Chapter Fourteen: Inspecting Counterfeit Goods?

Each rough stone turned in my hands as my eyes scanned every minute detail, capturing the slightest changes like a precision instrument. Time slipped quietly away in the basement, sweat trickling down my forehead, yet I did not dare to slacken my efforts for a moment.

At last, my gaze came to rest again on a piece of rough that seemed ordinary enough. With a single cut, I uncovered a piece of yellow jade, though its quality was not pure. After repeated confirmation, I was finally certain: among these two hundred rough stones, only three truly held any value, and I had found them all.

I had fully comprehended the second level of "Blood Eye Jade Discernment."

Feeling the obvious improvement in my stone-gambling skills, I was genuinely pleased. People can be false, but what you have learned is real. People might let me down, but what I have learned never will.

Just as I went upstairs, intending to take a shower and rest for a while, the phone rang. It was Hu San.

“What’s wrong, Hu San?” I was a little surprised. He was the one calling, but when I asked, he fell silent for a long time.

Gripping the phone, a vague unease crept into my heart.

“If it’s about money, just say so. I have about sixty thousand on me. It’s no use sitting idle.”

At last, Hu San spoke, his voice low and trembling, “Brother, I... I’ve gotten myself into trouble.”

A chill gripped my heart. Though Hu San was usually carefree, he never admitted weakness easily. His tone today was truly off.

“What happened? Tell me!” I pressed.

He took a deep breath, as if struggling to suppress his fear. “I offended a big shot and owe him a huge sum. Now he’s forcing me to pay up, or else I’m done for.”

“How much do you owe?” I asked urgently.

“Two hundred thousand.” His voice was almost inaudible.

My heart missed a beat. Two hundred thousand was a fortune to me, let alone to Hu San.

He went on, “And my mother is seriously ill—she needs surgery. I just can’t raise that much money.”

“It’s not just the two hundred thousand. My mom’s treatment alone costs three hundred thousand, and I have no way to get it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I felt a surge of anger, but worry quickly overwhelmed it.

But as soon as I said it, I couldn’t help but sigh. Even if he had told me earlier, what could I have done? I only had sixty thousand in total...

“I didn’t want to drag you down,” Hu San said with a bitter laugh. “But there’s no way out now. I have to take a risk.”

“What do you mean?” A bad feeling swept over me.

“I plan to rob that big shot,” he said resolutely. “I want to have dinner with you tonight—there’s something I need to say. If anything happens to me, please take care of my mother.”

“You’re crazy!” I couldn’t help shouting. “That’s suicide!”

“I have no other choice,” despair colored his words. “You know, I once saved your life. This time, consider it my last request.”

“You’re different from the rest. If I entrust my mother to you, I can rest easy.”

I fell silent for a moment, my mind racing for a way to stop him. I couldn’t just watch Hu San walk into ruin.

“Hu San, listen to me.” I tried to steady my voice. “There’s another way. My luck at stone gambling has been good lately. I have a plan that might help you raise the money.”

“What plan?” There was a hint of hope in his voice.

“Let’s talk tonight.” I took a deep breath. “Trust me. We’ll find a way out.”

After hanging up, I hurried to shower and change into clean clothes, turning over my plan in my mind. Hu San was my closest brother. I couldn’t let him go down this path.

That evening, we met at a quiet little restaurant. He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot.

I patted his shoulder. “Brother, eat something first. Let’s think as we go.”

He nodded weakly, mechanically shoveling food into his mouth. Watching him, I felt a pang of sorrow.

“Hu San, I have an idea,” I began. “You know my luck with stones lately. I plan to use these three pieces of rough as a stake—maybe we’ll win enough.”

He looked up, suspicion flickering in his eyes. “The risk is huge. What if you lose?”

I smiled and said, “Last time I made three hundred thousand—you saw it with your own eyes, and you even shielded me from a knife in the end!”

Hu San forced a bitter smile. “Guys like you, I’ve seen plenty at the stone market. Most only make that one big score in their lives. I’ve seen people win a million—yet in the end, they didn’t even have money for a burial urn.”

“I’m confident,” I said firmly. “It’s skill, not luck.”

He seemed to search my eyes for conviction.

After a moment’s hesitation, he finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll trust you.”

“But you have to promise me,” I said seriously, “no robbery. That would only make things worse.”

Hu San was silent for a while, then finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll do as you say.” He paused, then added, “But—”

“But what?” I asked, puzzled.

“I can only give you three days. That’s all the time I have. Either I die, or I die,” he said with a bitter laugh.

“What do you mean?”

“If I can’t pay, even if I rob them, whether I succeed or fail, I’ll die anyway. Brother, you’re my last hope!”

I nodded and patted his shoulder. “If we lose, we’ll go down together.”

Hu San was moved. “No—you must look after my mother. If anyone dies first, it’s me.”

At the next table, a few tough-looking men who had been listening to our “life and death” talk got up and changed tables.

The next morning, I took Hu San to an open-air stone market on the outskirts of town. The place was bustling, stalls piled high with rough stones, gamblers’ eyes alight with greed and hope.

This market was one Hu San had recommended—I shouldn’t go back to the one he’d visited before. To be honest, that place was a trap for newcomers—one in a thousand survived.

“What’s your plan here?” Hu San asked.

I glanced at the lively street and the passing Burmese traders.

In a low voice, I said, “I’m going to buy a few very convincing fakes.”

“Very convincing fakes? What’s that?” Hu San looked at me in utter confusion. He’d thought I was here to find the real thing, like last time, to make a quick profit with a live cut.

But my answer left him completely baffled.