Chapter 74

Xu Meng held the piece in his hand and said with a cunning smile, "First of all, this is definitely not an ancient jade from the Ming Dynasty, but a high-quality modern imitation. It can't be more than a few decades old. However, the carving is quite good, and the material is decent. It's not a modern synthetic product, so it's still worth a bit of money."

"What do you mean?" Hao Meng was still a bit confused.

Xu Meng didn't explain further but instead pulled him forward, walking into an antique shop called 'Ancient Fragrance Hall.' In front of Hao Meng, he haggled with the shop owner and sold the piece they had just bought for 800 yuan, counting the money and handing over the item on the spot.

After they came out of the antique shop, Xu Meng said proudly, "Do you understand now?"

"I understand!" Hao Meng wasn't stupid. They had made 500 yuan and 100 copper coins. Although it wasn't much, it was still a profit.

Just as they arrived at the antique market and found a small bargain, Xu Meng was in a good mood. He bought Hao Meng an ice lollipop from a nearby cold drink stall as a special reward.

"My skills are all learned from my grandfather. But I've only learned the basics. My grandfather is very capable. The apprentices he taught are all masters in their field," Xu Meng said with a proud smile. Although 500 yuan wasn't much, it was earned through his own abilities, which made him happier than receiving 5,000 yuan from someone else.

In front of a place called 'Jade Counter,' a crowd had gathered.

"Today's luck is good. Someone is gambling on a stone. Let's go and take a look!" Xu Meng excitedly pulled Hao Meng toward the crowd.

At the entrance, a stone-cutting machine was in operation, surrounded by dozens of people, most of whom were there for the spectacle. Of course, there were also professionals waiting to take over if jade was cut out.

"This piece of gambling stone comes from an old mine. It costs 8,000 yuan per kilogram, and this one weighs 64 kilograms, so it's worth 500,000 yuan. Old Wang has really put a lot of money into this."

"Indeed, if Old Wang hits the jackpot, it won't just be 500,000 yuan!"

Hao Meng listened to the people around him whispering and couldn't help but be amazed. He leaned close to Xu Meng and whispered, "A stone for 500,000 yuan? People actually buy this? Are they all crazy?" He had never been involved in the gambling stone business before, so hearing about a stone worth hundreds of thousands of yuan was hard to accept.

Xu Meng laughed and said, "You don't understand. If jade is cut out, this old mine stone has a good chance of producing high-quality jade or emerald. Then it won't just be 500,000 yuan; it could be 5 million or even 50 million!"

"Such high profits?" Hao Meng was stunned and asked curiously, "Why does the shop owner sell the raw stone instead of cutting it himself?"

"Of course, cutting it himself would be better, but most merchants who sell raw stones rarely cut them themselves. There's a risk involved, as the saying goes, 'even a god can't judge a piece of jade an inch thick!'" Xu Meng shook her head and explained. One cut can make you poor, one cut can make you rich, and one cut can leave you in rags. Gambling on stones relies entirely on experience, especially with full-gambling stones. No one can be sure if there's jade inside the raw stone, and both experience and luck are essential!

The stone-cutting machine hummed, and everyone watched intently.

"Is there any green?"

The middle-aged man next to the stone-cutting machine took a bottle of mineral water and poured some water on the cut surface. It was all white, and nothing was visible. Immediately, the crowd sighed. "It looks like Old Wang's 500,000 yuan is going down the drain!"

"Indeed, it's not easy to get jade. Even a god can't judge a piece of jade an inch thick!"

The middle-aged man who had been cutting the stone frowned deeply. He had been in the gambling stone business for many years and understood the risks.

"Boss Wang, do you want to continue cutting?"

"Cut!" The middle-aged man called Old Wang was in his early forties, not too old. Although his face was a bit grim, he didn't show any impatience.

"Alright, how do you want to cut it this time?" The assistant in charge of cutting the stone at the Jade Counter asked softly.

"Cut it in half horizontally!" Wang Juekun looked at the gambling stone again and said solemnly.

Hao Meng watched the gambling stone on the cutting machine and suddenly had an idea. While Xu Meng was focused on the cutting, he shifted his attention to the recycling station system and entered the 'Purchase Items' option. He searched for 'X-ray vision' to try it out, not sure if the recycling station system would have such items for sale.

Swish!

A row of items appeared!

There were over a hundred items with the "X-ray vision" function, including equipment like X-ray glasses, X-ray machines, remote X-ray devices, and X-ray goggles, as well as abilities like the 'X-ray technique' and the 'Three-Path Bloodline,' one of which was the Heavenly Eye, which functions similarly to the X-ray technique. There were also items like the 'Eye of X-ray' and the 'Golden Eye.'

The variety and quantity were more than Hao Meng had expected. Of course, the items were very tempting, but the prices, ranging from a few to several dozen zeros, made him sigh. Good things are indeed expensive!

"Sort by price from low to high!"

Ding!

The first item was a spell!

X-ray Spell: (Temporary Item) Grants the user X-ray vision for a short time, lasting 15 seconds. Price: 150 gold coins.

It was a good item, but expensive. Everyone wants special abilities, but they don't come cheap. One second costs 2,000 yuan, and one spell costs 30,000 yuan!

Hao Meng thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and bought one 'X-ray Spell.'

Thirty thousand yuan was a lot, but he could afford to play once.

They say even a god can't judge a piece of jade an inch thick. He wondered if the 'X-ray Spell' could see through the essence of the raw stone, determining if there was jade inside with one glance.

"What's wrong?" Xu Meng turned to look at Hao Meng.

Hao Meng held the 'X-ray Spell' in his hand, shook his head with a smile, and pulled her through the crowd to get closer. Once he had a clear view, he crushed the spell in his hand.

A cool sensation traveled up his arm into his brain and finally covered his pupils.

The jade stone Hao Meng was staring at suddenly seemed to become transparent and melted, seeping into it bit by bit, one centimeter, ten centimeters, thirty centimeters...

On the right half of the cut raw stone, there was a piece of pale green, glass-like material about the size of two adult fists. Just as he saw this, the cool sensation in his eyes disappeared, and the stone turned back to stone, showing no abnormalities.

Hao Meng muttered to himself, "Damn, there really is jade!"

"What did you say?" Xu Meng didn't hear clearly what Hao Meng was mumbling.

Hao Meng shook his head and watched the scene without speaking.

Crack! The raw stone was cut in half by the cutting machine. After pouring water, both halves were white, with no trace of green.

"It's a bust!" Someone in the crowd called out, gloating.

Wang Juekun's face turned even grimmer. No one wants their gambling stone to be a bust, but it looked like his 500,000 yuan was going down the drain!