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墨書 Inktalez
Looking at the neatly divided ashtray on the table, Zhang Yang felt a surge of passion within him. He walked to the mirror, brushed aside his long hair that covered his scar, and carefully examined the faint orange Blade.
"You have used it for over a thousand years, while I only have one lifetime. Let's see how this turns out," Zhang Yang muttered to himself.
At that moment, his phone rang.
"Alang died despite rescue efforts, Sister Yao has already been submitted for prosecution," Wang Siyuan said.
"Their supplier is Chuan the Boss from Tianfu Province. Didn't you follow the leads?" Zhang Yang asked.
"There’s no evidence. Sister Yao doesn’t admit anything and has pushed everything onto Alang, claiming she was unaware and even brought a lawyer from Tianfu Province," Wang Siyuan explained.
"Not just a lawyer, but also a killer..." Zhang Yang abruptly swallowed the word "killer."
"What?!"
"Oh, it's nothing. By the way, what is Sister Yao's real name?"
"Haha, you definitely won't guess it. Her name is Man Ting Fang, and Chuan the Boss is named Man Cheng Chuan. Quite poetic, isn't it?"
"I think the costs for special operations are even more poetic. Don't forget to let me know when it's time to pay."
"You brat, how many times do I have to remind you? You won't forget..."
The next day was Saturday. Zhang Yang took ten thousand from the twenty thousand given to him by Black Wolf and went to the Antique Jade Market in Haizhou at noon. The market was filled with various types of jade: emeralds, Hetian jade, agate, all displayed in numerous shops. Since Zhang Yang had just absorbed the Spiritual Energy from his jade pendant, he focused on emeralds.
Zhang Yang's grandmother was from Linan Province and knew a lot about jade; that pendant was a gift from her. He had heard many stories from her since childhood, so he had some understanding of jade's quality and color. Moreover, having absorbed the Spiritual Energy from his pendant, he could sense the Spiritual Energy in other stones to some extent.
As he browsed through shop after shop, Zhang Yang noticed that high-quality A-grade emeralds had abundant Spiritual Energy but were also very expensive; ten thousand yuan couldn't even buy a decent bracelet. The cheaper emeralds either had poor quality or weak Spiritual Energy; some were even B-grade or C-grade and completely unusable. While wandering through the market, he suddenly heard the sound of machines cutting stone mixed with loud chatter.
"You have a problem with your rough stones. I've been here five or six times this month and haven't hit a single one!" said a man in his thirties with a buzz cut. It turned out that this was a shop selling jade rough, where the jade was covered in stone skin, making it impossible to see the inside. Buying such rough stones is commonly referred to as gambling on stones.
At the entrance of the shop, there were piles of rough stones of various sizes, and there was also a cutting machine for immediate cutting after purchase. Inside the shop, there were some finished jade products as well.
The shop's boss, with a long face and small eyes that darted around, said to the buzz cut man, "Don't rush. These are all goods from Myanmar. If you can't cut anything out, there's nothing I can do. Just yesterday, someone spent two thousand dollars here and ended up cutting out a nice piece worth over a hundred thousand."
"Damn it! I've spent over a hundred thousand in my five or six visits! Stop talking nonsense," the buzz cut man said, clearly getting anxious and cursing.
Hearing this, the long-faced boss's expression changed: "Listen, buddy, if you don't have money, don't play. What's a hundred thousand? Gambling on stones means one cut can make you poor or rich. There are people who have lost millions and others who have struck it rich in an instant. If you don't want to buy, I'm not forcing you. Don't go looking for trouble and cursing at me."
The long-faced boss's words made the buzz cut man's face turn red and pale as he shouted, "I've gambled on stones often in Shanzhou; how can I be this unlucky?"
"Gambling on stones also relies on vision. I'm not saying anything bad about you, but your vision..." The long-faced boss didn't finish his sentence and let out a cold laugh.
Just then, Zhang Yang touched a piece of rough stone and sensed something. He noticed that most of the rough stones here had little to no spiritual energy; even those that did had only a trace. At that moment, two people beside Zhang Yang whispered quietly, "These rough stones have already been screened; the good ones have been picked out long ago. Let's go."
Zhang Yang suddenly understood that when jade rough enters the country, primary dealers pick through them first; then they are screened again by larger secondary dealers when they reach Shanhai Province. The long-faced boss looked quite shady; after picking through them again himself, the chances of finding good material among the remaining rough stones were slim.
At this point, the buzz cut man and the long-faced boss were at odds. The long-faced boss said, "Alright then, since so many people are here today, I'll sell my rough stones by weight. Originally priced at one hundred fifty dollars per pound, today I'll offer an eighty percent discount at one hundred twenty dollars per pound. Whoever buys will get double the market price for whatever I cut out—buy now and cut now!"
Zhang Yang smiled slightly; this boss was quite cunning. The stones were heavy as hell; selling by weight at an eighty percent discount meant he wouldn't lose much even if nothing came out of it. Even if something did come out occasionally but was of poor quality, its market value wouldn't be high. Moreover, this effectively served as advertising for him. All things considered, he was still making a profit.
"I refuse to believe it; I must hit something!" the buzz cut man gritted his teeth.
Zhang Yang knew the buzz cut man was about to fall into his trap and couldn't help but say another word: "Let it go, man; buyers aren't as savvy as sellers. Sometimes it's better to walk away."
Before the buzz cut man could respond, the long-faced boss became displeased. Seeing Zhang Yang was young, he bluntly said, "Hey, who are you to interfere in our business? Go somewhere cool if you don't like it."
"Have you not brushed your teeth in days? Your mouth stinks!" Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow and replied coldly. "Oh really? You think you can act tough? Do you know who I am?" shouted the long-faced boss.
"Young man, if you're not buying, just leave quickly. It really isn't your business," an elderly man beside Zhang Yang kindly advised as he tugged at his arm.
"Sir, it's fine," Zhang Yang patted the old man's hand and said loudly, "I'm here to buy jadeite. How could it not be my business? But I want to buy high-end finished products."
"I have plenty of high-end goods. Are you really going to buy? Don't just talk big," Boss, with a horse face, softened his attitude a bit upon hearing there was a potential sale.
"There are so many people here. You should show me a few high-end handheld pieces first. If I'm satisfied, I'll naturally buy. Why would I come to the market on a weekend if I'm not buying?" Zhang Yang replied.
"Alright, wait for a moment." Boss entered the shop and soon brought out three handheld pieces, all of which were ice-type jadeite. One was a violet squirrel grape, another was a green bamboo bat, and the last one was a white horse sealing the title. With so many people around, he indeed did not bring out inferior goods; all were mid-to-high-end A-grade varieties, each worth no less than 100,000 yuan.
Boss placed the three handheld pieces on a tray lined with blue velvet and presented them for Zhang Yang to choose from. The crowd nearby was also drawn in and gathered around.
"If they're good, I'll take them all!" Zhang Yang said while picking each piece up. It seemed like he was admiring them, but in reality, he was concentrating and channeling energy. A chill flowed from his palms into his body, and the Orange Figure in his mind began to dance again. Zhang Yang handled each piece for several dozen seconds before placing them back on the tray.
"The quality is too poor!" Zhang Yang shook his head.
"What!? You call this poor quality..." Boss looked down, and before he could finish his sentence, his mouth fell open in disbelief. The originally crystal-clear handheld pieces had now lost their luster and appeared dull, with no sheen left at all.
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