Chapter 106: Spirit-Medium Jade

After bidding farewell to Xiao Xinghua and his companion, Chu Tianfeng headed to a local supermarket to stock up on grain, oil, and other supplies. He then disguised himself as a middle-aged man and plunged into the deep, remote mountains nearby, establishing yet another "Home of Chu Tianfeng."

Although his supply of spirit stones had been exhausted, the local spiritual energy was fortunately quite decent. Chu Tianfeng decided to station himself in Ruimei for the time being, spending his time cultivating while investigating the whereabouts of the person who had cast the voodoo curse. He typically spent one week in cultivation, followed by one day scouting the city.

On this particular day, having finished his seven-day cultivation cycle, he descended the mountain to reach Ruimei City. Following his usual routine, he began at the site of the Ruimei Plaza project, using his spiritual sense to scan every building in the area one by one. By two in the afternoon, he had scanned more than half of Ruimei and arrived in front of a jade market.

Ruimei City was home to many jade markets—over a dozen of varying sizes. This particular market was neither large nor small, housed in a three-story building spanning about ten thousand square meters, containing roughly two hundred stalls. Chu Tianfeng pretended to be a customer, slowly scanning each stall with his spiritual sense.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a small shop named "True-True-True Jade." The shop was cluttered with stone materials, and a row of small display cases near the door held a few finished jade pieces. Inside, a middle-aged man and woman were eating at a small square table by the door. The man was thin and dark-skinned; the woman was rather plump with an average complexion. They appeared to be the shop owners.

"Boss, how much for that stone?" Chu Tianfeng asked, pointing to one of the raw stones. It was an irregularly shaped rock, about two meters long, with a dull, black surface that looked entirely unremarkable—much like the shop itself. However, Chu Tianfeng knew this stone was anything but ordinary; inside lay a piece of "Psychic Jade" about a meter long.

Psychic Jade, in this context, did not refer to the mystical gems of modern folklore, but rather to a specific type of stone capable of containing true essence. Such stones were common in the world of cultivation; their unique structure allowed them to be imbued with true essence and inscribed with formations using spiritual sense, turning them into jade slips or beads for various functions.

"Let me take a look." The thin man stood up, followed the direction of Chu Tianfeng’s finger, and said, "We haven't made a sale yet today, so I’ll give you a discount. Twenty thousand, final price."

"Does that include cutting?" Chu Tianfeng knew the man was talking nonsense, but he didn't care to argue. After all, he had money. He had checked the two cards Xiao Xinghua gave him: one held five million and the other one million. He currently felt as though he were plastered with banknotes, itching to spend some wherever he went.

"It includes cutting, but not the guarantee of finding green," the thin man said, setting his bowl on the table. "If you want it, I’ll find someone to cut it for you right now."

"Fine." Chu Tianfeng took a thick stack of cash from his ring and tossed it onto the display case. "Twenty thousand. Take a look."

The thin man’s face lit up. He trotted over to Chu Tianfeng, gathered the cash stack by stack, and ran back to the table. "Hey, fatty! Count this!"

The middle-aged woman glared at him but set down her chopsticks. "For the sake of the money, I won't argue with you."

Chu Tianfeng could only look up at the ceiling, though the shop's simple decor left him staring at nothing but a stark white surface. The thin man returned with a small stool and said with a grin, "Please wait a moment; I’ll go find someone to cut the stone."

Chu Tianfeng nodded. The man ran out and returned shortly with three people: two middle-aged men—one sturdy, one slim—and a thin, gaunt youth.

"This is Master Chang, a famous stone-cutter in our market with extensive experience. They call him 'One-Cut Green,'" the thin man said, pointing to the sturdy man.

"Get to it," Chu Tianfeng said, having no patience for pleasantries.

They worked together to heave the stone onto a cart and pushed it to the market's dedicated cutting area. Many customers were around, and hearing that someone was cutting a stone, they flocked over to watch. Among the crowd were an old man and a young one. The elder looked spirited and sharp, while the youth was "handsome"—if one ignored the small scar on the right side of his face. They stood out among the crowd, looking quite remarkable.

Chu Tianfeng, however, recognized these two all too well, especially the youth who wore his scar like a badge of cool. It was Wang Lianchang of the Wang family!

The scar on his right cheek was surely a gift from Chu Tianfeng not long ago; to make it look aesthetic, Wang Lianchang had it tattooed into the shape of a spider. The old man beside him was the same one from before, Wang Zaitian, though Chu Tianfeng did not know his name. Since Chu Tianfeng’s appearance had changed drastically, neither of them recognized him.

Chu Tianfeng had no interest in them. He focused on directing Master Chang and the others to load the stone onto the machine. He borrowed a piece of chalk to mark the cutting lines, insisting that Master Chang follow them. Master Chang had wanted to cut it his own way, but seeing Chu Tianfeng’s persistence, he reluctantly followed the marked lines.

The first cut: nothing unusual, nothing visible.

The second cut: "Wow!"

The crowd gasped! As water washed over the surface, a crystal-clear, white interior was revealed. The Psychic Jade was translucent, and high-quality specimens, like glass, would reveal clear internal patterns when held to the light.

"Wait!" A booming voice rang out from the crowd, and a middle-aged man pushed through. "Brother, I want this stone. Eight hundred thousand, how about it?"

Chu Tianfeng glanced at him casually. He had a square face, a square head, and was about forty, with eyes as small as fish fry.

"Not interested," Chu Tianfeng waved his hand, signaling Master Chang to continue.

The third cut: "Whoa!"

The crowd erupted! The length of the white section was clearly visible, and by the look of it, it was at least a meter long! More importantly, it wasn't ordinary white—it was completely transparent!

"Eight million!" the small-eyed man shouted again.

"Keep going!" Chu Tianfeng didn't even turn his head.

"Ten million!" Another clear, powerful voice rang out from the crowd.

Chu Tianfeng rolled his eyes, thinking, *I wasn't looking for you, yet you deliver yourself to my doorstep.* The bidder was Wang Lianchang, once again trying to assert his superiority.

"Keep cutting!" Chu Tianfeng really wanted to kick him.

"Eleven million!" The small-eyed man refused to back down.

"Eleven million!" Wang Lianchang, seemingly oblivious to Chu Tianfeng’s disgust, continued to bid.

"Twelve million!" The small-eyed man, not wanting to be left out, entered a bidding war with Wang Lianchang.

Chu Tianfeng felt like the Psychic Jade itself—transparent and ignored by these two idiots.

"Fifteen million! Hmph!" Wang Lianchang, pushed to his limit, stomped his foot hard on the ground.

*CRACK!* The granite floor beneath his feet shattered, revealing jagged fissures of varying sizes.

*Hiss!* The crowd collectively sucked in a breath of cold air. The small-eyed man saw the situation turning against him and wisely shut his mouth, slipping away.

"Done! Fifteen million, the stone is mine," Wang Lianchang proclaimed loudly.

"Get lost!" Chu Tianfeng felt like grabbing the kid and throwing him onto the saw.

"You idiot, are you blind?" Wang Lianchang, assuming Chu Tianfeng hadn't seen his display of power, pointed at the ground.

Chu Tianfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Being threatened by a kindergartner was truly an unpleasant experience. With his current cultivation level, he was confident he could face the old man from the Wang family in a one-on-one fight, let alone Wang Lianchang, who only had the cultivation of the early Transformation stage!

"Get lost! As far as your mind can imagine, get that far away from me!" Chu Tianfeng didn't want to waste any more breath.

"Arrogant!" Wang Lianchang lunged forward, reaching out to grab Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng turned abruptly, his right hand flashing out to catch Wang Lianchang’s wrist, squeezing gently.

"AAAH!" Wang Lianchang’s familiar, melodic scream of agony rang out again!

"Let go!" Wang Zaitian, seeing this, quickly sent a palm strike toward Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng didn't change his stance; his left hand moved with lightning speed.

Palm against palm! *BOOM!*

Chu Tianfeng stood like a mountain, while Wang Zaitian staggered back half a step! Both had struck in haste, using only fifty percent of their power. Clearly, Chu Tianfeng had the upper hand!

"Hmph! Is that all you have?" Chu Tianfeng sent a surge of true essence into Wang Lianchang’s body, then flicked his wrist, throwing him toward Wang Zaitian.

Wang Zaitian caught Wang Lianchang, his aged face flushed red.

"You’re asking for it!" Wang Lianchang glared at Chu Tianfeng, teeth gritted.

"We’re leaving!" Wang Zaitian, still somewhat rational, immediately dragged Wang Lianchang away. He was shocked to find someone so young possessing strength equal to his own. He didn't believe for a second that this person lacked a formidable background. He decided to abandon the jade and stop provoking Chu Tianfeng.

"Safe travels! I won't see you out!" Chu Tianfeng waved lazily, feeling a bit of the victor's smugness.

He then resumed cutting. By the fourth and fifth cuts, a piece of Psychic Jade about a meter long and half a meter wide and high was revealed.

"Wow!" The onlookers' eyes burned with greed, but they dared not harbor any illicit thoughts. After all, the two examples from moments ago were still fresh in their minds, and they didn't want to court disaster.

Chu Tianfeng, acting rather slyly, spent two hundred to buy the small cart from the owner, pushed it into the restroom, and in one swift motion, tucked the Psychic Jade into his ring before tossing the cart into the trash. He then whistled and strolled away under the complex gazes of the crowd.

Little did they know, the moment he left, chaos erupted in the market. A group of merchants and customers tore the trash heap apart. Not satisfied, they stormed into the restroom, scouring every inch of it, even digging through the waste in their desperate search for the jade. As for the results? Only Heaven knows, and perhaps you—but I certainly don't!