Jia Qin set the box down, and Wang Guan immediately leaned in to examine it closely.
With just a glance, Wang Guan could confirm the box was quite old. Judging by the carving style of the ornamentation, it appeared to date back to the early Qing Dynasty. The wood quality was excellent, making it worth at least a hundred thousand, perhaps a bit more.
Of course, that was likely the ceiling; it couldn't possibly fetch much higher. Thus, Wang Guan was certain that Jia Qin hadn't brought him here to admire the box itself, but rather the contents within. It wasn't strange that he was being so cautious; in the collecting trade, sometimes the casket is worth more than the jewel it holds—buying the box and discarding the pearl was not an uncommon occurrence.
Snap!
At the opportune moment, having received Jia Qin’s permission, Wang Guan carefully opened the box. A sheen, brilliant as the rosy glow of a sunset, poured out as if released by a wave.
For a split second, Wang Guan instinctively narrowed his eyes before continuing his appraisal.
The lid was fully open, and the object inside was completely revealed. It was a pearl-sized bead, its surface smooth and lustrous as cream, possessing a noticeable translucence. Under the sunlight, it radiated a dazzling, enchanting light from within, much like the most magnificent, splendid colors of the setting sun, instantly mesmerizing anyone who gazed upon it.
“What is this?” Wang Guan focused his gaze. As he clearly discerned the item in the box, his expression inevitably tightened; he sensed something profound and looked utterly incredulous.
“What do you think it is?”
Jia Qin countered, casually picking up the object and placing it on a section of the table with better light. This intensified the rosy brilliance, allowing Wang Guan a clearer, more understandable view.
At this moment, Wang Guan suddenly noticed that the surface of the sparrow-egg-sized object seemed to be encircled by several faint striations.
“Could it be a flaw?” Wang Guan quickly scrutinized it, realizing the faint lines were as thin as strands of hair, subtly shimmering with hints of pale blue, white, black, yellow, and purple, perfectly tracing out a beautiful pattern that lent the object an ancient, natural charm.
Seeing this, Wang Guan was utterly shocked and couldn't help but exclaim, “The Spirit-Attuned Jade!”
“I was right about you; you really recognized it,” Jia Qin nodded. “That’s correct, it is the Spirit-Attuned Jade.”
“Is it real?”
Seeing Jia Qin nod, Wang Guan became even more suspicious. It was understandable; the fame of the Spirit-Attuned Jade was too immense. Anyone who had read Dream of the Red Chamber knew of it. The novel described the jade as being the size of a sparrow’s egg, luminous as dawn’s glow, smooth as cream, and covered with five-colored patterns.
The size, color, texture, and markings all aligned almost perfectly with the object before him. Although Dream of the Red Chamber was fiction, one must remember that many elements within novels have real-world prototypes.
Given that real objects existed, perhaps finding another Spirit-Attuned Jade shouldn't be such a massive shock...
If he wasn't shocked, he would be unnatural!
At this point, Wang Guan quickly took the object into his hand, examining and turning it over repeatedly. After a long while, he finally confirmed it was a genuine treasure, not a fake crafted later based on the descriptions in Dream of the Red Chamber.
Amidst his shock, Wang Guan urgently pressed, “How did you acquire this? Don’t tell me your Jia family are descendants of Jia Baoyu.”
“Jia Baoyu is a fictional character and has no connection to our Jia family,” Jia Qin smiled. “My grandfather discovered it by chance inside a set of tattered official robes...”
“Wait! That patched-up official robe on the hanger?”
Suddenly, Wang Guan remembered the robe in the Jia family’s private vault, the one supposedly dug up from the ruins of the Jiangning Weaving Bureau in Nanjing, which Old Master Jia insisted was the personal relic of Cao Xueqin’s father. Everyone had dismissed this as merely Old Master Jia’s conjecture. But looking now at the Spirit-Attuned Jade, Wang Guan began to agree with the old man’s assessment.
“That’s right; the object was hidden inside the top of the official hat.”
Jia Qin nodded. “When my grandfather found it, he immediately determined it was the Spirit-Attuned Jade described in Dream of the Red Chamber. After all, the Jia Baoyu in Cao Xueqin’s writing might have been based on himself, or perhaps his father. But the jade must have existed first for him to name the protagonist Jia Baoyu.”
“That makes sense.”
Wang Guan wholeheartedly agreed. Since the object was in his hands, logic bent to suit the reality. He then hesitated, “Are you truly planning to exchange this for?”
Wang Guan certainly wanted the exchange, but he worried Jia Qin might regret it. In Wang Guan’s estimation, the value of the Spirit-Attuned Jade far exceeded that of the Dragon Stone type jadeite. Such an exchange would be an enormous bargain for him.
Jia Qin clearly understood this logic and showed a flicker of hesitation. But his resolve soon hardened. Wang Guan thought the jade precious, and he too considered the Dragon Stone jadeite rare; missing this opportunity might mean never finding another.
It wasn't just any jadeite that qualified as Dragon Stone; this top-tier variety was almost impossible to find, and whoever acquired it would likely never part with it easily.
Jia Qin had been searching for several years without a trace of Dragon Stone jadeite.
To his knowledge, some major jadeite dealers possessed such stones, but they treated them as lifelong collections, unwilling to sell no matter how high the offer.
Having finally encountered a chance, Jia Qin didn't want to let it slip. Moreover, judging by Wang Guan’s demeanor, if he refused the trade, Wang Guan would likely take it to an exhibition hall for the big bosses to fight over. Jia Qin knew instinctively that if the Dragon Stone jadeite fell into the hands of those magnates, he would have no chance.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Jia Qin intended to trade item for item. It wasn't that he didn't value the Spirit-Attuned Jade; it was just that he valued the Dragon Stone jadeite more in comparison. This was only human nature—a thousand gold pieces cannot buy what the heart desires.
Just as Jia Qin couldn't comprehend why his grandfather treasured antiques so dearly, Wang Guan couldn't understand why Jia Qin loved jadeite so much that he was willing to trade a treasure like the Spirit-Attuned Jade for it...
Of course, it must be noted that Jia Qin’s willingness to trade did not mean he was unaware of the jade’s true value.
“We will definitely exchange,”
At this moment, Jia Qin spoke up. “However, you are surely aware of how precious the Spirit-Attuned Jade is. Now that the object is yours, besides receiving the Dragon Stone jadeite, you will need to provide an additional sum of money.”
“How much extra?” Wang Guan nodded in understanding, perfectly willing to supplement the cost.
“Two hundred million!”
Jia Qin formed a scissor gesture with his hand and then explained, “I was originally going to ask for three hundred million, but I figured you’d haggle, so I knocked off one hundred million. This is the bottom line; it can’t go any lower.”
“Understood.” Wang Guan remained calm. The Spirit-Attuned Jade for only four hundred million? Not expensive!
Besides, he didn't have to pay any of it himself...
With that thought, Wang Guan calmly reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out an eggshell-shaped box, handing it to Jia Qin with a smile. “Take a look, are you satisfied?”
“Huh?”
Jia Qin froze, quickly opening the box. Inside lay another piece of Dragon Stone jadeite, identical in texture, color, and size to the first one.
In an instant, Jia Qin hurriedly fetched the other stone, placing the two pieces of Dragon Stone jadeite side-by-side for comparison. Under the light, both stones appeared incredibly translucent and beautiful, their shapes so similar they looked like duplicates.
“Actually, both stones were cut from the same rough material,” Wang Guan explained. “They were naturally spherical; I just removed the cloudy white parts and polished them slightly to look like this.”
“Originally, I was thinking of keeping one for myself...” As he spoke, Wang Guan looked slightly reluctant. “Of course, if you think one piece of Dragon Stone is enough, I can just pay you the money instead.”
“No, I want both,” Jia Qin said quickly, shaking his head, then swiftly grasping both pieces of jadeite, weighing them, admiring them, and comparing them. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, though a hint of regret lingered—after all, he hadn't cut them himself.
“As long as you are happy.”
At this point, Wang Guan reminded him, “Get the contract ready. Let's sign an agreement so we can both rest easy.”
“Good.” Jia Qin had no objection and immediately prepared the documents. After both men signed, the exchange was officially complete. Overall, both parties felt they had gained from the transaction, making it a win-win situation.
Afterward, Wang Guan took his leave and eagerly hurried back to the grand residence to present his treasure to Old Man Qian.
“Rushing about, steps so unsteady…” Old Man Qian looked up slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “What treasure could possibly make you lose your composure like this, abandoning your usual steadiness?”
“A peerless wonder,” Wang Guan beamed, his face lit up with joy. “Nuwa’s Heaven-Mending Stone.”
“What nonsense is that,” someone nearby chuckled. “Why don't you claim it’s God's gallstone next.”
“Oh, Elder Zhou, you’re here too,”
Wang Guan only then registered the presence of others in the hall.
“Watch your mouth,” Elder Zhou said with displeasure, glaring. “What, you’ve made a fortune and are turning into a big boss? Is your tail starting to curl up? Are you looking down on people now…”
This rapid-fire string of accusations immediately made Wang Guan surrender. The box he was about to hand to Old Man Qian was instantly presented to Elder Zhou for his inspection.
“Now that’s more like it,” Elder Zhou nodded, satisfied. However, he did not treat the box Wang Guan offered lightly. Just as Old Man Qian had said, anything that could make Wang Guan lose his usual composure couldn't be an ordinary treasure.
Holding this thought, Elder Zhou cautiously flipped open the lid.
In an instant, a brilliant, sunset-like radiance spilled out, causing both Elder Zhou and Old Man Qian to startle, suddenly experiencing a sensation of being momentarily blinded.
“What is this?”
After a moment, Elder Zhou managed to steady himself and immediately took the object out of the box. Instantly, a scope of at least three to four meters radiating from Elder Zhou’s body was filled with flowing, iridescent rainbows, creating an ethereal, dreamlike effect.
“It’s Nuwa’s Heaven-Mending Stone,” Wang Guan chirped happily.
“Nonsense, this is clearly just…” Elder Zhou instinctively started to argue, then paused, musing thoughtfully, “Wait, come to think of it, it really does look like the Heaven-Mending Stone of Nuwa.”