Qiu Yue let out a long sigh.

  Just now, she was worried to death. Seeing that the incense stick was already half gone, the girl still had her eyes half closed and didn't move at all. At that moment, she really wanted to remind her out loud! But having followed the girl for so long, she knew her temperament too well. The girl did this, there must be a reason, if she reminded her out loud, it might even ruin things for her. So she could only anxiously wait.

  It's okay, it's okay. When there was only one-third of the incense left, the girl started moving, and her movements were extremely fast, so fast that they made people dizzy, so fast that they made people stare with their eyes wide open. She finally put down her tools before the incense finished burning.

  But can a jade carving made by a young girl in such a short time be as good as Nie Bao's?

  Qiu Yue looked carefully at Ye Zhuo's face, hoping to know in advance from the girl's expression whether she would agree or not.

  However, Ye Zhuo's face was expressionless, without any disappointment or joy, and silently put the jade plate back in the brocade box, tidied up the tools on the table, and slowly stood up.

  Nie Boyi also stood up, then raised his head, looking at Ye Zhuo with some surprise, and couldn't help but ask out loud: "You... finished carving?" He vaguely remembered that when he started carving, Ye Zhuo was still half-closing her eyes, doing something unknown. Later, he entered a state of concentration, unaware of when she had started working on it, or how she had carved it. But he could be certain that she hadn't spent much time at all.

  Jade carving is a skill that can be mastered with practice. Those apprentices, when they first started learning to carve, were extremely cautious with every cut, afraid of ruining the jade and causing irreparable losses. If Ye Zhuo had indeed been studying carving for less than a year, then even if she was incredibly talented, it would still be difficult for her to create a piece in just one incense stick's time. Not to mention that she had wasted so much time! It seemed that this time, she had automatically given up on the competition.

  Thinking of this, Nie Bo let out a sigh of relief.

  It is undeniable that compared to Ye Zhuo, he was very confident, but still had some pressure. Because he could only win and not lose. If he lost, he didn't know what fate awaited him when he returned to the Nie family. But after that Jiang Gongzi said those words, he had no way out. Except for competing with Ye Zhuo and defeating her, there was no other path he could take.

  Ye Zhuo liked to quietly recall the scene after each carving, summarizing, reflecting and feeling. Although the carving was finished, her heart had not calmed down, and her mind was still thinking continuously. So when she heard Nie Boyi's question, she didn't speak, but just nodded slightly.

  Nie Boyi had always looked down on Ye Zhuo, and now that he was talking to her, she still had an attitude of loving to ignore him. He was extremely angry in his heart, and let out a "hum" from his nose. He picked up his own jade carving work from the table and turned around to leave. The red-clothed maid was about to go over to help clean up, but seeing him leave, she quickly picked up the brocade box and followed after him.

  "Miss Ye, please." The old woman gestured to the green-clad maid to bring up Ye Zhuo's brocade box and led Ye Zhuo into the main hall.

  No one knew what Gu Xuan was saying to the others, but as they entered in a line, the hall was filled with laughter. Seeing them come in, Gu Xuan put down the teacup in his hand and smiled: "The time of burning incense really passes quickly, it's been a while. Come, let's take a look at their carved jade."

  "Please, Master Gu, instruct us." Nie Boyi took the lead and stepped forward, with a proud expression, he took out his own jade carving and placed it in the brocade box held by the red-clothed girl, letting her present it to Gu Chen for inspection. Gu Chen and Nie Zhongkun were equally famous, only their carving styles differed, but their levels were not inferior to each other. And Nie Boyi was Nie Zhongkun's proud disciple, today this jade carving work made him very satisfied. So although his mouth said such words, in his heart he had the intention of being proud and showing off - I suppose your disciple, Master Gu, may not necessarily be able to carve out such a piece.

  Gu Xuan did not get up, waiting for the red-clad maid to bring the brocade box in front of her. Only then did she pick up the jade carving from the box and examine it carefully. After a while, a look of appreciation appeared on her face, and she nodded: "Good, quite good."

  Nie Bao Yi stepped forward and gave a slight bow: "Master Gu's praise is undeserved." Although he said it was undeserved, the expression on his face clearly showed that he was pleased with Gu Chen's praise.

  Gu Dun put down the jade carving, gesturing to the maid to take it away and show it to Yuan Chaolin and Feng Chengzeng. Turning his head to Nie Bowei, he said: "Master Nie's craftsmanship has inherited seven-tenths of your father's true transmission, and the chain pattern is especially well done."

  Jade carving chain, also known as the chain in jade, is a delicate and intricate craft that combines the techniques of relief carving and hollowed-out carving. It is considered an extremely difficult skill to master, even among jade carvers, who refer to it as "both difficult and dangerous". The chain can increase the overall size of the work, achieving more with less material and increasing the utilization rate of raw materials; it can also make the work more beautiful and refined, thereby enhancing its artistic value and economic value.

  "Thank you, Master Gu, for your praise." Nie Boweng was also extremely impressed with Master Gu at this moment. Not to mention the craftsmanship, just this generosity in praising his opponent's disciple is not something that ordinary people can have. This Gu Chen, although a woman, has a broader mind than most men. No wonder she could obtain the title of "Master" in the jade carving world as a woman - he knew that Master Gu's title had nothing to do with Jade Concubine, but was entirely earned through her own abilities. Otherwise, how would Nie Gui Fei not know that Jade Concubine was actually Master Gu?

  The crowd cheered and praised, and Yuan Chaolin and Feng Chengzeng also curiously leaned over to take a look at the jade carving. The mottled green jade material had been carved into a bitter melon, which was also called a "cancer gourd". The surface of the gourd was uneven, with concave and convex shapes resembling a cancerous head. Nie Boyi skillfully carved the dark spots into recessed areas, while the lighter-colored parts protruded outward. The shallow green part formed the top, and the deep green part formed the root and tail, creating a strong visual effect. What's more, apart from the main body of the gourd, its branches and leaves were intertwined, folded and twisted, with a small chain ring carved at the base. One end of the chain was connected to a delicate little flower pot carved from leftover material. The entire work was small but exquisite, showcasing Nie Boyi's superb carving skills, making it hard for people to put down.

  "This chain, ordinary jade carvers can't carve it out!" Feng Chengzeng exclaimed.

  Although he is not a jade carver, after living in Nanshan Town for a lifetime, he has a very high level of appreciation for jade carving. He knows that the difficulty of making this chain lies in the fact that the chain links are made from the object itself, taking its material without leaving its body. After determining the location of the material, you need to use tools with the right degree of hardness and softness to cut and remove excess jade material. The material used for each link, the position of each ring, must be uniform and accurate, without any error. If there is even a slight mistake, it will all be in vain. Therefore, making chain links requires being clever with one's hands and having great artistic skills; one ring in hand, the whole chain in mind. This is not all, what's even more difficult is that Nie Boyi was able to create such a delicate and elegant work of art within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, truly worthy of being an outstanding disciple of Master Nie.

  Yuan Chaolin looked at the jade carving and let out a faint sigh. Before he came, Yang Jianxiu had entrusted him to take good care of his stepdaughter. But now that he saw Nie Boyi's work, he felt completely powerless - even if he were to make a judgment, it would be impossible for Ye Zhuo to win, after all, one couldn't lie with their eyes open, could they?

  Ye Yuqi, who was very confident in his granddaughter, didn't dare to hold onto hope for the outcome of this competition after seeing this jade carving. As a jade carver with several years of experience, he knew how difficult it was to carve intricate designs. Even with Ye Zhuo's skills, she couldn't have created such an exquisite piece.

  He lifted his head, wanting to comfort his granddaughter with his eyes. But unexpectedly, Ye Zhuo lowered her eyelids and didn't look at him. His heart became worried, fearing that Ye Zhuo would be hit and lose confidence in Xue Yu'e.

  Nie Bowen knew his cousin's level and had also received many praises from Gu Chen, so when he saw the jade carving, there was no look of pride or admiration on his face, his expression remained as usual. Du Haoran looked at it and only gave Ye Zhuo a deep glance before gesturing to the maid to take away that calabaza.

  "Alright, let's take a look at Miss Ye's work." Gu Chen beckoned to the green-clad maid.

  Here is the translation:

  Here, apart from Feng Chengzeng who didn't care about this matter, she was the most calm in her heart. Although this match was intentionally arranged by her, she only wanted to see Ye Zhuo's performance in this competition. Now Ye Zhuo's performance had already made her very satisfied, so what if she lost now? Compared to Ye Zhuo who had been learning carving for only one year and Nie Boyi who had ten years of experience, they could compete face-to-face, which was already a victory for Ye Zhuo. As for the excellence of craftsmanship, as long as time and effort were spent on practice, with Ye Zhuo's comprehension ability, it would definitely not be a problem. Moreover, if Ye Zhuo's craftsmanship had already been very excellent, why did she need to spend so much energy trying to test her? Ye Zhuo could have established his own school and didn't need to worship others as teachers anymore.

  The maid in green walked up and opened the brocade box, handing it over to Gu Chen.

  "This, this..." Gu Chen looked closely at the jade plaque and suddenly widened her eyes, as if she couldn't believe it. In the first moment, she stretched out her hand and took the jade plaque out of the brocade box, carefully examining it. She spent a good half cup of tea's worth of time looking at the front before flipping it over to look at the back.

  After finishing reading, she lifted her head and looked at Ye Zhuo, remaining silent for a long time.

  "What's going on? Is the carving really that good?" Nie Bo Yi couldn't help but ask out loud. Originally, he thought that Ye Zhuo had given up during the competition and wasn't moving, so she must have conceded defeat already. The fact that she started carving later was just a casual gesture to save face. A work like that wouldn't even be worth looking at twice, let alone praised by Gu Chen, who was interested in Ye Zhuo and wanted to use her to bring down the Southern School. But now, he saw what? The expression on Gu Chen's face wasn't one of disdain or indifference, but rather extreme shock and admiration. So, what kind of jade carving could evoke such an expression from a master like Gu Chen, who had seen it all?

  (Mumu Guang Han Gong Zhu A, thank you for the generous reward of gold pigs. Today was supposed to be a special update for you, but Tea Words signed a publishing deal and they're rushing me on that end, so I spent all day revising drafts and writing extras, I'm exhausted. So tomorrow then, tomorrow will definitely have an extra update!) (Thank you for your support, it's my greatest motivation.)

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