C28 Top Grade Jade

The onlookers were secretly snickering. They might have praised the stone to Lin Sheng's face, but it was all an act to deceive him.

Deep down, they knew the stone was utterly worthless.

Had they truly believed it was something special, they would have had it cut long ago instead of letting it sit there for so long.

"Alright! We don't usually do this, but you seem like a straight shooter, young man, so I'll make an exception," the stall owner said, feigning difficulty.

His peers mentally rolled their eyes at him. He was clearly getting a sweet deal and still playing the innocent.

They all envied the stall owner. Today, they had found a sucker. Closing this deal meant a clean profit of ten thousand yuan, equivalent to half a month's earnings.

"Fine, what's your card number? I'll transfer the money to you right away," Lin Sheng offered.

"Here you go, this is my card number!" the man replied, passing his details to Lin Sheng.

"Little brother, don't buy this."

Just then, a sweet female voice chimed in.

Lin Sheng turned to see a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen, speaking to him.

Despite having encountered numerous people and many beauties, Lin Sheng was taken aback by this girl's stunning appearance.

Her skin was as white as porcelain, her eyes sparkled as if they could speak, and her delicate features seemed as if she had stepped right out of a painting.

Her attire, however, was quite unusual, almost antiquated.

She was dressed in a simple long gown that resembled a Daoist robe, and her lustrous black hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, much like a Daoist's.

Could she be a Daoist priestess?

She might just be the most beautiful Daoist priestess in the world.

Lin Sheng marveled internally. If this young girl entered a talent show, her pure looks alone would catapult her to stardom.

"Who is this wild girl? If you're not buying, keep quiet!"

The stall owner glared at the girl and chided her harshly.

Despite the little girl's beauty, she was around the same age as his daughter, so he had no ulterior motives whatsoever.

When she interfered with his potential profit, he was immediately filled with anger.

"Thank you, little sister," Lin Sheng said with a smile. The girl seemed pure and good-hearted.

Her warning had indeed been well-intentioned.

After the vendor scolded her, she blushed slightly, apparently unaccustomed to being reprimanded in front of a crowd, and she didn't talk back, displaying her naivety.

Yet, she playfully stuck out her tongue at Lin Sheng and shook her head, signaling that he shouldn't purchase the raw stone.

She had come to Yellowstone Street to hunt for treasures herself and believed the stone Lin Sheng was interested in contained nothing of value.

Lin Sheng, however, trusted his own instincts. After paying, he was ready to have the stone cut open then and there.

If it revealed something valuable, he was determined to reclaim his ten thousand yuan.

It wasn't that he was particularly concerned about the money.

Rather, the vendor had been so deceitful that Lin Sheng felt compelled to teach him a lesson.

Once the vendor saw the transaction on his bank card, he relaxed and chuckled, "Alright! Money in one hand, goods in the other—the stone is yours now!"

Watching the vendor's smug expression, Lin Sheng retorted, "Let's not rush. Remember our wager? If I find something good, you owe me a refund of ten thousand yuan."

The vendor's jaw dropped. He had assumed Lin Sheng was merely bluffing and was taken aback to realize he was serious.

"Ha! You're clearly a novice. Let me be frank with you—there's nothing inside that stone. You've been duped!" the vendor taunted.

"Don't feel bad, though. This business is all about having an eye for it. Consider this a valuable lesson," he added with a sneer.

"Xing Laosi, since you swindled this ten thousand yuan today and I vouched for you, you owe me a lavish meal!" chimed in another accomplice who had helped Xing Laosi trick Lin Sheng.

"I put in my effort too, so don't forget to include me in that meal!"

"I certainly put in the effort..."

Lin Sheng was still present, and they were already gearing up for the celebration banquet.

Lin Sheng chuckled and remarked, "Well, that's not necessarily true. The stone hasn't been cut yet!"

"Alright, alright, go ahead and cut it!"

Xing Laosi gave him a look as if he were a simpleton and said, "If you don't cut it, you can keep it as a memento. But once you cut into it, there's no room left for imagination—it'll just be a pile of worthless rocks."

Lin Sheng, however, wasn't concerned with that. Staff members were all around Yellowstone Street. He called out, and someone promptly brought over a small stone-cutting machine.

"Are you the one who wants to cut the stone?" the staff member asked Lin Sheng courteously.

"Yes, this piece," Lin Sheng replied, handing over the raw stone he had just purchased.

The staff member's expression turned intriguing upon seeing it.

Having worked with stones for many years, he was well-acquainted with the trade and had picked up a few tricks.

From his experience, he didn't expect anything of value to come from this stone.

But of course, he couldn't say that. He simply proceeded with the stone-cutting as Lin Sheng had requested.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

The blade whirred, sending stone chips scattering.

Quickly, the raw stone was split open by the staff according to Lin Sheng's instructions.

A streak of green light suddenly caught everyone's eye.

"We've got green!"

Hearts raced as the neatly cut surface revealed a mesmerizing green glow!

Lin Sheng remained composed; this was all part of his plan.

The staff member paused, taken aback, and then continued the stone-cutting process with even greater care.

Before long, the entire raw stone was cut open, revealing a fist-sized piece of jade.

"My goodness, this is premium jade!" someone exclaimed.

"Considering the quality and size, this piece of top-grade jade could be worth over 300,000 yuan. It could make several bracelets and pendants!"

"Was this the raw stone purchased for ten thousand yuan?"

"Never before has such a treasure surfaced in the stall area!"

"The young man's eye for quality is truly exceptional!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere was electric with excitement.

"Oh no! How did I miss such a treasure? That 300,000 could have been mine!"

"Who would've thought!?

Some folks were seething as they watched Lin Sheng snap up such a fine item right before their eyes.

And that young girl from earlier, her mouth agape in astonishment, couldn't believe what she was seeing in Lin Sheng.

Having picked up a bit of knowledge about antiques and jade at the Daoist temple, she couldn't fathom how the raw stone Lin Sheng had just purchased could possibly yield any jade!

She gazed at Lin Sheng with sheer admiration, convinced that his discernment might even surpass her master's.

"Hey, kid, are you selling that jade? I'll offer 300,000!" someone in the crowd called out.

"The quality of this jade is quite nice; I'm interested too. 320,000!"

"I'll give 350,000..."

Before you knew it, a bidding war had broken out right there among the onlookers.