Divine Level Witch Doctor

Under the doubtful gazes of the crowd, Cheng Yunlong operated the machine, carefully cutting the stone along the lines Zhao Yuan had pointed out.

An ear-piercing BZZZZZ filled the air, accompanied by a cloud of flying stone chips and dust, making it impossible for the onlookers to get a clear view of the stone as it was being cut.

Soon, Cheng Yunlong had cut to the depth Zhao Yuan had requested. He paused the machine, preparing to reposition the stone. He needed to cut it from another direction to complete the second line Zhao Yuan had laid out.

But as he was repositioning the stone, his gaze suddenly fell upon the deep groove he had just cut. He visibly shuddered, and a look of utter disbelief washed over his face. Disregarding his hands, which were caked in dust and stone chips, he rubbed his eyes hard. Then, he carefully lifted the stone and stared intently into the groove.

”What is Old Cheng doing?”

”He didn’t actually find jade, did he?”

”Impossible! That’s a worthless stone!”

The crowd couldn’t help but murmur amongst themselves, completely bewildered by Cheng Yunlong’s strange behavior.

Cheng Yunlong whipped his head around and yelled to Shi Xuemin, ”Old Stone, quick! The flashlight! Give me the flashlight!”

Shi Xuemin handed him the flashlight as requested, asking curiously, ”What did you see?”

Cheng Yunlong didn’t answer. He took the flashlight, switched it on, and shone it into the deep groove on the stone. He then immediately cried out in excitement, ”It’s jade! We’ve struck jade! There’s jade inside this stone!”

However, the crowd didn’t believe him and burst into laughter.

”He’s putting on a real show!”

”With acting skills like that, it’s a shame Old Cheng isn’t an actor!”

But Shi Xuemin, who was standing nearby, leaned in to peer into the groove and instantly gasped. ”It really is jade! But… isn’t this a worthless stone? How could it possibly have jade inside?”

He was filled with regret. ’If I had known, I would have made a few more cuts myself!’

The crowd’s laughter died abruptly.

What was going on? It was one thing for Cheng Yunlong and that so-called Master Zhao of his to lose their minds, but how had Shi Xuemin gone mad along with them? Could it be that this universally known worthless stone actually contained jade?

While the crowd stared at each other in confusion, an ecstatic Cheng Yunlong had already started the machine again, continuing to cut along the lines Zhao Yuan had laid out.

Soon, a large slab of the stone’s outer rind was sliced away, revealing a milky-white jade surface within!

The surface of the jade was as white as mutton fat and flawlessly translucent, without the slightest hint of any impurity or flaw! It was so perfect it was breathtaking!

The courtyard fell utterly silent. Everyone stood as if petrified, their mouths agape, yet not a single sound escaped their lips.

This strange scene lasted for several minutes. Then, an earth-shattering torrent of gasps and screams erupted.

”Oh my god, am I seeing things? They really cut jade from this worthless stone, and it’s even a piece of the highest quality—Top Grade Mutton Fat Jade!”

”I can’t believe a Mutton Fat Jade this beautiful and flawless actually exists! It’s so bright it’s blinding!”

”Didn’t everyone say this was a worthless stone? That it was impossible to cut any jade from it? So what’s the deal with this Top Grade Mutton Fat Jade? Damn it, we were wrong! All of us were completely wrong!”

Master Ma, the man Cheng Yunlong had invited who had then refused to cut the stone, was a mask of regret and anguish. He raised a hand and slapped himself hard across the face twice, muttering painfully, ’What an incredible opportunity! It was laid right before me, and I threw it away like an idiot! If I had been the one to cut this ”worthless stone” and reveal this kind of flawless, Top Grade Mutton Fat Jade, my reputation in the stone-gambling world would have soared! Enthusiasts from other provinces would have made special trips to Rongcheng City just to see me, hoping to catch some of my luck—my ability to turn trash into treasure! A chance to make my name known far and wide, and I refused it… I’m such an idiot! A complete and utter idiot!’

If he had the chance to do it all over again, he would have shouted to Cheng Yunlong without hesitation, ”Step aside and let me do it!” But alas, there are no second chances in life.

While the crowd was still reeling with shock and regret, Cheng Yunlong composed himself and continued cutting the stone along the lines Zhao Yuan had indicated. Soon, the rind was completely stripped away, and a piece of Mutton Fat Jade the size of a book appeared before them.

The entire piece of jade was a milky white, just like mutton fat. It was without a single trace of impurity or flaw, so perfect it was hard to believe it was real.

Another wave of sharp gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd.

It was only then that the crowd finally accepted reality.

This stone, which everyone had written off as worthless, had actually been hiding a priceless treasure! Recalling their earlier comments, everyone’s faces burned with shame.

What a slap in the face! This was a total slap in the face!

Before, everyone had thought Zhao Yuan was an idiot. Now, reality had slapped them hard across the face, telling them, ’No, *you’re* the idiots!’

Silence.

A stifling silence descended upon the small courtyard.

Zhao Yuan was unaffected by the heavy silence. He picked up the Mutton Fat Jade and examined it. Just as he was about to speak, someone in the crowd suddenly called out to him, ”Young man… ah, no, I mean, Master Zhao. I’d like to ask, are you selling this Mutton Fat Jade?”

That one question immediately jolted everyone in the courtyard back to their senses.

The quality of this jade was undeniable. If they could get their hands on it, the price wouldn’t matter. They could hire a famous master carver to turn it into a magnificent Jade Artifact, put it up for auction, and it would undoubtedly fetch a sky-high price, netting them a massive profit! On top of that, their own shop’s reputation would skyrocket. It was a chance to kill two birds with one stone!

The eyes of the antique and jade shop owners in the courtyard lit up in unison. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they stared intently at Zhao Yuan, waiting for his answer.

Zhao Yuan replied, ”If the price is right, of course I’ll sell it. But first, you’ll have to wait for me to cut off the piece I want.” He then gestured on the Mutton Fat Jade and said to Cheng Yunlong, ”Cut it again for me, right here.”

Before he had even finished speaking, the courtyard exploded in an uproar. People rushed to stop him, shouting, ”You can’t cut it!”

Cheng Yunlong didn’t dare to move either. With a pained expression, he said, ”Master Zhao, do you really have to cut it? This piece of Mutton Fat Jade is in a perfect shape right now. With just a little carving, it could become a superb Jade Buddha or Jade Guanyin. But if you make another cut, you’ll not only ruin its natural form, you’ll also cause its value to plummet! As it is, it could sell for over ten million, but if you cut it, it’ll only be worth a few million at best…”