She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

Is Gu Jiasui back again?

No, that flash of an aura just now had too many characters.

It must be either Yi Zhi or Chu Bingbing!

Did they also come to the antique street?

But since they didn’t mention it, they probably didn’t want anyone to know. Yan decided not to dwell on it and followed Zhu Jue to the feng shui shop introduced by an acquaintance.

Since they were referred by someone, even though Yan and Zhu Jue looked young, the shop owner didn’t brush them off.

The owner here was Boss Tu, a somewhat thin middle-aged man. Yan noticed a string of bodhi seeds wrapped around his wrist, with a particularly striking piece of high-quality turquoise.

Boss Tu brought out several boxes. “The Small Five Emperor coins are easier to find. In our line of work, it’s convenient to exchange resources. I don’t have the Large Five Emperor coins on hand, but I know a boss who does and is willing to sell. I can take you to see them today.”

The Five Emperor coins refer to coins minted during the reigns of five emperors. The Large Five Emperor coins include the Qin Ban Liang, Han Wu Zhu, Kaiyuan Tongbao, Songyuan Tongbao, and Yongle Tongbao. Due to their antiquity, they are hard to collect. The Small Five Emperor coins, on the other hand, are from the Qing Dynasty, specifically from the reigns of Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing. Being relatively recent, they are easier to collect, though counterfeits are rampant.

Boss Tu had managed to produce four strings of Small Five Emperor coins in a short time. Although their conditions varied, it was clear he had strong connections.

The four strings were neatly braided with red threads, ready to be worn or hung somewhere. After confirming their authenticity, Yan paid without hesitation.

“As for the Large Five Emperor coins, we’d appreciate it if you could take us to see them, Boss Tu.”

“Sure, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍let’s go.” The feng shui shop seemed to be run solely by Boss Tu, as he closed the door behind them when they left.

“My old friend should be in his shop today. He just got a new shipment.” Boss Tu pointed in the direction of the jade district.

As they followed him, they realized that while the shopfront appeared modest, it was actually quite impressive inside. The exterior showcased high-end jade and emerald ornaments, and at this hour, the shop was bustling with customers.

“So many people?” Yan was curious.

Boss Tu chuckled. “It’s going to be a busy day today. I’ll take you over. They’ve just received a shipment of raw stones.”

Boss Tu led them through the crowd, and they soon saw piles of “stones.” Many people were already eagerly picking through them.

The “stones” varied in size, completely uncut, but the people examining them were both excited and serious.

“Are these raw jade stones?” Yan’s eyes sparkled. It was her first time seeing raw stones, and they really did look no different from ordinary rocks.

If Boss Tu hadn’t told her they were raw stones, Yan and Zhu Jue would have just walked past them, thinking they were ordinary roadside rocks.

“Yes, they’re shipped from Jade City. This happens only once every half month. You two are lucky to catch this. Today’s stone gambling is quite lively,” Boss Tu said with a smile.

“You two can look around first. I’ll go find someone. The boss here has to oversee the cutting today, so he’s a bit busy.”

Yan and Zhu Jue weren’t in a hurry. They had come to take care of two things today, and since they had no other plans, waiting was no issue.

Moreover, the spectacle before them was something they had never seen before. Watching the stone gamblers meticulously examining the stones with flashlights, Yan felt a surge of excitement.

“Jue, let’s take a look too,” she said, pulling Zhu Jue down to squat beside her. Without a small flashlight, they used their phone’s flashlight to inspect the stones.

Yan noticed that although the raw stones looked like ordinary rocks, they were all marked with numbered labels, though she wasn’t sure what they meant.

She pretended to examine them for a while, but without any relevant knowledge or experience, the stones just looked like rocks to her.

“Young people, that’s not how you look at raw stones,” came a mocking, pretentious voice. Yan was about to retort but realized the comment wasn’t directed at her.

It was coming from… the right front.

She peeked over and saw an aura labeled “Post-Apocalyptic Ability User” suddenly appear.

Yan: !

Yi Zhi is here? She hadn’t been mistaken about that fleeting aura earlier!

Yan was about to stand up and approach, but when she saw the figure beneath the aura, her expression turned strange.

If it weren’t for the aura, she would never have recognized the person as Yi Zhi.

Normally, Yi Zhi sported a wolf-cut hairstyle, with a larger frame. After being mistaken for a boy trying to enter the girls’ dormitory a few times, Yi Zhi had started dressing more femininely, and most people saw her as a handsome older sister.

But now, her clothes were loose, hiding her figure. She had her hands in her pockets, wore a cap, carried a backpack, and her face seemed to have been subtly altered. Her voice was low and androgynous, giving her a more rugged, trendy guy vibe.

“I don’t need your advice,” came the hoarse voice, completely different from Yi Zhi’s usual tone.

Yan quietly retracted the foot she was about to step forward with. Since Yi Zhi was disguised like this, it would be hard to explain if she recognized her.

Best to just observe and not interfere in the affairs of aura-bearing individuals.

…

Yan didn’t approach, but Yi Zhi’s height and sharp eyes made it easy for her to scan the surroundings.

When Yi Zhi spotted Yan and Zhu Jue, her pupils contracted.

What a coincidence! They’re here too?

But Yan and her boyfriend seemed to be just casually looking around, clearly not recognizing her.

Yi Zhi had come to the antique street today to buy some cheap jade and study the quality of gold.

Since the market here was tricky, she had disguised herself as a tourist, first wandering through the jade stalls and asking about the prices of ordinary bracelets.

At one stall, she picked up a small stone and casually weighed it in her hand. The stall owner said it was leftover material. Curious, Yi Zhi tested it by channeling a bit of spiritual energy into it.

Then she froze.

Her spiritual energy had allowed her to sense the interior of the stone, and what it detected was a hint of green.

Yi Zhi didn’t say anything but bought a Xiuyu jade bracelet for fifty yuan, pretending to be a curious young person. The stall owner, pleased with the sale, shared some insights about how raw stones were cut to reveal jade and how to judge their quality.

Some raw stones were sold by the piece, others by weight.

This immediately piqued Yi Zhi’s interest. She sifted through several stalls’ leftover materials—some were dark inside, some were just rocks, and some had a hint of green. This only strengthened her resolve.

Originally, she had planned to buy cheap jade from wholesalers, but now it seemed she could try her hand at cutting raw stones!

Raw stones were cheap but had the potential for much higher returns.

For most people, it was a gamble, but with her spiritual energy, she could sense the stones’ interiors, ensuring a sure profit.

The stall owner casually mentioned that the big jade shops on the street were cutting raw stones today, so Yi Zhi thanked him and headed over.

The raw jade stones here were much larger than the leftover materials she had seen earlier! Her spiritual energy could still detect their interiors!

However, Yi Zhi didn’t dare to test every stone. She quietly observed how others did it and mimicked their actions, examining many stones before settling on two.

Yi Zhi thought her choice of two stones wouldn’t draw attention, but someone nearby suddenly confronted her.

She put down another stone she had been about to examine. Though large, its interior seemed inferior to the two she had already picked.

The person who had spoken to her in a condescending tone was a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, dressed in a traditional Tang suit.

He shook his head at Yi Zhi’s retort. “Young people, if you don’t listen to your elders, you’ll regret it.”

Looking at the two stones Yi Zhi was holding, he sighed. “Your parents didn’t give you money to gamble away. These stones are guaranteed to be a waste. This isn’t a game for kids.”

As soon as he spoke, others who recognized him chimed in with warnings.

“Yeah, young man, you don’t seem like someone in the trade. Old Zhou here has cut ice-grade jade before. He’s been judging stones for over twenty years. If he says they’re no good, they’re really no good.”

“Exactly.”

“These two stones really don’t look promising. They’re too rough,” another person added, shaking his head.

Yi Zhi frowned.

“It’s my money. I’ll buy what I want. What’s it to you? Do you enjoy playing dad to strangers?”

"Publicly acting like a know-it-all is really uncivilized."

Yan really wanted to clap at that moment, but after glancing at the people around her, she silently put her hands down and blended into the crowd, trying not to stand out.

"You, you..." Old Zhou was momentarily speechless, and the onlookers who were caught in the crossfire weren’t pleased either.

"Hey, young man, how can you talk like that? Isn’t this just good intentions?"

"Alright, alright, young people need to learn from their mistakes. You can’t gain wisdom without suffering a bit."

"The young man looks decent, but why does he talk like that?"

"Ah, forget it, forget it. Young people have hot tempers. Suffering a bit is a blessing. Let’s see what expression he’ll have after cutting the stone."

Old Zhou put on a magnanimous expression, but his face couldn’t hide a hint of schadenfreude.

Yi Zhi didn’t know how to cut stones. She held the two pieces of raw jadeite she had picked out, weighed them, and paid for them. Fortunately, this place could help cut the raw stones on the spot.

"That young man seems to be cutting the stone right here."

"Whoa, let’s go take a look."

"I want to see what he’s going to get out of it."

The crowd inexplicably got worked up, as if they had all caught Old Zhou’s enthusiasm. They stopped looking at their own raw stones and swarmed over to watch Yi Zhi cut his.

The staff arranging the stones were also confused. "What’s everyone running off to see?"

Yan walked over to the spot where Yi Zhi had picked his stones earlier. She looked around and noticed a rather large stone. From a distance, she had seen Yi Zhi touch it when she was observing the "aura" earlier.

After some thought, she asked the staff for a wheeled cart and directed Zhu Jue to load the large raw stone onto it. Yan then casually picked up a smaller stone and placed it on top to cover it.

"Let’s go watch the excitement too." Dragging the cart, the two of them didn’t go to weigh the stones first but instead headed to where the crowd was gathered around the cutting table.

"What’s going on? Why’s it so lively?" Boss Tu walked over with a middle-aged man with slightly dark skin, looking at the crowded cutting platform.

Boss Tu immediately spotted Yan and Zhu Jue, along with the cart they were pulling, and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Yan, Zhu Jue, you two really didn’t come here for nothing. Come, let’s watch the excitement together. Later, we’ll have Old Xu cut your stones for you."

The man next to Boss Tu was Boss Xu, the owner of the jade shop. With their arrival, they naturally took the best spots, and Yan and Zhu Jue also benefited from their position.

Yan’s cart was taken away by the staff. Since they were Boss Tu’s guests, their items wouldn’t be lost.

Yi Zhi noticed Yan and her boyfriend approaching, and her heart skipped a beat, but she managed to keep her expression under control.

"Young man, should I cut it, or do you want to do it yourself?"

"Do you have any ideas? Should we make a small window first?"

The stone-cutting machine was right in front of them. The master held a marker, and Yi Zhi took it and drew a line on the stone.

"Cut it like this. You can proceed." Yi Zhi was very polite to the stone-cutting master.

"What kind of line is that? How could you draw it like that!"

"Ah, young people are so full of themselves. Even the gods can’t predict what’s inside a jade stone."

The onlookers sighed and shook their heads, as if Yi Zhi’s line had struck a nerve.

"Yan, Zhu Jue, what do you think?" Boss Tu glanced at the two young people who were engrossed in the spectacle.

"Um... I think he’ll cut out something good, maybe even top-grade jadeite," Yan said.

Zhu Jue nodded beside her.

Since they were standing in the middle, their words were easily heard by others, eliciting a round of laughter.

"Haha, young people are so naive."

"If he can cut out something good, I’ll eat my hat."

Yan thought to herself, the more people mocked the "aura person," the more likely it was that something extraordinary would come out of the stone—something truly exceptional.@@novelbin@@

She put on an innocent expression. "Isn’t there usually a beginner’s luck? Like in card games, newbies always seem to have good luck and can hit the jackpot."

Boss Tu and Boss Xu were amused by her comment. "You’re not wrong. There’s beginner’s luck in card games, but it’s rare for newbies to strike gold with stone-cutting."

As the cutting sound filled the air, the master made the first cut. A rich yellow color appeared before everyone’s eyes, and the crowd fell silent.

After a moment of stunned silence, the place erupted into chaos.

"It’s there! It’s there!"

"There’s meat! It’s yellow!"

"Let me see, let me see. That luster... it must be chicken-fat yellow!"

"Young man, handsome, are you selling? I’ll offer 300,000! You’ve only cut one side. Are you going to cut again?" Someone immediately shouted an offer.

With just one small cut, someone had already offered 300,000. Yan noticed Boss Tu shaking his head beside her.

"That’s too low."

"Yellow jade is prized above all others. High-quality yellow jade like this, close to chicken-fat yellow, is hard to come by. From what we can see, the luster is excellent. It all depends on whether he cuts it again," Boss Xu explained with a smile.

"It seems the kid was right. What was it called again? Beginner’s luck."

The onlookers, who had been waiting to see Yi Zhi fail, suddenly became enthusiastic.

"Young man, don’t cut it again. One cut can make you rich, the next can make you poor. You never know what the next cut will bring. 300,000 is already good."

"Buddy, 500,000. I’ll give you 500,000."

"What are you talking about? You’re just trying to get a bargain. Handsome, keep cutting. If the next cut is good, 300,000 or 500,000 could multiply several times over." Someone egged Yi Zhi on.

"This is yellow jade. If the next cut is bad, it might still be chestnut yellow. How can you offer only 500,000 for something this size?"

"Keep cutting, keep cutting."

As the saying goes, people love to stir up drama. The crowd was now divided, with some shouting to keep cutting and others urging him to stop.

Yi Zhi was completely calm. She knew the yellow part of the stone she had chosen was substantial.

She picked up the marker and drew another line. "Keep cutting." The crowd held their breath.

The second cut revealed a small window, with some skin still around it. Yi Zhi instructed the master, "Please polish it a bit." The master slowly removed the thin skin, and an even richer, oil-like yellow emerged. The crowd erupted in excitement.

"It’s out again! Such a large piece of chicken-fat yellow! This is top-grade, absolutely top-grade!"

"Quick, call Jade Carving Studio! Someone’s cut a top-grade chicken-fat yellow!"

Heavy footsteps followed as managers from other jade and jewelry shops rushed over.

"Handsome, handsome, sell it to us! 8 million!"

"Pfft, 8 million? High-ice chicken-fat yellow? This was reserved for royalty in ancient times. 12 million!"

"How many rings can you carve from something this big? How can you offer so little? 18 million!"

One offer after another came in, and the scene became more chaotic than a hotpot restaurant.

Yi Zhi suddenly called for a stop and scanned the crowd.

"I never said I was selling, did I?"

"What?"

"You’re not selling?" Yi Zhi’s words caused an uproar.

She lowered her gaze. "Let’s leave it for now. After polishing it, we’ll cut the other one."

Yi Zhi remained calm and brought out the other raw stone.

As usual, she drew a line and had the master remove the outer layer. The crowd watched intently.

Old Zhou, who had been proven wrong, stiffly said, "One top-grade jade is luck. Does he really think he can pick out top-grade stones just like that? Young people don’t know their limits."

The master carefully peeled away the skin, and a rich emerald green color appeared, shimmering like a vast expanse of clear water.

Just this one glimpse was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.

"Glass jade!"

"My God! Imperial green!"

"This is unbelievable. Chicken-fat yellow and imperial green? Who is this young man?"

The scene was almost in chaos as everyone tried to get a closer look. Yan noticed that Boss Xu’s smile had stiffened.

These two top-grade jade pieces had come from his raw stones.

The stones had only cost a few thousand, but what had been cut out was worth nine figures!

"Where did this young man pick these stones?"

"Hurry, hurry!"

This stone wasn’t large, about the size of an adult’s palm, but as the master slowly cleared away the skin with the drill, the bids kept climbing.

"Handsome, hello, I’m Old Li from Jade Collection. Please reserve this imperial green for us. Together with the chicken-fat yellow, we’ll offer 80 million!"

"Old Li, that’s not fair, is it? Trying to take everything for yourself? Leave some for the rest of us. For this full green, we’ll offer 90 million!"

"This is... dragon-sun jade." The master placed the jade on a red cloth, and his words caused another wave of excitement.

"Old Xiang Gold Shop, 100 million."

At this moment, money seemed to no longer be money. The sound of bids reaching tens of millions or even hundreds of millions filled the air, making it feel as though one had stepped into an auction house.

"Alright, alright, stop crowding around. Young man, and Boss Li, Boss Wang, Boss Qian... come inside and have a seat."

Boss Xu raised his hands to call for order, and as the host, he ushered everyone into the VIP lounge.

The two pieces of top-grade jadeite, whether the young man decided to sell them or not, were an opportunity to boost the reputation of his shop. He had to make sure these people left safely and satisfied.

At this point, Boss Xu clearly had no time to entertain the two youngsters, so he called out, "Old Tu, I'll have someone send the items to you later. Whatever price I paid, you can give it to the two kids. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave for a while."

"Kids, I’ll have to excuse myself. If you’re not in a hurry, let Old Tu show you around."

With the heavyweights gone, the crowd rushed toward the pile of raw stones, their excitement palpable, as if everyone hoped to uncover a piece of top-grade jadeite.

Boss Tu sighed with emotion, "What kind of luck does Boss Xu have? In such a short time, I think he can raise the prices of all his raw stones and still sell them like hotcakes."

"Back then, he missed out on the 'Great Jade King,' and now a novice has uncovered 'Chicken Fat Yellow' and 'Dragon Sun Jade' from his stock. Luck like this is truly unpredictable."

By now, everyone had rushed off to pick stones, leaving the cutting platform deserted.

"Yeah," Yan nodded in agreement.

After all, those were the kind of people who seemed to have an aura about them. Ordinary folks like her didn’t stand a chance.

"Boss Tu, I’d like to have my stone cut too," Yan said. Her basket was nearby, and with no one around, it was the perfect time to weigh, pay, and have the same master who had cut Yi Zhi’s stone take care of hers.

The master, still visibly shaken by the young man from earlier, glanced at Yan and Zhu Jue.

"Are you going to mark it? How do you want it cut?"

Both of them shook their heads. They really had no idea.

"You decide. We don’t know how to do this. We’re just here to have some fun," Yan said.

The small raw stone she had casually picked turned out to be a dud as soon as the first cut was made. Yan stuck out her tongue. Well, she clearly didn’t have that kind of luck.

But the larger stone, the one Yi Zhi had touched earlier, might be different.

Though, since Yi Zhi hadn’t taken it, it probably wasn’t anything special.

Come to think of it, Yan had initially suspected that Yi Zhi had some plant-related supernatural ability. But if he could sense what was inside these jade stones, wouldn’t that be more related to earth or stone-based powers?

She was still pondering this when the master suddenly exclaimed, "We’ve got something!" Yan immediately looked up.

The cross-section revealed by the cut wasn’t as stunning as Yi Zhi’s earlier 'Chicken Fat Yellow' or 'Imperial Green.' It wasn’t as clear or transparent, but there was indeed jade inside.

Yan scratched her head. What did this mean?

"Glutinous Rice Jade. Not bad," Boss Tu said, sounding a bit surprised.

"Should we make another cut?" Yan asked, looking at Zhu Jue for confirmation.

Since they were just having fun, they decided to go for it and asked the master to make a second cut.

When the second cut was made, the master let out another surprised sound, "Huh?"

"It’s turning icy."

"What? What?" Both of them leaned in to take a closer look, while Boss Tu explained from the side.

"Glutinous Ice Jade. It’s better than the first cut. About twenty percent transparency. You youngsters have pretty good luck. With such a large piece, are you planning to have it crafted into something or sell it?"

Yan glanced around. There was no one else nearby, and no one was cheering, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um, I think I’ll sell part of it and have a bracelet made for my elders. Can Boss Xu handle that here?"

Since this was Boss Xu’s jade shop, they had all the necessary processes in place. Yan and Zhu Jue discussed what they wanted to make.

"My mom, your mom, my grandma—they’ll all get bracelets. We’ll keep two cabochons for ourselves and have two peace jade pendants made for our dads to hang in their cars."

After calculating the amount of material needed and the processing fees, Yan and Zhu Jue walked out of the jade shop with an extra six figures in their bank account.

Not only had they recouped the money they’d spent that morning, but they’d also made a profit. And that wasn’t even counting the custom jade pieces they were still waiting to pick up.

Yan squinted at the sunlight outside, feeling a bit dazed. "Jue, do you think we’re just picking up scraps left by others?"

Gu Jiasui had casually stumbled upon 'Ink Orchid,' which was valued at nine figures.

Yi Zhi had uncovered two pieces of top-grade jadeite, also fetching nine-figure offers.

Compared to her roommate, who could make a hundred million in a day, the little bit she’d managed to scrape together from their shadows was enough to make an ordinary person rich.

As they walked back to Boss Tu’s shop with him, they overheard passersby excitedly spreading the news.

"At the Inkstone Pavilion, a young girl found 'Ink Orchid,' a Zhou Dynasty piece authenticated by Master Zhu. It’s trending on social media!"

"What kind of day is this? Earlier, a handsome guy at Boss Xu’s shop uncovered two top-grade pieces—'Chicken Fat Yellow' and 'Imperial Green.' His net worth shot up to a hundred million overnight!"

Boss Tu was also buzzing with excitement and immediately went to inquire about the 'Ink Orchid' situation.

"Is it true?"

"It’s true! The entire antique street is going crazy!"

Yan suppressed a smile and whispered into Zhu Jue’s ear, "We’re the 'Soup Masters.'"

One shouldn’t aim too high in life. While her roommate was feasting on a hundred million a day, she was content sipping her soup, making a tidy sum without drawing attention.

Today was a day of both feasting on gossip and sipping soup! Yan was absolutely delighted!