Chapter 108 Chapter Carving Dragon and Phoenix
“Lad, if you don’t know about it, just cut it out. Seven-star grass looks ordinary, but in fact, it is a herb more precious than ginseng. It has a price but no sales. It is specially applied to the treatment of kidney. Although it is incapable of healing uremia, with some other herbs, it can effectively inhibit the virus of uremia. It can save patients from dialysis and enable them to work and live like normal people and persist for a long time waiting for the kidney source.”
A drug dealer standing next to the young man explained to him with some displeasure.
The young man fell silent with a temperamental face. After knowing the effect of Seven-Star Grass, he had to admit that the ordinary grass was indeed worth the price.
However, as a young and aggressive man, he was still not convinced, “Even if this seven-star grass is valuable, it is only sold for 800,000 yuan which is far away from three million yuan.”
As he said that, the people around him looked at him as if he was mentally retarded. Hadn’t he seen the drug dealers surrounding Ding Ning passionately handing him business cards? Hadn’t he seen they looking at the herb bag with wolf-like eyes?
Since he could take out a seven-star grass, he could probably take out the second, the third…
The young man immediately realized how silly he was, he blushed with embarrassment, wishing he could find a gap to sneak in. In particular, when he peeked at the queen and found that she simply disdained to look at him, it made him extremely depressed.
Ding Ning did not continue taking out Seven-Star Grass. He didn’t have many Seven-Star Grass but only three which he wanted to keep them as seeds.
Thus, he took out a white stuff which was as large as a fist and looked very fleshy like lard, but the nine red markings on it made it looked very strange.
Ding Ning said with a smile, “Everyone, here’s a test for your eyesight. Who can recognize this stuff?”
“It looks like a ganoderma lucidum, but I have never seen one with nine red markings. What is this?”
Everyone frowned with no idea of what it was. Only Mr. Liu who was experienced and knowledgeable judged that it looked like a ganoderma lucidum from its shape, but he was not sure.
Ding Ning reached out to give a thumbs up and sincerely praised, “Mr. Liu is experienced. This is indeed a ganoderma lucidum, but a ganoderma lucidum in the general sense. It is recorded by Li Shizhen in the Compendium of Materia Medica that ganoderma lucidum, which is shaped like meat, attached to a big stone with a head and a tail, is a creature. The red one is like coral. The white one is like fat. The black one is like wartwort. The blue one is like quetzal bird’s long green plumage. The yellow one is like violet gold. All of them are bright and transparent like ice. They are also known as meat ganoderma. However, few people know that a ganoderma lucidum has its own age. Every thousand years there will be another red marking on it, and it will become smaller. With ten markings, it will become another kind of medicinal material named long live. This piece in my hand is a ganoderma lucidum more than nine thousand years old but less than ten thousand years old. ”
“How much is this? Is it for sale?”
“Yeah, ganoderma lucidum is very rare. How much is a ganoderma lucidum more than 9000 years old worth?”
“Wow, little buddy, I’m afraid that all of us can’t afford it.”
… All drug dealers got excited, and went around to look at it. Nevertheless, after estimating their assets, all of them suddenly felt unconfident and withdrew.
First, they were not sure whether Ding Ning was telling the truth. Naturally, they would not run a risk of buying something they did not know. Second, even if it was a real ganoderma lucidum, they estimated that they could never afford it. Even if it was just a drop of resin nine thousand years ago, it had become amber which was absolutely an invaluable antique, let alone a nine-thousand-year-old ganoderma lucidum.
Ding Ning said with a smile, “You think too much. I have no intention of selling this stuff. I just want to prove that once I lose the bet, I have the ability to perform the bet.”
It was an unexpected joy for Ding Ning to discover the ganoderma lucidum in the rain forest. Except for Seven-Star Grass and green aloe, other rare herbs in his bag basically had the only sample which he wanted to keep as seeds. He was not willing to sell them at all.
Originally he had to sell them because of a lack of money, but he had no intention of selling these herbs since he found that he could completely solve his current predicament by gambling on stones.
He took out the 9000-year-old ganoderma lucidum to prove his financial resources, divert others’ attention and make others dismiss the idea of buying his herbs.
“No problem. Little buddy, I can stand guarantee for you.”
Mr. Liu first stood out to support Ding Ning. After all, he owed Ding Ning a big one because Ding Ning had sold the Seven-Star Grass to him.
“Just five million yuan. Little buddy, I can also stand guarantee for you.”
“Five million yuan is a petty amount. I can also do that.”
“Go ahead. if you lose and don’t have enough money, just tell me.”
…
A group of wealthy drug dealers asked for standing guarantee for Ding Ning. Some of them even hoped that he would lose and had to sell the herbs in his bag. Even if it was impossible, they could earn a lot with a small piece of the 9000-year-old ganoderma lucidum.
The young man was somewhat unconfident. Nevertheless, he thought that as a drug dealer, even if Ding Ning knew about carving, he wouldn’t be capable of carving the jade of Ice Type into two pendants. It was a job which could only be done by top jade carving masters.
Working as a jade carving master was a little similar to working as a traditional Chinese physician. Their older age, richer experience and higher skills made their work more valuable.
Ding Ning looked twenty-five years old at most. How could such a young jade carving master carve two pendants without any scrap?
At the thought of it, he immediately felt confident and said with a sneer, “Since you want to give me money, I will accept it with pleasure. Mr. Liu, please be a witness and we’ll sign a gambling contract, in case someone denies his failure.”
“Little buddy, do you want to consider it again?”
Mr. Liu was worried about Ding Ning. After all, Ding Ning could be considered his benefactor, so he naturally didn’t want to see Ding Ning lose money.
“Mr. Liu, thank you for your kindness. Please be a witness and draft a contract.”
Ding Ning shook his head without hesitation. No joking, he began to practice using knife from the age of three. He could use the scythe to carved on the tofu. It was just a piece of cake for him to carve two jade pendants.
Besides, he had already seen the jade, and even thought about how to carve it without any scrap.
Mr. Liu shook his head helplessly, and thought that Ding Ning was too young and aggressive. Nevertheless, seeing Ding Ning’s resolute attitude, he stopped persuading him. Because people often signed a contract before gambling on stones, there were ready-made contracts.
They both took out their identity cards to sign the contract. It was not until then that Ding Ning knew that the young man was called Xiang Bolong.
Xiang Bolong didn’t hesitate to reach out to hand him the jade with a confident smile on his face.
“Mr. Liu, do you have carving knives which I can borrow?”
Ding Ning asked politely.
“Yes, there are jade carving masters in our auction house. I can borrow a set for you.”
Seeing Ding Ning had complete confidence, he immediately asked someone to bring a set of carving knives.
Without hesitation, Ding Ning reached out to take the carving knife and began to focus on carving.
Everyone was stunned, looking at the knife which seemingly came alive. Without the help of electric tools at all, a piece of jade became two pieces in his hands.
There were ripples in the queen’s eyes as calm as an ancient well. She thought that he was really highly-skilled in using knife.
Xiang Bolong’s face had darkened. He didn’t expect that Ding Ning was actually capable of carving jade, and he was so skilled.
At the thought that this jade probably no longer belonged to him, although he didn’t consider three or five million yuan a pretty penny, he still found it a little unbearable.
After all, during this period, he had spent a lot of money on gambling on stones. He mostly lost, which made him a little economically stressful.
With no time to care about his mood, Ding Ning concentrated on carving. He found it not greatly different from stone carving, which made him more confident.
He sought this limelight out of his queen complex. If he did not show his skill, how could he attract the queen’s attention?
As time passed by, fine jade debris fell down, and Xiang Bolong’s face increasingly darkened. A pendant had been formed.
It was a ball-shaped pendant with a lifelike phoenix carved on it. The phoenix looked like spreading its wings and flying at them.
Everyone handed it around for perusal and was amazed by Ding Ning’s skill. The pendant was smooth like nature itself, not inferior to the work of the two top jade carving masters.
Some antique merchants who had fiddled with jade carvings all year round even thought it better than the work of top jade carving masters.
When the queen held the jade carving in her hand and observed it carefully, the naturally-made phoenix made her calm face faintly moved. She then looked at Ding Ning with sparkle in her eyes.
The onlookers whispered while complimenting Ding Ning. They stared at Ding Ning with full expectations, wanting to see what the second pendant was.
Ding Ning wielded the knife which transformed into shadows. As the jade debris constantly fell down, finally the second pendant was formed.
It was a crystal-clear moon with a dragon displaying its teeth and brandishing its paws on it. Looking at it towards the sun, the dragon seemed to fly in the moonlight as if it came alive.
A Moon and a sun represented yin and yang. Each was improved by association with the other, with prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix.
“Little buddy, you are highly-skilled in using knife and do a good job. Your carving skill makes these two pendants more brilliant. I offer six million yuan.”
Too fond of the jade carving to let go of it, the fat man Mr. Zhang said with excitement. Merely the flawless carving skill was enough to make the price of the pair of pendants increase by one million yuan.
“I offer six million and one hundred thousand yuan. No matter how much boss Zhang offers, I’ll offer one hundred thousand yuan more than him.”
The queen said in a cold voice. The inevitable certainty completely showed her fondness for the pendants.
“Lady, you are humiliating me by saying that.”
Awed by the queen’s aggressive tone, the fat man Mr. Zhang gave her the two pendants with a bitter face, “Since you are bound to win, I will not offer a higher price, lest people say that I bid up the price. I’ll give it to you to foster a good relationship. ”
“Thank you for giving up what you treasure.”
Neither humble nor pushy, the queen calmly looked at Ding Ning with no grateful emotion, “Give me your account number. I will transfer the money to you.”
Glancing at Xiang Bolong who left in anger, Ding Ning said with a sly smile, “I’m not selling it!”
“You are not selling it?” The queen seemed to be shocked by this answer. She opened her mouth slightly, and the lovely look instantly made her less like a queen.
“Yeah, when did I say I want to sell it?”
Ding Ning directly took the sun phoenix pendants from her hand, and squinted at her eyes with a strange smile, “I’m not selling it, only giving it. The dragon belongs to you, and this belongs to me. One for each of us.”
Everyone suddenly became stunned, realizing something between them.
Some looked at the queen with envy, sighing that the beauty was born with the innate advantage and could get the pendant for free.
Meanwhile, people looked at Ding Ning with even more fervent eyes, secretly guessing his identity. He who wore cheap clothes no more than three hundred yuan was so generous that he gave away the pendant which was worth more than three million yuan without any hesitation. His generosity was far beyond that of ordinary people. He must come from a rich family and come here for chasing girls with a pretty penny.
As the queen’s face changed slightly, a chill came out from her and filled the house, making people around her involuntarily shudder and subconsciously keep a distance from her.