Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 229 - 228: The Endless Gobi Desert, Digging Up Beautiful Jade!

Chapter 229: Chapter 228: The Endless Gobi Desert, Digging Up Beautiful Jade!

Xinjiang Great Gobi.

An endless pebble beach, countless stones scattered on the ground.

The ground had bulges from a riverbed a billion years ago, with many pebbles embedded in them, all weathered.

Nephrite Jade Seed Material was hidden among them.

But such places had been searched countless times over the century.

Now, many "Treasure Hunters" still came here with shovels in search of treasures.

Everyone was gambling on luck, wagering on the chance of striking it rich overnight.

However, the probability of digging up jade was about the same as winning the lottery, or even lower.

After all, some people always win big in the lottery, yet it had been many years since anyone had found top-quality jade here.

They could only find some pretty stones.

Many tourists were picking up stones here.

If they found a pretty one, they might use it for a bonsai or take it to a shop in town to have a bracelet made.

You just had to pay for the craftsmanship.

Some people didn’t care how much the jade was worth; they only cared about its beauty.

Having a low-quality jade they picked themselves turned into a bracelet felt quite meaningful.

That was the best mindset to have when playing with jade.

Everything could be found by the roadside, including quartz rock, pebbles, and jade of various colors.

Cracked, with a red tint on white skin, murky colors, and translucent colors, all types of jade were available.

Xu Yang drove to the jade-picking spot.

The road was lined with various SUVs.

Everyone had gotten out to pick jade.

Looking closely, many people on both sides of the Great Gobi were holding a shovel and a bucket, searching for jade.

Similar to gold seekers, these were "Jade Seekers."

But as the locals said, these places had been searched so many times, it was unrealistic to find top-notch jade, let alone a slightly pretty stone, as they had all been dug up.

Finding jade here was simply a pipe dream.

One could only head deeper in.

"It’s really a frenzy!"

Xu Yang sighed as he saw the SUVs packed along the road.

There were more people than he had expected.

Xu Yang found a place to park.

He knew that the area along the road would definitely not have good jade, so he had to head deeper.

It was just like his experience rushing the mountain.

It was impossible to find anything valuable around the village, not even mushrooms. Any mushrooms that appeared near the village would be picked as soon as they sprung up.

Thus, after parking his car, Xu Yang headed straight inside.

He carried a backpack, held a sturdy shovel, and wore a straw hat.

Though he was rather tall and had a good temperament, he wouldn’t draw much attention in the Great Gobi.

Everyone’s eyes were on the jade, the pretty jade, the valuable jade.

The ground was covered with stones, some of which bore various colors.

People would pick them up, give them a long look, and keep them if they found them beautiful.

In fact, these types of stones could be bought online for ten yuan for many.

They were not valuable.

Xu Yang continued deeper inside.

No one noticed him.

The area along the road was filled with tourists, but farther inside were the professionals looking for Nephrite Jade and the middlemen coming here to buy jade.

Jade dealers would occasionally ask those mining jade if they had any good goods, and sometimes transactions would take place right then and there.

Xu Yang walked for about half an hour.

This area was a desolate gobi with bulging hills resulting from riverbeds millions of years ago.

The hills were covered with stones.

Mining jade didn’t involve digging into the ground, but rather chipping stone after stone from the riverbed.

In these weathered pebbles, valuable jade might be found.

It was all based on luck, but because of the potential for sudden wealth, many people still came here to mine jade.

Day after day.

Xu Yang observed the surrounding areas and quietly activated the Treasure Compass interface.

He was different from these people; he didn’t rely on luck, but on strength.

Xu Yang chose to use the Treasure Compass, but to his surprise, the Treasure Compass issued a notification:

[Current location is not a designated natural area for the Treasure Compass. The Treasure Compass is only available in forests and oceans.]

"What?"

Xu Yang was stunned.

He had come with high hopes to mine jade, but at the critical moment, the Treasure Compass malfunctioned.

This was somewhat embarrassing.

The surrounding area was a vast expanse of gobi, without even weeds, just stone.

Indeed, it was not within the operating range of the Treasure Compass.

While Xu Yang was in a daze, the Treasure Compass issued another prompt:

[Rare Treasure Hunting Task triggered: Jade of the Gobi.]

[Requires 10 uses for redemption. Would you like to redeem?]

Hearing the prompt, Xu Yang’s expression slightly changed.

A rare treasure hunting task?

Having come all the way, he naturally chose to redeem.

The mountain reclusive, doubt there would be a road; the willow dark, flowers bright, another village anew.

His emotions fluctuated, indeed surprising him.

[Redemption successful, Treasure Compass searching...]

[Search successful!]

Soon, the system emitted a prompt tone.

Xu Yang’s phone map now had a treasure guidance icon.

Following the treasure guidance direction, he advanced toward the treasure location.

The treasure location was a bulging riverbed.

It was embedded with stones of various sizes.

In this place, weathered by wind and rain for many years, it still stood unfaltering.

Compared to the forces of nature, humans were indeed very insignificant.

Jade lay deep in the riverbed, and Xu Yang started digging like others around him.

This area was all stone and soil, located in a very remote area, and lacked any precious resources, so it was free for anyone to dig.

Avoiding regulated jade mines meant no issues.

Xu Yang held the shovel upside down, striking the riverbed one shovelful at a time.

With each hit of the shovel, chunks of stone fell off with a rustling sound.

Mixed with some dirt.

Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so he didn’t have to worry about breathing problems.

The stones that fell off were just ordinary stones, did not hold anything worth looking at.

Xu Yang had been digging in this area, where basically nobody else would come.

Veterans in the field knew that the region contained only small stones without any valuable jade.

People did not pay much attention to Xu Yang, after all, everyone came here driven by the desire to get rich, focused only on their own tasks, having no time to bother about others.

Moreover, those who found a significant piece would not brag loudly about it.

The jade that Xu Yang had located lay deep underground.

It required more digging.

But Xu Yang felt a surge of strength filling his body.

That was normal, anyone who knew there was a significant find would feel the same.

Soon, as the sun climbed higher, the temperature gradually rose.

There was no shady place; people excavating jade just kept shoveling rocks under the scorching sun.

With expectations in their minds, they did not feel tired.

No wonder most jade miners had a dark complexion.

Just a little exposure to the sun over time, and it’s strange not to turn dark.

Occasionally, some people would glance over at Xu Yang, since it was said that if a foreigner found a large piece of fine jade, it was easily stolen.

After all, until the jade was appraised, its value remained uncertain, and reporting to the police would not help.

In the afternoon, while Xu Yang was mining jade, a local also came over to watch,

"Young man, this spot isn’t good, there is no jade here, you need to dig deeper inside."

The local seemed genuinely kind.

"I’m just digging casually for fun,"

Xu Yang responded calmly.

"Did you dig up any pretty rocks?"

The local asked again, with an accent that had a strong hint of grilled kebabs.

"Not yet, they’re all just gray rocks."

Xu Yang replied openly.

Seeing Xu Yang’s candid nature, which seemed incapable of lying, the local left.

Xu Yang sped up his jade digging.

Because he didn’t need to stop to search and only needed to keep digging, he worked very fast.

He shoveled down layer after layer of rocks and soil.

After several hours, he finally reached the piece of jade located by the Treasure Compass.

It was a quail egg-sized white jade, extremely smooth on the outside with faint red markings that did not mar its beauty at all.

Xu Yang just glanced at it before slipping the jade into his pocket.

He had learned that the finest Nephrite Jade was white, a lustre not like the translucent white of ordinary pebbles but a gleaming, understated shimmer.

Usually, white jade would have deep red flecks embedded within,

and jade carvers would design a sculpture based on the structure and color of the jade.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Xu Yang continued to dig.

Another ten minutes went by before he, like one deflated, tossed the shovel aside and sat down in the shade below the riverbank to rest.

He took out a bottle of water from his backpack and drank leisurely.

Actor’s Self-Cultivation.

In the distance, some people were still digging.

The area was indeed vast.

The riverbed stretched endlessly, resembling the remains of ancient times.

It was easy to imagine that long ago, a huge river must have once surged through here.

Depositing countless boulders and pebbles.

Modern people were searching through such remnants, looking for treasures from ancient times.

After resting for a while, Xu Yang picked up his backpack, climbed to a higher point on the riverbank, and looked into the distance.

The landscape was uneven, but looking out, there was no sign of life.

Not a single green spot could be seen.

Many areas were covered with dust.

"This is the Great Gobi, without all these people, this place would be terrifying,"

"No signs of life at all,"

Xu Yang could not help but sigh.

He liked vibrant atmospheres, but this place was the complete opposite.

After wandering briefly, Xu Yang left directly.

A few locals noticed him, but paid him no mind.

In their eyes, Xu Yang was like the countless other outsiders who came dreaming of striking it rich, only to be schooled by reality and leave dirty and downcast.

...

Xu Yang drove to the city center to rest well for the night.

The next day, he began searching for jade sellers.

This area was not short of traders buying jade, just like Changbai Mountain was never short of dealers buying ginseng.

Besides, these people were very professional; Xu Yang approached Treasure Appraisers from major institutions, which were more authoritative.

The Treasure Appraiser held the jade, feeling it with his hands, also examining it with a small flashlight, and even used a machine for further testing.

He offered a price of 750,000.

"How much?"

Xu Yang raised an eyebrow, asking with a bit of astonishment.

"This piece is indeed fine, already of a collectible quality, but high-end jade is not so easy to sell, 750,000 is a high price,"

"Private buyers definitely won’t offer what we do,"

the other party replied.

Xu Yang was surprised by the robust pricing of the jade,

Ginseng was hard to sell for this price.

Actually, the scale was visible, each year not many people dug for ginseng, but jade miners filled the Great Gobi.

All are motivated by profit.

"Okay, I’ll consult a few other places for comparisons,"

Xu Yang replied generously.

After all, these major brands were competitors and he didn’t worry about them colluding.

Shopping around like this, one can gauge the general market rate.

Xu Yang then consulted two other sellers, one quoted 600,000, the other quoted 550,000.

Both less than the first one.

Thus, Xu Yang decided to sell the jade to the first dealer.

Cash transactions privately meant no taxes, and the locals always dealt in cash here.

Regular channels would have required paying taxes.

Major institutions operated through official channels, and naturally, Xu Yang agreed as well.

Thus, the deal was settled.

Coming to Hetian and making several hundred thousand,

was indeed worth the trip.