Chapter 164: Chapter 164: The Jade King of the Magic Capital!
Chapter 164: Chapter 164: The Jade King of the Magic Capital!
"Why the long faces? The old man here spent four thousand on a stone that's now worth over two hundred thousand, isn't that a profit? Are you not setting off firecrackers because you look down on me?"
Ding Mo teased the crowd with a chuckle, not taking their ulterior motives seriously.
After all, in the gamble for stones industry, he had seen too many people and had long since reached a state of equanimity in face of honor or disgrace.
Only then did the crowd snap out of their silence, offering congratulations and setting off firecrackers, creating quite the festive scene.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Song Yun wrapped his arm around Ye Qingqing, who was protectively clutching the red fei cui, and intended to leave.
"Young man, wait a minute!"
Ding Mo squeezed past the crowd and quickly approached Song Yun with a smile, saying, "I was wondering if you might be interested in going with me to see the real gamble for stones scene? To see how others play the game."
Ding Mo found Song Yun very astute, and with his incredible luck, he couldn't help but feel the urge to cultivate such talent.
Nowadays, the stone gambling circle was mixed with all sorts of people; it was rare to find someone who could carry on the mantle, and Song Yun's appearance undoubtedly ignited a glimmer of hope in Ding Mo's heart.
Besides, he wanted to take Song Yun to see firsthand how people in the real circles gamble on stones, to teach the young man the principle of "one cut can lead to riches or rags," and prevent Song Yun from straying onto the wrong path.
"This... I'm still not clear about what it is you do, Elder,"
Song Yun asked tentatively.
"I was the president of the last Magic Capital Gemstone Association. I own the largest gamble for stones club in the Magic Capital and a chain of gemstone stores,"
Upon hearing Ding Mo's words, Song Yun and Ye Qingqing were clearly taken aback, not expecting the plainly dressed Elder to be of such high worth.
Ye Qingqing searched her memory and then recalled that the Jade King of Magic Capital was indeed an old man named Ding Mo, but she hadn't expected to meet him so easily???
She looked up at her husband, who seemed hesitant, tiptoed, and whispered in Song Yun's ear, "This grandpa is the Jade King of Magic Capital, and he supposedly has a lot of top-quality jade. If all of that were sold, even my dad's position as the richest man would have to be handed over to someone else!"
Wow! The old man is really loaded!
But now that Song Yun had become one who counted the zeros in his bank account like some rich dog, could the Elder have more money than him?
Ding Mo, seeing that Song Yun and Ye Qingqing were only slightly surprised and did not make any excessive attempts to suck up, was even more pleased.
Youths with such a mindset were hard to come by these days!
"What do you say, young man? Let's go and broaden your horizons. I heard that place unveiled a top-quality emerald that sold for billions yesterday."
"Top-quality emerald?"
Ye Qingqing, looking at the red fei cui in her hand and then to Song Yun, had a pleading expression, proving that women were utterly defenseless against such sparkling crystals.
Song Yun helplessly rubbed the head of his wife and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder."
"Hehe, no trouble at all, I'll drive you there,"
Ding Mo happily led the way, showing none of the airs of a lofty figure.
In his opinion, Song Yun was like an unsculpted raw jade, and if he could take him as his last disciple, it would indeed make for a wonderful story.
When they arrived outside the City God Temple, Song Yun did not get into the Elder's car.
His 'poison' was still parked nearby.
So, under Ding Mo's watchful eye, Song Yun and Ye Qingqing got into a sports car.
Although Ding Mo didn't know the exact price of the car, he was aware that Song Yun must be the son of a wealthy family.
This realization dampened the Elder's enthusiasm for taking on a disciple somewhat.
"Old Master, if you could please lead the way," said Song Yun.
Hearing Song Yun's words, Ding Mo drove towards the destination.
After more than an hour's drive, Ding Mo pulled up at the entrance of what seemed to be a resort village.
Two other cars came to a halt alongside his.
One was Song Yun's, the other belonged to the three bodyguards of Huang Baoding.
"Old Master, do you think my friends can come along too? If they see a stone they like, they can lend a hand to move it."
Ding Mo's expression grew increasingly strange. These three muscular men in suits were clearly bodyguards! So this kid isn't just some ordinary rich second-generation?
Anyone with bodyguards surely comes from a family with a considerable fortune!
"No problem, I own half the shares of this resort village. It's fine to bring not just a few friends but even your whole family if you like," the Old Master replied.
As they entered the resort village, Song Yun marveled at how the places where the big shots played were truly extraordinary.
Not to mention what owning such a huge piece of land in Magic Capital implied, just the resort village itself with all kinds of amenities that upper-class people enjoyed outside must have cost a fortune.
"Little Song, the place I've brought you to today can be called the number one raw stone gambling club in Magic Capital. It operates on a membership basis. If you don't have assets worth a few hundred million, you couldn't even get in," Ding Mo said with his hands clasped behind his back, the old man hunching his back with a face full of bragging.
He was just short of saying directly, "I see you're a young man of unique talents, why not take me as your master?
"Hmm, it does look very luxurious," Song Yun nodded in amazement, feeling more and more the impact of the gambling club as he walked further inside. This was definitely not something a single wealthy family could support; the powers behind it must be complex, just like his own Mountains and Waters Corporation.
Ding Mo led the group through three security checks before finally entering the main venue.
The vast space was filled with rows upon rows of tables, each table displaying raw stones with clearly marked prices.
Upon closer inspection, Song Yun was surprised to find that these tables were made of golden nanmu wood; just the wood alone must have cost tens of millions.
"Holy shit, these few stones are going for millions?" exclaimed Huang Baoding, who had never been exposed to the raw stone gambling industry. In his view, anything to do with gambling was crazy.
"You see those big ones? Some are worth over a hundred million," said Song Yun with a smile. "But if you manage to get something out of them, their value can increase manifold!"
"This is madness, madness..." Huang Baoding swallowed several times in quick succession. Kidding aside, who could know what's inside a stone? If someone spent millions to cut a stone and there was something inside, that would be fine, but if not? A few times like that and you'd be broke, right?
Is this really the world of the wealthy? He didn't quite understand.
Song Yun followed behind Ding Mo, looking around the hall, where there were already three or four people examining the stones with powerful flashlights.
Seeing the clarity in their eyes, one could tell they were here just for a casual play, unlike those gamblers outside betting their family fortunes.
Having a hobby within your means that you enjoy is also nice.
At least for Song Yun, anything below ten billion was trivial.
"Old Master, shall we start selecting raw stones now?" asked Song Yun.
Upon hearing Song Yun's question, Ding Mo shook his head and said, "Not in a hurry, I'm going to introduce you to a senior person first."