As she opened the box, Zuri's eyes momentarily froze. Inside the sandalwood box, two items lay quietly—a piece of premium blood jade and a letter.
Zuri picked up the letter. The white paper had yellowed slightly, showing its age. She unfolded the letter, and the neat, elegant handwriting immediately caught her eye. Zuri recognized it at once—it was Dalia's handwriting.
"Third Brother, I've run into some trouble in the Imperial City. Come quietly and don't tell anyone. Brother, please come quickly, I need you."
The letter contained only three lines, simple and straightforward. But for Jonah to have kept this letter all these years meant it was far from ordinary.
She set the letter aside and picked up the blood jade. It felt warm and smooth in her hand, with a delicate texture. Its luster was bright, and its clarity was excellent—this was a top-grade blood jade.
Naturally formed blood jade is extremely rare among gemstones. The luster, clarity, and overall quality of this piece were exceptional, making it a highly coveted item among collectors.
As Zuri examined the jade closely, she noticed a small character etched on the inside rim—("Yin").
"Yin," Zuri murmured softly.
Suddenly, the third Mrs. Qin snatched the blood jade from Zuri's hand, clutching it tightly as she meticulously wiped it, her satisfaction growing with every moment. Her brows were alight with excitement.
"This blood jade is exquisite. It's rare to see one with such clarity."
Seeing the greed in the woman's eyes, Zuri quickly reclaimed the jade from her grasp.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Qin demanded angrily. "Give the jade back to me."
"Mrs. Qin, don't be too greedy. I've already purchased this item," Zuri replied coldly.
Regret washed over Mrs. Qin. She hadn't realized the contents of the box were so valuable. Had she known, she would never have handed it over so easily. If only Zuri hadn't returned so quickly—she hadn't even had time to inspect the contents.
"I only said I'd let you look, not that I'd give you what was inside," Mrs. Qin retorted, her tone unreasonable and firm.
Zuri sat down on the worn-out sofa, crossing her legs, her expression tinged with coldness. "Am I being too lenient?"
This was pushing things too far!
"Give it back to me, or I'll call the police and report that you trespassed and stole my belongings," Mrs. Qin threatened.
Three hundred thousand yuan for a piece of blood jade worth over five million? Dream on!
Zuri casually tossed her phone onto the table. "Go ahead."
Mrs. Qin froze.
Could it be that this girl wasn't afraid?
"Need help dialing?" Zuri asked calmly.
"You... you're not afraid?" Mrs. Qin's voice wavered with suspicion.
She couldn't be bluffing, could she?
Zuri's voice remained unhurried. "When the police arrive, I'll charge you with extortion. Do you think the jade is yours? Are your fingerprints on it?"
As she spoke, Zuri methodically wiped the blood jade.
"Do you have a certificate of authenticity? Mrs. Qin, you might not know, but every piece of jade, especially high-grade ones like this, has a traceable origin and number. Can you provide that?"
"Of course, you could claim it's a family heirloom. But this isn't an ancient jade. It's easy to verify with a professional appraisal."
Mrs. Qin was stunned, Zuri's words leaving her dumbfounded, yet she still had her doubts.
Unperturbed, Zuri continued leisurely, "When your son got into trouble, do you know why your husband didn't dare sell this jade? Have you ever wondered why?"
"Because he didn't dare!"
With those words, Mrs. Qin finally believed her and stopped trying to take the jade.
Zuri picked up the items and stood up. Before leaving, she left behind a final remark.
"Your son's downfall came from his own greed."
The door closed behind her, leaving Mrs. Qin seething with rage. She started throwing things around in a fit of anger—her son was her sore spot.
Zuri left with the item she had long sought. If Jonah had kept it, he must have known its origin, but he hadn't recorded it, keeping the knowledge to himself. To solve the mystery, Zuri had to start with this blood jade.
Back home, Zuri spent a long time searching the internet for information about blood jade, but most of it was useless, offering little value.
Lying on her bed, she held the jade in her hand, examining it under the light. She could clearly see fine threads of blood-red lines, as if blood had naturally seeped into the stone.
Could this be connected to her own origins? Was "Yin" the name of the jade's original owner?
Too many questions lingered in her mind, with no one to provide answers. Tossing and turning, she couldn't fall asleep.
Sitting up, Zuri opened a drawer, took out the jade, and played with it in her hands. If she wanted to understand its significance, she had to start with the jade itself.
She picked up her phone and dialed Azura.
Azura answered groggily, "Who is it?"
"It's me."
Azura jolted awake, "Zuri, why are you calling me in the middle of the night? Don't tell me you're in the mood for a chat? I'm warning you, I can't do that—I need my beauty sleep."
Zuri ignored her babbling. "Do you know any experts in jade?"
"Jade?" Azura rubbed her eyes. "Yes, I have an uncle who specializes in jade collection, especially ancient and rare pieces. He knows his stuff."
"Where is he? Can you help me get in touch with him? The sooner, the better."
"What's going on? Do you have some ancient jade to sell?"
"I need him to appraise a piece of jade."
"Alright. It's too late tonight, but I'll contact him first thing in the morning."
"Good. Get some sleep."
After hanging up, Azura went back to sleep without a care.
The next morning, Azura called.
"Zuri, I've gotten in touch with my uncle. He agreed to take a look at the jade, but he's in the capital. We'll have to go there."
"Alright. Let's set off today."
"Do we have to rush?" Azura was surprised.
"It's urgent."
"It'll take us two or three hours to get from Oceanic City to the capital. I'll check if he's available tonight. If not, we can go tomorrow morning." Azura, ever efficient, got everything sorted.
"Okay."
By noon, the two of them were driving to the capital. On the way, Azura's curiosity got the better of her.
"What kind of jade is it?"
Zuri took out the blood jade from the wooden box and handed it to her.
Azura carefully examined it, then after a long pause, said, "I'm no expert, but this jade's quality is superb. It's very rare on the market. Usually, jade like this is found in the collections of serious collectors, major families, or the vaults of jewelry magnates."
"It's beautiful! It's rare to find jade that has absorbed color so well and maintained such transparency, especially blood jade. At first glance, it almost looks fake."
Of course, it wasn't fake.
Azura carefully placed the jade back in its box.
Since Zuri valued this blood jade so highly, it must be of great importance.