133: Chapter 224 Two Stones, 1,388,000

The Stall Owner turned around and carefully brought out two stones wrapped in red cloth from a locked iron cabinet behind the stall; judging by their size, both were a circle larger than the ice-variety vivid green one from just a moment ago.

He lifted the red cloth, revealing the raw stones inside.

One had a yellowish-brown crust that was oily and shiny, with a smooth surface and several obvious red "mist"-like patches.

The other had a grayish-white crust with a faint yellow mist, and when illuminated with a flashlight, it seemed as if a red glow was shining through.

The crusts of both stones appeared very "old," giving people a reserved and steady feeling; anyone in the know would recognize at a glance that these were not ordinary items.

The onlookers who hadn't dispersed yet were attracted once again, letting out low gasps of amazement.

Damakan material is known for its excellent quality, especially for red and yellow jadeite, and the crusts of these two pieces were so outstanding that they were worth a fortune.

Yu Bo picked up the one with the yellowish-brown crust and examined it carefully with a light; the halo of the high-intensity flashlight spread across the stone, revealing a warm, blended red and yellow radiance, and the translucency looked excellent.

He looked at it for a long while, then picked up the grayish-white one and examined it just as carefully.

"How much for these two?" He put the stones down and asked in a calm tone.

Hearing Yu Bo ask for the price, the Stall Owner's face immediately became even more enthusiastic, yet it also carried a cautious expression typical of "experts."

He did not quote a price immediately, but instead rubbed his hands together, his gaze sweeping over Yu Bo and the two stones, and he specifically glanced at the two ladies with extraordinary auras behind Yu Bo, before lowering his voice and speaking in a tone that was both "confidential" and slightly boastful:

"Boss, you're an expert with a sharp eye. I won't hide anything from you. You've seen it yourself; I've already opened windows on both of these pieces."

He pointed to an inconspicuous, polished small flat surface next to the red mist-like patch on the yellowish-brown stone, and then pointed to the edge of the faint red light on the grayish-white stone, saying, "These aren't fully speculative pieces; these are semi-speculative! The windows are open, and the quality is right here for you to see."

"With the windows opened, the quality is all on display. Look at this yellow jadeite crust, look at this window—the red and yellow are blended, isn't the translucency rich?"

"And this grayish-white crust, the red light is already shining through, the color is definitely pure! The risk is much lower than that fully speculative one from just now!"

He paused, observing Yu Bo's expression, and seeing that the other party remained calm, he continued: "Precisely because the windows are open and the quality is good, the risk is relatively lower, so the price... naturally goes up."

"Besides, as for what's specifically inside—how thick the jade meat is, whether there are cracks, whether the variety is old—that's truly something even gods find hard to judge, and no one dares to guarantee."

"But just judging by the quality of these windows, it is absolutely worth this price!"

He held up two fingers, then quickly changed to three, seeming a bit hesitant, and finally made an "eight" gesture, but quickly withdrew it, as if deliberating on the most appropriate price: "This yellow jadeite crust piece is from an authentic old pit water-stone mine, you've seen the window, the quality is top-tier. One fixed price, this amount."

He held up two fingers again, then bent one of them, "One million eight hundred thousand."

He pointed to the grayish-white one: "This one, although smaller, has rare red mist, the color might be more intense, and the variety might be even older. This amount."

He made a "six" gesture, "One million six hundred thousand. For both together, three million four hundred thousand. If you are sincere about wanting them, I'll knock off the loose change for you—three million three hundred eighty-eight thousand, 'all the way to prosperity'! How about it?"

Once this price was quoted, a chorus of gasps went around. Over three million! Just to buy two stones! Although the windows were open and the quality was good, they were still stones after all, and the risk was still huge. This Stall Owner really dared to ask for a price, and he clearly saw that the person in front of him was someone who didn't lack money.

Yu Bo listened to this price, his face remained calm, but his finger lightly tapped on a very thin, almost invisible crack next to the window on the yellow jadeite-crusted stone.

"Boss, the window is good, but what do you think about this crack?"

He then pointed to a slightly blurry spot on the edge of the red light on the grayish-white stone, which looked like an unclear boundary between the "mist" and the "meat," saying, "This window, the mist is red, but whether the meat actually extends inside, how deep it goes, and whether the color is intense, is hard to say. With Damakan material, ten mists usually mean nine failures, you know that better than I do."

His tone was flat, but every word hit the point. The smile on the Stall Owner's face stiffened, but then he forced a laugh: "Boss, what you're saying... this crack is there, but it's so shallow, it might not go inside. As for this window, the red light is already shining through, the meat must have gone inside, and the color won't be bad! I dare to ask for this price because I'm confident!"

"Confidence?" Yu Bo chuckled, shook his head, and said, "If there were confidence in stone gambling, it wouldn't be called gambling. One million eight hundred thousand, six hundred thousand—I'll take it." He directly cut the price in half, pointing at the yellow jadeite-crusted one.

"Six hundred thousand?!" The Stall Owner almost jumped up, "Boss, you're joking too much! With the quality of this window, six hundred thousand wouldn't even cover the cost!"

"Then you name an honest price." Yu Bo was composed.

The Stall Owner gritted his teeth: "One million five hundred thousand! That's the lowest! I didn't get this piece cheap when I bought it!"

"Eight hundred thousand." Yu Bo added two hundred thousand.

"One million two hundred thousand! I really can't go lower!"

"One million. If you won't sell, I'll look at something else." Yu Bo made a move to leave.

"Wait! Wait, Boss!" Sweat appeared on the Stall Owner's forehead as he calculated rapidly. He had indeed paid a considerable price to acquire these two pieces, but at one million each, there was definitely profit to be made, and a big profit at that.

The key was that the person in front of him had too strong an aura and too sharp an eye; he wasn't easy to fool. If he really left, this big customer would fly away. Looking again at the two female companions behind him who were clearly wealthy or noble, and the million-dollar jadeite he had just given away casually... this was definitely someone who didn't lack money. Making friends might lead to big business in the future.

"Fine! You're a straightforward man, Boss! One million it is! This yellow one belongs to you!" The Stall Owner put on a tragic expression, as if he were "selling at a massive loss."

Yu Bo nodded and pointed to the grayish-white one: "This one, three hundred eighty-eight thousand, for good luck. Both together, one million three hundred eighty-eight thousand, 'all the way to prosperity, prosperity, prosperity.' If you sell, I'll transfer the money now. If not, I'm leaving immediately." This time he didn't even bother with "looking at something else," directly issuing an ultimatum.

The Stall Owner's face turned green. Cutting from one million six hundred thousand down to three hundred eighty-eight thousand—this was too ruthless a cut! But looking at the one million he already had in hand for the yellow jadeite-crusted one, and considering that although this grayish-white one had good quality, the risk was indeed greater...

He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "Fine! Boss, you really are... I'm truly impressed today! Just as you said, one million three hundred eighty-eight thousand! Both pieces are yours! Let's just consider it making a friend of you, and please come back to take care of my business often!"

The crowd around them was stunned. Cutting from three million four hundred thousand down to one million three hundred eighty-eight thousand—it was nearly cut in half! This boss was not only lucky and sharp-eyed, but he was also a master at haggling! The key was that the Stall Owner actually sold it! How much courage and insight must that take?

Yu Bo didn't say anything more; he took out his phone and efficiently scanned the code to transfer the money. One million three hundred eighty-eight thousand was transferred instantly.

The Stall Owner held his phone, looking at the payment confirmation, his face showing a mix of heartache and excitement, and he hurriedly wrapped the two stones carefully in the red cloth again, respectfully handing them to Yu Bo.

"Boss, do you want to cut them now?" The Stall Owner's voice was trembling slightly; today's transaction amount was enough for him to live on for half a year.

Yu Bo took the stones, weighed them in his hands, and that playful smile appeared on his face once again. He didn't answer immediately, but turned around to look at Yin Tianxue and Tang Guo.

"Tianxue, Guoguo," he said in a relaxed tone, as if that million-plus-dollar negotiation just now were just a trivial matter, "these two pieces, although a bit expensive, have good window quality, so they might yield something even better for you. Do you want to see?"