Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Final Game!

Li Zhen stood before us, a faintly mysterious smile on his face.

“The rules for the second round are Stone Control, which tests your ability to identify raw jade material. Every stone here will be assigned a number. In the next room, a group of professional stone gamblers will assign each stone a number and set a budget price. Then, the corresponding numbered tags and prices will be put into a sealed box and placed on the table.”

“Next, each of you may randomly choose five stones and make your bids.”

“In the end, whoever’s bid is closest to the experts’ price wins. As before, the winner takes all!”

Hearing these rules, my expression remained calm.

In “The Art of Jade Divination,” this was precisely my area of expertise.

Stone Control was not just a matter of luck—it was a true test of sharp eyes and experience.

Gao Youde was clearly aware of this as well; his expression grew even darker, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

Old Leopard Chen clapped his hands, and two assistants once again wheeled in a cart carrying a sealed box.

We followed the cart into the storeroom.

The storeroom was packed with rough stones, reminding me of those countless nights spent in Sister Hong’s villa basement, scrutinizing jade material.

At this moment, Sister Hong stood unremarkably among the crowd, her gaze toward me no different than usual.

I was genuinely curious as to why she was here.

She had once explicitly refused to let me have any dealings with Gao Youde. Her appearance now had thrown all my plans into chaos.

I might have the nerve to kill someone else, but her…

Was she foe or friend? I still couldn’t tell!

“All right, everyone may begin selecting,” said Old Leopard Chen.

Gao Youde was the first to step forward. He carefully examined each raw stone, tapping them lightly with a geologist’s hammer, pressing his ear to the stone to listen to the faint sounds within.

Finally, he picked five stones and nodded, satisfied.

Next was Sister Hong, as steady and confident as ever. She circled the stones, finally selecting five of various shapes, and returned to her place with a smile.

My turn came. I carefully observed each raw stone.

In the end, I chose five that felt promising.

Last was Su Li. I didn’t know where she had learned her stone gambling skills, but for a fleeting moment, I sensed she too was using the methods from “The Art of Jade Divination”…

This made me wonder: could she and Sister Hong be working together?

The thought alone left my mind reeling!

I stood frozen, my thoughts racing through countless possibilities.

The relationship between Sister Hong and Su Li was shrouded in mystery; whether they were allies remained unclear.

I distinctly remembered that their only connection was that Sister Hong had once slapped Su Li across the face at her own front door!

But what unsettled me more was the possibility that Su Li might be secretly collaborating with Gao Youde, perhaps even plotting something sinister behind the scenes.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down.

This was not the time for wild speculation—I had to focus on the challenge before me.

Stone gambling is more than luck; it is a supreme test of perception and experience.

Faced with such a complex situation, I had to keep my wits about me if I wanted to gain the upper hand in this contest.

Only the second round of the three-stage stone gambling contest in the VIP lounge had just concluded!

The third round… was still to come!

“Time is limited—please finish your selections quickly,” Old Leopard Chen’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at the five raw stones in my hand, silently assessing their value.

Each stone could hide a fortune—or be utterly worthless.

In the end, I decided to trust my instincts; after all, “The Art of Jade Divination” had taught me not just technique, but an intuitive sensitivity to jade.

Once we had finished selecting, we were led back to the main hall, where the sealed box sat on the table.

Old Leopard Chen announced, “Now, please write your bids on paper and affix them directly to your stones.”

I picked up a pen, silently recalling the features and potential value of each stone, striving to match my bids to the experts’ estimated prices. When I was done, I stuck the slips of paper onto my chosen stones.

Then came the wait for the results.

Minute by minute, tension thickened in the air.

Sister Hong and Su Li stood not far away, their expressions calm, as if supremely confident in this contest.

Gao Youde, on the other hand, seemed restless, glancing repeatedly at the sealed box, as though waiting for something.

Clearly, Gao Youde had not gambled on stones for many years, and this had always been his weak spot.

At last, Old Leopard Chen opened the sealed box and began to announce the results.

He read each person’s bids alongside the experts’ prices, calculating the discrepancies. Each time he read my name, I held my breath, my heart pounding.

“Wang Hu, first stone—five hundred off the mark,” Chen read aloud.

I let out a sigh of relief—a five-hundred difference was acceptable.

“Second stone—three hundred.”

“Third stone—one thousand.”

My mood grew heavier—the discrepancies were increasing, and my chances of winning seemed to dwindle.

“Fourth stone—two hundred.”

“Fifth stone—fifty.”

At the last result, I felt a bit reassured.

A fifty-dollar difference was almost negligible; it meant my judgment was fairly precise.

Next came Gao Youde’s results. His discrepancies were generally larger than mine, and his face grew ever gloomier.

Sister Hong’s and Su Li’s results were close, but Sister Hong edged ahead.

Finally, Old Leopard Chen declared, “The winner of this round—Wang Hu!”

When I heard the result, I maintained a calm demeanor.

Sister Hong and I had each won a round… Together, we had swept up three million.

Su Li and Gao Youde each lost a million.

But Gao Youde seemed unruffled!

After all, most of my winnings would eventually end up in his hands!

With interest and all, he would profit in the end.

So, he hadn’t truly lost.

At that moment, as I received the cash,

Sister Hong finally shot me a dark look.

That glance was unlike any she had ever given me before.

I couldn’t help but feel that in her eyes, there was both farewell and…

Sympathy?

Or something else? It struck me then—though I could see through stone, I could not see through the human heart!

At that moment, Li Zhen spoke slowly: “Next, your host will also take part in the final round!”

“That is—the Roller Coaster Stone Gamble!”

“Roller coaster?” I frowned slightly.

It dawned on me… This last round would decide the fate of many in this room!