Chapter 3612 — If You Agree, It's Yours

Wei Zhao could not help but laugh. This fellow had clearly been chomping at the bit to move himself out, yet he insisted on putting on the airs of one bestowing a favor—sure enough, a base man has his base tricks. He shook his head at once and said, "Much as I appreciate it, First Senior Brother, I must decline. Number Seven may be the better mining zone, but in Number Ten I not only dig up good jade, there are fewer people about. I happen to like quiet places like that, so I'll have to beg your pardon."

By now he had already worked out the trick for secretly stashing spirit jade in Number Ten. Number Seven was more closely watched; even if spirit jade was easier to find there, he would have to learn the place all over again, and whether he could go on stashing spirit jade as smoothly as he did now was anyone's guess. Wei Zhao was not about to do anything so foolish as to throw away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

Besides, with more good jade and less waste jade in Number Seven, it would only be harder to pull off.

"It seems Junior Brother Wei Zhao still does not trust me." Meng Jueming shook his head with a show of wounded feelings. In truth he had long since expected Wei Zhao to refuse; had he himself stood in Wei Zhao's shoes, he would not have agreed so readily either—not unless he saw enough of a sweetener.

With matters having come this far, Wei Zhao assumed the man would give up. Yet Meng Jueming did not fling his sleeves and stalk off. Instead he threw a glance at Meng Zhou, who stood waiting to one side, and Meng Zhou, taking the hint, fetched over a black bag.

Wei Zhao had noticed that bag from the very beginning, though he had not known what it was for. What he had not expected was that, judging by the look of things, the contents of the bag had actually been prepared for him!

"It is no matter if you do not trust me—but take a look at what is in this bag, and I trust Junior Brother Wei Zhao will no longer doubt my sincerity!" Meng Jueming gave a chuckle, took the bag from Meng Zhou, and deliberately opened its mouth wide, waving it before Wei Zhao's eyes.

Wei Zhao's gaze sharpened slightly. Though the sky had grown dark by now, the bright moonlight was more than enough to see clearly what was inside; what met his eyes was a crystalline, spotless white—the bag was crammed full of spirit jade. By rough reckoning, there were at least fifteen pieces in it!

"What might First Senior Brother mean by this?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes and regarded Meng Jueming with an amused look. If the man was willing to spend so much spirit jade merely to get him to change mining zones, then the gesture was rather too extravagant!

Had Wei Zhao been the one sending Meng Jueming gifts in order to be transferred from Number Ten to Number Seven, though he could never have offered this much spirit jade, it would at least have made sense! But the situation now was precisely the reverse: Meng Jueming had not only come pleading with Wei Zhao to move to Number Seven, he had even gone to such expense and made such a grand gesture. That defied all reason and propriety!

"There are sixteen pieces of spirit jade in this bag. So long as you agree to change mining zones, they are all yours. What do you say?" Meng Jueming exchanged a glance with Meng Zhou, and their eyes were full of sincerity and expectation.

In truth, had it been anyone but Wei Zhao—any newcomer at all—suddenly confronted with so much spirit jade, they would surely have been set atingle; losing their composure on the spot would have been entirely normal. Wealth moves the heart, as the saying goes: in the mundane world, ordinary folk will sell anything for money, and for cultivators like them the lure of spirit jade was no less—indeed, all the greater!

And besides, to the ordinary eye, a transfer from Number Ten to Number Seven was itself a stroke of rare good fortune. Under such circumstances, if Wei Zhao still would not nod his head, then he would simply have to have a hole in his brain!

Yet to Meng Jueming's and Meng Zhou's great disappointment, Wei Zhao showed no visible reaction at all to so much spirit jade—not even his gaze lingered a second longer; there was not the least sign of attachment.

Could the fellow have seen through some trick about the spirit jade?

Meng Jueming's heart skipped. He hastened to tempt him from the side: "Junior Brother Wei Zhao, think it over carefully. Even if you dig up ten fine pieces a day in Number Ten, over a whole month you would earn at most three pieces of spirit jade in wages. These sixteen pieces are worth nearly half a year of your mining income! How precious half a year saved is to newcomers like you—I need not belabor the point, surely?"

"Cousin Ninth," Meng Zhou chimed in from the side, "since the fellow will not even take spirit jade delivered to his door, why not just give it all to me? Then have me transferred to Number Ten as well—I will do nothing but shadow him day and night. I would like to see just how this creature manages to dig up fine jade!" This whole speech had been coached into him by Meng Jueming beforehand; left to himself, he would never have had the brains for it.

Wei Zhao's heart jolted. Setting everything else aside, Meng Zhou's words had struck him right where he was vulnerable. If the fellow really did as he said and came to Number Ten to shadow him day and night, things would get troublesome indeed!

If Meng Zhou inspected every piece of spirit jade dug up, one by one, how would Wei Zhao pull off his tricks then?

"Sixteen pieces of spirit jade is no small outlay. First Senior Brother, you surely have more in mind than simply getting me to change mining zones—I do not flatter myself that such good fortune comes so cheap." Wei Zhao's mind raced, but for now he could only feign interest, then put on a hesitant look.

Pies never fall from the sky for free; for a calm, rational man, this was the most natural response. Had Wei Zhao snatched at the offer eagerly just then, that would have been the truly abnormal thing!

"Heh heh, Junior Brother Wei Zhao is worthy of being called the pick of the newcomers—cautious and prudent indeed." Meng Jueming chuckled. "You have guessed rightly enough. These sixteen pieces of spirit jade are for more than getting you to agree to change mining zones; there is one other matter. But rest easy, it is a trifling thing, nothing that will put you in a difficult position."

"What matter?" Wei Zhao asked.

"I recall that a few days ago, when we handed out the spirit jade, the piece that came to you was the smallest—about the size of an egg, if I am not mistaken. I wonder, Junior Brother Wei Zhao, have you used it these past few days?" Meng Jueming fixed Wei Zhao with a burning stare.

"Not yet. Why?" Wei Zhao's heart stirred despite himself. Why was the fellow setting his sights on that little piece of spirit jade of his? Could there be something special about it?

"Good, that is good." Meng Jueming breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Junior Brother Wei Zhao, all you need do is give me that small piece of spirit jade and agree to move to Number Seven, and these sixteen pieces will all be yours! What do you say—have I looked after you well enough this time?"