Chapter 147: Setting His Sights on Scrap Materials

A flash of hesitation crossed Black Blade's face, but it was quickly masked by a cold expression.

He slowly shook his head, a hint of disdain leaking into his tone: "Wang Hu, who do you think you are? How could I possibly hand over the destiny and future of the entire market to you? You are nothing more than a newcomer making a modest name for yourself; you are simply not qualified to shoulder such responsibility."

A shock rippled through my heart, but I did not back down. Instead, I looked at him with even greater determination: "I understand your concerns, and I am willing to wager the future of Bengjian Market on a bet with you. If I lose, forty percent of the shares in Bengjian Market will be traded for the shares you hold here. You aren't getting a bad deal!"

Black Blade was slightly taken aback, seemingly touched by my words.

His gaze lingered on me, as if assessing my resolution and courage.

At that exact moment, I retrieved the Lantern-Bearer jade token from inside my robe. In the dim light, the token emitted a faint luster, as though quietly recounting the power held within Bengjian Market.

Although Bengjian Market was merely considered a third-tier market in this city, I owned a substantial portion of its shares.

For someone like Black Blade, this was a business deal where he stood only to gain and never to lose.

I raised the jade token high, speaking in a firm tone: "This jade token is my symbol in Bengjian Market; it bears my promise and my responsibility. If I fail, you may take back this jade token and strip away every last share I own!"

A change finally flickered in Black Blade's eyes, clearly taken aback by my daring. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking: "Are you truly willing to use the market's future as a wager?"

I nodded, wasting no words.

Black Blade took a deep breath, seemingly mulling over my proposal.

His gaze shifted back and forth between me and the jade token, until finally, he offered a cold smile: "Very well, I will give you this chance. But you must understand, if you lose, the consequences will be severe! When that time comes, don't say I didn't warn you."

I smiled, slipping the Lantern-Bearer jade token directly into his pocket, and laughed: "Remember to return it to me later!"

We drafted a simple agreement on the spot.

Then, taking a deep breath, Black Blade led me back before the stone-gambling platform.

Around the platform, the air seemed to have frozen solid, and every pair of eyes was focused squarely on us.

Old Ghost Shi glanced at his watch and slowly said, "I gave you five minutes, yet you took six. Oh well, Black Blade, I'll treat that extra minute as a favor to you!"

Black Blade said nothing more. Having already decided to hand the stage over to me, he chose to keep his silence.

Instead, Su Li on the opposite side looked at me and sneered: "I truly never would have imagined that my high-and-mighty eldest cousin would actually sink to becoming the apprentice of Black Blade, a lantern-bearer in a second-tier market!"

I sneered back: "Talked so much nonsense, what are you doing, performing a crosstalk routine?"

Su Li's expression darkened instantly, her anger churning deep within, but for the moment she had no choice but to swallow it down.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, a sinister gleam flickering in her eyes: "Fine, since you're so eager to gamble, then let's begin. I want to see whether your skills have actually improved at all recently."

I smiled faintly, offering neither agreement nor denial.

Sharp-tongued though she was, her emotions had completely betrayed her nervousness.

At this moment, the right to choose lay in my hands. I cast my gaze across the various odd-shaped jade stones resting on the gambling platform.

Black Blade stood off to the side, his gaze burning like a torch, seemingly watching our every single move.

He did not interrupt, but I could feel the expectation and tension simmering within him.

"Go ahead and choose," Su Li said coldly, a trace of disdain lacing her voice, as if she were saying, "I am not afraid of you in the least."

I nodded slightly, walking up to the gambling platform and carefully examining each remaining stone.

The exteriors of the gambling stones varied wildly; some were as smooth as mirrors, while others were webbed with cracks.

I silently rehearsed my past experience in my mind, attempting to extract the faintest clue from among them.

Then, I looked toward the other side.

That's right, I looked at the piece of raw material that Old Ghost Shi had previously discarded.

I turned to the nearby staff member and asked, "This piece of material—it's safe to say no one has cut it yet, right?"

The moment those words left my mouth, everyone was utterly shocked!

Instead of looking at a single one of the three main stones, I was actually setting my sights on Old Ghost Shi's rejected piece of scrap!

At that instant, Old Ghost Shi's face darkened, and he demanded coldly, "What do you mean by that?"

I smiled faintly, feeling secretly pleased with myself, and continued: "I simply think that while this piece of material may look utterly worthless on the surface, it might just hide an unexpected surprise. After all, true treasures are often hidden in the most inconspicuous places."

The surrounding crowd erupted into whispered discussions, their gazes shifting back and forth between me and Old Ghost Shi.

Old Ghost Shi's expression grew even gloomier, clearly enraged and insulted by my selection. He sneered coldly, "You are truly arrogant beyond your years. To actually choose a piece I discarded—aren't you afraid of becoming the laughingstock of everyone here?"

I remained unfazed, knowing full well in my heart that it was precisely this contemptuous dismissal that had created my opportunity.

The allure of stone gambling lay in its unpredictability, and I intended to use that very factor to pull off a stunning comeback.

Standing quietly to the side, Black Blade observed the scene, seemingly developing a sliver of interest in my choice.

I looked at Old Ghost Shi: "This stone was discarded by you. According to the rules, it should have nothing to do with you anymore. Why are you losing your temper?"

Yet the next moment, Old Ghost Shi retorted coldly, "Even if it is a piece I discarded, it remains my material! You have no qualification to choose it!"

I sneered: "Whether I am qualified or not is not for you to decide. We go by the rules!"

Old Ghost Shi's expression grew darker still, and the surrounding atmosphere tightened.

Whispers rippled through the crowd as they discussed my audacious choice.

Black Blade furrowed his brow slightly, clearly displeased with Old Ghost Shi's reaction.

"Who do you think you are?" Old Ghost Shi shot a cold, low, and threatening glare in my direction. "I can make you lose everything here, to the point where you aren't even fit to own this piece of worthless stone!"

However, having apparently discovered something, Black Blade turned his gaze to Old Ghost Shi and said, "Old Ghost Shi, what kind of talk is that? This establishment belongs to Dongfeng. Earlier, you yourself defined this piece as waste material. Since it is waste and you never paid money to acquire it, then this material is fair game!"

"Therefore, my apprentice choosing it is entirely proper!"

Old Ghost Shi's face drained of color in an instant; he had not expected Black Blade to step forward and defend me at this critical juncture.

The surrounding spectators began whispering among themselves once more, thickening the tense atmosphere.

"You!" Blinded by fury, Old Ghost Shi pointed a trembling finger at Black Blade. "You actually dare to meddle in my affairs?"

Black Blade smiled coldly, refusing to yield an inch: "I said it before—this is my establishment, and he is my apprentice. If you are not satisfied, you are welcome to try me."

I glanced over at Old Ghost Shi and offered a calm, detached smile: "Old Ghost Shi, could it be...... that you've been eyeing this piece of material all along, but didn't want to spend a large sum to buy it, so you deliberately called it garbage?"