Luo Qianqian hadn’t expected this either and was also staring with eyes wide open. What’s going on here?
The two looked at each other, eyes wide and disbelieving, before Jimo Cheng finally swallowed hard, "Jin Yuee, should I ask Elder Hei to co up and help?"
Luo Qianqian hesitated. She could tell that Jimo Cheng might not be up to the task, but could she trust Elder Hei?
As if he saw Luo Qianqian’s concerns, Jimo Cheng quickly explained, "Elder Hei is soone Grandpa trusts, so you can relax."
Is that so? Luo Qianqian nodded. Since you’re saying we should call him, I have no objections. But after looking around, she still had so concerns, "Senior brother, there’s only jade in this piece." With a confident tone, Jimo Cheng paused only for a mont before nodding, understanding Luo Qianqian’s aning.
"Only in this piece," he repeated, affirming once more.
Only then did Luo Qianqian let out a sigh of relief and chuckled. What a joke—if more had been revealed, wouldn’t she be an easy target?
It didn’t take long for Elder Hei to be called up via the hotel’s internal phone line by Jimo Cheng. He looked at the remnants of the Gambling Stone on the table and then at Luo Qianqian standing to the side. First, he frowned as if wanting to comfort Luo Qianqian, telling her not to mind the wins and losses too much, and then he watched Jimo Cheng turn the stone in his hand for him to inspect, which made his eyes widen and he began to cough violently.
He pounded his chest, trying to compose himself.
Then, staggering forward, he lost his balance and fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the fall, he knelt, propped up his upper body, and took the half-piece of the Gambling Stone, trembling as he pulled out a flashlight from his pocket and shone it left and right, frowning, "Master Jin Nian, the cut you made is clearly wrong."
He then carefully stood up, examining the two halves of the Gambling Stone he had separated, before closing his eyes. After so ti, he opened them, his gaze clear and lucid.
Getting to his feet, he turned to Luo Qianqian, "Miss Jin Yuee, may I take it back to the room to examine it further? These tools aren’t as complete as the ones I have. If Miss Jin Yuee is worried, you’re welco to co with ."
Luo Qianqian looked at Jimo Cheng, who nodded slightly. Fully revealing the stone would indeed take a lot of ti, which was evident from watching professionals at it that afternoon.
Finally, Luo Qianqian nodded, "Then I will trouble Elder Hei. My senior brother and I really don’t know how, otherwise, we wouldn’t be so tired or bother you."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," Elder Hei said, laughing as he waved his hand and carefully wrapped the Gambling Stone in his shirt before turning to leave.
Watching Elder Hei depart, Luo Qianqian looked puzzledly at Jimo Cheng. Was that necessary? Wrapping it in a shirt would only draw more attention, wouldn’t it?
After all, this hotel was the best and closest to the venue, and by now it was almost filled with guests. If soone really had intentions to rob, it would be a case of ’thieves proclaiming where they hide their loot.’
"Don’t worry, everyone on these two floors is with us, there are no outsiders." Effortless displays of wealth could be the most lethal.
Luo Qianqian’s mouth twitched, yet her face showed trust. Alright then, you’re the senior brother, you must be right, I’ll listen to you.
"Jin Yuee." Jimo Cheng suddenly called out to Luo Qianqian with a troubled look, "If it’s possible, don’t use that ’dream’ ability unless necessary."
Dream? Luo Qianqian imdiately thought of the previous occasion she’d used dreams to coax Jimo Cheng into selecting jade, her hand gripping the Jade Token in her pocket even tighter, "I don’t dream every day, you know," she said with an innocent smile on her face, "Senior brother, there’s no need for such worries."
Jimo Cheng let out a sigh. Was he worrying over nothing? Perhaps not.
"I’ll go back to my room to rest then. See you in a bit, senior brother," Luo Qianqian said as she fled back to her room, took out the Jade Token, and looked at it with confusion. She had many secrets, and didn’t mind adding another one to the list.
She scrutinized the Jade Token carefully. It hadn’t changed since she acquired it; it was still warm to the touch, but not nearly as scorching as it had been monts before.
Looking at it against the light, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Surely such a small jade token shouldn’t emit such heat.
Don’t tell her it was so Ancient Divine Artifact! She was a non-believer in deities and wouldn’t fall for that.
Thinking this way, she self-consciously scratched her head. Maybe she wasn’t completely atheist after all; the fact that she could return to this ti was inexplicable by science.
Her gaze shifted to the Gambling Stones that had been moved into the room before Elder Hei’s arrival, but the Jade Token didn’t react.
She brought the Jade Token closer to the Gambling Stones with a puzzled frown, but nothing strange occurred. She couldn’t help but wonder, was everything that happened earlier just her imagination?
"Hey, can you talk?" Luo Qianqian teased the Jade Token and waited; no response ca, and she felt like she might be going crazy.
"Is it necessary to drip blood on it?" Luo Qianqian’s imagination ran wild again. Squinting her eyes, she calmly went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She preferred the idea of bleeding gums to cutting her fingertips or tongue. If nosebleeds weren’t so rare, she would have preferred that.
After brushing for five or six minutes, she finally managed to get so blood mixed with toothpaste and saliva onto the Jade Token. Seeing no reaction from the token, she deflated in disappointnt, thinking, how could such things be true?
She rinsed her mouth and lay in bed with the Jade Token, observing it closely. There was no difference from her senior brother’s; one was cold, the other hot, that was all.
Then suddenly, Luo Qianqian’s eyes sparkled, and she sprang up on the bed with a look of devotion, "Key imbued with the powers of darkness, reveal your true power before . In the na of your new master, Luo Qianqian, I command you, break the seal!"
The Jade Token simply lay in the palm of her hand, unresponsive.
Luo Qianqian’s face fell. Was it all just an illusion? But clearly, both of the Gambling Stones had yielded jade, hadn’t they?
It couldn’t possibly be just because the god of luck was looking out for her, could it?
At this mont, Jimo Cheng lay on his bed, also with a Jade Token in hand. Luo Qianqian’s pants were made of a revealing material, at a glance he had seen what she was clutching so tightly, but why hold the Jade Token? Was it because she was nervous and needed to grasp sothing, or was there another reason?
Jimo Cheng also scratched his head in frustration. What was he supposed to do if his junior sister had issues she wouldn’t share with him?
Was this the legendary rebellious phase? The onset of adolescence?
Luo Qianqian almost thought she had co down with a case of ’chuunibyou,’ with one act after another. At least she hadn’t gone through with so kind of blood ritual.
Perhaps she’d watched too many ani or read too many novels, and now her mind was in a ss.
But the sensation she felt was surely not fabricated.
How was she to verify it? What senior brother said just now, was that a warning? Were there things she did not yet know?
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