The more powerful the independent soul, the less likely it is to enter. Even if it can barely enter, it cannot merge with it.
However, when this independent soul has weakened to a certain extent, such restrictions naturally become much smaller.
Zhou Ziwei had repeatedly replenished the soul power of the independent soul entities in the two magazines on the plane, so he knew that it was easiest to replenish soul power when an independent soul entity was on the verge of collapse, and the amount of soul power consumed at this time was also the smallest.
If you replenish its soul power too early, it will be rejected by the independent soul entity's instinct, thus wasting a lot of soul power.
If it's too late, and the independent soul body has already dissipated, even if a soul imprint remains to restore the previous soul body, it will cause the consumption of soul power to exceed twice as much, and there is also the danger of the previous soul memories being completely erased.
Zhou Ziwei still remembers that when he replenished the soul power of the independent soul entities in those two magazines, he found that he only needed to replenish them with about one-third of the soul power required to create the independent soul entity, and then they could automatically return to their state when they were first born.
However, the magazine's structure was extremely simple. Zhou Ziwei only needed to consume less than half of his remnant soul's soul power to create an independent soul body. The soul power consumed each time to replenish the independent soul body was even smaller and almost negligible.
But this little ladybug is different. This little thing looks inconspicuous, but it took almost a hundred remnant souls' worth of soul power to create it successfully. And one-third of a hundred remnant souls is at least thirty or more... If Zhou Ziwei wants this little ladybug to continue to live, he has to consume the soul power of more than thirty remnant souls for it every day.
If it's just for a day or two, it won't matter, but if it continues, given Zhou Ziwei's current soul power reserves, he can only last for a little over half a month at most.
Moreover, Zhou Ziwei knew in his heart that he had only spent a day with this ladybug, and it was already so hard to part with it. If he could give the ladybug a few more doses of life and let it live for a few more days, the bond between the two would surely become even stronger, and it would be even harder to give it up.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei originally planned to release the ladybug once the independent soul within it disappeared, letting it fend for itself in nature.
Otherwise, the longer you drag it out, the more reluctant you will be to give it up.
But as fate would have it, he woke up just as the ladybug's independent soul was about to dissipate, clearly feeling the little life's attachment to life. This made him involuntarily think of the feeling he had when he knelt on the execution ground in his previous life, waiting to be shot.
At that moment, I could no longer harden my heart...
One more day! Let this poor little guy live one more day! Tomorrow morning I'll just ignore whether it's alive or dead...
While Zhou Ziwei was trying to find reasons for himself, he kept channeling his soul power into the collapsing soul...
However, just as Zhou Ziwei was preparing to expend the soul power of at least thirty remnant souls to revive the ladybug, he felt that his soul power seemed to have only just entered the tiny soul and dissolved a very small amount of soul power when it was immediately met with a strong rebound force, instantly repelling all the soul power he had probed into the ladybug's body.
Holy crap, how could this be! Could it be that an independent soul created within a living being, even on the verge of collapse, cannot be replenished with soul power in this way? Or is the independent soul within a living being inherently so repulsive to external soul power...? Oh no, if this is the case, it seems unlikely that I can extend its life by just consuming the soul power of thirty or so remnant souls!
Just as Zhou Ziwei was secretly lamenting his misfortune, he suddenly saw the little ladybug that had been resting on his fingertip flap its thin wings and fly into the air, starting to happily circle around Zhou Ziwei's body.
Heavens... How could this be! Its... its soul power is completely filled! This... how is this possible!
Through the connection between their souls, Zhou Ziwei truly felt that the independent soul within the ladybug had changed from being on the verge of collapse to returning to a state equivalent to that of rebirth, with its soul full and abundant, clearly indicating that it was filled with soul power.
But how could this independent soul entity, which was created by consuming the power of a hundred remnant souls, be completely filled with only such a small amount of soul power?
Zhou Ziwei was stunned for a moment, then carefully sensed the consumption of his soul power and found that in the process of charging the ladybug, he only consumed the soul power of about two remnant souls.
Creating a completely new independent soul requires the soul power of one hundred remnant souls, while filling an independent soul that is about to dissipate with energy only requires the soul power of two remnant souls. The difference is too great!
Zhou Ziwei was stunned for a long time, still finding it hard to believe that this was true. If each time he needed to recharge the ladybug, he only needed to consume the soul power of two remnant souls, then with his current soul power reserves, it wouldn't be impossible for him to keep raising the ladybug indefinitely. There really is such a good thing in this world!
Although the matter seemed somewhat strange, the facts were undeniable, leaving him no choice but to believe it.
Anyway, this was beneficial and harmless to Zhou Ziwei. He pondered it for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.
This little ladybug was, after all, the first independent soul he had ever created with a living being. It was normal for there to be some differences between living and non-living beings. After experiencing it a few more times, he would probably be able to figure out the patterns.
Zhou Ziwei got up excitedly and punched a bunch of boxes. After messing around for a while, he went back to bed for a nap. He didn't leave his room until after 10 a.m., when he was full of energy. The ladybug, which had regained its energy, was hidden under Zhou Ziwei's collar.
Although the ladybug possesses high intelligence and flies quickly and nimbly, it is still just a tiny insect the size of a grain of rice. Anyone could easily slap it into a pulp. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei is not comfortable letting it fly around on its own unless there is a specific reason.
Zhou Ziwei went outside and scanned the room with his soul power. He found that Li Yifeng and Liu Xiaofei were no longer in the room. He guessed that they had probably finished breakfast and were probably out shopping. So he took the elevator downstairs by himself, planning to grab something to eat on the street first, and then go back to the hotel to wait for them to return.
It would be best to buy each of them a cell phone this afternoon, otherwise, if they get separated while traveling, neither of them will be able to find the other!
As soon as Zhou Ziwei stepped out of the elevator, he saw Liu Xiaofei.
However, Liu Xiaofei today was clearly different from before. Although she hadn't been wearing a police uniform while following Zhou Ziwei, her clothes were always very conservative and didn't match her age. Her clothes made her look more mature, but she lacked youthful vitality and appeared somewhat lifeless.
But today, Liu Xiaofei changed into a light purple dress. The neckline wasn't low, but the fair skin under her neck contrasted sharply with the light purple dress, naturally giving off a sexy and vibrant vibe.
Her hair, which had always been tied up, was now loose and draped over her shoulders. A blue hair clip adorned her jet-black hair, making her look like a crescent moon in the night sky, giving her a striking appearance.
However, Liu Xiaofei's change seemed to extend beyond her clothing. In Zhou Ziwei's eyes, Liu Xiaofei's entire demeanor seemed to have changed. The forced smile she had shown yesterday was long gone. When her gaze met Zhou Ziwei's, she showed no unease or avoidance. Instead, a sweet smile immediately bloomed on her sexy lips. At the same time, she pulled an elderly man with gray hair to greet Zhou Ziwei.
"Mr. Zhou, you're up! That's wonderful... I was just about to introduce you to someone!"
As Liu Xiaofei spoke, she pointed to the old man beside her and said, "This is my cousin, Gu Dongfeng. He is a famous jade carver. He has probably carved more jade and jadeite pieces than most people have ever seen. Hmm... My cousin has always been the one who loves me the most since I was a child. This morning when I went to see him, he heard that I was able to come out this time thanks to Mr. Zhou's help, so he insisted on coming over in person to thank Mr. Zhou."
Ancient East Wind!
When Zhou Ziwei decided to come to Tengchong to gamble on jadeite, he naturally did a comprehensive understanding of all kinds of news and knowledge in the jadeite industry, and he was naturally familiar with the name Gu Dongfeng.
Gu Dongfeng is a legendary jade carver. It is said that he started as an apprentice in a jade carving workshop at the age of eight, and officially graduated before the age of twelve. At the age of fifteen, he won the first prize in the Southeast Asian Carving Exhibition with a jade toad, making a name for himself in the international jade carving world.
Over the decades, Gu Dongfeng has created countless exquisite jade carvings that are famous both at home and abroad. He has also taught hundreds of apprentices and grand-apprentices, at least a dozen of whom have become well-known jade carvers both domestically and internationally. To say that Gu Dongfeng is the pinnacle of the jade carving world might be an exaggeration, but at least among Chinese jade carvers, few can surpass his achievements.
Moreover, Gu Dongfeng is not only skilled in carving, but also renowned for his expertise in appreciating and appraising jade. In Tengchong's jade gambling circle, he is extremely authoritative. Often, when the quality and value of the jadeite that has been cut open cannot be determined immediately, it will be sent to Master Gu for appraisal.
When the old man speaks, his word is law, and no one dares to question the price he sets.
Indeed, that's true. While Mr. Gu might not be good at gambling on stones, he certainly wouldn't misjudge or misvalue a piece of jade that has already been extracted.
Upon hearing that Liu Xiaofei's cousin was such a powerful figure, Zhou Ziwei quickly took a few steps forward, greeted Master Gu warmly, and shook hands with him, saying, "So you are Master Gu Dongfeng! I have long admired your name... I'm so sorry, it should be me, a junior, visiting you at your residence, how could I trouble you to come to my hotel to see me... Really... This is so impolite!"
Gu Dongfeng chuckled upon hearing this, waved his hand, and said, "What master or not! Don't give me that nonsense... I'm just Xiao Fei's cousin now, just an old geezer. Besides, my health has been failing for a long time. My hands tremble and my eyesight is failing. I haven't even touched a carving knife for at least two or three years. The word 'master' is no longer appropriate... no longer at all!"
Hearing the slight sadness in Gu Dongfeng's words, Zhou Ziwei didn't dwell on the topic any further and quickly invited Mr. Gu to sit down and talk in a coffee shop across from the hotel.
As the coffee shop waiter approached, Zhou Ziwei was about to ask Old Master Gu what he wanted to drink when he saw Liu Xiaofei take out a small wooden box from her backpack, open the box, take out an exquisite purple teapot, and then say to the waiter, "Two cups of coffee, and also boil a kettle of water and bring it over."
Generally speaking, coffee shops like this do not allow customers to bring their own drinks. However, as soon as the waiter saw Mr. Gu, a look of reverence immediately appeared on his face. Without saying a word, he immediately went to prepare the drinks.
After the coffee was served and the tea in the purple clay teapot was brewed, Liu Xiaofei pulled a paper bag out of her backpack as if by magic. The paper bag was opened layer by layer, and inside were four pink pastries in a cardboard box.
"You lazybones, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Liu Xiaofei said, carefully placing the pastries from the cardboard box in front of Zhou Ziwei. She pouted and said, "This is my aunt's homemade hibiscus layer cake. It's so delicious! Since you brought me a lot of snacks last night, I also brought you a few pieces of hibiscus cake to try."
When Zhou Ziwei heard Liu Xiaofei say that she only felt sorry for him because he brought her some snacks yesterday, but didn't mention a word about him saving her life, he couldn't help but feel amused and exasperated. Since Liu Xiaofei didn't mention it, Zhou Ziwei naturally wouldn't bring it up either. After all, he had seen the girl completely naked, and if this got out to others, it might be misrepresented.
Zhou Ziwei had been feeling his stomach growling for a while. When he saw the fragrant pastries in front of him, he didn't care about being polite and immediately picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. Unexpectedly, the hibiscus layer cake was as if it were made of water. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he didn't even need to chew it. It immediately turned into a strong sweet aroma that rolled down his throat and sweetened his heart!
Wow, this tastes delicious!
Zhou Ziwei felt that after swallowing a piece of pastry, it was like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit. It seemed that he hadn't really tasted the flavor. He only knew that the pastry was incredibly delicious, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. So he hurriedly grabbed the other three pieces and stuffed them all into his mouth, not caring how unsightly he was eating.
"Uh... is there any more? Give me a few more pieces..." Zhou Ziwei really hadn't had enough. Seeing that the box was completely empty, with not even a crumb left, he had no choice but to shamelessly ask Liu Xiaofei for more.
"A few more!" Liu Xiaofei immediately rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you know that just these few pieces of pastry you ate would have taken my aunt several days to make? You're already lucky to have these few pieces, and you're still not satisfied!"
"No way!" Zhou Ziwei said, somewhat incredulously, "Although these pastries are incredibly delicious, it's still... surely it shouldn't take several days to make just a few pieces!"
Before Liu Xiaofei could speak, Gu Dongfeng chuckled and said, "Xiaofei exaggerated a bit, but these pastries are indeed very painstaking to make. My wife knew Xiaofei loved them, so she started preparing them a couple of days ago. She only managed to make four pieces this morning, but Xiaofei actually resisted eating them, saying she wanted to bring some to a friend to try... Hehe, to be honest, if you had only taken care of Xiaofei on the road, it wouldn't be worth this old man of mine making a special trip to see you, a young man. But... you young man actually managed to get Xiaofei to resist even her most coveted hibiscus mille-feuille cake! That... is quite remarkable... Hahaha..."
"Uncle...you...what nonsense are you talking about!" Liu Xiaofei was both embarrassed and anxious when she heard Gu Dongfeng's words. She quickly glanced at Zhou Ziwei, only to find that Zhou Ziwei was also looking at her. She was so embarrassed that her ears turned red, and she hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to say another word.
Gu Dongfeng had never seen his cousin's niece act so childlike before, which made him even more curious about Zhou Ziwei.
He first took a sip of strong tea from the spout of the teapot, then looked up at Zhou Ziwei and said seriously, "Alright, let's get back to the point. I'm not here just to see my nephew-in-law, but to offer some advice... If you're just here for sightseeing, then relax and enjoy yourself. But if you're here to gamble on jade in Tengchong... then turn back immediately!"
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 114: We've struck it rich!
Hearing Gu Dongfeng say this, Zhou Ziwei was slightly taken aback, but then he figured that Gu Dongfeng was probably like Old Master Zheng Minghui back then, afraid that he would lose his mind if he became obsessed with the legend of getting rich overnight at such a young age, and might end up losing everything, so he was trying to persuade him.
Zhou Ziwei was naturally very grateful for this kindness, but he knew that he had a powerful cheat device. No matter how he gambled, he would basically win and never lose. At most, it was just a matter of how much he would win, so he didn't need to worry too much.
"What? Do you think this old man is meddling in other people's business? Hehe..."
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's nonchalant expression, Gu Dongfeng smiled slightly and said, "It's not that I'm afraid you'll get involved in gambling! Jade gambling is different from traditional gambling. Although it's still gambling, the meaning is different. If it were a couple of years ago, if you really had the ability to make a fortune from jade gambling, then this old man would only admire you the most! I wouldn't think that the money you won from jade gambling was ill-gotten."
Gu Dongfeng paused slightly, took a sip of strong tea from the teapot, and continued, “There are some things you don’t understand! In the past two years, the production of jadeite rough in Myanmar has been declining, and many old mines have even been depleted. With less jadeite rough being produced, shrewd jadeite merchants are naturally more cautious when selling rough stones. Every rough stone, from the moment it is dug out of the mine, will be inspected by at least five or six experienced and familiar masters. If there is even the slightest possibility of finding jadeite, it will be selected, either by the mine owner directly cutting it open to extract the jadeite and then selling it, or by polishing open the 'window' to reveal the green inside and then auctioning it off at a high price… After five or six inspections, the possibility of any jadeite slipping through the net is extremely slim. The legends of buying a cheap stone a few years ago and finding a priceless jadeite inside—we haven’t seen that here for a long time! So… if you’re here hoping to find a bargain and gamble on rough stones, you should give up on that idea!”
Zhou Ziwei nodded upon hearing this. He recalled that among all the rough stones he had seen at the jadeite rough stone auction in Kunming, not a single one had any value and could actually yield a good piece of jadeite. He thought that although the merchants who mined or distributed jadeite rough stones did not have the special ability to see through the stones, they had an abundance of experience. The chances of finding a bargain in the rough stones that had been screened by them were extremely slim!
However, Zhou Ziwei didn't come to gamble on stones with the intention of getting something for nothing. He now has more than 140 million yuan in funds, enough for him to "gamble big".
Whether it's fully rough jade or partially rough jade, as long as there's a profit margin and money to be made, he'll find a way to buy it. Then, he'll open a jewelry company and slowly turn the jade into jewelry to sell.
However, Gu Dongfeng's next words immediately made Zhou Ziwei feel uneasy.
Mr. Gu said... Recently, in order to control the rampant mining of jadeite rough, Myanmar just introduced a regulation on the protection of jadeite rough trading and exports a couple of days ago. As soon as this regulation was introduced, it caused a great uproar in the entire jadeite rough market, and the price of jadeite rough immediately rose by a lot.
Although the jadeite rough stones on the market in Tengchong are all imported rough stones from a while ago, the middlemen who hoarded the rough stones were afraid of losing money when they heard that prices in Myanmar were going to rise. So most of the rough stone merchants have temporarily stopped operating. Even those who are willing to sell have basically doubled the original price, and the stones they are willing to offer are often not good ones.
Jewelry company merchants who came from all over China to purchase jadeite raw materials were certainly not idiots. Similar changes had happened in Myanmar several times before, and the new regulations might be invalidated in a few days. As a result, the price of jadeite rough would drop rapidly. If they bought those low-quality rough stones at double the usual price at this time, and the price of jadeite rough stones dropped instead of rising, they would probably lose everything!
Because the price of raw jadeite is currently unclear, jadeite trading in Tengchong has almost completely stopped for the time being, with both buyers and sellers observing the situation.
It was certainly not a good time for Zhou Ziwei to come to Tengchong to gamble on stones.
Zhou Ziwei's understanding of the price of jadeite rough was already somewhat outdated, and now that the price has fallen into an unstable state, Zhou Ziwei is really in a bit of a predicament.
Even if someone is willing to sell him the rough stone, but they want to pay double the price, well... the profit margin for semi-rough stones is already not very large. If the price of the rough stone doubles again, Zhou Ziwei is worried that even if he can find out how much jade is inside the rough stone, he might still lose money if he doesn't understand the market price!
Knowing that his jade gambling venture was over, Zhou Ziwei was immediately dejected. However, he thought about how he had already earned over 100 million yuan. Although he hadn't gained much financially from this trip to Tengchong, he had made rapid progress in his supernatural abilities, which was something money couldn't buy.
Thinking it over, Zhou Ziwei felt much better and quickly thanked Grandpa Gu. Otherwise, if Grandpa Gu hadn't told him, he might have been ripped off by the jadeite rough merchant again!
Seeing that Zhou Ziwei was able to take things in stride and adjust his mindset so quickly, Gu Dongfeng couldn't help but look at Zhou Ziwei with even more admiration.
In high spirits, he casually pulled a small jewelry box from his pocket, carefully stroking it in his hand for a moment, and said, "Whether you came here to gamble on jade or not, since you're in Tengchong, you should at least take some jade back with you... I have a small pendant here that I carved myself many years ago. It's made of ordinary green jadeite and isn't worth much. Consider it a small gift for you, young man!"
As Gu Dongfeng spoke, he tried to open the jewelry box with trembling hands, but his hands were shaking so badly that instead of opening the box, it fell to the ground with a "thud" and rolled under the bar.
"Quick... Xiao Fei, quickly help your uncle hook that box out... Oh dear! It's true, once a person gets old... they become completely useless!" Gu Dongfeng saw the jewelry box disappear under the bar and immediately stood up anxiously.
He was right. It was indeed just a small pendant carved from ordinary jadeite of the pea-green variety. If you only looked at the quality of the material, it really wasn't worth much.
However... this small green jade pendant is a masterpiece by which Gu Dongfeng once won the title of master carver abroad. The value of its carving alone is probably more than a hundred times the value of the material!
Gu Dongfeng rarely sells small commemorative pendants like these, and remains unmoved even if someone offers an exorbitant price to buy them.
However, Gu Dongfeng would not hesitate to give it away as a gift.
If the other party is someone he likes, he'd be happy to give them this little pendant for free. But if it were to fall and break accidentally, Old Master Gu might even contemplate suicide! After all, his body can no longer perform jade carving, and he doesn't have many of his previous works left. If he were to accidentally break it, he wouldn't forgive himself!
Liu Xiaofei knew perfectly well that nothing her cousin had personally given her was ordinary, so she quickly ran over and lay down on the floor to look under the bar...
The bar counter in this coffee shop is very long, probably at least seven or eight meters long from left to right, but the gap under the bar counter is only about two fingers high, just enough for a small jewelry box to roll in. It's pitch black inside, and you can't see anything. If you reach in, you never know what kind of random junk you might pull out. Liu Xiaofei first grabbed a smelly sock, and the second time she pulled out a dead cockroach, which immediately made her scream "Wah wah!"
"Alright... get up now! I'll find it!"
Zhou Ziwei was worried that if Liu Xiaofei dragged out a dead rat in the third attempt, she would be terrified. So he quickly stepped forward, patted Liu Xiaofei on the shoulder, and told her to get up.
To be honest... even if Zhou Ziwei wasn't afraid of scaring her, he was worried that she might accidentally expose herself! You see, she was wearing a skirt today, and lying on the ground like that, there was a risk of her underwear showing.
Although Liu Xiaofei and he basically had no relationship, this man had a subtle selfishness. Even though Liu Xiaofei was not related to him, he was the only man who had ever seen Liu Xiaofei's beautiful body. Even if there was no possibility of him and Liu Xiaofei ever going any further, he would instinctively not want any other man to appreciate Liu Xiaofei's perfect and sexy figure.