Chapter 31: Murong Xue Returns Empty-Handed
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Jiang Cheng watched the old Taoist’s strange behavior and grew increasingly cautious. This black stone was given to Wen Yao by Chen Tong, and by chance, due to his eye ability, Jiang Cheng had discerned the problem with the stone. By accident, he had even managed to remove the green aura contained within it. Judging by the old Taoist’s demeanor, it was clear he recognized the stone. Could it be that the person who made this fortune-stealing stone was somehow connected to this old Taoist?
“Daoist, do you know this stone?” After a moment’s thought, Jiang Cheng wrenched his hand free from the old Taoist’s firm grip and asked cautiously.
The old Taoist seemed to realize he had overreacted and felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and smiled at Jiang Cheng. “Young brother, I apologize. This stone involves the secrets of my sect, so I cannot speak of it casually to others. Please understand. But rest assured, I am no villain!”
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, growing more curious about the old Taoist. The Taoist continued, “May I ask, young brother, where exactly did you get this stone? Please be honest, and I will reward you handsomely.”
Jiang Cheng pondered briefly. The Taoist appeared sincere, his plump face earnest. He didn’t seem like a bad man. Moreover, there was no need to conceal anything. So he told the story about Wen Yao, though he didn’t mention discovering the stone’s problem himself, only that he liked it and Wen Yao had gifted it to him.
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist’s face darkened. Muttering, “That scoundrel, causing harm like this!” he then examined the black stone carefully. After a moment, he exclaimed softly, “Huh? That’s strange! It’s gone? Has it been broken?”
Though his voice was low, Jiang Cheng, standing nearby, heard it clearly. Now he was sure—the old Taoist really did know the person who made the stone.
He asked, “Daoist, do you know what this stone’s purpose is?”
The old Taoist hesitated, then leaned close and whispered, “Young brother, I can only tell you this: such stones are usually buried in yin tombs to absorb fortune and energy. I cannot say more. I wonder if you would be willing to sell this stone to me? It’s not a good thing for you to keep. I just earned 1.3 million yuan and have no more money to spare. I can transfer it all to you now, and repay you later once I earn more. How about that?”
Jiang Cheng was taken aback. So this stone was something used for the dead. Using the dead’s objects on the living—that was truly cruel of Chen Tong. Yet Jiang Cheng could detect the kindness in the old Taoist’s words. Others might have shunned such an object, but the Taoist was willing to spend money rather than deceive him with empty words. It showed he was not a bad man, but rather a kind one.
As for the Taoist’s exact relationship with the maker of the fortune-stealing stone, Jiang Cheng did not wish to know. He had no intention of profiting from the stone. Now that the green aura was gone and it bore no influence on Wen Yao, and since it was an object of the dead, it felt unlucky to keep. If the old Taoist wanted it, he could have it.
Smiling, Jiang Cheng waved his hand and placed the black stone directly into the Taoist’s palm. “Daoist, this stone was a gift—I didn’t pay for it. If you like it, it’s yours.”
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Hearing this, the old Taoist nodded vigorously, insisting on transferring the 1.3 million yuan he had just earned to Jiang Cheng. He even asked for Jiang Cheng’s phone number, promising to repay the debt once he made more money. Then, clutching the stone, he hurried away.
Though curious, Jiang Cheng didn’t pry. Looking at the freshly credited 1.3 million yuan, he felt half amused, half bewildered. He had come today to select raw stones, never expecting such a windfall. It was all rather inexplicable.
Murong Xue glanced at the departing Taoist with a complex expression, her curiosity piqued. “Jiang Cheng, what kind of stone do you have that’s worth so much?”
Jiang Cheng naturally didn’t explain and only said it was a gift from Wen Yao. Murong Xue pondered quietly and said nothing.
Jiang Cheng paid her no mind, heading straight to Hu Hai, saying he wanted to look at the raw stones. Hu Hai, having sold dozens of raw stones, was pleased and told Jiang Cheng to pick whatever he wanted and just inform him when done.
Jiang Cheng nodded and began wandering through the warehouse. Murong Xue also started selecting stones seriously, but she didn’t stray far from Jiang Cheng, fearing she might faint again inexplicably.
Jiang Cheng spent a long time glancing briefly at each stone for only four or five seconds, focusing on their value rather than trying to see inside. He had realized that using his vision to penetrate the stones exhausted his mental energy too much and sometimes caused eye pain and dizziness. But judging value was a skill he could use flexibly.
There were so many raw stones here that seeing inside was pointless. Even if he could, he lacked the ability to discern good jadeite from bad by internal inspection; value was simply more practical.
However, after searching for a while, Jiang Cheng found no raw stone of significant value. His eyes showed the highest was worth only about 200,000 yuan. It was tasteless and not worth keeping, but not quite worthless either.
He had little enthusiasm for it. There was no reason to waste effort on such cheap stones.
Earlier, among the dozens of stones Hu Hai sold, two were good quality—one worth 980,000 yuan, the other 1,080,000 yuan. But both had been bought by others; Jiang Cheng was not interested in buying them back at a markup. He had no jade processing factory, no dedicated carvers, and no sales channels.
He had hoped to find some overlooked treasures but found none. Truly, a discouraging start!
He considered whether to check out the big public raw stone auctions.
Meanwhile, Murong Xue was quite enthusiastic about choosing stones and had already picked several within a short time, looking pleased.
Jiang Cheng glanced at her choices—three stones, all trash. But he didn’t bother to warn her. If she wanted to waste money, let her be.
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Murong Xue noticed Jiang Cheng hadn’t bought a single stone and asked curiously, “Hey! Didn’t you say you came to buy raw stones? Why haven’t you picked any?”
Jiang Cheng smiled, “Nothing caught my eye, is that a problem?”
Murong Xue gave him a sharp look and called Hu Hai to cut open her stones.
Twenty minutes later, staring at her three worthless stones, her face turned green.
She had spent over 200,000 yuan and not a single good stone—only junk. If that were all, she might not be so upset, but nearby many others were cutting stones that yielded profits, including one that revealed a piece of yellow jadeite sold for 1.2 million yuan, and another with translucent blue stone sold for 1 million yuan.
How could others find good stones while hers were rubbish? She was furious.
Wang Hao kept trying to comfort Murong Xue, saying that gambling on stones was like this and not to take it to heart.
Jiang Cheng inwardly sneered but maintained a calm exterior. He had long seen how Murong Xue’s story would end.
Murong Xue turned to glare at Jiang Cheng, furrowing her brows into a tangled knot. “Hey! Did you figure something out earlier? Is that why you didn’t buy?”
Jiang Cheng shrugged innocently. “Don’t make things up. I just wondered whether I should save money to bid at the public auction.”
Murong Xue immediately perked up. “You’re going to the auction?”
Jiang Cheng nodded. “The private sellers’ stones are mostly leftover scraps from the Yemu Xi. What good stones could there be? The real treasures are in the Mianfen Kingdom or at the public auctions!”
“Yemu Xi?” Murong Xue frowned.
Jiang Cheng sighed a little. “You’re the heiress of the Tiansheng Group, and your father never told you? Yemu Xi refers to the lowest-tier miners in the Mianfen Kingdom.”
He went on seriously, “Good-quality stones from old mines are usually taken by the government or influential merchants, either going to the public auction or private sellers. The scraps, those rejected after multiple selections, are picked up by the Yemu Xi and eventually reach the Ruili jade market. What you see there called ‘gamble stones’ aren’t really gambling stones. To the wealthy, it’s just small change, like throwing money away. Even if occasionally a good stone appears, it’s pure luck.”
Murong Xue grew more surprised. She studied jewelry design but knew little about raw jadeite. Jiang Cheng’s explanation broadened her knowledge.
However, she frowned again. “So you mean there are no good stones in the jade market?”
Jiang Cheng was a little speechless. “Who said there aren’t? As long as the stone has white mist or skin, you can gamble on it. It’s just that the chance of good stones showing up is low.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry to the auction!”
Murong Xue grabbed Jiang Cheng’s arm, pulling him toward the door.