Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 24

“Young Master Rong.” The grey-haired, blue-eyed man opened his mouth, yet spoke in fluent Mandarin, greeting Rong Jingtang with a nod.

Rong Jingtang returned the gesture with a nod but did not speak. He merely looked at the middle-aged man standing next to the speaker.

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully to him: “Greetings, Master Rong.”

The man noticed his gaze, curled his lips into a smile, and intentionally said, “I forgot to introduce him. This is Master Mu, Mu Yan, a grand master in the jade betting world and the biological son of Old Man Mu. I hear Young Master Rong and Old Man Mu have a close relationship. I do not have the connections Young Master Rong possesses; it took me quite some effort to invite Master Mu Yan here this time.”

After speaking, the man’s gaze fell upon the young man standing beside Rong Jingtang, and he asked with an ambiguous tone, “Is this the expert eye you selected, Young Master Rong? He looks promisingly young.” He then added, “To catch your eye, this child is quite lucky.”

Jiang Rui’s attention had not left this man since he first appeared.

It was not that he was mesmerized by the man’s handsome looks; having seen someone as peerless as Rong Jingtang so often, the faces of others no longer registered.

He just felt as though he had seen the man before somewhere. There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Jiang Rui could detect the man’s hostility toward Rong Jingtang and immediately raised his slender eyebrows. This person used honorifics for Rong Jingtang, clearly indicating he held a certain deference towards him, yet his words were saturated with provocation. This couldn’t help but make him think of one phrase: courting death.

Rong Jingtang said, “This is Jiang Rui, the expert eye I selected. He just graduated from junior high. I brought him to Yidian for a little rest and relaxation during his holiday.” He then placed his hand on Jiang Rui’s shoulder, leaned in, and whispered, “Don’t be nervous. If you win, it’s all yours.”

Jiang Rui’s lips moved slightly. He was not nervous, but he really wanted to ask, What if he loses?

…Clearly, Master Rong’s implication was that winning was the only option.

The man was clearly struck hard by Rong Jingtang’s words and was also surprised by the close intimacy Rong Jingtang showed toward Jiang Rui. His gaze towards Jiang Rui became more one of scrutiny.

Jiang Rui stood there smiling, allowing him to examine him.

The sixteen-year-old boy wore a close-fitting black casual suit, which set off his tall and graceful figure. His features were delicate and refined, his lips thin and pale, and the corners of his mouth always held a slight, elusive smile.

The most outstanding feature was his eyes, which were like deep pools of ink, warm and moist. When he looked at someone, he appeared exceptionally sincere and docile, as if he would agree without hesitation to any request made of him.

The man’s gaze lingered on Jiang Rui for a long time, so long that Jiang Rui felt strange.

“Xie Yuqian,” Rong Jingtang suddenly spoke.

Xie Yuqian returned to his senses, chuckled softly, and said, “This is the first time Young Master Rong has called me by my given name. I am profoundly honoured.”

“When you leave Yidian, leave cleanly. Don’t leave any tails behind.”

Xie Yuqian’s smile froze. He said coldly, “Is Young Master Rong so certain that I will lose? Is Young Master Rong overconfident, or do you truly believe in your heart that a mere child who looks underage can contend with the skills of the Mu family?”

Rong Jingtang pulled Jiang Rui closer to his side and replied, neither too warmly nor too coldly, “He is the expert eye I personally selected. I trust him.” Do you trust the expert eye you selected?

Xie Yuqian could not miss Rong Jingtang’s unspoken meaning. His face instantly became very unpleasant, but he forcefully held back from speaking.

He did not trust Mu Yan in his heart, but he could not reveal this. He was able to invite Mu Yan because the Mu family was still within the borders of Yidian, which was his territory. Since the Mu family gave him face, he did not want to truly offend them.

The Mu family and the Rong Clan had ties that were hard to break, even if the bone was snapped.

Xie Yuqian was used to acting aggressively in Yidian and the surrounding border area, yet he still had to act subserviently in front of the Rong Clan. Moreover, he still did not know what Rong Jingtang’s identity within the Rong Clan was. He could only guess, based on his surname, that he was one of the nine young masters of the Rong Clan.

The high-level figures of the Rong Clan were always low-key, rarely showing their faces in public. Rong Jingtang was also a man who never revealed his hand. Xie Yuqian was not confident in his own conjecture. If Rong Jingtang was truly one of the Nine Young Masters, he would naturally have to treat him with respect. If he was not, then in Yidian, his own turf, he would not have to tolerate an outsider’s attitude.

The competition had five other judges, who were internal jade betting experts of the Grand Meet and highly respected in the field.

The first round of the competition was somewhat challenging. Within one hour, they had to select one hundred raw stones from one thousand. Within five hours, they had to fully appraise the one hundred emerald raw stones they had selected. For those confirmed to contain emerald, they had to determine the quality and estimate the value of the stone. Each correct assessment was one point, with incorrect assessments resulting in deductions. Failure to complete the appraisal within the allotted time was considered a loss. If neither competitor finished in the stipulated time, extra time would be granted as appropriate. The victory went to the one with the higher appraisal score. If the scores were equal, the victory went to the one who took less time.

Five hours for one hundred raw stones.

Anyone who knew a little about jade betting understood that some raw stones were highly debatable. Forget five hours; sometimes, even five days would not be enough time to confirm them. Some stones required ten days or half a month of observation before a decision could be made.

For others, this would truly be a test of their eyesight and experience. In his previous life, Jiang Rui won nine out of ten bets even without cultivation. Now that his cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his sensitivity to spiritual energy had increased by more than one level. Appraising raw stones was a test of strength for others, but for him, it was merely a matter of a glance.

Jiang Rui felt the first round of the competition was challenging, and the difficulty lay in the valuation.

Jiang Rui had previously intended to go into the jade business and knew the price of emeralds like the back of his hand. However, estimating the value of a raw stone was different from directly estimating the value of a finished emerald; the former carried a greater risk. This was much harder than predicting the quality of the emerald within the stone.

He glanced at Mu Yan. In his previous life, he had also heard of the Mu family, hailed as the Kings of Jade Betting, and he knew of Mu Yan as an individual.

Most members of the Mu family had strange tempers, but Mu Yan was famously easygoing. He was not considered the most capable among the Mu family disciples, but he had the best reputation, the broadest connections, and was the most respected.

Jiang Rui had witnessed Mu Yan betting on jade and knew his skill level. The current Mu Yan was not yet at the level he would achieve in later life, so his chance of winning this first round was very high.

The timer was set.

One thousand raw stones were placed on the shelves.

Jiang Rui and Mu Yan exchanged glances.

The moment the referee announced the start of the competition, Mu Yan stepped forward, glanced twice, and immediately took down the number of a white salt-crusted skin stone. He clearly had a high degree of certainty that this stone would yield green jade.

Jiang Rui simply smiled at the sight, walked around to the other side, and began his observation.

Twenty minutes passed. Mu Yan’s paper already had nearly forty numbers, while Jiang Rui’s hand was still empty.

Sitting in the spectators’ gallery, Xie Yuqian’s face was continuously smiling, and he occasionally looked over at Rong Jingtang, who was seated a few places away. The latter remained cold-faced, his gaze fixed only on the young man competing in the arena. Bernano, Yue Xun, and the Russian man sat in the same row as Rong Jingtang but further away from him.

The remaining spectators were mostly drawn by the presence of so many influential figures, coming to join the excitement.

“Young Master Rong, more than half an hour has passed, and your little friend has yet to take a single number. Aren’t you going to urge him?” Xie Yuqian watched the still-aloof and composed man beside him with his grey-blue eyes.

“No need.”

Xie Yuqian sneered inwardly, secretly cursing Rong Jingtang for being so concerned about his reputation. Yet, on the surface, he continued to smile pleasantly.

Forty-five minutes passed. Mu Yan had essentially finished selecting one hundred raw stones and was currently checking the numbers and looking to see if there were any stones with better selling characteristics to replace the ones he was less certain about.

Jiang Rui had looked through all the raw stones, excluding those selected by Mu Yan, but his hands were still empty.

At the fiftieth minute of the competition, Jiang Rui finally made his move.

He picked up the number of a large, extremely unappealing iron sand-skin raw stone.

Xie Yuqian ran his long fingers through his short grey hair, smiled at Rong Jingtang, and scoffed, “Young Master Rong, Master Rong, is this the expert eye you selected? Does he really know how to bet on jade?”

Sui Ming could not help but say, “Master, perhaps you should urge Young Master Jiang.”

Over on the other side, Bernano had long been restless and wanted to shout at Jiang Rui in the arena, but he was held back by Yue Xun, who feared he might disrupt the competition and anger Rong Jingtang.

Rong Jingtang’s eyebrow had not moved throughout the entire process, but now he seemed even more composed as he said, “This is his competition. He is in charge.”

Xie Yuqian: “…” Comparing himself to the man’s attitude, which remained unchanged even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, he suddenly felt like an idiot. What was he supposed to do?

Jiang Rui’s subsequent actions greatly astonished the people in the spectators’ gallery, as well as the five judges.

Jiang Rui picked up a number almost every second. He did not even look at the stone itself. In less than two minutes, he had selected one hundred raw stones!

Mu Yan, on the other side, was still hesitating between two raw stones, seemingly unable to decide.

Jiang Rui directly submitted the numbers he had taken, without even checking or comparing them.

Xie Yuqian was stunned by Jiang Rui’s dramatic counterattack. The smile on his face vanished without a trace. After a long moment, he said, “This young friend is truly confident in himself. Worthy of being someone Young Master Rong selected; his actions have some of your flair.”

Rong Jingtang gave him a rare look and said, “It’s nothing special.” (Over-praise.)

Xie Yuqian: “…” Did he just experience a hallucination? Was Rong Jingtang looking at him with smugness? Where was the always noble, cold, and aloof Young Master Rong who never cared for his words!

Also! That phrase, “It’s nothing special,” was far too grounded and lacked any pressure! He absolutely had not intended to praise anyone!

Mu Yan saw Jiang Rui submit his numbers and subtly frowned. He seemed to have underestimated this young man who looked underage. He then looked at the two numbers in his hand, selected one of them, and placed it in his number tray, thus concluding his selection.

The timer rang, and the referee announced that time was up.

After confirming that the number of selections for both competitors was correct, the referee had the number trays sealed and announced a half-hour rest before the appraisal began.

Jiang Rui left the arena and walked directly over to Rong Jingtang, sitting down beside him. He looked relaxed, completely free of any signs of fatigue. Mu Yan, being over thirty, naturally could not match the youthful energy and had already worked up a sweat in the arena. He was currently drinking water with his eyes closed to rest.

Bernano seemed to want to approach and say a few words to Rong Jingtang, but he was firmly blocked by Yue Xun.

Jiang Rui found this Bernano character very amusing and gave him a smile.