Chapter 140: A Single Cut
After all, traditions are passed down to sons, not daughters, to insiders, not outsiders.
This old master looked to be getting on in years, approaching retirement, so he had begun to bring his son along to pass on his experience.
"Sixth Master, I see you won a few raw stones yourself. Why don’t we have Old Mo cut them for us together? His cutting skills are legendary in our circle," Old Jiang said to Zhao Liu.
"No problem. Even if you hadn’t asked, I was going to find someone to cut them. This works out perfectly. Isn’t the thrill of cutting open the jade the whole reason we’re here? That feeling of anticipation... it’s even more exciting than your wedding night!" Zhao Liu said with a laugh.
Of course, what Zhao Liu really wanted was to see what kind of material would be cut from the raw stone he had let go of.
That was the main source of his curiosity.
He had unwavering faith in Chu Feng’s words, but a small part of him still clung to a sliver of hope.
Soon, the group headed to the cutting area, which was equipped with professional stone-cutting machinery.
When they arrived, someone was already cutting a stone, but the jade’s quality was only average—worth a few million at best.
To men like Zhao Liu and Old Jiang, jade of this caliber was utter garbage.
When the crowd saw Zhao Liu and Old Jiang approaching, they quickly parted to make way.
After all, everyone in this venue was wealthy in their own right. Even if they didn’t personally know Zhao Liu, they all recognized Old Jiang.
The man was a magnate in the jewelry industry—a true titan.
His net worth was in the hundreds of billions.
"Sixth Master, why don’t you go first," Old Jiang offered to Zhao Liu.
Zhao Liu nodded, accepting the offer without hesitation. He immediately had one of his men bring the stone forward.
This was the first item from the auction, which Zhao Liu had won.
Zhao Liu was brimming with confidence. Since this raw stone had gotten Chu Feng’s stamp of approval, it went without saying that he was about to make a fortune.
"I’ll have to trouble you, Master Mo. Please, lend us your golden hands," Zhao Liu said to the old master.
With that, he signaled to one of his men.
One of Zhao Liu’s men promptly slipped Old Mo an envelope.
The envelope was visibly thick, clearly stuffed with a considerable amount of cash.
Upon seeing this, Master Mo simply smiled and nodded respectfully. "Rest assured, Sixth Master. I will do my absolute best."
He then immediately began marking the stone, drawing the cut lines in an instant with an experienced hand.
He then instructed his son to begin cutting the stone.
Seeing Master Mo’s practiced and decisive movements as he marked the stone, Chu Feng couldn’t help but be impressed.
’His technique really is incredible,’ Chu Feng thought. ’The lines he drew are perfect—the absolute optimal cuts.’
Soon, the machine whirred to life with a deafening RUMBLE.
The sound made everyone’s heart leap into their throat.
"This Master Mo’s skills are solid," Chu Feng remarked to Zhao Liu.
"You bet, Brother Chu! Master Mo’s skills are legendary in this business. Of course he’s the real deal," Old Jiang said to Chu Feng with a laugh.
Zhao Liu had introduced Chu Feng to him earlier, and seeing Zhao Liu call him Brother Chu, Old Jiang followed suit.
After the first slice was made, Master Mo’s son wiped away the surface slurry, inspected it, and then began the second cut.
Before long, the second cut was complete.
"We’ve hit jade," Master Mo’s son announced, his tone calm and unhurried. He had a good temperament.
"It’s yellow jade, and high quality at that," Master Mo added.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good! Keep going!" Zhao Liu roared with laughter, absolutely delighted.
This was even more proof of Chu Feng’s sharp eye.
"Sixth Master, congratulations! You picked a winner with your very first stone, and it produced such fine yellow jade. How about selling it to me? I’ll offer fifteen million!" Old Jiang said with a grin, clasping his hands in a congratulatory gesture.
His offer was incredibly generous, a fivefold return on the investment. Zhao Liu had only paid three million for the stone, and now its value had instantly soared to fifteen million.
"Not a chance. I’m not short on cash, I just enjoy collecting all kinds of jade. So don’t even think about getting your hands on this one," Zhao Liu replied with a smile.
With his net worth, what was fifteen million to him? Clearly, his hobbies were more valuable than money.
"Ah, what a pity. Yellow jade of this quality is a rare sight, and my business is in desperate need of these rarer types," Old Jiang said, his expression pained as if he’d suffered a personal loss.
He was practically drooling as he stared at Zhao Liu’s yellow jade.
Soon, the rest of Zhao Liu’s raw stones were brought up to be cut.
As expected, every single one yielded high-quality jade.
"Old Jiang, you’re up," Zhao Liu said with a chuckle.
"Someone, bring my damn stone up here!" Old Jiang roared, his face alight with excitement and anticipation.
Chu Feng, however, simply said, "Get ready to open the pit."
"Hahaha! You’re damn right, Brother Chu! We’re about to open this baby up! Just you wait, I’m going to pull a top-tier, glass-type jadeite out of this thing!" Old Jiang boomed, overjoyed.
But the man had no idea what Chu Feng had actually meant.
When the raw stone was wheeled out, even the experienced Old Mo’s expression soured.
He was hesitant, and for good reason. The stone was worth fifty-one million; one wrong cut would be a catastrophic loss.
What’s more, several top experts had supposedly examined this stone and said it would produce jade. But in reality, who could be one hundred percent certain?
After studying it for a while, Old Mo still didn’t know where to begin. He turned to Old Jiang and said, "Boss, I don’t dare make the first cut on this one. Perhaps you could mark the line for me?"
"Is that right? Well then, let’s start here." Hearing Old Mo’s suggestion, Old Jiang drew a line along the side of the stone himself.
"Very well." Old Mo nodded. Since the boss himself had drawn the line, there was nothing more for him to say.
After all, the stone was immensely valuable, and the line Old Jiang had drawn was indeed a safe bet. He was a top figure in the jewelry industry, after all; he had at least that much expertise.
Otherwise, how could he have built such a massive business? He clearly had his strengths.
Chu Feng, however, was speechless. ’All this discussion over a worthless rock?’
"Boss Jiang, I suggest you just cut it in half. That way, you’ll get your result in one go," Chu Feng said.
Hearing this, Old Jiang’s expression changed instantly. "Brother Chu, this is no time for jokes! I spent fifty-one million on this stone. If I cut it in half, I’d be facing a massive loss!"