Her words naturally carried a sense of urgency, making her seem even more like a gambler who had been hooked by interest.
Yao Guangcheng sharply caught the change in Mu Hanyan’s demeanor and sneered inwardly, "The fish has taken the bait. Next, it’s time to let him lose a little. Otherwise, if he keeps winning, he might lose interest. What if he takes a few silver notes and leaves? Then they’d be at a huge loss."
"Young master, what do you think about this piece?" Yao Guangcheng asked as he took out another raw stone.
This piece, of course, was also prepared in advance. With his experience and eye power, he could almost confirm it was just a useless stone.
"Fine, if you think it’s good, then it’s good," Mu Hanyan responded nonchalantly.
The corner of Yao Guangcheng’s mouth curled into a faint smile that was hard to detect. Not far away, hidden in the crowd, Yuan Tianbo also wore a sly grin. According to their plan, from now on, Mu Hanyan would start to experience wins and losses—falling deeper into the trap.
"Brother Mu, maybe we should call it quits. You’ve already won a fair amount of money; better to quit while you’re ahead," Ling Baobao tugged at Mu Hanyan’s sleeve and whispered in a very low voice, "I think I’ve seen this person before; he’s not an ordinary helper. They say he might be the steward of the Meteorite Gold Mine. Something seems off here." Even if it’s a setup, the identity of the person acting as the decoy seemed a bit too elevated.
Mu Hanyan felt a slight stir in her heart. She knew the outcomes of both bets had been intentionally manipulated by the other side. It wasn’t strange for gambling houses to play such tricks, but for the mine’s steward to come out in person was quite extraordinary. Could it be that someone was planning to trap her, otherwise why would the steward come out in person?
After taking a closer look at Yao Guangcheng, Mu Hanyan didn’t recognize him and couldn’t guess who might be out to harm her.
"It’s okay, I’m just here to try my luck. Currently, I’m still ahead; if I lose, then so be it." Mu Hanyan originally approached this with a playful attitude and didn’t take the Stone Tasting Conference too seriously. Now, she was genuinely curious and nonchalantly handed over the silver note.
"If I’m not mistaken, this time they ought to make you lose, and then with alternate wins and losses, they’ll lead you deeper and deeper in until you lose everything," Ling Baobao said a bit heatedly, seeing that Mu Hanyan wasn’t taking it seriously.
Mu Hanyan glanced at the visibly upset Ling Baobao and smiled slightly. She could clearly hear the worry and care in her words, which made her view Ling Baobao more favorably. Indeed, this fellow had a good heart.
Mu Cheng and Wu Qiuyun also furrowed their brows. They were not unfamiliar with the tricks of gambling and agreed with Ling Baobao’s concerns. They were worried Mu Hanyan might fall prey to deception. Though they admired Mu Hanyan’s capability, she was still the same age as them and not necessarily more mature. Being in the thick of things, what if she became confused and got duped?
However, they were used to letting Mu Hanyan take the lead and didn’t feel it was their place to persuade her. They silently resolved that if things took a bad turn later, they must find a way to warn her; they couldn’t allow her to sink deeper into trouble.
"Ah, Ao Shuangyu, this time it’s Ao Shuangyu—three times now, she’s incredibly hit the mark three times in a row!" While Mu Cheng and others were thinking this, exclamations that were shaking with excitement began to spread around them.
"Uh..." Ling Baobao looked puzzled at the piece Yao Guangcheng had, which looked like it was coated in a layer of frosty, crystalline Meteorite Gold. She scratched her head—perhaps she was wrong. The other party wasn’t in a rush to act and continued to deepen the pit.