The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

In the massive Gambling Stone Factory, with tens, almost hundreds of tons of raw stones, finding Jade was far from rare. So, the fact that the stone Chen Erbao bought yielded Jade when cut wasn't anything particularly strange.

Inside a room on the second floor, several men drinking tea heard the shouts from downstairs but paid them no mind.

One of them, a bald man with a handlebar mustache, pushed open the door to take a look. He turned back and chuckled, "Some lucky bastard. A newcomer. Struck it rich on his very first stone!"

The others in the room showed a flash of surprise before quickly returning to normal. "A big find?"

If it was, they might start getting other ideas.

This area, close to the border to the west and south, was a natural congregating point for all sorts of shady characters. It looked peaceful on the surface, but who knew how many dirty dealings were hidden beneath the facade.

The bald man was the head of this Gambling Stone Factory. He had been running the place for many years and had seen it all; he'd even come across plenty of Emperor Jade.

And for anyone who found a top-quality piece of Jade, he would usually approach them. If the person was willing to sell, he'd offer a reasonable price. After buying it, he would resell it overseas, multiplying his profit several times over.

But if the other party didn't play ball…

The waters of the Lijiang River were turbulent. If a person were to fall in, they wouldn't even make a splash before being swept into the vast, boundless ocean, becoming food for the birds, fish, and worms.

Who knew how many skeletons lay buried beneath the clear waters of the Lijiang.

He'd done this sort of thing plenty of times. It didn't matter how powerful or influential a magnate from the mainland was; once they set foot here, if they were a dragon, they had to lie down, and if they were a tiger, they had to sheathe their claws.

That's just how brazen he was.

The bald man thought for a moment, then took a sip of tea. "It's nothing special. Just a bit of beginner's luck. Let him enjoy a small taste of victory."

Downstairs, the artisan had completely cut away the outer layer of rock from the raw stone, revealing a fist-sized, emerald-green piece of Jade within.

The onlookers' gazes were fervent, but also held a trace of regret.

The surface of the emerald-green Jade was incredibly smooth, but through its clear body, one could distinctly see some tiny impurities within. It was the presence of these flaws that would drastically reduce the stone's value.

A truly pure and flawless piece of jade was a priceless treasure.

The artisan took off his gloves, stood up, and said to Chen Erbao with a grin, "Sir, you're really something else. To find Jade in the very first raw stone you buy... We'll offer eight hundred thousand for this piece. Are you willing to sell?"

This was common practice. If the shop could buy it back, they certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

Despite the impurities, the size was respectable. If they bought it back for eight hundred thousand, they could polish and carve it, then easily sell it for a million or so.

Of course, Chen Erbao had no intention of selling. 'This is a Spirit-Containing Object!'

"Sorry, I'm not short on cash. I enjoy collecting."

The old artisan immediately understood and nodded with a smile.

'Even if the deal falls through, goodwill remains,' he thought.

He was just about to leave when he suddenly heard the big boss's voice in his earpiece: "Take him to see Pit Number One."

The old man stopped, turned back to look at Chen Erbao, and said with a beaming smile, "Sir, you have excellent luck. How about taking a look at some even better quality raw stones?"

Chen Erbao was taken aback for a second. "These raw stones are sorted by quality?"

"Of course. The ones displayed outside are just scattered raw stones found near the mining pits. Our shop also has plenty of the real treasures from inside the pits. I'm sure you'll be satisfied!"

Chen Erbao had already looked over most of the raw stones in the main workshop and had only found this single Spirit-Containing Object. Hearing the old man's words, he nodded. "Lead the way."

"This way, please!"

Wang Mian and Chen Erbao followed the old man out of the workshop and toward a small room in the back.

"Mr. Chen, congratulations," Wang Mian said quietly. "But the raw stones from the pits are expensive, and there's no guarantee they'll contain Jade…"

He had guided many wealthy clients from the mainland over the years, but practically none of them ever managed to find Jade on their first purchase.

Chen Erbao nodded.

'As long as there's a Spirit-Containing Object, I have to buy it, no matter the cost.'

'Once I complete the Spirit Gathering Array, will I ever be short of silver again?'

Following the old artisan around the main workshop, the three of them entered a single-story, three-hundred-square-meter building.

There were fewer people in this room, only about twenty or so, and raw stones were scattered in piles on the floor.

The raw stones here were completely different from those in the main workshop. They were noticeably smaller and more rounded, and their rinds were unlike those of ordinary stones. They were no longer a dull gray, but instead carried a hint of green.

Even a layman could tell at a glance that these were no ordinary rocks.

Wang Mian whispered a reminder, "Mr. Chen, the people in this room are true Jade experts. See that old man over there? He's a famous master from Dian Nan, hired by that tycoon from Xiangjiang beside him to help select stones. Because the prices here are so high, novices usually just amuse themselves outside. We're talking millions for a single stone, which is definitely not a small sum."

Wang Mian clearly thought Chen Erbao's earlier find was pure luck. He was afraid the success would go to Chen Erbao's head and lead him to make an impulsive purchase.

"I know what I'm doing, don't worry."

Chen Erbao couldn't exactly tell him he had X-ray vision, so he could only offer some reassurance before he began to carefully circle the raw stones on the floor.

'So there really is good stuff here!'

Chen Erbao sighed to himself, now understanding the difference between the raw stones here and the ones outside.

With his eyes enhanced by Spiritual Power, the raw stones outside had been completely transparent; a single glance was all it took to know whether they held Spiritual Qi. But it was different here. Every single raw stone seemed to contain Spiritual Qi, but a closer look felt like trying to admire flowers in a dense fog—hazy, blurry, and indistinct.

The masters in the room, hired by the various tycoons, were all doing the same as him: staring intently at each raw stone as if admiring the world's most beautiful works of art.

Chen Erbao channeled all of his Spiritual Power into his eyes, which flashed with a brilliant light. He scanned the raw stones at his feet one by one. At last, from a stone the size of a goose egg, his keen Divine Sense detected a thread of rich Spiritual Qi.

After identifying it clearly, Chen Erbao was secretly delighted. 'Coming to Dian Nan was the right decision!'

"I'll take this stone!"

Chen Erbao's voice attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

A staff member standing nearby quickly came forward, looked at the raw stone Chen Erbao was pointing to, and said respectfully, "Sir, that raw stone is one million, two hundred thousand!"

"I'll buy it."

Chen Erbao decisively agreed to the purchase.

'Besides, I've been wondering how to spend the three hundred million Zhao Feng gave me.'

The staff member saw this and didn't dare hesitate, quickly taking the bank card with both hands and swiping it through the terminal.

As the raw stone was carried out from its spot, the tycoons from the mainland also gathered around.

For the people present, one million two hundred thousand wasn't a huge sum, but it wasn't insignificant either.

They were also curious. Was Chen Erbao, who had made a purchase so quickly after entering, a reckless fool or a true master with real skill?

The room had its own cutting machine. A clearly more experienced artisan took the raw stone, held it carefully, and began to gently grind it down with the cutter, an inch at a time.

"Holy shit, it's so green!"

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