Divine Level Witch Doctor

Cheng Yunlong worked fast. Just as Shi Xuemin was leading Zhao Yuan into the small courtyard behind the shop, Cheng Yunlong rushed over, a Master of Stone Cutting in tow.

Several other people came with them, all of them owners of shops Zhao Yuan had visited earlier. Hearing that Zhao Yuan had finally bought something, they all rushed over, eager to see what kind of treasure had managed to catch the eye of such a notoriously picky person.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, they saw the worthless stone cradled in Zhao Yuan’s hands and froze.

”That stone looks awfully familiar.”

”I think it looks familiar, too... Hey, isn’t that the worthless stone Shi Xuemin brought back from Yunnan Province after that bad bet?”

”This young man was so picky, and in the end, he actually chose a worthless stone? How ironic! Wasn’t Cheng Yunlong with him the whole time? Why didn’t he warn him?”

The owners were abuzz with discussion, all of them baffled. Why would Zhao Yuan, a man with impossibly high standards, buy a worthless stone?

Only Boss Zhang, whom Zhao Yuan had helped earlier, guessed, ”Could it be that this stone isn’t worthless? That there’s actually a treasure inside?”

Boss Zhang’s words were immediately met with denials and ridicule from the other owners.

”You’ve got to be kidding. That worthless stone has been cut into several times already. If there was any treasure inside, it would’ve been found long ago. Why would it still be there now?”

”Exactly! I remember not long ago, Shi Xuemin, unwilling to give up, even invited Elder Lin to appraise it. After taking one look, Elder Lin stated unequivocally that it was a worthless stone! Elder Lin is a respected senior in our Rongcheng City Jade Realm, a true authority! He’s been in the business for decades and has rarely made a mistake. Since even he said the stone is worthless, then it’s one hundred percent worthless. There’s no way it could be anything else!”

Amidst the owners’ chatter, the Master of Stone Cutting caught sight of the stone in Zhao Yuan’s hands. He raised an eyebrow and immediately turned to leave.

”Hey, Master Ma, where are you going? Don’t leave,” Cheng Yunlong said, rushing to stop him.

”You called me here just to cut this rock?” Master Ma asked, pointing to the stone in Zhao Yuan’s hands.

”That’s right,” Cheng Yunlong replied with a nod.

”Are you messing with me?” Master Ma demanded, clearly displeased. ”What’s the point of cutting a worthless stone? And you called *me* to do it? Do you think I’ve got nothing better to do?”

Any Master of Stone Cutting with even a shred of a reputation would refuse to cut a worthless stone. For one, it was no way to show off one’s skill; for another, they feared it would ruin their good name.

With a worthless stone, it wasn’t that the chance of finding jade was zero, but it was so small as to be negligible. If you cut a worthless stone, those in the know wouldn’t say a thing. But there would inevitably be uninformed people who’d run their mouths, spreading rumors that you cut a stone and didn’t even find a speck of jade. Jade gamblers are a superstitious bunch who value luck above all else. What if you became known as a jinx because of it? Wouldn’t that be terrible for business?

It was precisely because of these concerns that Master Ma refused to help cut the worthless stone.

Cheng Yunlong grew anxious. He had finally gotten a chance to do something for Zhao Yuan, and he was already botching it. This was a classic case of trying to curry favor and failing spectacularly. He quickly tried to persuade the man, showering him with praise and even promising to pay him several times his usual fee, but it was no use. Master Ma stubbornly refused to budge.

At this point, Zhao Yuan spoke up. ”Forget it, Boss Cheng. Don’t bother trying to convince him. We don’t need a top-tier Master of Stone Cutting. Anyone who knows the basics will do.”

Cheng Yunlong thought for a moment, then said, ”In that case, how about you let me do it? I know how to cut stone, too. Of course, my technique is nothing compared to these old masters, but if we give this stone to someone else, I’m afraid they’ll mess it up for you. I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

The people crowded around to watch the spectacle couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

In their eyes, Cheng Yunlong was just shamelessly sucking up.

”It’s a worthless piece of junk, what’s there to be worried about?” one man jeered after he finished laughing. ”I refuse to believe you can cut a treasure out of that thing!”

Someone next to him chimed in, ”Now, Old Wu, don’t be so quick. What’ll you do if they actually find a treasure?”

”If they really cut a treasure out of it, I’ll eat the leftover stone rinds!” The man called Old Wu was clearly unaware that he had just tempted fate.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yuan agreed to Cheng Yunlong’s proposal, handing him the stone to be cut.

Cheng Yunlong carried the stone over to the cutting machine. After making a few adjustments, he turned and asked Zhao Yuan, ”Master Zhao, where should we start?”

”Make the first cut here.” Zhao Yuan traced a line on the stone. A single cut there would be enough to split the stone in two.

Master Ma hadn’t gone far; he was standing in the crowd, watching the spectacle. When he heard Zhao Yuan’s instruction, he couldn’t help but frown and mutter, ”Who on earth cuts a stone like that? This is just nonsense!”

Generally speaking, when cutting a stone, one first carves a small ”window” on the surface. Then, after careful observation and analysis, a direction is chosen, and the stone is slowly cut down, layer by layer. Once the color of jade appears, the work shifts to polishing and carefully cutting around it. Who on earth swung the blade like Zhao Yuan did? Was he cutting stone or carving a pig’s head?

The people around him heard his comment and laughed. ”Master Ma, cutting a worthless stone is a nonsensical endeavor in the first place. Let’s just consider this a bit of entertainment for the day.”

Master Ma heard this, nodded, and thought that made sense.

Of all the people present, only Zhao Yuan, Cheng Yunlong, and Boss Zhang—who had been amazed by Zhao Yuan’s earlier display of skill—were taking this seriously. Everyone else was treating it as a joke, waiting to see Zhao Yuan and Cheng Yunlong make fools of themselves.

As the crowd was jeering, Cheng Yunlong, following Zhao Yuan’s instructions, had already made a diagonal cut through the stone, splitting it into two pieces: one large and one small.

As expected, the cut surface of the stone was dull and gray, without the slightest hint of jade.

”It really is a worthless stone!” the crowd said in unison, their faces screaming, ’I told you so.’ Even Cheng Yunlong couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious and glanced up at Zhao Yuan.

”What are you looking at me for? Keep going.”

Zhao Yuan tossed the smaller piece of stone aside. Through his Qi Observation Technique, he could see it clearly: there was no Qi in that piece. The Qi was all contained within the larger stone.

He pointed to the larger stone, gesturing as he gave his instructions. ”Be more careful with this cut. Follow this line down, and stop right here...”

The crowd heard Zhao Yuan’s words loud and clear. And once again, they burst into laughter.

”Looks like this kid is really getting into it, huh?”

”Does he really think he can see what’s inside the stone? Giving such detailed instructions for the cut.”

”Did this kid buy a worthless stone just to get a thrill out of cutting it?”

The crowd remained convinced that it was impossible to cut a treasure from a worthless stone and that Zhao Yuan and Cheng Yunlong were just wasting their energy.