Chapter 54: The Master Sculptor

Chapter 54: The Master Carver

"I'm mainly buying them to practice, so I don't plan on selling them for now," Yang Qi said after hesitating for a moment.

Unable to think of a better solution, Yang Qi's only plan was to completely absorb the primordial Qi of heaven and earth from this batch of jadeite before selling it all off. This way, he wouldn't attract the attention of any interested parties.

"Is that so?" Shen Yuxuan was slightly startled, but then smiled and said, "Well, little Yang, when you do plan to sell, don't forget to notify our Shen Corporation."

"Alright, when the time comes, I will definitely give priority to selling to the Shen Corporation." Yang Qi nodded.

He had estimated the value of the jadeite in his hands, which was definitely around thirty million. That was no small sum, and ordinary small jewelry companies simply couldn't produce that much floating capital all at once.

Early in the morning, Yang Qi and his group returned to Qingzhou. Yang Qi asked Shen Yuxuan about purchasing a jadeite cutting machine, as he intended to buy one. After all, the jadeite in his possession was of high value, and if it were cut at the Shen Corporation, Shen Yuxuan would probably want to buy it on the spot.

As for the villa Yang Qi was currently renting, he didn't need to worry about the noise of the cutting machine disturbing the surrounding neighbors.

The Shen Jewelry Corporation had its own jadeite cutters, including a spare one. When Yang Qi asked, Shen Yuxuan directly did him a favor and sold it to him. Such a cutting machine wasn't cheap, costing a full six hundred thousand, and that was only because Shen Yuxuan didn't charge him extra; otherwise, the normal market price was around eight hundred thousand.

Returning to his residence, Yang Qi began his cultivation until the afternoon when Shen Yuxuan sent someone to deliver the cutting machine, which was then installed and tested. Fortunately, the villa area was spacious, and when the cutter started up, it wasn't too noisy. If it were in a bare-walls apartment or a high-rise with elevators, his cutting machine would have been completely unusable.

"It seems that in the future, buying a house means I can only choose villas," Yang Qi smiled bitterly.

Because they were built on the ground, the primordial Qi in villas was obviously much richer than that in bustling apartments, and it also solved the hassle of cutting jade. It served multiple purposes at once.

However, villas were not cheap. Finding a place with good environmental amenities meant the prices were even steeper. Although Yang Qi currently had around thirty million in hand, buying a villa might still not be quite enough.

Zhao Yixin was not at the villa, likely out on a flight mission. Yang Qi continued cultivating until early the next morning, then drove to Shen Jewelry, preparing to meet Master Chen to carve the blood-jade bead.

"Little Yang, this is our Shen Jewelry's chief master carver, Chen Zhengyuan, Master Chen," Shen Yuxuan introduced.

Chen Zhengyuan looked at Yang Qi, nodded slightly, and smiled, "So this is Yang Qi, Consultant Yang? I've heard many old friends mention your great name over the past couple of days."

Yang Qi's experiences at the Yue-Dong stone-gambling exhibition had long since spread throughout the jadeite community, and everyone knew his name. Chen Zhengyuan had heard many people mention Yang Qi over the past few days, but this was his first time seeing him in person.

"Elder Chen flatters me," Yang Qi said hastily. Chen Zhengyuan was a master carver, and anyone who could be called a master was someone with immense achievements in their field, unlike himself who relied on trickery and stone-gambling.

"This time, this junior has asked Master Chen here to help carve a birthday gift," Yang Qi said as he took out the blood-jade bead.

"A blood-jade celestial bead! It's actually a blood-jade celestial bead!" Upon seeing the bead, Chen Zhengyuan immediately grew excited.

A blood-jade celestial bead?

Hearing this, both Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qi were stunned, looking at Chen Zhengyuan in confusion. Wasn't this just a blood-jade bead? How did it become a blood-jade celestial bead?

"It's normal that you don't know. In fact, very few people know about blood-jade celestial beads. I only saw records of them in ancient texts passed down from my ancestors," Chen Zhengyuan said with a smile, noticing their blank expressions.

"Blood jade is already rare, and blood-jade beads even more so. But a blood-jade celestial bead is the absolute pinnacle among them, much like the glass-variety imperial green," Chen Zhengyuan explained.

"Legend has it that blood-jade celestial beads can prolong life, though I don't know if it's true or false." Chen Zhengyuan carefully took the blood-jade celestial bead, a look of deep emotion on his face.

"Prolong life? I'm afraid it's true." Yang Qi nodded inwardly. This blood-jade celestial bead indeed had the effect of prolonging life. However, it didn't help much for healthy people; conversely, it was much more beneficial for those with injuries or illnesses.

"As expected of a blood-jade celestial bead. According to ancient records, holding a blood-jade celestial bead feels like a clear stream surging into one's heart," Chen Zhengyuan said, holding the bead.

"What's so magical about that? Isn't it just a piece of cold jade?" Shen Yuxuan said dismissively.

Shen Yuxuan was at an age brimming with vitality, so the blood-jade celestial bead naturally had little effect on her. But Chen Zhengyuan was likely around sixty years old, making the effects of the bead much more pronounced for him.

"Uh~" Chen Zhengyuan was stunned at her words and could only offer a bitter smile.

"I wonder what kind of item Mr. Yang intends for me to carve?" Chen Zhengyuan looked at Yang Qi and asked.

"I don't know either. I'm not very familiar with these things, but this is a gift for an elder's eightieth birthday," Yang Qi said.

"Eighty years old?" Chen Zhengyuan was slightly startled, then said, "I actually have an idea. If a blood-jade celestial bead like this is carved extensively, it would be somewhat wasteful. Instead, it would be better to carve a longevity star on its surface and turn it into a wrist bead."

"That would be wonderful." Yang Qi nodded. A blood-jade celestial bead had to be worn long-term to be effective. However, because there was only a single bead, making it into a full bracelet clearly wasn't suitable. Making it into a necklace pendant didn't quite fit Elder Qin's age, but making it into a bead worn on the wrist was quite appropriate.

Yang Qi was extremely satisfied with Chen Zhengyuan's arrangement and couldn't help asking, "Elder Chen, may I ask what the price for this carving will be?"

Chen Zhengyuan was a master carver, and his personal craftsmanship commanded a high price. However, only with a master like Chen Zhengyuan stepping in could he feel at ease that the blood-jade celestial bead wouldn't be wasted.

"Even a master carver might not get the chance to carve such a blood-jade celestial bead in their entire lifetime. Being able to carve it is a carver's honor, so I won't charge anything this time," Chen Zhengyuan said with a smile.

"In that case, many thanks, Elder Chen," Yang Qi said gratefully. He didn't insist on paying Chen Zhengyuan because he could tell that the elder didn't care about money at all; carving the blood-jade celestial bead was his true desire.

"How soon can the carving be finished?" Yang Qi asked. According to what Elder Qin had told him previously, there were only four days left until Elder Qin's eightieth birthday. If time ran out, the gift would lose its meaning.

"At the fastest, one day; at the slowest, three days," Chen Zhengyuan deliberated for a moment before replying.

"That is the best outcome." Hearing this, Yang Qi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The two chatted a bit more about the carving of the blood-jade celestial bead. Since Chen Zhengyuan needed to conceptualize the design, he soon left Shen Yuxuan's office. For a time, only Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qi remained in the room, and the entire office grew quiet once more.