The Crazy Son-In-Law

Since listening to Hu Jianguo earlier, Xiao Shun had developed a great interest in the stone gambling event. After all, he was eager to find the “Five Spirit Stone” to make a breakthrough. With this thought, Xiao Shun smiled slightly and led Song Ling’er into the red tent.

From the outside, the tent didn’t seem large, but once inside, its true size became apparent. It was nearly as big as a basketball court. Despite its vastness, it was still crowded with people.

“So many people!” Song Ling’er exclaimed, her mouth slightly open in surprise.

Xiao Shun patted her shoulder lightly and said nonchalantly, “It’s normal. After all, tonight’s main events are stone gambling and Gu techniques!”

“When the driver described the scene at this market, I didn’t quite believe him. Now I see he wasn’t joking!” Song Ling’er marveled, staring blankly at the bustling crowd.

Xiao Shun nodded and smiled, “This is just a small part of the crowd. Tomorrow, when it opens to the general public, there will be even more people!”

Today’s Southern Wilderness Gathering was attended by major business owners and influential jade merchants. Even so, it was already so crowded. What would it be like tomorrow?

Imagining this, Xiao Shun’s mind conjured up images of dense crowds.

“Hey, why is there no one over there?” Suddenly, Song Ling’er noticed an area ahead surrounded by railings. It was empty except for a stage and numerous chairs. In the bustling venue, such an empty area was hard to miss.

At that moment, a staff member approached them and stopped Song Ling’er from going over to investigate.

“If you want to go over there, you must place in the top fifty in either the stone gambling or Gu technique competitions. Only then can you participate in tonight’s final raw stone auction.”

“What?” Song Ling’er was stunned. She had only heard of two events today. When did an auction get added?

Xiao Shun wasn’t surprised. He had heard a lot from Hu Jianguo earlier about the conflicts between Meadowfolk and Southeast Asia. Essentially, Meadowfolk wanted to use this auction to gain some leverage to exchange for the “Mandrake” controlled by the Southeast Asian Gu Technique Association. This approach was much better than directly trading raw stones for the “Mandrake.” At least both sides could demonstrate their value.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Shun smiled at Song Ling’er. “Didn’t you say you wanted to try your luck? What are you waiting for?”

Song Ling’er was delighted and grabbed Xiao Shun’s hand, heading towards the crowd.

“To participate in the competition, each contestant must purchase five raw stones. The organizers will cut them open uniformly and score based on the quality of the jade inside,” explained a staff member registering participants.

Song Ling’er looked at Xiao Shun, waiting for his response.

“Heh, sounds interesting.” Xiao Shun smiled faintly and filled out the registration information for himself and Song Ling’er.

Then they followed a staff member to the area where they could select their competition stones. Seeing several rows of nearly empty shelves, Song Ling’er fumed, “Darn it! We’re late; more than half of these stones are already gone!”

Xiao Shun reassured her, “Don’t worry; there are still plenty left.”

Song Ling’er wasn’t as calm as he was and pointed angrily at some less appealing stones nearby. “What’s the use? All the good ones are gone; what’s left are probably duds. Look at those stones; they don’t look like anything good!”

Xiao Shun was speechless. Judging jade by its exterior had some merit but wasn’t foolproof! Song Ling’er’s stone-gambling skills were superficial at best. Xiao Shun didn’t blame her; after all, she was his disciple.

“Look, this one isn’t bad!” He handed her a reasonably decent-looking raw stone.

Song Ling’er looked at the stone with a missing corner and grimaced, “Master, what kind of taste is that?”

Silly girl! Though it looked ugly on the outside, it contained bloodstone inside! Forget it; if she doesn’t want it, I’ll take it!

With a helpless sigh, Xiao Shun put that stone in his cart and continued searching for another decent one for his picky disciple.

Just then, Song Ling’er excitedly approached a small heart-shaped stone. Her eyes sparkled with joy. “Master, this one looks good!”

After examining it briefly, Xiao Shun shook his head: “Not good!”

He couldn’t believe the organizers included such worthless stones to deceive people-did they think common folks’ money was easy to cheat?

Song Ling’er insisted on her choice and showed it eagerly to Xiao Shun. “Why not? It’s so pretty!”

Shaking his head again, Xiao Shun reasoned with her: “I could find you a basketful of these by any river.”

Finally understanding that her master had sensed its worthlessness, Song Ling’er’s expression changed as she realized what he had said earlier.

Wait… what did Master say just now? A smile crept across her face.

“Master, you promised to pick ninety-nine heart-shaped stones for me by the river! I don’t need a whole basket; just ninety-nine will do!”

Xiao Shun’s face changed instantly-ninety-nine heart-shaped stones? How long would that take?

Ignoring his reaction, Song Ling’er wore a smug expression and continued searching for competition stones.

Ninety-nine symbolized longevity while heart shapes represented love! Master should understand my feelings now!

Turning away quickly so Xiao Shun wouldn’t see her blushing face, she continued searching.

Unaware of her thoughts or any implications even if he noticed them, Xiao Shun finished selecting his stones and helped Song Ling’er pick three more suitable ones. Though not top-tier here, they were enough for both to qualify among the top fifty in the competition.

Pushing their carts provided by organizers back to registration again caught an attendant’s attention who adjusted his glasses upon seeing their selections: “Each raw stone costs $20k; your total is $200k. Once results are out later today or tomorrow morning depending on cutting schedules monitored via cameras ensuring no tampering occurs during processing stages-feel free returning anytime afterward retrieving jades found within respective pieces.”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.