She turned her head to look at Zhang Yuksheng, only to see him already cutting off all the odd bits and excess material around him, beginning to polish with excitement. Guh Siqing felt a sense of urgency, she hastily tapped on the table, commanding Ah Chen to speed up.
Ah Chen kept his head down, his hands busy with the task of unraveling the stone, a glint of dark light flashing in his eyes.
About twenty minutes later, Zhang Yuksheng stopped his movements. His method of unraveling the stone this time was the same as the previous several times, first cutting off the surrounding edges and remnants, then polishing along the skin of the stone until the entire piece of jade was revealed. Such an approach was very bold; had An Yiqing not known the location of the jade, this technique could easily have damaged the raw material.
A splash of clear water was poured on, and the layer of lime covering the jade quickly vanished, revealing a bewitching red light like a searing flame, igniting everyone’s eyes!
It was a piece of Red Jade! A giant piece of Blood-Red Jade!
The Red Jade was blood-red throughout, brilliantly bewitching and vivid. The jade had a delicate and smooth texture, warm to the touch. It was so translucent that the lustrous body of the stone resembled undulating clear springs, gurgling and flowing. It seemed like a red-clad enchantress of bewildering charm, full of allure, capturing souls!
At the sight of it, An Yiqing involuntarily thought of Bai Yiming, who had left earlier. This piece of Red Jade was very similar to his style, both were demonic in nature, equally stunning.
All those who had been captivated by the Jade Spirit gradually shifted their gaze to the Red Jade, their enchanted eyes as if gazing at a lover. Especially Ma Tianci, his eyes moved restlessly between the Red Jade and the Jade Spirit, as if he wanted to glue both eyes onto them.
"Is... is this Red Jade?" a man struggled to swallow, stammering.
"Yes, isn’t it? Such blood color can only be found in Red Jade. It’s so beautiful... simply too beautiful..." another man watched the passionate red, as if gazing at a long-admired lover.
For the moment, everyone was immersed in the dazzling red, no one gave any attention to Guh Siqing’s side, nor to the High Ice Species Blue Sprite that Ah Chen had uncovered.
Indeed! With Red Jade and Jade Spirit present, who would care about a Blue Sprite that was merely High Ice Species?
It must be said, An Yiqing had whetted everyone’s appetite, raising their expectations!
"Miss." Ah Chen squinted in the direction of An Yiqing, discarded the rough stone he was halfway through with, and whispered in Guh Siqing’s ear, "Let’s leave quickly while we have the chance."
Guh Siqing was stunned; her face, already grim and rigid, twisted even more. Clenching her teeth, biting her lip hard, and with fists tightly clenched, her palms were marked with streaks of blood from her nails.
The situation being what it was, even if she was reluctant, there was no choice but to follow Ah Chen’s suggestion. She was the Guh family’s second daughter, noble in status, how could she apologize to a commoner!
With that thought, Guh Siqing even felt that her stealthy departure was not shameful, but rather justified.
She glanced at An Yiqing, who was chatting with Ma Tianci, her back to her, then turned and followed Ah Chen, preparing to leave.
Just as she was about to step away, a cool, thinly veiled voice rose from behind her.
"Miss Guh, are you just going to leave like that?"
There was An Yiqing, smiling faintly, looking at Guh Siqing, who was almost leaving, with a profound gaze. Her voice, pleasant to hear, was not loud, yet everyone in the hall heard it crystal clear.