Chapter 90 Divine Miracle

  But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the layer they had thought was applied was actually a natural characteristic of the material itself. This realization left Chu Chen and Zhao Qi Rui puzzled as to what this thing was made of.

  To say jade or stone, it would be too light. To say wood, the weight is about the same, but this thing doesn't have any paint or anything on it, and if it were made of wood, you'd be able to see some texture on the surface, so that can also be ruled out.

  "Hey, this is really strange. I've never seen a material like this before. Is this made from a meteorite?" Zhao Qirui held the box in his hand, carefully feeling it for a moment, and then said with some curiosity.

  Chu Chen saw this situation and said: "We are not scientists, let's first study what the thing is used for, and then we will have the opportunity to study the materials that make it."

  Zhao Qirui nodded and then the two of them continued to examine the box.

  The box is divided into two layers, the top cover and the bottom body. At first glance, they seem to be about the same height. Chu Chen made a rough estimate and thought that the cover might be slightly higher. From this point of view, both of them guessed that the box should have a special purpose.

  Looking again at the bottom of the box, there are four small holes. On top of the lid, there are many more small holes. Chu Chen counted them carefully and found that there were forty-nine in total.

  Zhao Qirui looked at the box and frowned: "This thing looks like an incense burner?"

  Chu Chen took a look and thought it was somewhat similar, but then he thought again, shouldn't ancient times have this kind of incense burner?

  "This isn't called a stove, it's more like a smoke box."

  Zhao Qirui smiled and nodded, but then thought of another question, his expression becoming somewhat strange as he said:

  "This thing, apart from the material it's made of being a bit strange, doesn't seem to have anything special about it. Look at this surface, there's no pattern or design on it. Even if it is an incense box, it's not like it's particularly valuable. Why would the original owner want to hide it away so secretly? Did that person just like to make trouble for no reason?"

  At this point, Chu Chen also thought of it, and he felt very strange. If you say that this thing is not precious, then the person who made the pen holder would not have to hide the box inside, right? Is it really like Zhao Qirui said, that this person just played a joke on his juniors?

  Chu Chen said after a while: "Zhao Ge, isn't the box still unopened? Maybe there's something extraordinary inside?"

  Since nothing unusual was found on the box, they could only hope for something inside. So the two of them tried to open the lid and take a look.

  However, in the process of opening the lid, the two unexpectedly discovered that the way to open the lid was actually twisted, not with screws at the interface, but rather like a bayonet mount. This design should make the box and lid fit more tightly together.

  As soon as the box was opened, both of them were stunned. They never expected that what was inside was actually a small candle.

  Getting such a result, Zhao Qirui's face also showed disappointment, and then he patted Chu Xuan's shoulder and comforted him: "Little Chu, don't be disappointed, anyway you got this incense box for nothing."

  Chu Chen didn't show any obvious disappointment. After all, this was just a pen holder that cost two thousand yuan, which already felt like a good deal to him. Moreover, he didn't believe that the ancients would be so bored as to deliberately make a pen holder and then put this box inside it. A brief observation also allowed him to discover three unusual places.

  "Zhao Ge, look at this candle's color, isn't it similar to milk?"

  "Hmm, it really is, could this candle be a treasure?" Zhao Qirui observed carefully and found that it indeed had a color similar to that of refined milk.

  "And also, Brother Zhao, did you notice that after opening the box, there's a faint scent in our car?" Chu Chen said another discovery.

  Zhao Qirui sniffed hard and indeed caught a whiff, so he curiously said: "Really? Is it this candle that's emitting the scent? Let me take a sniff."

  After finishing speaking, Zhao Qirui was about to bring the box to his nose, but was hastily stopped by Chu Chen.

  "Zhao Ge, when smelling an unknown smell, it's best not to rush up directly. What if the smell is toxic? It might hurt us. We should wave our hand first before smelling, so we can smell the odor while minimizing the impact if it's toxic."

  "Xiao Chu, I didn't expect you to understand so much."

  Zhao Qirui smelled it according to Chu Chen's method, and said with some surprise: "It really does, this fragrance is very pleasant, and after smelling it, my mind seems to have cleared up a bit, it's really amazing."

  Chu Chen nodded slightly. His sense of smell was more sensitive than Zhao Qirui's due to his special ability, so after the box was opened, he smelled it in no time.

  "Zhao Ge, if this thing is really a incense box, why would there be a candle inside, and also, the holes on the lid are not straight through. Don't believe me? Take a look."

  Zhao Qirui took the lid and looked at it, and indeed it was so. He also blew a mouthful of air and found that the hole was really through. This made him feel very curious about how the ancients did it and what they did it for. This question also made him feel a bit strange.

  Especially for the question asked by Chu Chen, if it's not an incense box, why is it still made like this? If it's a candle holder, can the light inside still shine out when made like this?

  Thinking of this, Zhao Qirui suggested: "Xiao Chu, why don't we just order now?"

  Chu Chen thought for a moment and said: "It's a bit inconvenient in the car, let's wait a while, don't order it yet, just in case something goes wrong."

  "That's a good idea, let's just go to your house then." Zhao Qirui nodded in agreement.

  Then the two of them made some guesses about this box and then closed their eyes to rest.

  Half an hour later, the three of them arrived at Chu Chen's house together.

  Zhao Qirui glanced around and smiled: "Xiao Chu, it seems you're quite diligent, the room's hygiene is done well, not at all like a single man's place."

  "Hehe, nothing much, just a habit." Chu Chen scratched his head, this habit of frequently cleaning up after himself was also something that Wu Ke had forced him to develop, so he looked a bit embarrassed.

  "Haha, this habit is not bad, but Xiao Chu, you're not short of money either, are you also going to buy a house? If there's no suitable place, I can help you find one."

  "Zhao Ge, no need for this, I've already asked an elder to keep an eye on it."

  "That's okay, if there's anything difficult, you can find me."

  Zhao Qirui nodded and said somewhat impatiently: "Then let's get started quickly, I can hardly wait."

  Chu Chen smiled and nodded, then took out the box, opened it, carefully lit the candle, but when he was about to cover the lid again, a strange fragrance wafted out, filling the entire room in an instant.

  This unusual fragrance, as soon as it entered the nose, seemed like a misty air that directly reached the lungs, making all troubles and anger disappear in an instant. The whole person suddenly became calm and peaceful, and the mind was even clearer. Even some of the confusing thoughts in the heart seemed to have been clarified.

  Zhao Qirui sniffed hard at this strange fragrance, and was intoxicated for a long time before he let out a long sigh and said: "What is this fragrance after all? It's really indescribable, it's too awesome, even the best agarwood can't compare to this scent, it's like entering a fairyland."

  "Really?!"

  Zhao Qirui's words suddenly made Chu Chen think of a legend, and he hastily covered the box.

  Zhao Qirui saw this and said with some blame: "Xiao Chu, if you cover it like that, can the candle still be lit? Are you reluctant to part with it?"

  Chu Chen didn't say much after hearing this, pointing at the box and smiling: "Zhao Ge, you take a look."

  "What? How is this possible?"

  After the lid was closed, the candle inside didn't seem to have gone out, and it wasn't clear what was going on. The flame shone through those small holes that weren't transparent, making it look even brighter. No, maybe it can't be said to be bright, but rather dazzling.

  What's even more astonishing is that the candle smoke, under the reflection of the candlelight, seems like a faint red haze, slowly rising and gathering, and later gradually forming a scenery like an immortal realm.

  First, a vast expanse of crimson clouds took shape, and then a faint, ethereal mountain peak began to emerge slowly from the clouds. By the time the mountain peak had clearly appeared before everyone's eyes, pavilions and towers had begun to materialize on its summit.

  But that's not all, what followed was even more astonishing - in the pavilions and towers, there were several Taoist priests discussing and debating, and as the candle smoke changed, their facial expressions seemed to be changing constantly, as if they were really engaged in a heated discussion, it was truly breathtaking.

  Moreover, due to the movement of candle smoke, the cloud sea in the painting is also constantly changing and slowly surging. The combination of the cloud sea, immortal mountains, pavilions, and Taoist priests looks so beautiful and magnificent, it really seems like a fairyland.

  As the candle smoke rose, the three people present looked as if they were in a trance, as if they had already entered the scene.

  "Miracle!" Zhao Qirui stared blankly for a long time, muttering to himself: "Xiao Chu, what's going on here? How is this possible? Such a strange sight... it's truly a divine miracle!"

  Chu Chen smiled and said what he had thought of before: "Zhao Ge, I also have some guesses about this thing."

  "Legend has it that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a Princess Chongchang who was deeply loved by Emperor Yizong of Li. For her marriage, Emperor Yizong almost turned the imperial treasury upside down and sent all the things he liked into Princess Chongchang's new mansion."