Even at top-tier prices, the material would only cost thirty to fifty thousand. Huang Huai had offered a hundred thousand, clearly valuing his father's craftsmanship at fifty thousand or more. It was an undeniably generous offer.
Wang Guangzong hadn't expected someone so young as Huang Huai to be so generous. He couldn't help laughing. "A hundred thousand would be asking too much. If you're sure you want it, let's call it eighty thousand."
Huang Huai readily agreed. He went with Wang Chuanye to the storeroom to inspect the material, then paid half as a deposit. They agreed he'd come back to collect the statue in a month, and he left the shop.
As he was leaving, Huang Huai glanced at the many statues in the shop, as if something had occurred to him. He picked out another one: a mighty statue of the Great Spirit God. It was small, only about the size of his palm. It was more like a decorative figurine than a proper idol. Huang Huai found it interesting, so he spent a few hundred yuan to take it home. He wrapped it in red silk and put it in his backpack.
At the HSR station exit in HZ City, Dongshan Province, Huang Huai spotted Shi Ting's unmistakable figure from a distance. He walked over and smiled. "Sorry for the trouble this time."
Shi Ting looked Huang Huai up and down before replying, "We're practically brothers. Of course I'd help. But you've been living pretty comfortably, haven't you? Look at how healthy you look. If you told people you were born weak, no one would believe you."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked out of the station. Once they were in the car, Shi Ting asked Huang Huai, who sat in the passenger seat, "Should I get you settled in a hotel first, or..."
"Let's go see the incense maker you mentioned," Huang Huai said at once.
Shi Ting wasn't surprised by his choice. He started the car. "In that case, we'll head out now. It'll take an hour at most, and I guarantee you'll meet the master."
Just as Shi Ting had said, after about an hour's drive, he pulled up in front of a farmhouse in a small town.
Although it was called a farmhouse, it had been built in the style of a traditional courtyard home. It stood out among the houses around it.
As Shi Ting parked and got out with Huang Huai, he said, "Don't let the little farmhouse fool you. This place cost several million to build."
He glanced at Huang Huai with a grin. "Of course, compared to you, the guy destined to inherit a fortune worth hundreds of millions, a few million is nothing."
Then Shi Ting's booming voice rang out: "Master Li, are you home?"
Footsteps soon sounded in the courtyard. The gate creaked open, and an elderly man in a long gown looked at Huang Huai and Shi Ting with some surprise.
As the old man came closer, Huang Huai caught a faint fragrance. It was fresh and clean. The man had to be the incense maker they'd come to find.
Before the old man could speak, Shi Ting said, "You must be Master Li Maosheng. We were referred to you and came specially to buy some incense."
Li Maosheng glanced at the two of them, then turned and walked into the courtyard. "Come in. What kind of incense are you looking for?"
Shi Ting smiled. "They say your incense-making skills are second to none. What kinds do you have here?"
At the mention of incense, the old man immediately perked up. His face flushed with enthusiasm as he launched into a long explanation. "There are all sorts. Sandalwood to calm the mind and soothe the nerves, agarwood to ease tension and regulate the mood, lavender incense to improve sleep..."
Once the old man started, he showed no sign of stopping. After quite some time, he finally looked at Huang Huai with an expression of lingering satisfaction.
"I have at least dozens, even hundreds, of different kinds of incense. You name it, and I can make it."
Led by the old man, the group walked through the incense workshop. They saw all kinds of incense sticks and candles on display, along with plaques describing each one. Just as the old man had said, the selection was dazzling, with every kind and every effect imaginable. Shi Ting and Huang Huai were truly opening their eyes.
Shi Ting stopped, his gaze settling on a kind of incense called Jubilation. After reading the description on the plaque, which confirmed what he'd suspected, his eyes turned strange.
Shi Ting gestured to Huang Huai. Huang Huai glanced over, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Of all the things this guy could've focused on, he'd picked that.
The old man noticed Shi Ting's reaction but didn't think much of it. Huang Huai, however, was afraid Shi Ting might say something inappropriate, so he hurriedly addressed the old man. "Master Li, we came mainly to buy incense and candles for worshipping the gods. Do you have anything like that?"
Li Maosheng looked at Huang Huai and Shi Ting in surprise. They were so young that he'd assumed they were rich second-generation kids, come to buy expensive incense to show off to their friends. He hadn't expected Huang Huai to want incense for worshipping the gods.
But Li Maosheng had lived a long life and seen all kinds of people. He smiled and nodded. "I have a specially made God-Worshipping Incense. It's usually used to burn the first incense offering..."
Huang Huai's eyes lit up. Incense used for the first offering surely couldn't be bad. After all, people nowadays spent tens or even hundreds of thousands on offerings just to be the first to burn incense at famous temples in the mountains. It was easy to imagine how good the incense they used had to be!
Shi Ting was curious too. "Wow, incense for the first offering? That must be expensive."
Master Li only smiled without answering. Instead, he led them to one corner of the workshop and pointed to the incense before them. "This is my specially made God-Worshipping Incense."
Huang Huai and Shi Ting both looked over. The God-Worshipping Incense was undeniably impressive. It was golden all over, each stick as thick as a thumb. On closer inspection, there were faint dragon patterns on its surface. At first glance, it looked like a work of art.
Shi Ting exclaimed, "It's just a stick of incense, but looking at this God-Worshipping Incense, I almost don't want to burn it!"
Huang Huai looked at the incense with satisfaction, then turned to the old man. "Master Li, how much does it cost?"
Master Li smiled and held up one finger. "A thousand per stick."
Shi Ting's eyes widened. "A thousand for one stick? You're robbing people!"
Huang Huai remembered the stick of incense the tavern owner had given him in that otherworld. It had been worth one tael of silver. Just converting that price based on the otherworld's cost of living would put it at several thousand per stick.
By comparison, it wasn't fair to call the God-Worshipping Incense expensive. If Master Li's secret recipe worked better than the incense from the otherworld, Huang Huai would be making a huge gain.
"Give me a hundred sticks to start."
Shi Ting opened his mouth at that, but didn't say anything. Huang Huai wasn't a child; if he'd decided to buy them, he must have his reasons. As a friend, all Shi Ting needed to do was make sure Huang Huai wasn't being cheated.
Master Li quickly prepared a hundred sticks of God-Worshipping Incense for Huang Huai. After the transfer, he took out a wooden box and handed it to Shi Ting. "This is my specially made Jubilation Incense. It can be used to spice things up..."
Shi Ting's expression turned wonderfully complicated. Even after they'd left Master Li's house and returned to the car, he was still grumbling to Huang Huai. "Huai, what do you think that old man meant by that? What the hell is 'Jubilation Incense to spice things up'? Why didn't he give it to you instead of me? Let me tell you, your brother Ting is a seven-times-a-night kind of guy..."
The car started. Huang Huai only listened with a smile. After a while, Shi Ting stopped grumbling and turned to him. "Huai, what's that look for? Don't tell me you doubt your buddy's stamina."
Huang Huai replied solemnly, "Brother Ting, have you ever heard of 'the more you try to hide it, the more you give yourself away'?"
Shi Ting shouted, "That old man is out to ruin my reputation!"
They joked all the way back to the city. Shi Ting had planned to treat Huang Huai to a proper meal, but Huang Huai had already booked a ticket for the evening, so the two of them just found a restaurant and had a quick meal.
Back in Shiyan, Huang Huai climbed out of a taxi, dusty from the road, and returned to his lodgings with the day's haul. It was already past nine in the evening. He washed up quickly, then fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Huang Huai was much calmer than he'd been before his previous two trips. He began gathering the things he planned to take.
First, he took the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan he'd commissioned and wrapped it carefully in red cloth. He set it beside the box of God-Worshipping Incense and the statue of the Great Spirit God he'd brought back the day before.
After thinking it over, Huang Huai went into another room and opened a wardrobe. Behind it was a safe. He entered the combination, and the safe opened.
Inside were more than a dozen bundles of cash, several gleaming gold bars, and documents such as property deeds.
He took three gold bars, then put the safe and wardrobe back the way they'd been and left the room.
He gathered everything into a bundle and slung it over his shoulder. After making sure nothing was amiss, Huang Huai went into his bedroom, shut the doors and windows, and drew the curtains. The room immediately darkened.
As Huang Huai's thoughts stirred, the familiar portal appeared before him and gradually solidified.
Before you continue