Chapter 17: Buying Jade
Chapter 17: Buying Jade
Beside the bearded man lay stones of dark gray, yellowish-brown, and verdigris hues, varying in size—some as small as a fist, others towering over two meters tall and three feet wide. These stones were known as raw jade ore, the unrefined source from which the dazzling and colorful jade emerged, hidden within these unassuming rocks.
Upon hearing this, the bearded man sneered knowingly, “If you can pay the price, naturally, I’ll sell.”
“I’ll take a look first,” Yu Xian said, not bothering to argue over words. Soon enough, the tables would turn.
He stepped up to the stall, gently running his palm over the raw ore. Though his spiritual awareness could barely extend beyond his body, using his physical form to channel his perception outward conserved his energy to the greatest extent.
As his spirit delved into the stone, he felt resistance, barely able to discern faint images within. The deeper his awareness penetrated, the more intense the mental strain became. Fortunately, a cursory examination was all he needed. Jade and the stone matrix differed in composition, naturally exerting varying levels of resistance to his spiritual probing.
Soon, a mental cross-section of the stone formed clearly in his mind.
In just a short while, he had scanned over thirty raw jade stones at the bearded man’s stall. It was clear these were pieces brought to a trade exhibition, of high quality—nearly every stone contained jade within.
“Th-this one… and this one, I’ll take them all!” Yu Xian selected several stones harboring the largest and most abundant jade deposits, noting that the biggest stone surprisingly held few jade pieces inside.
Lan Xiaohe immediately stepped forward to negotiate the price with the bearded man discreetly.
“Sir, seven raw stones in total; he wants 1,800 taels.”
“Pay him,” Yu Xian said, handing a silver note to Lan Xiaohe. “Also, have someone cut open these stones right here, in front of him.”
Indeed, he was that meticulous.
Lan Xiaohe understood Yu Xian’s intent: to pick out a few prime stones to prove a point, to vent his frustration and make the bearded man regret his earlier attitude. Yet she was skeptical—the stones presented were those the owner himself was uncertain about; the truly valuable stones had long since been cut and removed.
Even the professionals dared not guarantee these stones’ value. What good could come from arbitrarily picking through them? And even if something valuable was revealed, the owner’s loss would be minimal, hardly reason for regret.
Still, she could only comply with her lord’s wishes.
“No problem, sir. I’ll watch over the process personally.”
“Good. Yulan, come with me to explore elsewhere. I’ll pick gifts for you and Xiao Yi.”
Yu Xian’s temper flared quickly but just as fast it subsided. As long as no sacred ground was crossed, he was easygoing, often shrugging off provocations. After all, he had no taste for the kind of people who would kill entire families just for a glare.
“Master, we’ve already spent so much today. Maybe we shouldn’t buy gifts,” Yulan whispered softly, leaning on Yu Xian’s arm.
Yu Xian chuckled, “What? We haven’t even entered the building, and you’re already trying to save me money?”
“Master—” Yulan blushed and tugged his arm in protest.
“Money is a scoundrel; it won’t just come on its own.”
With that, Yu Xian led Yulan to another stall, pointing to a half-sized chunk of waste material about the size of a fist lying on the ground.
“Boss, this piece looks pretty good. Let me have a look.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, the cut stone was still faintly emanating spiritual energy. If left undiscovered, this energy would dissipate in a matter of days. Unlike the jade’s own subtle aura, this spiritual energy could be absorbed by the human body.
“Huh? Sir, are you sure? This is scrap, worthless. I was about to clean it up,” the stall owner—a somewhat plump middle-aged man dressed in a blue official’s robe—said in surprise.
“I like to collect strange stones. Look at the dense black spots inside this piece—it looks like some peculiar fruit. This is only half; there’s another half. Give me both, name your price.”
Yu Xian adopted an air of wealthy caprice.
After a moment of searching, the middle-aged owner found the other half.
“This is just a cut-off scrap stone, meant to be discarded. Since you like it, consider it a gift.”
“I’m not taking advantage of you. Here’s ten taels of silver; think of it as my purchase.”
Yu Xian pocketed the two stones and handed over a silver ingot.
“How strange, some people even rush to give silver. Well then, thank you, young sir.” The owner mumbled, taking the silver and bowing politely, which made Yu Xian laugh.
“Yulan, keep these safe. They’re gifts for your sister Xiao Yi.”
He tossed the stones to Yulan, who held them in stunned silence, whispering, “Master, we don’t have to be so frugal.”
“You just told me to spend less, and now you say it’s not enough?” Yu Xian grinned mischievously.
Blushing, Yulan stammered, “Then… the gifts you buy for me later can only be worth ten taels at most.”
“No way!” Yu Xian refused outright, rubbing her cheeks heartily. “At least a thousand taels for you!”
“Boss, you heard that. Find me a suitable gift for a thousand taels.”
“Right away, sir,” the middle-aged owner beamed and began searching eagerly.
A thousand taels was a significant sale for him, though paltry compared to today’s deals worth tens of thousands.
“Sir, how about this pair of dragon and phoenix jade pendants?”
The man presented an embroidered box containing a matching set that radiated a gentle luster.
“These pendants were crafted by Master Cai Qiang from Cangbei County in his youth. Made from premium mutton-fat white jade, translucent and vivid in form. Perfect as a pair, ideal for two loved ones. Originally priced at 1,200 taels, but now only 1,000.”
“Fine, I’ll take them,” Yu Xian said, not mentioning the original price—after all, haggling saved him two hundred taels.
He paid and collected the pendants, hanging the phoenix pendant on Yulan’s waist and wearing the dragon pendant himself. Tapping them lightly to produce a clear, crisp sound, he joked, “This will count as our token of affection.”
“Mm,” Yulan nodded solemnly, gazing at the pendant swaying at her waist, her smile impossible to hide.
They spent the next few hours wandering the second-floor exhibition hall, but Yu Xian was less fortunate this time—no jade stones with hidden spiritual energy had been freshly cut. Instead, he had to examine each piece up close, moving slowly.
He also saw the other jade pieces Lan Xiaohe had mentioned: a slightly larger white jade stone than those at the bearded man’s stall, and a smaller piece of red jade carved into a prosperous money tree—both treasures of the shop.
The money tree had already been sold for 150,000 taels, and the price was publicly displayed. Yu Xian watched enviously.
Damn, what a wealthy dog!
After buying a second jade stone containing spiritual energy for eighty taels, nearly an hour had passed.
Suddenly, shouts erupted from a corner, drawing the crowd’s attention.
“Whoa!”
“What’s going on?”
“Someone’s opening stones over there and has already found a fourth piece of full-green jade!”
“Isn’t that normal? Today, the full-green jade pieces number at least thirty, if not fifty.”
“Damn it, you don’t get it. That person only opened five stones total and none were duds! Four of them are full-green jade. What kind of godly luck is that?”
“Whoa! I gotta go over there and soak up some of that luck too.”
(End of chapter)