Mount Lincang

Geng Chunming was the young man who had shown his student ID earlier. He had a gentle, refined appearance, with bronzed skin and a radiant, sunny smile. He seemed quite talkative as well. Xu Dalin was about the same height as Geng Chunming but was more robust. He was a bit shy, spoke little, and exuded a sense of steadiness. Yet his eyes were bright, and he seemed somewhat bashful when he looked at Zeng Yiyue.

“My name is Chen Fengyun, and this is Zeng Yiyue. We’re from Rong City, and we’ve come to broaden our horizons at tonight’s Stone Gambling Convention,” Chen Fengyun introduced himself and Zeng Yiyue.

“Really? Then we’ll see you tonight,” the two replied. They appeared to have other matters to attend to and hurried off after exchanging greetings. When Xu Dalin left, he cast a furtive glance at Zeng Yiyue.

“Chen Fengyun, you were right to take their money. Without your help, they would have been swindled terribly. I didn’t expect the shops here to be so ruthless. I hope my uncle isn’t like that,” Zeng Yiyue said as they walked back to the hotel. Initially, she believed Chen Fengyun shouldn’t have accepted payment for his help, but thinking of the Stone Gambling Convention that evening, she realized they would need some money to participate; so she changed her tune.

“Miss Zeng, I thought you’d scold me for it, but I’m glad you agree. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind to be blinded by money. I just want to experience tonight’s event,” Chen Fengyun replied with a smile.

...

“Bear, are that man and woman really connected to Zhao Jianguo?” At that moment, the burly man who had led the group outside the shop was standing before a middle-aged man, reporting respectfully on what had just happened.

“Han Ye, the girl said it herself—Zhao Jianguo is her uncle. As for the young man, I’m not sure what his relationship is to Zhao Jianguo, but he’s quite strong. After grabbing Heizi’s wrist, he left a red mark,” Bear confirmed.

“We’re planning to deal with Zhao Jianguo tonight. Is it possible he hasn’t caught wind of anything? Otherwise, why would he let his niece come at a time like this? If that’s the case, it’s good news for us,” Han Dequan said, his eyes glinting.

“Han Ye, do you think that kid is dangerous? Should I get a few brothers to take care of him first?” Bear asked tentatively.

“A youngster like that can’t affect our plans. Tonight, we’ve invited Master Yang Si to oversee things. With his expertise, Zhao Jianguo will have no choice but to hand over his shares in Guyuan. Still, we can’t let them interfere with tonight’s business. Have someone keep an eye on them, and report to me immediately if they make a move,” Han Dequan replied with a shake of his head.

“Han Ye, I’ve already found out which hotel they’re staying at and posted two men outside to keep watch,” Bear said promptly.

“Good work. But remember, don’t block customers at the shop entrance like today—it’s bad for business. If you need to extort tourists, take them somewhere secluded. Be discreet and use your heads, understand?” Han Dequan added a few stern words.

“Understood, Han Ye. We’re not very educated and lack experience, but we’ll be more careful in the future. By the way, congratulations, Han Ye. After tonight, all the jade business here will be under your control,” Bear said, trying to flatter him.

“Hahaha, Zhao Jianguo isn’t on my level yet. Tell the brothers, if trouble breaks out tonight, deal with Zhao Jianguo’s people harshly. As long as no one dies, it doesn’t matter if they’re crippled,” Han Dequan said, his tone cold and ruthless.

“Don’t worry, Han Ye, we’re all prepared. Zhao Jianguo’s men won’t get off lightly. By the way, those two young people took hundreds of thousands from us today. Should I get the brothers to make them hand it over?” Bear said, still brooding about the afternoon’s events.

“I just told you to use your head. Don’t make trouble at a critical moment like this. If you mess up tonight’s big event, you’ll be the one to pay,” Han Dequan scolded, his annoyance clear. Bear was loyal, but his lack of ability and vision often caused problems.

“We won’t, Han Ye. We’ll wait until after tomorrow to deal with them,” Bear replied meekly.

On their way back, Chen Fengyun had already noticed they were being followed by the two burly men from the shop. However, they kept their distance and didn’t enter the hotel, just watched from afar, so he didn’t bother with them for now.

“Chen Fengyun, my uncle has sent someone to pick us up,” Zeng Yiyue said, knocking on the door after dinner.

Zhao Jianguo hadn’t come himself; instead, he sent a subordinate to drive them to Guyuan. As one of the owners of Guyuan, Zhao Jianguo was still busy preparing for the grand Stone Gambling Convention that evening.

“Sir, this is our first time in Lincang and our first time hearing about Guyuan. Could you tell us about it?” Chen Fengyun asked the driver from the front seat, handing him a pack of cigarettes as he spoke. He didn’t smoke himself but had bought some while returning to the hotel, just in case. The driver, not particularly talkative by nature, warmed up after receiving the cigarettes and began to introduce Guyuan enthusiastically.

Just outside Lincang County, about five kilometers away, lay a mountain range called Lincang Mountain, stretching in from the distance with steep and rugged slopes, and at its base ran the Lincang River.

Guyuan was situated roughly seven or eight kilometers into the mountains, perched on a hillside. The buildings there dated back to the Mufu era and, though they had been renovated several times, their overall layout remained unchanged.

Hundreds of years ago, even before a wealthy local family surnamed Gu built the manor, it was said that the site had already been home to a jade trading market, primarily dealing in uncut stones.

Moreover, a few years ago, after several owners jointly acquired Guyuan, they cleared the woods and underbrush behind the manor and discovered some uncut stones buried underground, origin unknown.

Curious, the owners sliced open some of the stones and found that quite a number contained jade of varying quality. This led them to believe the site had always been a place for stone gambling.

The owners then decided to each bring in a batch of uncut stones, combining them with the thousands of stones unearthed from the grounds, turning Guyuan into a large-scale stone gambling venue.

Naturally, some ordinary rocks from jade mines were mixed in with the genuine stones, increasing the total number and also providing an opportunity to fleece unsuspecting gamblers.