Tang Feng was a man of action, and once he had decided to visit the stone gambling market, he hailed a taxi without a second thought.
After a quick word to the driver, they headed straight to the stone gambling market.
On the way, Song Lele was also giving Tang Feng a crash course on the dos and don'ts of the stone gambling scene, to prevent him from committing any faux pas upon arrival.
"Young man, are you planning to gamble on stones?"
The driver in the front seat, with a curious expression, interrupted upon hearing their conversation.
"We're just going to try our luck, why, have you been there yourself, driver?"
Tang Feng asked with a smile.
"Me? I wouldn't dare touch that stuff."
The driver shook his head hastily.
"I was curious and visited a few times, but that thing is not to be taken lightly."
"To me, that place is no different from a casino; it's all a gamble."
"Every time I go, I see people losing everything they have."
"In this game, those who win want to win more, and those who lose want to make a comeback. Countless people have fallen into that trap, tsk tsk tsk."
The driver clicked his tongue, clearly still shaken from his experiences at the stone gambling market.
His words seemed to carry a hint of well-intentioned advice.
Tang Feng, obviously understanding the implication, just smiled:
"We're just going for the fun of it, to see something new. You're worrying too much, driver."
Hearing this, the driver didn't say much more.
He had given his advice; if the passengers were keen to go, it wasn't his place to stop them.
Tang Feng found the driver to be quite interesting and casually activated his All-Seeing Scanning System to take a glance.
"Name: Zhao Bing
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 165cm
Weight: 76kg
Personal Information: Taxi driver for ten years, long-term sitting, some degree of lumbar muscle wear and tear..."
After a quick look, Tang Feng had a good idea of the situation.
While paying the fare as they got out of the taxi, he offered a few words of caution.
"Driver, I shouldn't be saying this, but you really should go to the hospital for a check-up."
"It so happens that I know a bit about diagnostic observation."
"Just now in the car, I noticed something off about your back. It looks like you might have lumbar muscle strain. If you don't believe me, just press on the lower part of your back and you'll know."
After saying this, Tang Feng left with Song Lele before the driver could react.
Left behind, Zhao Bing frowned skeptically, muttering to himself:
"What's with these young people nowadays? Was it because I gave him a couple of reminders in the car? Damn it, why is he cursing me now? Like hell I have a problem with my back!"
Despite his complaints, Zhao Bing instinctively pressed on his lower back.
"Hiss..."
Sudden unbearable pain shot through his lumbar region.
"Damn, could it really be lumbar muscle strain?"
Forgetting the pain in his waist, Zhao Bing was shocked.
His view of Tang Feng leaving changed in an instant.
Turns out, the young man wasn't cursing him, but alerting him!
This wasn't some youngster cursing him, but a wise man offering guidance!
...
Meanwhile, at the stone gambling house.
Tang Feng had no idea about the impact of his casual advice.
Looking at the antique facades on both sides, he was somewhat surprised.
This place was quite different from what he had imagined.
Not to mention the decor, which was quite tasteful.
Moreover, besides the stone gambling area, there were jewelry and gemstone shops that appeared quite grand.
Many shops even had banners out front offering to buy back the gems that came out of the gambling stones, offering full-service options.
Of course, the most important thing for Tang Feng, as he wandered around, was that the All-Seeing Scanning System indeed worked.
The value contained in each stone was laid out on the system's panel, even indicating the types of gems inside.
The system was incredibly user-friendly.
"This is a sure bet!"
Tang Feng excitedly rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining as he stared at the raw stones in the shops on both sides of the street.
Lele seemed somewhat confused by his behavior, "Boss, you've looked around for a while, any thoughts?"
Tang Feng nodded and smiled, "Nothing special."
"Do you know which shop here is good? Preferably a bigger one, the more reputable the better."
He had inquired in these shops earlier, and found out that the raw stones were not cheap at all.
Even slightly better stones started at a hundred thousand, and the most expensive went for several million.
Tang Feng had taken a liking to a particular stone, but the seller quoted a million for it.
According to the All-Seeing Scanning System, the jade inside was worth only around five or six hundred thousand!
It was outrageous.
He wasn't sure if this was the actual price of the stones or if the shopkeeper saw them as young and naive, ready to be taken advantage of.
So he thought it best to go to the largest and most reputable shop.
"A reputable big shop? That would be Wan Shi Pavilion. Last time I came with friends, that's where we went," Lele pointed to a very imposing shop on the street.
"Their stone prices are quite fair, and they have a good selection. You won't have trouble finding something to choose."
Tang Feng followed her gaze to a storefront with three large characters fluttering on a signboard: Wan Shi Pavilion.
"Alright, let's head there!"
With that, he led the way.
Although it was broad daylight, Wan Shi Pavilion was brightly lit, clearly designed to help customers pick out the stones.
The store was already bustling with customers. Some were browsing, picking out stones they liked, but most were gathered around the center of the shop.
They were cutting stones.
When Tang Feng entered, a commotion arose from the crowd in the middle.
"Damn, there's a find!"
"We've got something, don't cut it anymore, sell it to me, brother, I'll pay three hundred thousand!"
"Get lost, I'll give four hundred thousand, this stone is mine!"
...
The shop erupted into a lively scene, leaving Tang Feng astounded.
By the looks of these people, if there wasn't a law holding them back, they probably wouldn't be able to stop themselves from snatching the stones!
Is stone gambling really this thrilling?