The veneer technique

"Kid, what are you doing?"

Jiang Tian's actions gave everyone a fright.

This was a bloodstone worth thirty million, and he had actually splashed water on it?

Even if it wouldn't cause any actual damage, no one would dare treat something so precious so roughly!

"Kid, have you lost your mind? Do you know how much this bloodstone is worth?"

The store manager nearly went berserk, his eyes blazing.

Master Liu's expression changed dramatically too. The bloodstone's value lay in its blood-red markings. Contact with hot water could damage its internal structure and affect the pattern of its colors, potentially sending its value plummeting!

"Security, grab him!"

The store manager shouted at the top of his lungs.

Instantly, the jewelry store's entire security system activated, and four or five guards rushed in.

"Jiang Tian, what do we do?"

Jiang Wan'er grew a little frightened at the sight of the fierce-looking men.

Jiang Tian remained perfectly calm. He shook his head slightly and said, "Don't be scared. Just watch."

"Kid, fuck you! If there's even the slightest damage to this bloodstone, I'll make you pay until you're bankrupt!"

The man in the fur coat roared.

Smack!

But the instant he finished speaking, Jiang Tian slapped him across the face.

The man in the fur coat spun a full circle on the spot before dropping to his knees, utterly dazed.

"You've already been exposed, and you're still running your damn mouth?"

Jiang Tian snorted.

Then he looked at the store manager and Master Liu. "Didn't you want proof? Go take a look yourselves."

Intimidated into silence by Jiang Tian's forceful presence, the store manager and the others instinctively turned their gazes toward the bloodstone.

"Impossible!"

Just then, Master Liu seemed to notice something. His aged face twitched, and he shakily walked over.

The store manager asked, "Master Liu, what's wrong? Is the bloodstone damaged?"

Master Liu didn't answer. He walked up to the bloodstone, removed his gloves, and gently touched its surface. A transparent sheet as thin as a cicada's wing stuck to his finger and lifted away.

The instant the sheet came off, all that remained beneath it was an ordinary, smooth stone. The bloodstone's red markings had vanished!

"How did it turn into this?"

The store manager froze at the sight.

"The veneer method... this is a fake!"

Master Liu finally spoke, disbelief filling his eyes. Had he really misjudged it?

"What? The veneer method?"

The store manager was thoroughly shaken. As the manager of a store, he knew something about the trade's shady practices.

And the veneer method was one of the trade's most sophisticated counterfeiting techniques!

A thin layer of genuine bloodstone was attached to a stone that originally had no blood-red markings, then soaked in special grease or resin to erase every trace of the work. Without highly precise instruments, it was virtually impossible to distinguish the fake from the real thing with the naked eye!

"Damn it, he really is a scammer?"

Realizing what had happened, the store manager was both shocked and furious. He had nearly caused a disaster!

"You bastard! How dare you try to scam me?"

He glared at the man in the fur coat as though he wanted to tear him apart.

With his scam exposed, the man in the fur coat instinctively tried to flee in a panic.

But the store's security system was fully activated, and four tall, burly guards were standing there. How could he possibly escape?

As the guards rushed toward him, the man in the fur coat unexpectedly pulled a switchblade from his pocket and snarled viciously, "Stay back! Come any closer and I'll stab you to death!"

As he spoke, he waved the knife wildly through the air.

Seeing the knife, the guards hesitated. After all, their monthly salary of a few thousand wasn't worth risking their lives over.

"You... don't do anything rash!"

The store manager hadn't expected the man to be carrying a knife either. He grew frightened, worried that someone might get hurt.

"Kid, this is all your fault! If it weren't for you, that thirty million would've been mine! Even if I get caught, I'm taking someone down with me!"

Ignoring him, the man in the fur coat roared at Jiang Tian like a cornered beast.

Then he lunged at Jiang Tian with the switchblade.

"Jiang Tian, watch out!"

"Jiang Tian!"

Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying went pale with terror.

Even the store manager and Master Liu were horrified. If someone died in the store, they wouldn't escape responsibility either!

Just as everyone watched with their hearts in their throats.

What happened next left their jaws on the floor.

The instant the man in the fur coat lunged at Jiang Tian with his knife.

Jiang Tian suddenly reached out with one hand and caught him as easily as grabbing a chick, lifting him into the air.

"Heh, getting desperate? If you'd only committed fraud, you would've gotten a few decades at most. But now you've added attempted murder. I'm afraid you won't be escaping the death penalty."

Jiang Tian shook his head disdainfully, then slammed the man in the fur coat onto the floor.

Thud!

With a heavy crash, the man in the fur coat hit the floor, utterly dazed. Before he could take more than a couple of breaths, he passed out.

The store manager and the others were stunned. What kind of monstrous strength did it take to lift a man weighing over a hundred pounds into the air with one hand?

Coming to his senses, the store manager hurriedly shouted, "Grab him! Call the police!"

The guards finally snapped out of their stupor and rushed over to truss up the man in the fur coat.

Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying, meanwhile, were beside themselves with excitement.

Jiang Tian had looked so cool just now!

"Wan'er, your brother is amazing!"

Han Ying couldn't help saying enviously.

Jiang Wan'er felt a surge of pride. "Of course! My brother's the best!"

Before long, the guards had securely bound the man in the fur coat. All that remained was to wait for the police to arrive and hand him over.

Seeing that everything was settled, Jiang Tian had no desire to linger. He turned to Jiang Wan'er and said, "All right, let's go."

"Wait..."

The store manager came to his senses and wanted to ask Jiang Tian to stay. If not for him today, he probably would have faced not only compensating the company for its losses, but perhaps even some time behind bars.

Jiang Tian had done him an enormous favor. He had to thank him!

He hurried forward to stop Jiang Tian, but before he could speak.

"Hahaha! A young hero indeed! Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Just then, a burst of laughter suddenly came from outside the entrance.

A slightly plump middle-aged man in a crisp suit walked in.

The middle-aged man had an unremarkable face, but his bearing was exceptional. He looked like a man with billions to his name.

"B-Boss Zhou!"

The instant the middle-aged man entered, the store manager thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Why had the big boss suddenly come here?

He hurried forward to greet him.

But the two bodyguards behind the middle-aged man stopped him. The man gave him an indifferent glance, then walked straight past him toward Jiang Tian!

"And who are you?"

Jiang Tian frowned at the newcomer.

The middle-aged man laughed again and offered his hand. "Hello, young man. My name is Zhou Dafa, and I'm the owner of Zhou Dafa Jewelry. I saw everything you did just now. Such composure, such a keen eye. Truly extraordinary!"