Chapter 66

"Once we study it, we'll know what kind of wood it is." Tian Shi said, giving Hai Gongzi a stern look, blaming him for his loose lips, for revealing such a matter to outsiders so casually.

Qixiang also felt a bit regretful, wishing he had come to check it out when he first heard about this place, not knowing that such a good thing was hidden in this dilapidated temple.

Of course, it was too late to regret now. Qixiang was broad-minded and wouldn't dwell on it.

Hai Gongzi ignored Tian Shi's gaze, reaching out to feel the statue, then said in confusion, "No matter what kind of wood it is, I can't tell."

"Move aside, let me try!" Tian Shi pushed Hai Gongzi to the side and examined the statue closely. But after a while, he stopped moving...

Hai Gongzi was blunt, "You can't do it either, let an expert handle it."

"Hmph!" Tian Shi pouted, "I at least know it's not precious wood like rosewood, golden-threaded nanmu, huanghuali, or ebony."

"Who doesn't know that?" Hai Gongzi sneered, then gestured for Tian Shi to move aside and turned to smile at Qixiang, "Mr. Qi, it's time for you, the expert, to step in."

"Hai Gongzi, you flatter me. I'm just a small fry," Qixiang modestly replied, then came over to examine the statue.

The colorful paint on the surface of the statue had peeled off in many places, revealing the mottled original wood color. Additionally, the statue, though not rotten, had a layer of grime on its surface due to rainwater.

Qixiang found a sharp stone and gently scraped off the grime on the statue, revealing a reddish-brown color. The color was vivid, and the wood grain was very fine.

"Red sandalwood?"

After a glance, Tian Shi was somewhat disappointed and shook his head. Red sandalwood was a type of rosewood, but to him, even the most precious rosewood was just ordinary and not worth much attention.

"Wasted effort."

Tian Shi shrugged, instantly losing interest.

Hai Gongzi's reaction was similar. He sighed slightly and laughed, "No wonder it didn't rot or crack despite the wind and sun. It's red sandalwood. Mr. Qi, this is yours."

"Uh?" Qixiang was surprised, "You don't want it?"

A redwood statue as tall as a person would be quite valuable. Even if it was hard to sell directly, it could be transformed by a craftsman and sold as something else, definitely making a profit.

"Mr. Qi, you don't know, we actually follow Daoism," Hai Gongzi explained with a smile. "The God of Wealth, in terms of divine attributes, can be categorized under the Daoist pantheon, so we naturally can't offend him..."

Qixiang was taken aback, deep in thought.

"Alright, let him handle it. Let's go back," Tian Shi said, having lost all patience after all the effort, only to find out the statue was just ordinary redwood.

"Okay, let's go now," Hai Gongzi nodded, then asked, "Mr. Qi, do you want to come back with us?"

"No need!" Qixiang waved, "I can handle it myself."

"That's good..." Hai Gongzi didn't insist and left with Tian Shi.

A moment later, the sound of a car starting could be heard outside the temple. Qixiang listened carefully, confirming they were really gone, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Red sandalwood? It doesn't seem like it..." Qixiang gently touched the scraped area, feeling a moist sensation, which surprised him greatly. "There's still sap and a greasy feel, how strange!"

After all, for any wood carving, the preferred material is dry wood. Even newly cut trees need to be air-dried until the moisture is completely gone before processing.

Otherwise, the wood would easily deform or crack during processing.

This was common knowledge in wood carving, a basic skill for any carpenter. Anyone in the wood carving industry would never make such a low-level mistake.

The problem was, Qixiang found a greasy trace on the statue, which was very abnormal and strange.

"Is it damp?"

Qixiang thought for a moment, looked up at the sky, and saw the bright sun through the holes in the roof. It hadn't rained in the past few days.

Most importantly, Qixiang could clearly distinguish the difference between dampness and greasiness on the statue.

Dry wood, when wet, would not be greasy unless it grew moss, and it would feel rough.

The greasiness, on the other hand, was like the sap of a living tree, which would secrete a layer of juice when the bark was scraped. This layer of sap was very smooth and greasy, like fat or ointment.

The feel was different, and Qixiang, being an expert, naturally knew the difference.

"A statue that should be dry, yet it has the greasiness of a living tree, how strange..." Qixiang was puzzled, then picked up the statue and carried it out step by step.

The statue was very heavy, weighing at least two to three hundred pounds.

Qixiang exerted a lot of effort to carry the statue out. Then, he covered it with straw and leaves and waited by the roadside for a ride.

Even in the countryside, a few cars would pass by eventually. Thanks to a kind driver, Qixiang successfully returned to his villa with the statue.

Back home, Qixiang could now freely study the statue.

He carefully wiped the statue with a damp towel, cleaning off all the dust and grime, making it clearer and more visible.

The carving of the statue was very intricate, especially the facial features. It had a kind and benevolent expression, a gentle smile, and a refined demeanor, with a long beard, fitting the common image of Fan Li.

Of course, the skill of the carver was secondary; the key was the material of the statue itself.

Rosewood is a broad category, originally referring to red hardwoods, with many varieties. Later, the state standardized it based on density and other criteria, categorizing it into two families, five genera, eight classes, and thirty-three species.

The most famous rosewoods are sandalwood and huanghuali.

As for red sandalwood, it belongs to the acid-branch wood category. Although it is less famous and valuable than sandalwood and huanghuali,

Red sandalwood has a color similar to jujube red, is hard and fine-grained, and can sink in water. It takes several decades to a century to mature and be usable. In any aspect, red sandalwood is a high-end material.

However, Qixiang was unsure if the statue was made of red sandalwood.

At first glance, it looked like it, but on closer inspection, it didn't seem to be...

Qixiang was confused. But he knew the simplest way to identify it was to cut a piece off and examine it, which would make it clear.

After a moment's thought, Qixiang decided to do it. He searched the villa for a saw but couldn't find one, so he took out a kitchen knife.

Qixiang held the sharp knife, moving it around the statue, looking for a place to cut. He hesitated for a while, unable to make up his mind.

The proper way to sample for testing is to drill a small hole in an inconspicuous place without damaging the overall appearance of the object, taking a small amount of powder for analysis.

However, Qixiang didn't have professional analytical equipment, so he had to use the crude method of cutting a corner off the statue and examining the cross-section.

But cutting it this way seemed too violent.

Qixiang shook his head, then suddenly swung the knife with force. A flash of white light, and a piece of the statue's finger tip broke off and flew a few meters away.

"Tsk..." Qixiang felt a pang of guilt, "What a sin."

Despite his words, Qixiang's eyes didn't blink as he quickly looked at the cut. At that moment, something strange happened, making his scalp tingle and his hair stand on end.

He saw a small amount of dark red liquid seep out from the cut on the statue's finger, as if it were bleeding...

"Whoa!"

Even in broad daylight, seeing this, Qixiang felt his heart contract, feeling both shocked and frightened.

"Is it a ghost?"

Qixiang was stunned, wondering how a scientific investigation had suddenly turned into a supernatural event. He felt uneasy, swallowed hard, and gripped the knife tighter.

After a while, the dark red liquid on the statue's finger tip overflowed and dripped to the ground.

Qixiang's eyes moved, and he calmed down. He noticed that the liquid on the ground didn't scatter but remained in a gel-like, solid form.

"There's something wrong..." Qixiang thought, his courage not easily shaken. He walked over, squinting, and examined it closely.

After a careful look, he was certain that the liquid oozing from the statue's finger was definitely not blood. He didn't smell any blood when he got close.

Instead, he seemed to detect a faint, delicate fragrance, fresh and natural, but not very noticeable.

If it wasn't blood, that was better.

Qixiang put aside his hesitation, decisively touched the statue's finger, and the greasy, gel-like liquid adhered to his fingertips.

This gel-like feel reassured him completely!

"Is this... tree sap?" Qixiang raised his finger, the mysterious liquid shimmering in the light, a bright red glow like the purest ruby, faintly sparkling.

After a moment of study, Qixiang was 100% sure that the wood of the statue was definitely not red sandalwood, but a type of tree he had never heard of...