Chapter 1349: Waste Stone

Yu Yanluo's heart stirred, and she looked in the direction of his gaze.

Under the table in the center of the pavilion, several stones supported it casually. It was evident that the person who arranged this 'Immortal' room had excellent taste; although the stones were somewhat haphazardly placed, they possessed a natural, organic beauty.

Yu Yanluo walked over and examined it carefully. The stone was so large that her Medusa's Eye could only perceive a vast, blank whiteness, making it indistinguishable from an ordinary piece of rubble.

"A'Zu, are you sure it's this stone?" she asked, a little bewildered, thinking she might have misunderstood.

"Yes, the large one," Zu An confirmed.

Yu Yanluo bit her lip. Given the situation, she couldn't press Zu An for details. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to trust him and asked the nearby Jade Garden steward, "How much is this stone?"

The Jade Garden steward was surprised. "This one? This isn't an unpolished gem; it's just a common decorative stone."

"Yes, this one," Yu Yanluo affirmed, feeling nervous inside. At this point, she could only grit her teeth and persist.

The Jade Garden steward was puzzled, wondering if the experts at the Jade Garden had made a mistake. He re-examined the large stone. Having worked there for many years, he was quite skilled at appraising stones, if not possessing "fiery golden eyes." Yet, from every angle, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary stone.

He replied, "It's worth one hundred Sky-rank primeval stones."

Zu An complained, "Are you robbing us? You just said it was an ordinary stone, and now you're charging one hundred Sky-rank primeval stones?"

The Jade Garden steward calmly replied, "Once a stone enters this 'Immortal' area and absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, even the most ordinary stone can become extraordinary. This is the lowest price in the 'Immortal' area; I've already shown the greatest sincerity."

Yu Yanluo stated firmly, "Then one hundred Sky-rank primeval stones it is."

With that, she took out one hundred Sky-rank primeval stones and handed them over. After all, she was once among the wealthiest individuals in the human race, and even though she had left in a hurry, she still had one hundred Sky-rank primeval stones on her person.

The Jade Garden steward's expression was odd. He wondered if all the experts in the garden had overlooked something, and if this was truly a precious gem.

But no matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary stone. Since he had already stated the price, he had no choice but to move the large stone and hand it over to her.

Just then, an exclamation came from the other side. Prince Min of the Lion Clan tapped a disc-shaped unpolished gem with his finger, and the stone emitted a clear, resonant cry, like that of a phoenix.

"Could there be something related to a phoenix hidden inside this unpolished gem?"

"Did you notice the concentric patterns on the stone's surface? At first, I thought they were like tree rings, but now they look like phoenix markings!"

"Do you think it could be a phoenix egg?"

"That would be incredible! If it exists within this immortal-grade primeval stone, it must merely be dormant. With proper cultivation, it might hatch into a real phoenix."

"Phoenixes only exist in ancient myths. To think we might witness the birth of a phoenix here!"

Hearing the discussion, Yu Yanluo's expression changed. If it truly was something phoenix-related, it would be an unparalleled treasure. Her stone, even if it wasn't ordinary and something precious was revealed, likely couldn't compare.

Yun Jianyue also grew worried. "Oh no, how can we win if they've found a phoenix? Especially since Little Anzi chose a useless stone."

"Have some faith in him. He wouldn't act recklessly at a crucial moment like this," Yan Xuehen said, though she too felt some doubt.

"Oh? Weren't you the one who used to despise him the most, always wanting to fight or kill him? Why are you always defending him lately, as if you're praising your own man?" Yun Jianyue said this deliberately, not because she truly thought so, but to tease her, knowing that Yan Xuehen couldn't stand any jokes about romantic matters, especially involving her and her apprentice's man.

Yun Jianyue enjoyed seeing Yan Xuehen get angry but be unable to do anything about it.

But this time, she found that Yan Xuehen wasn't angry; instead, she looked guilty and shy?

Hmm, she's been a bit strange lately.

Just as she was about to ask, Prince Min of the Lion Clan approached with the unpolished gem. "How much is this stone?"

The Jade Garden steward opened his mouth and, with a pained expression, said, "Five thousand Sky-rank primeval stones."

Judging by the anomaly just now, there must be a treasure hidden inside this unpolished gem. If he could do it again, he would definitely put all these unpolished gems away.

These unpolished gems had been on display for years, and many customers were familiar with them. He couldn't suddenly raise the price without damaging the Jade Garden's reputation and offending the powerful Lion Clan.

"I don't have that many Sky-rank primeval stones on me right now. Put it on the Lion Clan's tab; I'll have someone send them over tomorrow," Prince Min said.

The Jade Garden steward was secretly delighted, but feigned difficulty. "Your Highness, that's problematic. Our Jade Garden never offers credit."

If he couldn't afford it, then the steward could rightfully reclaim the stone containing the treasure.

"What? Do you think we, dignified princes of the Lion Clan, would renege on five thousand Sky-rank primeval stones?" Prince Gong of the Lion Clan glared at him.

The Jade Garden steward shook his head. "Your Highnesses, please calm your anger. This isn't directed at you, but a rule established long ago. Stone gambling can easily become addictive, leading to ruin and shattered families. To prevent such tragedies, the Jade Garden set this rule, and many people, having cooled down, later expressed their gratitude, as it saved countless families. So, I hope Your Highnesses will understand."

At this moment, Hu Yong finally found an opportunity to mock them. "No primeval stones, but still trying to get something for free? Steward, I'll buy this stone!"

The expressions of the others were strange. Many of them had similar thoughts, but considered it too disadvantageous to openly offend the Lion Clan. What if the item inside the stone wasn't as valuable as expected? That would be a huge loss.

However, the Tiger Clan had no such reservations; annoying the Lion Clan was a bonus.

Prince Min was enraged. "I clearly chose this unpolished gem! What are you interfering for?"

Hu Yong shrugged. "If you can't afford it, does that mean I can't buy it? Hurry up and move; don't touch my unpolished gem."

"Who said I can't afford it!" Prince Min gritted his teeth and pulled out a golden gauntlet. "This is a Sky-rank weapon, more than enough to cover five thousand Sky-rank primeval stones."

Sky-rank weapons varied in power; his weapon was on the weaker end, but even the weakest was worth far more than five thousand Sky-rank primeval stones.

Hu Yong burst into laughter. "Pledging even your eating utensils – the Lion Clan has truly fallen on hard times."

Prince Min's face darkened, and he simply ignored him.

"This..." The Jade Garden steward hesitated. "Your Highness, there's no need for this."

"Don't tell me it's not enough," Prince Min said menacingly.

"It's enough, it's enough," the Jade Garden steward understood. Refusing further would surely provoke the Lion Clan. "We will carefully keep this gauntlet for Your Highness. As long as Your Highness sends five thousand primeval stones within three days, we will return it with both hands."

Prince Min's expression finally softened. It seemed the Jade Garden knew how to be sensible.

After purchasing the unpolished gem, he was fuming inside. Then he saw Zu An holding a large stone and couldn't help but laugh. "You spent half a day choosing this kind of thing?"

"Got a problem with that?" Zu An snorted.

"No problem, why would I have a problem?" Prince Min felt a little better. "It's just a bit amusing. When gambling on stones, bigger isn't always better, hahaha..."

"Less talk, more cutting," Zu An said, not bothering with further pleasantries.

"You go first this time," Prince Min sneered. The last time, Zu An had cut later and revealed a more valuable treasure, which made him feel unlucky. So this time, he wanted to go last.

"Are you sure you want us to go first? I'm just afraid that once we cut ours open, you won't even have the courage to cut yours," Zu An said calmly.

"Haha, what a braggart! With that useless stone of yours?" The Lion Clan princes burst into laughter.

Even the other onlookers had strange expressions, as it seemed to them that the Serpent Clan's side was sure to lose.

"Want to bet again?" Zu An challenged, looking at them.

"Bet then! Who's afraid of you?" Prince Gong and Prince Rong, easily provoked, immediately shouted.

"Hey, no need to be impulsive. We're guaranteed to win anyway; no need to create extra complications," Prince Min quickly interjected to stop them.

For some reason, seeing Zu An's relaxed expression reminded him of what had happened in the 'Yellow' room. He worried Zu An was planning some trick; as long as he didn't fall for it, they would be fine.

Prince Rong and Prince Gong usually obeyed their third brother, so they grudgingly glared at Zu An. "Consider yourself lucky, kid."

Hu Yong, standing by, burst into laughter. "Tsk tsk tsk, are you really from the Lion Clan? You don't even dare to bet! Cowardly as mice, perhaps you're descended from the Rat Clan?"

Prince Gong and Prince Rong's eyes blazed with fury. Prince Min, perhaps due to his confidence in winning, was in a better mood. "Although our Lion Clan is valiant, we are not blindly reckless hotheads. Someone like you, who acts purely on impulse, must be descended from the Minotaur race."

"What did you say!" Hu Yong and his two brothers were enraged, and the tension between the two sides instantly escalated to its peak.

"Stop bickering and cut the stones first," the Second Prince said, frowning, clearly displeased.

The Young Golden Roc King also said indifferently, "If you want to fight, take it outside. I'm more interested in what can be cut from these two stones."

Seeing the displeasure on the faces of the other clans, the Lion and Tiger clans decided not to provoke everyone's anger. They both snorted, "Once the stone gambling is over, we'll settle this properly."

At this point, the Jade Garden steward had already begun to cut the stone. Zu An's stone was like a large millstone. Although the steward didn't believe there was any treasure inside, he cut the outer layer carefully, just in case.

Unfortunately, after dozens of cuts, the interior remained a dull grey-white, indistinguishable from an ordinary stone.

The steward then noticeably sped up. At first, he cut it like slicing sausage, but later, he simply chopped it into chunks.

The millstone-sized stone grew smaller and smaller, eventually turning into a pile of rubble.

"Hahaha, as expected, there's nothing," Prince Min sighed in relief, while Prince Rong began to mock them.

Yu Yanluo's face turned pale. Although she had always thought it was an ordinary stone, she had chosen to trust Zu An. Why had it turned out like this?

Princess Siren looked at her worriedly, thinking how terrible the loss would be this time.

Shang Liuyu, however, looked at Zu An, her eyes as beautiful as the ocean, filled with doubt.