Guh Siqing’s face was a palette of colours at this moment, still reeling from the shock Gu Yelin had delivered, and then shattered by the devastating news about the inferior jade. Her gaze darkened as she stared at the chaotic pile of waste on the table, breathing fiercely a few times.
"Miss Second, calm yourself," Ah Chen whispered to her, "Even if you lose your bet, An Yiqing might not win. Don’t forget, she doesn’t have any special abilities."
These words lit a spark in Guh Siqing’s eyes, and she quickly turned her head toward Zhang Yuksheng, only to see that the cut surface of the rough stone he was holding was still a blinding white, showing no signs of green.
With a cold smile, Guh Siqing felt no hint of jade fluctuation from that rough stone. An Yiqing was sure to fail!
Just as Guh Siqing was sneering, Zhang Yuksheng changed the abrasive wheel on the Stone-Cutting Machine and began to polish meticulously, bit by bit.
As time ticked by, when everyone was growing somewhat weary, Zhang Yuksheng finally ceased his movements.
He poured a splash of water over it, and before the eyes of the onlookers, layers of lime were slowly washed away by the water, revealing a piece of jade that was crystal clear and gleaming!
The hall fell into a hushed silence, the sounds of breathing nearly inaudible!
No one spoke, their eyes fixed on the jade on the table in a daze. It wasn’t Glass-type Imperial Green or Blue Elf or Violet, nor was it Ink Jade. Incredibly, it was a piece of colorless jadeite, as transparent as crystal!
Unlike the slightly white-transparent jadeite commonly seen on the market, this piece before them truly contained no color at all!
It seemed to be a clear crystal, emitting strands of dazzling light. Yet, whether looking at its texture or other characteristics, it was undeniably jadeite!
"This piece of jadeite...what is it?..." A voice from the crowd began to rise, somewhat dazed.
Everyone stared intently at the jadeite, shaking their heads to indicate they had no idea.
"Old Ma, look at this..." a middle-aged man next to Ma Tianci nudged him and asked in a stutter.
Jolted by the middle-aged man’s nudge, Ma Tianci came to his senses. He walked forward excitedly, his face flushed, and reached out a trembling hand to touch the transparent jadeite, tears involuntarily streaking down his aged eyes.
"This...perhaps this is the real Jade Spirit...the real Jade Spirit!" As if caressing a lover, Ma Tianci affectionately stroked the jadeite’s body, the cool touch slowly calming his barely controlled emotions and clearing his mind a bit. Ma Tianci was astonished—it seemed the legends about the Jade Spirit were true; it did indeed possess healing properties!
"A Jade Spirit? What’s that?" Upon hearing Ma Tianci’s exclamation, everyone exchanged puzzled looks, completely baffled.
That’s when an incredulous exclamation rang through the crowd, "A Jade Spirit?! I’ve heard of it! I’ve read about it in an ancient book; the Jade Spirit exists only in legend, extremely rare. It’s said that wearing a Jade Spirit can strengthen the body, prolong life, and for women, even beautify and nourish the complexion. It’s downright miraculous!"
These words set the crowd abuzz, and they quickly gathered around the speaker, peppering him with questions.
"Is it really that miraculous? It’s fake, right? Where did you see this in that folk history?"
"Yeah, yeah! If Jade Spirits are real, why haven’t we heard about them over so many years?"
"What’s all the noise? Back off, let me ask something!"
The scene briefly spiraled out of control, and the person who had spoken was nearly squeezed to the point of regurgitating his dinner from the previous night.
"Stop shouting! Stop shouting!" the person cried out miserably, "President Ma knows! If you don’t believe me, go ask President Ma!"
As the words fell, the jostling crowd suddenly snapped to attention and then, as if by some unspoken agreement, turned to look at Ma Tianci with eyes brimming with a burning curiosity.
"Chairman!" The person next to Ma Tianci was startled by everyone’s gaze and nudged the elderly man still caressing the jadeite.
"Hmm?" Ma Tianci was startled and, following his assistant’s gaze, looked down at the hopeful crowd and nodded solemnly, "Indeed, there are Jade Spirits in the world. I once saw someone unveil a marble-sized Jade Spirit at the Country Fei Public Disk, which sold for a total of five hundred million Xuanjin Currency. That brother was right—the Jade Spirit indeed has many health benefits, and they come in different colors, each with its own effects. However, besides transparent Jade Spirits, none of the other colors have appeared. I’m not clear what they would look like. But this piece before us, it definitely is a Jade Spirit!"
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath of air. A marble-sized Jade Spirit had fetched five hundred million Xuanjin Currency, so this piece... it must be worth at least ten times five hundred million, right?