Li Bufan nodded and took the two pieces of Redwood Jade from his Storage Ring, setting them on the stone workbench. "These two. Sorry for the trouble, master, but could you cut them open for me?"
The man walked over to the workbench, picked up the piece of deep crimson gold-pattern jade, and hefted it in his hand. He brought it close to his eyes to examine its surface patterns, then set it down. "This one looks pretty good. There's a decent chance of finding something inside. Would you like to watch from the side, or wait in the back room?"
Li Bufan considered it for a moment. "I'll watch from here. I'd like to learn a little about how jade is cut, too."
The man said nothing more and simply nodded. He took a thin-bladed jade knife and a small, pointed chisel from the rack, then sat down at the workbench.
He secured the piece of deep crimson gold-pattern jade in a groove on the workbench and drew a deep breath. Holding the jade knife at an extremely shallow angle, he pressed it against the stone's surface.
Li Bufan stood beside him, his gaze fixed on the man's every movement.
The man's wrist was remarkably nimble. The jade knife moved slowly along the surface, shaving away layers of exactly the same thickness with every cut. Thin stone shavings fluttered down like snowflakes.
His movements were slow but exceptionally steady. Each cut carried an almost instinctive judgment, as though the tip of his blade could sense every subtle change in the aura within the jade.
Whenever he reached a turn in the grain, he switched to the pointed chisel, using an even lighter touch for the delicate work. One by one, he peeled away the weak spots that differed from