Chapter 196: Source Magic

“I can’t be bothered with you,” Wang Shu said, turning his head away, ignoring the man.

“Quite a temper, aren’t we?” the man from Qingxia Sect chuckled. “Well, it’s understandable. You’ve accumulated so much Source through generations of hard work, what if you lose it all? Better to be careful.”

“Stop with your sarcastic remarks. We don’t want to stoop to your level,” the simple-minded Er Lengzi retorted, glaring at him.

“Country bumpkins. Stone gambling is extremely risky. Running here to try your luck, you’ll be crying without even knowing why,” a Qingxia Sect attendant scoffed. “I’m not saying anything bad, but this place really isn’t for people like you. Source gatherers should know their place.”

“Go stand over there. I have Source, and I choose to be here. What business is it of yours? You’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Er Lengzi replied very directly.

Wang Shu also chuckled, “You’d better mind your own business. Don’t lose everything you have. Nine out of ten gambles fail. You might end up crawling out of here in tears.”

“People like you… have no experience,” the attendant said, growing visibly annoyed. “The mine is where you belong. Don’t be so arrogant. You’ll be crying once you go inside.”

Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect frowned and said to his attendant, “Why argue with people like them?” With that, he stepped forward, and those around him followed.

Rongxiang Stone Gambling House had many courtyards filled with Source Stones, ranging from tens of thousands of catties to just a few ounces, densely packed together.

The first courtyard was clearly for the lowest-grade stones, and few people lingered there. Here, all the Source Stones were very common, and many were simply brought in to fill space.

Ye Fan was not in a hurry to leave. After finishing the basic principles of the *Source Heaven Book*, he wanted to practice. It wasn't about whether he could gamble for pure Source, but about gaining experience.

He wandered around the first courtyard, patting one stone and tapping another, looking very serious.

“Brother Ye, there are no good Source Stones here. They’re all duds. Let’s go inside,” Wang Shu suggested from the side.

“It’s fine. Today is mainly for testing the waters. Let’s just observe for now; no need to rush,” Ye Fan replied, not moving.

A sneer came from nearby. The gatehouse was right next to this courtyard, and the doorman who had previously stopped them from entering stood by, arms crossed, watching the show.

“What’s so funny? Go on, fetch us a few cups of tea,” Er Lengzi demanded, glaring.

“Tea? You’re quite demanding!” one of the doormen retorted unpleasantly.

“Guests should be treated with respect, don’t you know the rules?” Wang Shu turned around when he heard that. “Is this how you treat your guests? When told to fetch tea, just do it. Less talk.”

Immediately, one person’s eyes widened. “You little brat! You’re just a Source gatherer, and you’re putting on airs for us!”

“Go, find your Source Master here. I want to ask him if he wants to do business behind closed doors. Even a doorman dares to spout nonsense,” Wang Shu said with a cold laugh.

“Alright, just get them a few cups of tea and get it over with,” the doormen said, not wanting to make a scene. If they alarmed any important guests, they would be in serious trouble.

“Not enough tea leaves. Are you cutting corners even here?” Er Lengzi grumbled, displeased.

The doormen’s faces turned ashen. They looked hostile and glared at him fiercely.

Ye Fan walked around the courtyard once, finding thousands of Source Stones, all truly just for show. He felt that only a very limited number of them might contain Source.

“How are the Source Stones here priced?”

Almost no one gambled for stones here, so the Source Masters were in the inner courtyards. On normal days, this area was indeed managed by the doormen. One of them quipped, “The Source Stones here are the cheapest. One tael of Source can buy a thousand catties of stone. With the Source you have, you could buy a huge pile.”

“Is that so? Then you few, come here and move that Source Stone for me,” Ye Fan said, pointing to a massive, thousand-catty boulder lying among the chaotic pile of stones.

The faces of the Rongxiang Stone Gambling House staff immediately turned green. They were ordinary people; moving a thousand-catty boulder would exhaust several of them to death.

“I say, you’re throwing your money away. Such a large stone requires one tael of precious Source, and you definitely won’t gamble anything out of it,” one person cursed.

“Less talk, just move it when I tell you to. Don’t you want to do business? Or should I go call the Source Master?” Wang Shu said from the side.

“You two pick something randomly too; don’t worry about anything,” Ye Fan said to Er Lengzi and Wang Shu.

“We… let’s not. Digging for Source is fine, but choosing Source Stones is way beyond us,” both of them waved their hands repeatedly.

“Just pick something when I tell you to. Don’t say anything more.”

Wang Shu, being quick-witted, whispered a few words to Er Lengzi, and the two began to direct the Rongxiang Stone Gambling House staff.

“Move that Source Stone for me,” Wang Shu pointed ahead.

The men’s faces turned ashen again. It was another thousand-catty boulder. They were already breathless from the previous one.

“Fine, you’re tough. Let’s see how you cry when all your Source is gone!” the men gritted their teeth and lifted the thousand-catty boulder.

However, after only a few steps, Wang Shu shook his head and said, “What are you doing? I want the Source Stone that’s *underneath* this thousand-catty boulder.”

“You #￥…” The men were so angry their lungs felt like they would burst.

Wang Shu stood behind them, smiling, holding a Source Stone weighing four or five catties in his hand.

“I want this one,” Er Lengzi said, pointing to a Source Stone, which was also pressed down by a large rock.

The anger that had just risen in the Rongxiang Stone Gambling House staff instantly ignited. One of them said, “This is too much!”

“It’s not us being too much, it’s you guys being snobs,” Wang Shu shook his head. “If you don’t move it, I’ll go call the Source Master.”

“You…” The men pointed their fingers at Wang Shu.

“What ‘you’? I have Source, and I fancy that stone now. Hurry up and move it,” Er Lengzi was always direct, and he had disliked these men for a while.

Ye Fan smiled quietly from the side, finding these two quite good at dealing with people.

After the Rongxiang staff lifted the large stone, exhausted like dead dogs, Wang Shu and Er Lengzi picked new targets.

“That one, yes. The one pressed underneath.”

“And this one, quickly get it out for me.”

The two drank their clear tea while instructing the men.

“My two lords, we were wrong. We shouldn’t have looked down on you. Please, have mercy on us.”

“Please be magnanimous, don’t stoop to our level, and give us a break.”

These men were tormented by Wang Shu and Er Lengzi until they collapsed on the ground, completely giving in.

Finally, Ye Fan personally cut open the thousand-catty boulder he had chosen, digging out a Source of over one catty.

Beside them, the men who had collapsed on the ground almost had their eyes pop out, watching them enter the second courtyard.

This time, Ye Fan and his companions didn’t linger much. After a quick look around, they walked further inside.

In the inner courtyards, there were young women specially assigned to greet guests and introduce various Source Stones, and Source Masters were on hand to cut the stones.

Soon after, they arrived at the seventh courtyard and encountered the people from Qingxia Sect again.

“Oh, isn’t it the three Source-gathering divinities? Are you here to try your luck in this courtyard too?” the annoying voice of the Qingxia Sect attendant came again.

“I say, donkey-face, why are you always haunting us? Are you deliberately looking for trouble?” Er Lengzi rolled his eyes at him.

“How dare you speak like that? I’m too lazy to stoop to your level, you country bumpkin,” he said, his face falling long. “How about we settle this with stone gambling?”

“What’s your name? And how do we gamble with you?” Er Lengzi asked.

The long-faced man from Qingxia Sect replied, “My name is Liu Sheng. We’ll gamble a bet within a bet: whatever amount of Source one party cuts out, the other party will compensate that much Source. How about it?”

Wang Shu and Er Lengzi both hesitated, not responding.

Liu Sheng, the long-faced man, sneered, “Mud monkeys from the mine, you don’t even dare to gamble this much. Why did you come in? Many people here gamble three, five, or even ten times the amount. I advise you to go back to the mine early; that’s where you belong.”

Wang Shu and Er Lengzi were indignant. As Source gatherers, hearing such words felt like a thorn in their hearts.

“Gamble with him. Ask him how much Source he has,” Ye Fan said from the side.

“Oh, you really dare to gamble?” Liu Sheng’s long face showed disdain. “I’m just afraid you’ll lose and cry for your parents, and then get suicidal thoughts and jump into a well.”

Ye Fan directly tossed two catties of Source to Wang Shu, then looked at Liu Sheng and said, “First, show us your Source.”

Their words immediately drew the attention of those around. Many people looked over, and even Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect put down the Source Stone in his hand. He walked over and threw two catties of Source to the long-faced man, Liu Sheng.

“A bet is a bet, everyone present is a witness. These three country bumpkins don’t know their place and actually dare to gamble with me. Don’t blame me for bullying them.” Although Liu Sheng said this, he was not entirely calm in his heart.

“Good, we’ll be witnesses!” many bystanders echoed.

The people from Rongxiang Stone Gambling House were happiest of all. No matter what, both sides would buy their Source Stones, which was a win-win business for them.

Liu Gongzi patted a Source Stone he had long favored and said to the horse-faced man, Liu Sheng, “Choose this one.”

Liu Sheng respectfully took it, then looked at Ye Fan and said, “You three mud monkeys from the mine, hurry up and choose one too.”

Ye Fan walked around, chose a watermelon-sized Source Stone, and threw it forward. “This one.”

The Source Stones chosen by both sides were not large, but they were quite expensive. The Source Stones in the seventh courtyard were costly because of their high Source output rate.

“Source Master, please cut the stone,” the horse-faced man, Liu Sheng, said.

“Alright, this old man will prepare his knife,” an old man stepped forward. He ceremoniously bowed to the Source Stone before picking up his knife and beginning to cut.

*Crack*

The stone skin was slowly peeled away, and the stone chosen by Qingxia Sect grew smaller and smaller, but no Source appeared in the end.

“You’re lucky this time. The next one will make you cry for your parents,” Liu Sheng said, somewhat unwilling. Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect also frowned.

“Master, cut my stone,” Ye Fan’s Source Stone was sent over.

“This broken stone clearly looks like a waste stone. Does it even need to be cut?” Liu Sheng said with a look of disdain.

Others nearby also shook their heads, saying, “This stone is reddish-brown with white, clearly the common ‘red-in-white’ type. It’s definitely a waste stone; you don’t even need to cut it to know.”

“It’s too obvious. It really is a waste stone.” Almost everyone frowned.

Even the Source Master shook his head and said, “There’s no point in cutting this stone.”

Wang Shu and Er Lengzi immediately grew nervous, looking at Ye Fan. “It hasn’t been cut yet. Let’s change it.”

“No changing it. Otherwise, some people might renege. This is the one,” Ye Fan said, ignoring the so-called “Source God” ritual. He picked up a cutting knife nearby and chopped down directly.

*Clang*

The moment the Source Stone split open, a soft light emanated, revealing a fist-sized Source, clear and transparent, embedded within the stone layer.

That one cut almost shattered the Source inside, grazing it by a hair.

“Ah, Source actually appeared! How can there be Source inside a ‘red-in-white’ stone?”

“This piece probably weighs over two catties. It’s a huge gain!”

Everyone nearby cried out in astonishment.

Even the Source Master was somewhat dumbfounded, muttering, “That stone shouldn’t have yielded Source, but it actually…”

Wang Shu was delighted, digging out the Source and carefully holding it in his palm. Er Lengzi, meanwhile, walked boldly up to Liu Sheng, eyeing the Source bag in his hand. “Hand it over. We cut out Source, exactly over two catties. What you have is barely enough.”

Liu Sheng’s face instantly stretched long, and sweat broke out on his forehead. Two catties of Source was a large sum for him. Although it was provided by Liu Gongzi of Qingxia Sect, he would definitely have to repay it.

“This… how is this possible? A waste stone actually yielded Source!” His face was ashen, filled with extreme unwillingness.

“A bet is a bet, hand it over,” Er Lengzi snatched the Source bag.

The horse-faced man seemed to have all his strength drained, and he slumped to the ground, utterly dejected.

“Brother Donkey-Face, don’t get suicidal thoughts and jump into a well,” Wang Shu quipped from the side. “Our mine is short on hands right now. How about you come work with me? I’m genuinely recruiting here.”

Er Lengzi, hugging the Source bag, smiled foolishly in delight, not forgetting to taunt him. “Yeah, free food and board. Come down the mine with us and dig for Source.”

The horse-faced man’s face turned white with rage. He pointed at the two of them, saying, “You… you…”

He regretted it so much he wished he could turn back time, silently cursing himself for picking a fight and gambling with these mud monkeys from the mine. At this moment, he felt like he was swallowing his own teeth, overwhelmed by anger, almost fainting.

“Interesting. Do you three dare to gamble a few rounds with me?” Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect stepped forward, fanning himself calmly.

Ye Fan smiled. “Why not? Not just a few rounds, dozens would be fine.”

He was very excited. The *Source Heaven Book* was indeed a remarkable book. He felt he had a preliminary understanding of Source and could now navigate the gambling houses. If he truly comprehended the *Source Heaven Book*, he wouldn’t need to worry even if he went to the Holy City in the future.

However, Ye Fan’s good luck seemed to have ended. He subsequently cut seven stones in a row but didn’t see a single trace of Source.

In contrast, Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect cut out a fist-sized Source, making up for his previous loss.

“Even if you spend years in the mine, it doesn’t mean you truly understand Source. Digging Source is manual labor; discerning Source is a specialized skill,” Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect mocked. “This place is indeed not for just anyone.”

“Mud monkeys from the mine coming to gamble for stones, truly idle and ignorant.”

“Deluding themselves into gambling for top-grade precious Source, they’ll only end up losing everything. The pathetic bit of Source they saved up over the years will all be squandered.”

Many people nearby shook their heads, speaking mockingly.

Wang Shu and Er Lengzi felt very uncomfortable. Consecutive losses made them nervous, fearing that Ye Fan’s Source would be wasted for nothing.

Ye Fan frowned. He was somewhat confused. What he learned from the *Source Heaven Book* was definitely not wrong, so why was he continuously making mistakes?

He squatted down, carefully observing the seven Source Stones that had just been cut unsuccessfully, rubbing them with his hand.

“He gambled himself silly; can’t handle the打击 blows.”

“Mud monkeys from the mine haven’t seen much of the world. Losing so much, they’re naturally dejected. Maybe they’ll even jump into a river.”

“We’ve seen too many people like this. They can’t handle losing and will do anything.”

Although some people were sympathetic, most were gloating.

Liu Gongzi from Qingxia Sect, fanning himself, looked down at Ye Fan, who was squatting on the ground examining the broken stones. “You should hurry back to the mine. That’s where you belong. People like you aren’t quite suited for this place.”