Chapter 3613 — An Absurd Reason
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Just so. You know yourself that spirit jade brimming with qi is hard, and very difficult to cut. Yet draining the qi from it degrades the quality of the jade. So if one would carve spirit jade, one must use raw spirit jade of a similar size. In the jade mines these spirit jades are distributed along veins, and each piece you dig out is broken off along its original vein—you cannot smash out whatever size you please. Hence small pieces suit carving, while a large piece, even for a master at the peak of late Foundation Establishment, would be hard pressed to cut cleanly!"
Meng Jueming glanced at Wei Zhao and went on, "Before long comes the birthday of the Pavilion Master of Soaring Heaven Pavilion's only granddaughter. Zhao Yu, the legitimate grandson of Elder Zhao of our own Azure Cloud Pavilion, wants a jade rabbit carving made to wear close to the body as a birthday gift, and so he has been scouring everywhere for spirit jade the size of a hen's egg. Now he has come to me, and it occurred to me that you happen to have just such a small spirit jade in hand—hence my wish to trade with you. Now you know the whole of it."
Wei Zhao nodded slightly. The explanation did not sound like empty talk; after all, apart from being small enough, his little jade had nothing special about it, and beyond making a carving it truly had no great use.
But looked at another way—Qiao Hongcai's and Xiao Che's jades were none too large either. Would it not be easier to threaten those two? Why come to him, this thorn in the side? So Wei Zhao still did not believe him.
Seeing this, Meng Jueming pressed his advantage. "A small spirit jade like this is really of no use in the hand, and though this size is uncommon, a bit of asking around would turn one up sooner or later. That I would pay such a price to buy yours—this is nothing but me looking after you! As I said, this chance will not come twice; if you will not have it, I shall turn and find someone else, and not another word!"
Wei Zhao pondered a moment, then said, "If you want this small spirit jade of mine, fine—I want thirty."
At the first half of this Meng Jueming felt some delight; at the second half, only shock and fury remained. Beside him Meng Zhou could not help stamping his feet. "Good heavens! You scoundrel, you are jacking up the price on the spot!"
Meng Jueming hesitated a moment, then said, "Seventeen, and not a piece more! Think carefully, Wei Zhao—you are not the only one with a small spirit jade in hand. Do not push your luck!"
"Twenty-eight," Wei Zhao said mildly.
"Eighteen!" At any other time Meng Jueming would have turned on him to his face, or at the very least stormed off in a huff; but now, with his plan so close to fruition, he could not bear to see it all go to waste, and could only grit his teeth and raise his bid.
"Twenty-six," Wei Zhao went on, expression unchanged—and by the look of him, he seemed quite in the mood to drag this out.
Meng Jueming ground his teeth and drew four spirit jades from his broad sleeve… RP