"A bet?" Master Lu was montarily stunned.
The gamblers were also stunned for a mont before they all erupted in fury.
"Wang Dazhuang, who do you think you are? You’re just a greenhorn who’s barely stepped into the world of stone-betting. What gives you the right to bet against Master Lu?"
"So reckless, utterly reckless! I’ve never seen such a flippant young man."
"Wang Dazhuang, this is a public humiliation of Master Lu! I’ll fight you!"
The gamblers gritted their teeth, looking as if they were ready to fight Ye Xiu to the death, but it was all bark and no bite; they only postured without taking action.
"Grandpa Lu, don’t pay any mind to that country bumpkin, Wang Dazhuang," Fei Xiang urged Master Lu indignantly. "Since he doesn’t trust your judgnt, why should you lower yourself to help him?"
As he spoke, Fei Xiang was inwardly thrilled, desperately hoping Master Lu wouldn’t help Ye Xiu.
Jin Lian sighed quietly to the side. She didn’t think there was anything inappropriate about Ye Xiu questioning Master Lu or proposing a bet. For the Xuanse dicine King to challenge Master Lu and bet against him was a great honor for Master Lu! She just couldn’t understand what Ye Xiu was aiming for.
"Sigh. Since the young man still doesn’t trust , then do as you please!" Seeing that he couldn’t trap Ye Xiu, Master Lu put on a displeased expression.
At this, the gamblers were about to scramble to take Ye Xiu’s spot when Ye Xiu scoffed, "I think it’s Master Lu who doesn’t have the guts to bet with ."
"Wang Dazhuang, shut your mouth!" Fei Xiang roared. "You’re just a clod from the countryside! How dare you speak to Grandpa Lu like that? Who do you think you are? What right do you have to bet with Grandpa Lu?"
The other gamblers also hurled a barrage of insults at Ye Xiu.
"Young man, you are too flippant!" Master Lu snapped.
"Master Lu, let’s bet on the #589 raw stone in my hand," Ye Xiu stated the terms of the bet directly. "If this raw stone is just as you say—a worthless piece of scrap rock—I’ll give you 50,000,000 Xuanse Currency. But if it’s not, you have to give 50,000,000."
HISS!
The gamblers all sucked in a sharp breath.
Fifty million! This was a massive gamble!
Jin Lian began to panic. Although Ye Xiu was the Xuanse dicine King, every art has its own specialty. How could a master of the dicine Path possibly win a stone-betting wager against Master Lu? However, she didn’t dare try to persuade him, nor did she have the right to. After all, her relationship with Ye Xiu couldn’t even be considered a friendship. If her attempt to dissuade him ended up angering him, it would only make things worse.
"Young man, must you insist on humiliating yourself?" Master Lu feigned anger, but inwardly, his heart was pounding with temptation. Though he was a sham master, a product of Old Wang’s paid marketing campaign, he did possess so skill. Furthermore, he and the experts Old Wang had hired had already inspected all the raw stones for the Stone-Betting Cultural Festival. He was absolutely certain that raw stone #589 was just a worthless rock. This bet... he was sure to win! But... he was just a salaried worker earning a commission; he didn’t have 50,000,000. What could he possibly use to bet against Ye Xiu?
"Just tell if you dare to take the bet or not," Ye Xiu said with a faint smile.
"Grandpa Lu, bet with him!" Fei Xiang goaded.
"Master Lu, since this kid is overestimating himself, just take the bet!"
"He dares to question your judgnt, Master Lu! Bet with him and show him how formidable you are!"
"Master Lu, win his 50,000,000 and teach him the price of doubting you!"
The gamblers angrily urged Master Lu to accept Ye Xiu’s wager.
Old Wang, standing to the side, was incredibly anxious. He strongly supported Master Lu betting against Ye Xiu, but he also knew that Master Lu didn’t have that kind of money. He couldn’t publicly offer financial support without raising suspicions about their relationship.
"Young man, I have led an incorruptible life, always helping others make their fortunes. I have never used my own skills for personal gain. As much as I’d like to take your bet, I truly do not have 50,000,000 for the stake," Master Lu said, artfully framing his lack of funds as a matter of integrity.
As expected, his words had an imdiate effect. The gamblers were once again moved by Master Lu’s noble character. So of the more emotional onlookers even began to cry. Master Lu was so selfless! Always helping others, yet he himself was so poor!
"Grandpa Lu, you take the bet! I’ll cover the 50,000,000 stake for you," Fei Xiang declared. "If you lose, the loss is on . If you win, just pay back the 50,000,000."
Ye Xiu’s expression brightened. He had been waiting for these exact words.
"Alright! Since the young man is so insistent on this wager, I will borrow your money for now, Fei Xiang. Don’t worry, he is bound to lose," Master Lu said with a sigh of relief. He slapped his chest, guaranteeing victory, then turned to Ye Xiu. "Young man, to prevent you from backing out after the fact, we should sign a contract."
"That’s exactly what I was thinking!" Ye Xiu readily agreed. "However, to prevent Fei Xiang from trying to renege, I propose that my 50,000,000 and his 50,000,000 both be transferred to Old Wang. Whoever wins, Old Wang will transfer the total sum to them."
"Good, I’m willing to act as the notary," Old Wang agreed promptly.
"No problem," Fei Xiang consented just as quickly.
Soon, the contract was printed out. Ye Xiu, Fei Xiang, Master Lu, and Old Wang all signed it and affixed their fingerprints. Fei Xiang’s signature and fingerprint were required because a clause in the contract specified that he was lending the money to Master Lu, and if Master Lu lost, the debt would fall on Fei Xiang.
Just as they were about to transfer the money, Jin Lian rushed forward and transferred 50,000,000 to Old Wang on Ye Xiu’s behalf. In Jin Lian’s view, Ye Xiu was bound to lose, but since it would be her money he was losing, he would surely feel indebted to her. When it ca ti to divide the pie in the dical field, he might just give a larger share to the Jin Family. This could be considered an advance investnt!
Fei Xiang was furious. He had wanted Ye Xiu to lose his own money, but instead, he had caused Jin Lian to lose hers. But on second thought, Ye Xiu was just a bumpkin from a village; where would he get that kind of money anyway?
"Alright, let’s cut the stone!" Master Lu declared with a grand wave of his hand.
"Okay!" Ye Xiu agreed.
Old Wang imdiately had his staff bring over the Cutting Machine, and they proceeded to cut raw stone #589 in front of everyone.
The gamblers watched Ye Xiu with mocking expressions, convinced he was dood to lose. There was simply no chance of winning a bet against Master Lu.
Old Wang and Master Lu were ecstatic. Fifty million! They could make fifty million from a single bet! This was an incredible windfall!
Only Jin Lian wore a worried expression. She also thought Ye Xiu would lose, but she was worried that after losing, he would refuse to accept the outco and use his martial prowess to take the 50,000,000 back by force. After all, Ye Xiu was not only the Xuanse dicine King but also a War God!
"Wang Dazhuang, you’re finished!" Fei Xiang gloated contemptuously. "First you spent 15,000,000 on a giant, worthless rock, then you spent 300 on this worthless #589 stone, and now you’ve bet another 50,000,000 with Grandpa Lu. You’ve really screwed Jin Lian over today."
He assud Jin Lian was covering not only the 50,000,000 bet but also the outstanding 15,000,000 for raw stone #1. He deliberately said this for Jin Lian to hear, implying, ’You chose a spendthrift for a boyfriend, now you can regret it.’
"Shut up, Ugly!" Ye Xiu snapped.
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