After nearly forty days of being uploaded, the recommendation votes are finally nearing ten thousand—I’m quite ashamed! ...............

Jadeite can be carved into a vast array of objects: figures, animals, landscapes, flora, and items carrying symbolic weight, such as vases, Ruyi scepters, peace buckles, or the more common ring faces and bangles. Wang Zhuo had only been exposed to jadeite for barely a month.

Even with the peerless advantage of his clairvoyant vision, his knowledge in this field remained shallow. Thus, while his intuition told him this rough stone was suitable for carving something specific, he couldn't immediately recall what it was.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck him. Wang Zhuo pulled out his mobile phone; he had downloaded several images of jadeite online a few days prior and saved them.

He hadn't expected they would prove useful so soon. “Ah, so it’s this!” Only on the third image did Wang Zhuo experience a sudden sense of enlightenment.

That long object, white on one end and green on the other—wasn't it a giant Napa cabbage? Cabbage carvings are quite common in jadeite, symbolizing "purity," "white innocence," "gathering wealth," or "placing wealth." Among the Empress Dowager Cixi’s most cherished jadeite pieces was a jadeite cabbage, currently housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Many merchants display one in the main hall of their shops, whether real jadeite or plastic, all in pursuit of good fortune. Wang Zhuo’s mind cleared completely.

With a direction established, things became manageable. He peered into the rough stone again with his vision, studying it closely and determining that with a little more ingenuity in the design, he could absolutely avoid those three fatal cracks.

Incredibly, the otherwise worthless white section of the stone could now be salvaged and utilized—it was a gain, a huge one! How much could such a large, glutinous-textured jadeite cabbage be worth?

Wang Zhuo had absolutely no concept. He scanned the area and beckoned, “Sales clerk, come here for a moment.” A voluptuous sales clerk approached quickly, a professional smile fixed on her face.

“Please check the price for me on this piece of rough.” The clerk swiftly flipped through her ledger, and the price was quickly found: “Fifty-eight thousand.” “That’s not expensive?” Wang Zhuo was slightly puzzled, smiling, “Such a large piece for only fifty-eight thousand. Did you make a mistake?” “No mistake, it’s fifty-eight thousand,” the clerk chuckled too.

“This rough came from a new mine with no reputation, and its outward appearance isn't great, so the price is quite low.” “I see.” Wang Zhuo felt a bit disappointed but quickly reconciled himself to it. Things like jadeite rough only come from Myanmar.

After years of frantic mining, it was a wonder the resources hadn't been depleted, let alone finding much old-mine material left. “Our boss gave instructions; you receive a ten percent discount on all rough you purchase.” The clerk calculated quickly.

“After the discount, it’s fifty-two thousand two hundred. What do you think?” Wang Zhuo shook his head and smiled, “No need to think about it.

I’ll take this one. Swipe my card.” In his view, such a large jadeite cabbage, even a poor one, would fetch at least a few hundred thousand.

Its most outstanding feature was the distinct contrast between white and green; while jadeite cabbages are common, one so clearly defined was truly rare. The transaction concluded shortly.

Seeing this, the onlookers who were gambling on stones began to discuss amongst themselves. The vast majority were not optimistic about this piece, but those who knew Wang Zhuo believed his judgment must possess unique insight.

Since he was willing to spend over fifty thousand on this controversial stone, there had to be a reason. “Little brother, aren’t you going to cut it open now?

We could learn something by watching,” asked a rather familiar-sounding older woman. Wang Zhuo smiled and shook his head.

“There are a lot of new materials today. I’ll look around a bit more; no rush to cut yet.” The woman hummed, clearly disappointed, and walked away.

Once Wang Zhuo announced he wouldn't cut it immediately, the crowd waiting for a spectacle dispersed. Just then, Qiu Lu waved from a distance, craning his neck: “Wang Zhuo—come look at this piece!” Wang Zhuo responded, hoisting the stone, which weighed over thirty pounds, and walking briskly toward him.

“This big fellow is the one you bought?” Qiu Lu stared at the rough in Wang Zhuo’s hands in surprise. “Good heavens, it’s as big as a winter melon.

Must have cost a pretty penny, right?” “Cheaply, just over fifty thousand,” Wang Zhuo chuckled, setting the stone down on the ground with a solid thud. Qi Fei shot him a slightly reproachful look.

“You acted fast enough. Are you sure about this one?” “Of course.

Didn’t you just witness my Fiery Eyes just now?” “Alright, we’ll talk after you cut this one open.” Qi Fei had intended to say something about what he’d say after it turned out to be a failure, but gamblers never utter such things; it’s considered bad luck. Wang Zhuo just grinned and said nothing more.

He had already seen through this stone inside and out, even planning what to make from it. How could it possibly fail?

“Wang Zhuo, come take a look at this rough. Sister Qi and I aren't quite sure about it.” This was a piece of rough weighing about two kilograms, shaped like a flattened steamed bun.

A small window had been carved on the edge, revealing a yellow-green glass-like base color. The entire surface was densely covered with chaotic python patterns, thick spots of songhua (pine flower), and one critical crack—the situation was extremely complicated.

Wang Zhuo couldn't help but let out a little snort of laughter. “This piece is truly ugly.” Qi Fei nodded with a smile, “It is.

Little Qiu and I think so too; it’s really quite unsightly.” “Ugly or not, the potential isn't bad,” Qiu Lu stated. “Sister Qi and I suspect this rough might be tricolored.

Wang Zhuo, look, this window already shows two colors, and there’s a gray-black python stripe on the other end—there’s a possibility of blue showing.” “What can you even make out of a stone like this?” Wang Zhuo frowned slightly, taking the rough from Qiu Lu and shining his bright flashlight into the exposed window. “It’s hard to say what can be done yet; we can only analyze it based on the exposed material,” Qi Fei explained.

“The gamble with this rough now hinges on that crack—how deep and large it is; and the songhua and xuan (moldy spot) near the crack. The xuan is too thick; I worry it will consume the green.” “Consume the green?

What does that mean?” Wang Zhuo scratched his head. “Sister Qi, could you try to be a bit more accessible for a novice once in a while?” “I’ve never seen a novice start with such a heavy gamble,” Qi Fei retorted, pointing somewhat exasperatedly at the “big winter melon” at Wang Zhuo’s feet.

“Sister Qi is talking about xuan eating the green—that’s something even veteran gamblers fear most,” Qiu Lu explained with a smile. “Anyone who gambles on stones knows that where there’s xuan, there’s high-quality jadeite, so some people deliberately focus on stones with xuan.

However, on some stones, the xuan is so heavy that it hasn't just grown on the skin, but has even corroded the jadeite underneath. That situation is called xuan eating the green.

Jadeite affected by xuan eating the green is like dross; it’s useless. The xuan and the jadeite are intermingled, making it completely waste material.” After hearing Qiu Lu’s explanation, Wang Zhuo recalled the rough stones he had viewed with his clairvoyance and cross-referenced them.

Indeed, he realized this was true. He had first encountered this concept in The Stone Chronicle.

The day he gambled on the Imperial Green, he had viewed the most roughs, and he remembered seeing a few like that, but at the time, he hadn't known this specific terminology, so he hadn't thought much of it. Now, hearing Qiu Lu explain it, he remembered.

“There are so many new stones here; why did you two specifically fixate on this one?” Wang Zhuo posed the question. Since this rough was so complex, why couldn't these two let it go?

“Have you forgotten what we do for a living?” Qi Fei wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and smiled gently. “I design jewelry, and Little Qiu is a carving artist.

People like us, when selecting materials, don't just consider whether it will appreciate; we focus more on materials that allow for breakthroughs in design, pieces that can result in something utterly unique.” Qiu Lu affirmed this, nodding. “Exactly.

We were drawn to the unique characteristics of this rough. If it truly shows three colors, it can perfectly correspond to the Three Stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity in traditional Chinese culture.

Perhaps we can create a truly unique masterpiece.” “You two,” Wang Zhuo raised his hand, pointing first at one, then the other, “Ambitious. You are far too ambitious!” After the three shared a laugh, Wang Zhuo placed the rough back on the table, used a magnifying glass as a screen, concentrated his spirit, and peered through it.