16: Chapter 16 The Smoke Problem on the Return Train

The iron carriage of the green-skinned train was scorched by the afternoon sun. Even with the windows pushed all the way up, it couldn't stop the smell of coal smoke from creeping in through the cracks.

When Chen Jie shoved his backpack under the seat, his fingertips brushed against something ice-cold—it was that dark green jade stone. Although he had wrapped it in three layers of suede, he could still feel the raised patterns on the stone's surface, like holding a walnut carved with talismans.

"This piece of junk train is wobbling even more than when we came," Zhao Kai said, slamming his freshly repaired phone onto the table; the screen lit up with a blinding glare. "If I had known, I would have taken a bus. At least I wouldn't have to smell this oily smoke—just smell it, it's exactly like the black smoke from Auntie Wang's stove."

Chen Jie didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the man smoking diagonally opposite him. The cigarette between the man's fingers was burning brightly, and the grey-black smoke swirled upward, but as it passed his seat, it suddenly took a turn, as if pulled by an invisible hook, slowly drifting toward the space under the seat.

He instinctively touched his backpack; the canvas surface emitted a faint, cool sensation, exactly the same as when it had absorbed the firewood smoke at the campsite.

"That's weird," Zhao Kai said, suddenly leaning over and sniffing. "Why is there no smell of smoke under your seat? I'm almost choked to tears over here." He reached out to rummage through the backpack, but Chen Jie held his hand down.

"Don't mess with it," Chen Jie said in a very low voice. His fingertips felt the outline of the jade stone through the canvas—it was vibrating slightly, as if someone were tapping on the stone's surface with their fingernails.

He suddenly remembered what Old Zhou had said about the "Jade God Twin Stones." The white stone could perform Water purification, and the green stone could repel dampness. So, could absorbing smoke also be one of its abilities?

There was a "clatter" from the connection between the carriages as the snack trolley hit an iron pillar, and the sound of plastic bags rubbing together surged over, mixed with the smell of coal smoke.

Chen Jie saw the smoke stop half a foot away from his seat, as if hitting an invisible wall, and then it split into thin wisps of smoke that crept into the backpack through the seat gaps, just like iron filings being pulled by a magnet.

"Look!" Zhao Kai's voice cracked. "The smoke is running into your bag!"

The man smoking diagonally opposite noticed it too, his fingers holding the cigarette pausing in mid-air. "Young man, what is your bag made of? It can actually absorb smoke?"

Chen Jie didn't speak, quietly unzipping the backpack. Under the dim, yellow light, the patterns on the surface of the jade stone emitted a very faint blue glow. It was weaker than at the campsite, but it brightened noticeably as the wisps of smoke approached.

Within those horizontal and vertical lines, it seemed as if countless tiny whirlpools were hidden, "swallowing" the smell of smoke bit by bit. Because of this, the dark green of the stone's surface became a bit more translucent, like jade covered in a thin veil.

"Is that a magnet?" The man leaned in to look, the embers of his cigarette dizzying to watch. "I used to see stones at the mine that could absorb dust; they were similar to yours."

"Just a piece of junk stone picked up in the mountains, just messing around." Chen Jie zipped the bag shut, and the blue light instantly vanished. However, the smell of smoke around the backpack didn't dissipate; instead, it became even thicker, making Zhao Kai cough uncontrollably.

"What are you still hiding?" Zhao Kai punched him lightly. "Earlier at Old Zhou's place, the two stones together could perform Water purification, and now it can absorb smoke. This is clearly a treasure—by the way, do you think it can absorb the coal smoke on this train? I'm about to be choked to death."

Chen Jie moved the backpack closer to himself, and the vibration of the jade stone gradually stopped. He looked at the terraced fields passing by outside the window; the newly planted rice seedlings reflected a fine, fragmented green in the paddy fields, and the ripples stirred by the wind looked exactly like the flowing blue light on the surface of the jade stone.

He suddenly understood that the stone's ability to absorb smoke didn't work all the time; it was just like tuning the knob on a radio—it had to be set to the right frequency to work.

"Excuse me, coming through." The dining car attendant pushed the trolley over, the oil stains on their apron blackened by coal smoke. "Freshly fried dough sticks, do you want any?"

The aroma of the dough sticks wafted over, mixed with the smell of coal smoke. Chen Jie saw the smoke start to creep into the backpack again, and the cool sensation on the canvas surface grew stronger.

He felt his pants pocket and discovered that the herbal pouch he had brought from Old Zhou's house that morning, which had somehow picked up a bit of smoke, had now become fresh and clean, with only the bitter scent of the herbs remaining—the jade stone was up to its tricks again.

"Give me two dough sticks." Zhao Kai took out his wallet, his eyes still fixed on Chen Jie's backpack. "I'm telling you, if this stone could be mass-produced, we might be able to make a fortune."

Chen Jie didn't respond, but in his heart, he thought of what Old Liu had said about Suiyu Slope. Were all those stones filled with Spiritual Qi buried underneath just like his, hiding all kinds of abilities?

It was just like those old objects he had repaired; they looked ordinary on the outside, but only after taking them apart did one realize how many intricate parts were hidden inside.

When the train dove into a tunnel, the carriage suddenly went dark. Chen Jie saw a very faint blue light emanating from the backpack, like the wings of a firefly in motion.

The moment the smoke was completely absorbed, the jade stone vibrated gently, as if it were burping. He suddenly felt that this return trip was not an end, but a beginning—just like a repaired mantel clock, the moment its hands started moving again was when it truly came back to life.

The sunlight from outside the tunnel surged in, illuminating the carriage brightly. Chen Jie looked at the extinguished cigarette butt diagonally opposite him, suddenly hoping to arrive at the station soon—he wanted to take this jade stone apart and see what kind of patterns could hide so many secrets.

The wrench in the backpack lightly bumped against the jade stone, making a "clink" sound, as if in response to his thoughts.