Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 62

Cao Xingjian naturally noticed Rong Jingtang standing right beside Jiang Rui. However, he couldn’t help but wonder… was this gentleman’s hand resting in a rather inappropriate place?

Cao Xingjian froze for a moment. Seeing that Jiang Rui offered no protest, he decided not to pry. He stepped forward and said, “Boss, may I have a word in private?”

Rong Jingtang took a subtle step back. With a gentle smile and a tender gaze fixed on Jiang Rui, he turned his attention toward the exquisite jade ornaments displayed in the glass cases.

Jiang Rui followed Cao Xingjian up to the manager’s office on the second floor. Once the door was shut, Cao Xingjian spoke with a trace of agitation. “I don’t know who leaked the news a few days ago, but word has gotten out that Lianyu Villa possesses ‘Spirit-Infused Jade.’ For the past few days, the villa has been swarmed with jade experts from every corner of the industry.”

The corners of Jiang Rui’s mouth quirked up. Seeing that Cao Xingjian looked as pleased as he was annoyed, Jiang Rui said, “Since you already have a plan in mind, proceed as you see fit.”

Cao Xingjian was momentarily stunned. Looking at Jiang Rui’s refined, calm face, a sense of awe struck his heart. He quickly lowered his head to hide his surprise and replied, “Understood.”

Jiang Rui pulled the blinds back slightly from the second-story window, looking down at the groups of people gathered below. He smiled. “Lianyu Villa has only just been established, and already someone cannot bear to see us succeed.”

Cao Xingjian felt a pang of shame. He realized he had been too aggressive in his expansion, overlooking the fact that the jade industry had its own long-standing rules and unspoken codes.

Jiang Rui tapped the slats of the blinds. “Go out and spread the word: the Spirit-Infused Jade will go on sale in one month… to the highest bidder.”

Cao Xingjian stared at him in shock. Against the sunlight, the youth’s silhouette appeared exceptionally elegant and ethereal. Cao Xingjian’s mouth hung open, unable to find his voice for a long moment.

“Since they want Lianyu Villa to be famous, we might as well grant them their wish,” Jiang Rui said. His face remained calm and placid, but that very smile sent a cold shiver down Cao Xingjian’s spine.

When Jiang Rui returned downstairs, he found Rong Jingtang standing alone. Even Sui Ming had been absent from his side lately for unknown reasons.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Jiang Rui’s mood always lightened when he faced Rong Jingtang.

Rong Jingtang finally averted his gaze from the jade displays to look at Jiang Rui. After a moment of silence, he gave a soft smile. “None are as good as the one you gave me, Ruirui.”

Jiang Rui’s face suddenly flushed.

He hurriedly looked away, only to catch sight of a familiar face. Jiang Rui paused; he hadn’t intended to say hello, but the person on the other side proactively approached him.

Jiang Rui noticed that the person only spotted him after noticing Rong Jingtang. Otherwise, knowing that person’s temperament…

Jiang Rui pursed his lips and smiled at Madam Wei, who seemed to be there with friends. “Madam Wei.”

Madam Wei beamed as if she and Jiang Rui were the closest of friends. “Master Jiang, how have you been lately?”

Jiang Rui smiled and replied with a polite “well, thanks to your blessings.”

After Madam Wei arrived, Rong Jingtang fixed his eyes back on the glass counter, as steady and unmoving as a monolith.

Madam Wei felt a bit awkward. After her initial greeting, she found herself at a loss for words. This made Jiang Rui realize, not for the first time, that Madam Wei had truly married a very good husband to be able to afford such social lapses.

While Madam Wei was still searching for a topic, a young man ran over. Before he even reached them, his voice preceded him. It was Madam Wei’s only son, Wei Ruize. Jiang Rui smiled as the energetic youth approached.

“Master Jiang?” Wei Ruize’s eyes lit up with genuine warmth. “What a coincidence.”

“Indeed,” Jiang Rui nodded with a smile.

“Are you here for the Spirit-Infused Jade as well?” Wei Ruize asked.

Jiang Rui remained silent, merely smiling. Wei Ruize laughed and changed the subject himself. “I heard the owner of Lianyu Villa isn’t actually Mr. Cao. To be honest, this villa is an anomaly in the jade world. No one knows who the boss behind the scenes is.”

It’s me, right next to you, Jiang Rui thought. He followed Wei Ruize’s gesture toward the main stage. Cao Xingjian was currently addressing the crowd, repeating exactly what Jiang Rui had instructed earlier.

“You said Lianyu Villa is an anomaly?” Jiang Rui looked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the “Great Lord Rong” still staring intently at the counter, which he found quite amusing.

Wei Ruize nodded. “I have friends in this circle. Since Lianyu Villa opened, the jade they sell has no traceable origin. They haven’t bought from any known suppliers, and they don’t seem to have any resident master carvers. That is why they are considered an outlier.”

Jiang Rui tapped his fingers lightly against the glass. Under the warm yellow lights, his slender fingers looked as translucent and smooth as mutton-fat jade.

He had considered this issue. In fact, Cao Xingjian was already preparing to recruit carvers. However, famous master carvers were notoriously eccentric, and Cao Xingjian refused to settle for mediocre ones.

As for the supply of jade, Jiang Rui had other plans. The jade business offered the highest profit margins, and with his “Secret Realm,” his supply of jade was virtually inexhaustible. This was also a necessary condition for Xiao Lunan to gain a firm foothold in Jinglin later on.

Burma (Myanmar) had always been the primary source of jade. Though it had been heavily mined in recent years, many plots of land remained unclaimed. Jiang Rui intended to “pick up the leaks” (find hidden gems). This would allow him to help Xiao Lunan with minimal overhead. Furthermore, by auctioning one piece of Spirit-Infused Jade a year to the highest bidder, he could build an elite reputation. Even if Xiao Lunan simply gave a stone away as a gift, it would translate into an immense network of high-level connections.

Thinking of this, Jiang Rui smiled. “Why would there be no carvers? I heard Lianyu Villa is currently recruiting masters.”

In truth, Jiang Rui was tempted to “poach” his own master, Master Xue, but he wasn’t sure what the old man would think. He decided to find time to ask him.

Across the room, Cao Xingjian announced that only one piece of Spirit-Infused Jade would be sold per year. The room fell into a stunned silence.

Seeing that Rong Jingtang had no intention of acknowledging her and that Jiang Rui wasn’t going to introduce them, Madam Wei finally took the hint and retreated.

Rong Jingtang immediately turned his gaze back to Jiang Rui.

Jiang Rui sighed. “This year’s Spirit-Infused Jade is the very first one. Are you interested?”

“No,” Rong Jingtang shook his head. Looking at Jiang Rui’s face, he said with utter shamelessness, “Because you’ll give it to me anyway.”

Jiang Rui was thoroughly defeated by his audacity.

With matters at the villa temporarily settled, Jiang Rui bid farewell to Cao Xingjian. Rong Jingtang also seemed to lose interest in staying, so he had the driver head back to Xiangcheng, dragging Jiang Rui along with him.

Looking at the familiar house, Jiang Rui sighed. He realized he was now spending more time at Rong Jingtang’s residence than at his own home.

Jiang Rui disliked leaving tasks unfinished. Upon returning to the Rong estate, he told Rong Jingtang he needed to head out for about half a month. By the time he returned, summer break would be nearly over, and he would have to start at Peking University. This meant their time together would soon become very limited.

Rong Jingtang stared at him for a long while before finally saying, “Alright.” However, after Jiang Rui left, the documents in Rong’s hand were crumpled nearly beyond recognition.

To search for jade traces, one had to travel to places rich in spiritual energy (Lingqi). Since most well-known spots already had owners, Jiang Rui headed for more remote, desolate areas.

“Master, there is an abundance of spiritual energy ten thousand meters beneath this location,” the voice of Miao Xuan suddenly rang out, startling Jiang Rui.

“Here?” Jiang Rui looked around. The area was barren, filled with the wreckage of past wars. It was uninhabited and showed no signs of recovery.

However, Miao Xuan’s word was law. Without hesitation, Jiang Rui performed a hand seal and sank directly into the earth.

When he reached a depth of nearly five thousand meters, he felt a massive surge of spiritual energy. Miao Xuan was the embodiment of jade, so the Secret Realm already contained many spirit-stone mines. While this energy was nourishing to him, it was a deadly poison to ordinary mortals whose bodies were filled with “turbid breath.”

“A Jade Essence,” Jiang Rui marveled, looking at a cavern that had suddenly appeared underground.

An entire vein of jade ore was buried here. To an outsider, it might look like a path of multicolored stones, but to Jiang Rui, it looked like a shimmering white galaxy.

At the center of it all, a tiny White Tiger sat perched on top… though it lacked any sense of majesty.

Jiang Rui’s lip twitched as he watched the tiger—which was no larger than his palm—bare its teeth at him in a fierce stance. He took a step forward. The little white tiger let out an “awooo,” but its voice was so high-pitched and tender it sounded like a tiny kitten.

Amused, Jiang Rui stopped advancing and pulled a few spirit stones from his Secret Realm. The little tiger’s eyes lit up like twin beacons. It looked ready to pounce and snatch them, but Jiang Rui pulled his hand back just in time.

The tiger gave a pitiful “awooo,” tucked its paws together, and rested its head on them, looking at Jiang Rui with puppy-dog eyes.

“Master should try to subdue it,” Miao Xuan suggested. “This White Tiger is a rare pure-white specimen with no impurities. It can be placed in the Secret Realm to harmonize with the spirit-stone veins.”

“I can bring it in?” Jiang Rui was surprised. Previously, he had found that no living creature besides himself could enter the realm and survive.

“Yes. A Jade Essence is not technically a living creature. This tiger matches the attribute of the spirit veins perfectly. It will be of great benefit to your future cultivation.”

Jiang Rui’s expression softened. Two more glowing spirit stones appeared in his hand. He looked at the little tiger, which was now standing on its front legs. “Come. These are all yours.”

The tiger seemed to understand, but it looked back at the ore vein beneath it with hesitation.

“Did it hear our conversation?” Jiang Rui realized.

Miao Xuan’s voice grew excited. “It is the King of Jade Essences!”

The spirit stones in the Secret Realm were a legacy from Miao Xuan’s previous master, Qi Ge. They served to keep the realm’s energy from dissipating and to keep Miao Xuan alive. Qi Ge had hoped that a Jade Essence would eventually form to keep Miao Xuan company as a fellow “Artifact Spirit.” However, the energy in the realm had been too dense, causing the stones to suppress one another, preventing an essence from forming. Thus, Miao Xuan had been waiting for a new master since Qi Ge’s ascension.

The little white tiger finally made up its mind. It fluttered down from the vein and landed directly in Jiang Rui’s hand. Jiang Rui held the tiger in one hand and the spirit stones in the other, then successfully moved the tiger into the Secret Realm.

Once inside, the tiger knew exactly where to go. it bolted straight for the spirit-stone vein without stopping. Jiang Rui felt the flow of spiritual energy in the realm freeze for a split second before it exploded with vitality, saturating the entire space.

Jiang Rui was soothed by the energy and nearly fell into a meditative trance. He forced himself to follow the tiger. When he saw the scene before him, he nearly burst out laughing.

In addition to the little white tiger he brought in, several floating clusters of energy were now drifting through the mine. The little white tiger was napping atop the largest piece of jade, while the energy clusters circled it like tiny guardians.

After a few more words with Miao Xuan, Jiang Rui exited the Secret Realm.

He returned to the pitch-black cavern. With a thought, his body rose slowly back to the surface. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the harsh sunlight. Looking back, he realized the jade vein below had lost its spiritual energy and turned into ordinary stone. He closed his eyes and allowed his own spiritual energy to radiate outward.

He didn’t stop until life and vitality were restored to the land for a thousand meters around him. Only then did he continue his search for other veins.

In the path of cultivation, this was the “Balance.” Because he had taken the Jade Essence—the heart of that land’s potential—the area would have withered. By replenishing the land with his own energy, he compensated for the imbalance he had created.