Three crisp gunshots rang out, and the restless crowd immediately quieted down. No matter the time, the deterrent effect of force is always the most effective.
The moment the gunshot rang out, Peng Fei and Li Zhen, who had been lounging next to Zhuang Rui, sprang up like leopards and rushed in front of Zhuang Rui. Before Zhuang Rui could react, the two of them, one hugging his knees and the other pressing down on his shoulders, swiftly knocked Zhuang Rui to the ground.
These two brothers had both survived gunfire and were exceptionally sensitive to gunshots. Before most people even realized it was a gunshot, they had already dutifully completed their duty.
Zhuang Rui was thrown quite hard, almost hitting his head on the stone cutting machine. He pushed Peng Fei away with both hands, sat up, and shook his head, saying, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Brother Zhuang, don't get up, someone's firing..."
Li Zhen placed his right hand on his waist, using his body to block Zhuang Rui, and looked warily toward the source of the gunshot, while Peng Fei stood up and went over to find out what was going on.
"Damn it, what kind of mess is this?"
A few minutes later, Peng Fei returned, cursing under his breath. He gestured to Li Zhen and said, "It's alright now. A soldier was taking money to let people in, which almost caused a riot. A Burmese officer only fired his gun when he couldn't control the situation..."
Upon hearing Peng Fei's words, Zhuang Rui, Qin Haoran, Tang Lao, and the others all wore expressions of disbelief. This person who gave the money was incredibly clever! They actually tried to bribe their way out of the country! It seems the old saying "money makes the world go round" truly holds some truth. The words passed down from our ancestors are indeed irrefutable truths! The soldier who accepted the money was quickly disarmed and taken away, while the boss who believed in "money makes the world go round" was also identified and taken away. Who knows if he'll receive a fine from Myanmar?
"Mr. Tang, what do you think of this piece of jade? Tell everyone..."
"That's right, once you two turn off your microphones, we won't know anything..."
"Yes, Mr. Tang, did you make a profit on this piece of jade? Why was it Mr. Zhuang who handled the carving just now?"
Having learned from the previous example, the people who followed no longer dared to bribe the Burmese soldiers. Instead, they shouted at the top of their lungs towards the stone-cutting area.
Zhuang Rui and Old Tang exchanged a glance. It turned out that they were the ones who had caused this trouble. They couldn't help but smile wryly and turned on the microphone at the same time.
"I'm so sorry, I really apologize to all my friends!"
Old Tang first bowed to everyone, then said, "Due to some minor issues, Xiao Zhuang and I discussed them with the microphones off, which made everyone anxious... This piece of jade has been cut open, and it seems we've made a good bet. The jadeite exposed on the cut surface is purple jade. Since it still needs some cleaning to confirm its quality, please be patient. I'll start cleaning now..."
This "betting on a winning cut" doesn't mean cutting through the jadeite without damaging it at all. It means cutting along the edge, where there are still some crystalline particles on the surface of the jadeite, but they are very rare and transparent, which is why you can see the color inside.
However, to distinguish the quality of the seed water, this layer of crystal must be polished off, which is what Xiao Zhao is doing now. This kind of thing that does not require any technical skills is naturally done by his disciples.
The coarse and fine sandpaper were provided free of charge by the organizers. After five or six minutes, the crystallizable particles were almost completely polished. When Xiao Zhao rinsed the cut surface with a basin of water, several heads that had been peering over were immediately stunned.
"T-Teacher, this...is it purple eyes?"
Although Xiao Zhao is still a novice in jade gambling, he has been following Master Tang for several years and has a keen eye for quality, recognizing the quality of this piece of purple jade at a glance.
It's important to know that only purple jadeite with exceptional color and a glassy texture is qualified to be called "purple-eyed." Ordinary purple jadeite cannot use this name.
Because the formation of jadeite's color requires extremely demanding conditions, it is absolutely impossible for jadeite of this color to be produced without associated minerals such as copper.
Therefore, relatively speaking, rare gems such as purple-eyed jade and top-grade yellow jade, which are worth almost as much as imperial green jade, are even rarer than imperial green jade.
In the past two decades, it seems that only Zhuang Rui unearthed a piece two years ago, which shone brightly at an international jewelry exhibition in the UK.
"That's right, it's purple-eyed, and this piece of material is quite large. It seems that two fingers can be inserted into it, so making three necklaces won't be a problem." The glass-type material is as pure as water, and it seems to have a living light shining inside. In the eyes of an expert of Tang Lao's level, it is very easy to identify.
After carefully examining the cut surface with a powerful flashlight, Old Tang nodded heavily, his face revealing an uncontrollable excitement.
Judging the jade's texture from its color and flaws is Tang Lao's specialty. Although he had previously believed that it could yield top-quality jadeite, his expectation was only for high-grade icy purple jade. However, Tang Lao did not expect that the surprise brought by Zhuang Rui's cut would far exceed his expectations.
"Purple eyes? Really?"
"Damn, this is a legendary, top-quality jadeite that you can only see once in a lifetime!"
"Brother, uncle, can I call you grandpa? Please let me in for a look..."
When Old Tang's voice rang out, it immediately drove everyone in the square into a frenzy. Among them were newbies who had just entered the jade gambling business and veterans who had been around for decades, but none of them had ever seen such a top-quality jade as the Purple Eye.
"I have to thank Xiao Zhuang for this. If it were me, this old man, I probably would have collapsed..."
Old Tang's next sentence stunned everyone. It turned out that Zhuang Rui had also played a part in this.
Chapter 977 Legend (Part 1)
For a moment, everyone in the square felt confused. Weren't these two supposed to be competing? Why did Old Tang ask Zhuang Rui to help him cut the stone, and then afterwards give half the credit to Zhuang Rui?
It's important to know that cutting the stone is an extremely important process for extracting jadeite from a rough stone. If you're not careful during this process, the value of the jadeite inside the rough stone can be reduced by a lot. The skill of the stone-cutting master is absolutely an indispensable part of gambling on rough stones.
So if this piece of material was indeed cut by Zhuang Rui, then Old Tang's words were not an exaggeration at all. When everyone looked at the ugly raw stone that Zhuang Rui had chosen, they no longer felt as disgusted as before.
"Mr. Tang, please sit down. Let me help you take all the jade out of there..."
To see things through to the end, Zhuang Rui washed his hands and went to the stone cutting machine to get busy again. Although removing jadeite was easier than cutting it, it was a slow job. It required using a grinding wheel to remove the excess rough stone little by little and take out the jade inside.
Old Tang didn't rest either. While Zhuang Rui was working, he went back to the rough stone that Zhuang Rui had chosen and examined it carefully over and over again.
Previously, Mr. Tang would not have made such a move, but after witnessing Zhuang Rui's skillful stone-cutting, Mr. Tang began to question his own judgment. Perhaps this piece of material really is a jadeite rough?
Meanwhile, Tang Lao's disciple, Xiao Zhao, was staring intently at Zhuang Rui cutting the stone, his eyes shining. At first, he thought Zhuang Rui was just lucky, that he had just cut right along the edge of the jade with one stroke, but now he was completely in awe of Zhuang Rui.
When Zhuang Rui was cutting the stone, his technique didn't seem fast, but he was quite decisive. Sometimes when he used the stone cutter, he didn't hold back at all, which made Xiao Zhao break out in a cold sweat. But after the cut, it was just right, without damaging the jade at all.
Extracting jade from a rough stone weighing over 200 kilograms took even Zhuang Rui quite a while; he worked for over two hours to break the entire stone apart.
A piece of purple jade, about the size of a baby's palm, shimmering with a faint purple light, was held in Xiao Zhao's hands. Her eyes were filled with a mesmerizing expression. The charm of this purple jade was irresistible not only to women, but its beauty was also enough to make men fall deeply in love with it.
Besides the purple eye jade weighing over a pound, Zhuang Rui also cut out nearly two kilograms of high-quality icy purple jade. Although its quality was not as good as the other piece, it was still a rare and exquisite piece of jade that was hard to find in decades.
The purple jadeite beads scattered on the trays provided by the Myanmar organizing committee, under the light, resembled twinkling stars or the alluring eyes of a woman, radiating endless brilliance, captivating anyone who looked upon them.
Those standing near the cordon could see a little bit, though not very clearly, but the unique luster of the purple jade still captivated them.
"Old Guo, this time... even your older brother has helped you out..."
Mr. Jin and Mr. Guo actually have a good personal relationship, but because of a joke, the two made a bet, which has resulted in Mr. Guo not only losing everything and begging on the streets, but also losing all his savings.
"Mr. Jin, this... isn't over yet? Let's wait and see what Teacher Zhuang's material is..."
Old Guo spoke with a bitter expression. Purple eyes are almost the highest quality in jadeite, so it can be said that Zhuang Rui has no chance of winning at all. Old Guo was just trying to comfort himself by saying this.
Meanwhile, Lao Guo was calculating his assets, wondering if he still had the capital to make a comeback after losing more than 40 million yuan. As for defaulting on the gambling, Lao Guo had never thought about it.
It's important to understand that the people who came to gamble on jade this time weren't just from the jade gambling circle; there were also many speculative investors and funds from major domestic conglomerates. If Lao Guo wanted to renege on his debts, he wouldn't be able to stay in the Chinese market in the future.
"I can't tell anything? Is it really because I'm getting old?"
After witnessing Zhuang Rui's skill in cutting stones, Old Tang paid almost no attention to Zhuang Rui's actions, focusing all his energy on Zhuang Rui's rough stone. However, no matter how he examined it, he could not find any clues.
This made Old Tang a little discouraged. Judging from his intuition, the material Zhuang Rui had chosen must be extraordinary, but he couldn't see it himself, which was very frustrating.
"Teacher, all the materials have been cut. The glass-type purple jadeite weighs 708 grams, and the rest of the materials add up to 1400 grams. Teacher, this material is enough to elevate our heirloom jadeite to another level..."
Xiao Zhao was now completely convinced by Zhuang Rui. After Zhuang Rui finished cutting the material, he recut the scrap material that Zhuang Rui had discarded, but he couldn't find even a trace of jade.
"Huh? It's over?"
While Old Tang was deep in thought, Xiao Zhao interrupted him. Looking up, he saw that Zhuang Rui had finished his work and was wiping his sweat beside him.
"Xiao Zhuang, I really have to thank you this time. If this old man had to solve it, there would definitely have been damage. It's true that the younger generation is surpassing the older one. This old man has no choice but to admit defeat..."
When Tang Lao said these words, he did not turn off the microphone, which meant that thousands of people at the scene heard it clearly. This shocked them greatly. Zhuang Rui's original stone had not yet been cut open, so why did Tang Lao admit defeat?
"Old Tang, is there any jade in this world better than purple-eyed jade?"
"With that piece of material, you think you can beat Elder Tang? That's... a bit impossible, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I don't believe it. That piece of material can yield jade? Forget top-grade jade, even if it turns out to be dog shit, I'll eat it up." "Old Tang, the competition isn't over yet. How can you admit defeat? That's not fair. We'll know who won after Teacher Zhuang finishes cutting through his material!"
Witnessing the birth of the purple-eyed machine today made the trip worthwhile for those who had waited for more than two hours. Although they waited for two hours on an empty stomach, they witnessed a legendary story.
For these merchants who have been dealing with jade for many years, this is a living legend. Perhaps decades from now, their stories will still be told in the jewelry and jade industry.
However, everyone was quite puzzled by what Old Tang said at the end. Did he really think that mentoring a younger generation didn't require this method? If revealing the purple eye would still result in a loss, then they really couldn't imagine what kind of jade could possibly win against Old Tang.
The last person to speak was Boss Jin. Old Tang's surrender had nothing to do with others, but it was very important to him. If Old Tang lost, wouldn't he have to pay out more than 20 million for nothing?
"Hehe, Xiao Zhuang, then you should cut open your piece. Although this old man can't see the secret, I feel that the value of your rough stone might far exceed that of mine..."
Old Tang was speaking from the heart. Gambling on jadeite is not just about the raw stones, but also about gambling on people's hearts. From Zhuang Rui's performance in cutting the stone just now, Old Tang could tell that Zhuang Rui's understanding of jadeite raw stones was no less than his own.
If someone like him were to pick out a piece of junk, Old Tang would absolutely not believe it. The inability to see through that "roadbed stone" gave Old Tang an unprecedented sense of frustration.
"Let's see what they're made of. Talk is cheap, Professor Zhuang, let's begin..."
"Yes, let us see for ourselves what kind of jadeite can be better than glass-type purple-eyed jadeite?"
"Stop spouting nonsense. Old Tang himself said he couldn't be sure. Are you all more skilled than Old Tang?"
As soon as Tang Lao said this, the scene was divided into two factions again. Those who originally thought Zhuang Rui was bound to lose had a glimmer of hope in their hearts. Having already witnessed the top-grade purple-eyed jadeite today, they were all looking forward to an even greater surprise.
"Old man, you're putting me on the spot! I've only taken a liking to this piece of jade; whether it will turn out green is still uncertain..."
It's getting late. We started cutting the stone around 5 p.m. and it's almost 8 p.m. now. Although the organizing committee has attached great importance to this stone cutting event and provided various cutting tools and venues.
However, the Myanmar government, whose services are several levels worse than those in China, would not provide them with a free dinner. Zhuang Rui was starting to feel hungry and wanted to finish quickly, unravel the jade, and leave.
The "rock" that Zhuang Rui chose was over 1.8 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and over 50 centimeters thick, truly a gigantic piece of raw stone.
Of course, only after the jade is cut out will people acknowledge that it is a rough stone. As for now, most people just see it as a roadbed stone.
Compared to this enormous piece of jade, the stone-cutting machine placed in Myanmar looks rather small. Neither the length of the machine nor the diameter of the gears can cut it directly, and it can't even hold the jade on the machine's frame.
Finally, Zhuang Rui had no choice but to find two iron supports. After the forklift lifted the stone, he fixed it to the supports and then called Peng Fei, Li Zhen, and more than ten other young men to carefully place the stone under the gears of the stone cutter.
"Peng Fei, move a little more to the right..."
Zhuang Rui circled the raw stone, adjusted his direction, and carefully washed his hands in the basin of water brought by the staff.
These are some old rules in the jade gambling circle. In the past, when cutting a piece of jade that was considered to be of the highest quality, one would not only wash one's hands, but also burn incense, take a bath, and worship heaven and earth.
After wiping his hands clean, Zhuang Rui was too lazy to draw any lines. Drawing lines on a piece of material that didn't have any characteristics of raw jadeite would just be pretentious.
"Crack...crack crack," the stone cutter made an unpleasant "crack crack" sound, and the alloy gears that reflected a dazzling light cut into the "rock" as if cutting tofu.
Chapter 978 Legend (Part 2)
Due to the radius of the stone cutter's gears, this cut only creates a slit in the raw stone, but it cannot separate it from the middle.
When he reached the central axis, Zhuang Rui stopped and told the bulldozer driver to scoop up the stone again and turn it over. Although Zhuang Rui's abnormal physical strength was enough to move the raw stone by himself, if he really did that, it would probably be on the world news tomorrow.
"Xiao Zhuang, what if you damage the jade flesh by cutting it like that?"
Old Tang couldn't stand it anymore. Zhuang Rui's performance when he helped him cut the stone was impeccable, but he was so careless when cutting this rough stone. He didn't even bother to draw a line and just cut it straight in the middle.
"Mr. Tang, I just feel there's potential in this piece. There's no sign of jade on the surface, so there's nowhere to draw lines. I might as well just cut it open..."