Chapter 34: The X-Ray Cheat, the Ultimate Asset

The more Jiang Cheng thought about it, the more stifled he felt. Even though he could see the true value of the raw stones, the auction rules left him feeling constrained and hesitant. The sheer frustration of having the ability to pick up a bargain but lacking the capital to actually secure it was maddening.

People are inherently greedy, and Jiang Cheng did not deny his own desire to earn more. However, the stones presented so far were, honestly, just warm-ups—trivial matters. The real heavy hitters were still to come, and he expected many would reach hundreds of millions in value. The most critical issue was that Jiang Cheng could not see the upcoming stones. If he could glimpse them in advance, he could assess their value and make the most informed decisions.

"Wait!" Jiang Cheng’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Seeing them in advance!"

Of course! Jiang Cheng felt a surge of excitement, his hands trembling slightly. While others couldn't do it, he could. He possessed the power of x-ray vision. Without a word, he focused his gaze and activated his vision to peer into the auction’s backstage area. Through the walls, he saw a group of staff members bustling about in preparation. Soon, he spotted the remaining lots. There were seven stones left in total, each marked with a number.

But just as he attempted to use his vision to appraise their value, he found he couldn't. Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment. His ability to appraise the value of objects had never failed before; what was happening? As he puzzled over this, a sudden wave of dizziness hit his head, and his eyes burned with pain. He quickly squeezed them shut, not daring to use his power again. It took a long time for him to recover.

"Could it be because of the distance and the wall in between?" Jiang Cheng muttered to himself. It seemed he had to get closer.

At that moment, the tenth lot was brought out by staff and placed on the auction block. Jiang Cheng cast a casual glance at it. A piece of waste material. He instantly lost interest. Without a second thought, he rose from his seat.

Murong Xue, seeing him stand up, looked confused. Subconsciously tugging at his sleeve, she whispered, "Where are you going? The next stone is about to be auctioned!"

Jiang Cheng gave a perfunctory excuse. "I’m going to the restroom; I’ll be back in a moment." With that, he headed toward the exit of the hall. Murong Xue watched his retreating figure and quickly stood up to follow him.

"Why are you following me?" Once outside the auction hall, Jiang Cheng looked at Murong Xue, who had trailed him out, feeling speechless.

"What do you think? If I don't follow you, I’ll fall asleep. What do you expect me to do?" Murong Xue replied helplessly.

Jiang Cheng sighed and rubbed his forehead, drawing a sharp breath. How could he have forgotten that? Well, let her follow then. He wasn't really going to the restroom anyway. He just needed to find a spot closer to where the jade stones were kept.

Jiang Cheng used his vision to scan the surroundings and quickly identified a location. It was in the middle of a corridor, in a straight line no more than three meters away from the storage area, separated only by a thick white wall.

Just as he reached the spot and prepared to peer through the wall, two men in security uniforms appeared at the end of the corridor. They looked at him and Murong Xue with strange expressions, then walked over and asked coldly, "Sir, Miss, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Cheng gave a gentle smile. "Excuse me, we were just looking for the restroom!"

The two guards exchanged glances and pointed in the direction behind Jiang Cheng. "Sir, Miss, the restrooms are in that direction. You’re going the wrong way!"

Jiang Cheng cursed inwardly. He had completely overlooked that. This was the optimal position for his vision, but appraising the stones and memorizing their corresponding numbers would take time. It would take at least a minute to identify the value of the remaining six stones and memorize their numbers. The worst part was that the two guards were staring straight at him; he couldn't just stand there staring at a blank wall, could he?

He had to trick them into leaving.

A plan formed in his mind. He grabbed Murong Xue’s hand, lifted it, and wore an expression of shock. "Darling! Your ring! Where is it? Did you lose it? That cost me a million!" He then gave her hand a subtle squeeze, signaling her with his eyes.

Murong Xue was dazed at first, but catching his expression and recalling his earlier words, she instantly understood. She quickly adopted an anxious expression. "Oh no! Darling, where is my ring? I was wearing it on my hand! How could it be gone?"

Jiang Cheng sighed, feigning frustration. "You... sigh, how could you be so careless? Where could you have dropped it?"

Murong Xue put on a pitiful face. "I... I don't know. Could I have left it at the restaurant?"

Jiang Cheng looked sullen and cursed, "You wasteful woman, that was a million-dollar gemstone ring! Just like that, it's gone! I could just kill you!"

With that, he hurriedly pulled out his wallet, took out a thick stack of Dragon coins—a good dozen or so—and handed them to the two guards. "Gentlemen, my girlfriend lost her gemstone ring. Could you please help us look for it? This money is a token of my gratitude! There are too many people at the auction, and we don't know how long it would take us to find it."

Murong Xue chimed in, "Please, it’s a million-dollar ring! My darling gave it to me; you must help me find it! Please!"

Hearing "million-dollar ring," a glimmer of greed appeared in the guards' eyes, though they masked it well. One guard took the money without hesitation and patted his chest. "Miss, rest assured, we will definitely find it for you. May I ask what the ring looks like?"

"Um... it’s a swan-kiss-shaped gemstone ring, with two swans surrounding a blue heart-shaped gem. I still had it when I was eating at the restaurant, but it was gone by the time I got to the auction. Go! Please, go look carefully! It's a million-dollar ring! Darling, let's go back to the auction hall and keep looking!" Murong Xue urged them anxiously.

The two guards, harboring their own schemes, hurried off toward the restaurant. It was a million-dollar ring; if they found it, they could just say they didn't, and the ring would be theirs, wouldn't it?

Murong Xue watched them vanish, then looked at Jiang Cheng with a strange expression. "You weren't going to the bathroom, were you? What was all that about?"

Jiang Cheng just smiled and stared fixedly at the white wall, not moving an inch.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What are you looking at?"

After a full minute, Jiang Cheng finally exhaled a long breath, a flash of excitement in his eyes. Through his vision, he had discovered that among the remaining six stones, one was worth 520 million—a piece of pure, top-grade Imperial Green jade. Of the other five, four were of little value, and one was worth 1.2 million—a mere trifle.

Jiang Cheng memorized the number of the Imperial Green stone: it was Lot 14. What surprised him most was that this stone was not the "King of Lots," which was Lot 16. The so-called King of Lots was only worth 1.2 million; compared to Lot 14, it was absolute garbage. Furthermore, because Lot 14 was so close in the sequence to the King of Lots, the people in the room had even less reason to target it.

This meant that if he managed the bidding correctly, he had a high chance of picking up a 520-million-dollar piece of top-grade Imperial Green for a bargain price! He was determined to have it. However, he hesitated. He feared the unexpected—what if a high-roller also took a liking to it and started a bidding war? That would be difficult. Murong Xue only had 120 million; he didn't know if that would be enough.

Jiang Cheng frowned, pulled Murong Xue aside, and whispered, "Murong Xue, can you prepare more funds?"

Murong Xue looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Jiang Cheng looked at her solemnly. "If you trust me, have your father prepare more capital. Also, after the auction, we won't cut the stones here. Have your father send people to escort these raw stones away." He knew the principle that "a man who flaunts his wealth invites trouble." They were near the border of the Dragon Kingdom and the Flour Country; he didn't dare expose himself. Why not take them back and cut them slowly?

Murong Xue looked at Jiang Cheng with a complex expression, pondering for a long time. She sighed. "How much more do you need? Isn't 120 million enough?"

Jiang Cheng replied coolly, "I don't know. It’s best if it is, but we must prepare for the worst." He couldn't guarantee the final transaction price.

Seeing his serious demeanor, Murong Xue, for reasons she couldn't explain, found herself calling her father. "Hello! Dad! I'm at an auction in Ruili. I have my eye on a lot, but my funds are a bit short, and I need..." She paused, looking at Jiang Cheng. Seeing him silently hold up three fingers, she felt a sense of disbelief, but a moment later, she added, "I need 300 million more!"

"What? 300 million! Little Xue, don't let anyone swindle you. How could a domestic stone be worth more than 300 million?" Murong Shan was shocked by the figure.

"Oh, Dad, don't ask! I'm just worried the funds won't be enough—maybe we won't even need it all!"

"Where are you? I'm in Ruili right now looking at stones. Old Liu is right here with me. I'm coming to find you! Little Xue, don't be impulsive; 300 million is not 3 million!"

"Oh, I know, Dad. I'll send you my location. Also, Dad, bring more people when you come. I've bid on a few stones, and I'm worried."

"Fine, I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

After hanging up, Murong Xue let out a long breath. She hadn't expected her father to be in Ruili; that made things easier. And with Old Liu there, she felt more confident. She looked at Jiang Cheng, and he looked back at her. As their eyes met, the atmosphere underwent a subtle shift. She didn't know why she trusted him so unconditionally; it was all so inexplicable. She didn't know what had come over her—accompanying Jiang Cheng on this mad gamble.

The two returned to their seats in the auction hall one after the other. The previous lot had failed to sell. Jiang Cheng was right: the closer they got to the King of Lots, the more cautious the bidders became. Their concerns were the same as Murong Xue's had been earlier. If they spread their capital too thin, would they still have a chance to compete for the final, grand finale lot? That was a stone from the old pits of Phakant, and its appeal was irresistible. No one knew the starting price of the next stone, its final transaction price, or its true value! No one wanted to exhaust their capital before the King of Lots.

It was like Socrates telling his disciples to find the biggest and best apple in an orchard without turning back. Everyone would succumb to the illusion that the next apple would be the biggest and best. But Jiang Cheng was different. He was the only one with a divine perspective, the only one who knew which apple was truly the biggest and best.

Therefore, he could find the most valuable jade raw stone without effort and without the same hesitations as the others. This was Jiang Cheng’s greatest asset.