Chapter 78: Jade Cicada — Mouthful?

Han Lao listened as Sui Yi gazed calmly at the person who had just tried to kill her, speaking in such an unhurried manner. He couldn't help but feel a chill run through his heart.

He thought to himself… This girl is destined for great things!

Little did he know, Sui Yi was not particularly ruthless; she viewed most matters with indifference. Yet, when it came to those who threatened her life, she had no sympathy and never believed in mercy or hoped her adversaries would turn over a new leaf. Only by inflicting pain could one teach others which people must not be provoked—this was how she eliminated future troubles.

She had shown mercy to Qian Fengling only because she was young and had been Sui Yi's high school classmate. Otherwise…

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Qian Fengling was eventually taken away by the arriving police, sobbing all the way. Yet her gaze at Sui Yi remained venomously resentful, sending chills through the hearts of many.

"Sui Yi, did you have some past conflict with that mad girl?" Old Tang found the situation curious—how could the young girl from the Qian family harbor such deep hatred for Sui Yi?

Sui Yi watched Qian Fengling’s retreating figure thoughtfully. After a moment, she replied softly, "How do you know she isn’t truly mentally ill, Old Tang?"

She had occasionally read books on psychology; in modern times, whether young or old, most people suffered from some form of psychological disorder—some caused by environment, others inherited. It was said that Qian Fengling’s mother had a fiery temper, often flying into a rage, and had once brandished a kitchen knife in her youth. Perhaps her daughter had inherited some of those traits.

Although Sui Yi felt it was a bit inappropriate to think this way, when she caught sight of the Qian family’s strange expressions upon hearing her mention mental illness, she became somewhat convinced.

"Your hand is bleeding; let me accompany you to see a doctor," Sui Yi said to Li Jing.

"Me?" Li Jing finally noticed his arm had been nicked by a blade—though not too serious, the wound was sizable and his sleeve was stained red.

"It’s fine, I’ll go myself. Oh, your pocket—you’re about to drop this," Li Jing pointed to the red string slipping out of Sui Yi’s pocket. There seemed to be a pendant attached.

"Hey, Sui Yi, what’s this?"

Old Tang had intended to praise this brave young woman, but he noticed a jade cicada hanging from the red string Sui Yi pulled out.

"That’s what I bought with Sui Yi just now while shopping," Su Ziyi chimed in, only speaking up after confirming Sui Yi was unharmed.

"Hmm?"

For Sui Yi to purchase something? Old Tang knew she was never interested in girlish trinkets; since she bought it…

"Let me have a look."

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Old Tang examined it, while Sui Yi merely smiled. Meanwhile, Su Ziyi mentioned that their shop had a medical kit, so they could treat Li Jing’s wound there, saving the trouble of hospital registration.

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The Book Fragrance Pavilion, though not as lavish as Yunlong Club, possessed a unique elegance. The sound of the guzheng lingered in the air, and most visitors were cultured scholars who came to sip tea and read.

Nanxun was already a historic town steeped in culture, with many families tracing their roots to scholarly lineages. Nevertheless, inside this shop, Li Jing felt somewhat uneasy and repeatedly insisted he should see a doctor at the hospital.

But Su Ziyi was too enthusiastic, and Sui Yi too assertive, so he had to relent.

Inside a private room, Su Ziyi skillfully cleaned Li Jing’s wound, applied medicine, and stitched it up—all in one go, very professionally. Sui Yi was surprised, "You know how to do all this?"

Li Jing was equally astonished. He had heard the staff address Su Ziyi as Young Master, so he was obviously from a wealthy family—how did he acquire such skills?

Su Ziyi was a bit embarrassed as he bandaged Li Jing, explaining, "All those books I read weren’t for nothing. There was a period when I was fascinated by Hua Tuo’s medical writings, so I devoted myself to learning and even trained at my mother’s hospital. But I had little talent for it, so I only mastered the basics. Never thought it would come in handy today."

He glanced at Li Jing, his eyes flickering slightly. "Brother Li, you were truly brave just now. Fortunately, you acted to save Sui Yi."

Li Jing looked at the elegant, handsome youth, and beside him, Sui Yi smiled gracefully—both so young, both so extraordinary.

They belonged to the same world.

His heart felt a twinge of bitterness, and he replied dryly, "It was just luck... Anyway, thank you, Young Master Su."

His words were overly polite and reserved. Su Ziyi glanced at him but said no more. Sui Yi sighed inwardly.

"Hey, Sui Yi!"

Old Tang hurried in, followed by a group of people—mostly businessmen associated with Han Lao, and Zhang Guangbiao was among them.

"Did Old Tang’s raw jade material yield a jadeite?" Sui Yi smiled. Otherwise, why would Old Tang be so delighted?

"Bah, don’t mention that chicken-dropping stone—it didn’t even turn out as well as chicken droppings!"

"Hey now, Old Tang, I don’t like hearing that. Your prized apprentice managed to get jadeite from it, didn’t she?"

Zhang Guangbiao laughed aloud. Despite the earlier disturbance, Sui Yi and Lin Yun’s windfall had spurred buying enthusiasm, so most of the raw materials had now sold. He was confident this lively atmosphere would boost his advertisement at the Cultural Antiquities Conference!

Far wiser than those late-arriving competitors.

Ha! He was truly clever!

But as he spoke, he eyed the jade cicada in Old Tang’s hand and rolled his eyes. "Is this thing even real?"

Now it was Han Lao and others’ turn to mock Zhang Guangbiao.

"Though you’re an expert on jadeite raw materials, when it comes to nephrite identification, you can’t compare to us," Han Lao chuckled, carefully picking up the jade cicada from Old Tang’s hand and gently rubbing it with the lines of his palm. "This is nephrite, different from jadeite, which is a hard jade. Nephrite carries more cultural significance and was especially used for royal burial objects in ancient times. Don’t be fooled by its small size; it’s not as dazzling as jadeite, but it’s aged many years..."

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When it came to its age, Han Lao examined it cautiously for a while before lifting his eyes toward Sui Yi, a hint of inquiry in his gaze.

"Sui Yi, we’re all acquaintances here, and everyone knows the path you’re taking. Don’t pretend to be an outsider or brush us off with talk of random purchases. Tell us, how old do you think this piece is?"

Han Lao spoke candidly, and it was true enough—Sui Yi hadn’t planned to hide her abilities, instead wanting to gradually build her reputation among these people.

That way, she wouldn't seem too abrupt in the future.

"This jade cicada was something I spotted while antiquing with Ziyi this afternoon. When I found it, it was still covered in some earth. It felt cool and smooth in the hand. I don't know much about jade, but it felt different from other cicada pendants. Examining the craftsmanship, every incision was made with wrist strength, the depth and flow deliberate—not the rigidity of machine work, but a rhythm. The technique doesn’t resemble modern methods, but rather the ancient flat-blade style..."

"Such an ordinary item shouldn’t employ hand-carved flat-blade techniques. Since it does, it must be uncommon."

So, I bought it. No, actually, I just took it along.

Twenty yuan.

Though Sui Yi didn't mention the price, everyone was already sighing in admiration.

She glanced at Han Lao and added, "As for its age, I can’t really tell; I’d ask Han Lao for guidance."

The older generation didn’t like to flaunt their expertise, but rather wished to pass on what they knew. Han Lao, for instance, always responded enthusiastically to inquiries, so he now smiled and said, "Most here are industry insiders, but some younger folks may not understand. I hope you won’t mind the old man being long-winded..."

There were already many in the Book Fragrance Pavilion, and seeing some of Nanxun’s local tycoons present—all aficionados of antiques—the scholarly and commercial crowd pressed in. Hearing Han Lao speak, they hurried to show support, insisting he was too modest.

Han Lao didn’t put on airs and soon began to explain, holding Sui Yi’s jade cicada.

"Jade cicadas come in many forms, dating back to the Neolithic era, continuing through the Shang and Warring States. They are often found in tombs from these periods, though back then they mostly served as decorative pendants. Later, jade cicadas were used as burial objects placed in the mouth—first seen in archaeological finds from early Western Zhou tombs in Luoyang, Henan. If you visit Luoyang, you can see them in the museum..."

Someone asked, "What does 'placed in the mouth' mean?"

"It means it was held in a person's mouth," Han Lao explained tactfully, not directly stating it was placed in the mouth of the deceased, though many faces changed slightly.

Damn, this thing was held in a dead person’s mouth? Isn’t it tainted by death?

But to Old Tang and his peers, that was nothing. Most ancient artifacts were unearthed from tombs, so they were all ‘dead people’s things.’ If you were afraid, you couldn’t play in this field!

Han Lao laughed and went on, "The culture of jade cicadas didn’t become widespread until the Han dynasty, when it became a common custom, lasting through the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties. In the Song dynasty, the craze for antiquity flourished, and cicadas were mostly used as ornaments."

Yu Quan squinted and remarked, "Three years ago, I saw a similar jade cicada at a provincial auction—it was a burial ornament from a high-ranking Song dynasty official, valued at 1.5 million, labeled as an accessory, not a burial mouthpiece. Han Lao, do you know from which dynasty Sui Yi’s jade cicada was unearthed?"

He inspected Sui Yi’s jade cicada; the craftsmanship didn’t seem like something from the Song dynasty.

With Yu Quan’s interjection, everyone realized the piece belonged to the girl sitting quietly nearby. Good heavens, she was about to make a fortune!

If it was from the Song dynasty, wouldn’t it be worth over a million? (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian for votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.)