Chapter 153: Therefore, what could Suli possibly amount to?

"Do as you please, this matter has nothing to do with me," I replied calmly. "I am the lantern-bearer of the Bengjian Market; my only duty is to mind my own business and manage the Bengjian Market itself. As for what happens here, I cannot concern myself with so much!"

Su Li's smile carried a trace of sinister intent. With a disdainful smirk, a flash of craftiness crossed her eyes. "Wang Hu, you shouldn't be too confident. Sister Hong is not someone you can easily deal with. Once she moves against the Bengjian Market, the consequences are not something you can bear."

"Suit yourselves. It's not like I am going to beg you to hurry up and make your move!" I replied coldly.

"Do you really think you can stand aloof and remain unscathed?" Su Li continued, a hint of mockery in her tone. "Do you think you can remain safe and sound in this underworld? Sister Hong has had her eyes on you for a long time. Just wait and watch your own good show."

"You betrayed Sister Hong!" Su Li laughed.

I chuckled derisively. "It's just business, what betrayal is there to speak of? And you, Su Li, you are hardly in any position to use the word 'betrayal' to judge others!"

"You really are naive," Su Li said, her tone dripping with contempt. "You are merely a lantern-bearer, illuminating your own little world while failing to see the bigger picture. You cannot begin to imagine Sister Hong's methods; every step she takes is meticulously planned."

"I will do what I ought to do."

Just then, Pan Ximi walked over, his face etched with disappointment and frustration. "Brother Hu, I... what should I do? How could you lose? Are you still the Brother Hu I used to know?"

His voice was low, as if he had lost all hope.

"Don't worry, Pan Ximi." I patted his shoulder, attempting to offer him some comfort. "This was just a single gamble. The road of the underworld is long; there will always be opportunities."

Su Li sneered from the side, seemingly ignoring our conversation, yet her gaze remained fixed on me as if observing my every reaction.

"Wang Hu, just wait. Sister Hong's plan is definitely not that simple." Her voice, like distant thunder, echoed in my ears, making my heart tighten involuntarily.

I pondered to myself: just how deep was Sister Hong's scheming? Would she really strike at the Bengjian Market, and deliver a fatal blow at that? And did I possess the capability to withstand this impending storm?

Just as I fell into deep thought, my cell phone suddenly rang. It was a message from an unfamiliar number.

A line of text flashed across the screen: *Return immediately to the jade private room on the second floor of the tea house outside the Bengjian Market. The goods have arrived, inspect them on the spot!*

"We have to go," I said to Pan Ximi.

After getting into the car, the disappointment on Pan Ximi's face instantly turned into anger, and he kept cursing incessantly. "Brother Hu, to be honest, how could you lose? You are our hope! Now look at this, even I am dragged down into this bad luck!"

I started the engine, feeling a helpless resignation in my heart.

This kid had a stubborn personality and was never willing to admit defeat.

"Don't fly off the handle, Pan Ximi. Winning and losing are common occurrences; the crucial point is how we respond."

"You make it sound so easy! I just don't get it. Didn't you say that Su Li wasn't much to speak of?"

He gnashed his teeth, the flames of unwillingness flashing in his eyes. "Do you really think you can beat her?"

"I don't wish to defeat anyone; I only wish to guard my own corner of the world," I replied calmly, keeping my gaze fixed on the road ahead. "Besides, you must also understand that in the underworld, no one has an entirely smooth sailing."

"But I just feel deeply disgruntled!"

Pan Ximi's voice was high-pitched and emotional. "I wanted to win some face for us, Brother Hu! You know my purpose for returning to the country! I don't want to be looked down upon by others!"

I sighed, understanding his state of mind completely.

Then I slowly said, "Then let me tell you, those last two pieces of waste material we lost in the previous round were worth at least three hundred thousand. What do you say to that?"

Pan Ximi wore a look of utter shock, his mouth slightly agape as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"What? Those two unopened raw stones could sell for three hundred thousand?"

His voice was laced with disbelief, while hope flickered in his eyes.

I nodded and said, "Have you forgotten? Old Ghost Shi tried pulling the exact same trick at the beginning! He attempted to use underhanded means to snap up a bargain!"

As soon as he heard my words, it was as if something clicked in Pan Ximi's mind!

He looked at me and said, "You mean... actually, among those last two stones, one of them was the most expensive, but you deliberately let me lose just so you could blindly take away those two stones in the end? Is that what you meant?"

"Panzi, you are actually quite smart. That's right, exactly that."

He was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't expected me to praise him like that. Immediately, the disappointment on his face was replaced by a smile. "Brother Hu, do you really think so?"

"Of course," I nodded. "In this ever-changing market, anyone who still strives for a win and holds onto their pride is never an ordinary person—they are the ones with true potential. You have this courage, and I believe you will surely achieve great things in the future."

Pan Ximi's gaze gradually grew firm, as if he had found new momentum from my words.

"However, Brother Hu, I really didn't expect that we were actually winning the situation just now."

I smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, that Su Li's technique for identifying raw stones is identical to mine. Firstly, I wanted to test the extent of her abilities; secondly, I let her win a small victory so she would misjudge her own strength!"

"As for the third reason... although we lost face this time, we won the substance..."

"You spent two hundred thousand to buy this batch of raw stones, but in the end, we actually profited three hundred thousand. It's a wash, and we even made an extra one hundred thousand net profit. No loss!"

However, if word of this gets out in the industry, those peers of ours will lose their mystical aura of invincibility regarding us.

Did you think winning every single time is a good thing? Aside from attracting everyone's attention, it serves no other purpose!

Don't forget our primary mission!

And our primary enemy!

Hearing my words, Pan Ximi appeared somewhat excited and blurted out, "Yes, yes, yes! The primary mission and the primary enemy!"

"The primary mission is naturally to continue developing and expanding our Ancient Jade Gang. The primary enemy... judging from the current situation, it should be Old Ghost Shi. After all, he suffered such a massive setback this time... I suppose he'll be heading to the Bengjian Market to reclaim his lost face."

I nodded and said, "Your analysis is quite good. So, coming back to this, what do you think this person Su Li amounts to?"

"Su Li?" Pan Ximi frowned, appearing to ponder my words. "Indeed, as you said, she is just a minor character and simply not worth our effort."

"Exactly," I said softly, "yet she happens to be Old Ghost Shi and Sister Hong's capable lackey, always buzzing around like a fly. Keeping her around is actually quite useful."

"After all, having the opposing side long-term feed a good-for-nothing is a good thing for us! And we don't even have to spend money on her!"