The Villa

He hailed a taxi, and before long, the car arrived at a high-end residential complex in the city center. Striding with nimble steps, he entered, and amidst the shade of green trees, a cluster of villas appeared in his sight.

Huang Huai went straight to a villa, expertly entered the password, and closed the gate before entering the house. He casually placed his backpack on the sofa, grabbed a drink from the refrigerator, and chugged it down. Leaning back, he appeared utterly relaxed.

In the past, besides attending school, Huang Huai would spend his winter and summer breaks at Xunzhen Temple to recuperate. Therefore, his father had long ago chosen and purchased this villa in SY City at the foot of Taihe Mountain as a place for Huang Huai to stay when he came down the mountain.

Since Huang Huai had already decided to travel to another world, and for the sake of secrecy, he chose not to open the mysterious portal in his small courtyard at Xunzhen Temple for his journey. After all, his senior brothers at the temple, with whom he had a good relationship, like Chen Wei, often came to his courtyard looking for him.

He wasn't sure if they would stumble upon him while he was traveling. Even if they didn't, if they discovered he had disappeared from the temple for a day or two, or even longer, who knew what kind of trouble it would cause.

Therefore, when Huang Huai considered the issue of entering another world last night, the first thing he thought of was this villa under his name.

After all, this was undoubtedly his private space. Even his parents and younger sister only stayed for a short period when they visited him; normally, not even a ghost would be seen here.

Using this villa as the location to open that mysterious portal was perfectly suitable.

After resting for a while, Huang Huai organized the items in his backpack. The most important among them was a statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan. The statue was wrapped layer upon layer with red cloth, vaguely outlining a human-shaped silhouette.

He took out the ten-kilogram silver ingots from the box and placed them aside casually. Only then did Huang Huai lift the statue and unwrap it. He took out his phone, took several pictures of the statue from all angles, and then placed the statue on the altar in the living room. He picked up the incense and candles nearby and respectfully lit them.

After doing all this, Huang Huai was about to leave when he suddenly heard the notification sound of his phone's WeChat.

Swiping open the screen, Huang Huai saw a message.

"Huai Zi, I found the master craftsman for handmade incense you asked me to inquire about."

Huang Huai's eyes lit up. He had made some plans earlier, and incense and candles were among the items he intended to bring to the other world.

From the incense and candles burned by the common people when the Seventh Elder bestowed his blessings, it was evident that incense and candles varied in quality. Huang Huai was unsure if there were any top-tier incense and candles in that world, but he assumed there were. However, they were likely beyond his current reach or ability to obtain.

Since that was the case, Huang Huai set his sights on the real world. Thus, he entrusted Shi Ting, his good friend with whom he shared a dorm for four years in college, to help him find information about a master craftsman of handmade incense.

Shi Ting was from Dongshan Province, a burly man of 1.89 meters tall. His personality inherited the straightforwardness of northerners. After years of sharing a dorm, Huang Huai had an excellent relationship with him.

Of course, the most important thing was that Huang Huai had heard Shi Ting mention that a town under their city was known for its skilled artisans in handmade incense.

Nowadays, incense and candles were mostly mass-produced by machinery. Yet, there was a group of people who pursued retro handmade incense. Incense and candles made by hand according to ancient methods often possessed various functions.

Huang Huai didn't necessarily advocate for handmade production. However, after spending years at Xunzhen Temple and being influenced by the Great Daoist Master, Huang Huai believed that incense and candles used for worshipping deities, like these, possessed more spiritual essence when made by hand.

What people of the Dao pursued was a return to nature and the unity of heaven and man. Therefore, the first thing Huang Huai thought of was to ask someone to help him find a top folk master craftsman of handmade incense.

Shi Ting did not disappoint him; the results came in just one day.

He casually dialed the number, and it was answered in an instant. Immediately, a loud and hearty voice came through the phone.

"Huai Zi, you saw the message, right? This time, your brother found a truly top-tier incense master for you. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Tell me, how are you going to thank your brother?"

After Shi Ting finished speaking, Huang Huai smiled and said, "Brother, do you want the full spa package..."

Before Huang Huai could finish speaking, a clear and pleasant female voice came from the phone: "Shi Ting, want to taste what a spa feels like..."

"Hello, hello, Huai Zi, what did you say? Say that again, I was just talking to your sister-in-law, didn't hear clearly..."

Huang Huai burst into laughter and said, "Brother, I'm taking the high-speed train this afternoon, remember to pick me up!"

After joking with Shi Ting, Huang Huai hung up the phone and immediately booked a high-speed train ticket to Dongshan Province for the afternoon. He grabbed his backpack and left the villa.

He hailed a taxi, and after about half an hour, the taxi stopped in a slightly dilapidated neighborhood in the old city.

Looking around, Huang Huai soon spotted a shop. From afar, he could see various statues of gods and Buddhas displayed inside, numbering at least a hundred.

He glanced at the shop's name and walked in. A shop assistant, about thirty years old, looked up at Huang Huai and said, "Brother, which deity are you looking to invite home?"

Huang Huai surveyed the shop's interior and said to the assistant, "I'm looking for Master Wang Guangzong!"

The assistant couldn't help but size Huang Huai up and asked in surprise, "You're looking for my dad?"

Huang Huai hadn't expected the assistant to be the son of the master he was looking for. He immediately said, "I've heard of your reputation and would like to ask Master Wang to take on the task of carving a statue for me."

The assistant looked hesitant, clearly unwilling. Seeing this, Huang Huai quickly added, "I'll make sure Master Wang is satisfied with the craftsmanship fee."

The assistant shook his head. "It's not about the fee. It's just that my father has rarely taken on commissions in the past two years..."

Huang Huai took out his phone and showed the photo of the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue he had taken. "This is a work by Master Wang. The craftsmanship is exquisite, a true masterpiece. I've come precisely to ask Master Wang to recreate a statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan based on this."

The assistant looked at the photo and confirmed it was indeed his father's work. After thinking for a moment, he said, "In that case, please follow me to see my father."

Huang Huai's face lit up with joy.

He planned to take the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, which had been enshrined at Xunzhen Temple for many years, to the other world. However, he couldn't just tell the Great Daoist Master that the statue was lost. Therefore, he needed to get an identical statue to bring back to the temple. Otherwise, let alone the Great Daoist Master, even his own father wouldn't let him get away with it.

He walked through the back door of the shop, and a small courtyard appeared. Grapevines covered the overhead trellis, with bunches of grapes hanging down. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and branches, casting dappled patterns of light.

An old man, about seventy years old, was reclining on a lounge chair, fanning himself with one hand and tapping his leg to the rhythm of the opera music from the radio. He even sang along occasionally, truly living a leisurely life.

Seeing his father's relaxed demeanor, the shop assistant couldn't help but clear his throat and say to the elder, "Dad, we have a guest!"

After two calls, the old man finally snapped out of his world. He opened his eyes and saw Huang Huai and his son, but showed no particular reaction. He simply sat up, his gaze falling on Huang Huai. "What a strong scent of incense and fire. Young friend, where have you been cultivating?"

Huang Huai quickly replied, "Huang Huai of Xunzhen Temple on Taihe Mountain, greetings Master Wang."

Wang Guangzong nodded. "Xunzhen Temple, a good place indeed. May I ask why you've come to see me..."

Wang Chuanye, standing beside him, quickly interjected, "Dad, this young brother wants you to personally carve a statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan."

Huang Huai promptly handed his phone to Wang Guangzong. The latter's eyes lit up after just one glance. "I remember this statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan. It was carved from a single piece of rosewood. It was quite valuable even back then."

As he spoke, Wang Guangzong looked up at Huang Huai and asked, "Are you planning to recreate an identical statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan with sandalwood?"

Huang Huai smiled and nodded, "As long as Master Wang's shop has suitable materials, then please, Master Wang, personally craft another identical statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan for me!"

Wang Guangzong pondered slightly, his gaze falling on Wang Chuanye. "Chuanye, are there any suitable materials in the warehouse?"

Wang Chuanye thought for a moment before replying, "Dad, two years ago, our shop acquired a batch of top-grade sandalwood. There are suitable pieces among them."

A smile touched Huang Huai's lips. He knew that these renowned old shops in the industry would absolutely have reserves of materials.

Wang Guangzong looked at Huang Huai and said, "A statue like this requires about ten kilograms of wood. You also know that top-grade sandalwood is always rare and expensive. The market price is around three to five thousand per kilogram..."

Before Wang Guangzong could finish, Huang Huai interrupted, "As long as Master Wang can make me an identical statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, I'll offer one hundred thousand!"

It had to be said that Huang Huai's offer was impossible to refuse. Even Wang Chuanye, standing nearby, couldn't help but look at his father.