The inside of the tent was filled with a large number of onlookers, though surprisingly very few people who were there were actually gambling.
That was to be expected. The majority of people did not have excess primeval stones to waste, after all, and gambling was an excellent spectator sport.
None of Fang Yuan's classmates were here, of course, a student's allowance did not permit much in terms of saving things up. Not to mention they could do little with the prizes even if they won - as an example, there were several gu worms that Fang Yuan would want to buy normally, but he was only Rank 1 and did not have the capacity to feed them. Furthermore he would not be able to use them properly. That was why that although he didn't lack sufficient primeval stones for purchasing most Rank 1 and Rank 2 gu worms, he was not intending on buying any gu worms right now.
And of course, there was another big reason not many people were actually buying rocks. Like all forms of gambling, the more you played with stones, the more you were bound to lose. After all, if that was not the case, why would people set up gambling dens in the first place? This fact was evident to most, and yet still people played, for mainly the same reason as gamblers back on Earth even though the house always win - it was because they were addicted to the thrill. Many a Gu Master had been ruined by rock gambling, and most did not even bother to start with it.
"Yo! Moneybags!" someone familiar called out to Fang Yuan upon seeing him.
Among the ne'er-do-wells who were gathered in the tent but not gambling was Jiang Ya, who recognized Fang Yuan. Most people in the village did, but he was vaguely curious as to why he was here.
"Good evening."
"So, what brings you here? By the way, finally patched things up with your uncle?" Jiang Ya asked.
Jiang Ya was under the impression that Fang Yuan was a spoiled brat who had fallen out with his uncle for no reason other than his own misbehavior and arrogance. He had assumed, however, that with time and with Fang Yuan finding the Flower Wine Monk's Inheritance that they would patch things up.
Fang Yuan shook his head. "No, he came to me in my dorm a while back, but I kicked him out. I have no intention of making amends with him."
Jiang Ya's jaw nearly dropped. What was wrong with this kid? Not only was he ungrateful, when heaven sent him a fortuitous encounter he, instead of realizing how lucky he was- was as stubborn as a mule and continued to tread this path of self-destruction.
"Are you here to gamble?" Jiang Ya asked.
"Indeed," Fang Yuan said, moving to the counter where they were selling stones.
Jiang Ya shook his head. 'This kid has a big head just because he managed to get lucky and win some stones, and here he is, gambling his fortune away. Hmph! He's going to learn soon enough how hard it is to earn primeval stones.'
He still followed Fang Yuan, thinking he was going to see something interesting as Fang Yuan began ordering stones.
"Hello, Young Master," the female attendant said as she saw Fang Yuan approached. She recognized his uniform as belonging to a student's, so she initially recommended that he start with the cheaper rocks, 1 primeval stone each.
Fang Yuan shook his head, pointing to the rocks that were 10 primeval stones each.
She was a bit taken aback - was Fang Yuan the child of the clan head or something? Her interest was piqued and her mood improved. If she could rope in Fang Yuan, she would not need to slog everyday in this shop, after all.
"How are you going to pick your rocks?" Jiang Ya asked.
"Purple's my lucky color, I think I'll go with that," Fang Yuan said.
He knew that the Mudskin Toad was bought from a purple rock, on top of which, there were only a few rocks which had the right texture and size to contain the Mudskin Toad based on his experience.
Given this, he narrowed down the potential candidates to twelve rocks.
He had more than enough stones to buy all of them, and so long as he was successful, he would recoup his costs fourfold.
"That one, that one, that one, that one..." Fang Yuan said, pointing all of them out.
'Amazing! He spends primeval stones like water! He must be the clan head's heir!' the female attendant thought. Fang Yuan had no backing at all - if she heard that she would be shocked.
'What an idiot! Who picks rocks based on their "lucky color?" He's going to get burned, badly and lose all of his gains from the reward he got for finding the Flower Wine Monk's Inheritance. Well, at least it'll be interesting to see him blow up when he loses, heh.' Jiang Ya thought. He was inwardly gritting his teeth - the amount that Fang Yuan had spent so casually on rocks right now would take him three year's worth of savings to accumulate.
"We offer free services for opening stones," the female attendant said.
"No need," Fang Yuan said, creating a miniscule moonblade in his hand and using it to chip away at a rock at once.
A large crowd had gathered around Fang Yuan, because he was the only one who was opening stones, and also because he had so many high-value stones.
"Who is that guy who bought so many stones?"
"Don't you know? He's the same Fang Yuan who found the Flower Wine Monk's Inheritance."
"Interesting- does he really want to blow his windfall on something like this?"
Fang Yuan dissected the rock with an expertise that surprised both Jiang Ya and the female attendant. It was like Fang Yuan had been opening rocks for several decades.
'Despite his numerous other flaws, this lad doesn't lack talent,' Jiang Ya noted. 'Is this really his first time trying to open up rocks like this?' Not to mention, Fang Yuan was already Rank 1 Middle Stage, which showed that he did apparently have some redeeming qualities.
The first rock was a dud, and many people agreed with the sentiment that Fang Yuan was a fool for spending so much.
However, there were still eleven rocks remaining.
"Oh! There's something there!"
"Don't tell me - he actually got a gu worm!"
"Be careful now," the attendant said, though there was no need.
Jiang Ya's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Fang Yuan worked with the air of a great expert, now slowing down as he gently dissected the gu worm like one would a delicate fossil.
As he was about to succeed, someone walked in.
"Little Brother, I'll buy that stone from you for two hundred primeval stones!" The person who said this was a Rank 1 Gu Master, but everyone employed in the tent treated him with great reverence.
This was Jia Jin Sheng, the caravan head's younger brother. No wonder the others treated him with such high regard.
Fang Yuan shook his head.
"Ah, Little Brother, surely you can see that the odds of winning something aren't good. What if the gu worm inside is dead? You've spent 120 stones already, accept 200, I am being fair."
Fang Yuan paid him no heed.
Jia Jin Sheng was almost about to stomp his foot angrily. "Alright- 250 stones, that's my final offer!"
Jiang Ya considered what he would do in this situation. The offer was double what Fang Yuan had paid, and so would more than recoup his losses. On the other hand, if there was a gu worm in there, Fang Yuan would be taking a big loss. After some deliberation, he felt that he would take up Jia Jin Sheng on his offer. But Fang Yuan was different.
Fang Yuan was done by now, and all the bluster from Jia Jin Sheng was pointless as a small gu worm emerged from the fossil. Its skin was gray but gradually lightened as it let out a weak croak.
This was it- on just his second rock, he had managed to find the Mudskin Toad!
Jia Jin Sheng cursed his luck - this young boy was too stubborn!
However, there was someone in the tent even angrier than him - Jiang Ya! He felt like coughing up blood in anger when he saw this result. 'Why does heaven continue to reward this unfilial, idiotic kid while someone like me has to struggle so hard!'