Flawless Jade (2)

I walked up to Uncle Zhang and looked at him, at his eyes, eyes that could see through the true nature of all material things in the world.

Uncle Zhang's name was Zhang Kuang, and he truly was arrogant. He had the right to be, too. At only forty years old, he was already a leader in the highly competitive field of jade carving. It was precisely because of his arrogance that he dared to curse the Second Young Master of "Baoyuxiang" loudly. Even though he knew the Second Young Master was a thoroughly despicable person, he didn't regret his actions, even if it led to his current predicament.

He looked at the child before him, feeling a sense of incomprehensibility for the first time. While people were much harder to read than inanimate objects, one could usually glean something. But this child before him was utterly inscrutable. Looking at the child: his appearance was that of a child, yet his posture was steady and powerful, like a strong adult. His eyes held the vitality of a child, the maturity of a middle-aged man, and the profound depth of an ancient elder who had seen countless years. Who was he, really? Was he truly a child? Could he be a hidden master who had reversed aging?

I smiled, for I saw that those eyes were already bewildered...

"Uncle Zhang, although I am Zhang Yu's master, I am only six years old this year. The New Year is coming soon, and after the New Year, I will be seven. So, I will call you Uncle Zhang!" I said with a cupped-hand salute and a faint smile.

Zhang Kuang looked at me. He knew his son had inherited his own arrogance; ordinary people were simply ignored, let alone taken as a master. This person, merely by his childlike appearance, had his son take him as a master. He seemed to be a true master. Zhang Kuang still didn't believe Zhang Xingfeng was a child, regarding him as an otherworldly expert.

Since the master called me uncle, I couldn't refuse. Who knew what he was thinking?

"Oh, since you've said so, esteemed nephew, please come into my humble bamboo hut to rest. Yu'er, go make some tea for your master, and bring out my Holy Rain Guanyin. Esteemed nephew, please follow me." Zhang Kuang and I entered his small bamboo hut.

What was going on? How could Father bear to bring out the Holy Rain Guanyin? It seemed Father had also seen the extraordinary nature of my master. Zhang Yu walked towards the back room, deep in thought.

"Uncle Zhang, Zhang Yu said you are an extremely skilled and renowned jade carver." I said to Uncle Zhang as I sat on a bamboo chair inside the house.

"I dare not say so, I dare not. I can only say I have a little bit of a reputation, hehe." Uncle Zhang said this verbally, but the pride evident on his face was unmistakable. It's only natural to be pleased when someone praises you in an area you are most proud of!

"Uncle Zhang, I happened to obtain two pieces of top-grade jade from Li Si. Please take a look." I took out the two pieces of top-grade jade from my robes and placed them on the stone table.

Uncle Zhang's eyes lit up instantly. He examined the two pieces of jade closely. After a long while, he sighed and said:

"This jade is a rare king of jade – Jade Essence. It is the essence of a jade mine and can be used to calm the mind. However, it is far too hard; only sword light can cut through it. And which first-rank expert would carve it? Moreover, the carving tool must be extremely steady; even the slightest tremor would ruin the entire piece. Therefore, although this Jade Essence is precious, it is of little practical use. But simply because of its rarity, a piece of Jade Essence can sell for fifty thousand taels of silver."

"Where can I buy Jade Essence?" I asked impatiently.

"Although it's rare, you can still buy some by pre-ordering at major auction houses. Actually, high-grade jade is sufficient; it also has the effect of calming the mind and is cheaper. I have a piece of high-grade jade here. If you don't mind, esteemed nephew, you can use mine." Uncle Zhang said generously. In truth, he was very reluctant to part with it, but I was his son's master, after all. He had to give it up even if he didn't want to.

I looked at Uncle Zhang and smiled, saying, "Uncle Zhang, how could I dare to accept your things? Moreover, I myself have quite a bit of high-grade jade. I actually need top-grade jade for some very important matters."

Uncle Zhang was still very happy after hearing my words. As a jade carver, he cherished good jade materials. One needed not only good carving skills but also good jade materials for a fine piece. Calming his emotions, Uncle Zhang remembered what I had said about needing top-grade jade for something important and couldn't help but feel curious. He asked:

"Esteemed nephew, although it is the essence of a jade mine and should have some important uses, and I do have some reputation in the jade carving industry, as far as I know, this top-grade jade has no significant function. Could you tell me what you intend to do with this top-grade jade? Oh, please forgive my presumption. If it's a secret, you don't have to say. Uncle Zhang is not an unreasonable person." Uncle Zhang concealed his feelings, showing a smile that indicated he wasn't insisting on knowing the secret. However, I could still see his anxious longing in his eyes.

I looked at Uncle Zhang's smiling face and smiled. I reached out, picked up the teacup that Ah Yu had just brought, and took a sip. I savored the refreshing, ethereal, and transcendent feeling. I realized I was starting to like this Holy Rain Guanyin.

At this moment, seeing me enjoying the tea, Uncle Zhang felt no pride at all. His heart was already filled with thoughts about the wondrous uses of this top-grade jade. This top-grade jade had never been known to have any significant function. How many jade carvers had spent their entire lives without discovering anything? For Uncle Zhang, a man who deeply loved carving jade, nothing was more appealing than knowing the uses of top-grade jade.

Seeing Uncle Zhang's anxious expression, while trying his best to maintain a calm facade, was truly difficult for our Uncle Zhang. I glanced up; it was almost time.

I put down my teacup, gently placed it on the stone, and looked up, meeting Uncle Zhang's gaze. Uncle Zhang immediately put on a smiling expression. I smiled and said to Uncle Zhang:

"Uncle Zhang, it's really nothing. It's not a secret. I just have a method to turn top-grade jade into flawless jade." I chuckled faintly. I knew what flawless jade meant in this world.

"What? What did you say? Flawless? How is that possible? How is that possible... Are you sure? You can definitely create flawless jade? Are you absolutely sure?" Uncle Zhang stood up from his chair and exclaimed loudly.

He had lost all his usual composure; he was almost frantic. But could he be blamed? Any jade carver would react this way. Flawless jade – it was the lifelong pursuit of a jade carver. For thousands of years, despite great advancements in carving techniques over the past few millennia, not a single piece of flawless jade had appeared. People believed flawless jade was just a legend. Now, the legend was about to become reality. How could he not be ecstatic?

I looked at Uncle Zhang and said firmly, "I am sure I can create flawless jade. When we return to the Capital City this time, I will immediately create a piece of flawless jade. Uncle Zhang, we are about to go to the Capital City, and Ah Yu will be going with us. Will you come with us? Oh, I just remembered, Baoyuxiang has a large shop in the Capital City. For your safety, you should continue to live a peaceful life here. This way, Ah Yu will also be at ease." I said teasingly to Uncle Zhang. I knew that to see flawless jade, Uncle Zhang would brave any danger.

"How can I do that? How can I leave my own son? No difficulty or danger can separate us father and son." A paternal glow seemed to emanate from Uncle Zhang's face. But I knew that while Uncle Zhang might not want to be separated from his son, the main reason was the imminent creation of flawless jade.

Zhang Yu, who was reading in his study, was deeply moved by his father's sincere declaration, his emotions stirred for a long time...

Looking at Uncle Zhang, although his primary motivation was the flawless jade, I could truly feel his affection for his son. My father...

Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion and stood up from my chair. I said resolutely to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, don't worry. You'll come with us, and no one will be able to harm you, let alone Baoyuxiang. Even ten Baoyuxiangs wouldn't faze me!" At that moment, I felt as if I could look down on the world. Indeed, as a cultivator, who in this world could I fear? My spirit soared, and my immense aura naturally permeated the surroundings.

Uncle Zhang looked at me, and suddenly his vision blurred. An imperial aura washed over him. The figure of the child before him grew larger and larger, like a towering mountain that one could not look up to... Suddenly, a desire to prostrate himself before the child arose in his heart... Abruptly, his vision cleared, and everything returned to normal. Others might think they were seeing things, but a jade carver, whose livelihood depended on his eyesight, trusted his eyes implicitly. Therefore, he knew that everything that had just happened was real, and the instigator was the child before him.

I suddenly noticed Uncle Zhang staring blankly, about to kneel before me. I immediately realized I had inadvertently released my cultivation aura. I quickly retracted it and sat down as before. I knew that a person like Uncle Zhang would not believe that what just happened was an illusion. I couldn't help but feel a little troubled. Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I looked at Uncle Zhang, saying:

"Uncle Zhang, when I came here earlier, I saw you splitting bamboo. You don't practice martial arts, so why do you have such keen eyesight, better than that of a martial artist? And that knife you used is just an ordinary bamboo-splitting knife, yet why could you split the bamboo in half with such ease?"

Upon hearing my question, Uncle Zhang immediately adopted the demeanor of an expert, stroked his short, sparse beard, and said loudly, "This eyesight is a fundamental skill for a jade carver. We cannot make the slightest mistake when carving, or the piece is ruined. And knife skill is the standard by which a jade carver is judged. When a jade carver can lift a heavy object as if it were light, using one part of their strength to achieve ten parts of the effect, they are a very good carver. As for my knife skill, it is about experiencing the natural grain of the material and applying natural forces to accomplish this. That is the mark of a truly peerless carving master."

I was astonished. Truly, there is a way in all things. Even the art of carving had developed to the point of utilizing natural forces.

"Uncle Zhang, I am impressed, truly impressed." I stood up and expressed my sincere admiration. My admiration was genuine. In my previous life, I only began to comprehend the use of natural forces when I reached the Nascent Soul Stage, and I was already over 1200 years old then!

"Master, are we leaving soon? Brother Wang has already made all the preparations. He sent me to ask you." Li Da's voice came from outside the room.