Chapter 199: Source Art
"Can't be bothered with you." Wang Shu turned his head away, ignoring that person.
"Quite the temper." The man from the Green Cloud Sect laughed. "Well, it makes sense. After all, your family saved up this much Source through generations of hard work. What if you lose it all? Better to be careful."
"Stop with your sarcastic remarks. We don't want to stoop to your level." Er Lengzi, being straightforward, glared at him.
"Country bumpkins, gambling on stones is extremely risky. Coming here to try your luck—when you lose, you won't even know how to cry," the Green Cloud Sect's attendant sneered. "Not that I'm saying anything, but this really isn't a place for people like you. Source miners should just stick to their lot."
"Go take a hike. We've got Source, and we want to be here. What's it to you? Mind your own damn business," Er Lengzi shot back bluntly.
Wang Shu also chuckled, "Better worry about yourself. Don't lose everything and end up crawling out of here crying. Nine out of ten gambles fail."
"People like you... have never seen the world," the attendant said, flustered and angry. "The mines are where you belong. Don't talk tough—once you go inside, you'll be the ones crying."
The young master Liu from the Green Cloud Sect frowned and said to the attendant, "Why bother with people like them?" With that, he stepped forward, and his entourage followed.
Rongxiang Gambling Stone House had many courtyards, filled with Source stones ranging from tens of thousands of jin to just a few liang, densely packed.
The first courtyard was clearly the lowest grade, with few people lingering there. These were the most ordinary Source stones—many of them were just random rocks brought in to fill the space.
Ye Fan didn't rush to leave. After finishing the basics of the *Source Heaven Scripture*, he wanted to put it into practice. It wasn't about whether he could gamble for pure Source, but about gaining experience. He wandered around the first courtyard, patting this rock and knocking on that one, looking very serious.
"Brother Ye, there's no good stuff here. These stones are all fakes. Let's go inside," Wang Shu suggested.
"It's fine. Today is mainly for testing the waters. Let's take a look first; no need to rush." Ye Fan didn't move.
From nearby came a snicker. The gatekeeper's room was next to this courtyard, and the doorman who had stopped them earlier was leaning against the wall, watching the show.
"What are you laughing at? Go, pour us some tea," Er Lengzi said, glaring.
"Pour tea? Quite the airs you're putting on!" one of the doormen replied irritably.
"A guest is a guest. Don't you know the rules?" Wang Shu turned around and said, "Is this how you treat your customers? If we tell you to pour tea, then pour it. Less talk."
One of them narrowed his eyes and said, "You little brat, you're just a Source miner, and you're putting on airs for us?!"
"Go, find your Source master here. I want to ask him—does he want to do business with the doors closed? Even a doorman dares to spout nonsense," Wang Shu said coldly.
"Fine, fine, pour them a few cups of tea and get rid of them." They didn't want to stir up trouble. If it disturbed some important guests, they'd be in deep trouble.
Er Lengzi muttered discontentedly.
The doormen's faces turned ashen, their expressions hostile as they glared at him.
Ye Fan made a full round of the courtyard and found that out of thousands of stones, most were just fillers. He sensed that only a limited few actually contained Source. "How are these Source stones priced?"
Almost no one gambled on stones here, so the Source masters were all in the inner courtyards. On ordinary days, the doormen handled this area. One of them taunted, "These Source stones are the cheapest. One liang of Source can buy a thousand jin of stone. With the Source you have, you could buy a whole pile."
"Is that so? Then you few, come over and move that Source stone for me." Ye Fan pointed to a massive rock weighing a thousand jin, lying in a pile of rubble ahead.
The Rongxiang people's faces turned green. They were ordinary mortals; moving a thousand-jin rock would take several of them and exhaust them half to death.
"I say, you're just throwing money away. A stone this big costs a precious liang of Source. In the end, you'll get nothing out of it," one of them cursed.
"Less talk. If we tell you to move it, move it. Don't you want to do business? Or should I go get the Source master?" Wang Shu said from the side.
"You two pick something too. Don't worry about it," Ye Fan said to Er Lengzi and Wang Shu.
"We... better not. We're good at digging Source, but picking stones? We're way off," they both waved their hands.
"Just pick. No need to say more."
Wang Shu, quick-witted, whispered something to Er Lengzi, and the two began directing the Rongxiang people.
"Move that Source stone out for me," Wang Shu pointed ahead.
Their faces darkened. Another thousand-jin rock—they were already gasping for breath from the last one.
"Fine, you're ruthless. When your Source runs out, we'll see how you cry!" They gritted their teeth and lifted the massive rock.
But after just a few steps, Wang Shu shook his head and said, "What are you doing? I wanted the Source stone under this thousand-jin rock."
"I #￥%..." They were about to explode with rage.
Wang Shu held a four- or five-jin Source stone in his hand, grinning behind them.
"I want this one," Er Lengzi pointed to another Source stone, also pinned under a large rock.
The anger that had just risen in the Rongxiang people was instantly reignited. One of them said, "You're going too far!"
"It's not us going too far—it's you judging people by their appearance," Wang Shu shook his head. "If you won't move it, I'll go get the Source master."
"You..." They pointed at Wang Shu.
"What 'you'? We've got Source, and we've taken a liking to that rock. Move it now," Er Lengzi said bluntly. He had long found these guys annoying.
Ye Fan watched silently, amused, thinking these two really knew how to mess with people. After the Rongxiang people lifted the rock, exhausted like dead dogs, Wang Shu and Er Lengzi picked their next targets. "That one. Yes, the one crushed underneath."
"And this one. Get it out quickly."
The two sipped tea while directing them.
"Two masters, we were wrong. We shouldn't have looked down on you. Please forgive us."
"Have mercy. Don't stoop to our level. Let us off." The men, worn out by Wang Shu and Er Lengzi, collapsed on the ground, completely subdued.
In the end, Ye Fan cut open the thousand-jin rock he had chosen himself, digging out a piece of Source weighing over a jin.
The men lying on the ground nearby nearly popped their eyes out as they watched them enter the second courtyard.
This time, Ye Fan and the others didn't linger. They took a quick look around and headed deeper inside.
The inner courtyards had dedicated young women to receive guests and introduce various Source stones, with Source masters on hand to cut the stones.
Soon, they reached the seventh courtyard and encountered the Green Cloud Sect people again.
"Oh, if it isn't the three Source-mining gods. What, you're coming to this courtyard to try your luck too?" The Green Cloud Sect attendant's annoying voice rang out.
"I say, long-face, why do you keep haunting us like a ghost? Got a problem with us?" Er Lengzi rolled his eyes at him.
"How dare you speak? I can't be bothered with a country bumpkin like you." He pulled a long face and said, "How about we settle this with a stone gamble?"
"What's your name? How do we gamble?" Er Lengzi asked.
The long-faced man from the Green Cloud Sect said, "I am Liu Sheng. We'll gamble with a multiplier—whatever Source one side cuts out, the other side pays the same amount. How about it?"
Wang Shu and Er Lengzi hesitated and didn't respond.
Liu Sheng taunted, "Mud monkeys from the mines, too scared to gamble? Then why are you here? A lot of people here gamble at three, five, or ten times the rate. I suggest you go back to the mines—that's where you belong."
The young master Liu patted a Source stone he had already taken a liking to and said to the long-faced Liu Sheng, "Pick this one."
Liu Sheng respectfully took it and then looked at Ye Fan. "You three mud monkeys from the mines, hurry up and pick one too."
Ye Fan walked around, chose a watermelon-sized Source stone, and tossed it in front of him. "This one."
Both stones were small, but the cost was considerable. The seventh courtyard's Source stones were expensive because of their high yield rate.
"Source master, please cut the stone," the long-faced Liu Sheng said.
"Very well, this old man will make his move." An old man stepped forward, first paying respects to the Source stone with a ritual, then picking up his knife to begin cutting.
*Crack.* The stone skin slowly peeled away. The Green Cloud Sect's chosen stone grew smaller and smaller, but in the end, no Source appeared.
"Lucky for you. Next time, you'll be crying for your parents," Liu Sheng said, unwilling to accept it. The Green Cloud Sect's young master also frowned.
"Master, cut mine now." Ye Fan sent his Source stone over.
"That broken stone is clearly waste. Why even bother cutting it?" Liu Sheng sneered.
Others nearby shook their heads. "This stone is reddish-brown with white streaks—clearly a common 'red-in-white' type. Definitely waste. No need to cut it to know."
"Too obvious. It's waste," almost everyone frowned.
Even the Source master shook his head. "This stone isn't worth cutting."
Wang Shu and Er Lengzi grew nervous and looked at Ye Fan. "It's not cut yet. Let's switch it."
"No need. Otherwise, some people might try to weasel out of paying. This one stays." Ye Fan didn't bow to the so-called "Source God." He picked up the cutting knife and chopped straight down.
*Crack.*
The moment the Source stone split, a soft glow radiated out. A fist-sized piece of Source, crystal clear, was embedded in the stone layer.
That cut had nearly split the Source inside, grazing it by a hair.
"Ah, it actually produced Source! How can there be Source in red-in-white?"
"This piece must weigh two jin. That's a big win."
"..." The onlookers all exclaimed in surprise.
Even the Source master was stunned, muttering to himself, "That stone shouldn't have produced Source... yet..."
Wang Shu beamed, dug out the Source, and carefully held it in his palm. Er Lengzi swaggered over to Liu Sheng, eyeing the Source pouch in his hand. "Hand it over. We cut out Source—exactly two jin. What you've got should barely cover it."
Liu Sheng's face instantly stretched long, and sweat broke out on his forehead. Two jin of Source was a huge sum for him. Although the Green Cloud Sect's young master had paid, he'd definitely have to repay it.
"This... how is it possible? Waste stone produced Source!" His face was ashen, filled with extreme reluctance.
"Pay up. You lost the bet." Er Lengzi snatched the Source pouch.
The long-faced man seemed drained of strength, collapsing to the ground, dazed and lost.
"Brother Long-face, don't get any ideas about jumping into a well," Wang Shu taunted from the side. "Our mines are short on hands. Want to come work with us? I'm sincerely recruiting here."
Er Lengzi hugged the Source pouch, grinning like an idiot, but didn't forget to rub it in. "Yeah, room and board included. Come down to the mines with us to dig Source."
The long-faced man's face turned pale as snow. He trembled, pointing at them. "You... you..."
He regretted it bitterly, cursing himself for picking a fight with a few mud monkeys from the mines. Now he had to swallow his teeth and stomach the loss. Rage and shame nearly made him pass out.
"Interesting. You three dare to gamble a few rounds with me?"
The Green Cloud Sect's young master stepped forward, shaking his folding fan, looking completely composed.
Ye Fan smiled. "Why not? Not just a few rounds—dozens are fine."
He was excited inside. The *Source Heaven Scripture* was truly a remarkable book. He felt he had already gained a basic understanding of Source and could make a profit in the gambling stone house. If he fully comprehended the scripture, he wouldn't need to worry even if he went to the Holy City in the future.
But Ye Fan's luck seemed to run out. He cut seven more stones in a row without seeing a trace of Source.
In contrast, the Green Cloud Sect's young master cut out a fist-sized piece of Source, making up for his earlier loss.
"Even if you spend years in the mines, it doesn't mean you truly understand Source. Digging is rough work; identifying Source is a skill," the Green Cloud Sect's young master taunted. "This place really isn't for everyone."
"Mud monkeys from the mines coming to gamble on stones—what a waste of time. They don't know their place."
"Hoping to gamble for rare Source treasures—in the end, they'll just lose everything, squandering the pitiful Source they've saved over the years." Many nearby shook their heads and sneered.
Wang Shu and Er Lengzi felt terrible. The consecutive losses made them nervous, afraid Ye Fan's Source would all be wasted.
Ye Fan frowned, confused. What he had learned from the *Source Heaven Scripture* was definitely correct. Why was he failing repeatedly?
He crouched down, carefully examining the seven Source stones he had just cut, touching them with his hand.
"Gambling has driven him crazy. Can't handle the loss."
"Mud monkeys from the mines—never seen the big world. Losing so much, of course he's lost his wits. He might even jump into a river."
"Seen plenty like this. After losing, they do all sorts of crazy things."
Though some sympathized, more were gloating.
The Green Cloud Sect's young master shook his fan, looking down at Ye Fan crouching on the ground examining the debris. "Better go back to the mines. That's where you belong. People like you aren't suited for this place."
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