Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 723: Chapter 720 Tasteless

The onlookers surrounding the scene all revealed expressions of surprise, clicking their tongues in admiration; some were even ready to snatch up the material before Huo Sining could.

”Boss, how much for this stone? I’ll buy it for three hundred thousand, what do you say?” someone in the crowd had already started calling out a price.

”Three hundred thousand for a Da Hong Pao? You must be dreaming! Boss, I’ll offer five hundred thousand!”

”Eight hundred thousand!”

...

True to his profession as a merchant, as soon as the Chicken Blood Stone was cut and red color appeared, he stopped cutting and lifted his head, looking at Huo Sining with pride:

”Madam, how about that? I told you this stone could cut a Da Hong Pao, didn’t I? But the price of this stone was just one hundred thousand just a moment ago, and it certainly isn’t that now.”

”Oh?”

Huo Sining looked down at the stone, feigning great interest, and asked with a smile:

”Then what’s your price for this stone? Someone has already offered eight hundred thousand, or is that not to the boss’s liking?”

The merchant’s heart was filled with secret joy; the big fish had indeed taken the bait.

A cunning look spread across his face, and from his mouth full of yellow teeth, he exhaled a warm breath:

”Heh, it’s hard to put a price on a stone that’s increased in value. Da Hong Pao is not something you can find just anywhere. If Madam wants to buy the well-known material, I’m afraid you won’t be able to find anything on this square. You took a liking to this piece right from the start, and to me, it looks like you are truly meant to have it. I won’t ask for more, one million, how about it?”

One million, this merchant sure was asking for a king’s ransom!

A cold light flashed in Huo Sining’s eyes, but unfortunately, it was unknown if he had the stomach to digest such a large piece of meat!

The onlookers who heard the merchant’s asking price of one million cooled their previously excited hearts quite a bit.

It was only a window that was cut out, and the stone had increased from one hundred thousand to one million. If there truly was a Da Hong Pao inside, that would be a jackpot, but if not, they wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

Gambling on Chicken Blood Stone was like gambling on Jadeite, relying on sight and luck.

The saying goes, ”one cut poor, one cut rich”—in the jade and antique industry, there are those who get rich overnight, and naturally, those who go bankrupt with a single cut.

”One million? Boss, you can’t take advantage of my ignorance. The stone has only a small window cut out, and who knows if it’s just skin-green depth. If it’s only this thin layer, then I would be at a loss.”

After examining the stone, Huo Sining raised her eyes to look at the merchant, her voice teasing:

”How about this? You cut it one more time, and as long as you can still cut out red, I’ll buy it!”

After Huo Sining finished speaking, she stood up, folded her arms across her chest, and calmly waited for the merchant’s response strategy.

She had already examined the stone, and that single thin layer of blood had already been exposed by the merchant’s cut.

The man’s skills were indeed sharp, one cut made without removing an extra fraction, showing that the merchant was crystal clear about the internals of the stones at his stall.

A chill surfaced in Huo Sining’s eyes. No matter how skilled, she wanted to see just how the merchant planned to cut another ”flower” from this slab of granite.

Indeed, after Huo Sining’s statement, the merchant’s face turned ashen.

He had thought that after setting such an elaborate trap, this nouveau riche woman would definitely fall for it. As long as he got the million, his efforts would have been worthwhile.

But to his utmost surprise, the woman who looked so easy to deceive turned out to be incredibly shrewd.

Faced with such a huge temptation and after he had cut five pieces of stone to set up a perfect scam, her face didn’t show the slightest change in expression. She didn’t fall for his ruse at all.

”Madam, gambling with stones is very risky. If you’re not willing to take the risk, then why come to gamble with stones? We peasants live off this, and if I cut it again, I might as well sell the whole piece,” he said.

The shop owner’s expression stiffened slightly, resembling displeasure, ”A million, if you don’t want it, Madam, I will sell it to someone else.”

His words carried a reluctant tone, as if his piece of stone was truly a hot commodity that he had no worry about not being able to sell.

In reality, the shop owner was extremely nervous, his eyes fixated on Huo Sining, terrified that she would say she didn’t want it.

Huo Sining smiled and said, ”Mr. Shop Owner, I’ve said I only buy the pieces that have been fully revealed. If after you cut the whole stone, it reveals more than 50% ’blood,’ then I’ll take it for five million. How about that?”

Five million? The corners of the shop owner’s mouth twitched with regret.

That kind of money would be enough for him to spend for three to five years, but as he watched it pass by, there was nothing he could do.

The shop owner inwardly chastised himself for being so foolish at the beginning, wondering why he hadn’t covered the entire surface of the stone with putty and red stone powder.

If only he hadn’t been too timid, afraid that making it too obvious would arouse suspicion, he would now have the five million within his grasp!

”I’m very sorry, Madam,” he said.

His complexion darkened like still waters as he raised his head to address the other onlookers, ”Folks, the price of this rough stone has gone up with a single cut. I wonder if any shop owners here want to bid for it?”

Seeing that Huo Sining wasn’t interested, a look of secret joy appeared on the faces of the onlookers, who began to call out bids competitively.

Huo Sining frowned slightly; she couldn’t have predicted that after making such a roundabout play, in the face of such obvious flaws, none of the onlooking crowd could see that there was a problem with the shop owner.

Perhaps this was the magic of the trend toward enormous profits; in the face of such great temptation, people’s minds were so clouded by money that they noticed nothing beyond the Chicken Blood Stone.

Forget about being cautious, they would even sell off their assets without a second thought.

This was the disaster that money brought to people—they are greedy creatures, and also the most foolish.

Watching the crazed crowd, Huo Sining sighed inwardly and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

At this time, Liu Yuxuan and Liu Yunhui had also seen enough of the excitement.

They weren’t particularly interested in the Chicken Blood Stone; moreover, having been involved in the Jade world for many years, they were well aware of the ins and outs. The shop owner’s shifty eyes certainly didn’t escape their notice.

However, they had come just to watch the excitement. They had seen plenty of swindles and deceptions like this, so naturally, they had no intention of warning the eager buyers.

”Dad, do you know that woman?”

Having watched Huo Sining gamble with the stone, Liu Yuxuan felt vaguely familiar with her and stared unblinkingly at Huo Sining’s retreating figure, deep in thought.

”No, I don’t know her. Why, have you seen her?”

When Liu Yunhui caught a glimpse of Huo Sining as she turned her head, discomfort flashed across his eyes at the sight of her excessive, garish makeup. He quickly looked away, frowning and muttering under his breath, ”Such vulgar taste. Me, know her? Just looking at her makes me sick!”