"It’s a total failure, what’s the point of even gambling on it? What a joke!"

"Are they messing with us? Let’s go, let's go back and check out our own stones."

The rough stone on the platform utterly disappointed the onlookers who had arrived with high hopes. Many turned back before even getting close, and in the blink of an eye, most had left. Only the four public servants and a sparse group of five or six people remained, waiting to see what would happen next.

Seeing the rough stone, which was only the size of a zongzi (rice dumpling), Qi Fei frowned, clearly not optimistic about its prospects.

Guan Yingying directly teased, "Wang Zhuo, how much did you pay for it? Fifty? Or a hundred?"

"How much do you think it's worth?" Wang Zhuo countered with a smile.

"You want the honest truth?"

"Mm, go ahead."

"I wouldn't bother cutting it even if you gave it to me for free; it's too much effort."

That meant it was worthless. Wang Zhuo shot her an annoyed glance. "Just wait until it cuts high, then let's see what you say."

An onlooker nearby heard Wang Zhuo and interjected with a laugh, "Young man, if this old fellow says something you might not like to hear: although this stone seems to be from an old pit and might yield high-quality jadeite (Gao Cui), its exterior performance is truly terrible. The chance of cutting out any green is close to zero."

"What if it yields high-quality jadeite?" Wang Zhuo asked back.

The old man smiled but said nothing, clearly not believing it was possible.

"Wang Zhuo, maybe you shouldn't gamble on this stone. I can help you return it," Qiu Lu nudged Wang Zhuo with his elbow and whispered.

"Can sold items be returned?" Wang Zhuo looked surprised.

"Usually not, but since this piece wasn't expensive, if I talk to them, it should be possible."

"Brother Qiu, thank you." Wang Zhuo sincerely accepted the favor from this honest man, then shook his head and smiled, "Today, I'm determined to cut this stone. It’s only two thousand yuan, I can afford to gamble."

"Well said!"

A young onlooker cheered and clapped from the side.

Seeing Wang Zhuo’s firm resolve, Qiu Lu had no choice but to step aside with a sigh.

"You bought this for two thousand?" Guan Yingying was astonished for a moment before murmuring, "This kid is truly insane."

Qi Fei also shook her head repeatedly, left speechless by Wang Zhuo's reckless action.

After securing the rough stone with the mobile bolts, Wang Zhuo picked up the pink chalk and drew a thin straight line slightly off-center from the viewing window.

"What the hell, does this guy even know how to cut?"

"First time playing? Definitely a rookie!"

"Haha, this is going to be fun. It's the first time I've seen someone cut a stone like this—eye-opening!"

"Whose phone has a camera? Hurry up and record it!"

The few young onlookers started chattering amongst themselves, and actually pulled out their phones to record the proceedings.

"Idiot!" The Commissioner's wife spat out the word with disdain.

"He's new; paying tuition is normal," the Commissioner watched with a beaming smile, his face clearly showing four characters: Schadenfreude.

"Wang Zhuo, I suggest you first cut a small window, about half a centimeter, opposite the old window," Qiu Lu suggested with a wry smile.

"No." Wang Zhuo stubbornly refused. Qiu Lu's suggestion was actually the most reasonable, but doing it that way was too conventional. While it might reveal a patch of green, it wouldn't be as dramatically satisfying as slicing right down the middle to expose high-quality jadeite—it wouldn't be fun!

Seeing Wang Zhuo’s unwavering decision, Qiu Lu threw up his hands and retreated to the side.

Wang Zhuo adjusted the cutting blade to align with the pink line but didn't start immediately. He smiled and asked, "Brother Qiu, how many stones did you cut that ended in failure before you earned the nickname 'Cutter of Failures' (Dao Dao Kua)?"

Qiu Lu scratched his head with a bitter smile and replied, "Actually, not that many, just over a dozen. But the busybodies added spice and spread the tale, and now my reputation is infamous."

Wang Zhuo nodded, thinking that since Qiu Lu genuinely helped him, he should repay the favor. Today, he would help clear Qiu Lu’s name. Although this stone wouldn't yield a massive profit, cutting a losing stone into a winning one was a counter-current move, and he would give this credit to Qiu Lu!

He activated the electric motor; the blade spun at high speed, stirring up a faint breeze. Wang Zhuo stepped back and said, "Brother Qiu, I’m the kind of person who doesn't believe in fate. How about you cut this stone for me? I'm not afraid of failure."

Qiu Lu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. His reputation was already fixed; no one dared to ask him to cut stones anymore. He didn't fear adding one more failure to his record on Wang Zhuo's stone; let the broken jar smash even more thoroughly.

Gripping the handle of the cutting tool, Qiu Lu narrowed his eyes and slowly applied pressure, cutting steadily and evenly along the pink line Wang Zhuo had drawn.

At this moment, no one present expected that this single cut would become Qiu Lu's decisive strike. The nickname "Cutter of Failures" (Dao Dao Kua) would vanish from that moment on, replaced by the resounding title of "Shop-Guarding Razor" (Zhen Dian Bao Dao)!

"Whirrrr—"

The rough stone split perfectly in two under the high-speed cutter. Qiu Lu turned off the power, dusted off his clothes, stepped back, and waited for Wang Zhuo to reveal the secret.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, a commoner requests an audience—"

It was Gan Lin calling, asking why Wang Zhuo hadn't shown up for class. Thinking about the half-day he had spent with his new deskmate, Wang Zhuo’s heart softened, and he chatted for a few extra minutes.

Guan Yingying, waiting impatiently nearby, pointed at the rough stone on the platform. Wang Zhuo nodded, gesturing for her to start the reveal.

The stone was now in two halves. Guan Yingying first picked up the half that had been windowed. The cross-section was smooth and neat, clearly showing Qiu Lu's profound knife skill. In an area slightly to the side of the cross-section, there seemed to be an extremely thin layer of green.

Guan Yingying’s brow lifted. She quickly put down that half and picked up the other piece.

"There's green?"

"It looks like it, there really is some, hey!"

"Quick, come look!"

The young men rushed forward, peering at the other half of the rough stone in Guan Yingying's hand.

Guan Yingying was the first to spot the green within the stone; her gaze trembled. She hurriedly called out, "Sister Qi, come look quickly!"

Immediately after, a young man who saw the green let out a startled cry, "Holy crap, it's really green! It actually went up in value!"

Taking the stone from Guan Yingying's hand, Qi Fei's heart jolted the moment she glanced at it. She couldn't quite believe it and frantically looked around for bottled water.

"Sister, use mine!" A young man quickly handed over the water bottle he was holding.

As the water splashed onto the stone, everyone simultaneously gasped. That tiny patch of green, no bigger than a fingernail, was so rich and clear it seemed on the verge of overflowing, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding stone!

"Wang Zhuo, it’s too noisy over there. I thought I heard someone say it went up in value. Where are you?" Gan Lin asked, confused.

"Oh, I'm at the stock exchange, checking stocks. Maybe someone’s stock went up," Wang Zhuo lied casually.

"Stocks went up? Then why did he say it was really green? Aren't stocks red when they rise?" Gan Lin pressed.

"Uh..." Wang Zhuo's mind raced, and he laughed, "The entire market was red, it seems only his one stock rose. Alright, I can’t talk anymore, I have to settle the trade. Bye-bye!"

By the time he hung up the phone, the area was already surrounded by onlookers who had rushed over, layered three or four deep. As Wang Zhuo squeezed into the crowd, a young man grabbed him.

"Buddy, sell me that stone. I’ll give you twenty thousand!"

Twenty thousand? Does this guy think I’ve never seen money? Just as Wang Zhuo was about to speak, someone nearby sneered, "Little brother, you can’t ambush a lucky find that aggressively, can you? I bid one hundred thousand!"

One hundred thousand? This price was more like it. Wang Zhuo glanced at the man and gave a friendly smile.

The young man who offered twenty thousand looked instantly chagrined and said, "Did I misjudge it? Let me look again."

"So, brother, is it not for sale at one hundred thousand?" The gentleman added, "If you sell, I'll pay immediately."

Wang Zhuo calmly shook his head. The hundred thousand price was already beyond his expectations, considering how small the stone was, but the man's immediate offer to pay sounded too eager, making Wang Zhuo realize that the stone's performance might be more significant than he thought.

Seeing Wang Zhuo shake his head, the gentleman neither raised his bid nor said anything else. In fact, he felt he had shown too much eagerness and was already regretting it.

"Wang Zhuo." Guan Yingying pushed through the crowd, pulled Wang Zhuo aside, and only when they reached a secluded spot did she whisper into his ear, "Sister Qi says it cut out Imperial Green (Di Wang Lü). It’s a massive gain."

"Imperial Green?" Wang Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't that the most legendary green?

"Yes." Guan Yingying spoke quickly, "Did you see? Those people only look at the stone and don't speak. No one is mentioning Imperial Green. Sister Qi told me to warn you: absolutely do not agree to sell to anyone. They are waiting to scoop up a bargain!"

Wang Zhuo looked around and saw that Guan Yingying was right. Twenty to thirty people were clustered around, many having already examined the stone, but instead of offering their usual opinions, they were either muttering in small groups of two or three, or walking aside to make phone calls. The atmosphere felt strangely subdued.

He nodded slightly and asked in a low voice, "What about the clarity (Zhong Shui)? Is it Glass Bottom (Bo Li Di) or Ice Bottom (Bing Di)?"

"The clarity can't be seen clearly yet because the window is too small. But Sister Qi analyzed that if viewed under a flashlight, it might be close to Glass Grade High Ice, or possibly even better."

"A huge profit?" Wang Zhuo cared most about this. Things seemed to be exceeding his initial expectations.

Guan Yingying nodded excitedly. "A huge profit is certain. The question now is, how huge?"

"Let's go!" Wang Zhuo was invigorated. "I'm going to cut another slice!"

Squeezing back into the crowd, several people shouted that they wanted to buy, but when naming prices, they all spoke evasively, pushing and pulling, all wanting to hear someone else's offer first.

Wang Zhuo couldn't be bothered with these bargain hunters. Using a bit of force, he retrieved the half-stone that had been passed around dozens of times from an uncle's hand and placed it firmly back on the platform.

"Good heavens, he wants to cut more!"

"Little brother, you’ve already won, take the profit and stop."

"Awesome, I support you cutting it, go ahead, I'm rooting for you!"

"Young man, listen to me, when your luck is hot, you should stop, or you’ll regret it if you cut a failure."

"Let someone who knows how to cut do it instead. Brother, watching you cut stones is killing my heart; does anyone have quick-acting heart medication to sell me a few pills!"

A flurry of discussion erupted, making the scene lively like a marketplace.

"He actually cut a profit for that kid," the Commissioner's wife said, her face full of contempt. The group of them stood seven or eight meters away from Wang Zhuo. Because of the massive crowd, they, watching from the distance, now appeared to be on the periphery.

"Just dog-shit luck," the Commissioner's voice carried a distinct note of sourness.

"Why isn't anyone commenting on the stone's performance?" Driver Xiao Li asked, puzzled.

"It’s a huge gain. Everyone here is sharp-eyed enough to realize the kid is a rookie, waiting to snag a cheap deal," the Commissioner sneered. "This mob, swarming like flies—even an idiot can see something is off. Watch, they'll start fighting among themselves soon. No one is getting this bargain."

The Secretary smiled, "The Commissioner truly has discerning insight."

The Commissioner smiled back at her. "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. That kid got lucky cheap."