Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two: An Opportunity

"Hehe, so that's how it is, it seems you two have a connection! Come, let me introduce you!" After a brief pause, the old man pulled Liu Dong forward and said, "This is Mr. Zhou from the capital. Mr. Zhou is a major customer of our Taiyi Pavilion. Xiao Dong, you should get closer to him!"

As soon as Uncle Long finished speaking, Zhou Bin couldn't help but shake his head with a slight bitter smile and said, "Old Dragon, you flatter me. Who in the industry doesn't know your skills? If it weren't for your respect, I wouldn't know when I could ask you to make a set of furniture!"

Seeing the sincere attitude on the middle-aged man's face, Liu Dong developed a bit of a good impression of him. At the very least, this person had a good attitude towards others, unlike the usual arrogant children of the elite who acted superior because of their extraordinary backgrounds and immense wealth. Moreover, over the years, Liu Dong knew that Uncle Long's true talent was in making furniture, which was his family's genuine inherited skill.

Furthermore, Liu Dong also knew that Uncle Long's ancestors were royal craftsmen from the Qing Dynasty's Yangxin Hall, where the best craftsmen from various industries were gathered. This showed the high level of Uncle Long's family's inherited skills. As for the wood carving and micro-carving techniques he taught Liu Dong, they were not the old man's true specialties but merely personal hobbies. This was also the reason Liu Dong had always guessed that Uncle Long was unwilling to take him as a disciple.

After hearing Zhou Bin's words, the old man couldn't help but smile faintly and pointed to Liu Dong, saying, "This is a junior of mine, named Liu Dong. The wooden Guan Yu statue you wanted earlier was carved by him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bin couldn't help but show a look of surprise and sized up the ordinary-looking young man in front of him.

He really didn't expect that someone who could carve such a splendid Guan Yu statue would be so young. Just a moment ago, he had thought the statue was carved by Uncle Long!

"Brother, you truly have excellent skills!" Zhou Bin raised his thumb and sincerely praised.

Then, he turned to look at the old man and smiled, "Old Dragon, you've taken a good disciple. With Brother Liu's skills, getting a 'Provincial Wood Carving Master' certificate would be very easy!"

"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me!" Liu Dong said with a calm expression.

After that, both sides shook hands and sat down at Uncle Long's invitation. Here, Liu Dong was considered half the host, and since he was the youngest, the task of serving tea and water naturally fell to him.

"Old Dragon, I believe you know the purpose of my visit to Quancheng. What do you think about it?" After sitting down, Zhou Bin asked first.

Although Liu Dong was curious, he knew this wasn't the time for him to speak.

"I agree with everything you said on the phone. Making a set of furniture for you is no problem, but I have one condition!" The old man said without hesitation.

"Please speak!" Zhou Bin, being a straightforward person, asked without hesitation after hearing Uncle Long's words.

Nodding, Uncle Long glanced at Liu Dong and said, "This junior of mine has been passionate about jade carving since childhood, but unfortunately, he has never had a good teacher. After all these years, he has only reached the level of a third-grade carver, which is a waste of his talent. So, I hope Mr. Zhou can help by introducing him to Master Yan!"

"Uncle Long...!?"

Waving to signal Liu Dong to hold his words, the old man looked at Zhou Bin with a gleam in his eyes, waiting for his response.

To be honest, after hearing Uncle Long's words, Zhou Bin felt quite troubled. Although he was wealthy and influential, the Master Yan Uncle Long mentioned was no ordinary person.

He was a true master of Chinese jade carving, a pillar of the Northern School of jade carving, and renowned internationally. Therefore, countless people in China wanted to become his disciples, but over the years, only two or three had been accepted. This showed the difficulty of the task.

So, even with his family background, he couldn't make such a guarantee.

"Old Dragon, you know Master Yan is extremely selective in choosing disciples. Even though I have some connections with him, it would be very difficult to get him to accept Brother Liu as a disciple!" Zhou Bin couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Nodding, Uncle Long naturally knew the difficulty. After all, Master Yan was a national treasure-level jade carving master in China, respectfully called 'Northern Yan' in the entire Chinese jade carving industry. The only ones who could compare to him were the Southern School master 'Song Hong' and the Shanghai School master 'Wu Qingdong'! To become their disciples, it wasn't just about having good carving skills.

"I know the difficulty, so all I ask is that you give Xiao Dong a chance. If Master Yan sees his potential and accepts him, that would be great. If not, it's fine too!" The old man said.

After hearing the old man's words, Zhou Bin frowned and thought for a moment, then laughed helplessly, "Old Dragon, I really regret telling you about my connection with Master Yan!" He paused, then said firmly, "Old Dragon, I agree to this."

"Hehe, that's great!" Uncle Long couldn't help but laugh.

"However, don't be too happy too soon, Old Dragon. Although I can help Brother Liu, there is still a small difficulty!" Zhou Bin quickly added.

"Speak your mind!" Uncle Long would have doubted Zhou Bin's sincerity if this matter were truly so smooth.

After hearing the old man's words, Zhou Bin didn't hesitate and said, "Here's the thing: there will be a young jade carver competition in the capital in January next year. I hope Brother Liu can participate and ideally secure a top ten ranking. Otherwise, I won't be able to speak to Master Yan!"

"How about it, Xiao Dong? Are you confident?" Uncle Long turned to Liu Dong, who was visibly excited, and asked.

Hearing this, Zhou Bin's gaze also fell on the young man he had just met, eager to hear his response.

"Uncle Long, don't worry! I believe I can secure a top ten ranking!" Liu Dong said confidently.

Of course, this wasn't blind confidence. Although his jade carving skills had been inferior to his wood carving due to the lack of a good teacher, he was still a third-grade carver. Especially after the appearance of his eye ability a few days ago, his wood carving skills had improved dramatically. He believed that his ability to see through jade materials would also significantly enhance his jade carving skills. By then, he wouldn't be far behind the other young jade carvers.

"Brother Liu, don't underestimate this competition! It's organized by the National Jade Carving Art Association and is a nationwide event. Top competitors from all provinces will be participating, and none of them are weak. I believe anyone who makes it to the finals will have exceptional carving skills. Brother Liu, you'll need to work hard in the next six months to secure a ranking!" Zhou Bin said encouragingly.

Although it was their first meeting, Zhou Bin had a good impression of this younger brother who was over a decade younger than him.

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Zhou. I will definitely work hard to improve my jade carving skills!" Liu Dong said firmly.

"Good, here's my business card. If you have any difficulties, feel free to call me!" Zhou Bin took out a gold-embossed, elegant business card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Liu Dong.

The business card was simple, with only a name and a phone number. However, from the quality of the card, one could tell it was valuable. After a quick glance, Liu Dong carefully put it in his pocket. In reality, he had already stored it in his pocket dimension, which was crucial for his future.

Since discovering the storage ability of his pocket dimension, Liu Dong kept all his valuable items there, including all his documents and his wallet.

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