Reasonable and Justifiable

Both girls had things to do.

Lin Mo also had something to do.

He carried out the watermelon-sized raw stone from the corner and casually grabbed a black garbage bag to hold underneath it.

He didn't fetch any tools, nor did he make any grand movements.

Lin Mo simply placed both hands on the stone, rubbing it seemingly at random.

In reality, spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips. What looked like rubbing was actually a mystical force, peeling away the surface layer of the stone skin inch by inch.

Lin Mo's spiritual sense knew perfectly well what was hidden inside this raw stone.

Cutting or opening a window on the stone at the jade gambling hall wasn't the best choice.

After all, a single mishandling could damage the raw jade.

Lin Mo's spiritual sense had long since seen through the interior of this stone material, so naturally, he chose the optimal method to perfectly extract this heaven-sent treasure.

Grayish-white stone dust fell rustling down, quickly accumulating into a thin layer in the garbage bag.

In just a few minutes, the originally dull, dusty surface of the stone began to faintly reveal a hint of green.

The green was extremely faint at first, as if veiled by a layer of mist, but as Lin Mo continued, that hint of green grew clearer and more intense.

Lin Mo stopped his hands and examined it carefully.

The value of jadeite hinges on three points: type, clarity, and color.

Type refers to the fineness of the crystalline structure; the finer the structure, the better the jade quality.

Clarity is the transparency of the jade; the more transparent, the more valuable.

Color, naturally, is the hue, with pure green being the most revered.

Connoisseurs often say that type and clarity are more important than color.

A piece of top-grade jadeite in terms of type and clarity can radiate astonishing beauty even if its color is slightly inferior.

But what if all three are top-tier?

Lin Mo's fingertips felt the smooth, fine texture; the naked eye could almost see no crystalline grains. This was the pinnacle of jadeite—glass type.

And that hint of green was not the common vibrant green or apple green, but the king of greens: imperial green.

Glass-type imperial green.

These six words were enough to make any jadeite merchant faint on the spot.

Moreover, it was such a large piece.

If this were to be revealed, the entire jadeite circle would tremble.

Lin Mo continued rubbing, grinding away the stone skin.

Soon, a palm-sized area of stone skin was completely worn away, revealing the true appearance of the jade flesh within.

That green was no longer concealed, dominating the entire window with a richness so deep it seemed it could drip.

He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

Click.

A beam of stark white light fell on the opened window.

The stone skin Lin Mo had ground off was the layer closest to the raw stone.

He picked up the phone, shining the flashlight onto the jadeite.

A translucent green light radiated out.

The light passed through the jade flesh without any obstruction, pushing the domineering and noble quality of that imperial green to its extreme.

Wherever the light reached, there was a flowing emerald color, as if he held in his hands not a stone, but a solidified, ancient lake of jade-green water.

Putting everything else aside, just this raw stone alone was probably worth a hundred million.

Eighteen thousand exchanged for a hundred million.

No wonder people were so enthusiastic about jade gambling.

But Lin Mo felt indifferent.

In his view, the value of jade and jadeite like this actually lay in their ability to hold more spiritual energy.

After learning that this world also had superpowers evolved from spiritual roots, Lin Mo felt the people around him needed more protection.

Just then, Lin Mo's phone rang in the study.

Xie Yuling's voice came from the study.

"Lin Mo! Jiang Yunlu is looking for you!"

As soon as the words fell, Xie Yuling walked out quickly holding Lin Mo's phone, her steps not exactly light, but quite fast.

But the next second, her gaze was firmly captured by that dazzling green on the table.

It was the raw stone Lin Mo had just opened a window on; the imperial green revealed at the cut surface flowed with an intoxicating luster under the sunlight, like a solidified emerald pool.

"Wow! So beautiful."

Xie Yuling couldn't help but lean in, almost pressing her face against it.

"Look as much as you like."

Lin Mo pushed the raw stone towards her and took the phone.

Though she said she was looking at the stone, Xie Yuling's eyes kept darting towards the phone in Lin Mo's hand.

As soon as the call connected, Jiang Yunlu's voice, carrying a hint of urgency, came through clearly.

"Are you guys okay? I just finished my tutoring class."

"We're fine, they've already left." Lin Mo's tone betrayed no emotion, as if he were just mentioning a trivial matter.

Jiang Yunlu on the other end of the line clearly breathed a sigh of relief, but just as she was about to say something more, there was movement from Xie Yuling's side.

"This jadeite is so incredibly green, really beautiful."

She exclaimed while reaching out a finger to cautiously touch the cool, smooth cut surface, looking utterly enchanted.

The voice on the phone paused for a moment, and Jiang Yunlu's focus immediately shifted.

"By the way, it's the weekend today. Why are you guys together? And you ran into Xia Yusheng?"

"Miaomiao's mother's birthday is coming up, we accompanied her to pick a gift, just happened to run into him," Lin Mo explained frankly.

"We're at Miaomiao's house now."

This explanation was reasonable. Jiang Yunlu gave an "oh," then seemed to think of something, a trace of barely detectable anticipation entering her tone.

"Speaking of which, you seem... to have never been to my house before."

Lin Mo was taken aback for a moment, then understood the girl's little thought and couldn't help but smile.

He slowed his speech, his voice carrying a smile: "There will be a chance."

"Really?!"

Jiang Yunlu's voice instantly rose, filled with barely suppressed delight. This promise made her happier than any gift.

However, this joy, her heightened voice through the receiver, every word was clearly transmitted to Xie Yuling's ears.

She looked up, seeing the soft smile on Lin Mo's face, and her little mouth unconsciously pouted slightly.

This beautiful piece of jadeite rough suddenly didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Xie Yuling withdrew her hand gloomily, walked over to Lin Mo without a word, sat down close beside him, and then turned her gaze to a disposable plastic cup on the table.

The cup held plain water poured for them by Chu Miaomiao, clear to the bottom, ordinary beyond ordinary.

She stared at it listlessly, feeling a bit of a pang in her heart.

Xie Yuling just looked quietly at the plastic cup. For some reason, she suddenly felt as if she could touch this plastic cup.

Just by concentrating a little, the side of the plastic cup actually dented in slightly.

Xie Yuling abruptly sat up straight, her breath catching for half a beat.

She whipped her head around to look at Lin Mo, eyes wide and round, her face full of a horrified "Did you see that?" expression.

Lin Mo looked down at Xie Yuling.

Xie Yuling tried to demonstrate again, but no matter what she did, the plastic cup in front of her didn't dent again.

"Alright, see you on Monday."

With that, the call ended. Lin Mo looked at Xie Yuling.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I just seemed to..." After careful consideration, Xie Yuling didn't say anything, then shook her head, picked up the plastic cup, and walked towards the room.