Chapter 36: Scheming

Chapter 36: Schemes

If one were to rely solely on jade-gambling skills, Yang Qi would have to give any master a wide berth, even if he were ten times more capable. However, Yang Qi did not rely on technique; he relied on sensing the primordial energy within the stones.

Through his observations at Shen’s Jewelry, he had realized that any jade of glutinous rice grade or higher contained primordial energy. In other words, as long as he could sense the energy of heaven and earth, the stone was guaranteed to be at least glutinous rice grade. With this method, failure was nearly impossible.

No matter how skilled a master gambler might be, could they guarantee a high-quality find every single time? Even the "Jade King" himself would likely hesitate to make such a claim, yet Yang Qi could. This was the source of his confidence.

After Shen Yuxuan briefly outlined the itinerary for the following day, everyone retired to their rooms. Having just endured a long flight, they were exhausted; only by resting well could they participate effectively in tomorrow’s jade exhibition.

As soon as Yang Qi entered his room, his phone rang. It was Zhao Yixin.

"Yang Qi, where are you?" her voice came through the receiver.

"At the Yuehai Hotel," Yang Qi replied.

"The Yuehai Hotel? That’s a five-star hotel! You really are a big spender," she exclaimed. The Yuehai was the most famous hotel in eastern Guangdong. Even as a flight attendant, which was considered a high-income profession, Zhao Yixin could not bring herself to stay at such an expensive place.

"It’s not me who’s the big spender, but our boss. I’m here on a business trip," Yang Qi said with a laugh.

"Your boss is so kind. Unlike our supervisor, who scolded me today," Zhao Yixin said, sounding envious.

"Was it about that passenger on the plane?" Yang Qi asked.

"Yes. It was clearly the passenger’s fault, but the supervisor still gave me a harsh lecture."

The incident on the plane had been witnessed by almost everyone, and the passenger’s arrogance and unreasonableness were obvious. Even Yang Qi hadn't expected that instead of receiving support from her superiors, Zhao Yixin would be reprimanded.

"It's a good thing my boss isn't as unreasonable as your supervisor," Yang Qi said with a faint smile. "Though, thinking about the way that passenger fell over, it was quite funny."

"That's true," Zhao Yixin continued. "Since you’re here for work, are you free to hang out?"

"Of course," Yang Qi laughed. While an average person would be exhausted after a long flight, Yang Qi was a Seven-Star Martial Apprentice whose physical constitution far surpassed that of a normal person. He could go three or five days without rest and still be fine.

"That’s wonderful! Because of that incident, I was supposed to fly back to Qingzhou tomorrow, but my flight was delayed. I have to wait three days before I can leave," she said, sounding delighted.

Usually, as a flight attendant, she would only stay in Guangdong for one night. But due to the morning’s events, she was forced to delay her return. With three extra days suddenly thrust upon her and her colleagues heading back to Qingzhou, leaving her alone, she had naturally thought of Yang Qi.

The two chatted for a while longer until one of Zhao Yixin’s friends urged her to hang up.

...

In a presidential suite at the Yuehai Hotel, several men sat facing each other. In the center was a young man in his twenties. If Shen Yuxuan were there, she would have recognized him instantly as Liu Xiangnan of Liu’s Jewelry.

"Young Master Liu, Shen Yuxuan has arrived," said a burly man—Liu Xiangnan’s bodyguard.

"Who else is with her?" Liu asked indifferently.

"Besides her assistant, she has two bodyguards and a jade-gambling consultant. Based on the information we’ve gathered, this person is Shen’s Jewelry’s new consultant, Yang Qi."

"Yang Qi?" Liu scoffed. "I don’t know where he crawled out from, but he dares to meddle in the conflict between the Liu and Shen families just because he knows a few tricks?"

He didn't care about the skills of a twenty-something-year-old upstart. What truly irritated him was that everyone in the inner circle knew the Liu family was squeezing the Shen family out of business. That Yang Qi would choose to stand by Shen Yuxuan at such a time annoyed him.

"This Yang Qi seems to have appeared out of thin air. Our people are still investigating his background, but we should have news soon," the man added.

Liu Xiangnan nodded noncommittally. He didn't consider Yang Qi a threat. His real concern regarding this trip to Guangdong, beyond suppressing the Shen family, was whether the Li family would intervene on their behalf.

This was not Qingchuan Province. While some large jewelers still gave the Liu family face, the Li family’s influence was even greater. Any blockade imposed by the Lius would be a joke to them. If the Li family stood with the Shens, his blockade would be severely undermined. A key reason for this trip was to determine their stance.

"From the current situation, it seems the Li family will not interfere. This is excellent news for us. At this jade exhibition, we only need to focus on crushing Shen’s Jewelry. Once they lose their source of jade, they will naturally be forced to shut down," Liu Xiangnan said calmly.

He turned to the elderly man sitting beside him—Wu Shan, the chief jade-gambling consultant for Liu’s Jewelry.

"Old Wu, I’m counting on you this time."

"Rest assured, Young Master Liu. I will ensure Shen’s Jewelry returns empty-handed," Wu Shan replied solemnly.

Having been a master for years, Wu Shan had his own pride. There were only a few people in all of Qingchuan Province who could pressure him; he didn't give a passing thought to an unknown like Yang Qi.

"Very good!" Liu nodded with a smile, well aware of Wu Shan’s standing as one of the top three consultants in the province.

"Young Master Liu, if I may be so bold," Wu Shan said, looking puzzled, "we could have simply targeted the Shen branch stores. If internal problems arose, they would have failed soon enough. There was no need to make this trip to Guangdong."

The Shen family was currently beset by internal and external troubles. Even with the Li family’s cooperation, they were primarily jade suppliers; the rest was up to the Shens. If internal strife were added to the mix, they would have collapsed without him needing to come here.

"You don't need to worry about other matters; just do your part," Liu said coldly. He waved his hand, and the others promptly left the suite.

"If I only wanted to swallow the Shen company, I would have done it long ago," Liu Xiangnan murmured to himself, holding a glass of red wine and gazing out at the view. "It is the entire Shen family I want, not just their jewelry business."

"The Myanmar Gemstone Emporium will be the death of the Shens."

Draining the glass, a faint smile played on his lips.