I’ll do as you say.

"Enough with the nonsense. The camera at the entrance broke yesterday, so how are you going to prove anything now? Our people saw you knock it over, so we'll handle this according to our rules," the burly man in the lead snorted coldly.

Chen Fengyun glanced at the rough stone. It was about the size of a dog’s head, with one side sliced three centimeters thick, exposing a greenish glow that suggested there was jade inside. The price tag read eighty-eight thousand eight hundred eighty-eight.

Yet, when Chen Fengyun scanned the stone with his spiritual sense, he found there was no jade within. The only green glow was a centimeter thick at the sliced window, while the rest of the stone was riddled with cracks.

"That chunk of raw stone is huge; the jade inside must be sizable. If they buy it, they could make a fortune," a middle-aged woman nearby said, eyes gleaming.

"That's not a given. They say one cut makes you rich, the next makes you poor. There's green at the window, but who knows how much jade is inside or what quality it is? It's all a gamble," another person shook his head.

The crowd watching was made up of neighboring shopkeepers and tourists from out of town. Some had a bit of knowledge about jade, others none at all. People debated back and forth, but no one could offer a definitive answer.

"Isn't this just bullying? That little piece costs eighty-eight thousand eight hundred eighty-eight, but the bigger one is only thirty thousand?" Suddenly, a voice sounded beside Chen Fengyun. To his bemusement, the person standing up for justice was none other than Zeng Yue, the quirky young woman.

"Exactly! We're both university students—where would we get that much money? The stone isn’t damaged; you could just put it back and sell it again," emboldened by support, the two young men perked up. One even produced his student ID.

"Who asked you to meddle? What's it got to do with you? Keep your nose out of it," a burly man from the shop strode toward Zeng Yue, barking.

"If the road is uneven, someone will level it—isn’t it right to speak up for fairness? You’re just picking on them because they’re from out of town, aren’t you?" Zeng Yue stood her ground, pointing at them.

"You think this is a place where any brat can cause trouble?" The man flew into a rage and reached for Zeng Yue’s shoulder.

"What are you doing? Trying to harass women in broad daylight? Is there no law here?" Zeng Yue was startled; she hadn’t expected such brazenness. But Chen Fengyun stepped forward, pulling her behind him and grasping the man’s arm in a flash.

"You…" The man’s eyes chilled, fist clenched, ready to strike Chen Fengyun. Yet, Chen Fengyun’s grip was like an iron clamp—his arm wouldn’t budge.

The man bellowed, struggling to break free, but Chen Fengyun stood unmoving; no matter how he tried, he couldn’t pull his arm out or push Chen Fengyun back. A sense of dread crept into his heart.

"Don’t be so arrogant. Grabbing a girl like that is utterly uncivilized," Chen Fengyun remarked, seeing the man’s face flush a deep red, then snorted and shoved him. The man staggered back five or six steps before regaining his balance.

"What’s going on?" The leader looked surprised, glancing at Chen Fengyun and Zeng Yue, then at the man.

"Brother Iron, this guy’s tough," the man said quietly as he stepped forward, extending his hand. On his wrist was a bright red mark, clear as a brand, left by Chen Fengyun’s grip.

"What, you two want to meddle? Our shop’s owner is Master Han. Ask around—do you think you can interfere?" The leader’s eyes showed a hint of caution, but he still turned to Chen Fengyun and asked.

"Brother, please help us. We really didn’t touch their stone—they misunderstood," one of the young men called out loudly, sensing a change in the leader’s tone.

He had no idea what made Chen Fengyun so intimidating, especially since Chen Fengyun looked even younger than himself. But he seized the opportunity and called out to him.

"You really trust me?" Chen Fengyun sized them up, sensing neither was a bad sort. Earlier, when one produced his student ID, Chen Fengyun noted he was a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

"We trust you, absolutely. Please help us," they nodded eagerly. They could tell these men weren’t ordinary, and though their own backgrounds were impressive, this trip was meant to be a secret outing. They couldn’t rely on their usual resources, so any way out was welcome.

"You truly have no money? Can’t afford even one stone?" Chen Fengyun drew Zeng Yue over to them. The burly men stepped back, no longer crowding in, as Chen Fengyun looked at the two youths.

"We have enough, but we’re inexperienced. We don’t know if buying it is a loss or gain, so we’d rather not," the student ID-holder said.

"If you really trust me, buy both this stone and the one Zeng Yue mentioned—the thirty-thousand one," Chen Fengyun said calmly, pointing to both stones.

The second stone was much larger than the first and also had a window, but its green glow was duller, suggesting the jade inside was of poor quality—visibly inferior to the eighty-eight-thousand one.

"What? Buy another?" The two young men stared at Chen Fengyun, wondering if he was in cahoots with the burly shopkeepers.

"Aren’t you helping them? Why make them spend more?" Even Zeng Yue pulled at Chen Fengyun, whispering. But he didn’t answer, just looked steadily at the two youths.

"All right, since we trust you, we'll follow your advice," the two hesitated, even felt angry, but seeing Chen Fengyun’s gaze, they gradually calmed. The student ID-holder gritted his teeth and nodded.

"We’ll buy both stones—card payment," he said, taking out a bank card and pointing to the stones.

"Well then, congratulations! You’re sure to find good jade. Don’t worry, if you get quality jade, we’ll buy it back at a high price," the burly men broke into smiles as the youths agreed to buy. The leader’s demeanor shifted to warmth.

"I’ll go pay. You start cutting," the student nodded to his companion, followed a burly man inside to pay, while the leader called for the shop’s craftsman to begin cutting the stones.