Huo Sining was taken aback, for when they arrived at this warehouse, no one had spoken a word, nor had they intentionally made any loud noises. Furthermore, the elder in front of her hadn't even opened his eyes, yet he accurately identified the newcomer as Badasang. How remarkable was that? "Grandpa Hou, I've come to see you. I heard you were back, so I came by to visit. Oh, and today, I wanted to introduce someone to you." Badasang turned around and pointed to Huo Sining: "This here is Huo Sining, Miss Huo, who came all the way from Huaxia Country exclusively to attend this Yangon Public Plate. Miss Huo is quite talented in jade gambling, so I brought her here for you to meet." After saying this, Badasang was somewhat anxious, staring intently at Mr. Hou's expression, fearing he might show even a hint of displeasure. Fortunately, after listening to him, the elder's smile didn't fade and remained as subtle as ever. Badasang let out a sigh of relief and continued, "Miss Huo achieved commendable results at the Huaxia Country's jade gambling public plates in the past two years. Didn't you hear last time that someone bought a piece of granite waste in Ruili and ended up cutting out seven Jade Heaven Beads? Those seven beads were cut out by Miss Huo." Hearing this, Mr. Hou finally seemed moved, slowly opening his eyes to look in Huo Sining's direction. Huo Sining's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The eyes of the elder that opened in front of her were completely white, with no visible black pupils! Huo Sining was immensely shocked, even feeling a chill running down her spine. Seeing such odd eyes made her scalp tingle. Although Badasang had previously told her that Mr. Hou was blind, she hadn't expected it to be so terrifying. However, seeing Badasang's calm demeanor suggested he was not unfamiliar with such a scene. More than twenty years ago, in China's unique environment, so-called jade gambling was regarded like gambling and was completely disrespected. Because of the domestic crackdown on jade gambling, many gamble experts moved to within Myanmar's borders. Ma Changsheng and Mr. Hou were among the famous experts within the country. Because their jade gambling records were off the charts, whenever these two appeared at an event, there was bound to be a jadeite upsurge, causing a huge sensation at the time, and they were even respectfully called "The Great Houma" by Myanmar stone merchants. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Mr. Hou's eyes were completely destroyed in an accident, which was an almost devastating blow for a jade gambling expert. Mr. Hou fell into despair and gradually faded from people's sight, while Ma Changsheng made an even bigger name for himself, eventually becoming the famed Jade Gambling King. Nowadays, few know Mr. Hou's name, and naturally, even fewer know what kind of exceptional skills he has attained in his over thirty years of blindness. Despite his blindness, Mr. Hou became even more skilled in jade gambling. With exceptional hearing, Mr. Hou didn't need to use his eyes; any rough stone only required him to tap and listen to the sound emitted by the stone. Through the subtle changes in sound, he could judge the rough stone's internal condition. Due to this unique ability, Mr. Hou became a guest of honor to the Bada Family over the past few decades and was the most respected jade gambling expert by the Bada Family. Badasang held deep feelings for Mr. Hou, having grown up on this street, and Mr. Hou taught him both knowledge and life lessons. His only regret was that over the years, Mr. Hou's health was deteriorating. Also, due to his eye condition, Mr. Hou was unable to gamble on jade mines; otherwise, Badasang wouldn't be treating Huo Sining with such enthusiasm. Even though he wasn't sure if Huo Sining could successfully gamble on a new mine, he wasn't willing to give up even a sliver of hope. Badasang whispered these circumstances to Huo Sining, and the astonishment on her face grew more intense as she looked at the elder with increasing admiration. If it weren't for having the Heavenly Eye to see through, Huo Sining wouldn't dare to gamble on stones at all. Now, hearing Badasang say that Mr. Hou actually gambled on stones with his ears was unbelievable! Gambling on jadeite through sound was unheard of! Even a person who could recognize all the surface features of rough stones with their eyes might not achieve a ninety percent success rate, let alone someone who could only use their ears without seeing. Such a thing was unimaginable to Huo Sining. Because of this, the courage and endurance of the elder before her were truly awe-inspiring. While Badasang was whispering to Huo Sining, the elder remained quiet, still lying on the reclining chair with his eyes closed, a serene and peaceful expression on his face. It wasn't until Badasang finished speaking that he said: "Badasang, you know my rules. Over there is the warehouse; take her there." Rules? What rules? A look of confusion appeared on Huo Sining and her companions' faces. Badasang hadn't expected Mr. Hou to be as stubborn and aloof as before. Yet Badasang had no choice in the matter; out of deep respect for Mr. Hou, he dared not object to the elder's request, so he forced an awkward smile at Huo Sining, nodded to the elder, and said: "I understand. I'll take Miss Huo to the warehouse first." Huo Sining didn't know what kind of game these two were playing, but with Badasang saying such, she kept quiet and followed him to a warehouse not far from Mr. Hou's rattan chair. There was no lighting in the warehouse, and they could barely make out that it was filled with piles of rough stones. At that moment, Huo Sining felt a bit muddled and didn't understand Badasang's intention in bringing her here. "Miss Huo, this is Mr. Hou's private warehouse, filled with rough stones he's collected over the years, mostly construction-grade material." Badasang pointed to the rough stones inside the warehouse and said to Huo Sining with a smile, "If Miss Huo can pick out a rough stone from these construction-grade materials and successfully cut it open, as per our Bada Family's rules, you can freely choose three rough stones from our new goods warehouse and take them away." Badasang said with a smile to Huo Sining. Upon hearing this, Huo Sining was overjoyed and was about to speak, but Badasang gave her a meaningful look and said, "But there is one condition." Huo Sining paused and instinctively looked up at Badasang, her eyes revealing a hint of caution. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world! Seeing the nervousness and doubt in Huo Sining's eyes, Badasang couldn't help but twitch his lips and pointed to a plaque at Huo Sining's feet: "No Color Viewing Under the Lamp, that's the rule set by Mr. Hou. You can't use light, flashlights, or magnifying glasses to select rough stones in this warehouse. Selection relies solely on the five senses: hearing, touch, and others. Whether you can succeed depends entirely on Miss Huo's abilities!"
