The tour guide was now filled with overwhelming regret.
If he had known earlier, he would've hidden that black raw stone and cut it open himself…
At that moment, Lin Fan was surrounded by eager merchants, each trying to buy the amber jadeite.
But none of their offers satisfied him.
Then, a woman's voice rang out from the crowd. It wasn't particularly sweet, but the price she quoted closely matched the system's estimate—which made Lin Fan quite happy.
> "I'll offer 110,000 yuan for this piece of amber jadeite."
> "Though it's top-grade, the weight is a bit lacking. At most, a piece of finished jewelry from this could sell for around 160,000 yuan. There's not much profit margin. If you're sincere, I'll take it."
Her straightforward words made the other merchants' faces turn dark and silent.
They all knew what she said was true, but none of them wanted to admit it out loud—after all, they were all hoping to flip it for profit.
Who doesn't want to make money?
Lin Fan found the source of the voice. The woman wore a black sports outfit that highlighted her slim figure. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she carried herself with poise and confidence. One glance was enough to guess she came from a wealthy family.
Lin Fan didn't hesitate.
> "Deal. The jadeite is yours."
He brought up his payment QR code, and the woman swiftly transferred 110,000 yuan.
Getting paid felt so damn good.
> "I've been watching you. You opened two stones, and both had jadeite."
> "You look pretty young. Does your family deal in rough stones?"
Lin Fan casually replied,
> "Not at all. Just lucky, I guess."
Her eyes said she didn't believe him, but Lin Fan didn't care. He had the money, and that was all that mattered.
Then, the woman held out a new raw stone.
> "How about we do a little business?"
> "This stone cost me 500,000 yuan. Help me evaluate it."
> "If you're right, I'll give you a 10,000 yuan consulting fee. If it yields jadeite, you get 10% of the profit. Sound fair?"
Lin Fan glanced at the stone.
---
[Item Name: Blue-and-White Raw Stone]
[Purchase Price: 500,000 yuan]
[Value Estimates: First cut - 0 yuan; Second cut - 10 million; Third cut - 20 million; Fourth cut - 5 million]
---
Though he knew the woman was testing him, Lin Fan agreed for the easy cash.
It'd be stupid to pass up a free ten million.
He rubbed his chin and said,
> "Sure, but if jade appears, I want 50% of the profit."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
> "You're not joking?"
Lin Fan stepped in closer and whispered,
> "But the number of cuts we make… that's up to me."
Her interest was clearly piqued. Was he so confident? Or was he planning to stop at the first sign of profit?
Either way, she wasn't short on money.
> "Fine. The raw stone is yours to cut."
> "Straightforward. I like that," Lin Fan replied.
He brought the stone to Master Li.
> "Master Li, could you cut one more for me?"
Master Li examined it while sketching cut lines.
> "This looks like it cost around 500,000 yuan. The material's top-grade. It should yield something."
> "Nah," someone in the crowd muttered. "It just looks nice. Probably worthless inside."
The crowd started discussing again, opinions flying back and forth.
Master Li made the first cut—and it showed nothing. Just the same color as the surface.
The crowd stirred.
> "It's over. No green. Probably trash."
> "Told you. All shine, no substance."
Master Li glanced at Lin Fan awkwardly.
Lin Fan simply nodded.
> "Continue."
Seeing him insist, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter again.
Still, Master Li ignored them and calmly made the second cut.
Halfway through, he paused—something felt off.
He adjusted his method, slicing carefully along the sides.
When the second layer dropped to the ground, Master Li froze, eyes wide.
Then he shouted,
> "It's green! There's green inside!"
> "Wait… something's weird about this green!"
> "Yeah, this isn't your usual jadeite color!"
The woman quickly stepped forward.
> "Master, rinse it with water."
Master Li did as instructed.
The moment the water hit the cut surface, a bright green hue sparkled under the sunlight.
The woman's eyes widened.
> "No way… could it really be…"
She quickly snapped a photo and sent it to someone.
Just then, someone who knew their stuff spoke up:
> "I'll pay 10 million yuan for this stone as-is. Are you willing to sell?"
The woman had just gotten a reply from her father.
That tiny bit of green—confirmed to be Imperial Green, the rarest, most precious jadeite.
She was about to refuse when Lin Fan calmly raised a hand to stop her.
> "As we agreed: when it comes to cutting, I make the calls."
He then turned to Master Li.
> "Please, continue."
After cutting a few stones for Lin Fan, Master Li had already developed a deep respect for his instincts.
Without hesitation, he resumed the cutting—this time with extra care, slowly peeling layer after layer.
More and more green was revealed.
This time, it wasn't just Master Li who was stunned—even the wealthy woman was speechless.
> "This color… there's no mistake. It's definitely Imperial Green."
> "Top-grade Imperial Green!"
> "Incredible! The owner of this stone is going to make a fortune!"
All around them, eyes filled with awe and excitement.
---