Xue Huan couldn't understand what this person was trying to do.

Was he afraid she'd tell his secret, so he came to keep an eye on her? But there was no need for him to come in person, right?

She now regretted why she had such a rash thought yesterday and wanted to take off his mask to see what he really looked like.

Now, I didn’t see his true face, but I was entangled by him.

"I just finished my work and came out for a walk to relax. Who would have thought that I would meet Miss Zhao by chance? It seems that we are destined to be together."

Xue Huan: I’m afraid it’s a bad fate.

Although I don't sense any malice from this person, it's not a good thing to be followed by him all the time.

There was a fried meatball stall not far away. She was moved and walked over, "Boss, give me three skewers of meatballs, one skewers of fish balls and two skewers of meatballs."

"Okay."

Xue Huan got the meatballs and was about to pay when Huo Kang took the initiative to pay.

But when he turned around, the person who had just stood next to him was gone.

Huo Kang was not surprised, and even a smile appeared in his eyes. It would be strange if she really let him follow her obediently and did nothing.

At the corner of the street, Xue Huan was chewing a meatball with relish, looking at the man she had left behind from afar, with a smug smile, "Hmph, let's see how you can follow me this time!"

When I turned around, the man who was originally far away was already standing in front of me!

Xue Huan almost choked, "You——"

Huo Kang patted her back, as if she had never left him. "Miss Zhao, what else would you like to eat?"

It seemed that this person had made up his mind to follow her.

Forget it, if he wants to follow, then let him follow. She will just try to ignore him.

Xue Huan ignored him and changed direction.

Huo Kang put one hand behind his back and followed her leisurely.

Like a dutiful husband who accompanies his wife shopping.

Xue Huan said she ignored Huo Kang, but in fact she couldn't do it at all, because this man had a strong presence and was particularly good at making his presence felt. Sometimes he would remind her to watch her step, and sometimes he would help her avoid the children who were rushing towards her. He would buy anything she looked at for a second, without asking the price.

It's like being possessed by a domineering boss.

However, Xue Huan was not moved at all by his tactics. Humph, I am not that kind of ignorant little girl. I can do it myself, so there is no need for you to show your kindness to me.

After shopping for a whole day and buying a lot of local specialties, Xue Huan finally returned home satisfied.

Huo Kang also followed her back to the inn.

Xue Huan glanced at him sideways, "Mr. Huo, do you really want to follow me in?"

Huo Kang curled his lips and said, "That's not the case. I just happen to live here."

Haha, that’s such a coincidence.

After the Jade Festival, the much-anticipated Jade Gambling Conference will begin.

The gambling stone conference is well-known to everyone in Yujing City, and even many people from other places come to participate.

Xue Huan felt that if she participated, it would be bullying, so she did not sign up, but she did not miss the excitement.

Moreover, Tang Yu and Zheng Feibai, whom she knew, were both contestants, so she had to go and cheer them on.

The gambling stone conference is hosted by the Jade Chamber of Commerce in Yujing City. Every person who signs up to participate has to pay a registration fee of ten taels of silver. The Chamber of Commerce can make a lot of money from this item alone.

As for the jade rough materials used in the competition, they are all sponsored free of charge by various shops. Logically speaking, since it is sponsored free of charge, it is tantamount to spending money in vain for the shops, but there are still countless shops scrambling for this sponsorship quota. Why?

If you can get a sponsorship spot, it is equivalent to promoting your shop for free, and the customer traffic brought in at that time will definitely be able to earn back the sponsorship fee.

Xue Huan and Tang Yu went to the competition venue together.

She thought Huo Kang would follow, but he didn't show up.

While she breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt a sense of loss in her heart.

Did she actually want him to follow her? Ah, this is definitely not her, she is not such a hypocritical woman!

The competition venue was set up in the square in front of the Jade Temple. In the center of the square, a series of ventilated sheds were erected. Each shed represented a business, with a shop sign hanging outside. Inside the sheds, many raw materials were placed.

Outside the square, there were huge crowds of people, crowded in circles, all coming to watch the fun.

The seats in the restaurants and teahouses along the street were already taken up early, and some people even climbed up trees to look down.

In order to prevent the spectators from disturbing the contestants, a wooden fence about one person high was set up around the square. There were also government officials inside the fence to maintain order to prevent anyone from running into the venue to cause trouble.

The contestants met on the other side.

There is a row of tables on the north side of the square, and each table has a nameplate engraved with it. These are for the judges to sit on.

The official competition has not started yet, so none of the heavyweights have appeared.

In a corner of the square, under a big tree, the organizers were sitting behind a table, and next to them stood a sign that said "Registration Office".

You can register before the competition starts.

After all, every time one more person signs up, you can earn an extra ten taels of silver.

"Hurry up if you want to register! The competition will start in a quarter of an hour!"

"All jadeite won by contestants during the competition will belong to the contestants!"

"Opportunities are rare, so everyone should seize them!"

Xue Huan, who was originally planning to find a good spot to watch the game, paused when she heard this.

Do all the jadeite that contestants win by gambling during the competition belong to the contestants?

There is this one?

Xue Huan had to admit that she was shamefully moved.

Just now she subconsciously scanned the area with her spiritual sense and discovered several pieces of top-quality jadeite!

Xue Huan walked over and took out ten taels of silver, "I want to sign up."

"Okay, this is your number plate, please hold it!" The person who registered handed over a wooden plate engraved with a number. That number was her code name in the competition.

After all, there were too many people, and who could possibly remember all their names? Besides, the first match was essentially an elimination round, and most people would be eliminated, so even if you remembered their names, it would be useless.

The real competition will be the rematch in the afternoon.

Xue Huan took the wooden sign, which read "981" on it.

She was number 981, and it seemed that there were nearly a thousand people participating in this race.

Xue Huan took the wooden sign and went to the southeast corner, which was the entrance and all the contestants were waiting here.

"Dong——" A long bell sound spread out, and the originally noisy square became quiet.

Everyone looked in a certain direction and saw a group of people slowly walking towards them.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a round face. He was wearing a green official robe embroidered with white cranes and a glass ornament around his waist.

This person is Liu Biliang, the county magistrate of Yujing City.

The people behind him were elders of the Jade Chamber of Commerce, all of whom were over forty years old.

The county magistrate and five elders formed the jury for this gambling stone conference.