How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 241

The Ultimate Temptation of Millennium Immortal Blood

Chapter 241 The Ultimate Temptation of Millennium Immortal Blood

Upon hearing Yang Chen say that the stone could yield a “Monkey King,” Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi were so excited they were practically jumping up and down.

They had spent 500,000 on the stone, and if it really did contain a priceless treasure, their lives would truly take a turn for the better.

The stone-cutting master, Alexander, was terrified. An error of even one millimeter could lead to a loss of hundreds of millions, and his hands were shaking slightly.

Yang Chen: “Master, are you ready?”

The stone-cutting master swallowed hard, nodded, and said, “Ready, let’s do it!”

Yang Chen said with a smile, “Master, don’t be nervous. Just do as I say, and there won’t be any problems. Make a horizontal cut 10 centimeters in!”

The stone-cutting master did as he was told, and a touch of red appeared on the cut surface of the stone.

“Sigh…” Everyone sighed.

Then there was a burst of laughter.

Jadeite is prized for its green color, so the appearance of a touch of red meant that no matter what this stone yielded, it couldn’t be more valuable than the previous imperial green [the highest quality of jadeite].

Because Yang Chen had said that this stone would yield a “Monkey King,” everyone had been full of expectations. Seeing that touch of red, everyone felt very disappointed.

Now it proved that the stone was just a piece of low-quality red jadeite, and everyone found Yang Chen’s seemingly confident boasting ridiculous.

Hong Junle, who had been silent all along, said with a smile, “Brother, you misjudged, didn’t you? It’s just a piece of red jadeite. Even if it weighs several hundred pounds, it can’t compare with the imperial green from before. You deliberately had this couple buy this stone instead of others because you didn’t want to give them more money. They lost several million and still owe Mingcui Workshop 1.5 million. They’re already miserable enough, yet you’re still scheming against them. Alas… that’s not very kind.”

Wang Zheng quickly said, “Brother Le, don’t say that about our benefactor. He would never do what you said.”

Hong Junle laughed and said, “Fools! You’re being sold and still helping the seller count the money. You two are a couple indeed; your IQs are on the same level.”

“Haha…” Everyone laughed.

Yang Chen gave Hong Junle a dismissive ‘hehe,’ and continued to direct the stone-cutting master while casually shaking his leg.

“15 centimeters on the left, vertical cut to the end!”

“18 centimeters on the right, vertical cut to the end!”

…

Under Yang Chen’s direction, the stone-cutting master carefully cut out the jadeite inside.

After polishing off the surface stone, a red jadeite in the shape of an irregular cuboid, approximately 40*30*10 cm (15.7*11.8*3.9 inches) in length, width, and height, appeared before everyone.

“An old pit glass-like red jadeite, weighing 5200 grams,” the stone-cutting master said loudly. Then he added with a smile, “You scared me to death; I thought there really was some kind of treasure inside. Mr. Yang, you’re too good at scaring people. However, such a large piece of red jadeite isn’t cheap either. Although it can’t compare to the imperial green from before, it won’t be too far off. Mr. Yang, congratulations. I’ve been cutting stones for almost twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered a player who can pick out so many jadeites at once. If there’s a chance, I hope Mr. Yang can teach us more about how to play.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… we’ll talk about it when we have the chance.”

At this moment, the appraisal expert from Mingcui Workshop arrived.

Yang Chen quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, “There’s no need to appraise this one; I don’t need to know the price.”

After saying that, Yang Chen took the red jadeite over and covered it with a cloth.

Yang Chen hadn’t shown any excitement when the imperial green was cut out.

Why was he so concerned about this piece of red jadeite?

Something must be up.

A group of seasoned veterans gathered around.

“Mr. Yang, you’re so concerned about this stone; is there something special about it?”

“That’s right! You didn’t even react to the top-quality imperial green, why are you so concerned about this piece of red jadeite?”

“Tell us, we just want to learn more; please tell us a little bit, Mr. Yang.”

…

Yang Chen didn’t want others to know the true nature of this jadeite, so he said with a smile, “It’s just a very ordinary red jadeite; don’t think too much about it. I misjudged, and I’m embarrassed to let everyone know its value. Alright, I have to go; I won’t delay you all from continuing to play.”

At this moment, the oldest of the Mingcui Workshop appraisal experts suddenly said, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be the legendary Immortal Blood, right?”

Everyone looked at the old man in response to his voice.

“Master Chen, do you know the story behind this red jadeite?”

“What is Immortal Blood? We’ve never heard of it.”

“Damn, it sounds high-end, the blood of an immortal.”

“Now that you mention it, I did see that the red jadeite was indeed bright red in color, with a flowing luster, like flowing blood. Master Chen, what exactly is this treasure?”

…

The old master stared at the red cloth covering the tray in Yang Chen’s hand, and said with a smile, “Mr. Yang was right; although imperial green is precious, it can still be found occasionally. But the formation of some treasures is like the Monkey King [a reference to the mythical figure Sun Wukong, born from a stone]; it must have the creation of heaven and earth and can only be formed by chance. Saying Immortal Blood may not be easy for everyone to understand, but everyone should have heard of blood jade, right?”

“I know, white jade with red veins. This thing takes hundreds of years to form, and it is said that it must be a burial item to be possible.”

“That’s right, that’s right, I’ve also heard this legend. A piece of white jade pendant is placed in the mouth of the corpse for burial, and after about a hundred years, it is stolen out by tomb robbers. The new owner wears it until death, and then continues to be buried, and after another hundred years, it is stolen out by tomb robbers, and the new owner continues to wear it until death, and then buried again. After repeating this for hundreds of years, the white jade will seep into a red color like human blood, which forms blood jade.”

“Damn, this is a big project that lasts for hundreds of years! If one is found, it would be worth as much as the Imperial Jade Seal [a symbol of imperial power in China].”

“Haha… that’s the theoretical way of forming it. Now there are many man-made blood jades, which are said to be cultivated using animal corpses instead of human corpses. Anyway, the method is very unique, and the conditions are very harsh. A slight mistake will lead to failure. But once successful, a piece of jade is enough to guarantee three generations of food and clothing.”

“So, the red jadeite in Mr. Yang’s arms is similar to blood jade?”

…

Master Chen explained, “No, no, no, I said blood jade mainly to tell everyone that the formation process of Immortal Blood is even more demanding than the formation process of real blood jade, and one can only be found in thousands of years. Legend has it that Bian He [a historical figure known for discovering a precious jade] discovered two priceless treasures in his life.

The first piece is the well-known Heshi Bi [a famous jade disc]. After obtaining Heshi Bi, he actively presented the treasure to two kings. As a result, both kings did not recognize the treasure and cut off his knees, resulting in a very miserable life in his later years. In the year he died, he discovered the second priceless treasure. Because he no longer trusted the king, he split the stone himself. Inside was a piece of bright red jadeite; the red color was bright and beautiful, like flowing blood. At that time, Bian He also knew that he would not live long, and thinking that he could ascend to immortality after death, he whimsically named this jadeite Immortal Blood. Bian He knew that once this jadeite was known to outsiders, it would bring disaster to him. Moreover, he privately hid the treasure and did not offer it to the king, and once the king knew about it, he would inevitably punish his whole family. Heshi Bi had already been handed over, so why not hand over this jadeite? In the past, it was inevitable that he would be suspected. In order to protect himself and his family, Bian He buried the jadeite in a valley. Since then, this jadeite has disappeared in the long river of history. Later generations saw the record of Immortal Blood in his ‘Bian He’s Jade Mining Notes’, but he did not specify where the Immortal Blood was buried. Later, even ‘Bian He’s Jade Mining Notes’ was lost, and no one knew where the Immortal Blood was. I didn’t expect that after more than two thousand years, we could see the legendary Immortal Blood again. Mr. Yang said it was a priceless treasure, which is not an exaggeration at all. Imperial green can still be found occasionally, but Immortal Blood must have a heaven-defying opportunity to be found.”

After listening to Master Chen’s words, everyone looked at Yang Chen in shock.

Then, everyone’s expression became greedy, their eyes full of desire, almost writing the words “Mr. Yang, I want to rob your jadeite” on their faces.

However, it must be a society ruled by law now. If they can buy it with money, of course, it is best. They cannot use robbery unless it is a last resort.

“Mr. Yang, let’s make a deal, 300 million! Give it to me!”

“I’ll offer 1 billion! I won’t do any appraisal either. If Master Chen misjudged, I’ll accept it. You can come with me to get the money now.”

“Mr. Yang, this jadeite is so rare, I think it’s too superficial to measure it with money. Why don’t we work together to maximize its value? What do you think?”

…

Hearing that everyone was so willing to spend money, Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi were so excited that they almost took off.

The stone cost 35 million, they invested 500,000, accounting for 1/70.

If the stone sells for 1 billion, according to the investment ratio, they can get more than 14 million.

In this way, their 4 million capital will come back, and the 2 million owed to Mingcui Workshop can also be repaid.

Wang Zheng thought about it. This time, Yang Chen deliberately helped them out of their predicament, and they couldn’t be ignorant.

Although they can get 14 million according to the investment ratio, they can’t really ask Yang Chen for so much money.

They only need 6 million, 2 million to pay off Mingcui Workshop, and the remaining 4 million is their capital.

As long as they can keep their capital, they will be satisfied.

Yang Chen replied with a smile, “Master Chen must have misjudged. How could legendary things appear in reality? It’s mainly because my girlfriends like red, and I want to make this jadeite into bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc., to give to them. I have too many girlfriends, and I can’t neglect any of them, and this jadeite may not be enough. So, sorry everyone, I won’t share it with you.”

After saying that, Yang Chen signaled Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi to leave immediately.

Ning Shao quickly walked over and said in a low voice, “Brother Yang, let me go with you. The thing in your hand is very hot right now. If I follow you, I can protect you to some extent.”

Before Yang Chen could speak, Hong Junle also walked over and said to Yang Chen with a smile, “Brother, I admire your vision very much, and I really want to learn from you how to gamble on stones. How about this, I’ll send you home, and you can teach me how to play on the way.”

Yang Chen is not a three-year-old child. Who knows what their real intentions are when two people who met for the first time are being so attentive at this time?

So, Yang Chen politely declined with a smile, “Thank you for your kindness; I drove here, so I don’t need you to send me. This is Mingcui Workshop, and I believe I won’t be in danger. Manager Li, what do you say?”

The manager laughed and said, “Of course! Who doesn’t know that our Mingcui Workshop is famous for following the rules? Here, no matter what you get, you can take it away. If anyone dares to target our customers, they will be against our Mingcui Workshop and Master Qin, and they will not end well.”

Yang Chen nodded with a smile and said, “Okay! Then I’ll leave first; you guys have fun.”

After saying that, Yang Chen left with Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi.

Those players who bought the jadeite that Yang Chen had cut out at a high price were also worried that they would be in danger with the jadeite, so they quickly left under the escort of their entourage.

A smirk appeared on the corner of Hong Junle’s mouth, and he gave a look to several of his men, who immediately left as well.

After that, the other players also left.

As soon as Yang Chen reached the first floor, he was stopped by the staff of Mingcui Workshop, saying that Master Qin had arrived and wanted to talk to him face-to-face about the price of Immortal Blood.

Yang Chen replied very clearly, “Please tell that Master Qin that I will not sell this jadeite.”

At this time, the manager came and said with a smile, “Mr. Yang, why be so stubborn? Maybe we can offer a price that you can’t refuse? There’s no harm in chatting, and maybe you can make friends with Master Qin. Many people want to get in touch with Master Qin but don’t have the opportunity, so don’t miss this good opportunity.”

At this time, Hong Junle and others came down.

Seeing that Yang Chen was surrounded by people from Mingcui Workshop, everyone quickly “spoke out of righteousness.”

If Yang Chen’s Immortal Blood was intercepted by Mingcui Workshop, they would have no chance.

Therefore, they must help Yang Chen escape, and then they can find an opportunity to contact Yang Chen to discuss buying the Immortal Blood, or simply rob it directly.

In order to get this priceless treasure, they can do anything.

Hong Junle: “What’s going on here? Does Mingcui Workshop not allow people to get good things? If anyone gets good things, they can’t leave?”

Ning Shaoqing: “Mingcui Workshop has always had a good reputation in the stone gambling world; they wouldn’t do something that would ruin their reputation, right?”

Others also said similar things to Hong Junle and Ning Shaoqing.

The manager quickly explained with a smile, “Everyone, don’t misunderstand. I said just now that no matter how precious things are found in our Mingcui Workshop, guests can take them away. The reason for stopping Mr. Yang is twofold. First, our Master Qin wants to talk to Mr. Yang face-to-face to see if he can buy the Immortal Blood in Mr. Yang’s hand. Second, Zhou Wenqi owes our Mingcui Workshop 2 million, and now they are making money by jointly gambling on stones with Mr. Yang, so of course we want them to pay back the money as soon as possible. So, everyone, don’t misunderstand; we have no other intentions.”

At this time, Master Qin came in a hurry.

Everyone quickly greeted Master Qin politely.

The manager quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words to Master Qin.

Then Master Qin walked up to Yang Chen with a smile and said, “Mr. Yang, nice to meet you, nice to meet you. My name is Qin Sifeng, and I am the owner of Mingcui Workshop. It is truly an honor for our Mingcui Workshop to welcome a god like Mr. Yang today.”

Yang Chen nodded with a smile and said, “Hello, Master Qin. It’s already past two in the morning, and I’m really sleepy, so I have to go home and sleep. I’ll visit you another day when I have time and have a good chat with Master Qin. Okay?”

The corner of Qin Sifeng’s mouth twitched. He didn’t expect Yang Chen to be so disrespectful.

Who in the stone gambling world doesn’t know Master Qin’s name?

But then he thought, this guy is playing for the first time, and he’s just a taxi driver, so it’s normal that he doesn’t know who Qin Sifeng is.

Master Qin suppressed his embarrassment and replied with a smile, “It’s better to do it today than tomorrow. I got out of bed in the middle of the night to come and see Mr. Yang; you can’t just leave me alone.”

Yang Chen replied without hesitation, “Master Qin also knows it’s late at night, and I’m very sleepy. You want to chat with me, but that doesn’t mean I want to chat with you. Right? There’s no reason why you want to chat with me, so I have to stay and chat with you, right?”

The manager snorted coldly and said, “Mr. Yang, you have to be more flexible and not be so headstrong. Master Qin came all the way here to chat with you; it’s not good if you don’t give him face, right?”

Yang Chen was not afraid at all and replied, “What? Is your Master Qin the emperor? He wants to chat with me, so I have to chat with him, and I can’t not chat with him?”

The atmosphere became a little tense.

The psychological activities of other players were very exciting.

“Damn, this taxi driver is so brave; he doesn’t even give Master Qin face.”

“A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers [an idiom meaning someone is fearless due to ignorance], that’s what this guy is talking about. He’s making Master Qin lose face in front of so many people; he’s brave!”

“Damn, if this kid keeps going like this, Master Qin is going to use force, then we won’t have a chance.”

…

The minds of these people were very contradictory. They wanted to buy or rob Yang Chen’s Immortal Blood, so they wanted to protect him and leave safely from the bottom of their hearts, but they didn’t dare to offend Master Qin, and everyone didn’t dare to speak.

Anyone who has read ‘The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber’ [a popular wuxia novel] knows a plot. Everyone is robbing the Dragon Saber, and the Heaven Sword is inserted in the Wudang Hall, but no one dares to rob it.

Why?

Because Wudang Mountain is Zhang Sanfeng’s [a legendary Taoist and martial artist] territory; who would be so stupid as to go there to rob things?

The six major factions combined may not be enough for him to kill.

But the Dragon Saber is in Xie Xun’s [a character from the same novel] hands, and Xie Xun’s kung fu is not top-notch, so everyone rushes to rob the Dragon Saber in his hands.

By the same token.

The Immortal Blood is in Yang Chen’s hands, and they have a hundred ways to get it.

But once the Immortal Blood falls into Master Qin’s hands, they can only watch.

At this time, the five bodyguards responsible for protecting Yang Chen’s safety came in.

Yang Chen said with a smile, “Everyone, it’s really too late today; I’m going home to sleep. Goodbye!”

The five bodyguards protected Yang Chen in the middle and escorted him out of Mingcui Workshop.

The manager quickly stopped Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi and said, “You two can’t leave; when are you going to pay back the money you owe us?”

The two looked at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen handed the things to the bodyguard next to him, then signed a check for 2 million and handed it to the manager, saying, “I will pay back the money they owe you in front of so many friends. Bring the IOU [a written acknowledgement of debt].”

The manager looked at Master Qin.

Master Qin nodded, and the manager returned the IOU to Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi.

Under everyone’s gaze, Yang Chen left Mingcui Workshop.

Others quickly said a few perfunctory words to Master Qin and left immediately.

The manager said in a low voice, “Master Qin, they must all be going to intercept the Immortal Blood; should we take action immediately?”

Master Qin sneered and said, “Damn, I gave him face, but he doesn’t want it. You immediately send someone to follow him and find a chance to rob it. Since he doesn’t want money, then we won’t make things difficult for him; just rob it directly. Also, tell them to do things cleanly and neatly, and by the way, teach this ignorant guy a lesson and let him know that he must know the difference between superiors and inferiors.”

The manager nodded and quickly sent someone to chase after him.

Yang Chen drove with Wang Zheng and Zhou Wenqi in front, and five bodyguards followed behind.

They were about to enter the tunnel when suddenly four cars overtook Yang Chen and then stopped in front, forcing him to stop.

Then, Hong Junle came down with his men.

Seeing that something was wrong, the bodyguards quickly got out of the car and ran to Yang Chen’s car to protect him.

Wang Zheng: “Benefactor, call the police.”

Zhou Wenqi: “Yes, yes, yes, call the police.”

Yang Chen: “Calling the police can only solve today’s problem, not future problems. After today, they will still come to me.”

Wang Zheng: “Then… then what should we do? They have more people, and we have fewer people; it’s too disadvantageous.”

Yang Chen: “It’s okay, just sit tight.”

Hong Junle walked over, Yang Chen opened the car window and asked with a smile, “Brother Le, you’re so polite, bringing so many people to escort me.”

Hong Junle: “Haha… that’s right, I’m just worried that you’ll encounter danger on the road, so I specially brought a dozen brothers to protect you. Come on, get in my car; we can protect you home.”

Yang Chen: “No need, you just lead the way in front, and I’ll follow behind.”

Hong Junle laughed and said, “Are you really stupid, or are you pretending to be confused? Don’t you know why I stopped you?”

Yang Chen shook his head and said, “Ah? What do you mean? Aren’t you here to protect me?”

Hong Junle: “Okay, I don’t want to talk nonsense with you anymore. Let’s develop the Immortal Blood in your hand together. As long as you nod, I guarantee your safety.”

Yang Chen: “What kind of family do you have? So confident?”

Hong Junle: “Haha… My dad is called Hong Sitong, and he is the housekeeper of the Xue family in Haicheng. He has a life-or-death friendship with Xue Wanhong, the head of the Xue family. As long as others know that you are my brother, I guarantee that no one will dare to touch you.”

“Haha…” Yang Chen laughed.

In the end, he is the son of the housekeeper of the Xue family.

“What are you laughing at? Do you think the Xue family can’t protect you? Or do you think my relationship with the Xue family is not that strong?” Hong Junle asked.

Yang Chen chuckled and said, “You call your dad now, tell him I’m Yang Chen, and he’ll tell you what to do.”

The smile on Hong Junle’s face froze. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “What do you mean? Do you know my dad?”

A housekeeper is not worthy of having a relationship with Yang Chen.

Yang Chen: “You call, call now, and after you’re done, you’ll know what to do.”

Just as Hong Junle was about to touch his phone, several vans stopped behind him, and then the manager of Mingcui Workshop ran over with a large group of people.

Yang Chen looked back and said with a smile, “Mingcui Workshop is nothing more than that, seeking fame and reputation.”

Hong Junle laughed and said, “You don’t have time to think about it now; you can only leave safely tonight if you cooperate with me. Without my protection, Mingcui Workshop can tear you to pieces. Your mere five bodyguards are useless; the people who watch the venue in Mingcui Workshop are all trained, and one can beat ten without any problem. Now you can only rely on my relationship with the Xue family to protect you. Understand?”