Chapter 63

After finishing their meal, each of them returned to their rooms. Wu Di took out the antique book he had brought with him and started reading. Stimulated by Song Hongyan, he became even more diligent.

He hadn't read two pages when a knock came at the door. Stepping out, he saw everyone gathered in the corridor. Luo Quan smiled and said:

"Originally, we were supposed to go to Old Deng's house tomorrow evening to see the goods, but unexpectedly, this little brother knows that Old Liu's family in Maocun has received new goods recently. He's taking us to have a look. We'll set off early and head to the countryside."

An old, dilapidated minivan was parked outside. Wu Di wanted to drive his Land Cruiser, but Zhong Qi stopped him and said:

"Those locals judge people by their cars. If you drive a nice car, they'll overcharge you. Let's take the minivan instead."

A few people squeezed into the old nine-seater Jinbei minivan. After a bumpy ride, they arrived in the countryside. It was already dark, but the village was well-lit. Rows of two-story houses lined up neatly, and there were even streetlights. Wu Di was surprised and said:

"Is this the countryside? It feels better than many towns."

"These past few years, the price of jadeite has risen. This village got involved early and made a fortune from trading rough jade. Rural people, once they have money, buy houses. Actually, most villages are still as dilapidated as they were thirty years ago," explained Xiao Li, who was leading the way.

They went to the second house at the east end of the village. When they knocked on the big iron gate, two large dogs came running out, scaring Chang Lining with a scream. The dogs also started barking wildly, and soon, almost every household in the village was echoing with barking. The old man who opened the door kicked the dogs, and they ran back to the corner with their tails between their legs. The old man then smiled and said:

"In the countryside, every household has dogs. Don't worry, they don't bite."

Chang Lining cautiously hid between Wu Di and Zhong Qi, wiping her sweat and said:

"Next time you come to such a place, I'll just wait in the hotel."

With the help of the streetlights, Wu Di saw that the yard was full of stones. Xiao Li whispered:

"The stones in the yard are all the leftovers from each selection, not worth much. The good stuff is in the back yard."

Old Liu walked to the front door of the living room and turned on a dim light. The yard didn't get much brighter. The old man stood on the steps and pointed to the pile of rough jade, saying:

"Take a look first. These are all here. Call me when you're done."

Xiao Li gestured for everyone to start looking, then followed Old Liu into the house.

Zhong Qi smiled and said:

"These people are very cunning. They always use this trick. Watch my magic!"

He flipped out two high-intensity flashlights, gave one to Chang Lining, and squatted down to examine the rough jade.

Wu Di didn't use his special ability. The money he had now was enough to last him several lifetimes. For this poor-quality rough jade, he could rely on his own abilities to enjoy the thrill of a successful gamble. Moreover, using too much special ability in Kunming made him feel that the reaction of the Heavenly Book was slightly diminished. He had been pondering the reason for this. Recalling the experiences of upgrading the Heavenly Book, he guessed that it seemed to absorb a kind of energy from antiques and jadeite. Once the energy was sufficient, it would upgrade, but the energy required for each upgrade increased. The first time, a few pieces were enough; the second time, it required a groundbreaking masterpiece and a review of all his master's treasures to reach the upgrade requirement. He believed the Heavenly Book would upgrade again, but he didn't know when the energy for the next upgrade would be accumulated.

In Kunming, he conducted some experiments and found that the energy of the Heavenly Book could be depleted, though the process was very slow. After looking at a large number of worthless stones, he felt that the透视 ability of the Heavenly Book had weakened, and he was more easily fatigued. It wasn't until he saw the field yellow stone that he felt his spirit was completely refreshed, presumably because the Heavenly Book's energy was greatly replenished. Now, thinking about it, he felt a bit regretful. He should have taken the field yellow stone, and let his second senior brother suspect what he wanted. At worst, he could act more frivolous in front of him in the future.

Wu Di was never one to dwell on the past, so this thought flashed through his mind and was quickly discarded. He picked up the flashlight and, like Zhong Qi, carefully examined the rough jade.

After a while, he felt as if he had returned to the stone factory. Most of the rough jade showed no promise, and those that did were accompanied by flaws like moss and cracks that damaged the internal quality of the stone. Wu Di had developed a habit at the stone factory of quickly examining large piles of stones, as there were ten stone-cutting machines waiting to process them. Today, he also examined the stones very quickly, mainly because the quality of the rough jade was so poor. After all, these were the rejects from each batch, and any stones with even a hint of promise had likely been picked out by countless people.

Everyone examined the stones quickly. At first, they were more thorough, but once they understood the overall quality, they no longer wasted their energy. The main event was still to come. Only Chang Lining selected a stone that looked like a goose egg, smooth and shiny, probably a pebble, which was exactly why she chose it.

The group entered the living room. Old Liu glanced at the stone in Chang Lining's hand, symbolically took 100 yuan, and Chang Lining didn't mind, happily putting the stone in her bag. Old Liu even looked at the bag a few times, as if trying to see through it to check if the stone was really inside. Zhong Qi smiled and said:

"Lining, take out your wallet. Leave your bag in this room."

Chang Lining pouted but couldn't resist the temptation and left her bag on the sofa. Old Liu then led the group to the back yard.

The back yard was small, and there were no rough stones in sight. Wu Di saw that everyone had a matter-of-fact expression, so he didn't say anything. Old Liu opened an iron gate on the west side of the yard, leading them into an empty room with some stones scattered on the ground. He turned on a light bulb, walked to the corner, opened a large lock, and lifted a large iron cover, pointing to a dark opening below and said:

"The good stuff is down there. Ordinary people aren't allowed to see it. The stones up here are also good. Call me when you're done."

He pressed a button on the wall, and dim light shone from the opening.

Luo Quan and Xiao Li stayed with Old Liu, sitting on the stones and chatting. Wu Di and the other four went down to the basement.

The basement was a bit damp and stuffy but quite large and high. With Wu Di's nearly 1.8-meter height, the ceiling was at least 40 centimeters above his head. Two dim light bulbs hung from the wires, and the wind from the people entering made the bulbs sway, casting distorted shadows on the walls, which startled Chang Lining. She quickly scanned the basement with her high-intensity flashlight and said:

"Is this it? Making it all so mysterious, it's just a pile of broken stones. Fine, you don't have to bring me next time."

She turned and quickly grabbed Zhong Qi's ear, which had just shown a hint of relief, and said:

"Feeling relieved, aren't you? Happy that the annoying person is finally gone? Humph, I won't come even if you want me to!"

Wu Di shook his head and ignored them. The fat man and the second senior brother were experienced, and they had no interest in watching the young couple flirt. They had already found a stone to examine.

Old Liu had quite a few good pieces. Wu Di examined three stones, and each showed some promise. One was covered in pine flowers, but the stone was rough and dry, likely the controversial Iron Dragon. He tested it with his little finger and, finding nothing unexpected, put it down. He had no interest in this kind of stone.

Along the edge of the basement, there was a row of iron racks, all filled with stones. Some were windowed and semi-transparent. The fat man mainly focused on these. His shop sold finished products, and he often bought windowed or semi-transparent stones to replenish his stock. He gambled on stones but never touched high-priced ones, still haunted by past experiences.

There were about sixty full-gambling rough stones on the ground, none of them very large. When Wu Di examined the tenth stone, he found a piece of fine black sand skin from the Muna mine, weighing about three kilograms and irregularly square.

Muna is a high-grade jadeite known for its bright, uniform green color and clear, transparent water. There is a saying that describes Muna jadeite: "The color of the sea and sky, specks of snow, the beginning of the universe, Muna is supreme."

Wu Di shone his flashlight and carefully examined the stone. This piece was average in quality. Based on Wu Di's judgment, it wouldn't produce any top-quality jade, but as long as the price wasn't too high, the risk of losing was relatively low. However, he had heard that Muna stones were in high demand in the market, so this piece might not be cheap.

He used his special ability again, placing his little finger on the stone. After a moment, he shook his head. The stone had good quality, reaching the ice-moist level, and the jade was excellent. However, for some unknown reason, it had cracks starting from the inside, reaching the surface on three sides. Wu Di examined the exterior again, finding no signs of tampering or cracks, and marveled at the unexpected wonders of nature.

The fat man had his eye on a windowed stone, a one-kilogram pink-purple full-color, mocha jade, suitable for bracelets. He placed the stone on a nearby table and smiled:

"Hey, Wu, the stone you're holding seems to be Muna black sand. Usually, it's quite good. Why are you shaking your head?"

"Ha, I don't think this one is good, so I'm shaking my head. How about the one you chose?"

"The windowed stones here show great promise, but they're too good, and I'm hesitant to make a move. Can you help me take a look?"

The fat man knew that Wu Di only looked at unopened stones and wasn't worried about him taking his business, so he directly asked for help.

Wu Di put down the stone he was holding and went over to look at the one the fat man pointed out. The first one was a yellow sand skin stone, with no clear origin. Two windows were cut along the python band, both showing good quality, reaching the mocha level with excellent water. It had the potential to upgrade to ice-mocha.

Wu Di carefully examined the other parts, which were not as good as the windowed areas. The person who cut the windows was a master, not only in cutting but also in psychology. Cutting two windows along the python band, one at each end, not only showed great confidence in the stone but also increased its value by more than double.

Wu Di tested the stone with his little finger. The jade color extended two fingers along the python band, and although the other parts were slightly inferior, a high-quality bracelet could still be made, along with a few full-green cabochons.

Wu Di patted the stone and smiled:

"Below 50,000, it's worth taking."

As he spoke, he suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and stared at the stone in a daze.