Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Hidden Exquisite Heart

I nodded, signaling Pan Ximi to begin.

He smiled faintly, turned, and walked to the corner of the room, where he pressed a hidden button. Immediately, the wall slid away, revealing a concealed chamber packed with raw jade stones of every imaginable shape and form.

Seeing this, my expression darkened. These people really knew how to play their games. I had thought what was outside was all they had—turns out it was all for show! There were more stones hidden in here all along.

"Chief Wang, what can I say? Our Ancient Jade Fellowship is simply careful in its ways. Had we not been, we'd have vanished long ago. Please, after you." Pan Ximi made a gesture of invitation.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the hidden chamber, greeted by a wave of stale, ancient air. Every raw stone exuded an aura of antiquity, as if each one whispered tales of its long history. I closed my eyes, focused my mind, and recalled every detail from the Blood Eye Jade Compendium.

Chen Laobao stood at the doorway, watching me nervously, a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes. Pan Ximi stood off to the side, arms crossed, seemingly eager to see whether I would pass this trial.

I began to search carefully through the pile of raw stones. Having already reached the second level of mastery in the Blood Eye Jade Compendium, this kind of surface inspection really wasn't difficult for me. There were roughly five hundred stones in this small chamber, and it took me less than ten minutes to examine them all.

But what struck me as odd was that every single stone here was an ancient piece—not a single new one! Moreover, they were all sealed stones—no wiped or cut specimens among them.

I turned back to look at Pan Ximi. "Are you certain the book Exquisite Jade Ring is hidden in here?"

Pan Ximi smiled slightly, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. "To be honest, Chief Wang, I'm not certain either. These legends were passed down from the older generation. If I truly knew where it was, do you think I'd have left the chieftain's seat for you?"

I grew inwardly wary. This Ancient Jade Fellowship was clearly no simple organization.

Just then, Chen Laobao suddenly spoke up: "Chief Wang, how about we call it quits and leave?"

His unprompted remark instantly made the whole room awkward. Pan Ximi turned to Chen Laobao, his voice cold: "Chen Laobao, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Laobao glared back at him. "Pan Ximi, to be frank, when you first said you wanted to be the chief of the overseas branch of the Ancient Jade Fellowship, I'd already been stewing with anger!"

"Our fellowship has been passed down since ancient times. Never once have we heard of governing by dividing territory. If you want to be the chief of your overseas operation, then go found your own sect! What right do you have to drag our Chief Wang Hu into this?"

Pan Ximi's face instantly turned ashen, cold light flashing in his eyes. He let out a sneer. "Chen Laobao, in what capacity are you speaking?"

Chen Laobao refused to back down, staring straight into Pan Ximi's eyes. "Never mind my capacity. I'm questioning your motives."

Pan Ximi smiled. "I'm a man who loves to speak the truth. I can't help it—I'd like to be chief too, but heaven didn't give me that fate. Whether it's the Blood Eye Jade Compendium or the Exquisite Jade Ring, only the chosen successor can comprehend them!"

"Chen Laobao, why don't you give it a try? If you can comprehend them, I'd gladly pledge my loyalty to you as chief!"

Pan Ximi spoke with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Chen Laobao snorted disdainfully. "Pan Ximi, save your divisive tricks. Our Chief Wang is the true successor of the Blood Eye Jade Compendium. You think I can't see through you? You're just trying to seize control of the Ancient Jade Fellowship!"

At this, Pan Ximi burst into laughter. "That's right! You've hit the nail on the head—that's exactly what I'm doing. But to be honest, I have no interest whatsoever in the domestic market. That's precisely why I'm vying for the position of overseas chief!"

"Look, Chen Laobao, I've made my stance clear from the very beginning. I'm an honest scoundrel, but you're a hypocrite!"

Chen Laobao was furious, his fists clenched, seemingly ready to strike at any moment. Seeing this, I stepped forward to mediate: "Laobao, calm down. Acting out of anger won't solve anything."

To be honest, Pan Ximi was the quintessential businessman. I understood what he meant.

Me—Wang Hu—a chief with nothing to my name. On this road to revive the Ancient Jade Fellowship, I needed all the support I could get! Right now, all I had was over twenty million in funds and the few men under Chen Laobao, which was nowhere near enough.

Pan Ximi, for whatever reason, was willing to lend a hand, and his true strength went far beyond what he showed. As for the overseas market, I couldn't break into it anytime soon anyway. My thinking was clear: grow first, talk about splitting profits later.

In my current state, I could barely keep myself alive—what was the point of being so particular? But Chen Laobao kept harping on about dignity! Especially the dignity of the Ancient Jade Fellowship!

But in truth, the Ancient Jade Fellowship had vanished for a hundred years. What dignity was there to speak of? Even a century-old tree sprouting new branches had to start growing from the beginning!

I signaled Chen Laobao to drop the subject, then looked at Pan Ximi. "Let me search again. Since it's an ancient oral tradition, the Exquisite Jade Ring should be in here somewhere."

I combed through the hidden chamber once more, feeling into the cracks and corners of every raw stone, even shifting several larger boulders, yet still found no trace of any book. The room was filled with all manner of ancient stones, but not a hint of paper lingered in the air.

Seeing me come up empty, Pan Ximi's lips curved upward. He strolled over to me and said softly, "Chief Wang, it seems the chieftain's seat... you're not quite qualified for it yet!"

"According to the legend, only one who finds the Exquisite Jade Ring can truly claim the title of chief of the Ancient Jade Fellowship. I think—"

"Wait!"

I cut him off and walked slowly to one side. I then instructed Pan Ximi to turn up the lights in the chamber. He raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless complied.

As the light grew brighter, every raw stone in the chamber became more clearly visible. Light played among the boulders, reflecting faint glimmers as if hinting at something.

I examined the stones once more and suddenly noticed that one of them cast a distinctly different hue. I approached slowly, tapped its surface with my knuckles, then turned to Pan Ximi. "Cut this one open for me!"

Pan Ximi smiled and gestured for his men to bring over the cutting tools. The saw roared to life as the blade touched the stone—but then, with a sharp clack, the cutting machine ground to a halt!

"What's going on?" Everyone's eyes locked onto the stone.

Seeing this, my heart leapt with joy. "Interesting. This is the one—this stone hides a jade heart within!"