Chapter 48: The Heavenly Eye That Sees Through Stone

Everyone says the world of jade is unfathomably deep.

But who truly knows just how deep those waters run?

You might think that slashing a million off the asking price with a single offer is a bold negotiation tactic. In the vegetable market, perhaps that’s bargaining. At a street-front store, you might get away with it. But in the premium section of the jade business, such an approach only marks you as an outsider.

Here, the price tag on a piece of fine jade is an estimate, not a selling price.

If you’re interested, the real price is negotiated in person.

So, what would an insider consider the true price? Typically, you take the estimate, divide by ten, then multiply by one and a half or two. That’s about right.

Therefore, when facing a quoted price of 3.2 million, a seasoned buyer would counter with something around half a million.

Yet here he was, offering 1.8 million.

Moreover, there’s a rule among jade dealers: every offer is binding.

In other words, if you make an offer of 1.8 million, that becomes your bottom line. As long as the seller agrees, you must buy.

“Mr. Li, you’re a man of your word! Sincerity for sincerity—I’m glad to call you a friend!” The shop owner, Mr. Zhang, laughed. “This Frosted Valley Orchid bangle is yours—let’s consider it a special find for you!”

“Very well, wrap it up,” Lin Xiaosu replied.

The attendant struggled to keep her composure, trying to hide her shock as she carefully boxed the bangle.

Lin Xiaosu turned his gaze to Zhou Mei. “Lan’er has made her choice. What about you, Mei’er?”

The attendant’s heart, barely calmed, began to race once more—there was another one!

Good heavens, all the young women below had been whispering, trying to guess which lady would catch his eye, but now it seemed whether left or right, he intended to bestow gifts on all…

What family’s prodigal son—no, what super-wealthy god of fortune was this?

If possible, could she catch a ride on his luck as well? At the very least, her figure was fuller than either of these ladies; surely the feel would be just as good…

Zhou Mei asked, “Is there another bangle exactly like this Frosted Valley Orchid?”

Mr. Zhang smiled, “Jade is alive—no two bangles in the world are exactly the same. Each is unique, and that’s what makes jade so precious. So, no, there isn’t an identical piece, but there are others in the same price range. How about you choose one that’s similar?”

“Yes, we have several more bangles here, miss. Please take a look…” The attendant had recovered her usual energy.

Zhou Mei shook her head gently. “If there isn’t an identical one, then… never mind.”

This left those present dumbfounded.

Demanding an identical bangle in jade simply wasn’t possible.

These stones are born of nature—how could any two be exactly alike? Even if two bangles are cut from the same raw stone, there will always be differences. Absolute similarity is impossible.

Was this young lady deliberately opposing the one called Lan’er?

Insisting on an identical piece!

The attendant’s earlier suspicion seemed confirmed: both these women were his lovers, and he didn’t want to show favoritism…

“How about this instead?” Lin Xiaosu suggested. “Mei’er, you can pick out a few rough stones, up to a total of 1.8 million. Since I’m spending 1.8 million on each of you, it all comes down to your luck now.”

“That’s a great idea! Boss, do you have any quality rough stones?” Zhou Mei was delighted.

The owner, seeing his stalled transaction suddenly revived, nearly leapt with joy. “Yes, yes! A batch just arrived two nights ago—some of the best old-mine material!”

The workshop was directly behind the shop.

As soon as the door opened, the quiet atmosphere gave way to bustling noise.

Twenty or thirty workers were perspiring at their lathes—opening windows, sawing stone, extracting pieces, grinding, and polishing in a lively, heated scene.

Every move was practiced and sure, each worker clearly a veteran of many years.

Mr. Zhang leaned in toward Lin Xiaosu and spoke quietly, “Mr. Li, these are just assembly-line products, not worthy of your attention. Let’s go further in.”

Lin Xiaosu nodded lightly.

Zhou Mei shot him a sidelong glance, full of questions…

Given the situation, she couldn’t be sure where there might be surveillance, so speaking was out of the question. But perhaps a look could convey a message.

Unfortunately for her, Lin Xiaosu wore a stylish pair of photochromic glasses that masked much of his expression; what she could glimpse from the edges seemed oddly vacant.

Indeed, this was a special side effect of retracing time.

When he reversed time, his gaze appeared detached, as though seeing through everything before him, penetrating the unknown.

He had already gained something—something significant.

If his certainty had been fifty percent before entering the jewelry store, it was now at least eighty.

That was because, after the rough stones arrived the previous night, they’d been sorted—some placed out front, and some sent to a place where they had no business being…

About thirty meters from the machine shop was another workshop, filled entirely with raw jade stones.

Mr. Zhang explained as they walked. The outer stones were ordinary, while those inside were the premium ones. There are two ways to judge quality rough: the first is by “windowing”—cutting a small viewing area to reveal the stone’s interior; the second is by experience, recognizing raw stones with good potential.

“I’ve long heard of your reputation as ‘Eagle-Eyed Zhang,’” Lin Xiaosu said with a smile. “Why not help us pick a few stones?”

Zhou Mei’s heart skipped a beat.

Most people called him “Eagle-Eyed Zhang,” never “Old Zhang the Eagle-Eye.” Yet Lin Xiaosu deliberately added the word “old.”

What did that mean?

Was it a hint for her to beware—that this man might actually be “Ghost-Eyed Seventh”?

She seemed to understand the performance Lin Xiaosu had been giving since they entered.

Entering the raw stone area served two purposes: to investigate the batch delivered the previous night, and to keep this “Eagle-Eyed Zhang,” who might really be “Ghost-Eyed Seventh,” firmly in place. Once things started, the key figure wouldn’t be able to slip away.

That must be why he used such a lucrative deal as bait, tying Zhang down.

Now, was this subtle cue a sign the moment of revelation was near?

Mr. Zhang’s expression didn’t change. He laughed heartily. “What ‘Eagle-Eyed Zhang’? That’s just flattery from my colleagues. I’ve simply been in the business a long time, so I’ve gained some experience—mainly used to safeguard my own business and help clients avoid losses.”

Zhou Mei’s heart leapt again.

His face had given nothing away, but if you listened closely, his words were telling—he’d deftly corrected Lin Xiaosu’s slip, omitting the word “old.”

What did that mean?

A test, and a counter-test.

Lin Xiaosu was probing, and Zhang was resisting.

If he was deliberately avoiding that “old,” it truly meant something…

Ahead was a row of shelves, each lined with raw stones.

Unlike the others, which lay scattered on the floor, these stones had been placed on display.

That alone proclaimed their extraordinary value.

“These are the premium stones?” Lin Xiaosu asked.

“Yes, most have already been windowed—you can get a glimpse inside.”

“Mei’er, you choose,” Lin Xiaosu said.

“All right!”

Zhou Mei picked up a raw stone.

Lin Xiaosu picked up another.

Mr. Zhang handed him a small flashlight—tiny and square, but with a remarkably penetrating beam. Lin Xiaosu shone it on a jade window, and the stone before him glowed with an eerie, crystalline green—a mesmerizing sight.

“I don’t know much about this, anyway. Mei’er, you take a look,” he said, passing her the flashlight.

Zhou Mei accepted it and began inspecting the stones carefully.

Women naturally love jade. She knew she could never afford this on a police salary, so she never played the game. But today was a performance—why not enjoy it?

As for Lin Xiaosu, he didn’t use the traditional flashlight. Instead, he activated his Heavenly Insight.

With it, an extraordinary vision unfolded.

The internal structure of the windowed jade stone before him became as clear as day beneath his Heavenly Insight.

He now truly understood how deep the jade business ran.

Take, for example, the stone in his hand. From the windowed area, it appeared perfectly green and translucent, almost icy.

But under Heavenly Insight, an entirely different picture emerged.

The stone did have green, but only in a tiny spot. The rest was riddled with cracks and impurities. If he paid top price for this, he’d be walking straight into a trap.

Whoever windowed this stone was a master—finding the one crucial spot of quality in a pile of dross.

The second stone’s windowed spot looked a gentle yellow. But Heavenly Insight revealed there was no yellow inside at all—the color was just a surface haze.

The third stone displayed a sky-blue hue, with two windowed areas glowing invitingly, but Heavenly Insight showed that only these two points contained color—a narrow band. Elsewhere, the quality dropped at least three grades.

Three stones in a row—all “rogue windows.”

A “rogue window” is when a skilled cutter selects the very best part of a rough stone to open a window. The stone is genuine, and the windowed part is indeed high quality, but it only represents that one spot.

Yet that single spot lures buyers into spending huge sums.

What could you say? Accuse them of fraud? But they hadn’t falsified anything.

That’s the real trickery.

Eagle-Eyed Zhang, is this your so-called “eagle eye”—protecting your clients’ interests?

Or is this the “ghost eye” of “Ghost-Eyed Seventh”?

Lin Xiaosu’s face betrayed nothing. He picked up a fourth stone, this time focusing not on the window, but on a seam running through the stone.