"Master, this Stone Gambling seems quite fun! I want to come out and take a look too!"
Suddenly, Hu Miao spoke to Ye Yunfei.
"You also want to come out?" Ye Yunfei was taken aback.
"Yes. I've completed one breakthrough in my bloodline now, so I don't need to be in secluded cultivation anymore. Staying inside the Phantom Pearl all day is stifling! I need to get out for some fresh air!" Hu Miao said.
"Alright then."
Ye Yunfei, left with no other option, could only agree.
Although Hu Miao was nominally his slave, Ye Yunfei had long considered her a friend and did not restrict her freedom.
"Hehe… Master, you're the best!"
Hu Miao was overjoyed.
The next moment, a naturally seductive, delicate young maiden appeared beside Ye Yunfei.
This girl wore a loose pink top that revealed her subtly fragrant shoulders, gleaming with an alluring, porcelain-like luster. Her skirt ended just above the knees, exposing calves and feet so fair and slender they seemed carved from jade. Her jade-like feet, clad in wooden shoes, were small and exquisite, with toes crystal-clear and roundly delicate, as if meticulously sculpted.
Even more tempting was the captivating charm that seemed to permeate her entire being. Every movement, every glance and smile, exuded a coquettish charm.
"Let's go."
Ye Yunfei said, leading Hu Miao as they walked into the inner courtyard.
Soon, Ye Yunfei and Hu Miao entered the inner courtyard proper.
It was a relatively spacious compound with an artificial lake.
Stone ores were scattered and piled in different spots throughout the yard.
The number of ore rocks here was not particularly large, but each occupied its own space, arranged naturally—some even with a sense of primordial elegance.
Some lay beneath verdant bamboo, some beside ancient vines, some by the lakeshore, others near a pavilion… Stone and scene seamlessly merged, creating an exceedingly beautiful environment.
It was evident that the people entering this courtyard for Stone Gambling were also individuals of no ordinary status, each either wealthy or noble.
The ore rocks here were too expensive; ordinary martial artists simply did not have the qualification to enter. At this moment, around each stone, people gathered, observing, appraising, selecting.
However, no one made a casual move.
The stones in this courtyard were exorbitantly priced. Without sufficient certainty, no one would act recklessly; otherwise, they could easily suffer severe losses!
The moment Ye Yunfei and Hu Miao walked in, many male gazes within the courtyard immediately turned towards Hu Miao.
As for Ye Yunfei, his plain attire meant he was completely overshadowed by Hu Miao's brilliance, and he was thus directly ignored.
As soon as Ye Yunfei entered the courtyard, he immediately employed the Stone Appraisal Art, carefully observing the stones in the yard.
Immediately, Ye Yunfei felt a surge of excitement.
Truly deserving of being the inner courtyard!
Among the stones in this courtyard, quite a number produced unusual manifestations!
And a few stones even burst forth with resplendent multicolored light when Ye Yunfei observed them using the Stone Appraisal Art, dyeing that section of space a crimson hue that set that space ablaze, flickering like flames in the clouds.
According to the Stone Appraisal Art's records, the more peculiar the manifestations of a stone, the more precious the treasures concealed within were likely to be!
"The stones in the inner courtyard are indeed of a higher grade than those at the outside stalls!"
Ye Yunfei's heart stirred with some excitement.
However, what surprised Ye Yunfei was that some stones in this courtyard were completely unfathomable to him.
Though some stones appeared to be naturally imbued with the Dao's resonance, even carrying a hint of law-essence, clearly extraordinary.
Yet when Ye Yunfei tried to observe them using the Stone Appraisal Art, he saw no unusual manifestations at all.
Ye Yunfei decided he wouldn’t touch those stones he couldn't discern.
He would buy the ones he could understand, the ones he was certain contained treasures!
Thus, Ye Yunfei prepared to act.
Ye Yunfei noticed that each stone in this courtyard had a price tag attached; their prices were clearly marked.
The cheapest stone among them still cost thirty thousand top-grade Spirit Crystal stones!
"Too expensive!"
Ye Yunfei exclaimed in wonder.
It was important to know that top-grade Spirit Crystal stones were far more valuable than low-grade and medium-grade Spirit Crystal stones.
One top-grade Spirit Crystal stone was worth five thousand medium-grade Spirit Crystal stones!
"Let's start with this one!"
Finally, Ye Yunfei's gaze fell upon a stone placed beneath a few old bamboos, and he walked over.
"Master, are you planning to make a move?"
Seeing Ye Yunfei finally select a target, Hu Miao asked happily.
"Yes.
There’s a stone over there that faintly emits peculiar light. Something is definitely hidden inside."
Ye Yunfei nodded and said.
"Piss off!
Can't you see? Our young master is inspecting these stones right now. A bumpkin like you, what are you trying to join in on? Get to the side!"
However, before Ye Yunfei could even approach that stone, two warriors dressed as servants blocked his path, rebuking him in a dismissive tone.
Beside those old bamboos were several stones. A young master was waving a folding fan, inspecting the stones.
A vigorous, bright-eyed old man in a yellow robe followed closely by his side.
Around this young master, six other servants also crowded, creating a rather grand procession.
"The inner courtyard isn't a place someone like you has the qualifications to enter. Those outside stone stalls are more suited for your spending."
"Exactly. One look at this kid, and you can tell he's a clueless bumpkin.
How dare someone like this run into the inner courtyard, pretending to inspect stones? Does he really think nobody sees through him?
Absolutely ridiculous."
The two blocking servants treated Ye Yunfei with utter disdain.
The people who entered the inner courtyard for Stone Gambling were all either wealthy or noble. But Ye Yunfei looked utterly ordinary, so they took him for a clueless bumpkin who had wandered in by accident.
"What do you mean, our master doesn't have the qualifications to come in? Do you think you're the ones with qualifications?!"
Hu Miao flared up in anger. Her arched willow-leaf brows shot up as she snapped in retort at the two servants.
"Master?
Beauty, you call this guy 'master'?"
The two servants were somewhat dumbfounded.
Hu Miao was stunningly beautiful and captivating, simply the goddess in men's hearts… And she was calling this kid they so despised 'master'?!
"You two, be more courteous. Don't offend the fair lady!"
At this moment, the young master's gaze suddenly shifted to Hu Miao, and he spoke.
"Yes, Young Master, we understand!"
The two servants replied.
They knew—their young master had taken a fancy to this beauty before them!
"Beauty, to be honest with you, our Young Master Liu is the eldest son of the Sect Master of Zixia Gate, a figure of high status, one who ranks among the notable characters throughout the entire Beihuang Domain.
With your beauty, following this bumpkin is just wasting your potential.
Why not follow our young master from now on? Wealth and power will be yours to enjoy indefinitely!
How about it?
Think it over carefully.
Across the entire Beihuang Domain, countless women yearn for our young master's favor but can't get it. If you have such an opportunity, you must seize it well."
One of the servants said to Hu Miao.
Zixia Gate was a relatively famous sect within the Beihuang Domain, its strength comparable to the Liu Family of Tian Province.
"Follow your young master?
Hehe…
That’s not up to me to decide. You'll have to ask my master."
Hu Miao, always one to enjoy stirring the pot when trouble arose, said with a giggle.