My Amazing WeChat is Connected to the Three Realms - Chapter 34

“What happened?” Lin Hai quickened his pace and approached Liu Liang and Wang Peng.

“Haizi, Huang Shan and his gang are just too much!” Wang Peng and Liu Liang, both sporting bruised faces, spoke angrily to Lin Hai.

It turned out that Wang Peng had followed Liu Liang to Antique Street. As they passed by a stone gambling shop, curiosity got the better of them, and they decided to take a look.

Inside, there was a particularly attractive stone. Liu Liang, who had a bit of spare cash, felt the itch to try his luck and decided to bid on it.

Unexpectedly, Huang Shan, another student from Jiangnan University, also had his eyes on the same stone. Liu Liang, wanting it for himself, ended up driving the price up a few times.

It wasn’t until Liu Liang noticed the fierce glare from Huang Shan that he realized he might have bitten off more than he could chew. Huang Shan was one of the “Four Young Masters” of Jiangnan University, alongside Ye Ziming, Zhao Kun, and Hu Wei. Liu Liang knew he couldn’t afford to mess with someone like Huang Shan.

Unsurprisingly, Huang Shan ended up winning the stone. But when it was cut open, there was nothing inside—just a worthless pile of rock.

Furious, Huang Shan blamed Liu Liang for driving up the price, causing him to lose more money than necessary. He then ordered his lackeys to beat up Liu Liang and Wang Peng.

Liu Liang and Wang Peng, though seething with anger, didn’t dare fight back. They could only swallow their pride and return home, fuming.

Lin Hai’s heart turned cold as he listened.

Wang Peng and Liu Liang were his close friends, especially Liu Liang. Over the past three years, whenever Liu Liang bought food or clothes, he always made sure to share with Lin Hai. During holidays, he even bought gifts for Lin Hai to bring back to his parents.

Lin Hai never said much, but he remembered all of it.

In the past, if his friends were bullied, Lin Hai might not have been able to do much. But now, things were different. If his brothers were wronged, Lin Hai would not stand by and do nothing.

“Let’s go to the stone gambling shop,” Lin Hai said, a hint of menace in his voice.

“Go to the stone gambling shop? What for?”

“To settle the score!”

Liu Liang and Wang Peng, still confused, got into Lin Hai’s car.

The stone gambling shop was located at the far end of Antique Street.

Inside a spacious courtyard, stones of various colors, shapes, and sizes were laid out. A few men and women, young and old, were carefully examining them.

Near the stone-cutting machines, a crowd had gathered.

“Rise! Rise! Rise!” A short, chubby middle-aged man, his eyes bloodshot, clenched his fists nervously as he chanted under his breath.

Crack! The stone split open, revealing nothing.

“It’s over!” The man collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back as he fainted.

At another cutting machine, a disheveled old man was jumping for joy.

“Haha, it’s green! Damn, I never thought I’d strike it rich one day!” The old man, who had just cut out a large piece of jade, was nearly hysterical with excitement.

As Lin Hai entered the stone gambling shop, he was met with these two contrasting scenes. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

No wonder some novels described stone gambling as a gamble between heaven and hell. Right before his eyes, he was witnessing the stark reality of it.

“Haizi, Huang Shan is still over there,” Wang Peng said, spotting Huang Shan sitting not far away.

“Hmm?” Lin Hai also noticed Huang Shan, but what surprised him more was running into an old acquaintance.

Well, “acquaintance” might be stretching it—they had only met once before.

Lin Hai was considering whether to greet the person when the man walked over first.

“Brother Lin, what a coincidence! Here to try your luck with the stones?” Ye Ziyu greeted Lin Hai with a smile.

Lin Hai had a favorable impression of Ye Ziyu. After all, it was Ye Ziyu who had spoken up during the bet at Wangutang, preventing Hu Wei from backing out.

“Mr. Ye, you’re here too,” Lin Hai said, not knowing Ye Ziyu’s full name. He had heard Hu Wei refer to him as “Mr. Ye,” so he followed suit.

“None of that ‘Mr. Ye’ nonsense. I’m older than you, so just call me Brother Ye. I’ll call you Xiao Hai,” Ye Ziyu said, gesturing to an empty seat nearby.

“Alright, Brother Ye!” Lin Hai didn’t stand on ceremony and motioned for Liu Liang and Wang Peng to sit down as well.

“Mr. Huang, Liu Liang and his friends are back. Should we teach them another lesson?” one of Huang Shan’s lackeys whispered.

“Hmm?” Huang Shan turned and saw Lin Hai and his friends sitting with Ye Ziyu.

“Why are they sitting with Mr. Ye?” Huang Shan was puzzled. “Hold off for now. We’ll deal with them later.”

“Xiao Hai, Old Man Wang is absolutely enamored with that painting you gave him. He’s been studying it every night since he returned to Beijing,” Ye Ziyu said casually.

Pfft!

Lin Hai, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out.

“Glad he likes it, glad he likes it. It seems Old Man Wang still has a keen eye,” Lin Hai said, giving Ye Ziyu a knowing look. Internally, he cursed Old Man Wang for being a pervert.

Damn it, what’s there to like? It’s just a damn erotic painting! The old man studies it every night? What a hypocrite!

“Ah? Hahaha…” Ye Ziyu burst out laughing, understanding the hidden meaning behind Lin Hai’s words.

The two of them seemed to grow closer in that moment.

“Come on, Xiao Hai, let’s pick out a stone together,” Ye Ziyu said after some more small talk, leading Lin Hai toward the pile of stones in the courtyard.

“Hmm, this one looks good!” Ye Ziyu soon picked out a stone with an excellent appearance.

“Xiao Hai, since we’ve met by chance today, how about I gift you this stone?” Ye Ziyu said generously.

Lin Hai was taken aback. He and Ye Ziyu had no real connection, yet the man was being so generous. His impression of Ye Ziyu improved even more.

Lin Hai glanced at the stone and had an idea.

Perfect time to test if my Heavenly Eye Technique works.

He silently activated the technique: “Heavenly Eye, open!”

Instantly, a faint blue mist, invisible to ordinary people, covered Lin Hai’s eyes.

“Brother Ye, if you really want to gift me a stone, how about letting me pick one myself?” Lin Hai said with a smile.

“Haha, of course! But don’t worry about saving me money,” Ye Ziyu said, thinking Lin Hai was being considerate. After all, from the looks of it, there were no stones in the courtyard more expensive than the one he had picked.

Ye Ziyu couldn’t help but admire Lin Hai’s humility and lack of greed.

Lin Hai nodded slightly and used his Heavenly Eye Technique to scan a few stones.

“This one!” Lin Hai walked over to a rough, small stone.

Ye Ziyu was stunned, then laughed. “Xiao Hai, if you’re trying to save me money, this isn’t the way to do it.”

Lin Hai shook his head. “Brother Ye, don’t misunderstand. This stone is worth far more than the one you picked earlier.”

“Oh?” Ye Ziyu was puzzled by Lin Hai’s confidence.

“Tch, idiot!” Huang Shan, who had been watching from a distance, sneered and walked over.

“Mr. Ye, if you’re not taking that stone, I’ll buy it,” Huang Shan said.

Before Ye Ziyu could respond, Lin Hai quickly put on a flattering expression. “Since Mr. Huang wants it, we’ll let him have it.”

“Hmph!” Huang Shan’s disdain grew. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

“Xiao Hai, what’s going on?” Ye Ziyu asked, confused.

Originally, if Lin Hai didn’t want the stone, Ye Ziyu had planned to buy it himself. Having played with stones for years, he knew that one had a high chance of containing jade. It was practically free money.

“You’ll see soon,” Lin Hai said with a mysterious smile.

After selecting the stones, Ye Ziyu paid for Lin Hai’s. Lin Hai’s stone cost 6,000 yuan, while Huang Shan’s cost 48,000 yuan.

“Let’s go cut them,” Ye Ziyu said, eager to see what Lin Hai was up to.

Both stones were taken to the cutting machines.

“Cut mine first!” Huang Shan said, casting a disdainful glance at Lin Hai’s ugly stone.

“Mine too,” Lin Hai said, not backing down.

As the stones were being cut, a crowd gathered.

“Wow, this stone has an almost 100% chance of containing jade!”

“Exactly, look at its appearance. The jade inside must be substantial.”

“Sir, would you consider selling this stone to me? I’ll offer 50,000 yuan.”

Everyone crowded around Huang Shan’s stone, discussing it excitedly. Some even offered to buy it on the spot.

Hearing the crowd’s praise, Huang Shan felt a surge of pride. He glanced at Lin Hai’s stone, which had no one paying attention to it except for Lin Hai, Liu Liang, Wang Peng, and Ye Ziyu.

“Idiots,” Huang Shan thought with a sneer.

“It’s rising!” someone shouted, and all eyes turned to Huang Shan’s stone.