He scanned the large racks layer by layer, confident he would find something. If his special ability could detect the green glow of jade in the rough stones at the entrance, it could surely find emeralds in other stones.
His persistence paid off. In a pile of stones near a corner, he found three rough stones that were no longer entirely dull gray. He took these three stones.
The shop owner, seeing that the stones he chose were not large, weighing only six or seven jin in total, said, "Three stones, nine thousand. This is my first sale today, so I'll give you a thousand off. Just eight thousand is fine. I wish you great luck, good fortune, good fortune."
"Thank you, boss. Do you cut stones here?"
"Yes. How would you like them cut?"
"Just cut them in half. They're too small," Guo Xuyang said, weighing the stones in his hand.
"Then please wait. Erzi, come help this brother cut these stones." The owner called for a helper from the back room.
"Okay," the helper replied, taking the stones into the room.
Guo Xuyang and his two companions followed. He had never seen how stones were cut.
With a saw cut, the stones split into two halves.
"Success!" the helper exclaimed, clapping his hands.
Success with what? Jade? Guo Xuyang was confused.
The helper washed the cut surfaces with water, revealing a brilliantly green streak within.
"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations on finding the jackpot!" the helper said happily.
"Same to you," he replied, though he had no idea of the value of this material.
"Boss, are you selling?" People who heard the commotion outside gathered around, asking.
"How much is this worth?" he asked.
"I'll give you fifty thousand."
"Kid, take a good look. What kind of material is this? Fifty thousand? Are you trying to fool someone who doesn't know? I'll give you two million." A fat man spoke loudly.
"Two million three hundred thousand."
"Three million. Anyone who bids higher, I'll add another three hundred thousand on top. I must have this piece of material," the fat man said, getting a bit agitated.
Actually, most of the regulars here knew each other. They were all in the trade, either playing or purchasing for jade specialty stores. There were also novices like Guo Xuyang, who came to try their luck.
Who would have thought that this simpleton would have such good fortune, hitting the jackpot?
Seeing the fat man's determination, others fell silent. He glanced at Xiao Yun. Xiao Yun, seeing him look at her, knew what he meant. But she had no money in her pocket. Besides, there weren't many people in the store, and the three of them had come together. It wouldn't look good to be too eager now. So, she turned her face away, pretending not to see.
"Boss Wu, if you want this piece, give a realistic price," Chen Hailing spoke up. She surprisingly knew the fat man.
Seeing Chen Hailing speak, the fat man smiled and said, "Sister, why are you free to come here today? I didn't see you just now, please forgive me."
"Give a realistic price, and I'll make the decision for you."
"This? Five million. Take it or leave it. Sister, this is truly the highest price. Honest dealing."
Chen Hailing looked at Guo Xuyang and said, "Brother, how about it with Boss Wu?"
She wasn't entirely confident, having only known Guo Xuyang for a few days and not really understanding him.
Guo Xuyang saw that with Chen Hailing's intervention, he could potentially earn another two million, so he was naturally willing.
"Since you said so, Sister, it's a deal." He was doing Chen Hailing a favor.
"Transfer or cash?" Boss Wu asked.
"Transfer. I'm afraid I'd be robbed before I got home with cash," he said, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Boss Wu took his account number, called someone to arrange the transfer, and then took out twenty thousand to distribute to everyone present.
"Brother, if you find any more good jade in the future, contact me directly. I guarantee a fair price," Boss Wu said, handing him a business card that read "Wu Youzhi, General Manager of Jinbaolai Jade Specialty Store."
"Okay, I will."
The owner of the jade store was stunned. It wasn't that he hadn't seen people turn the ordinary into the extraordinary; he was truly amazed by Guo Xuyang's incredible luck. He couldn't believe that five million could be found in such a pile of junk. His stones were priced by the ton. The entire rack of goods was worth less than thirty thousand, meant to fool novices.
"Boss? Boss?" Guo Xuyang called out several times, but the owner didn't hear him.
It wasn't until Old Wu came over and nudged his shoulder that he snapped back to attention. "Ah?"
"Can I get this stone for a little less? I'll buy it whole," Guo Xuyang said, kicking a stone by the door with his foot.
"It really can't be less. If you truly want it, I'll round down the odd amount later," the owner said.
"Then arrange for someone to weigh it." Guo Xuyang was eager to know what surprises it might hold.
Several people helped lift it onto the scale. It weighed ninety-three jin.
"Ninety-three jin, a total of two million three hundred twenty-five thousand. Just give me two million three hundred thousand," the owner said. "Would you like it cut open now?"
"Yes. Why not? Let's see if it brings more surprises!"
Several people gathered around, helping to place the stone into the cutting machine. It was cut in half, simple and rough.
When everyone opened the cutting machine, they were all stunned.
The jade inside was even more dazzling than before.
Xiao Yun pinched her own face hard. The pain made her yelp. She couldn't believe that Guo Xuyang, who was usually unremarkable and a bit handsome, was actually so incredibly powerful.
Did surviving a great disaster lead to future blessings? This was the charm of the jinx. Whatever he said came true. Even an immortal couldn't predict so accurately, right?
"Boss Wu, could you take a look? Will you buy this?" Guo Xuyang asked, patting Wu Youzhi on the shoulder.
"Yes, but I probably can't handle it alone."
Although the rough stone was cut in half, it looked like it was approaching imperial green. If even a tenth could be extracted from both sides, it would be over nine jin. Imperial green jade is priced by the gram. This over nine jin would be close to five kilograms. And that's not even the entire amount extracted. If it were all extracted, it would be a multi-billion deal, wouldn't it? He really didn't dare to calculate it further.
"How about this? I'll keep half of this jade, and you can contact your friends to buy the rest together. The specific price will be determined after all the jade is extracted. What do you think?"
"Okay. Please wait. I'll call my friends right away."
Guo Xuyang asked a few people to help extract all the jade. He knew in his heart that there was at least fifty jin of jade inside.
By the time Wu Youzhi finished his call, the jade had also been completely extracted. A total of sixty-two jin of jade was extracted. He kept a smaller piece, about twenty jin, and sold the rest to Wu Youzhi and the people he invited, for a total of twenty-three billion.
He was stunned by his special ability. This was truly a meteoric rise.
From entering the shop to now, in just over an hour, he had gained twenty jin of jade rough and over two billion in wealth. This small goal was achieved too quickly!