CHAPTER 221: CHAPTER 221 TARGET LITTLE SQUIRREL

An Yan had forgotten all about looking at stones, her focus entirely on Yezi as she tried to communicate with it.

"Is this stone good?"

Yezi swayed back and forth!

"So, should I buy it?"

Yezi continued to sway.

It was swaying with the exact same direction and amplitude as before!

"So, should I buy it or not? If you think I should, then nod your head! You keep swaying like this; I can’t understand what you’re trying to say!"

Yezi stopped moving.

"How about we make an agreement? Swing up and down if I should buy, and side to side if I shouldn’t?"

Yezi hesitated for a moment, then swayed side to side.

An Yan immediately laughed.

She could interact with Yezi!

I’m so happy!

Seeing her holding the stone and laughing to herself, the stall owner immediately started his sales pitch.

"Miss, this stone here is from Houjiang Mine. I can’t guarantee it’s 100% jade, but there’s always a 70% chance. What do you say? Want to try your luck with one?"

A 70% chance was quite high.

But An Yan had Yezi as her advisor. She definitely wouldn’t be influenced by his sales pitch and decisively put down the stone.

"I think I’ll look around a bit more."

Liang Chen, however, was somewhat swayed by the owner’s words.

One of his friends was from Yun Province, so he had heard about Raw Stones and the like.

He had heard that when a flashlight shines into a Raw Stone, if you can clearly see the steel ring of the flashlight, and the light has strong penetration with a focusing effect, then it’s a good one.

The piece he was currently holding seemed to have a pretty good focusing effect.

To confirm his guess, he looked at a few other pieces but still thought the first one was the best.

Just as he was about to nod and buy it, An Yan took the stone from his hands.

As soon as she took it, Yezi in her mind started to sway side to side.

"Don’t buy it. Let’s check out some others."

Upon hearing An Yan, Little Squirrel immediately scampered from Mu Enyu’s head onto Liang Chen, patting him with its tiny paws.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK."

Put the stone down!

Liang Chen, who had been hesitant, was convinced by An Yan’s words and Little Squirrel’s pat, and he actually put the stone down.

He was just looking to have some fun and didn’t feel any particular compulsion to buy.

The group turned and approached another stall.

Liang Chen took out his powerful flashlight again to test the knowledge he had learned from his friend.

Meanwhile, An Yan was touching the stones one by one.

At the stall behind them, the owner was staring intently at Little Squirrel.

Little Squirrel sensed his gaze, turned, and glared at him, even raising a tiny fist threateningly. Keep looking, and I’ll punch you!

This made the stall owner even more certain.

This Little Squirrel is definitely a Spiritual Pet!

So he gestured to a man and woman at a nearby stall, who were pretending to browse stones.

Soon, that couple also approached the stall where An Yan and her group were.

"Huh?"

The woman let out a soft cry of surprise and whispered to her companion,

"I found it! That’s the one!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

With that, the woman pointed to the stone Liang Chen was holding and asked,

"Boss, how much for this one?"

Seeing her interest, the stall owner’s face lit up with a smile.

"Young lady, you have a good eye! This piece is the pride of my stall. A flat price of two hundred thousand!"

"I’ll take it!"

The woman’s expression was one of pleasant surprise, as if she’d stumbled upon a huge bargain, and she immediately pulled out her bank card.

"Alright!" the owner said, reaching for the card.

The two of them coordinated perfectly, and it looked like the deal was about to be sealed with payment.

The woman then reached out her hand towards Liang Chen.

"Young man, I’m buying this stone!"

Liang Chen’s expression immediately soured.

"Boss, I haven’t finished examining this stone. How can you..."

"You’re just looking, young man, but she’s ready to buy. I’m a businessman; of course, I have to sell to someone who wants to buy."

Liang Chen frowned.

"How do you know I don’t want to buy it?"

"Oh, you want to buy it? Well, then..."

The stall owner glanced at the woman, feigning a troubled expression. "How about this: you two can bid for it. The highest bidder gets it."

Liang Chen, seemingly provoked, immediately made an offer.

"Fine! I’ll offer three hundred thousand!"

The woman countered, "I’ll offer five hundred thousand!"

Liang Chen: "Six hundred thousand..."

"One million!" the woman declared.

Liang Chen retorted, "Two million!"

The stall owner chuckled.

"Young man, do you really have that much pocket money? Don’t just inflate the price wildly!"

Liang Chen was clearly agitated.

"What’s it to you? I’m determined to have this stone."

The stall owner said,

"Well then, young man, how about you pawn this squirrel of yours to me as collateral..."

Little Squirrel: "..."

Good heavens! So their target was me all along! Am I really that desirable? This is suddenly a bit exciting!

Liang Chen turned to An Yan. Although he was fixated on the stone, he still remembered Little Squirrel belonged to her.

An Yan patted him on the shoulder.

"We’re not buying it."

At the same time, Little Squirrel, perched on Mu Enyu’s head, waved its tiny paws and let out a series of SQUEAKS.

It looked as if it was terrified its owner would really pawn it off.

Inexplicably, Liang Chen felt his mind suddenly clear. The hazy, competitive urge vanished in an instant.

He looked down at the stone he was clutching so tightly and suddenly felt the whole situation was ridiculous.

"I’m sorry, please sell it to this lady."

After saying this, Liang Chen immediately turned and walked away quickly.

An Yan took Mu Enyu’s hand and they quickly followed him.

Mu Enyu had been utterly confused throughout the entire episode.

It wasn’t until they had left the venue and reached a rest area that she finally voiced her confusion.

"Was someone playing tricks just now?"

An Yan looked at Liang Chen. "You explain."

Liang Chen said,

"I don’t know what happened. When that woman approached, I felt like all my attention was completely drawn to her!"

"Then, an uncontrollable thought just popped into my head: I had to get that stone. No matter the cost, no matter what I had to give up, I absolutely had to have it."

"An Yan, was I... was I mesmerized by something just now?"

An Yan nodded.

"They likely used some means to create an illusion. Judging by how smoothly they operated, it’s definitely not their first time."

"What? That’s terrifying!"

Mu Enyu’s face paled. "I’ve heard Yuncheng can be a chaotic place, but I never imagined... An Yan, maybe we should just go back."

Now that we know there’s danger, we should avoid it.

But An Yan didn’t want to go back.

Yezi in my mind is showing such strong interest in this place. I haven’t really done much for Yezi before; today, I want to make it happy.

"Let’s go upstairs."

The first floor was for low-end goods, while the second floor had higher requirements for entry and presumably better items.

Those who try to cause trouble with illicit methods probably wouldn’t dare to operate on the second floor.

An Yan’s entry ticket was top-tier, granting access to all three floors.

After a staff member checked their tickets, they were led upstairs.

An Yan, keeping her attention on Yezi’s reactions, walked towards a long table near the center and began to touch the stones one by one.

When her fingers landed on an irregularly shaped black stone about the size of a soccer ball, Yezi in her mind instantly grew excited. All hundred or so of its leaves quivered up and down, as if shouting, "This one! This is the one!"