At these words, everyone froze for a moment, then quickly stood up.
A shiny bald fat man strolled in, dressed in a yellow jacket. Around his neck hung a string of jade beads, his waist was cinched with a jade belt, and his cloth shoes were studded with jade. On closer inspection, even his yellow jacket was stitched together with thin jade plates strung on jade thread—he looked exactly like he’d crawled out of a pile of jade.
But when the fat man entered, Warren Yuan didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect. He hurried forward to greet him, saying, “Brother Jin, I’ve been meaning to visit you, but things kept getting in the way. I never expected you’d come yourself—sorry about that!”
“We’re brothers, no need for all that formality. I heard you shut down Huifeng Tower and crippled the Seven Stars of Orthodox Unity’s Dipper—now that’s what I call making a splash!” The fat man didn’t stand on ceremony, plopping himself into a huge chair and fanning himself hard. He only spared Warren Yuan a glance; everyone else he ignored completely.
Warren Yuan found this a bit much and quickly made introductions. Only then did Ryan Ling learn that the fat man was Harvey “Million” Jin, a major player in the jade business in the counties around Peachvale. Everyone knew Peachvale was famous for jade, and one of Warren’s main reasons for coming here was to buy top-grade stone.
Of course, cultivators buy jade not to wear it, but because good jade is full of spiritual energy. If you can absorb it, your own power grows. Most crucially, if you’re lucky enough to find an exceptional piece, you can refine its essence to make a spirit tool—or even a magical artifact.
That’s why Warren was so polite to Harvey Jin. Harvey was loaded—maybe not one of the big Peachvale family heads, but still a true hidden tycoon. Warren didn’t know exactly how much he was worth, just that it was a ridiculous amount.
After Warren introduced Ryan, Harvey suddenly burst out laughing: “Warren, you sly dog—you even took on a little master! I bet this little master is a genius at treasure appraisal too…”
Ryan blinked at that—clearly, something was off here.
Warren Yuan quickly tried to smooth things over: “My master’s a recluse—he wouldn’t stoop to treasure appraisal. If you want someone, I’m your guy!”
“Alright, anyway, I came here just for you. Hurry up and come with me—my chief jade appraiser’s seat is waiting for you!” Harvey Jin said, grabbing Warren Yuan to leave.
“My master and my brothers…” Warren Yuan was stunned, quickly turning to look at Ryan.
“Fine, everyone comes!” Harvey Jin waved his hand, and Ryan and the others immediately followed. Whatever else, since Harvey was a jade boss, there might just be some magical jade artifacts in store.
Once everyone piled into the car, Warren finally explained how he met Harvey Jin in Yunnan. Back then, Warren had just been expelled from Orthodox Unity, and the only spirit tool he owned had been destroyed in his last fight with his fellow disciples. He’d come to Yunnan hoping to find some good stuff, but ran into Harvey Jin being cornered by a bunch of Burmese hustlers trying to scam him.
Warren wasn’t a real jade expert, but after years of Daoist training, he knew a thing or two. Seeing a fellow countryman getting conned, he stepped in and exposed the Burmese crew’s scheme, saving Harvey Jin billions. Grateful, Harvey kept asking Warren for jade advice—Warren barely knew anything, so he just made stuff up, and Harvey actually believed him. He swore that, no matter what, he’d bring Warren to Peachvale County as his top appraiser.
So, in Harvey’s eyes, Warren’s biggest skill was treasure appraisal. And since Warren had taken Ryan as his master, Harvey’s simple logic was that Ryan must be a genius at it too.
The car rolled on while Warren kept talking. After half an hour, they suddenly swerved into the mountains. Ryan noticed the hills were packed with guards—every security guy saluted their convoy, all armed to the teeth. The show of force was like a full army regiment.
Even Jason Lin was stunned—his Axe Club crew wouldn’t last ten rounds here.
“Warren, who the heck is this Harvey Jin? Looks like actual military guarding the place!” Jason Lin exclaimed.
“He’s just a rural tycoon. But this mountain belongs to his family, and when they found jade here, the deposits turned out massive. The fat bastard even spent a fortune to marry a corps commander’s daughter—she’s ugly as sin, but with army protection, nobody dares mess with him!” Warren finished, and everyone’s eyes went wide. Harvey Jin really was loaded.
Whether or not they scored any jade today, Ryan figured he had to cling to this super-tycoon’s leg no matter what.
Just as Warren finished speaking, the car stopped—they’d finally arrived at the mega-tycoon’s mansion, smack in the middle of the jade mountain: a castle-like luxury estate.
“Alright, everyone, I’ve finally brought the masters here—come meet them!” Harvey Jin strode into the mansion, where all kinds of jade were on display. Hanging in the main hall was a huge plaque carved from natural jade, with two bold characters: ‘Treasure Appraisal.’
A dozen people stood around, young and old, all with a hint of pride on their faces. When Ryan and Warren came in and Harvey called them ‘masters,’ several faces clearly showed open dissatisfaction.
Still, out of respect for Harvey Jin, each greeted Warren in turn. Then everyone sat down—but none of the appraisers sat with Ryan’s group. Instead, they all took seats directly opposite, and the air was thick with hostility.
“You’re all top experts in the jade world, and it’s only thanks to you that I, Old Jin, have made it this far. I don’t know anything myself—my fortune’s all inherited. So I’ll be relying on you appraisal masters for guidance!” Harvey Jin coughed and continued, “But with so many masters here, we need some kind of ranking—chiefs and deputies, otherwise it’s chaos and impossible to manage. So I’ve decided: Warren Yuan, Master Yuan, will be the Jin Family’s chief jade appraiser!”
As soon as Harvey said that, the appraisers opposite turned green.
Warren hadn’t given much thought to being chief appraiser—he’d only come tonight to hunt for magical artifacts. But now Harvey’s announcement had shoved him straight into the fire.
Warren immediately jumped up and said, “Old Jin, you’ve got to be kidding—I’m nowhere near qualified to be chief appraiser. I just came tonight to catch up!”
“Warren, what are you saying? With your skills, why be so modest? I saw it for myself back in Yunnan—you’re a real master!” Harvey Jin said, giving him a big thumbs-up.
Warren’s face went a little green—this was all trouble he’d brought on himself by bluffing, and Harvey Jin actually believed it.
Just as he was about to refuse again, a skinny old man in his fifties suddenly stood up from the appraisers’ crowd, furious: “Master Yuan, you say you’re a master—why keep dodging? But since you’re so skilled, I’d really like to see for myself!”
“Master He, Old Jin’s just joking—I’m definitely not taking the chief appraiser seat!” Warren protested, clearly not interested.
But the man named He wasn’t backing down. He snapped, “Just call me Darren He. ‘Master’? I don’t deserve it. I’ve just been slogging through the jade business for over thirty years. Compared to you, I’m way out of my league!”
“Master He, compared to him, who just shows up and wants the chief seat—he doesn’t deserve it!”
“Master He is the true elder of Peachvale’s jade world. That position should be his—who does this Warren guy think he is?”
“He’s dying to be chief, but pretends to decline—so fake it’s disgusting!”
...
At this point, the appraisers opposite couldn’t hold back and started shouting. Warren’s face darkened; he wanted to argue back.
But then Darren He suddenly called out, “Master Yuan, do you think I’m not worthy to duel you in treasure appraisal? If so, let’s make it interesting—whoever loses cuts off a hand!”
Hearing Darren He say that, even Warren was stunned—and Ryan too. Clearly, these guys had planned this all along. They’d seen through Warren’s reputation and wanted to ruin him for good. That kind of malice was vicious…