365: Defrauding others and then being deceived

“Let me take a look first.”

Zhuge Rizhao nodded expressionlessly at her, then buried his head in the source stones, searching for the items he needed.

Looking at the dazzling array of source stones, a faint light flickered in his eyes.

【Source Stone: Return Rate 0%】

【Source Stone: Return Rate 0%】

【Source Stone: Return Rate 3%】

【...】

【Source Stone: Return Rate 300%】

Streaks of information appeared before Zhuge Rizhao’s eyes, and a virtual box showing the return rate popped up on all the source stones.

Most of them had a return rate of zero.

Only a small number had extremely low return rates; currently, the highest return rate Zhuge Rizhao had found among this pile of source stones was 300%.

“Is the highest here only 300%?”

Zhuge Rizhao shifted his attention to the source stones on other counters. He only had 100 Immortal Stones, which was his entire fortune accumulated over the years. Naturally, he had to choose source stones with a high return rate to get a greater return.

As the ninety-ninth son of the Duke of Wu in the Great Yan Immortal Dynasty, he shouldn't have been so strapped for cash, but there was nothing he could do.

Who told the Duke of Wu’s Manor not to keep idlers?

Any Young Master of the Duke of Wu’s Manor, once he turned eight, would be forcibly sent away to make his own living outside.

Of course, before leaving, he would also receive a sum of money.

Precisely, one Immortal Stone.

Thereafter, every year, he could go to the Duke of Wu’s Manor to collect one Immortal Stone until he turned eighteen.

The Duke of Wu’s Manor’s mysterious operations once suffocated Zhuge Rizhao, who had just undergone Transmigration and was only eight years old.

Fortunately, the Duke of Wu provided one Immortal Stone every year; otherwise, he, being only eight years old at the time, would have truly exploded on the spot.

“Eight hundred years! It’s been eight hundred years since I came to this world, and I’ve only Cultivated to Soul Transformation. If I continue at this Cultivation efficiency, I won’t be able to achieve Immortal Ascension in this lifetime. However, it seems I’ve finally waited for my Golden Finger…”

Zhuge Rizhao was still meticulously selecting the source stones with the highest return rate.

Not long ago, the System that had arrived allowed him to see the return rate of everything.

He was confident that with this ability, he could stand at the pinnacle of the world!

But the most important thing right now was to acquire a large number of Immortal Stones to exchange for treasures that could enhance his Aptitude.

And stone gambling was undoubtedly the best way to leverage a small investment for a large gain.

“Got it!” Zhuge Rizhao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately pointed to a head-sized source stone for the staff. “I want that one!”

“Ninety-ninth brother! Source stones aren’t necessarily good just because they’re big.”

The voice of Zhuge You, Zhuge Rizhao’s seventeenth brother, rang out.

Zhuge Rizhao turned to look.

He saw him holding a palm-sized source stone, extremely smooth on the surface and adorned with purple-gold specks.

【Return Rate: 0%】

Seeing this, Zhuge Rizhao couldn’t help but smile: “Seventeenth Brother, this small one! It doesn’t necessarily have good things either! I advise you, don’t buy this one! Change it!”

“Change?” Zhuge You looked at Zhuge Rizhao in surprise, “Can you see? And you’re telling me to change it!”

“I know a little,” Zhuge Rizhao said.

Previously, the two of them’s conversation hadn’t attracted the attention of others, but as it involved stone gambling, it did draw quite a few onlookers.

“Hmm? Someone’s started gambling on stones.”

“It’s Zhuge You, the Seventeenth Young Master of the Duke of Wu’s Manor! He seems to have picked a source stone, and it’s a purple-gold source stone, which is very likely to yield treasures.”

“Purple-gold source stones, adorned with purple-gold on the outside, indicate that there were definitely treasures nearby when this source stone formed. The probability of such a source stone yielding treasures is very high, but the price is terrifyingly high, a full five thousand Immortal Stones!”

“He’s the Seventeenth Young Master of the Duke of Wu’s Manor! Although the Duke of Wu’s Manor’s family rules are a bit odd, requiring descendants to go out and make their own living once they turn eight, the mother of this Seventeenth Young Master is an Elder of the Drifting Snow Immortal Palace. Would he lack five thousand Immortal Stones? In the Seventeenth Young Master’s eyes, these five thousand Immortal Stones might just be his monthly allowance!”

“...”

Many stone gamblers discussed animatedly, softly talking about Zhuge You, their eyes full of envy.

He was generous with his spending, while they had to carefully select, or else years of effort would be in vain.

Hearing the surrounding discussions, Zhuge You was also extremely pleased, placing the source stone in his hand on the counter.

“Open it! Let this inexperienced ninety-ninth brother of mine broaden his horizons!”

“Seventeenth Brother, I advise you to change it! Opening this one is purely throwing five thousand Immortal Stones away. That’s five thousand Immortal Stones! I feel heartbroken for you!”

Zhuge You wouldn’t listen to Zhuge Rizhao’s persuasion; the more his ninety-ninth brother said this, the more he wanted to open it.

The onlookers nearby also started cheering.

“Open! Open! Open!”

The professional stone opener at the gambling house also held up the source stone, adorned with purple-gold on its surface, with both hands.

A pale blue glow, like water, enveloped the source stone. The blue light constantly flickered, and water-like ripples gently scraped the source stone.

The source stone became smaller and smaller, with stone chips constantly falling off.

Eventually, the entire source stone turned into powdered chips, and no trace of treasure light appeared.

Clearly, it was a waste rock (waste stone).

“Five thousand Immortal Stones! Just like that, gone!”

“If it were me, I’d be heartbroken to the point of being unable to breathe!”

Hearing the crowd’s voices, Zhuge You showed no sign of heartache. To him, those five thousand Immortal Stones were just a splash in the water, a sound to be heard.

Immediately after.

He raised his hand and pointed at the source stone Zhuge Rizhao had been staring at.

“Open that one for me!”

Zhuge Rizhao panicked, “Seventeenth Brother, I saw that one first!”

“So what if you saw it first? Did you pay for it? Whoever pays, that source stone belongs to him! And now, it’s mine!” Zhuge You glanced at him and tossed a Storage Pouch onto the counter.

“That one, that one, that one, and that one… open them all for me!”

“No! Seventeenth Brother, you…”

Zhuge Rizhao was dumbfounded.

The return rates of these source stones were not high; they were the ones he had focused on the longest, but now, they were all snatched away.

Zhuge You took a step forward, leaned close to Zhuge Rizhao’s ear, and whispered: “Ninety-ninth brother, every descendant of the Zhuge family has his own unique talent, but whether he can Awaken it depends on the individual.

And you, who have always been steady and meticulous, suddenly came to this stone gambling house today. I presume you have Awakened a talent related to pupil techniques. Therefore, for all the ones you’ve taken a fancy to today, your Elder brother will take care of them all!”

Zhuge Rizhao naturally knew what Zhuge You was talking about.

This was also one of the reasons why the Zhuge family would expel their descendants from the manor at the age of eight, making them self-reliant.

But he hadn’t expected this seemingly dissolute Seventeenth Brother to be so insidious.

“Everything before, was it all an act?”

“Yes and no!” Zhuge You’s lips curved slightly upward, “The gift you’ve given your Elder brother this time, your Elder brother will properly digest it.”

“Is that so!” Zhuge Rizhao’s eyes flickered, landing on the largest source stone.

He raised his hand and pointed.

“I want that source stone, here’s my money!”

A Storage Pouch was thrown out.

It landed on the counter without being stopped.

No, this isn’t right!

Zhuge Rizhao looked at Zhuge You in confusion.

Shouldn’t you be stopping me?

Zhuge You patted Zhuge Rizhao’s shoulder and smiled faintly, “Ninety-ninth brother! You think such a small trick can fool me? Go and Cultivate for a few more centuries!”

“You…”