For this round, there were no specific requirements regarding the mine origin, skin type, or quantity. Both parties simply needed to select one stone each, and the winner would be determined by whose base quality was superior.
Manager Yu chose a stone from the Naqi mine with a yellow-orange skin. He had actually set his sights on this one during the previous round. After looking around again during the allotted time, he ultimately decided to stick with it.
His twenty-plus years of experience were no empty boast; he knew the characteristics of every mine like the back of his hand. Naqi produced fewer stones compared to other sites precisely because it was an old mine that had been heavily excavated over the years. Stones from such old veins were inherently mature and of high quality.
The two most important factors for judging the base were cleanliness and fineness. The former meant freedom from impurities, while the latter required the jade to be sufficiently mature and aged. Clarity and transparency were actually secondary considerations. As long as he could get a clean, old waxy variety, he would almost certainly win.
Manager Yu was about fifty percent confident. Once inside the cutting room, he immediately went to inspect Jiang Ci’s selection. However, she had chosen a rugged mountain stone with an extremely thick skin, making it impossible to judge the interior from the surface.
He stared at it but couldn’t make heads or tails of it, inwardly scoffing: Is this girl just picking blindly because she knows she’s going to lose? What can you possibly see here? Even an immortal couldn’t tell what’s inside!
What he didn’t know was that Jiang Ci was also fifty percent confident, but her certainty lay in areas completely opposite to his. She was absolutely sure that her jade was perfectly clean, but she couldn’t be certain how mature or aged it was.
After a short break, the cutters picked up their tools and went back to work.
Jiang Ci stood with her arms crossed, frowning slightly, looking somewhat troubled.
Seeing this, Manager Yu smiled smugly, “Boss Jiang, looking so glum already in the third round? If I were you, I’d just admit defeat now. Better to get it over with.”
Jiang Ci lifted her eyes and glanced at him, “Manager Yu, have you ever heard the saying, ‘It is lonely at the top’? I’m frowning because I’m wondering if I should go easy on you elders. After all, it would look quite unsightly for someone your age to have to kneel and kowtow to me.”
“You… you’re dreaming!”
Failing to get the upper hand, Manager Yu shot her a glare and walked away.
Outside the door, Old Master Ge muttered, “Another mountain stone…”
Hearing this, Qin Yanchi shifted his gaze from the stone to Jiang Ci’s face. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt she wasn’t nervous at all. Even though she had looked relaxed in the second round, tossing stones around, it wasn’t quite like this—she looked completely unbothered, as if victory was already hers.
In fact, his intuition was correct. Although Jiang Ci couldn’t judge the mine origin or maturity, she could clearly see the flaws inside Manager Yu’s stone. There were distinct cloudy inclusions floating within it. Just for that reason alone, she couldn’t lose.
As soon as Manager Yu’s stone was cut open, Jiang Ci looked over immediately.
“It’s an old waxy variety! The texture is very fine!”
“Unfortunately, those cotton spots ruin it. A flaw in an otherwise perfect gem.”
Manager Yu let out a heavy sigh at the sight of the jade.
Just then, Jiang Ci’s stone was also fully sliced in half. The moment the interior was revealed, everyone froze.
“It’s Black Jade! How unlucky! How are we supposed to judge the quality when it’s pitch black?”
Even Jiang Ci was stunned.
How could this be… I clearly saw green inside—
Then it suddenly clicked. Black Jade wasn’t actually black; it was an incredibly intense shade of green. Under strong light, it would reveal its true emerald color. She had been worried that pulling out another Imperial Green would raise suspicion, but this was just Black Jade…
She made a mental note to be more careful in the future. In this era, Black Jade was as worthless as clear jade, and even harder to sell. If she ever bet big money expecting Imperial Green and ended up with hundreds of pounds of this, she’d be ruined!
One of the masters stood up and said, “This needs to be cut into smaller slices and taken outside to see. Otherwise, we cannot judge its cleanliness.”
The cutters went back to work, slicing the stone into slabs every half an inch. They splashed water on the pieces and held them up for everyone to see.
“The color is uniform. The base seems decent.”
The cutter carried the slabs outside and held them directly against the sunlight. The light passed through, casting deep green shadows onto the ground and the people watching.
“They’re all translucent! It’s like looking through foreign sunglasses!”
“This is way cleaner than Manager Yu’s stone, as clear as glass! I never knew you could see the quality of Black Jade like this!”
The crowd poured out of the hall to inspect the slabs before following the masters back inside. The experts pulled out their magnifying glasses and leaned over the table to carefully examine the fineness of the grain.
After a long while, they looked at each other and announced, “The old waxy variety has excellent texture but is slightly marred by impurities. The Black Jade, while younger in structure, is completely flawless and clean. Therefore, the two stones are equal. This round is a draw.”
Both sides let out a sigh of relief, though there was also a sense of dissatisfaction.
Three rounds down: one win, one loss, one draw. They would have to play all five rounds. The worst case would be another split decision, resulting in an overall tie, making this whole grand event pointless.
The spectators were even more anxious than the participants.
“Don’t let it be a draw! I placed a bet on the overall winner! Should’ve bet on individual rounds! People must have made a fortune on the first round!”
“Who stops after winning one? They probably lost it all in the second! I heard very few people bet on a draw. If it ends tied, those guys will make a killing!”
“Killing my foot! It all goes to the houses!”
Amidst the complaints, the fourth stick of incense was lit.
Zeng Juemi watched Jiang Ci and murmured, “A draw isn’t bad actually. For an established brand like Jubao Zhai to tie with a nobody shop, they’re the ones losing face.”
“How can you say that?” Qin Yange shot him a look. “In my book, this isn’t over until that Liao fellow is on his knees!”
Hearing this, Liao Junfeng sneered and said loudly, “Miss Qin, don’t speak too soon! She is just a child. Asking elders to kneel to her—aren’t you afraid it will shorten her life?”
“Elder? What kind of elder are you? You’re so distantly related you might as well not be. If you showed up at my brother’s door, the servants would probably think you’re just another beggar looking for a handout!”
“You!” Liao Junfeng slammed his hand on the armrest, eyes narrowing. “Qin Yange, watch your tongue! I was actually willing to waive the kowtow out of respect for our family ties. But now that you’ve insulted me, she will pay for your words!”
At that moment, Jiang Ci walked over carrying a stone and smiled, “Save those empty, hypocritical words for when you actually win, Mr. Liao. Boasting about mercy before you’ve even won a decisive victory—asking for luck from the heavens before the battle is even over—aren’t you ashamed?”
Liao Junfeng’s face darkened. He glared at her, tapping his foot irritably. “Instead of wasting breath, you’d better choose your stone carefully. Betting on the ‘Haze’ is even harder than betting on color, you know.”
“Is that so? I’m not so sure.” Jiang Ci turned and handed her selection to the attendant. “I’m done. This is the one.”
She had chosen a stone with smooth yellow-white skin, but it lacked the usual waxy polish and looked rather dry.
Old Master Ge frowned slightly, looking puzzled.
Zeng Juemi moved a few steps away from Liao Junfeng and asked quietly, “Another mountain stone?”
“No,” Ge shook his head. “It’s a mountain-river stone. But like mountain stones, they rarely have weathered patches. You can’t tell the color of the haze from the surface. If she’d chosen a water stone, there might be tiny exposed areas to give a clue.”
He could only speculate, “Perhaps she’s betting that the quality is very old. The older the jade, the finer the haze layer.”
Qin Yanchi looked thoughtful. That seemed contradictory. So far, only two old waxy stones had appeared, both water stones chosen by Manager Yu. Jiang Ci’s last stone was a mountain stone and was judged as younger, resulting in a draw. If she wanted old quality, she should pick water stones.
Though not an expert, Qin Yanchi had visited the grounds often enough to know that mountain stones were notoriously unpredictable. High risk meant high uncertainty.
He looked at Jiang Ci with curiosity. To be so calm facing such uncertainty, there were only two possibilities: either she could afford to lose, or she was absolutely certain.
“What are you daydreaming about? I called you twice.” Zeng Juemi nudged him.
Qin Yanchi came back to his senses, “If you were fighting this bet and you lost, what would you do?”
“Me? I’d never accept the bet in the first place. If Liao Junfeng dared to provoke the Lu family like this, he’d be dead by morning!”
Qin Yange sighed, “The truth is, Liao only dares to bully the Main Branch. If this were the Second or Third Branch, he’d never dare demand someone kneel, no matter how big his mouth is.”
Standing nearby with their backs turned, Qin Huai’an and Qin Huainan heard every word. Their expressions darkened immediately.
Huai’an’s friend tried to smooth things over, “This stone betting is really interesting. I should buy some to play with sometime!”
But Huainan didn’t catch the hint. She looked upset, “Brother, if Sister-in-Law hadn’t married into our family, would the Liaos have left her alone?”
Her friend shuddered and quickly said, “Not necessarily! I heard that when she cut that Dragon Stone, no one even knew who she was! Manager Yu still tried to have that addict crash her car anyway. What’s meant to be will find you!”
Huainan felt slightly better. When she looked up again, she saw her brother had somehow walked over to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci was confused. Qin Huai’an had appeared out of nowhere and was signaling her to come over. Not knowing what he was up to, she walked aside as the incense continued to burn.
“Jiang Ci, our family has dragged you into this. I…” He looked determined, frowning as if making a huge decision. “I don’t want to owe you. I can take the punishment for you.”
Jiang Ci looked him up and down several times until he started to feel uncomfortable. “You want to take those kowtows for me? Qin Huai’an, I’ve fought three hard rounds and victory is within reach. Why would I hand it over to you? You must be dreaming!”
He was exasperated and amused at the same time. “You are that confident you’ll win?”
“Of course,” she said matter-of-factly. “I never intended to lose from the start.”
“Do you really think things go exactly as you plan? If it happens—if you, a woman, have to kneel in public—can you really do it?” He sighed. “I will talk to Father and negotiate. Even Liao Junfeng can’t push people to the brink.”
“You sound so sure I’m going to fail.”
Jiang Ci thought about how worried her in-laws were at home, her eyes glinting mischievously. “How about we make a bet? If I lose, you can ask me for anything. If I win, you have to do one thing for me. Deal?”
“What if I ask for a divorce?”
“If you win the bet, I will accept it gracefully.” She raised an eyebrow. “So? Do we have a deal?”
Qin Huai’an calculated that this was actually a good strategy. If she lost, he could save her, they’d be even, and then he could ask for a divorce and she’d have no grounds to refuse.
“Fine. It’s a bet.”
Just then, the incense burned out. Jiang Ci nodded and walked past him toward the cutting room.
Inside, Manager Yu looked grave. This round was crucial. If he won, the worst outcome was an overall draw and no losses. But if he lost…
He looked up and met Liao Junfeng’s eyes, which held a clear warning.
The cutting began. Everyone watched intently, desperate for a result.
Manager Yu’s water stone had a thin skin. They simply polished the surface until the haze layer was exposed.
“It’s white haze. Looks very clean.”
“No color showing through, so it’s probably clear jade. They say the thinner the haze, the finer the base. Now we just need to see how deep it goes.”
“I wonder what the other one looks like. That mountain-river stone is risky. If the base is coarse, the haze will be thick as a wall.”
“Even gods can’t judge an inch of jade. Who knows…”
Then the cutter stopped working on Manager Yu’s stone. Everyone leaned in to see that a window had been opened, revealing a pale green jade inside.
It was a waxy variety known as Clear Water. Named for resembling the color of a lake under a clear sky, it was a very light green that was often difficult to discern through the haze layer. But once the window was open, the color was unmistakable.
“What an incredibly thin haze! It’s barely thicker than an eggshell!”
“For the other stone to be better than this… that would be harder than climbing to the heavens!”
This result made Manager Yu heave a huge sigh of relief. He pulled a corner of his handkerchief from his sleeve and surreptitiously wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked at Jiang Ci with an air of anticipation, ready to watch her fail.
Unexpectedly, he saw no sign of panic on her face. Instead, she was looking up, seemingly peering at something outside the door.
Manager Yu followed her gaze, looking even more confused.
There was nothing there at all?
He looked back at Jiang Ci and saw her smiling slightly before lowering her head to examine her stone again.
All flash and no substance!
He scoffed inwardly, folding his arms and waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
A moment later, Jiang Ci’s stone was finally sawed open.
“This is…”
Manager Yu rushed to the table, his eyes wide as he picked up the stone to look. His heart instantly sank.
“How is this possible! What kind of coincidence is this!”
Those waiting outside heard his exclamation and grew even more curious. Several people squeezed through the door immediately.
The cutter quickly turned the stone around to display the jade towards the entrance, shouting, “Everyone can see! Stop pushing, stop pushing!”
“It’s yellow haze!”
“It’s Ice Variety with floating flowers and distinct coloration!”
One of the masters took his glasses from his lapel, put them on, and leaned in for a closer look. “The yellow haze has fully transformed into yellow jade. The haze and the jade have merged into one, with a color that is full and warm…”
The master glanced at Jiang Ci, then at the devastated Manager Yu, and understood everything immediately.
He stood up and announced, “In this round, the winner is Boss Jiang.”
“Jiang Ci won!” Qin Yange turned around excitedly, but didn’t see Zeng Juemi. She immediately asked, “Ninth Brother, where did Second Brother Zeng go?”
“He said he had something to take care of and left a while ago.”
“What could be so important that he had to leave right now?”
Qin Yanchi looked towards Jiang Ci thoughtfully. “Probably something important to prepare for the future.”
“Him? Preparing ahead? Don’t make me laugh!”
Just then, a young man dressed as an attendant rushed in from outside and whispered something into Liao Junfeng’s ear.
Liao Junfeng stood up abruptly, glaring furiously at Qin Yanchi. “Qin Yanchi! You are going too far!”
“Liao Junfeng, don’t try to twist the facts! When did Ninth Brother ever bully you?” Qin Yange retorted.
“Stop playing dumb! Second Brother Zeng has surrounded my Jubao Zhai with his men! Did you put him up to this?”
Qin Yanchi smiled calmly, though his thoughts confirmed his suspicions. “This is merely a precaution against dishonorable people. If Mr. Liao were a man of his word, why would you be so angry?”
Qin Yange finally caught on and sneered, “No wonder you’re biting people randomly! So you’re just afraid of losing and planning to sneak away with the jade from your shop!”
The crowd erupted into an uproar.
“I didn’t expect the Liao family to be such sore losers! Good thing Second Young Master Zeng was prepared!”
“Hey! Who wouldn’t feel the pain losing that much money? We’re talking millions of dollars worth of jade! If it were me, I’d probably want to hide the goods too!”
“He brought this on himself! He was the one who demanded a respectable lady kneel in public in the first place! Otherwise, why would the stakes be this high?”
“Exactly… now he can’t afford to play the game. Where was his pride earlier?”
The jeering from all sides brought Liao Junfeng back to his senses. His face, previously pale with anger, flushed bright red. He looked around and shouted harshly, though his heart wasn’t in it, “Who is spreading these lies? Jubao Zhai hasn’t lost yet!”
However, there were too many people. Those nearby might quiet down, but those further away continued to talk. It was impossible to shut everyone up.
Seeing this, Lu Fengchun’s subordinate hesitated and asked, “Fifth Master, should we…”
“Should we what? I partnered with him, not to clean up his messes.” Lu Fengchun kicked his subordinate lightly, sounding indifferent. “Go. Bet on Jiang Ci. Again.”
The subordinate could only nod and scurry off.
By this time, the final round was about to begin. Jiang Ci and Manager Yu walked out of the cutting room one after the other.
Manager Yu walked dejectedly to Liao Junfeng, his feet dragging as if stuck to the floor.
In front of so many people, Liao Junfeng couldn’t shout abuse. He simply lowered his voice, his face dark and full of hatred, “If you lose this one, pack your things and get out!”
Manager Yu shuddered, nodding repeatedly. His nerves were stretched taut as he went off to select his final stone.
“This round is betting on Cracks. You must choose stones that have cracks on the surface. Whoever selects a stone with fewer internal cracks and yields larger pieces of jade wins.”
Hearing Old Master Ge’s explanation, Qin Yange asked, “But how do you choose? Whether there are cracks inside doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the type, color, or base, does it?”
“Naturally, it still depends on experience and observation.”
Old Master Ge looked around and walked to a corner far away from Jiang Ci and Manager Yu. He picked up a few stones and pointed to one, “Look at this one. The fine lines on the surface are straight, meaning the cracks likely run straight down. This one has curved lines that run towards the edges, so the jade in the center is often intact. As for this one, covered in feather-like patterns, if it fails, you can’t even get a ring face out of it. We usually don’t buy those.”
“So the ones with curved lines are the safest bet?”
“Not necessarily. Big cracks don’t always mean loss. If the cracks are parallel, you can cut slabs along them and still make a profit. Besides, even immortals can’t see through an inch of jade. Cracks on the surface might not go deep, and stones without surface cracks can sometimes have devastating internal fissures. Experience only helps you lose less often than the average person. Manager Yu has over twenty years of experience, yet look how much he’s lost today, hasn’t he?”
As they spoke, Qin Yange caught sight of Jiang Ci carrying a stone and walking over near Manager Yu.
Manager Yu instantly tensed up, looking at her warily. “What are you doing here?”
“Just bored, came over to take a look.” Jiang Ci walked half a circle behind him, smiling. “As for me, I’ve already won today. But you, Manager Yu… if you can’t turn the tide this time, I wonder… will Mr. Liao show any mercy to his own people?”
Manager Yu grew even more nervous, sweating profusely despite the cool weather.
Jiang Ci scanned the pile of stones and tapped one with her finger. “If I were you, I’d choose this one.”
“Since when are you so kind?”
“Whether I’m kind or not depends on whether you have a guilty conscience, Manager Yu.”
“I knew you were up to no good!”
Manager Yu’s face darkened and he waved his hand. “Get lost! The match isn’t over yet, don’t distract me!”
“Sigh! No good deed goes unpunished…”
Jiang Ci shook her head and walked away with her own stone.
Manager Yu looked at the stone she had pointed to. He reached out to touch it, then pulled his hand back as if burned.
He stood there, torn between conflicting thoughts, his expression changing several times. In the end, he couldn’t believe Jiang Ci would actually help him. He chose a different stone with a good appearance and handed it to the attendant.
This time, Jiang Ci did not choose a mountain stone. Like Manager Yu, she selected a water stone.
As the two stones were presented, the masters began to publicly analyze the likely paths of the cracks.
The cutters waited until the plan was decided before beginning their work.
Jiang Ci’s stone had several parallel lines on the surface, with the central crack being particularly prominent, the gap inside completely black.
The plan for this stone was to split it open along the largest crack first before deciding what to do next.
Manager Yu’s stone had curved cracks. The strategy was to polish along the cracks first to see how deep they went before making the final cut.
While the cutters were busy, Jiang Ci walked over to Manager Yu and smiled. “You really didn’t choose the one I recommended? You’re so suspicious, Manager Yu!”
Manager Yu gritted his teeth and glared at her, thinking bitterly: I should have had her silenced instead of just crashing her car!
She couldn’t even leave him alone at a time like this!
Thinking about what would happen if he lost this round, he felt everyone in the room was an eyesore. The sound of the tools hitting the stone felt like it was hammering directly against his temples, giving him no peace.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sound stopped.
Jiang Ci’s selected stone was split cleanly in two, revealing the jade inside as the halves fell open to either side.