Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 27.1

When Rong Jingtang woke up, he saw Jiang Rui sitting beside him, holding a piece of paper and writing and drawing on it.

“What time is it now?” he asked, sitting up.

Jiang Rui looked up, saw the quilt sliding down from Rong Jingtang’s body, reached out to tuck the corner of the quilt around him, and then got up to retrieve the trench coat hanging on the clothes rack to drape over his shoulders.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jiang Rui said, “It’s just past mealtime. Would you like to eat something?”

Rong Jingtang waved his hand. “No need.”

“The competition deadline is almost up. Go and tend to your business.”

Jiang Rui replied, “I have it under control.”

“I saw you were drawing designs again just now?”

Jiang Rui nodded at the comment. “It’s a Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue.”

Rong Jingtang responded, “Speaking of Guanyin, I actually have one.”

“When I was young, the elders in my family had it specially sought out to protect me because I was frail. I’ve been wearing it close to me for years.” As he spoke, he pulled out a delicate jade Guanyin, suspended by a red thread, from beneath his clothes.

Jiang Rui had no resistance to such beautiful and precious jade. He couldn’t help but reach out to touch it, but unexpectedly, the jade felt cold. Rong Jingtang wore it pressed against his skin every day, yet it hadn’t absorbed any warmth. This was a little strange, but he was relieved when he remembered the other man’s extremely low body temperature.

After sitting for a while longer, Rong Jingtang said, “Tell Sui Ming to come in, and then you should go.”

Jiang Rui did not refuse this time. He got up and went out to call Sui Ming in. He glanced at the time. That man should be back at that shop to look at rough stones again. This time, he would probably sell the one he was holding. The ten thousand-plus yuan Jiang Rui had should be enough.

When Jiang Rui entered, he indeed saw the man from yesterday had returned and was currently haggling with the merchant.

“I know the association has price range regulations, but my rough stone has been cut open, it’s large, and it looks pretty good. It’s definitely worth 300,000 yuan! Boss, why don’t you consider it again?” The man had a refined face, but his mannerisms always betrayed a hint of naivete. To put it plainly, he was a little simple-minded.

“Young Master Zhang, I can give you a maximum of 100,000 yuan for this rough stone. I truly cannot go any higher.” The boss looked troubled. If the price difference wasn’t much, he would turn a blind eye and let it pass, but while this piece was large, its appearance was far inferior to its size. Elsewhere, it probably wouldn’t even be worth 100,000 yuan.

Zhang Xianning looked disappointed. “But I bought it for 500,000 yuan! Now I can’t even recoup half the money…”

The boss also felt helpless at the comment. Stone gambling inherently involved great risk. This young master’s situation was already decent; he could at least recover some money. Compared to those who lost everything, they had nowhere to turn and cry.

The boss said, “Young Master Zhang, 100,000 yuan is truly the highest price. You also checked with other shops yesterday. Mine is definitely the highest. Because you are a regular customer, I’m already pushing the limits of the association’s rules with this price. I’m not making a single cent of profit.”

Zhang Xianning nodded. He had indeed gone around asking many shops yesterday, and most were two or three tens of thousands of yuan lower than this shop.

In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about such a small difference, but this month he had lost nearly a million yuan gambling on stones, and he had no cash left. He considered cutting this rough stone, but looking at the exposed area, he was afraid that after cutting it open, it wouldn’t even be worth 100,000 yuan…

“Truly no more?” Zhang Xianning asked again, unwilling to give up.

The boss shook his head.

“Alright then, 100,000 it is…”

The price was finally settled, and the two went to the counter to complete the transaction.

After confirming the 100,000 yuan had been transferred, Zhang Xianning did not linger in the shop and left immediately. He brushed past a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy just as he reached the doorway.

Zhang Xianning subconsciously paused his steps and looked back. The boy seemed to sense it and also turned his head, their eyes meeting.

The competition rules stated that only rough stones sold by the association’s merchants could be purchased.

Jiang Rui looked at the numbers on the few rough stones he held and smiled slightly.

One of those numbers belonged to the rough stone that Young Master Zhang had just sold.

“Boss, how much are these rough stones in total?”

The boss scanned the stones, paused for a moment on the label of the large one from Zhang Xianning, and then fixed his gaze on the teenage boy in front of him. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you want to buy that large one?”

Jiang Rui laughed. “I’ve taken the labels, and I’m waiting to pay. What do you think?”

The boss considered it. “If you take these together, I’ll count it as 130,000 yuan. I’ll waive the odd change. Just make sure to visit my shop often in the future, Young Master.”

Jiang Rui knew this boss was always fair with his pricing, so he didn’t haggle and readily agreed. “Deal.”

After acquiring the rough stones, he called the staff number. After confirming that Jiang Rui had selected this rough stone, the staff quickly came over to transport and seal the stone at the competition venue.

There was still over an hour until the competition deadline. Jiang Rui did not head directly to the Number Nine Competition Zone, choosing instead to go back and check on Rong Jingtang.

He had fallen asleep again. Sui Ming was guarding the door. Because Rong Jingtang had given instructions beforehand, Sui Ming did not stop Jiang Rui from going in to see him.

Jiang Rui stared at the man’s exquisitely beautiful face, which held a captivating allure even in its paleness. He couldn’t imagine how handsome such a face, devoid of expression and color, could be. What would it look like with more warmth, health, and a rosy complexion?

For the first time, Jiang Rui actively called out to Miao Xuan in his Sea of Consciousness.

Miao Xuan’s voice instantly replied, “Master, I am here.”

“Help me see what is going on with his body. What kind of illness is it?”

Miao Xuan was silent for a moment and then spoke. “Master, this person’s current condition is not caused by an illness.”

Jiang Rui’s heart skipped a beat. He asked, “Not an illness? Then what is it?”

Miao Xuan said, “It is caused by the mutation of his spiritual root.”

“Be more specific.”

“This person has excellent bones and is a naturally born Single Water Spiritual Root, but he must have consumed a cold-natured spirit medicine called Frost Mist Grass for many years. The most crucial thing is that he wears an extremely cold spiritual artifact close to his body. If he were an ordinary person, he would have succumbed to the cold poison and died prematurely. However, this person is fortunate; he possesses a spiritual root, and the rare, one-in-ten-thousand Single Water Heavenly Spiritual Root at that. His spiritual root has helped him resist the cold poison. Nevertheless, he is still an ordinary person without cultivation, and without the aid of cultivation, his spiritual root is slowly being eroded by the cold poison. I don’t know how he managed it, but he has endured the pain of the cold poison eroding his spiritual root and, as a result, caused his spiritual root to mutate. It is currently transforming into an Ice Spiritual Root.”

“Unfortunately, the external spiritual energy is thin, and there are no spiritual objects or elixirs to assist him. The probability of him surviving this mutation stage is low. If he hadn’t consumed your spiritual flowers and spirit honey, he would likely have perished long ago. However, Master, you need not worry too much right now. He only appears weak. If his spiritual root can successfully mutate, it will absolutely be a heaven-sent fortune for him.”

Jiang Rui’s expression was conflicted. In that kind of external environment, what kind of person could cultivate spirit herbs? And use a spiritual artifact to try to kill Rong Jingtang? The price was too great.

Jiang Rui couldn’t help but think of the person who had set up the Divine Confusion Array at the Rong family mansion.

Could it be the same person?

As for the Frost Mist Grass, he was proficient in the Herbal Canon, so he naturally knew of this spirit herb. However, Rong Jingtang had stopped taking various medicines a long time ago. Uncle Cheng only prescribed some warm tonics when his condition was poor, and most of those were Western medicines. Those medicines had passed through Jiang Rui’s hands, and he would have noticed any problem back then.

“What is that cold spiritual artifact?”

“To answer, Master, it is the jade Guanyin worn near his chest. That object was buried in an extremely yin spot beneath the earth for an unknown number of years and has long become a low-grade spiritual artifact. It is not only extremely cold but also carries an aura of filthy sha energy. This kind of contaminated object is the bane of the Water Spiritual Root, which is why wearing it for a long time can erode the spiritual root.”

Jiang Rui nearly gasped aloud. “How could it be that? Are you sure?” He hadn’t forgotten the origin of that jade Guanyin that Rong Jingtang had mentioned earlier… Jiang Rui felt a chill run down his spine. In what kind of environment had this person grown up? What kind of people surrounded him!

Jiang Rui looked at the faintly visible red thread under the clothes. He felt that even if he found the person who dared to harm Rong Jingtang, completely destroying their body and soul so they could never enter the cycle of reincarnation, it still wouldn’t extinguish the anger in his heart.

Jiang Rui did not impulsively take off and destroy the Guanyin, though he desperately wanted to do so.

The man sleeping in front of him had increasingly faint breaths…

Jiang Rui asked sadly, “How long will this condition last? If the mutation fails, what will happen?”

Miao Xuan paused. “It depends on how long he can hold on. With your spiritual flowers and spirit honey, he can hold on for another year or two. If it fails, he will not escape death.”

Jiang Rui’s breath hitched.

He looked at Rong Jingtang and, for the first time, felt that this person was not always omnipotent and powerful. He also had moments of vulnerability, moments when he was easily defeated.

That inexplicable feeling in Jiang Rui’s heart surged up again.

“Is there any way to help his spiritual root mutate?”

Miao Xuan understood his thoughts and said, “There are only two methods you can use right now. One is to refine a Heaven-tier Spirit Gathering Elixir and have him consume it daily. Within a year, his spiritual root will be fully mutated. The other is to consume the Jade Tree Marrow Fluid. Since you cannot store the Jade Tree Marrow Fluid and your friend is a mortal, you must first dilute it with Spirit Pool water and then store it in a spiritual jade vial. However, this method only ensures that the spiritual energy of the Jade Tree Marrow Fluid does not dissipate for three days, after which it will become ineffective. Furthermore, the effect will be discounted; he will need at least ten drops of Jade Tree Marrow Fluid, consumed continuously for one month.”

Jiang Rui’s heart sank. The first method seemed simple, but he didn’t know how to refine elixirs at all. He didn’t know when he would be able to refine a Heaven-tier Spirit Gathering Elixir.

The second method was even harder. Continuous consumption meant drawing one drop every three days. The last time he drew one drop of Jade Tree Marrow Fluid, it took him almost two months to recover. To draw a drop every three days, he would need to reach the Late Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation and the ninth layer of the Body Tempering and Bone Forging cultivation technique.

Neither of these could be achieved in a short time.

“Then is there a method that can temporarily alleviate his current physical condition?”

Miao Xuan thought for a moment and said, “There is. After your cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, I also leveled up and can now separate a small portion of the secret realm into a physical entity.” As it spoke, Jiang Rui’s palm warmed, and a jade ring appeared. A gentle warmth flowed from the jade ring into his palm.

“Master, put this jade ring on him. I can then use this jade ring as a medium to temporarily suppress the mutating spiritual root for him. However, suppression is not a long-term solution. Prolonging the time will make his situation more dangerous. Master still needs to make other plans soon.”

Jiang Rui was clear on this point and asked, “What is the maximum time it can suppress it for?”

“A little less than a year.”

Jiang Rui calculated the time. With the nourishment from the spiritual objects in the secret realm, he could extend Rong Jingtang’s life for another two years. Three years of time—he still had hope.

Jiang Rui carefully placed the jade ring on Rong Jingtang’s right hand. Whether by coincidence or not, the size of the jade ring was perfect for the ring finger.

However, Jiang Rui was not paying attention to such details at the moment. After putting it on him, he checked the time, instructed Sui Ming to be watchful of any movement in the room, and then headed out to the competition venue.

Mu Yan was a little surprised to see Jiang Rui arriving alone. “Where is Mr. Rong? Why didn’t he come?”

Jiang Rui smiled gently. “He still has some business to attend to. Besides, there’s nothing here that requires his presence.”

Mu Yan thought the same. There were many things he didn’t know about a person like Mr. Rong, but one thing he was clear about was that things that others greatly valued and whose loss or gain they worried about became insignificant to him.

When Xie Yuqian saw the rough stone Jiang Rui had selected, he almost wanted to laugh out loud! This was the rough stone he had deliberately found to trick Young Master Zhang, the good-for-nothing second young master of the Zhang family. He had just heard a report from his subordinate that the fool Zhang Xianning wasn’t completely stupid and hadn’t cut the stone but sold it to the association’s merchant.

He never expected that the stone Jiang Rui picked would be this piece of waste material with a ninety percent chance of being a loss!

It seemed even the heavens were helping him!

Jiang Rui did not know that this rough stone had passed through Xie Yuqian’s hands. During the cutting process, to prevent any accidents, he first drew a few lines on the stone, instructing the stone cutter to follow the lines and cut carefully.

The master cutter glanced at him, surprised. “Are you sure you want to cut along these spots?”

Jiang Rui knew his concern and said, “Master, please cut without worry. This is what I requested, and if anything goes wrong, the full responsibility is mine.”

Seeing Jiang Rui speak so confidently, the master cutter said no more and immediately started cutting.

The rough stone Mu Yan had selected was several times smaller than Jiang Rui’s and was cut faster. Soon, the jade inside was fully exposed.

It was an Old Pit Glass-type purple jade.

Jade has always honored the color green, but such a large, uniformly colored Old Pit Glass-type purple jade was also extremely rare and had not been seen in the market for a long time.

In recent years, the demand in the jade market has grown. Most women are also very interested in purple jade, and the price of purple jade has been steadily rising. High-quality purple jade in terms of type and color has long been in short supply.

Mu Yan’s piece of purple jade was clearly the best of the best, its value immeasurable!

Xie Yuqian looked at the scene where Jiang Rui’s stone was still being cut, a sneer playing on his lips.

He had thought the person Rong Jingtang brought was highly skilled. Turns out, he only had this much ability to deceive people! Rong Jingtang usually acted superior, but wasn’t he also afraid of losing and hence dared not show his face now?

Mu Yan’s stone was already cut, while Jiang Rui’s stone, though massive, showed no sign of green for a long time.

“Could it be a piece of waste rock, with nothing but white stones inside?”

“Exactly! How old is this kid? How can he possibly out-gamble a member of the Mu family?”

“He must have made a mistake! It’s a pity. I was quite optimistic about this kid, especially since he won the first match so cleanly…”

People around began to whisper and speculate.

The gentle smile on Jiang Rui’s face remained unchanged. Afraid that the stone cutter might be affected by the stares of others, he reassured him, “Don’t be nervous, Master. I know what I picked. It will definitely show green.”

The stone cutter had genuinely been afraid that he would cut open a completely barren rock. Hearing Jiang Rui’s words, he felt relieved, and his cutting became steadier.

Another hour passed, and still no green was visible in Jiang Rui’s stone.

Xie Yuqian grew impatient and said, “I say, are you just playing with us with a stone?”

No sooner had Xie Yuqian’s words fallen than the stone cutter on the side shouted, “Young Master Jiang, it’s green! It’s green!”

Although it was only a small trace of green, looking at the color and clarity, though not as good as Glass-type, it was still considered top-grade.

Xie Yuqian and Mu Yan’s faces tensed first, but after moving closer and seeing the small trace of green, they relaxed again.

But soon, their relieved hearts tensed up once more!

As the stone cutter cut and polished the stone, the exposed jade was already nearly Ice-type quality!

Could this rough stone really turn out to be a huge win?

That was absolutely impossible! Xie Yuqian thought.

This rough stone was bought by Xie Yuqian from a capable subordinate. He was about to call the person to confirm whether they were absolutely certain that the rough stone was waste material.

However, before he could dial the number, he heard someone beside him shout, “The green is cut off! It was only that small bit of green after all!”

“What a disappointment! Isn’t that just a surface layer of green?”

“Yes, yes. This kid was really cheated this time! Who knows where he bought that stone!”

Xie Yuqian put his phone away.