The bright yellow gold covering lay spread on the table like two halves of a peeled lychee shell. In the center, a stone egg, grayish-white, gave no hint of the lychee flesh it was meant to resemble.

Needless to say, this was the final fate of the fake dog-head gold.

The spot where the gold casing was first broken open was precisely the thinnest part of the entire sheet. A close examination revealed that because the wrapping process hadn't been tight enough, acid had seeped in through this weak point, leaving corrosive marks on both the inside and outside surfaces of the gold. The corresponding area on the stone showed matching corrosion.

“You spotted the trick from here, didn't you? How did we miss it?”

Qi Fei was utterly convinced. Even though she couldn't find the hairline crack Wang Zhuo mentioned to save her life, what choice did she have but to trust him?

In reality, the crack was entirely fabricated—a falsehood Wang Zhuo invented to fool the three of them, all to hide his power of X-ray vision.

“I certainly haven't misjudged you.” Cai Yuantu smiled, entirely unconcerned about the dog-head gold he had just lost. “It’s a pity that when I acquired this piece over a decade ago, I misjudged it.”

Qi Fei chuckled, “The one who misjudged wasn't Boss Cai, but the person who handed this item over to Boss Cai as collateral for a debt.”

“The forgery skills of people from Henan are truly well-deserved; this piece was crafted too professionally, making it impossible to guard against.” Qiu Lu looked wistfully at the stripped dog-head gold. The twenty-thousand item was ruined, leaving behind only a thin gold skin weighing less than thirty grams, and the purity wasn't even high.

Cai Yuantu roared with laughter, “Little Qiu, actually, my hometown is in Henan.”

“Uh…” Qiu Lu looked embarrassed, but thankfully Cai Yuantu took no offense, joking, “But later my father followed my grandfather to the Northeast during the great migration. Maybe he learned some good habits from the Northeasterners. So, I certainly don't know how to fake things; I was just tricked by a fellow provincial.”

Everyone laughed. Qi Fei sighed with a touch of emotion, saying, “These days, people prey on their own folks. Anyone who naively trusts someone from their hometown should just wait for misfortune.”

Wang Zhuo glanced at her subtly, thinking there must be a story behind that statement.

“Enough about that,” Cai Yuantu waved his fleshy hand dismissively. “For these newly arrived rough stones, I’ll give you all a 10% discount—a treatment even my regular customers don’t get. Go take a look!”

The courtyard was bustling. Due to the arrival of a large batch of gamble stones, many of the regulars from Qi Shi Fang were present, along with numerous others who had come upon hearing the news. Even some peers from the antique street were there, hoping to try their luck buying cheaper material.

After all, not everyone carried away the rough stones they had cut. Some people immediately resold materials after cutting either a success or a loss, often at a more favorable price. Acquiring such material might not be finding a hidden treasure, but making a tidy profit was certainly possible.

As soon as Wang Zhuo, Qi Fei, and Qiu Lu appeared, they were recognized, instantly causing a stir.

“See that? I’ve seen those three before. They were the ones who cut out the Dragon Stone Seed Imperial Green. They were four people last time; the tall beauty is missing today.”

“Look, they came back with a total loss! Did they get tanned?”

“Calling him Dao Dao Kua (Cut-Cut-Loss) now? Why don't you try cutting a thirty-million-loss stone for me? His current nickname is Qiu Yi Dao (Qiu One Cut)—one cut turned his fortunes around!”

“Shouldn't we wait here? Let’s see what these three manage to cut today.”

“These three have made a fortune for Qi Shi Fang. Since they cut that Imperial Green, business at Qi Shi Fang has been booming.”

“Exactly. Otherwise, Fatty Cai wouldn’t have restocked a whole truckload so quickly. It’s like hitting the grand prize at a lottery station. All the lottery players flock there, and everyone buys a ticket just for the excitement, boosting his success.”

“Come on, Boss Ma, hasn't your Ba Bao Ju also benefited? In our antique street, which jade dealer hasn't managed to close more deals recently?”

The most people came forward to greet Qiu Lu. Qi Fei remained the most composed. This was Wang Zhuo's first time being pointed at and scrutinized by so many people, and he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, he had already managed to beat up a teacher in front of hundreds of classmates; his adaptability was certainly strong. As for Liu Guoyang, who lost the gamble, there was no news of him at all, as if he had vanished into thin air. Wang Zhuo had no idea what scheme he was up to.

The rough stones Qi Shi Fang had acquired this time were indeed numerous. Only a small fraction were semi-gambles. According to the staff, these were purchased by another owner in Yunnan. Because the time elapsed since the last shipment was short, there weren't many of these.

As for the full-gamble rough stones piled up in heaps, they were brought in by truckload directly from Myanmar, transferred to a different truck in Yunnan, and transported over. This was a rare grand gesture in a northern city; no one had ever done it this way before.

The three conferred. Qi Fei and Qiu Lu were more interested in the semi-gamble stones, which aligned with their personalities and goals. Qi Fei always preferred material with an already opened window—such stones offered more certainty. Qiu Lu, having been "Dao Dao Kua" for so long, despite his recent turnaround, still lacked confidence and grew suspicious seeing full-gamble material, always fearing he would cut out just a white rock again.

Wang Zhuo was different. For him, full-gamble material offered greater appreciation potential, lower prices, and since these stones were newly arrived and hadn't passed through many hands, they were perfect for him to showcase his skills.

So, the three split into two groups. Qi Fei and Qiu Lu went to examine the semi-gamble material, while Wang Zhuo, taking the high-intensity flashlight and magnifying glass provided by the staff, went alone to the crowded area of full-gamble rough stones.

Stopping and starting, he was soon drawn to a piece of rough about the size of a winter melon.

It was a stone with a gray rind; the surface was dense and fine. Usually, stones with such rinds, when cut, had good transparency and few impurities. However, this stone’s color was too uniform, showing no distinguishing features whatsoever. Furthermore, one end had several natural fissures. This combination immediately sentenced the entire stone to death—or at best, life imprisonment.

When prospective buyers passed by this stone, they would shake their heads and move on. Occasionally, someone would observe the fissures with a magnifying glass, only to sigh quickly and walk away.

Seeing Wang Zhuo pause before this piece, a tall middle-aged man nearby kindly advised, “Young man, I suggest you don't set your sights on this one. Its surface presentation is too poor; it’s unlikely to yield a profit.”

Another slightly plump young man chimed in, “Yeah, this stone is only fit for pickling vegetables. Look, it doesn't even have any songhua (pine flower texture), let alone mangdai (python belt). And it has three cracks on one end. Who dares touch material that is already cracked before cutting?”

“That makes sense,” Wang Zhuo nodded, smiling as he asked, “Then, sirs, if this stone were to yield emerald, what grade do you think its di (base/ground) would be?”

The tall middle-aged man thought for a moment and carefully replied, “The base of this stone isn't bad. Looking at how fine the rind is, it should be at least a (Nuò Zhǒng, glutinous variety).”

“If it doesn’t yield green, nothing else matters,” the slightly plump youth shook his head and walked away.

“I advise you to look at others,” the middle-aged man said with a smile. “There are plenty of new stones with good surface indications; no need to wrestle with this big fellow.”

Wang Zhuo smiled and nodded. After the middle-aged man walked further away, he turned back to look at the rough stone.

His X-ray vision penetrated the outer skin once more. Looking in from the smooth end, he saw nothing but white. As his focus shifted, the color gradually transitioned in the middle section, moving from white to green, and by the other end, it had become a vibrant, dripping (Yáng Lǜ Sè, bright green). Unfortunately, this glorious color was tragically segmented by those three fissures of varying depths.

There’s a saying in the trade: “Don't fear a lack of color, fear a lack of structure (seed).” The middle-aged man's estimate was correct; this stone was indeed a Nuò Zhǒng, and a rather fine one at that. But those three cracks completely ruined the best green part of the stone. The other end was worthless white, and the middle was a transition between white and green. Could it truly be a total loss?

Withdrawing his vision, Wang Zhuo pondered carefully, feeling that this stone might still serve some purpose, but he couldn't immediately recall what that purpose might be.