stones. Even if the chances of finding jade were slim, he hoped to uncover a few pieces. Otherwise, if word got out that Liu Shichao spent 2 billion on worthless stones, where would he hide his face?
Glancing secretly at Li Quan, Liu Shichao was puzzled. Following such a mysterious figure like Young Master Feng, why would Li Quan betray him? Who was Li Quan conspiring with, and what was his connection to Brother Peng from Emperor’s Pavilion?
Liu Shichao had to admire the mastermind’s bold moves. Not only did they arrange for Tiantian Loan to lend Li Feng 1.5 billion, but the 1 billion in his own hands was also provided by them. Otherwise, with his status, how could he access such funds?
From the plan, it seemed they were after the 50% stake in Li Feng’s Xiangfeng Investment Company. But was Xiangfeng’s stake worth such elaborate scheming? Liu Shichao couldn’t understand. He had investigated Xiangfeng Investment. It was doing well, but not valuable enough to justify this effort.
“Young Master Feng, don’t worry. With so many stones left, we’ll definitely get jade,” Li Quan said soothingly, seeing Li Feng on the verge of exploding after a hundred stones yielded nothing.
Li Feng took a deep breath and said, “You’re right. Last time at Tianya Pavilion, I had a streak of luck. I believe it’ll happen again.”
“Exactly, exactly,” Li Quan said, his mouth twitching at the mention of Tianya Pavilion.
“It’s green! It’s green!” Liu Shichao’s excited voice suddenly rang out.
“Green?” Li Feng and Li Quan turned to look. A stone in the cutter’s hands had been partially cut, revealing a hint of green.
“It’s really green,” Li Feng said, stunned. He activated his Nine Heavens Heart Sutra but sensed no spiritual energy in the stone. Could some jade lack spiritual energy?
It wasn’t impossible. Though jade without spiritual energy was worthless to him, it was different for others. The stone was large, and only the surface had been cut. It might actually yield jade.
“Young Master Feng, a stone this big, even if it’s just ordinary jade, could be worth a fortune,” Li Quan said, visibly excited.
“Exactly. I knew I’m no ordinary guy. Good luck always follows me,” Li Feng said proudly, standing tall with an air of arrogance.
Li Quan cursed inwardly, his eyes fixed on the stone in the cutter’s hands.
“Zzi zzi~~”
The cutting machine’s harsh sound was music to their ears at that moment. Li Feng, Liu Shichao, Li Quan, and Wang Xiong all stared intently at the stone.
The stone was gradually cut open. The weather was hot, and the cutter had taken off his short-sleeved shirt, wearing only a vest. His rolls of fat jiggled under it, like a layer of water bags.
Sweat dripped from the cutter’s face as he gripped the machine, skillfully breaking down the stone. But after the first layer, the green mist didn’t change, and no jade appeared.
“How can this be?” Li Feng said, feigning anxiety, as if his heart was in his throat, eyes glued to the stone.
Yet, even as the cutter broke the stone into fragments, no jade emerged. Each piece had a trace of green mist, but it had nothing to do with jade.
“It’s over!”
Whether from disappointment or something else, Li Feng plopped onto the ground, his face full of frustration.
One cut to heaven, one to hell—every stone gambler knows this, but who can stay calm?
Seeing Li Feng’s expression, Li Quan smirked coldly. This was just the start. Today, he’d make Li Feng collapse.
“Young Master Feng, don’t worry. It’s just bad luck. Maybe the next stone will yield jade,” Li Quan comforted.
“Really?” Li Feng looked like a helpless child, grasping at Li Quan’s words like a lifeline.
“Really, Young Master Feng. Trust me,” Li Quan said earnestly.
Trust you? Yeah, right!
Li Feng sneered inwardly but showed nothing on his face, only watching the cutter with ‘nervous’ anticipation.
One stone after another was cut, all turning to waste. Li Feng’s expression grew darker. Even Li Quan, who often reassured him, didn’t dare provoke him further.
“Alright, that’s enough for today,” Li Feng said, standing up.
“Young Master Feng means…?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow. Bad luck today. No more cutting,” Li Feng said, eyeing the warehouse stones. “Or I’ll wait until I feel lucky again.”
“This…” Liu Shichao hesitated, unsure of Li Feng’s intentions.
“Young Master Feng, I think it’s better to cut sooner. The earlier we cut, the sooner we profit,” Li Quan said quickly.
“No need,” Li Feng shook his head, looking at the one-tenth of stones cut, dissatisfied. “Stone-cutting depends on luck. With bad luck like today, it’s pointless. Better not cut. As for profit, what’s the rush? You can’t eat hot tofu if you’re impatient. Same with making money.”
“This…”
Li Quan was speechless. This didn’t fit their plan. Without cutting, how could they proceed?
“Young Master Feng, the 1.5 billion loan from Tiantian Loan has daily interest in the tens of millions. That’s steep. If you profit sooner, you can pay it off and not worry about the interest,” Li Quan said after a moment.
“Li Quan, you really look out for me,” Li Feng said, ‘touched.’
Li Quan was impatient, showing no loyalty. But Li Feng needed time. Confronting Li Quan and the others would mean facing the Black Stone Gang. His Black Eagle Team was still training. Even if they defeated the gang, it’d cost him, which he didn’t want. He needed to boost his team’s strength first.
“Young Master Feng, who else would I look out for?” Li Quan said, patting his chest.
“Haha, well said, Li Quan. Stick with me, and when I make it big, you’ll get your share,” Li Feng laughed, patting Li Quan’s shoulder, looking excited.
“Exactly, exactly,” Li Quan nodded. “Following Young Master Feng, I’ll make a name for myself. Young Master Feng, shall we keep cutting?”
“No, not today,” Li Feng shook his head.
“What? Why?” Li Quan was stunned. After all his flattery, Li Feng still wouldn’t cut.
“Why? Didn’t I just say? My luck’s gone today. All we’re getting is waste. Why bother? Each stone’s worth millions. I’m not wasting them. I’ll cut when I feel lucky again. Right, Li Quan?” Li Feng said, grinning at him.
“Uh, yes,” Li Quan said, eyes shifting, hesitating. “But Young Master Feng, the interest on Tiantian Loan is so high…”
“Interest?” Li Feng turned to Wang Xiong. “Manager Wang, per the contract, don’t I have a year to repay?”
“Yes, Young Master Feng. As long as you haven’t lost all the loan money, you can repay anytime within a year,” Wang Xiong answered, puzzled by the question.
“And these stones here don’t count as a total loss, right?” Li Feng asked.
“Young Master Feng, you’re joking. Even one stone left means it’s not a total loss. One stone could yield imperial jade, making you a hundred times richer,” Wang Xiong said with a smile.
“Exactly. So why should I care about tens of millions in interest? I’ll cut when I want to,” Li Feng said, laughing.
Li Quan and Wang Xiong were dumbfounded. So that was his point after all those questions. They exchanged a helpless glance.
“Young Master Feng…”
Li Quan started, but Li Feng cut him off. “Li Quan, do I look like someone who does big things?”
“Of course, Young Master Feng is wise and mighty, destined for great things,” Li Quan said without hesitation.
“Exactly. Someone like me, destined for greatness, wouldn’t care about a few million in daily interest,” Li Feng said grandly. “From now on, I call the shots in my company. I decide when to cut. Liu, if you want to cut, you notify me first. Otherwise, you’re responsible for any losses. Even if you’re the Liu family’s young master, I won’t let you off. Got it?”
“Young Master Feng, don’t worry. I know what to do,” Liu Shichao said quickly.
“Haha, that’s right. Let’s go eat. My treat today,” Li Feng laughed, leaving the warehouse.
Li Quan and Wang Xiong exchanged a glance, nearly in tears. They hadn’t broken Li Feng yet, but they were the ones breaking.
