C29 Teach Me How to Look at the Raw Stone

Finally, the price settled at 400,000 yuan.

"Kid, 400,000 yuan isn't exactly a steal. Are you going to sell this jade?" the portly middle-aged man who had offered four hundred thousand inquired of Lin Sheng.

"Sell!"

Lin Sheng agreed without hesitation. The jade, valued at 400,000 yuan, was indeed pricey, but as a birthday gift, it felt somewhat lacking.

If he wasn't committed, it wouldn't matter, but since he had promised Cheng Yunfei a birthday present, he was determined to make her proud.

After spending so much time with Cheng Yunfei, Lin Sheng understood that despite her silence, she deeply cared about the Cheng family.

Lin Sheng had resolved to support Cheng Yunfei in securing a solid position within the Cheng family and perhaps even becoming its next leader.

"Great, let's exchange the cash for the jade then," said the chubby man, a hint of happiness on his face. "We have plenty of witnesses here."

However, Lin Sheng turned to Xing Laosi, the man who had sold him the raw stone, and said, "Before I sell the jade, I'd like to settle our previous wager."

"Xing Laosi, wasn't it? We had an agreement that if this raw stone yielded something valuable, you'd refund me the ten thousand yuan I paid for it. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

The news that a raw stone from a street stall had produced jade worth over four hundred thousand yuan was astounding.

As the jade was revealed, it captured everyone's attention, and the bet between Lin Sheng and Xing Laosi was momentarily forgotten.

With the value reaching four hundred thousand, who would fuss over ten thousand?

Unexpectedly, Lin Sheng, having unearthed jade worth 400,000 yuan, wasn't overly excited. Instead, he insisted on retrieving the 10,000 yuan from Xing Laosi.

This young man certainly had an unconventional approach to business.

Lin Sheng wasn't overly concerned about the 10,000 yuan. His insistence stemmed from Xing Laosi's previous attempt to swindle him, and now he was keen on teaching Xing Laosi a lesson.

No one could pull one over on Lin Sheng unless he allowed it – the person capable of such a feat hadn't been born yet!

Xing Laosi was nearly in tears.

He gazed at Lin Sheng with desperate eyes, feeling as though his heart was bleeding.

The raw stone that had yielded the finest jade should have been his!

He had never imagined he'd sell it for a mere ten thousand yuan.

He was kicking himself now, wishing he had cut the stone himself.

But adding insult to injury, Lin Sheng now wanted to reclaim the ten thousand yuan. This meant he was essentially handing over a stone worth four hundred thousand yuan to Lin Sheng for nothing.

"What, you're going to go back on your word?" Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed, his piercing gaze sweeping over Xing Laosi.

"Don't even think about reneging. We all saw what happened. A man's got to honor his word!" the young Taoist girl chimed in loudly.

She had witnessed the bet between Lin Sheng and Xing Laosi firsthand. Seeing Xing Laosi's reluctance to acknowledge it, she felt compelled to speak up for justice.

"Who... who's trying to weasel out of it?"

Xing Laosi's face turned red as he said, "I'm known for keeping my word. It's just ten thousand yuan, take it!"

True to his word, Xing Laosi transferred the ten thousand yuan to Lin Sheng, who accepted it graciously.

After selling the exceptional jade, Lin Sheng made a profit of four hundred thousand yuan in less than an hour.

"This kid's got an eye for quality! The young ones are a force to be reckoned with; he's got a promising future," someone remarked.

"Oh, come on! Is it really as mystical as you make it out to be?"

Another skeptic interjected, "Raw stones can't even be detected by the latest technology, and you think he can just see it with his eyes? Give me a break! Sounds like a fluke to me – a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat!"

"Blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat? Try your luck then! Enough with the jealousy. Is it really that hard to acknowledge someone else's talent?" another person countered.

...

Lin Sheng tuned out the surrounding chatter and made his way toward the shops in the stall area.

"Big brother, wait up."

Lin Sheng had only walked a few steps when a somewhat familiar voice called out from behind him. Turning around, he saw the Taoist girl who had earlier cautioned him against purchasing the raw stone hurrying after him.

She appeared somewhat anxious, as if she had something important to discuss with Lin Sheng.

With a smile, Lin Sheng inquired, "Something on your mind?"

The girl hesitated, biting her lip before saying, "Big brother, could you teach me how to identify raw stones?"

Lin Sheng couldn't help but chuckle. So that was the reason.

He explained, "It really depends on natural talent, and it's not something you can learn overnight. Besides, I was just lucky earlier; there's no special trick to it."

In reality, it wasn't solely about talent but also about chance and personal strength.

Without the fortuitous ancient legacy Lin Sheng had once received, no matter how skilled or talented he was, he wouldn't have gained the ability to sense what lay within the stones.

"It's okay. My master says I have a lot of talent."

Noticing Lin Sheng's reluctance, the girl became both more anxious and embarrassed, adding, "If you agree to teach me, I promise to repay your kindness."

Lin Sheng found the girl quite intriguing and asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Lu Ying. And what's your name, big brother?"

"I'm Lin Sheng."

As they conversed, Lin Sheng and Lu Ying continued walking further inside.

Curious, Lin Sheng asked, "Why are you interested in learning this? You have a master, right? What does your master do?"

"My master is the head of the Tranquil Water Sect; we... are Taoist priests."

Just as Lin Sheng had suspected.

"Why did you choose to become a priest?"

He was genuinely curious. Lu Ying was quite beautiful, and it seemed unusual for someone like her to pursue such a path, as becoming a priest was often a choice for those who had renounced worldly desires.

Lu Ying explained, "My master took me in. I've been destined to be a priest from birth, but I enjoy it. I really like being a priest."

"Alright then." So she was an orphan raised by a priest. Lin Sheng surmised that Lu Ying probably hadn't experienced much of the wider, vibrant world outside.

"Have you been staying at the Tranquil Water Sect all this time?"

"Mhm."

Lu Ying walked closely beside Lin Sheng and shared, "We're in need of renovations at the Tranquil Water Sect, but we're out of funds, so my master sent me down the mountain to fundraise."

"I've tried several times without any success. Since I have some knowledge about jade and antiques, I thought I'd try my luck here, but who could have known..."

At this point, Lu Ying shook her head, her expression tinged with sorrow.

She hadn't managed to acquire any jade, and on top of that, she had spent all the money she had brought with her.

"Big brother, if you could teach me how to evaluate raw stones, I could quickly raise the money we need for the Tranquil Water Sect's renovations," Lu Ying said, her eyes filled with hope.

Naturally beautiful and innocent, Lu Ying's forlorn demeanor would soften the heart of anyone who saw her.

Even Lin Sheng found himself moved with compassion.

He gave a wry smile and shook his head. How could Lu Ying's master be so irresponsible, sending such a naive young woman out to fundraise?

The thought of her encountering a malicious person was too dreadful to consider.

"So, how much do you need to renovate the Tranquil Water Sect?" he asked.

"One hundred thousand." Lu Ying intertwined her delicate, pale fingers, gesturing the number ten to Lin Sheng.