Chapter 1337: 赌约

Fantasy Novel

The butler looked at the rough stones on the nearby table and said, "These four rough stones would normally cost 1080 Yuan Stones, but since you are a friend of the prince, we'll round down the price. You can have them for 1000 Yuan Stones."

How could one not take such a good opportunity to curry favor with the Lion Clan Prince?

Zu An, however, was not quick to agree. Instead, he pretended to examine the stones on other tables, and then said to Ban Ka, Hei Chi Gu, and the others, "Are you gentlemen interested in a wager with us? If the rough stones we choose for 1000 Yuan Stones later turn out to be worthless, we will compensate you 1000 Yuan Stones. But if there's anything valuable inside, you will pay us back at a one-to-one ratio, whatever its worth. How does that sound?"

"You'll pay 1000 if you lose," Ban Ka snorted, "but that's just the cost of the stones; it's not like we're gaining anything from it!"

"What's wrong? Afraid to bet?" Zu An sneered.

Ban Ka hesitated. The risk seemed too uncontrollable. Just as he was about to refuse, Hei Chi Gu, who was standing nearby, said, "Alright, I'll bet with you."

Unlike an outsider like Ban Ka, he had lived in the royal court for a long time and naturally knew the situation at the Jade Garden. The rough stones in the 'Yellow' ranked room were not expensive, and consequently, the chance of finding anything valuable inside them was very small. Even if something was occasionally found, its value wouldn't be particularly high, keeping the risk controllable. Therefore, the probability of winning was quite high. Moreover, this group only had a little over a hundred Yuan Stones on them; where would they get 1000 Yuan Stones to pay if they lost? Anyway, with the Snake Clan as their backing, he wasn't afraid of them welching on the debt. This was a good opportunity to publicly humiliate them.

Ban Ka had just played with Hei Chi Gu and knew he was extremely cunning, the kind who wouldn't release a hawk until he saw a rabbit. Since he had agreed, there was no need for Ban Ka to be afraid. If the other side lost and couldn't pay, that would be perfect. The Medusa Queen was so stunning; a 'flesh payment' wouldn't be so bad.

Thinking of this, his breathing quickened instantly. "I'll bet too!"

Many others in the hall were also tempted. Having frequented this place for a long time, they naturally knew how low the chances were of actually finding something valuable. Only a fool would pass up such a sure-win, no-loss deal.

Anyway, the Snake Clan chief couldn't possibly welch on a debt, right?

So, they all clamored to join.

"This might be too much. What if we lose...?" Zu An feigned a troubled expression.

Yun Jianyue's lips curved upward. That expression on his face surely meant he was planning to trick someone again. It was a pity he hadn't joined her Holy Sect.

However, the image of him seeing her unclothed that day suddenly flashed in her mind, and the smile on her face froze instantly.

Hmph, if that guy really joined the Holy Sect, I would have long ago turned him into flower fertilizer.

Yan Xuehen, on the other hand, felt a strange sensation. She used to find this man annoying with his glib tongue, but now she realized that was just a mask he used to conceal himself. In reality, he was quite calm, leading his opponents step by step into his snare, making them fall into a trap without even realizing it. Such a mind was truly admirable.

Suddenly, her face also stiffened, as she realized with a start, could she also be being manipulated by him?

At this moment, the others, fearing he might back out, hastily said, "It's fine. We're not asking you to pay on the spot. The Snake Clan is such a large clan; we're not worried about you not being able to pay."

"Exactly! And if you win, think how much you'd gain! It would be a story for the ages."

"That's right! I think I once heard a merchant who returned from Brightmoon City in the human realm talk about a young man there who started with a few dozen silver taels and won millions. You might be the next one!"

Yan Xuehen and the other goddesses exchanged strange looks. Why did this sound so familiar?

Zu An, pretending his eyes lit up, hurriedly went to Yu Yanluo and began to persuade her. Everyone could even hear him urging Yu Yanluo to agree.

Everyone secretly sneered, thinking, "As expected, greed has blinded him. He's only thinking about how much he can gain, never considering how much he'll lose if he fails."

Yu Yanluo also pretended to be greatly troubled on the surface, but finally nodded lightly, "Alright, just this once."

Hearing her agree, everyone finally relaxed. After all, in their eyes, the Medusa Queen was the one in charge.

At this point, Zu An looked towards Lion Min again. "Third Prince, would you like to join?"

Lion Min smiled, "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, count me in too."

Lion Rong and Lion Gong echoed him, "Count us in as well."

Zu An was momentarily stunned. He had expected Lion Min to refuse, because those four stones had just been chosen by him. If he knew there was something valuable inside, wouldn't he be intentionally jumping into a trap?

However, he quickly stopped pondering it. No matter what Lion Min's intentions were, he would simply adapt to the situation as it came.

He said to the butler standing by, "Please, sir, could you be our witness?"

With so many people, he couldn't possibly draw up written agreements or anything of the sort.

The butler nodded, "Rest assured, no one dares to renege on a fair wager made in the Jade Garden."

His tone carried a hint of arrogance. Perhaps the Jade Garden couldn't afford to offend some distinguished guests from the 'Heaven' or even 'Immortal' ranked rooms, but they were confident they could control those from the 'Yellow' ranked room. Only the Lion Clan princes might be a bit troublesome, but these people had brought them here, and they had personally agreed to the wager, so they surely wouldn't go back on their word.

"Alright, have you made your selections?" Ban Ka was getting impatient.

Yu Yanluo ignored him, slowly walking around the hall and observing. She was concerned about a possible trick from Lion Min's side and, feeling uneasy, decided to make her own selection.

Seeing her skirt sway gently, her graceful posture, and her focused, exquisitely beautiful profile as she examined the rough stones, the hall involuntarily fell silent, as if everyone feared disturbing her.

Even many of those who were betting against her didn't speak up at this moment, merely gazing covetously at her unparalleled beauty.

Many even started breathing rapidly, wondering if they would have a chance to get intimate with the Medusa Queen if she incurred a huge debt later.

However, seeing how professional she seemed in examining the rough stones, some gradually began to panic. Ban Ka clamored, "Have you chosen yet? Stop dragging your feet! Don't bother looking at the rest; each one is priced higher than 1000 Yuan Stones. You wouldn't be able to afford them anyway."

As if in response to his words, Yu Yanluo returned to Lion Min and the others, gazing at the four rough stones on the table, lost in thought.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen secretly asked.

Yu Yanluo replied, "I've looked around, and indeed, these few stones offer the most hope of yielding something. But could Lion Min really be so benevolent?" Although she had managed the Jade Clan for many years and had extensive experience in identifying rough stones, she was only significantly better than ordinary people. Even the most discerning master with a sharp eye couldn't be 100% accurate. Otherwise, it wouldn't be 'stone gambling' at all; it would just be picking up money.

So she was worried there might be something wrong with these stones.

Zu An, on the other hand, seemed relaxed. "Don't overthink it. Perhaps he just randomly pointed out a few stones hoping to trick us, never expecting there to be anything valuable inside."

Yu Yanluo still felt that Lion Min wouldn't be so simple, but she chose to trust Zu An nonetheless. "Alright, I'll choose these four."

After speaking, she handed the two bags to the nearby butler.

Ban Ka and Hei Chi Gu's eyelids twitched. This was their money.

A subordinate beside the butler stepped forward to take the money, while the butler approached the table. "Since there's a wager involved, I shall personally cut the stones."

Given his standing, he wouldn't normally bother with rough stones from the 'Profound' or 'Yellow' ranked rooms. This time was an exception, solely due to the presence of the Lion Clan Prince and the Medusa Queen. As he spoke, he took out a rough stone. Without using any tools, he simply turned his hand into a blade and cut into the side of the rough stone.

The hard stone was instantly cut as easily as tofu, causing many onlookers to narrow their pupils. The Jade Garden truly lived up to its reputation; even a butler here was such a master.

As his hand gently glided over it, the stone's outer layer was peeled away layer by layer, making the rough stone progressively smaller. When he finally finished cutting, the inside remained dull and gray.

The butler shook his head. "Nothing inside."

A burst of laughter erupted from around them, and those who had joined the wager breathed a collective sigh of relief. What had they been worrying about? It was hardly easy to find anything valuable in rough stones from the 'Yellow' ranked room, especially these particular stones, which were among the least valuable even within that room.

Yu Yanluo remained calm. Such an outcome was perfectly normal; no one could guess correctly every time.

Next, the butler cut open another stone, which also turned out to be empty.

Ban Ka and Hei Chi Gu both burst into laughter, feeling a strange excitement at the thought of the Medusa Queen pleading with them, her face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain.