Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

Just as Chen Zhuo was about to take another look at the other stalls, he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the other end of the hall.

"Gentlemen, I'll take this stone. Name your price."

Hearing such an arrogant voice, Chen Zhuo couldn't help but turn his head to look over.

At this moment, Xu Yi was fanning himself with a folding fan, looking very spirited.

In front of him were several huge gambling stones.

The larger the stone, the better the contents inside, but also the greater the risks involved.

Jade gambling is not cheap.

Therefore, everyone is very careful when making choices, except for the super-rich, of course.

Someone like Chen Zhuo, who can only be considered somewhat wealthy, is still a long way from being a tycoon.

The stall owner was overjoyed to see someone wanting to buy his large stock that had been sitting in his closet for who knows how long.

"Young master, how about 200 taels of silver for this stone?"

The stall owner glanced cautiously at Xu Yi as he spoke, giving the impression that he was ready to lower the price at the slightest disagreement.

Xu Yi, however, didn't even blink.

"Pay!"

Wanyan Liang then stepped forward, threw out a bag of silver, and opened his folding fan, on which was written "Vast wealth".

The stall owner took the money with a happy expression and looked at the two big customers in front of him.

"Young master, would you like to take a look at this section as well...?"

He was interrupted by Xu Yi before he could finish speaking.

"No need! I have my own decision!"

As they spoke, the two of them simultaneously turned to the next stall, fanning themselves with folding fans.

Chen Zhuo was speechless at this extravagant scene.

He could tell from the panel that it was a green quality item.

The price should be between 50 and 100 taels.

Even with a slight premium, it's definitely not worth 200 taels, and judging from the stall owner's appearance, you can definitely bargain it down further.

Big spender!

After the little incident, Chen Zhuo continued browsing the stalls, not forgetting his purpose for the trip.

That's the clue about Originium.

He walked to a stall, where a large crowd had already gathered.

Looking closer, Xu Yi was examining a rough stone, slightly larger than the palm of his hand, turning it over and over.

The outer shell is dark gray, with half of it covered in moss-like water patterns.

The stall owner was a thin, middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a worn silk robe. It was unclear which declining merchant he belonged to.

At this moment, he was so intimidated by Xu Yi's aura that he shrank back slightly, but still insisted:

"This is a piece of Qingshan stone that my father acquired from the Tongxin Alliance mining team years ago. It has been passed down for three generations. Look at the water patterns..."

"The water ripples are just an oxidation layer on the surface of the stone; they don't mean there's anything inside."

Xu Yi put the stone back on the stall, closed his folding fan, and spoke in an unquestionable tone.

Chen Zhuo glanced at the stone; it was a blue-quality stone!

Then he was overjoyed. Originium was a blue-quality item, so there was a chance that this stone would yield Originium!

Chen Zhuo carefully examined the stone according to the contents of the "Stone Marrow Classic".

As the scholarly air entered his eyes, he seemed to discern a vague shape within the stone.

The chalcedony encased inside the stone shell is of good quality.

However, the stone slab embedded in the center of the stalactite is extremely thin and dense.

Its color is bluish-gray, and it is indeed a good item.

It seems that Xu Yi's judgment was reasonable; he wasn't simply using his influence to pressure the price this time.

Wanyan Liang stood behind him, holding his breath, as if he were observing intently.

Chen Zhuo was a little puzzled. Wasn't this guy rich and powerful? Why didn't he just make an offer and buy it?

Just as Chen Zhuo was about to speak, a familiar voice came from the side.

"I want this stone too!"

Chen Tianshen took a step forward, his voice as loud as if he were shouting slogans on a city wall.

Chen Tianlang quickly grabbed his sleeve and said in a low voice.

"You're insane!"

Xu Yi didn't even turn around.

He merely turned his head slightly, his gaze lightly sweeping over Chen Tianshen's head, before snapping open his folding fan with a snap:

"This gentleman has a very discerning eye. Unfortunately, the sulfurous color on the stone's outer shell is just rust spots formed by weathering; the inside is just waste material."

Chen Tianshen's face turned red:

"You call it waste material? You're not a rock!"

"I'm not a stone." Xu Yi shook his folding fan, his tone almost gentle, "but I've opened more stones in my life than you've ever seen."

Chen Tianshen opened his mouth, but couldn't think of a rebuttal.

Chen Tianlang muttered under his breath, "What he said seems to be true," only to be met with a glare from Chen Tianshen.

Chen Zhuo stood to the side and watched all of this unfold.

His gaze fell on the stone.

To be precise, it's the bluish-gray pattern that falls onto the stone's surface.

Although the information displayed on the panel shows the quality, it does not rule out the possibility that there are multiple items in the same stone.

In critical moments, you must rely on your own eyes.

He crouched down, level with the rock, and reached out to touch the ripples in the water.

A slight coolness came from my fingertips.

It felt exactly the same as when he held the Originium in the mine.

It seems there really is something inside this rock that could be Originium, or at least something related to Originium!

Xu Yi turned his head slightly to look at Chen Zhuo, a hint of genuine curiosity in his eyes.

Wanyan Liang peeked out from behind him, clearly recognizing Chen Zhuo. He opened his mouth as if to greet him, but then felt that now was not the time.

"Sorry, I want this stone too."

Chen Zhuo forcefully joined the competition.

Chen Tianshen stared wide-eyed at his young master, while Chen Tianlang swallowed the words "impossible" back down his throat.

Gu Qing'e peeked out from the back row and tugged at Zhao Xuelang's sleeve: "Senior sister, what is junior brother doing?" Zhao Xuelang did not answer.

Li Zhao had already closed his folding fan and stopped waving it.

Xu Yi closed his folding fan and tapped it lightly in his palm.

"Interesting, someone actually tried to steal something from me." He turned to the stall owner, "Name your price! I'll go with it!"

Before the stall owner could speak, Xu Yi looked at Chen Zhuo and said.

"Brother Chen, I'm very curious, what are you trying to achieve by snatching this stone from me today? Apart from its beautiful shell, this stone doesn't look like it has any real value."

"Brother Xu," Chen Zhuo countered, "then what are your reasons for being so determined to win?"

Xu Yi was visibly taken aback by his question, then put the fan away and pondered it over and over again.

"Interesting, very interesting."

Seeing that the two were on the verge of exchanging blows, he opened his mouth, but hesitated.

"Gentlemen, I don't sell this piece of paper for money, but I would like to request a poem."

"Requesting a poem?"

Upon hearing this request, the group all turned to look at each other.

The stall owner then explained, "I've heard that you gentlemen can compose poems and essays with profound literary and philosophical meanings, which allow one to appreciate the art of literature. I've come here specifically to request one."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

They did create poems and prose that resonated with the heavens and the earth, but those were all works of perfect harmony between the right time, place, and people.

Is it so easy to create?

Even the usually arrogant Xu Yi stopped waving his folding fan.

A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, and after a moment, he waved his hand.

"Five hundred taels of silver!"