Chapter 138: Motorcycle Dream

  Shang Tao is also a red second-generation offspring. He can only be considered as the second generation and not the third generation. His father participated in the Self-Defense Counterattack War and was promoted all the way up due to his military achievements. In 1980, he was promoted to Major General and later had a son named Tao. Therefore, Shang Tao's age is younger than that of Sheng Dengfeng and Lu Zhuoqun, and even in Zhou Kai's eyes, they are all younger brothers who came later.

  As Shang Chongwu became the commander of a certain aspect army guarding the capital, Shang Tao followed him into the capital and slowly approached the legendary circle. Moreover, Shang Tao was still young, only two years older than Xuan Qi, and was in his rebellious youth, especially fond of street racing, and had made a big name for himself in the capital, gradually becoming decadent and punk.

  Xuan Qi and Shang Tao clinked cups together in a friendly smile, both being people of similar temperament, they quickly became familiar with each other. Xuan Qi couldn't help but use his Qigong technique to glance at Shang Tao, suddenly his face turned pale, a thick, substantial death energy had formed a large net, densely wrapping around Shang Tao's vital energy, if nothing unexpected happened, within three days Shang Tao would die an untimely death.

  Xuan Qi silently took a sip of wine, feeling depressed. If he were a stranger, perhaps he would have let him drift away with the wind, but the friendship formed over a few cups of wine and a meal made Xuan Qi somewhat appreciate Shang Tao. This was not a child who relied on his family's wealth to be reckless; he was rebellious, he was decadent because he wanted to defy his father, he wanted to prove himself. Shang Tao also had dreams, he wanted to participate in the World Motorcycle Championship (now renamed GP), and participate in the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) to win the championship, to tell the world that Chinese people can also be swift and fierce on the track, and can laugh proudly at the world.

  For this, Shang Tao has been training hard and constantly seeking out famous drivers to hone his skills. He even went so far as to participate in underground racing tracks to improve his technique, and privately challenged the champion of the qualifying race. In the underground racing world, Shang Tao already had a certain reputation, but now he still lacks an opportunity to shine on the world stage.

  Shang Chongwu disagreed with Shang Tao's dream. On the one hand, he was worried about the child's safety, and on the other hand, he felt that this was not a proper career path. He had no idea that GP and K had become super leagues, and thought it was just kids fooling around. So he cut off Shang Tao's financial resources.

  Shang Tao also had a bit of arrogance, gritted his teeth and persevered, with no money he went to race cars and gamble on black gold, or go train with other motorcycle enthusiasts. No parts, no racing car, then he would modify it himself, the last time he won against the Korean champion was with a motorcycle that Shang Tao had modified himself, unfortunately after one run the car was scrapped.

  The 20-year-old youth is the time to make dreams set sail, it's a passionate and exciting period of life, also the golden age for competitive sports. As you get older, you will lose your golden competitive state.

  At this moment, Xuan Qi gazed at Shang Tao, as if he was looking at a blooming summer flower, dazzling and captivating, yet about to wither away before his eyes.

  Lao Ding said in a low voice: "When you see injustice on the road, draw your sword to help. If you want to help him, then help him, and bear his karma if necessary. The Xuanmen cultivators say that it's all about having a clear mind. Don't hesitate because of temporary gains or losses, don't look back because of other people's opinions. Not only will this prevent your cultivation from advancing, but it will also lead to your cultivation falling into trouble."

  "You are a cultivator of the mystic, they are ordinary people. You have already transcended the mundane and surpassed the common. Why bother with the worldly gazes of mortals? Never let the dust of the world tarnish your Daoist heart."

  Upon hearing Lao Ding's words, a ray of magnificent light flashed in Xuan Qi's eyes, and his previously hesitant heart instantly became resolute. With his mind made up, he asked Shang Tao, "Do you have any matches within the next three days?"

  Shang Tao's face was flushed with excitement, his eyes gleaming with a reddish tint. His decadent demeanor seemed like something out of a cartoon: "The day after tomorrow night, on the outer ring road, I'm going to have a showdown with Japan's top driver. He's last year's Japanese champion and ranked 10th in the world - three places lower than the best driver from China, nothing to be afraid of."

  The night after tomorrow, Xuan Qi's head spun wildly like a slide show, searching for news about the outer ring road in late September two thousand years ago. Suddenly, a short message from a news broadcast appeared in Xuan Qi's mind.

  "Recently, the public security organs of our city have carried out a special rectification campaign against the 'Flying Car Party' on the outer ring road, and cracked down on several cases, capturing 73 people, including one from an island country..." The remaining voice was already unclear, Xuan Qi saw a cluster of jumping flames burning, as well as fire trucks and ambulances.

  After figuring everything out, Xuan Qi realized where the unexpected event occurred. The next evening, the Municipal Bureau would carry out a special rectification. Shang Tao, who had already started running, was unwilling to stop and turned into a ball of flames, burying his own dreams amidst the pursuit and blockade, even with helicopters deployed.

  Xuan Qi's expression was somewhat hesitant. It wasn't a good sign that they were speaking so deeply despite their shallow relationship. Sometimes saying too much could lead to awkwardness. Their relationship had just started to warm up, and if Xuan Qi told Shang Tao the truth, he would be dead by tomorrow night, but Shang Tao wouldn't believe him anyway.

  Sheng Dengfeng's eyes flashed with splendor, Xuan Qi's silence seemed to have a worry, and this worry should come from Shang Tao. What was wrong? Sheng Dengfeng's expression was full of playfulness, closing his mouth to quietly observe the changes.

  Lu Zhuoqun was much more spirited and said in a low voice to Xuan Qi: "Are you also interested in racing? If so, we can go together the day after tomorrow to cheer on Shang Tao."

  This wasn't a bad idea, Xuan Qi nodded silently, and there was still some time to make a move, as long as he could control Shang Tao's emotions, he wouldn't go crazy, and perhaps he could change his fate.

  At noon, the meal was more enjoyable. The sweet wine and fruit indeed had a unique flavor that made Xuan Qi feel that grapes should be fragrant like this when drunk.

  The brothers rested for another half hour before walking towards the stone material room with renewed energy. The September air was already cool and the sun shone down warmly on their skin. The large stones were placed under the cutting machine, already warmed by the sun. Zhou Kai reached out to touch them, silently thinking to himself: "Must cut well, must rise ah"

  The large stone material can no longer be rubbed with a stone, but instead must be cut directly downwards using a large sand wheel cutting machine. When mist appears, stop and slowly resolve it. Because the stone is large and heavy, making it inconvenient to move, most of the time it is transported by forklifts and arranged in various positions suitable for cutting.

  Watching the material being ground into stone powder, Zhou Kai seemed to have returned to his home court. His eyes were wide with excitement as he waited for good material to appear. Everything was just as he had thought, the rotating sand wheel cut off a piece of edge stone, and without splashing water, the misty color inside the stone could be seen. Zhou Kai immediately leaned in, carefully observing, and then let out a loud cry: "My god, this seems to be high-ice material, close to glass material, and the color is even positive green!"

  He was so amazed because such a large piece of material only opened one mouth and cut it up, following the grain to cut it down, plus the volume of this piece of material is not small, the jade inside is probably several hundred kilograms. This time it's not just a simple rise, but a skyrocketing rise

  Luo Zhuangui also joined in, carefully examining it for a while before saying in a low voice: "It's indeed high ice species, close to glass species' positive yang green. This material doesn't seem small." As he spoke, he waved his hand: "Such good material can't be cut by a small worker, I'll personally give you the knife."

  Zhou Kai's eyebrows rose and he let out a sigh of relief, as if he had regained all the face he had lost. With a smile, he bowed to Luo Zhanggui and said, "Well, since you're so confident in your material, go ahead and cut it up, no matter what shape it takes, I'll invite you to Tianxian tonight."

  Saying that, he glanced at Xuan Qi with his eyes, feeling confident of winning, and continued to mock him: "Have you ever seen a high-quality green tea like this, with such a big head?"

  Xuan Qi nodded naturally, this material was one of the best in the entire seed library, with a comprehensive value that wasn't low. He hadn't expected Zhou Kai to pick it out. It was fitting to let him be proud for a while, after all, he still had the best material in his hands, and it was unparalleled.

  Luozhanggui carefully observed for a while, then used chalk to draw lines along the direction of the material. Because it had already risen, in order not to damage the possible jade inside, when removing the stone, they would use the method of striking first and wiping later.

  What is referred to as "striking" here does not mean smashing with a hammer, but rather cutting off a thin layer of stone skin along the outer circle of the stone material, and then wiping it gently to see if any mist comes out. Experienced and skilled jade masters can judge how much stone skin should be cut off based on the direction of the jade seed material.

  Luozhanggui deliberately made it thinner to be on the safe side. This way, he could avoid accidentally hurting Feicui. As layer after layer of stone skin fell off, the places where mist emerged became more and more numerous.

  Even Shang Tao, who had no experience with jade, could see that this piece of material would definitely skyrocket in value. Zhou Kai's body was already trembling with excitement, as if his life, which had been in a slump for years, had finally reached its peak. The feeling of pride and satisfaction made him tremble with emotion. The size of this piece of material was absolutely beyond imagination, reaching an unbelievable scale, and perhaps the weight would be another surprise.

  "Are you still going to continue betting? This piece of material may only be worth half, but just looking at the size of the exposed jade, it's not necessary to say more, its value is probably already over 10 million." Zhou Kai's eyebrows danced with excitement: "With that piece of material with a tumor, can you win?"

  Xuan Qi remained calm and lightly said: "After all, who lost or won, what you say doesn't count, what I say doesn't count either. It's still the same old saying, one blink of an eye, let's take a closer look."

  Zhou Kai let out a loud laugh, dispelling the previous depressed atmosphere. His eyes shining brightly, he said: "I just like your stubbornness, I hope that when you're cutting stone, your mouth will be as hard as it is now."

  Xuan Qi shrugged indifferently: "I also like the current you, with flying eyebrows and colors, flying high. I hope that when I start cutting stone heads, you won't be discouraged and depressed, like a sick little chicken." As he spoke, he ignored Zhou Kai's angry glare and said meaningfully: "In the few times we've fought, have you ever won against me?"

  Zhou Kai looked at the already solved stone material and gritted his teeth, saying: "Sorry to say, but I think I've won now."