Chapter Twenty-Three: The Ancient Jade Society

Hu San looked at me with a face full of confusion.

I nodded at him, signaling that the old man was telling the truth.

Then I opened my leather bag and began pulling out thick stacks of cash.

But before I could hand them over, Hu San grabbed my hand.

He reminded me that we hadn’t even seen the stones yet—if we handed over the money and the stones turned out to contain no jade, what would we do?

I reassured him it wouldn’t happen. The code phrase I’d just used with the old man was an old secret signal used among members of the Ancient Jade Society—it meant, “Are your jades available for wholesale?” The old man’s answer told me he had plenty.

They didn’t deal in single-stone transactions, only in these five- or six-figure bulk trades that were all about personal connections and reputation.

You saw that pile by his door? That’s for fooling children!

I patted Hu San lightly on the shoulder, indicating he needn’t worry.

Though still doubtful, Hu San let go of my hand.

I continued pulling out bundles of cash and handed them to the old man.

He accepted the money with a satisfied smile, then produced a bunch of keys and handed them to me.

“The garden in the back is a stone vault. Take as many as you want—thirty thousand apiece!” the old man emphasized again.

I took the keys, quietly grateful. The old man’s manner and background reassured me that this deal would never be a loss.

After all, hardly anyone understood the Jade Society’s secret codes, and the old man was clearly an insider.

We followed him to the garden at the back.

There was indeed a massive stone vault in the garden, filled to the brim with rocks of every shape and size.

The old man pointed to a pile. “These all arrived from the southwest. Pick as you please.”

“Some of these stones—not even master jade carvers could tell what’s inside!”

I nodded and began carefully selecting stones.

For each one, I examined it with care. Relying on what I’d learned from “Blood-Eyed Jade Appraisal,” I could roughly judge the quality inside a stone just by its grain and how faintly the light shone through.

Hu San stared at me in amazement. Clearly, he’d never seen a stone transaction on such a scale.

The vault was packed with stones, stacked upon each other, leaving only a narrow path to the backyard.

“These all look pretty ordinary. Is there really good jade here?” Hu San couldn’t help but ask.

I smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, “Finding fine jade is like diagnosing an illness in traditional medicine—you need to look, listen, question, and feel. If you glance once and say they’re ordinary, the only thing ordinary is you!”

Hu San was left speechless by my words, scratching his head and saying no more.

I continued my careful selection, running my fingers over the surface of each stone, feeling their texture and warmth.

Thanks to “Blood-Eyed Jade Appraisal,” I knew certain patterns and colors were unique—only someone with enough experience could decipher their secrets.

“This one’s good.” I picked up a stone, studying its veins and luster.

Its surface was fine-grained, with a faint green glow shimmering beneath.

I tapped it gently—its clear, crisp sound told me there might be fine jade hidden inside.

“This one’s not bad either.”

I picked another, this one with visible cracks, though they didn’t affect its overall quality. Next to the crack was a small transparent area; shining my flashlight through, I glimpsed a subtle green within.

Watching my selection process, Hu San seemed to slowly catch on.

He began to imitate me, gently stroking the stones’ surfaces, scrutinizing their grain and color.

“This one looks pretty good too.” He handed me a stone.

I examined it closely and nodded. “Yes, this one has good jade inside as well.”

The old man watched us with a satisfied smile, clearly recognizing our skill.

“You have sharp eyes. There really is good jade among these rocks,” he said.

I smiled back and kept selecting.

After a careful process, we chose over a dozen stones, each one picked with the utmost attention.

“That’s enough,” I told the old man.

He nodded, signaling that we could move the stones out.

Working together, Hu San and I loaded the stones onto the car, ready to take them back for cutting and processing.

As Hu San drove, he felt the weight of the stones pressing the car down.

While driving, he said, “Hey, this whole load cost three hundred thousand. Tiger, are you sure about this? If we sell these, how much can we get?”

I laughed. “Maybe a hundred thousand.”

Hearing this, Hu San nearly floored the accelerator—the car lurched and almost swerved into the guardrail.

“What? Only a hundred thousand?” He stared at me in disbelief, his face full of shock and confusion. “But we paid three hundred thousand for these stones! How could we only get a hundred thousand back?”

I patted him on the shoulder, still smiling. “Calm down, Hu San. Do you remember the details when we picked the stones? Didn’t you see how that old man was barely managing to keep up?”

Hu San was completely baffled by my actions.

He looked at me, bewildered, unable to resist asking, “Tiger, why do such a losing business? We spent three hundred thousand and get back a hundred thousand. That’s a huge loss!”

I smiled, a glint of cunning in my eyes. “Hu San, did you think my code with the old man was about the stones? In reality, I was talking about a token of loyalty.”

Hu San was stunned, clearly not understanding. “A token of loyalty? What do you mean?”

I gently patted his shoulder, indicating he should calm down. “Hu San, do you remember our days in the Ancient Jade Society? Their rules were strict—if you wanted to gain a foothold, you had to show real sincerity and ability. This deal is our chance to offer a token of loyalty.”

He seemed to grasp a little, but still looked uncertain. “But we spent so much on these stones. Is it really worth it?”

I nodded firmly. “It’s worth it. The stones may seem ordinary, but by deliberately taking a loss, I’m letting the old man know that the Ancient Jade Society still has people—and I am the successor! Through this transaction, we’re showing them our strength and sincerity, which is worth more than any money.”

Next, it would be time for the Ancient Jade Society to step in and help me.

Hu San’s eyes widened at this.

I’d been in the jade market for years and had never seen anything like this!

Could such a thing as the Ancient Jade Society really exist?

I nodded. “The rules always existed; it was only when people broke them that the so-called Ancient Jade Society disappeared.”

“This time, if we want to shine a light on things and bring down Gao Youde, we can’t do it alone!”

“We have to gather a team—only then can we succeed in drawing Gao Youde into our game!”