Chapter 289 - Hall Of Gems (2/2)

Despite that, Ou Yangming had only taken a quick glimpse at the rocks before abandoning them and heading inside.

The fact that the owner had placed those rocks there had meant that they were items that were specially picked out. Moreover, at those sizes, there was a high chance that those boulders had contained gems within them, and as such, he would rather not waste his time there.

The building was split into separate areas based on the raw gemstones that it contained, and usually, the larger the raw gemstones contained within the area, the more people it would attract. Naturally, those who wandered around in those areas were usually either people of status, outstanding lone travelers, or appraisers with huge financial backing.

After all, they needed capital to purchase the raw gemstones.

In contrast, the more average lone travelers would head to the area with small raw gemstones instead, and usually, they would have stern and grumpy expressions on their faces as they sifted through the raw gemstones.

With a smirk on his face, Ou Yangming then headed into the area with small raw gemstones.

All the raw gemstones had been laid out on several square tables for the customers to select. Ou Yangming made his way to one of the empty tables and immediately set off to touch the raw gemstones on the table. He acted swiftly, and a mere instant later, he had already touched all the raw gemstones in his proximity. His palm pulsed with a red light as he did so, but no one had noticed it.

Despite that, he shook his head and gave away his spot a moment later.

The raw gemstones were small, and though two of the raw gemstones had given off a nice sensation, compared to the rare gemstones he had come across in the past, their difference was like Heaven and Earth.

As Ou Yangming’s tastes had already grown refined, normal gemstones could no longer pique his interest.

He s.h.i.+fted his attention elsewhere and pa.s.sed the time by wandering about the area. Once there was an open spot, he would immediately take the spot and inspect the raw gemstones.

A little over an hour later, Ou Yangming had three more raw gemstones in hand as compared to when he first entered.

Out of the three raw gemstones that he had obtained, only one had given a nice feeling, whereas one was average, and the last one was completely dull.

Ou Yangming shook his head slightly and heaved a mental sigh. It was common for people to only pick raw gemstones that had high chances of containing gems, but in Ou Yangming’s case, he wanted to mislead the public, and as such, he had chosen some average raw gemstones among his selections.

An uneasy feeling welled up within his gut, and out of nowhere, Ou Yangming could feel someone’s eyes trained on him. He turned around to meet the person’s gaze, and when he saw who the person was, he immediately frowned. The world was truly a small place.

Standing there was Shao Hongyi, and much to Ou Yangming’s chagrin, the young man who hailed from Huangsha County had come to the Hall of Gems as well.

Upon noticing Ou Yangming, Shao Hongyi feigned a smile at him and greeted, “So this is what you’ve been up to, Brother Ou.”

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Although Ou Yangming would rather not deal with people of his type, he was no longer the ignorant young fool that he once was. Although he was certainly still young, he was much more sophisticated than before, and as a result, he calmly replied, “I accidentally wandered here as I was visiting the stalls. May I know what you’re doing…”

Shao Hongyi snorted arrogantly, “I am an appraiser of Huangsha County, and as such, I’ve come here to test my luck. However, I never expected that you were in the same profession as me, Brother Ou.” Ou Yangming mentally snapped, ‘Ptui, there’s no way that I’m in the same profession as you!’ However, Ou Yangming

ned a neutral expression in front of Shao Hongyi, and he did not refute his statement.

Shao Hongyi s.h.i.+fted his attention to the three raw gemstones that Ou Yangming was holding in his hand. Upon noticing them, he snickered. “Brother Ou, you ARE aware that we’re representing the Yi Pavilion, right? Our battlefield does not lie here, but there!” He pointed his finger to the area with medium to large-sized raw gemstones before continuing, “There’s a greater chance of obtaining high-quality raw gemstones there, and as partic.i.p.ants under the banner of the Yi Pavilion, we shouldn’t be wasting our time toiling away in this area!”

Ou Yangming furrowed his brows and retorted, “Really? How long have you been here, Brother Shao? Did you manage to locate any good raw gemstones?”

Shao Hongyi smirked and answered, “As a matter of fact, I’ve already purchased a piece. Fancy a look, Brother Ou?”

Ou Yangming responded in a solemn tone, “Sure, why not?”

Ou Yangming followed Shao Hongyi’s lead into the area with medium to large-sized gemstones. Once there, Shao Hongyi pointed to one of the raw gemstones and said, “The one with the marking is mine. I’ve already made the payment, and I’m free to break it open whenever I want.”

The raw gemstone before him was as thick an adult’s thighs, and it was half as tall as an adult. Compared to the rest of the other raw gemstones, it did not look particularly special.

Ou Yangming took a glance at Shao Hongyi and noticed that he had a hint of excitement on his face. After hesitating for a moment, Ou Yangming then placed his hand on top of the raw gemstone.

A red glow enveloped his palm, and Ou Yangming had instantly detected the trace of light coming from within the raw gemstone. Alas, the light was not too bright, and on paper, it was not much different than the best piece of raw gemstone he had on hand.

Worse still, in terms of size and value, the raw gemstone that Shao Hongyi had picked out was worth at least twenty, no, thirty of the miniature raw gemstones Ou Yangming had on hand.

“Brother Ou, I’m planning to crack this raw gemstone open right now.” Shao Hongyi then raised his voice and declared, “The only way to attribute my accomplishments to the Yi Pavilion is by cracking this raw gemstone open now!” Ou Yangming nodded and stated in a neutral expression, “I wish you the best, Brother Shao. I hope you’ll get a gemstone.”

Shao Hongyi’s gaze was fixed on the three raw gemstones that Ou Yangming was carrying. In a snarky tone, he stated, “Brother Ou, it takes two to tango, so why don’t we crack open our raw gemstones at the same time?”

Ou Yangming paused, but after scrutinizing Shao Hongyi, he then smiled and said, “Sure! Since it’s Brother Shao’s request, it would be rude for me to decline.”

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