Chapter Twelve: The Leisurely Jade (Two)

  I strolled up in front of Uncle Zhang, looking at him, looking into those eyes that could see through all the substance and essence of the world.

  Zhang Da Shu is called Zhang Kuang, and he is indeed very arrogant. He also has the qualifications to be arrogant, at the age of 40, he has already become a leader in the industry of sculptors with heavy experience. It's because of his arrogance that he dares to loudly scold the second young master of "Bao Yu Xiang", although he knows that the second young master is a complete small person, even if it leads to his current situation, he still doesn't regret it.

  He gazed at the child in front of him, for the first time having an unfathomable feeling. Although it's said that reading people is much harder than reading objects, one can still make out a bit, but this child was completely unreadable. Looking at the child: his appearance was that of a kid, his gait was steady and powerful, like a strong adult. His eyes had the vitality of a child, the maturity of a middle-aged person, and the depth of an elderly person who has experienced many hardships. What kind of person is he? Is he really just a child? Could it be that he's a hidden sage, someone who has reversed his aging...

  I laughed because I saw those eyes were already bewildered...

  "Uncle Zhang, although I am Zhang Yu's master, I'm only six years old this year and will be turning seven after the new year. So, I'll just call you Uncle Zhang!" I said with a slight bow and a faint smile.

  Zhang Kuang looked at me, he knew that his son had inherited his own madness, ordinary people simply ignored him, let alone worshiped him as a master. The person in front of him, with just the appearance of a child, made his own son worship him as a master, it seemed that this was indeed a high-ranking person. Zhang Kuang still didn't believe that Zhang Xingfeng was a young child and treated him as an extraordinary being from outside the world.

  Since everyone calls me "uncle", I couldn't refuse, who knows what he's thinking.

  "Oh, since you've said so much, my young nephew, please come in and rest in my humble bamboo hut. Yu'er, go make tea for your master and bring out the Holy Rain Guanyin. My young nephew, please follow me." Zhang Kuang led me into his small bamboo hut.

  What's going on? How could Father bear to take out the Holy Rain Guanyin? It seems that Father has also seen the extraordinary aspect of my master. Zhang Yu thought as he walked towards the small house in the back.

  "Uncle Zhang, Zhang Yu said you are an extremely skilled and formidable jade carving master." I said to Uncle Zhang as I sat on the bamboo chair in the front room.

  "I don't dare, I don't dare, it's just that there is some slight fame, hehe." Zhang Dashu said with his mouth, but the pride on his face was still very obvious. When others praise you in the aspect where you are most proud and arrogant, how can you not be happy?

  "Uncle Zhang, I happened to get two pieces of top-quality jade from Li Si. Please take a look." I took out the two pieces of top-quality jade from my pocket and placed them on that bluestone table.

  Uncle Zhang's eyes lit up in an instant, and he gazed carefully at the two pieces of jade. After a long while, he let out a sigh and said:

  "This piece of jade is a rare treasure, the essence of a jade mine. It can be used to calm one's mind, but it's extremely hard, only a sword edge can scratch it. Who among the top masters would dare to carve it? Moreover, the carving knife must be extremely stable, a single tremble would ruin the entire product. So, although this jade essence is precious, it has little practical use, yet due to its rarity, one piece of jade essence can sell for 50,000 taels of white silver."

  "Where can I buy jade then?" I couldn't wait any longer.

  "Although it's rare, you can still buy some at a large auction house if you pre-order. In fact, high-quality jade is fine too, it also has a calming effect and is cheaper. I have a piece of high-quality jade here, if you don't mind, you can use mine." Zhang Da Shu said generously, but in his heart, he was actually reluctant to part with it. However, since I am the teacher of his son, he had to be willing to let go.

  I looked at Uncle Zhang with a smile and said, "Uncle Zhang's things, how dare I accept them? Moreover, I originally had some high-quality jade stones of considerable quantity. What I actually need is top-grade jade for something very important."

  Uncle Zhang was still very happy after I finished speaking. As a jade carver, he cherished the good jade materials in his hands. To know that good works not only require good craftsmanship but also good jade materials. After calming down, Uncle Zhang suddenly remembered what I said earlier about using top-grade jade for something important and couldn't help but feel puzzled, so he asked.

  "Virtuous nephew, although it is the essence of a jade mine and should have some very important uses, I myself also have some reputation in the jade carving industry. However, as far as I know, this top-grade jade has no significant use. Virtuous nephew, can you tell me what you plan to use this top-grade jade for? Oh, please forgive my impertinence, if virtuous nephew has any important secrets, there's no need to say it, I, Zhang Da Shu, am not an unreasonable person."

  Zhang Da Shu, hiding his true emotions, revealed a smiling face, indicating that he didn't necessarily need to know the secret. But I still saw the anxious and eager expression in his eyes.

  I gazed at Uncle Zhang's smiling face, and I couldn't help but smile too. I picked up the tea cup that Ah Yu had brought over earlier from the celadon table, took a light sip, and savored the refreshing and airy feeling in my mouth. I realized that I was starting to like this Sheng Yu Guanyin.

  At this time, Uncle Zhang looked at me enjoying myself, but he didn't have the slightest pride. His heart was already filled with thoughts about the extraordinary uses of this top-grade jade. This top-grade jade had never been found to have any significant use, and countless jade carvers had spent their entire lives searching without finding anything. For someone like Uncle Zhang who loved carving jade so much, there was nothing more attractive than knowing the uses of top-grade jade.

  Looking at Uncle Zhang's anxious appearance, he still had to put on a calm expression, it was really hard for our Uncle Zhang. I raised my head and took a look, it was almost ripe.

  I put down the teacup in my hand and gently placed it on the bluestone, raised my head and looked straight at Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang immediately showed a smiling face. I smiled and said to Uncle Zhang:

  "Uncle Zhang, actually there's nothing to it, nor is it a secret. I just have a method that makes top-grade jade stones become flawless biyu." I smiled faintly, knowing what flawless biyu meant in this world.

  "What, what did you say? Not a single flaw, how is this possible, how is this possible... Are you certain, you must be able to produce jade stones without a single flaw, are you really certain?" Zhang Da Shu stood up from his chair and said loudly.

  He has lost all his usual calmness, he is almost crazy now, but how can you blame him? Any jade carver would be the same. A flawless piece of jade is a lifetime pursuit for a jade carver. For thousands of years, the techniques of jade carving have made great progress, but until today, there has never been a flawless piece of jade. People all think that a flawless piece of jade is just a legend, and now this legend may come true. Can you say he can't go crazy?

  I looked at Uncle Zhang and said firmly, "I'm sure I can make a flawless biyu. This time when we return to the capital, I'll immediately make one. Uncle Zhang, we're about to leave for the capital, Ah Yu will also come with us, are you coming with us? Oh, I remembered that 'Bao Yu Xiang' has a big store in the capital, for your safety, just live a peaceful life here, Ah Yu will also be at ease." I teased Uncle Zhang, knowing that he would go to great lengths to see the flawless biyu, even if it meant going through treacherous mountains and seas.

  "How can this be, how can I leave my own son? No matter what difficulties or dangers, nothing can separate us father and son." Zhang Da Shu's face seemed to radiate a warm paternal glow. But I knew that Zhang Da Shu might not want to part with his own son, but the majority of it was still because of the upcoming birth of Wu Yu Bi Yu.

  Zhang Yu, who was reading in his study, heard his father's sincere words and felt a surge of emotions, unable to calm himself down for a long time...

  I looked at Uncle Zhang's appearance, although he was mainly for Yu Biyu, but his feelings towards his son, I could still truly feel it, what about my father...

  I suddenly felt a surge of excitement, stood up from my chair and resolutely said to Uncle Zhang: "Uncle Zhang, rest assured, you're walking with us, no one can harm you, let alone that 'Bao Yu Xiang'! Even if ten 'Bao Yu Xiang's came, I wouldn't bat an eye!" At that moment, I seemed to be looking down on the world, indeed, as a cultivator, who was I afraid of? For a moment, my heroic spirit soared, and my own majestic aura naturally spread out.

  Mr. Zhang looked at me, and suddenly his eyes blurred, a majestic aura rushed forward, the figure of the child in front of him grew bigger and bigger, like a great mountain that made it impossible to look up... Suddenly, a thought arose in his heart to worship the child in front of him... Suddenly, everything in front of him lit up again, and others might think it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. But as a jade carver who relies on his eyes for work, he is extremely confident in his own eyes. Therefore, he knew that everything earlier was real, and the mastermind behind it all was the child in front of him.

  I suddenly found that Uncle Zhang was staring blankly with both eyes, and was about to kneel down in front of me. I immediately discovered that I had inadvertently released the aura of my cultivation realm. I quickly retracted the aura and sat back down as before. I knew that someone like Uncle Zhang would never believe that everything he just saw was an illusion. I couldn't help but feel a bit worried, when suddenly I had an idea, and looking at Uncle Zhang, I said:

  "Uncle Zhang, just now when I came here, I saw you chopping bamboo. You don't have any martial arts skills, so why do you have eyesight that's even better than those who practice martial arts? That knife of yours is just an ordinary bamboo-chopping knife, so how can you easily chop the bamboo in two with such ease?"

  Uncle Zhang immediately put on a dignified look as soon as he heard my question, stroked his three short whiskers and said loudly: "This eyesight is the basic skill of a jade carver. When we carve, we can't make any mistakes at all. Otherwise, one piece of work will be ruined. And knife skills are the standard to measure a jade carver. When a jade carver can do heavy work with ease and achieve ten times the effect with one-tenth the effort, that's a very good carver. But my knife skills are about experiencing the texture of the material itself, using natural forces to do all this, that's what makes a truly exceptional master carver."

  I was amazed, it's really true that everything has its own way, even the carving industry has developed to the point where it can utilize natural forces.

  "Uncle Zhang, I admire you, really admire you!" I stood up and sincerely expressed my admiration. I was being genuine, as it wasn't until my previous life when I reached the Yuan Ying period that I realized the importance of utilizing natural forces, and by then I was already over 1,200 years old!

  "Master, aren't we setting off immediately? Wang Da Ge has already made all the preparations. He asked me to come and ask you." Li Da's voice came from outside the room.