388: Chapter 388 Who stole from whom?

The venue was bustling with crowds.

Row after row of booths were filled with raw gemstones of all sizes.

Some had rough exteriors, revealing no clues at all.

Some had 'windows' cut into them, revealing various shades of green inside.

Others were cut wide open; the solid green material shimmered under the lights, attracting countless people to stop and watch.

Ye Chen and Bing Lan walked side by side, accompanied by Yu Xin, strolling leisurely through the venue.

Yu Baiyun followed beside them, introducing the exhibits as they walked.

"Mr. Ye, Miss Bing Lan, over here are several major factories from Myanmar. Their materials are famously good in the industry."

"Over there is the exhibition area for South Korea. Although their output isn't large, their rate of high-quality pieces is very high."

"Further ahead is Japan's area. They excel at processing certain special materials, and their craftsmanship is very meticulous."

Ye Chen nodded as he listened.

His gaze swept across the raw stones.

Ordinary people relied on experience, eyesight, and luck to judge raw stones.

But he was different.

He possessed the Thick Earth Inheritance.

As long as something stood upon the earth, he could sense it.

Although these raw stones had been cut and separated from the earth, their essence remained stone, soil, and mineral.

If he wished, he could sense what was hidden inside.

Besides that...

He also possessed the ability of X-ray vision...

This was undoubtedly a powerful trump card.

However...

With Ye Chen's current strength, he didn't need to use X-ray vision on such trivial things.

The next moment...

Ye Chen discreetly released a thread of perception.

In an instant, the surrounding raw stones presented a different scene in his mind.

Some were dull grey, containing nothing.

Some emitted a faint green glow, indicating average quality.

Some had a rich green hue, but the area was very small, only enough for a few small pieces.

And then there were others...

Ye Chen's footsteps paused slightly as his gaze landed on a particular booth.

It was an inconspicuous booth with only a few raw stones. Their surfaces were rough and dark, looking like the leftovers no one wanted.

But in his perception, the largest raw stone contained a green hue so dense it was almost solid.

That green was deep, rich, and possessed a heavy texture.

And—

It wasn't just green.

At the deepest part of the green was a faint touch of purple.

lavender jadeite.

Bing Lan noticed his gaze and asked softly, "What is it?"

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and smiled slightly. "Nothing, I just think that stone is quite interesting."

Yu Xin followed his gaze, looked at the raw stone, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Ye, that stone was brought by a retail seller from Myanmar. It's been sitting there for days, and no one has taken an interest in it."

"The skin is too rough and the color is too dark. It doesn't look like it could produce anything good at all."

"If you're interested, you can go take a look, but don't get your hopes up too high."

Ye Chen smiled and didn't explain.

He simply walked toward that booth.

Bing Lan followed him, a smile in her eyes.

She knew Ye Chen.

This man never did anything he wasn't sure of.

Since he had taken an interest in that stone, there must be something special about it.

Just like before...

Inside a stone that countless people thought was worthless, he had found imperial green!

Ye Chen walked to the booth and looked down at the raw stone.

Hmm...

In anyone's eyes, this was scrap material.

The stall owner was an old man from Myanmar with dark, wrinkled skin. Seeing someone looking at his goods, his eyes lit up slightly, and he asked in broken Mandarin, "Boss, want to see?"

Ye Chen nodded. "This one, how much?"

The old man held up five fingers. "Five hundred thousand."

Yu Xin couldn't help but speak up from the side.

"Five hundred thousand? Are you trying to fleece a fat sheep?"

"This piece of junk—I doubt anyone would even want it for fifty thousand!"

The old man gave a sheepish smile and didn't argue, just looking at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen said calmly, "I'll take it. Swipe the card, then cut it open."

"???"

The old man was stunned. "Boss, are you sure?"

He never expected...

That the other person wouldn't even try to haggle for a single cent?

He just bought it outright!

Could there be a treasure inside?

But the problem was...

If there really was a treasure, it wouldn't have been sitting here for so long.

"I'm sure."

Ye Chen pulled a bank card from his pocket. "Cut it now."

The wrinkles on the old man's face instantly smoothed out as he took the bank card and nimbly swiped for five hundred thousand.

Then...

He picked up the raw stone and walked to the cutting machine nearby.

People nearby noticed the commotion and began to gather around.

"Someone's cutting a stone?"

"Which one? That pitch-black one? Isn't that just scrap?"

"Five hundred thousand for that? Does he have too much money and nowhere to spend it?"

"Young man, that's not how you gamble on stones. Even I feel the sting in my wallet just watching this..."

...

Whispers rose and fell in the crowd.

Ye Chen turned a deaf ear to them, simply watching the cutting machine quietly.

The old man adjusted the angle and started the machine.

*Vroom—*

The grinding wheel spun rapidly, and the moment it made contact with the stone, a piercing screech of friction rang out.

Water mist filled the air.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the cut.

Just then...

A snide voice came from outside the crowd.

"Patriarch Yu, your Yu Family is known as the second-best stone gamblers in the Dragon Kingdom, with no one daring to claim first. But how is it that even you have moments of blindness?"

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

A Middle-aged Man wearing a traditional Japanese kimono and wooden clogs walked in leisurely.

Behind him followed two burly Bodyguards.

When Yu Xin saw the newcomer, her expression changed slightly. "Bian Duzi?"

The Bian Family was one of the ten major families in Japan.

For this raw stone exhibition, they were the Japanese delegation.

Bian Duzi walked closer, glanced at the stone being cut, and a mocking smile curled on his lips.

"This stone has a rough surface, a black color, and the cracks are deep and chaotic. No matter how you look at it, it's scrap."

"Buying such a thing for five hundred thousand—what is that if not throwing money away?"

As soon as he finished speaking, another voice rang out from the other side.

"Brother Bian, perhaps they just have a hobby of giving away money?"

A Middle-aged Man in a sharp suit, his hair meticulously combed, walked over with several people.

It was Jin Wukang, the Vice President of the South Korean Jewelry Association.

He walked up to Bian Duzi, and the two shared a look of pure contempt.

"Just watch for the entertainment; why bother exposing them?"

Jin Wukang spread his hands. "After all, not everyone has decades of stone gambling experience like us."

Yu Xin's fiery temper flared up instantly.

She stepped forward and shouted angrily.

"What the hell does it have to do with you?"

"The guest invited by my Yu Family can buy whatever stone he wants and cut whatever stone he wants!"

"What are you two outsiders chirping about here?!"

The smile on Bian Duzi's face stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his hypocritical grin.

"Miss Yu, what's with this attitude?"

"We were merely being kind-hearted, reminding you not to get cheated."

"After all, this stone is clearly scrap, no matter how you look at it."

Ye Chen turned his head, his gaze landing on Bian Duzi's face. "Do Japanese people have kind hearts?"

Bian Duzi was taken aback.

Ye Chen continued, "Isn't your conscience 'very bad' and already rotten to the core?"

Bian Duzi's face instantly darkened.

"Baka!"

"Who are you insulting?!"

Ye Chen tilted his head with an innocent look. "I'm insulting a dog. What about it?"

Bian Duzi: "???"

He was completely stunned.

Insulting a dog?

He was clearly insulting him just now, but now he says he's insulting a dog?

Isn't that just a roundabout way of calling him a dog???

The two Bodyguards behind him also looked grim, stepping forward and ready to strike at any moment.

Bian Duzi took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and snapped his head toward Yu Baiyun.

"Patriarch Yu!"

"Is this how your Dragon Kingdom treats its guests?!"

Yu Baiyun's face was equally dark.

He stood with his hands behind his back and spoke coldly.

"The Dragon Kingdom is very polite toward guests."

"But if someone is looking for trouble..."

He paused, a cold light flickering in his eyes. "We won't be polite either."

Bian Duzi's face stiffened.

Jin Wukang sneered from the side and patted Bian Duzi's shoulder.

"Brother Bian, don't waste your breath on a race that only knows how to steal my Korean culture."

"What else do they know besides stealing?"

As soon as he finished speaking...

Ye Chen laughed.

That laugh was harmless, yet it made Jin Wukang's heart tighten for some reason.

"Stealing your Korean culture?"

Ye Chen tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Jin Wukang's face.

"Exactly who is stealing from whom?"

"You don't even dare to acknowledge your own cultural heritage and only know how to steal from others. How do you have the nerve to turn around and blame us?"

Jin Wukang's expression shifted. "You..."

Ye Chen cut him off and continued.

"The Dragon Boat Festival—yours?"

"Movable type printing—yours?"

"Chinese characters—also yours?"

"What else does your South Korea know how to do besides applying for Intangible Cultural Heritage status?"

"If I were you, I would have just hanged myself long ago to save myself from the embarrassment."

Jin Wukang's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.

"Aishiba!!!"

He let out a roar, exploding like a lit firecracker!

He lunged forward, raising his fist to smash it into Ye Chen's face!