THE Gaze of Destiny: The Peerless Appraiser

The antiseptic smell of the hospital hit Xiao Xingyun before he even opened his eyes. He felt a dull throb in his skull, memory fractured like a shattered vase.

“Hey, Xiao Xingyun, you’re awake? How are you feeling?”

He blinked, focusing on the nurse. Her face was blurry, then suddenly—unnervingly—sharp.

“Wow, why is your face so red?” she teased. “I didn’t think a big guy like you would be so shy and introverted.”

“I… I’m big, but I’m not shy,” Xingyun stammered. But as he spoke, his vision shifted. The nurse’s uniform seemed to dissolve. He could see the pulse in her neck, the structure of her bones, and then—he looked away, his eyes burning. What is happening?

His friend, Fatty Lao, burst in. “Xingyun! You’re finally awake! You only had some scratches, why were you out for two days?”

Xingyun didn’t answer. He looked at a decorative jade pendant on the nightstand. His vision pierced through the stone, revealing a hollow center filled with resin.

“Damned eyes, stop it… it stings!” he hissed, rubbing his lids. But a realization struck him like a thunderbolt. X-ray vision? Divine sight?

“Fatty, get me out of here,” Xingyun whispered, his heart racing. “I need to find my raw stones. I need to know if I’ve become a god or a madman.”

Life changed at lightning speed. With his new ability, Xingyun realized he could see the hidden treasures within raw boulders—stones others called “rubbish.”

One afternoon, he heard a scream in a nearby alley. A landlord was harassing a young woman, Xu Ting.

“Help! Let me go!” she cried.

Xingyun didn’t hesitate. He stepped in, his eyes cold. “Let her go.”

“You have no evidence!” the landlord sneered. “This place has no cameras!”

Xingyun smirked. “Since you said there’s no evidence, then me kicking your teeth in won’t matter, will it?” After a brief scuffle, the harasser fled.

Xu Ting looked at him, surprised. “I didn’t think you were the righteous type. You usually look so… unreliable.”

“Are you praising me or insulting me?” Xingyun laughed. “Look, you can’t stay here. Let’s find a two-bedroom apartment. I’ll move out with you; I don’t feel safe leaving you alone.”

While settling into his new life, the world of high-stakes jewelry beckoned. An old contact, Zhang Hao, invited him to a prestigious jade exchange hosted by the Qin Corporation.

At the event, the elite looked down on Xingyun’s simple clothes.

“This is a high-end exchange, not a flea market,” a manager scoffed. “One stone here is worth more than your entire life.”

Xingyun ignored him. His eyes swept across the room. He saw through the “perfect” stones—most were traps, duds with thin layers of green painted on. Then, his eyes locked onto a small, ugly rock labeled #54. It hummed with a mysterious energy that seemed to nourish his very soul.

“Thirty thousand for this?” Xingyun said, stepping up.

“Kid, you have too much money to burn?” an old master laughed.

“Cut it,” Xingyun commanded. “Right down the middle.”

The crowd gasped as the saw sliced through. A vibrant, translucent green spilled out.

“Ice-grade green! It’s nearly Imperial Jade!” someone shouted.

“I’ll give you five million!”

“Ten million!”

“Twenty-five million from the Gu Corporation!”

A stunning woman stepped forward—Gu Qingcheng, the heiress of the Gu family. “Thirty million,” she said firmly.

Xingyun smiled. “Sold to the Gu family.”

But his success drew shadows. Young Master Qin, the host, watched with venomous eyes. “I want him dead,” Qin whispered to his subordinate. “Trap him. Make him swallow a load of fake goods.”

Success brought old ghosts back. At a class reunion, Xingyun encountered his ex-girlfriend, Yang Yudie, and the class bully, Hu Guoc强 (Guoqiang).

“Xiao Xingyun? You’re still a street peddler?” Yudie sneered, clinging to Guoqiang’s arm. “I was right to leave you. You’ll never amount to anything.”

“He smells of poverty,” Guoqiang laughed. “Kneel and apologize for ruining the mood, and maybe I’ll pay for your taxi home.”

Suddenly, a fleet of black sedans pulled up. Gu Qingcheng stepped out, bowing slightly. “Mr. Xiao, I’ve been looking for you. We have a new shipment of raw stones. Please, come with me.”

The jaws of his former classmates hit the floor.

However, the world of jade was deadlier than a reunion. Xingyun found himself kidnapped by “Lord Ma,” a ruthless gambler.

“Win three matches for me, or I break your legs,” Ma threatened.

Xingyun used his sight to win, but he realized he was being watched by something darker: The Three-Eyed Evil Buddha—a cult seeking fragments of a mystical “Jade Eye.” Xingyun realized his own power came from one of these fragments he had unknowingly absorbed.

The final confrontation took place in a desolate mine. The villain, Wang Banxian, had kidnapped Xu Ting’s parents.

“I am the god here!” Wang screamed, holding a glowing Jade Eye fragment. “I control everyone!”

He turned the light on Xu Ting. Her eyes went blank. She picked up a knife, moving toward Xingyun.

“Kill him,” Wang commanded.

“Xingyun… I can’t… I can’t stop myself!” Xu Ting cried.

Xingyun stood still, his own eyes beginning to glow with an intense, crimson light. The energy from the fragment in his head surged.

“You think you’re the master of this power?” Xingyun’s voice sounded ancient. “I am the true host.”

With a wave of his hand, the mental shackles on Xu Ting and her parents shattered. The energy rebounded, striking Wang Banxian. The villain screamed as his own “divine” eye withered, leaving him blind and broken.

Months later.

Xingyun sat on a porch, watching the sunset. He was no longer the penniless student or the desperate peddler. He was a legend in the jade world, a billionaire, and a protector.

Gu Qingcheng and Xu Ting remained close to him—one a business partner, the other the heart of his home. He had paid off the debts of his loved ones and established his own jade empire.

“Daddy, is this a ‘Glass Species’ jade?” his young daughter asked, holding up a marble.

Xingyun laughed, picking her up. “No, sweetheart. That’s just a marble. But you… you are the most precious gem in the world.”

He looked at the horizon. His eyes no longer burned with the desire to see through walls or find gold. He realized that while his sight could find any treasure in the earth, the true fortune was the peace he had finally won for those he loved.

The gaze of destiny had settled, and for the first time, Xiao Xingyun liked what he saw.