Chapter Eighteen: The Magical White Jade
1647 Words
Sunlight streamed down his body, a warm sensation spreading through his limbs.
Fang Yi pondered how to obtain the white jade from Zhu Licheng.
Of course, he could take it without asking.
However, such an act was akin to theft, something he couldn't bring himself to do.
Alternatively, he could use a "ghost" to intimidate Zhu Licheng and thus obtain the magical white jade.
This thought flashed through Fang Yi's mind only briefly. He was inherently kind; how could he be so despicable?
Thinking it over, he decided to tell the truth.
"Mr. Zhu," Fang Yi said, looking at Zhu Licheng.
Zhu Licheng quickly and respectfully replied, "Great Immortal, I will present the 500,000 reward with both hands shortly."
"It's not about that," Fang Yi waved his hand.
Zhu Licheng asked*****, "Then what is it?"
Xiao Zhang also looked at him curiously.
Fang Yi pondered for a moment, then pointed to the garden outside and explained, "That 'ghost' was in the corner of your garden wall, but don't worry, I've already shattered its spirit. Normally, a person's soul returns to the underworld shortly after death. The reason that ghost could persist is because there's a treasure that can nourish the soul buried beneath your garden. So, I'd like to ask if you could dig it up and give it to me? If so, consider it payment."
(Hmm, there are no ghosts in this world.)
He said this simply to make it easy for both of them to understand.
Fang Yi was straightforward, stating that a treasure was hidden underground.
However, Zhu Licheng was startled upon hearing this, stammering, "There...there's something in the garden of my house?"
Xiao Zhang also said tremblingly, "Nurturing a soul? Isn't that raising a ghost? Mr. Zhu, quickly have the shaman remove that evil object that's raising a soul."
Zhu Licheng nodded repeatedly, "Yes, shaman, quickly remove it."
Fang Yi chuckled and explained again carefully, "It's not an evil object, it's a real treasure."
"What treasure? I wouldn't dare take it." Zhu Licheng was already terrified by the previous scene, how could he dare keep something that could "raise a ghost"? He pleaded, "Shaman, please, please remove that thing quickly, I'm begging you."
Xiao Zhang added, "Yes, shaman, if you're going to help, please help Mr. Zhu remove the evil object for him."
The two still didn't understand the value of the treasure.
Fang Yi was too lazy to explain further and nodded slightly, "Okay."
The two were overjoyed and quickly asked if they should set up an altar to perform a ritual to remove the evil object.
Fang Yi almost laughed at their antics and refused their request to perform the ritual, only asking Zhu Licheng to find him a shovel.
Zhu Licheng and Xiao Zhang were still disappointed at not being able to witness Fang Yi's boundless magical powers again.
A short while later, Zhu Licheng returned with a rusty shovel.
After all, no one had lived here for a long time, so it was normal for the shovel to be rusty.
They went outside to the garden.
Fang Yi held out his hand, "Give me the shovel."
Zhu Licheng quickly said, "Great Immortal, how can you do such rough work yourself? Tell me where it is, I'll dig it."
Xiao Zhang was very quick-witted, "Great Immortal is of immortal body, and Mr. Zhu is of noble birth; let me do this rough work."
Fang Yi just wanted to dig out the white jade quickly and didn't want to argue with them, "Okay, thank you, Brother Zhang."
Xiao Zhang took the shovel from Zhu Licheng and began digging in the direction Fang Yi pointed.
One shovelful.
Two shovelfuls.
A minute or two later, a small pit was dug.
Fang Yi suddenly shouted, "Stop!" Xiao Zhang
, sweating profusely from digging, immediately stopped and turned to ask, "Great Immortal, what's wrong?"
"We can't use a shovel anymore, or we might damage the treasure,"
Fang Yi said, squatting down in front of the small pit and channeling the power of his golden elixir into his palm.
Zhu Licheng, seeing him about to dig with his bare hands, tried to dissuade him, "I have a small shovel in my house..."
Before he could finish, he and Xiao Zhang witnessed a horrifying scene.
Fang Yi's palm was like an iron shovel; with a single thrust, his entire hand plunged into the soil.
Xiao Zhang: "..."
Zhu Licheng: "..."
Xiao Zhang had to use his legs to push his shovel into the soil.
Fang Yi, however, simply thrust his hand in, burying his entire palm in the garden soil. "
Is your hand made of iron?"
The two men's eyes nearly popped out.
Fang Yi had no idea what they were thinking.
His palm touched the white jade in the soil, and he gently pinched it with two fingers, pulling it out. The white jade then emerged
from the ground. At first, it was obscured by the soil.
However, after Fang Yi rinsed it with the garden tap, the coin-sized, octagonal white jade immediately displayed a greasy luster, radiating a soft, slightly yellowish halo in the sunlight, like solidified fat.
Zhu Licheng exclaimed, "Isn't this mutton fat jade?"
Xiao Zhang, who spent all day with President Chen, the owner of a listed company, naturally had a discerning eye. He stared at the white jade thoughtfully, "It's top-grade mutton fat jade."
Mutton fat jade?
Fang Yi was stunned for a moment, secretly wondering if mutton fat jade contained magical energy?
Before he could finish his thought, Zhu Licheng took off a large square white jade pendant from his neck, "Great Immortal, my mutton fat jade is a bit larger than yours. If you really like mutton fat jade, take this square pendant."
Fang Yi didn't reply immediately, but instead used his divine sense to examine it.
To his disappointment, although the mutton fat jade pendant in Zhu Licheng's hand was also composed of countless particles, the composition and arrangement of the particles were stable, unlike the white jade in his hand which constantly released energy.
It seems not all mutton-fat jade is so magical.
Perhaps there's something unusual about this piece.
Fang Yi returned his soul to his body and waved his hand, saying, "No need, I'll take this piece."
Having witnessed Fang Yi's supernatural abilities, Zhu Licheng only wanted to curry favor, his smile plastered on his face. "Great Immortal, you don't know, but mutton-fat jade is currently worth over ten thousand per gram. The better the quality and the larger the carving, the more valuable it is. This piece of mutton-fat jade you have, while of good quality, looks too small, at most a dozen grams, worth about one or two hundred thousand on the market. My mutton-fat jade square plaque is different; it weighs over eighty grams and cost two million six hundred thousand at auction. If you really like collecting jade, this mutton-fat jade square plaque is absolutely perfect."
A square plaque worth two million six hundred thousand.
No one could resist such a huge temptation.
Zhu Licheng and Xiao Zhang both thought so, even believing Fang Yi would accept it immediately.
Fang Yi's response was unexpected. He simply waved his hand and said, "Really, no need. Mr. Zhu is already incredibly grateful to have given me this piece of white jade that he dug up from the ground. Alright, now that I've finished dealing with things here, I'll take my leave."
Zhu Licheng and Xiao Zhang were filled with respect. They never imagined that Fang Yi, not only possessing astonishing supernatural abilities, was also so noble and virtuous. After using his full power to exorcise the ghost, he only wanted a piece of unclaimed white jade dug from the ground. It seemed he wasn't even going to take the 500,000 yuan that Zhu Licheng had initially promised. His character was truly noble.
This was a true hermit!
Zhu Licheng, not wanting to miss the opportunity to befriend such an extraordinary person, hurriedly stepped forward and warmly took Fang Yi's hand. "Great Immortal," he said, "before I asked you to do this, I promised you 500,000 as a reward. If you don't take this reward, I really won't feel at ease."
Fang Yi remained resolute, saying, "If it weren't for this piece of white jade, I wouldn't refuse your reward. But since I've accepted this piece of white jade, I absolutely cannot accept anything else. I appreciate your kindness." Zhu Licheng,
seeing that he was about to leave, was anxious and repeatedly winked at Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang also joined in the persuasion.
However, Fang Yi's mind was as firm as iron; he wouldn't take a penny that wasn't rightfully his and refused to accept the money.
Finally, seeing that this tactic wouldn't work, Fang Yi insisted on leaving again.
Zhu Licheng had no choice but to change his approach: "Great Immortal, you've helped me so much, I really can't let you off without something in return. How about this, I'll host a family dinner at my home tonight, at least let me treat you to a meal, okay?"
Xiao Zhang chimed in, "Great Immortal, it's just a meal, please agree considering Mr. Zhu's sincerity."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Fang Yi felt awkward and nodded, "Alright, let's have a meal then. I'll be there on time. I have something to attend to now, so I'll leave first."
"Okay, okay," Zhu Licheng readily agreed.
Xiao Zhang cleverly added, "Great Immortal, let me take you there."
This time, Fang Yi didn't refuse. At this moment, he just wanted to find a quiet place to study the white jade, to figure out how magical it was, and whether it really helped with cultivation as he suspected.
If so, he felt his cultivation was about to experience a leap forward!
- Writer
