With a chorus of agonized screams, bodies hit the pavement like sacks of wet cement.Thump. Thump. Crack.It only took a few minutes. Over a dozen thugs were lying on the ground, twisting and groaning, resembling a pile of cooked shrimp freshly scooped from boiling water. Broken noses, dislocated shoulders, bruised ribs. Not a single one was standing.Starr Hall stood frozen, his mouth agape, watching the scene unfold like a waking nightmare. The cigarette fell from his lips."Holy shit... am I seeing ghosts? Is this soft-rice eater the reincarnation of Bruce Lee?"In Starr's worldview, live-in sons-in-law were meant to be punching bags. They were submissive, weak, and pathetic.How could one be this strong? This world was insane.Seeing Frank Yates walking toward him step by step, wearing a mocking, playful expression, Starr felt his legs tremble uncontrollably. A primal fear gripped his heart. Instinct took over. He turned and ran.His speed

Ben Bishop shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He adjusted his silk Tang suit, feeling the weight of his own mistake. He had momentarily forgotten his status in this room. He was a renowned jade appraisal expert, a man whose word could make or break a sale. By participating in the bidding, raising his paddle for the Jade Fortune Beast, he had implicitly endorsed its authenticity and value. His bid acted as a green light for the other collectors, signaling that the piece was a "must-have," inflating the price far beyond its market value."$265,000!""$270,000!""..."In the end, this Late Eastern Han Dynasty Jade Fortune Beast—a tomb piece laden with Yin energy—was won by a middle-aged businessman for a staggering $320,000."Sigh. A fool and his money are easily parted," Ben Bishop sighed, watching the gavel fall. "That Pixiu is worth at most $250,000. He just paid a premium of $70,000. And it’s all because I started the rhyt

As the auctioneer's gavel struck the block, sealing the deal, applause erupted like thunder throughout the venue.Clap! Clap! Clap!Many of the young female guests looked at Frank Yates with fiery eyes. In their view, this handsome young man in the bespoke suit must be a hidden billionaire scion, a prince in disguise. To outbid the heir of the Wainright family without blinking? That was the epitome of power and dominance.Frank let out a long breath, relaxing his shoulders. The tension of the bidding war drained away, leaving a satisfied calm. This trip was worth it. The Blood Jade Dagger was his. He could feel its connection to him already."President Lacy, thank you," Frank said to Jade Lacy beside him, his voice sincere. "I will repay the loan immediately."Jade didn't respond to the money comment. She looked at him, her gaze probing and complex, dissecting him like a rare gem under a microscope. "Frank, who exactly are you?"When she first met him i

Yin Xi frowned slightly, struggling to grasp the concept. "You say that when a wise scholar hears the Tao, he practices it diligently. But why do you also advocate 'action through inaction' (Wu Wei)? Isn't that contradictory? How can one practice diligently by doing nothing?"Laozi smiled, his eyes reflecting the starlight, deep and boundless. "Inaction does not mean doing nothing. It means not forcing. The Tao forever follows the flow of nature and does not force action, yet there is nothing it does not accomplish. It is like water—soft, yielding, flowing around obstacles, yet over time, it wears down the hardest stone and shapes the mountains. If kings and lords could govern by the principle of the Tao, intervening only when necessary and allowing nature to take its course, all things would nurture themselves, rise and fall in their own time, and develop fully without interference."Yin Xi still had many doubts and wanted to ask more, but Laozi shook his head gentl

The surface of Rough Stone jadeite is often marked with strip-like or irregular patch-like patterns. They might be green, black, grey, or other colors. Experts vividly refer to these winding, undulating veins as "Python Patterns". These patterns indicate the direction and flow of potential jade veins deep within the rock. A strong, tight python pattern suggests the jade inside is dense and old. A loose, scattered pattern suggests the jade might be tender or fractured.Pine Flower Patterns, on the other hand, refer to unweathered green jadeite granules scattered on the Shell. They resemble the green needles of a pine tree, sprinkled like stars across the stone's surface. They are the vestiges of the jade vein reaching the surface.The shapes of these "pine flowers" are diverse—large or small, dense or sparse. Large ones are visible to the naked eye, while tiny ones require a magnifying glass.Pine Flower Patterns are one of the most critical indicators for judgin