"Heh, once Lin Mo loses, I reckon everyone in the Liao Family will blame him," Dan Wen said with a sudden laugh.
Almost everyone had already concluded that Lin Mo would lose to Mr. Hu.
"Mr. Lin, please," Liao Zhiping clasped his hands together, then, with Liao Ke's support, returned to his chair.
Now, only Lin Mo and Mr. Hu remained in the arena.
"Please," Mr. Hu gestured invitingly, then promptly began to select a raw stone.
Lin Mo glanced around and picked out a stone roughly the size of a baby's head, the whole process taking only a few seconds.
Mr. Hu was momentarily stunned.
So were the others.
Hei Xiong, Black Panther, Chairman Fang, Shan Xiongjie, Dan Wen, and others looked wooden-faced.
The members of the Liao Family nearly exploded in anger, Liao Zhiping slightly furrowing his brows.
Choosing a raw stone required observing its color, shape, density, and many other factors, relying on one's experience to make judgments.
But what was Lin Mo doing, picking a stone at random?
Was he showing contempt for Mr. Hu, or had he already conceded defeat?
Lin Mo didn't care what others thought; after picking the stone, he returned to his seat.
"Mr. Lin, you..." Liao Ke bit her silver teeth, her pretty face flushing red.
She truly believed in Lin Mo, having fought to have him gamble on stones for the Liao Family, yet Lin Mo seemed too perfunctory now.
"Don't worry, I won't lose," Lin Mo said, completely composed.
Seeing Lin Mo so confident, Liao Ke still felt uneasy and just sighed.
"Cousin, don't worry, Mr. Lin is an Immortal; he definitely won't lose to Hei Xiong," Li Yunfei said, blindly trusting Lin Mo.
Liao Changjing, Liao Changwei, Liao Jun, and others had faces as black as charcoal, their hearts chilling; the Liao Family was doomed!
Who would believe that Lin Mo could win against Mr. Hu by randomly selecting a stone? His luck would have to be incredibly good.
Lin Mo sat in his chair, his expression serene, leisurely sipping tea.
These raw stones mined from the New Mine shone like clusters of bright candles in Lin Mo's Divine Sense.
Lin Mo had already observed that the 'candlelight' in the raw stone he had picked was the brightest.
"Isn't that just a waste stone? Why would that young man choose such a stone?"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd whispered.
"Yes, this stone is pockmarked on the outside, just the worst kind of waste stone—it probably got accidentally scooped up and dumped onto the truck."
"I've only been studying for a year, but even I know not to pick such a stone, that guy really doesn't know."
"It looks like the Liao Family is set to lose."
Liao Changjing and others also saw the stone in the stone opener's hands; it was not large, but pitted like the surface of the Moon, and it was undoubtedly not going to yield any jade. Anyone with a bit of experience would know that.
Those who could choose such a stone must be amateurs.
The hearts of the Liao Family sank completely!
The Shan Family and members of the commerce association were all waiting to enjoy the show.
Hei Xiong and Black Panther already showed the dawning light of victory on their faces.
"I've also made my choice; we can start stone opening," Mr. Hu said as he took a stone the size of a pumpkin and handed it to the stone opener. The stone opener, holding the stone Lin Mo had chosen with an extraordinary demeanor, couldn't help but shake his head; having opened stones for many years, he knew the likelihood of this stone containing anything valuable.
"Start the stone opening!"
Mr. Hu's stone was slowly cut open. Water was poured over it to wash away the lime, gradually exposing some white.
That white jade was exquisitely transparent, just a shallow smear of it instantly caught everyone's attention.
"Is this top-grade Mutton-Fat Jade?" someone immediately exclaimed.
A hint of light flashed in Mr. Hu's eyes, his lips curling slightly with a proud smile.
Hei Xiong, Black Panther, Chairman Fang, and members of the Shan Family also showed looks of shock.
Mutton Fat Jade can be considered among the top varieties of jade and its revealed luster suggests it is quite valuable.
The master responsible for cutting the stone was even more cautious, and as the lime was washed away by the clean water, a white jade about the size of a baby's fist slowly became visible, white like immortal mist, crystal clear, and brightly colored.
"This piece of Mutton Fat Jade might sell for around one to two million, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Hu's discerning eye is truly not to be underestimated; he actually found a piece of top-quality Mutton Fat Jade."
"Impressive."
"I wish I had picked one myself."
Everyone around exclaimed in awe.
Hei Xiong and Black Panther's faces brightened even more, as if they had already won the final competition.
The people from the Liao Family had an even worse expression, as the last bit of hope in their hearts seemed to have been extinguished as well.
Liao Zhiping sighed softly.
Disappointment also appeared on the pretty face of Liao Ke.
As for Lin Mo, he still sat there with a calm and light demeanor.
"Mr. Liao, you've lost this time. The mine now belongs to us," Black Panther suddenly laughed loudly.
"My stone hasn't been opened yet, how can you say I've lost?" Lin Mo raised his head, a faint smile curving the corners of his mouth.
Black Panther looked into Lin Mo's eyes, feeling a chill throughout his body. He had intended to withstand Lin Mo's gaze, but he only lasted a second before he conceded, lowering his head and shifting his gaze away.
Lin Mo's gaze was too piercing, making him feel cold all over, as if even his soul was trembling.
Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, the crowd seemed to hear a joke, showing contempt on their faces.
Given the appearance of the raw stone Lin Mo chose, it would be a miracle if there were any jade inside, let alone a piece of top-quality jade.
"Since we've already gambled, let him lose convincingly!" Black Panther snorted coldly.
The Liao Family members wished there was a hole in the ground they could crawl into.
The Liao Family had already lost face by losing to Hei Xiong in the gambling stone, and now with Lin Mo still having to open his stone, it felt like a total disgrace.
Shan Xiongjie shook his head, his expression scornful, "If this raw stone contains jade, then my Shan Family might as well leave Tengchong."
"Pfft, if there's any top-quality jade in his stone, I, Dan Wen, will never touch a woman again," Dan Wen sneered coldly, still needing to recover face from being humiliated by Lin Mo a few days ago.
The crowd at the scene was buzzing with discussions, but Lin Mo seemed to turn a deaf ear.
"Open the stone."
Liao Zhiping slowly uttered two words.
The stone cutter held the ugly raw stone, slowly cutting it open. When one-third was cut, nothing was found.
"Ha ha, I've said it before, there's no way this stone could contain jade."
"Still won't admit defeat? I'm really fed up."
Liao Ke clenched her white palms anxiously, her gaze hopefully fixed on the cut stone, hoping for a miracle to happen.
But she was still disappointed.
Even Li Yunfei, who had always been full of confidence in Lin Mo, began to feel doubtful at this moment, wondering if even immortals could miscalculate.
Generally speaking, if no jade is seen after cutting one-third of the stone, ninety-nine percent of the time nothing will appear, and they wouldn't continue further.
"Continue," Lin Mo said lightly.
The stone cutter shook his head and carefully split the stone in half again, still finding nothing.
"Ha ha, now the Liao Family should be fully convinced of their loss, right?" Black Panther laughed heartily.
Liao Zhiping's last hope extinguished, he stood up and said, "Since I've lost, our Liao Family will definitely not go back on our word, the mining rights to the New Mine will just…"
"Wait a minute."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Liao Zhiping.
Everyone's gaze converged behind Lin Mo, as they saw him slowly walk up to the stone cutter, pick up the split raw stone, and clutch it in his hands.
"It's already like this, and you still won't concede defeat?" Black Panther furrowed his brows, speaking coldly.