"Don't worry, these people are all members of our mine protection team."

It was obvious that the Jade Store boss noticed the fleeting worry on Xia Xiaodie's face. He walked over with a smile and began to explain.

"There is more than one jade mine around here, as you can imagine. People die for wealth just as birds die for food. To seize the mine, they will do anything."

"The main purpose of these people under me is for self-protection."

Whether the boss was trying to deceive him or telling the truth, Xu Fan didn't bother thinking about it.

After all, relying on just these people to try to rob and murder him was simply not enough.

"Boss Su, you're overthinking. Let's go inside."

Xu Fan pointed towards the gate and intended to go in to check the specific situation of the mining area.

"Alright, follow me."

Xu Fan's straightforwardness pleased the boss, who smiled and led the two inside the gate.

This mining area radiated houses from the center of the mine.

Most were used for employee accommodation, and quickly, under the guidance of the Jade Store boss, Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie were led into a house.

"Look here, these baskets are all filled with the ore we've recently harvested."

The house, apart from simple furniture, was filled with numerous baskets.

Each basket contained ore.

From the cross-sections, the jade inside was all of the types the Jade Store boss had shown before.

This made Xia Xiaodie let out a sigh of relief.

So far, the boss had been honestly introducing the jade. It seemed that her previous worries were unfounded.

Relieved, Xia Xiaodie began to carefully observe the jade in the baskets.

Indeed, it was top-grade jade, all meeting her standards.

"Hehe, it looks like beautiful lady here is satisfied with my goods. How about we discuss the contract now?"

"Hm, about that..."

Just as she was about to ask the boss to show the contract for her to review, Xu Fan suddenly reached out and pulled her aside.

"Uh, young man, do you still have any doubts?"

"Rest assured, I guarantee that all the goods I provide will come from this mine, I stake my reputation on it!"

The boss avowed confidently, and Xu Fan, squinting his eyes, smiled, "Boss, why the rush to sign the contract?"

"We can discuss the contract later. For now..."

Xu Fan paused, his eyes shifting away from the boss's fleeting impatience.

"Boss, why don't you take us to see the mine pit?"

"This... there's nothing much to see."

Unexpectedly, Xu Fan made such a request, which left the boss a bit embarrassed.

"Brother, there's no need for this."

"What's there to see in extracting jade? Besides, the goods here already speak for themselves, don't they?"

The boss pointed at the ore in the baskets in the room, but Xu Fan just smiled.

"Boss, it's prudent to be cautious when doing business."

"Or is the jade from your mine not up to standard?"

"You!"

The boss, feeling offended by Xu Fan's suspicion, glared at him.

"Young man, if you don't believe me, then come with me."

With that, the boss headed straight out of the house.

"Xu Fan, is there something wrong with this guy?"

Vaguely sensing the boss's unease, Xia Xiaodie anxiously asked Xu Fan.

"Hard to say. Let's follow and see."

Xu Fan smiled faintly, without a trace of tension, which made Xia Xiaodie want to cry.

This guy seems too carefree...

They were on the boss's turf, and if he had any ill intentions, there would be no way out.

"Alright..."

Reluctantly, Xia Xiaodie followed Xu Fan, praying in her heart.

Hoping that the boss wasn't a bad person.

Exiting the house, Xu Fan followed the boss outside.

After a short walk, they arrived at the mine pit.

Here, they could see laborers in work clothes, with several mine protection team members guarding nearby.

"So this is it..."

Arriving at the mine pit, Xia Xiaodie let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed the boss genuinely wanted to show them the jade, but the scene left her puzzled.

The laborers were mostly excavating raw stones, the quality of the visible jade was poor compared to what they saw in the house.

The stark difference made Xia Xiaodie uncomfortable. She looked at the boss and asked.

"Boss, what's happening here?"

The boss, previously defiant, seemed to have planned to show them the same quality jade as in the house.

Now blatantly showing inferior goods, what was he up to...

"Hmph, to be honest, the jade quality from my mine is just like this."

"But luckily, there are merchants like you from out of town, supporting me."

The boss had decided to rip off the mask.

He sneered, his eyes shifting to the sides.

Clearly, scamming outsiders was not new to him.

At his signal, the mine protection team members surrounded them.

Their intimidating presence suggested they would attack at the boss's command.

"Hmph, I forgot to tell you, my mine protection team primarily guards the mine and secondly deals with people like you."

Had the contract been signed earlier, there wouldn't be so much trouble. The boss coldly stated, eyeing Xu Fan.

If it weren't for Xu Fan, the girl would have already signed the contract.

"Young man, words can bring trouble. You don't seem to understand this yet, do you?"

"Initially, you could have lost some money and I would have spared you, but why do you insist on courting death?"

Signing the contract might not get those top-grade jade, but it would compensate with the inferior jade, right?

The boss couldn't understand why these people insisted on risking their lives.

Given their earlier demeanor, the boss assumed they were quite wealthy. Squinting, he pondered how best to extort from them!

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