Invincible Divine Doctor of the Beautiful Lady-Chapter 784 - 758: Stone Gambling

"Having a target makes things easier," Tangyu nodded.

Liang Youshan said, "Boss, what do we do now? Do we go straight to the lair of the Flying Wheels Gang, or do we capture Jin Hong and give him a good interrogation?"

Tangyu shook his head, "These guys are just small fries, not the big fish. Since we’re after the big fish, we definitely need to fish for them. The people from that mysterious force are certainly not fools. Knowing that they’re close to Myriad Saints Valley, they wouldn’t act so recklessly. Their goal is just to cause chaos in Liucheng. It’s the underlings who do the work. So if we want to lure them out, we might as well play into their hands. If they want chaos, we’ll calm it down."

Liang Youshan nodded, "Right, do the opposite of what they expect, and they’ll definitely be in a hurry and make a move against us. Once they make a move, then we can catch them. Haha, this task, when you think about it, isn’t that hard."

"It’s better if it’s not hard, saves us wasting so much time and energy here," Tangyu said.

"Exactly, our time is precious. Even if we’re not busy with cultivation, we’d be busy making Tempering Spirit Pills, and if not that, we’d be busy chasing girls. We don’t have that much spare time, hehe, right, boss?" Liang Youshan flashed a grin, but upon seeing Tangyu’s gaze, he quickly added, "Boss, how exactly should we start?"

Tangyu replied, "It’s simple. Capture all the heads of the major forces in the underworld, pull the rug from under them. With no leaders, they naturally can’t fight anymore."

Liang Youshan immediately gave a thumbs up, "Brilliant, just brilliant. Boss, how come you think just like me?"

Tangyu unceremoniously kicked him as Liang Youshan grinned, "Liucheng has hundreds of underworld forces, big and small, and just the leaders alone are probably numbering four to five hundred. To catch so many people with just our four pairs of hands, how do we do it?"

"If it were easy, it wouldn’t be called a task. Since it’s a task, of course, it’s going to be difficult. If there are many people, we’ll just catch them slowly. We’ll ignore the smaller forces and pick a few important ones to catch. But for now, we can’t rush things, everything is not yet arranged. Once all the arrangements are in place and we’ve got a clear understanding of all the forces, then we can start doing this. Liang Youshan, I’ll leave these matters to you guys," Tangyu said.

Liang Youshan pouted and asked, "Cough, boss, what about you?"

Tangyu kicked Liang Youshan, "Do you still need to ask such a simple question? Of course, I’m going to hang out with the beauties."

Liang Youshan immediately nodded, "Smart move, totally get it. Actually, I just wanted to humbly ask, do you need someone to carry the bag and drive? I think, for such a small matter, Wang Wei and Wu Fei two people would be enough."

"Scram, all of you, get out of here," Tangyu waved them off.

Only then did Liang Youshan and the others reluctantly go to work.

With them taking care of things, Tangyu could rest assured and be a hands-off boss. These matters were all minor, so Tangyu was confident in leaving them to others. If anything major came up, he would step in.

Taking in a few underlings, they had to be put to work, right? They definitely had to do their share.

After sending Liang Youshan and the others away, Xinyue and Tang Guo came downstairs.

Tang Guo was enthusiastic, "Tangyu, let’s go out and have fun this afternoon. There’s plenty of fun places in Liucheng."

Tangyu got up, "Since I’m here, I naturally want to experience the local atmosphere of Liucheng."

"Yay, let’s go!" Tang Guo linked arms with Xinyue and then Tangyu.

Tangyu looked at the girl, making no effort to hide the fact that she was taking advantage.

Driving off, they stopped ten minutes later, and Tang Guo pointed, "Tangyu, over there is the biggest antique market in Liucheng. Next to it, there’s a street with snacks and entertainment, and further back there’s a big park. This area is one of the most bustling and lively places in Liucheng. How about we start by playing around in the antique market? Maybe you’ll find some treasures. Our Liucheng antique market is quite famous."

Tangyu was indifferent, "Then let’s go take a look."

The antique market was indeed large and bustling, with rows of small shops that were dazzling and overwhelming.

Besides the permanent shops, there were also some scattered street vendors.

While it was called Antique Street, many shops didn’t strictly sell antiques; there were plenty of modern crafts imitating antiques and other craft items like wooden artifacts. Of course, the overall vibe was still quaint and somewhat charming.

Moreover, all the shops were decorated with an ancient architectural style. Being there almost made it feel like stepping back into bygone times.

Even some shopkeepers were dressed in ancient costumes, adding to the immersive atmosphere.

The trio wandered casually, with Tangyu looking around at the various items nonchalantly.

Dealing in antiques could indeed be very profitable if done well. Of course, a bad purchase could also mean a significant loss.

Collecting antiques and collectibles is a risky business. Without real expertise, it all depends on luck, much like gambling.

Xinyue and Tang Guo clearly knew nothing about it and were just there to casually browse and have some fun.

"Hehe, two beautiful ladies, all my items here are of good quality. Take a look. See this? It’s a Qing Dynasty snuff bottle, a rare treasure. If you buy it, you’re guaranteed to make a profit," a shopkeeper in his forties or fifties said with a sycophantic smile.

Tang Guo shook her head, "I don’t want it. I’ve bought two things from your shop before, and both turned out to be fake, not worth anything at all. Hmm, I’ve been deceived several times; I won’t trust you guys anymore."

"Hehe, this time it’s different; this is a treasure that I’ve managed to find after much difficulty. It’s definitely genuine," the shopkeeper continued without any change in expression.

Tang Guo pouted, "That’s what you said last time, but it still turned out to be a fake."

"Is that so? That’s not possible, if I say it’s true then it certainly is. You must have made a mistake." the shop owner insisted firmly.

Tang Guo wanted to argue some more, but was pulled back by Xinyue, "Let it go."

The three continued to stroll onwards and soon arrived at a larger gambling stone workshop. At the moment, several imposing individuals were carefully selecting stones at the counter. This shop’s popularity was quite high.

Tang Guo immediately dragged the other two over, "Playing with gambling stones, huh? This looks interesting; at least we can try our luck."

So, the trio joined in and saw a row of over a hundred stones of various shapes lined up. The largest weighed more than a hundred kilograms, and the smallest was only the size of a chicken egg; their colors were equally diverse. Many even displayed colors of jade green and fiery red.

At that time, about a dozen men were scrutinizing each stone, hoping to find a treasure within.

Gambling stones is definitely a skillful pursuit.

In recent years, the practice of gambling stones has won the deep affection of countless people, drawing many into this industry.

Play gambling stones well, and just one right bet on a stone can make you a fortune. Of course, if you don’t know how to play, you could also potentially lose everything.

Tang Guo nudged Tangyu, "Do you know how to gamble on stones?"

Tangyu shook his head, "No, I don’t think it’s all that interesting."

"Pfft, and I thought you were really learned and talented. Seems like it’s nothing special after all. Playing with jade and stones, it’s supposed to be sophisticated, right? Although I don’t know much, at least I know something," Tang Guo said, looking down on Tangyu with disdain.

Then she turned to Xinyue, "Sister Xinyue, let’s give it a try. Looks like a new batch of stones has arrived, we might gamble on a rare gem."

Xinyue replied indifferently, "If you want to play, go ahead."

Xinyue wasn’t holding out much hope.

The shop owner, a robust middle-aged man with a smile on his face, told everyone, "Dear friends, we’ve got a new shipment today. Whoever’s interested should act fast. First come, first served. Our Gambling Stone Workshop’s reputation is well known to you all, so I’ll spare you the speech. The old rules apply. If you like something, make an offer."

A man in his forties or fifties, wearing a Zhongshan suit, pointed at a chicken-shaped stone and said, "I want this one, I’ll pay ten thousand."

This chicken-shaped stone had a red surface that looked as if it were smeared with blood.

Tangyu knew nothing about gambling on stones and just casually looked on.

Xinyue remarked after a glance, "This chicken-shaped stone might actually contain a piece of fine blood jade inside."

"I bid twelve thousand," a man with glasses immediately offered a new bid.

"I bid fifteen thousand."

Eventually, the price soared to twenty thousand and the stone was bought by the man in the Zhongshan suit, who cut it open in front of everyone. To his disappointment, he didn’t uncover a piece of fine blood jade, but just an ordinary piece of jade that wasn’t very big and was at most worth two or three thousand.

The first bid resulting in a significant loss left the man in the Zhongshan suit shaking his head with a sigh; he took the ordinary piece of jade and left.

Several more rounds of bidding went by without uncovering any fine jade.

Tang Guo took a fancy to a very beautiful stone about the size of a toddler’s fist. Its smooth and shiny surface was tinged with red, and it looked extraordinarily beautiful just by its appearance.

Women are particularly fond of beautiful things, and Tang Guo, pointing at the stone, said, "I want this, I want this one."

After saying this, she also looked at Xinyue for her opinion, "Sister Xinyue, how much should we offer?"

Xinyue shook her head, "The better-looking the stone, the less likely it is to yield fine jade. This stone is too pretty; the chances of cutting fine jade from it are slim. If you really want to play, then offer a thousand."

Tang Guo thought for a moment, "A thousand is too miserly. I’ll offer two thousand."

To Tang Guo’s delight, no one else bid against her, so she got the beautiful stone for two thousand. She wore a smug look, "See how good my eye is? No one even fought me for it."

Xinyue said, not amused, "No one is bidding against you because nobody thinks highly of that stone. That means your judgement is poor."

"Ah—" This comment made Tang Guo feel suddenly upset; it seemed to be true indeed.

"Humph, I don’t believe it. Maybe I’m about to hit the jackpot. Boss, cut it quick! Make sure to reveal an extraordinary treasure," Tang Guo said defiantly.

The shop owner skillfully peeled the stone, layer by layer of skin coming off, but still no sign of the treasure. By the end, nothing was revealed, and the shop owner just gave Tang Guo a smile.

"Really, nothing? Wuu, I’m so heartbroken," Tang Guo instantly felt sad.