The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

The shop owner had someone bring over the stone Chen Erbao had picked out, and the cutter started up his saw.

The sharp cutter whined piercingly, quickly shaving a layer off the raw jade.

The crowd sighed in disappointment.

Normally, if a stone was going to yield jade, you'd see a glimmer of green on the cut surface. However, the one Chen Erbao had chosen was still just gray-white rock.

Seeing this, Ivic sighed lightly. "Mr. Chen, winning and losing are both normal when it comes to jade gambling. Don't..."

He was worried Chen Erbao would feel awkward about losing money and had spoken up to ease the tension.

But to his surprise, Chen Erbao just smiled. "Don't be so hasty. It's not done yet. Tell the cutter to take off another layer."

Hearing this, the cutter had no choice but to shave another layer off the stone, which was now only about the size of a watermelon.

The cut surface was still gray-white, with no hint of green.

"Sir, should I keep cutting?"

If you cut a stone down this much without seeing any green, it was usually thrown out as scrap.

"Keep cutting."

Chen Erbao said softly, as steady as a mountain.

By now, the crowd had basically given up hope, and even the cutter didn't want to continue.

But Chen Erbao had given the word, so he carefully continued cutting along the edge.

After the stone had been shaved down a few more times, a blinding green light suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

The cutter jumped, nearly ruining the jade. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the dazzling sliver of green light on the stone.

The onlookers were stunned, craning their necks to get a better look.

"Holy crap, there's actually jade in there?"

"This is so damn fake, right? The outside is all gray rock, but a small piece in the middle is green? What kind of jade grows like that?"

"He's not a shill, is he? Did they plant the jade in there beforehand?"

"We all watched him cut it. How could he fake it? Who has the skill to plant something inside a solid rock?"

Hearing the crowd's chatter, Chen Erbao remained calm and gestured for the cutter to continue.

"Wait, sir!"

The shop owner was also stunned. After a moment's hesitation, he rushed to stop Chen Erbao. "My shop is willing to buy this piece of jade for Thirty Thousand Yuan. I wonder if Mr. Chen would be interested?"

Chen Erbao pursed his lips. "I don't need the money. It's not for sale!"

'Are you kidding me!'

'The concentration of Spiritual Qi I can feel in this jade is incredibly high. Even half of it would be enough to serve as the foundation for the Bailong Mountain Spirit Gathering Array. How could I possibly sell it?'

Hearing this, the owner could only sigh in disappointment.

'Who could have possibly expected this?'

'It was cut down to the size of a watermelon without a hint of green, and it still ended up producing jade. Fucking hell!'

Given the go-ahead, the cutter carefully sliced along the edge of the raw jade, removing the outer layers of rock. Finally, a piece of emerald green jade, larger than a fist, appeared before them.

"Damn, this kid got some real fucking dog-shit luck!"

"Look at the quality. It's probably comparable to Emperor Jade, right?"

"More than that! Look at this jade—it's crystal clear and translucent, without a single impurity. It's clearly a top-grade piece of Imperial Green. Add in its size, and you couldn't buy it for several million!"

"Whoa, damn!"

"..."

Chen Erbao ignored the others and said to the shop owner, "Wrap it up for me, boss. I'll find someone to work on it myself when I get back."

A piece of jade this large was truly beyond his expectations, and he already had other plans for it.

The owner was kicking himself. With a dark expression, he called for someone to get a bag.

Lin Zhiqing was also thrilled. She threw her arms around Chen Erbao's neck and, without a care for the onlookers, planted a kiss right on his lips. "Er Bao, you're amazing!"

"Hehe, if I weren't amazing, how could I have won you over?"

Chen Erbao felt the envious gazes all around him. His vanity flared, and he chuckled.

Although he had just cut a priceless piece of jade worth tens of millions, Chen Erbao wasn't interested in the money. He cared about the Spiritual Qi it contained.

The difference between a Spirit-Containing Object and an ordinary object that just happened to hold some Spiritual Qi was that the Spiritual Qi in the latter would dissipate into the air over time.

A Spirit-Containing Object, however, was inherently compatible with Spiritual Qi, allowing it to lock the energy firmly inside. Furthermore, after its Spiritual Qi was consumed, it could automatically absorb energy from the surrounding world to replenish itself.

This was what made a Spirit-Containing Object so precious.

Take this piece of jade, for instance. Just by facing it, Chen Erbao could clearly feel the nature of the Spiritual Qi emanating from within—warm, gentle, and pleasantly fragrant!

Whether he used it as the core of an array or as the source of Spiritual Qi for his mud mask, he wouldn't need to infuse it with his own energy. It would "cultivate" all by itself!

Taking the cloth bag from the shop owner, Chen Erbao left with Lin Zhiqing.

He had already scanned the remaining stones. Only one or two held a faint trace of Spiritual Qi, not nearly enough to meet his needs.

His goal wasn't just any jade, but Spirit-Imbued Jade.

No matter how fine the quality, if it had no Spiritual Qi, he couldn't care less!

Ivic followed respectfully behind Chen Erbao, remaining silent.

He had been planning to say something to smooth things over and save Chen Erbao from embarrassment if the stone turned out to be a bust. Who knew the result would be a hard slap to his own face.

"Mr. Chen, if I'd known you had this kind of skill, I wouldn't have worried for nothing!"

Ivic shot Chen Erbao a reproachful glance.

Chen Erbao let out a hearty laugh.

"Mr. Chen, you should really take a trip to Dian Nan. The jade gambling scene there is much bigger, and they have a lot of top-quality raw stone."

Ivic continued.

Chen Erbao's eyes lit up when he heard that.

'That's right!'

'How did I not think of that!'

'I'm short on array foundations. I can totally go to Dian Nan to look for Spirit-Imbued Jade!'

After a moment's thought, Chen Erbao had a plan.

'After I get back, I'll take Lin Rui to Binhai. If the antique market there doesn't have enough of the Spirit-Containing Objects I need, then I'll make a trip to Dian Nan.'

'Perfect. I took Lin Zhiqing on a trip this time, so I'll take someone else next time. Can't play favorites!'

The three of them wandered around the ancient town for a while longer before heading back.

By the time they got back to the city, it was just about dinnertime.

After they had dinner at the Vienna Hotel, Chen Erbao drove Lin Zhiqing around the city.

"Zhiqing, I hear the river view is beautiful at night. How about we go take a look?"

Chen Erbao suggested.

Of course, Lin Zhiqing had no objections. As long as she was with Chen Erbao, she would happily go anywhere.

Having decided on a destination, they plugged it into the navigation and drove toward the riverbank.

...

Inside a high-end club in Changbai Mountain City.

The vast hall was thick with smoke. A powerfully built man sat on a stool in the lounge, smoking a cigar, his face expressionless.

RING RING RING...

The phone rang three times before he finally answered.

"Second Master, our guys saw the kid leave the hotel with their own eyes. He's down by the river now!"

A cold smirk touched the burly man's lips. "Very good. Keep a tight tail on him. I'm on my way."

After hanging up, the burly man stubbed out his cigar in an ashtray, then slowly rose to his feet and headed for the door.

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