Chapter 50: Draw

Chapter 50: Draw

Seeing Yang Qi agree, Liu Xiangnan couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Even if Yang Qi didn't know the wager was disadvantageous to him, Shen Yuxuan certainly would have told him. How could Yang Qi dare to agree?

One had to know that for Yang Qi to win this wager, it wasn't enough just for the rough stone in his own hands to yield jade worth a million; the King of Rough Stones also had to turn out to be a bust, with a value lower than five million. Combining these two conditions made it extremely difficult!

Faced with such a wager, Yang Qi still dared to accept it. For a moment, Liu Xiangnan found it somewhat hard to fathom Yang Qi. What on earth gave him such confidence not only to make a profit on his own stone, but also to declare that the King of Rough Stones would fail?

"What? Is President Liu trying to go back on his word?" Yang Qi smiled faintly, yet the trace of contempt in his expression was palpable enough for even Liu Xiangnan to feel.

It wasn't just Yang Qi; the gazes others directed at Liu Xiangnan also shifted somewhat. If the wager had initially been proposed by Yang Qi, Liu Xiangnan had later modified it, which was equivalent to him setting the terms of the bet. Yet when Yang Qi accepted, Liu Xiangnan hesitated. Considering that the wager inherently favored Liu Xiangnan, and Yang Qi had dared to agree, was Liu Xiangnan actually afraid?

Feeling the strange looks surrounding him, Liu Xiangnan's expression grew somewhat unsightly. Naturally, he knew what those gazes implied.

"Very well. Since Mr. Yang is so straightforward, if I were to hesitate any further, it would make me look petty." Liu Xiangnan nodded, effectively sealing the wager.

Seeing Liu Xiangnan agree, Yang Qi let out a silent sigh of relief. He had truly feared that Liu Xiangnan would be overly cautious and refuse. Although that possibility was slim, until Liu Xiangnan gave his final assent, he couldn't completely relax.

With the wager established and so many industry peers as witnesses, there was no need to draw up any formal contract. The news of the bet between Yang Qi and the King of Rough Stones quickly spread throughout the jade market. The crowd, already deeply interested in the cutting of the King of Rough Stones, grew even more enthusiastic.

The exhibition organizers had originally prepared a stone-cutting machine solely for the King of Rough Stones. Learning now that Yang Qi was actually wagering against Liu Xiangnan, they immediately had another machine set up in the center of the venue. A wager involving the King of Rough Stones had never happened before. Even though everyone believed Yang Qi had no chance of winning, the mere fact that someone dared to bet against the King of Rough Stones—win or lose—was a massive spectacle in itself.

In an instant, the center of the venue was packed with curious onlookers. On the central exhibition platform, two stone-cutting machines stood ready, one on the left and one on the right.

"Look over there, that's the King of Rough Stones!"

"As expected of the King of Rough Stones, it's truly massive, and the green showing on the cut face is exceptionally pure."

"I heard the winning bid for this King of Rough Stones was over twenty million. That is no small sum."

The appearance of the King of Rough Stones instantly sparked endless discussions. Everyone had seen the King of Rough Stones countless times already, but this would be its final public appearance, as it was about to be cut open to reveal what lay within.

Compared to the tremendous fanfare surrounding the King of Rough Stones, the appearance of Yang Qi's rough stone caused many to secretly shake their heads. The external appearance of Yang Qi's stone wasn't bad; had it not been for the fracture flaw, it might well have been worth over a million. However, the fracture flaw was simply too terrifying—people in the jade gambling community practically turned pale at the mention of it. Naturally, no one held out hope for Yang Qi's stone.

"Let's begin." At Li Yun's announcement, the two stone-cutting machines began to spin rapidly, and the harsh screech of blades cutting through stone echoed across the venue.

Yang Qi's rough stone was only about the size of a human head, so the cutting process was naturally very fast. In just over ten minutes, the stone was sliced open.

There were two common methods for dealing with fracture flaws: one was to cut continuously along the fracture to observe its destructive force and penetration depth, and the other was a somewhat brutal approach—cutting directly across the direction of the fracture. Yang Qi chose to cut directly across the fracture.

The entire rough stone was split right down the middle, exposing the inner matrix. Faint traces of emerald green could be seen around the stone matter, making it obvious that the stone had failed. The fracture had completely ruined the jade, leaving behind only a thin layer resembling an eggshell right along the path of the flaw.

"It's a bust!"

"It's over already!"

Seeing Yang Qi's stone yield a failure right off the bat, many people secretly shook their heads. According to the agreement between Yang Qi and Liu Xiangnan, Yang Qi's stone needed to yield jade worth over a million for him not to lose, but right now, this stone was completely worthless.

Witnessing this scene, Shen Yuxuan's heart tightened. Was Yang Qi really going to lose?

"This..." The master stone-cutter looked at the two halves of the cut stone and froze for a moment. Having cut stones for many years, he understood the trade well and naturally knew that such a stone was a total loss.

"Mr. Yang..." The cutter looked toward Yang Qi.

"Keep cutting!" Yang Qi said calmly.

The jade in this rough stone wasn't located near the fracture at all; rather, it leaned toward the right side of the flaw. Otherwise, he wouldn't have clearly sensed earlier that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was sparse where the fracture was, while a concentration of pure spiritual energy existed on the right.

Following Yang Qi's instructions, the cutter made the next blade stroke. Soon, a slice of stone fell away, unexpectedly revealing a patch of vibrant green.

"This... a profit?"

"It actually turned a profit?"

"One slash to heaven, one slash to hell!"

Looking at the green-yielding rough stone, the onlookers sighed with emotion. The stone that had already been deemed a failure had actually turned a profit.

While Yang Qi's stone had already experienced both a bust and a profit, Wu Shan's side hadn't even managed to slice off a single piece yet. The King of Rough Stones was simply too large; even with the stone-cutting machine, water had to be continuously poured and the position constantly adjusted.

Finally, after another dozen minutes or so, Wu Shan's side finally managed to slice off a piece of stone from the King of Rough Stones.

"A profit! A profit again! This green is even purer than before—at the very least it's ice-variety, and it's extremely likely to be high-ice variety!"

"The King of Rough Stones is profitable!"

"A massive profit for the King of Rough Stones!"

In an instant, the crowd erupted with excitement. It wasn't just the onlookers; even Wu Shan and Liu Xiangnan wore broad smiles. Judging by the intensity of the green, it was at least at the ice-variety level, meaning the Liu family was virtually guaranteed not to lose.

"It's fully cut out! High-ice variety bright apple green!"

At that moment, an abrupt voice rang out from the side. On the left, Yang Qi's rough stone had been completely cut open, revealing a piece of high-ice variety bright apple green jade about the size of a fist.

A draw?

Looking at the bright apple green jade in Yang Qi's hands, the crowd fell into a daze. Without needing any formal appraisal, everyone knew that the jade in Yang Qi's hands was worth well over a million! Yang Qi was no longer going to lose—yet the King of Rough Stones had also turned a profit!

"High-ice variety bright apple green!" Liu Xiangnan's expression turned somewhat gloomy. He hadn't expected that Yang Qi could actually extract million-dollar jade from a stone with a fracture flaw. Having originally stood in an unbeatable position, he had somehow ended up right back on the starting line with Yang Qi. Could it be that they were heading for a draw?

"Was he trying to use my King of Rough Stones as a stepping stone?" Suddenly, a thought flashed through Liu Xiangnan's mind.