Chapter 40: The Li Family's Intentions

Chapter 40: The Intentions of the Li Family

Wu Shan was currently staring at Yang Qi with undisguised displeasure. Having been humiliated by Yang Qi that morning, the veteran expert could hardly swallow such an insult. Knowing that Yang Qi and his party would likely visit the Li family’s jadeite raw material shop, he had rushed over immediately.

Hearing his words, Yang Qi frowned slightly.

Jadeite gambling was similar to the antique trade; when someone was in the process of examining a piece, others were not permitted to interfere. This was an unwritten rule of the trade. Although Yang Qi was not a true master of jade gambling, he was involved in the industry and was well aware of this etiquette. Like malicious bidding, interfering was considered shameful; if word got out, it would certainly ruin one’s reputation.

"I am well aware of the rule of first-come, first-served, but I am curious: was it really you who arrived first, or was it me?" Yang Qi looked at Wu Shan and said coldly.

"Boy, what do you mean by that?" Wu Shan’s face darkened as he glared at Yang Qi.

"You haven't even touched or examined this raw stone yet. Does simply looking at it mean you arrived first?" Yang Qi smiled coldly.

The rule of first-come, first-served was a trade standard that Yang Qi had to respect if he wanted to establish himself in this business. However, that did not mean Wu Shan could claim priority just because he said so.

"That is exactly what it means," Wu Shan sneered.

"If that were the case, wouldn't it mean I arrived first at every stone in this shop just by looking at them? Perhaps this entire store should be reserved for you alone," Yang Qi mocked.

"You..." Wu Shan’s face flushed red. As a master of the craft, very few people dared to compete with him for stones he had his eyes on, especially when he hadn't yet laid hands on them. Usually, others would naturally grant him the courtesy. He had not expected Yang Qi to use his lack of physical examination against him!

"A-Hu, bring the stone to me," Wu Shan said, his face livid.

The burly man beside him reached out to grab the stone on the ground. However, before he could touch it, a hand reached out and took hold of the stone first. It was Yang Qi.

"Sorry, I got to it first," Yang Qi said calmly.

Seeing this, Wu Shan’s expression turned hideous. He could only let out a cold snort and turn to leave with his bodyguard.

"Old man, you want to compete with me?" Yang Qi watched him leave and curled his lip. If it were an ordinary stone, he wouldn't even bother to contest it. But this stone contained the essence of heaven and earth—it was a pseudo-spirit crystal. With his limited wealth, he could not simply go to a jewelry company and buy jadeites to cultivate. These raw, uncut stones were affordable and served both his cultivation needs and his desire to earn money. How could he give up because of a single word from Wu Shan?

After some time, Yang Qi’s cart was filled with nearly ten raw stones. Each of these contained the essence of heaven and earth, and all were of at least sticky-rice grade quality.

As noon approached, Yang Qi stopped selecting stones and began to examine them one by one. Although they all contained jadeite, there were differences in quality—sticky-rice, ice, and high-ice grades. For his own use, it didn't matter much, but he still had to help the Shen family’s jewelry business.

The stones at the exhibition ranged from tens of thousands to over a million yuan. If a stone costing a million yuan only yielded a sticky-rice grade jadeite, it wouldn't be a profit—it would be a massive loss. Simply determining the presence of jadeite was not enough to guarantee a profit on high-end materials; a more precise judgment was required.

"The internal essence in these stones varies in quantity, purity, and clarity," Yang Qi realized after only a moment.

"It seems the purity of the essence determines the grade of the jadeite, while the quantity of the essence determines its size." Combining his previous observations at Shen’s Jewelry, he quickly reached a conclusion.

"Yang Qi, you’ve picked out so many stones?" At that moment, Shen Yuxuan, who had finished her own selection, walked over.

Compared to Yang Qi’s nine stones, Shen Yuxuan had only chosen two. Jade gambling was a profound discipline; judging the quality of a stone was no easy feat. Due to the high stakes, every selection had to be made with extreme caution. Even a master would take an hour to make a decision on a single piece. Those who picked stones casually were lucky just to find any jadeite at all, let alone make a profit. Thus, it was no surprise that Shen Yuxuan had only picked two in a couple of hours. The exhibition lasted three days specifically to give guests enough time to carefully observe and decide.

That was why Yang Qi’s ability to select nine stones in such a short time far exceeded Shen Yuxuan's expectations.

"I bought the ones I found promising. They aren't expensive, so it’s good practice," Yang Qi said with a smile.

Shen Yuxuan nodded. She knew Yang Qi lacked experience, so she thought it was good for him to practice and verify his skills. Since the stones weren't expensive, she didn't mind.

Yang Qi glanced at the two stones in Shen Yuxuan’s hands and noticed that one of them contained a rich amount of natural essence. By his estimation, it was likely high-ice grade—a high-end jadeite.

"Yang Qi, what’s wrong?" Seeing him pause, Shen Yuxuan asked.

"Nothing. I just think this stone looks good; it should yield some jadeite," Yang Qi said with a smile.

"The quality does seem good, and Li Yun also recommended this one. He was the one who brought me to see it," Shen Yuxuan replied.

Li Yun?

Yang Qi was stunned. He quickly asked, "How much did this stone cost?"

"Sixty thousand," Shen Yuxuan answered.

For an uncut stone, sixty thousand wasn't cheap. However, Yang Qi was suspicious. He suspected the Li family might be gifting this stone to Shen Yuxuan. Although the Li family publicly claimed to remain neutral in the competition between the Shen and Liu families, their relationship with the Shen family was anything but ordinary. With the Li family's resources, helping Shen Yuxuan was well within their means.

"Let’s not dwell on it. Let’s go cut the stones. Although, with so many, you probably won't finish by this morning," Shen Yuxuan said with a smile.

The Li family’s shop had its own stone-cutting machines—ten of them, four of which were reserved for VIPs. As long-term partners, the Shen family were VIP clients, so they headed directly to one of the machines.

"President Shen, here to cut some stones?" Li Yun, who happened to be nearby, smiled when he saw them.

"Let Yang Qi go first," Shen Yuxuan said, gesturing toward him.

Li Yun nodded, glancing at the cart beside Yang Qi. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes; selecting nine stones in such a short time was truly unexpected.