Chapter 80: Half a Brick

Chapter 80: Half a Brick

"Ye Xiaobai?"

Everyone was taken aback. "The latest champion of the martial arts tournament?"

These people were from the lowest rungs of the ancient city’s martial world. They had no right to participate in the tournament, but they had still heard of Ye Xiaobai’s reputation, though none had ever seen him in person.

The eldest young master of the Treasure Street Gang sized up Shi Bai from head to toe. Remembering how Boss Jin had his hand broken earlier, he shivered involuntarily.

"Damn! He really does look like him!" At the thought, cold sweat started to bead on his back.

The security captain narrowed his eyes, placing a hand by the young master’s ear and whispering, "Ye Xiaobai… is he very strong?"

The young master glanced at Shi Bai in a panic and replied quietly, "Of course he’s strong. How could the tournament champion not be?"

"Stronger than the old master?"

The young master’s eyes flickered. "If anything, he’s stronger."

"Damn!" The security captain was so frightened he could barely stand straight. "So what do we do?"

"What do we do?" The young master swallowed, his lips dry, "Let him go, obviously."

"Alright." The security captain coughed awkwardly. "Well… hmm… so… uh…" He pondered for a long while before finally saying, "The young master says it was all a misunderstanding. You didn’t steal anything from him, so you may leave!"

Shi Bai shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Leave? After being so slandered by you, you think I’ll just walk away?"

The security captain frowned. "Then what do you want?"

Shi Bai’s lips curled. "Let him punch me once."

"What?!"

Everyone blurted it out. But while the Treasure Street Gang was terrified, the security captain and his men were merely surprised.

"You have such a request?" The captain laughed. "Fine! I’ll take it for him!"

"The hell you will!" The young master smacked the captain on the back of his head. "If you’re so capable, you do it!"

The captain looked bewildered, rubbing his head. "What? You don’t want to hit him when you’re told to?"

"Do you even know who he is?" the young master shouted. "If you’re so tough, you do it!"

The captain looked aggrieved. "It’s just hitting someone, not being hit." He rolled up his sleeves. "Fine, I’ll do it."

The Treasure Street Gang was startled, but the captain had already swung his fist at Shi Bai. "I’ve never encountered such a request in my life, so let me oblige you!"

A crisp crack sounded. The captain clutched his hand, writhing on the ground. "How is this possible?!"

Shi Bai gave a faint smile. "Now can I leave?"

The young master was drenched in cold sweat. "Of course! Please!"

Shi Bai, hands in his pockets, was just about to leave when he paused. "Oh, and I still want that mutton-fat jade."

He returned to the jade vendor’s stall. The vendor had managed to get up, his face bruised and swollen, but still able to do business.

Shi Bai casually picked up a stone. "I’ll take this one."

The vendor’s eyes darted. "That one… ten million."

He already knew Shi Bai’s discerning eye, so he was sure that anything Shi Bai chose was a treasure, and thus quoted a sky-high price.

Shi Bai frowned and switched to another stone. "And this?"

"That one is also ten million."

Shi Bai looked up at the vendor. "Are you messing with me?"

"Absolutely not!" The vendor hurriedly saluted, "How could I dare cross you? It’s just that whatever you pick is always a masterpiece!"

Shi Bai let out a cold laugh and stood up. "Fine, if you want to play this game, I won’t buy anything."

He walked to the roadside and suddenly noticed half a brick—the type of building rubble small vendors used to prop up tables or wheels, and which thugs sometimes used in brawls.

Shi Bai picked up the brick, weighed it in his hand, and seemed delighted.

The onlookers were baffled, craning their necks to see the brick.

The brick was bulging on one side, sunken on the other, its surface rough and pitted, with a musty look.

"Isn’t that just an ordinary rotten brick?" everyone thought.

"Is this kid crazy?"

But the jade vendor was startled, thinking Shi Bai meant to hit him with it, and quietly edged away.

At that moment, Shi Bai inspected the brick with a smile, then suddenly broke it in half.

Everyone was stunned. "What’s he doing?"

The brick shattered, red debris falling away to reveal smooth, white jade inside.

"Mutton-fat jade!"

"No way! How is that possible?"

"There’s mutton-fat jade inside a brick?!"

Everyone’s minds exploded—not because of Shi Bai’s find, but because they suddenly wondered: Over the years, how many bricks had they overlooked, and how many treasures had they missed?

Those who had just been standing near the brick felt especially regretful.

"Damn! That brick was just under my feet!"

"I’ve been using it to prop up my cart for years!"

"What have I missed?!"

Shi Bai smiled faintly, pocketing the priceless mutton-fat jade. "Now all I need is the thousand-year-old lingzhi."

He strode away, the crowd watching his back as if witnessing a deity, especially the jade vendor, who muttered in awe, "A true immortal! He can even spot jade in a brick!"

The young master of the Treasure Street Gang wiped the sweat from his brow and couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. "A master’s abilities are truly beyond our comprehension!"

Shi Bai, fingering the jewel in his pocket, pondered where to find a thousand-year-old lingzhi. Usually, things like lingzhi or ginseng would be found in high-end herbal medicine shops and supermarkets.

But with his system, Shi Bai had no need to waste money or travel far. After a moment’s thought, he asked Old Li, the butler, to accompany him to the market.

The market had everything: greens, cucumbers, winter melon, garlic sprouts, pork, beef, chicken, fish—but no thousand-year-old lingzhi.

In fact, not even a one-year-old lingzhi could be found. Old Li was perplexed. "Sir, why have we come here?"

Shi Bai smiled. "You’ll see in a moment."

He led Old Li around the market, stopping at every stall, until finally he paused before a mushroom vendor.

Old Li was puzzled. "Sir, you want to buy mushrooms?"

Shi Bai nodded, picked up a mushroom, and handed it to the vendor. "Hello, I’ll take this one."

The vendor had already noticed Shi Bai wasn’t an ordinary person—after all, who but a foreign butler would follow an average customer? He quickly wrapped and weighed the mushroom. "Ninety cents."

Shi Bai handed him a yuan. "Keep the change."

The vendor took the money and shot Shi Bai a disdainful look, thinking, "So much fuss for a single yuan? If you really had money, you’d have given me a hundred. What’s with the show?"

Shi Bai took the mushroom from the bag and said to Old Li, "Do you know why I bought this mushroom?"

Old Li shook his head. "So little, it can’t be for cooking."

Shi Bai laughed. "Exactly."

"Then why, sir?"

The vegetable vendor snorted inwardly. "Why else? Not to eat it? He’s probably just going to waste it. Kids these days never do anything proper."

At that moment, Shi Bai’s lips curled. He picked up the mushroom. "Watch closely."

Both Old Li and the vendor stared at the mushroom in Shi Bai’s hand. Shi Bai tore it open with a rip, and out fell a red, fan-shaped object.

Old Li couldn’t help but gasp. "Lingzhi!"