At the Caohe Jade Trading Market.
Mei Li had arrived early. He was a sensitive man by nature, and ever since someone eavesdropped on his phone call with Old Sun yesterday, he hadn’t slept a wink. He was consumed by an inner fire of anxiety, terrified that today’s deal would go south.
However, he could not tell Old Sun about this. If he did, that old fox would surely find a way to suppress the price even further. Thus, Mei Li could only wait anxiously for Old Sun’s arrival while wandering aimlessly through the market.
“Boss Mei! Back for some stone gambling today?” A stall owner in his forties greeted Mei Li with a beaming smile. “I just got a new batch from an old mine in Burma. Care to take a look?”
“Oh?” The mention of Burma piqued Mei Li’s interest slightly. He bypassed the pieces that already had “windows”, small polished areas showing the jade inside and instead used his own flashlight to inspect the unwashed raw stones still covered in mud.
“Aha, Boss Mei still looks down on the windowed pieces as usual. How about it? Want to try your luck?”
“Fine, Old Du. Cut this one open for me.”
After fifty thousand yuan was transferred, Old Du smilingly placed the raw stone into the cutting machine. As he turned around, he noticed a handsome young man frowning while touching his stones.
With a quick roll of his eyes, Old Du spoke up cheerfully, “Young man, is this your first time here?”
The newcomer was Wen Zui. He nodded and continued tapping and poking at the pile of stones one by one. His movements were entirely those of an amateur, as if he were picking out watermelons at a vegetable market.
Mei Li’s brow furrowed. Instinct told him that this kid’s build looked somewhat like the little thief who had sprinted out of his office yesterday. But after looking the boy up and down and seeing his pants were a bit too short and his demeanor was somewhat dim-witted, he shook his head. He mocked himself internally for being far too tense.
“Boss, let’s cut this black one! I read online that black stones have higher explosive potential.”
Upon hearing this, Old Du’s small mustache twitched as he joyfully presented the payment QR code to Wen Zui.
“No problem! Young man, you really have a good eye. It is cash on delivery, alright?”
Wen Zui cheerfully paid thirteen thousand yuan, playing the “more money than brains” persona to the hilt, though his heart was bleeding.
“Yun Qi! This is all my hard-earned money! You have to reimburse me!”
“Oh? Silly disciple, did this money not end up in your pocket because of me in the first place?”
“I do not care about that! If I lose the gamble, you must pay me back!”
Yun Qi’s golden pupils instantly constricted into thin slits. His sharp fangs, cold as jade, glided across Wen Zui’s wrist.
“Uh, Master, you are a great snake who shouldn’t hold a grudge against a small person like me. Hehe, hahaha.”
Wen Zui followed Old Du to the side, watching with his own eyes as the man clamped the stone into the cutting machine, acting as if he were terrified the stone would be swapped.
“Your stone is quite small, young man. It will only take two minutes. Just a moment.”
Old Du squinted his wrinkled eyes, his face as warm as a spring breeze. Pocketing nearly a hundred thousand yuan first thing in the morning made it a very good day indeed!
Before long, Wen Zui’s stone was cut. The black exterior revealed only a white marble-like texture inside. The color was a dead, flat white, and it was riddled with cracks. It was clearly worthless.
“This, how can this be! I followed the online tutorial exactly!” Wen Zui sighed loudly, hugging his “marble” with a look of despair.
“Do not be sad. Stone gambling is like this; you win some and you lose some. Why not try another one?” Old Du smilingly patted Wen Zui’s shoulder and led him back to the stall. Pointing at a piece on the table that looked translucent and glue-like, he said, “Young man, I do not want to earn dishonest money. I will sell you this one cheap! Eighteen thousand, how about it?”
“But,” Wen Zui was still hesitating when the larger cutting machine nearby stopped working. Old Du hurried over, took out the cut material, and placed it in front of Mei Li.
“Boss Mei! Your luck is truly incredible! Such a large piece of icy, watery material. You could make several top-quality ‘Wushi’ pendants from this! You could profit at least two hundred thousand!”
Mei Li’s lips curled up slightly. This sort of thing happened often, so it did not stir much of a ripple in his heart.
Seeing that Mei Li had opened such a good piece, Wen Zui’s wavering heart immediately leaned back toward the raw stones. However, he had learned his lesson this time and chose a piece with a “window.”
“Boss, I still want to try something challenging. This material looks good to me. The light penetrates it so clearly. This is the one!”
Wen Zui was impassioned and acted very convincingly. Unfortunately, since he had borrowed Yun Qi’s spiritual power, he could clearly see that the jade he had chosen only had a piece of good material the size of a fingernail.
It hurts, Wen Zui thought, stealing a glance at Mei Li. As expected, he caught a flash of disdain on the man’s face.
“Fine, buy whatever you like, young man.” Old Du chuckled, placed the chosen jade into the cutting machine, and signaled for him to scan the code.
“Old Du, keep this stone for me. I will pick it up when you close your stall.” Mei Li had lost interest in the stones at Old Du’s stall and began to wander off on his own.
However, before he could get far, he heard the young man’s cry of pain again: “How is it such a small piece! The rest is all marble?!”
His voice was so loud and clear that the entire market went silent for a second before becoming noisy again.
“Look, another greenhorn. Look at that loser, hahahaha!”
“He does not look like he has money. He probably read too many novels and thought he could turn a small stake into a fortune. Hilarious!”
“Exactly! Now look at him. Several years of savings gone just like that.”
“Sigh! Why does a sucker like that never come to my stall!”
…
Mei Li curled his lips mockingly at the comments and turned his attention back to the raw stones in front of him.
“Boss Mei, have you been waiting long? You should have notified me earlier!” A man about fifty years old, wearing a yellow robe and a pair of mismatched sunglasses on his festive round face, smilingly patted Mei Li’s shoulder.
“Not at all! Old Sun, how about we have a round of gambling first?” A subtle light flickered in Mei Li’s eyes as he plotted secretly. Having lost to Old Sun last time, he was determined to win back his pride no matter what.
That thief from yesterday must be scared out of his wits. How could he possibly come here to cause trouble?
“Sure, no problem. Boss Mei is still thinking about last time, I see. I will give you a chance today.” Old Sun’s words were barbed, yet he maintained a smiling face.
Mei Li’s expression stiffened. He grit his teeth and began to select a raw stone with great care.
For a moment, everyone present was drawn in by the bet between the two men. Whether they were busy or idle, people crowded around them in a circle, their faces filled with anticipation and a desire to see a good show.
Before long, the two men had each chosen a stone and began exchanging polite, knife-edged pleasantries.
“Boss Mei is going to lose.” Wen Zui idly stroked the scales on Yun Qi’s tail, feeling the icy, jade-like sensation. He could not help but wonder if he could peel off a few scales to sell for money.
Yun Qi’s body stiffened at the touch. He gave Wen Zui a light nip, then crawled from his wrist to his shoulder, flicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Do not touch me randomly, or I will bite you.”
Wen Zui was stunned by the threat. He did not understand why this moody snake was angry again. The stray cats he used to pick up loved having their tails stroked.
Unable to figure it out, Wen Zui could only chuckle awkwardly, deciding he would go back and do a thorough search on his phone later.
“Heavens! It is emerald green!”
“Old Sun’s luck is absolutely incredible!”
“It seems Boss Sun is still the superior one. Boss Mei’s eye for detail still needs more practice.”
Hearing the earful of praise, Boss Sun proudly adjusted his sunglasses and said with hidden smugness, “Old Mei, my apologies. It seems I have won another round.”
Mei Li felt miserable and was about to respond when a strange yet familiar voice suddenly cut in.
“Big brother! You are way too amazing! I thought Boss Mei was impressive just now, but it seems he cannot compare to you at all. Could you teach me how to look at raw stones?”
Wen Zui was grinning as he leaned toward Boss Sun with a flattering expression.
“Oh?” Boss Sun and Mei Li were already at odds despite their polite surface. Hearing Wen Zui’s words made him feel even better, and he instinctively felt a liking for this sudden handsome young man.
On the other side, Mei Li was so angry his teeth were about to fall out. He glared at Wen Zui and could not help but spit out insults: “What does an outsider like you know? Were the tens of thousands you just lost not enough? I suggest you leave the stone gambling industry before you lose your parents’ life savings. How embarrassing!”
“Oh, Boss Mei, who has not been a green youth at some point? We should be a bit more tolerant of young people.” Boss Sun mockingly countered Mei Li, then turned to look at Wen Zui.
He randomly picked a stone from the many jades in front of him and said with a smile, “Young man, look here. Does the skin of this raw stone feel much finer than the others? Like sand?”
“In our jargon, we say ‘coarse sand means coarse glaze, fine sand means fine glaze.’ This is the first step: looking at the skin.” He then pressed a flashlight against the raw stone. The light immediately penetrated the interior of the jade, making the entire piece glow with a hazy, translucent light.
“When the light passes through like this, it means the ‘water’ is good.”
“Aha, Old Sun, are you really going to take an apprentice? You are not even picky. This kind of person is clearly poor; what is the use of teaching him? He cannot even afford a decent raw stone. Hilarious.” Seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the two, Mei Li was so angry his mustache stood on end, and he opened his mouth to mock them again.
“Oh? Boss Mei, why don’t we have a bet? We will bet on who can find the most valuable piece of emerald raw stone in this entire market!” Wen Zui had been waiting for this chance and immediately seized the opening.
“Bet with you? Hahahaha!” Mei Li doubled over with laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, while Wen Zui simply kept smiling at him.
“Yun Qi, can you beat him up for me!” Wen Zui was furiously pummeling Boss Mei in his mind, yet he had to maintain his smile.
“Once you get the elixir, you will be able to cultivate. Where will you find the time to beat him?” Yun Qi smiled and comforted him, licking his collarbone.
Wen Zui calmed down slightly and looked at Mei Li again. “Boss Mei, are you afraid?”
“Little brat, do you even have the money to buy a raw stone? Do not waste my time here.” Mei Li’s eyes were full of disdain, as if he did not even want to look at Wen Zui.
“I will pay for him!”