Chapter 67
The first block did not yield any green, so Lan Ji placed the second piece of raw jade onto the machine. Gambling with jade stones depends largely on luck, so not yielding green is normal.
On the other end, Zhu Yang's gaze was fixed intently on the raw jade in front of him. Hearing a "crack" sound, he quickly looked over and saw a tinge of green on the cut surface, his face revealing a delighted expression. He picked up a ladle and poured some water onto the cut surface. He had said that the raw jade stones he selected with his keen eye would definitely yield green.
The water flowed over the cut surface, washing away the dust, and revealed the true appearance of the jade's emerald color.
"How can it be bean jade?" Zhu Yang's face turned unsightly. Bean jade is the least valuable type in the jade world. A bangle made of bean jade can sell for at most a few hundred yuan, with the lower quality ones fetching only a few dozen yuan, rendering them virtually worthless.
"Cut it again," Zhu Yang stubbornly told the jade carving master. This raw jade was from the entrance of the Pa Gan old pit. Based on the appearance of the raw jade, the emerald inside had a high chance of having a glassy luster, so how could it be the worthless bean jade?
"It yielded green! It yielded green again!"
"This luck is unmatched, six raw jade stones yielded three pieces of emerald jade, and they are all of superior quality."
"This is a Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yang turned to look and saw that the emerald jade Lan Ji had just uncovered was a Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity, making him grit his teeth in anger. What rotten luck.
"Young Lan, would you sell this jade to me as well?" Old Mr. Tang had been wanting to find a Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity, but had been unable to encounter one, especially one with such good color and luster.
"Old Mr., you can't be so greedy, leave one for us too."
"That's right, who doesn't want a fine jade like this?"
"Just let us have this one."
Old Mr. Tang smiled apologetically at everyone, "Apologies, everyone! I really like this Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity. However, I won't let young Lan be at a loss. Let's have a fair competition, highest price wins. What do you all think?" As jade lovers, everyone naturally wanted to acquire such a high-quality jade when they saw it.
"Okay, let's have a fair competition, highest price wins."
As the outer layers of the raw jade were gradually polished away, the Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity jade fully revealed itself. Upon closer inspection, its shape resembled a galloping stallion.
This further heightened everyone's excitement.
"This is truly a masterpiece of nature, even without carving, you can see it's a stallion, with its raised head, sturdy body, and natural tail."
"Three million, I'll take it!"
"Five million, I'll take it!"
"Ten million!" exclaimed Old Mr. Tang excitedly, his beard quivering slightly.
"Thirteen million!"
"Fifteen million!" Old Mr. Tang did not hesitate to call out this price.
After he shouted this price, the surrounding crowd fell silent. This Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity jade was indeed very valuable, but fifteen million yuan was already the bottom line. Any higher would not be worth it. Moreover, they had come to attend the jade gambling exchange event. If they spent all their money on this Three-Colored Blessing of Longevity jade, they would not have funds left if they saw good raw jade stones tomorrow.
So after considering, everyone decided to give up.
Old Mr. Tang joyfully hugged the two pieces of jade and walked towards the hotel where he, Ling Yue, and Tang Xin were staying.
Zhu Yang sat on the ground with an unsightly expression. The first raw jade stone had now been cut into three small pieces, but the emerald jade uncovered was still bean jade, worthless.
Normally, if a raw jade stone was cut to waste, it wouldn't matter. But thinking about Ling Yue, Tang Xin, and Old Mr. Tang, he felt a lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow. They had randomly selected a raw jade stone costing only a few dozen yuan and uncovered premium jade, while the raw jade stone he had bought for fifty thousand yuan only yielded worthless bean jade. How could he not be angry?
"Keep cutting?" The jade carving master saw Zhu Yang's unhappy expression and asked softly.
Zhu Yang glared at the jade carving master and pointed to another raw jade that had been windowed. "Cut this one." He had examined this jade carefully. The area where the window was cut had very transparent jade color. When a flashlight was shined through, a faint green light could be seen inside, indicating a high possibility of uncovering imperial green jade. This raw jade stone had cost him one million yuan.
The jade carving master immediately called two assistants to help move Zhu Yang's raw jade onto the cutting machine.
The noisy sound of the machine rang out.
Zhu Yang stared intently at his raw jade, full of anticipation. If he could uncover imperial green jade, then at tomorrow's jade gambling exchange event, he could buy a few more raw jade stones.
Time ticked by second by second, and the surrounding crowd not only did not shrink, but grew larger. They had all come after hearing that three premium jades had been uncovered here in succession.
"Crack!" The raw jade was finally cut open.
Zhu Yang hurried over to inspect it and saw a white patch in the middle. His face instantly turned pale as he collapsed to the ground. "How could it be skin-deep green?" This raw jade stone had cost him one million yuan.
"Cut...cut again."
The jade carving master could only follow Zhu Yang's instructions and cut another slice, but the result was the same, just a white patch.
Zhu Yang refused to give up and snatched the cutting machine from the jade carving master's hands, cutting the jade himself.
One raw jade stone was cut into four or five pieces by him, but in the end, apart from the thin layer of jade near the skin, there was nothing else.
Zhu Yang sat dejectedly on the ground, staring blankly at the surrounding waste stones.
Two companions who had taken the same flight to Myanmar with him happened to be in the crowd of onlookers. Seeing Zhu Yang's state, they came over and helped him back to the hotel.
The night grew deep, and even though it was past midnight, the clamor from the market outside could still be heard. The market was operating 24 hours during these few days to allow clients attending the jade gambling exchange event to gamble with jade at any time.
A few shadowy figures crept stealthily along the corridor.
"Is this the room?" a gruff male voice asked in a low tone.
"Yes, two girls are staying inside, one of them is very pretty, while the other is wearing a mask, so I don't know what she looks like."
"Quietly, open the door."
Ling Yue had woken up when she heard the noise outside. Seeing the door being gently pushed open and three men entering from outside, she flicked her finger, sending a talisman flying out.
As the three men entered the room and saw Ling Yue and Tang Xin lying on the bed, they were about to take out ropes to tie the two up when they felt as if their heads had been heavily struck. Their vision went black as they passed out.
Ling Yue got up and walked over to the three men, taking out a talisman and sticking it to one of their foreheads. A golden light flashed, and the man's memories played out in Ling Yue's mind like a movie.