Chapter 5, The Jade Scorpion

Ai Xiaohai took the jade, and he could not understand why a perfectly good piece of jade had become waste. However, once the jade was held in his hand, the Dragon Spirit Pearl within his body seemed to sense something immediately, and a warm current began to circulate within him.

"No need, I trust you." Guo Wenhè smiled faintly, not even glancing at him: "Jade nurtures people, and people nurture jade; remember this well. I am about to close, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Scorpions, venomous snakes, centipedes, geckos, and toads are known as the Five Poisons. Carving a scorpion from jade symbolizes immunity to all poisons," Guo Wenhe explained in detail. "This piece of jade is a rare variety known as chestnut yellow from the yellow jade category. Unfortunately, when I commissioned the carving, it was poorly executed. Do you see this scorpion? The quality of the jade scorpion's carving hinges entirely on the shape of its tail, yet the person I hired carved the tail without any spirit. Alas, what a pity for this piece of yellow jade..."

Feeling completely satisfied, he stood up. If he could encounter a few such amateurs every day, he would be able to become wealthy in just two years.

"Ah, I bought it for my parents," Ai Xiaohai told a lie. "My mother particularly likes jade. Boss Guo, I don't have much money, and I definitely can't afford good jade like the ones in the pictures. Do you have any jade that is slightly more spirited? I have heard that the more spirited the jade, the better it can ward off evil."

Nurturing jade? Ai Xiaohai was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. If he were to tell the old man that he was exactly the opposite, that he bought jade to absorb the spiritual energy from it, would the old man be so angry that he would immediately order him to leave?

Does the Dragon Spirit Pearl imply something about itself in that darkness

According to what his parents and he himself said, the cultivation of the Dragon Spirit Pearl is divided into nine levels. The first level is called "Pearl of the Mind," which allows lower-level animals to obey one's commands. To be honest, Ai Xiaohai was somewhat skeptical at first, but the behavior of the two prairie wolves, Xiao Cao and Xiao Yuan, began to change his perspective.

A series of questions truly left Ai Xiaohai bewildered; he had come to buy jade, yet he never expected there would be so many procedures involved

This boss has been eating jade rice for decades, yet this is the first time I have encountered someone who walks in and immediately speaks such words. Without a doubt, this must be a novice

Is it really necessary to undergo years of training just to buy a piece of jade

The Dragon Spirit Pearl is indeed a treasure; not only does it strengthen one's body, but it also produces unexpected effects in relation to the arts and literature.

He did not dare to say much, but Guo Wenhe opened the drawer and took out a piece of jade that seemed to be quite old. The jade looked very unusual, with a scorpion carved on the front, while the back was blank, featuring only a few shallow round holes

Thinking of that little white face in a fit of rage, Ai Xiaohai felt an impulse to laugh

Guo Wenhe smiled slightly: "What is known as spiritual energy needs to be nurtured by people; in our circle, we call this 'nurturing jade.' An ordinary piece of jade, if it comes into the hands of someone who knows how to nurture jade, can develop spiritual energy in at most twenty years."

Upon this thought, Ai Xiaohai felt a sudden rush of emotions. If the Dragon Spirit Pearl, which had not yet broken through a layer, could produce such an effect, what might the future hold?

Less than fifty kilometers from Harker City, there is a vast, natural base of red chalcedony mines.

"Shangyuxuan" Guo Wenhe

To swiftly elevate the Dragon Spirit Pearl to the first level, one essential element is indispensable

This name is quite interesting, possessing a certain ethereal quality. Ai Xiaohai carefully put away the business card: "Boss Guo, I would like to purchase 30,000 yuan worth of jade"

He casually found a shop selling finished jade products. Noticing that the shopkeeper was quite old and appeared to be honest, Ai Xiaohai walked in and immediately said, "Boss, I want to buy jade"

Guo Wenhe nearly burst into laughter: "Young man, let us sit down and talk."

He caressed the jade scorpion with a look of deep regret: "Originally, this piece of jade could sell for at least several hundred thousand, but now, in the eyes of experts, it has become worthless. I have never liked deceiving outsiders, so it has remained with me for several years without being sold. Young man, you have a sincere heart; how about this: if you like it, take it for thirty thousand. Although it is considered worthless among us experts, it is still worth thirty to fifty thousand."

Boss Guo, thank you for teaching me so much today. Ai Xiaohai carefully put away the piece of jade and took out 30,000 yuan: "This is 30,000 yuan, please count it."

Goodbye, Boss Guo

Guo Wenhe chuckled: "To put it bluntly, with your thirty thousand yuan, you can only buy some scraps to take home; don't even think about good jade. For instance, take a look at the jade Luohan hanging over there; it looks very beautiful, doesn't it? But this can only fool the untrained eye. An expert can tell at a glance that this jade is made from scraps. Yet, even for something like this, I wouldn't part with it for less than twenty thousand."

This is merely the process of breaking through to the first level, and wolves are classified as intermediate beings. With the assistance of the Dragon Spirit Pearl, they can produce such remarkable effects. What will happen once they reach the second or third level? Ai Xiaohai could hardly imagine it

The boss has a good heart and handed a business card to Ai Xiaohai

He poured him some tea, and Guo Wenhe continued, "Young man, you want to buy jade worth 30,000 yuan? There's no rush; first tell me what kind of jade you want. Soft jade? Hard jade? Yellow jade? Green jade or sheep fat jade? What type of pit do you want it from? Yangjia pit or Fujia pit? Or perhaps from one of our new pits in the garden?"

Make money

Looking at Ai Xiaohai, who is not yet 20 years old, one might guess he is a rich second generation idly spending time playing with jade. However, upon closer inspection, Ai Xiaohai's clothing does not appear to belong to a wealthy family

With 50,000 in hand, at least the expenses for university and living issues are resolved

After sending Ai Xiaohai off, Guo Wenhe pulled down the roller shutter and quickly counted the 30,000 yuan carefully twice. Then he picked up the phone: "Wife? I have good news to report. The loquat yellow jade scorpion that you bought back for 500 yuan two years ago from https://www.hetushu.com.com, I sold it for 30,000 yuan... Really, why would I lie to you? An outsider came along, and I sold it to him; he even thought he got a bargain... Sigh, let's prepare some good dishes tonight, I need to have a couple of drinks."... Really, why would I lie to you? An outsider came along, and I sold it to him; he even thought he got a bargain... Sigh, let's prepare some good dishes tonight, I need to have a couple of drinks.

What a pity, isn't everyone new to the garden an expert in their own right

Ai Xiaohai scratched his head and said, "Boss Guo, to be honest, I am an outsider. I just want to buy a few pieces of better jade."

With fifty thousand yuan in hand, Ai Xiaohai felt more confident. He immediately boarded the minibus to Yuannxin.

This ... ! ... Guanyin Bodhisattva along with the Jade Emperor, the profit margins in the jade industry must be astronomical ... ! Ai Xiaohai originally thought that carrying 50,000 yuan would allow him to become wealthy again, but who would have thought that he could only buy a piece of scrap material ... ...

Since ancient times, jade has been considered to possess spiritual energy. The finer the jade, the more it enables the Dragon Spirit Pearl to absorb the spiritual energy from the jade, thereby accelerating its growth

Jade

"Young man, can you tell me what is the purpose of buying jade?" Guo Wenhè suddenly asked

Ai Xiaohai had seen Guanyin carved from jade, but this was the first time he had seen one carved in the shape of a scorpion

By the time they arrived at the garden, it was already 3 PM. Ai Xiaohai did not understand the quality of jade; he simply thought that the more jade, the better.