Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 46 - 45: You Brought Incense Too? Agarwood Incense
Chen Zhiquan opened the gift box and set it on the table.
The nearby Chen Family members and friends couldn’t help but crane their necks to get a look.
Shun, who was at the same table, turned to ask An, "An, you’re a man of the world. How many Spirit Stones do you think this Sandalwood Incense is worth?"
An replied with envy, "I see the inscription says it’s from the Hezhou Xiong Clan. This is definitely a premium-grade Sandalwood Incense. A single stick is worth one Spirit Stone."
Pingzi was dumbfounded. "This one box of incense costs ten Spirit Stones? That’s insanely expensive!"
The people around them began to murmur, "Last time I was at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, custom-made stick incense was only one Spirit Stone a box. Zhiquan is so generous."
"Tell me about it. Using Sandalwood Incense that expensive... how much would you have to earn just to break even? You really have to be an Alchemist to make that kind of money."
Listening to the envious and flattering comments from those around him, Chen Zhiquan was very satisfied. This was exactly the effect he’d been aiming for.
’Xiao Chen must have heard how much this Sandalwood Incense is worth,’ he thought. ’He must want it, but feels it’s too valuable and is too embarrassed to accept.’
’Perfect. This is the only way to show how much I value him.’
’Next, Xiao Chen will surely try to refuse it. I’ll insist, so he can feel my sincerity and will be indebted to me.’
However, Chen Zhiquan’s assumptions were, in fact, just a little bit off the mark.
Xiao Chen did indeed look like he was about to refuse the gift. "Zhiquan, to be honest, I did burn incense when I first started. But I no longer need it for my alchemy these days."
’Here it comes,’ Chen Zhiquan thought, perking up.
He then said with righteous conviction, "Junior Brother Xiao, saying that makes you sound like a stranger. We’re both Alchemists, and I was a novice once, too. How could you not have a use for it?"
"Even if you don’t need it right now, you should still take it. It’ll come in handy when you’re learning a new Pill Formula. You’ll need it sooner or later."
Xiao Chen tried to refuse again. "Zhiquan, this Sandalwood Incense is too expensive. I..."
"Hey, stop right there!" Chen Zhiquan cut in. "This is to help you with your craft. So what if it’s a little expensive? You should use what you need to."
Since he had put it that way, Xiao Chen felt he couldn’t refuse any further. Fortunately, while he didn’t have much else on him, he still had a bundle and a half of Agarwood Incense left. That should be more than enough for a return gift.
So he picked up the gift box. "Alright, then I’ll be bold and accept it. Thank you, Zhiquan."
Chen Zhiquan smiled. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw Xiao Chen wave a hand and place a bundle of stick incense on the table as well. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"I happened to bring a few sticks of incense myself. Please, take this as a small token of my appreciation."
’You brought incense, too?’
Chen Zhiquan stared at it, its unique appearance immediately capturing his attention.
Compared to ordinary incense, Agarwood Incense contains much richer oils, giving its surface a fine texture and a deep, lustrous black color.
Simply put, you could tell it was expensive just by looking at it.
Moreover, as a gentle breeze swept by, a rich fragrance wafted through the air. A single whiff brought a uniquely sweet and cool aroma, carrying with it a faint calming effect.
Chen Zhiquan was dumbfounded. It wasn’t even lit, yet it already had such a powerful effect. "This is Agarwood Incense from the Far East!"
The onlooking Chen Family members glanced over curiously, then exchanged blank looks.
Although they all shared the surname Chen, as members of the family’s branch lineages and outer circles, many of them had never even heard of such a thing.
An and Pingzi, for example, had never seen it before, despite spending all their time wandering through the Marketplace.
It was Shun, however, who seemed to recall something. "I’ve heard of this before. Twenty years ago, when the Jiang Family Patriarch came for a New Year’s visit, Agarwood Incense was on the gift list."
At his reminder, another elder also remembered.
"That’s right, there was such a thing. I remember that bundle of incense was also tied with a simple Golden Ribbon, just like this one, and was presented on the same gift platter as a Five-Colored Essence Pill."
The mention of the Yuan Combination Pill made An understand. "A Five-Colored Essence Pill costs ten Spirit Stones each. By that measure, a single stick of this incense would be worth five Spirit Stones."
Chen Zhiquan was even more stunned after hearing this. ’How much did you say?’
The way he looked at Xiao Chen changed. He now wanted to ask the same amateurish question he’d heard earlier: ’Using incense this expensive, how much would you have to earn just to break even?’
But he was an expert, a professionally trained Alchemist.
Any expert knew that the profit from refining a single cauldron of any Tier One elixir was nowhere near five Spirit Stones. There was simply no way to break even using this stuff.
Every stick you lit wasn’t incense—it was money going up in smoke.
Chen Zhiquan gave the incense a reluctant look and politely refused. "Junior Brother, no, this is too valuable. I can’t accept this."
Xiao Chen threw his own words right back at him. "Hey, this is to help you with your craft. So what if it’s a little expensive? You should use what you need to."
Chen Zhiquan was left speechless for a moment. "No, no, no, Junior Brother, I haven’t burned incense in a long time. I have no use for it..."
"Hey, stop right there!" Xiao Chen cut in. "How could you not have a use for it? You should still take it. It’ll come in handy when you’re learning a new Pill Formula. You’ll need it sooner or later."
"I... You... I..." Chen Zhiquan’s lips opened and closed, but no sound came out, like a fish gasping for air at the water’s surface before a storm.
The people around them had all fallen silent. No one said a word.
Chen Zhiquan remained dazed for a moment before refusing again. "In any case, I can’t take it. How could I possibly use such expensive Agarwood Incense?"
"Zhiquan, I didn’t prepare anything else."
Xiao Chen placed a hand on his Flying Sword. "You don’t have your eyes on my Flying Sword, do you?"
Chen Zhiquan waved his hands frantically. "No, I..."
In the midst of their back-and-forth, another group of people suddenly entered from outside. It was time for the meal to officially begin.
Elder Chen called out to the two standing in the corner, "Zhiquan, Xiao Chen. What are you two doing over there? Don’t just stand there, come sit down and eat."
Chen Zhiquan immediately explained the situation to Elder Chen.
As he explained, the group of Chen Family elders was also left stunned.
Elder Chen stated bluntly, "I don’t even use such incense for my own alchemy. A gift like this upon your first meeting... it’s not quite appropriate."
However, a flash of surprised admiration shone in the eyes of the Alchemy Hall Elder, Chen Tianyuan.
Due to a previous dispute with the Jiang Family, he had looked into Xiao Chen’s background. He knew the young man had no backing and no resources—he came from poverty.
He didn’t know the specifics, but preparing such an expensive gift—from finding a way to buy it to saving up the Spirit Stones—could not have been easy. It must have taken a great deal of effort and thought.
’Good. This is very good,’ he thought. ’The Chen Family needs fresh blood like this right now.’
"Since this is a token of Xiao Chen’s sincerity, Zhiquan, you should accept it."
Chen Tianyuan made the decision, then took out a bottle of elixirs and placed it on the table. "I happen to have a bottle of Five-Colored Essence Pills here. Consider it a return gift from Zhiquan."
"It is time. The matter is settled. You two, hurry and put your things away. Let’s go eat."
Since he had spoken, Chen Zhiquan obediently picked up the Agarwood Incense, and Xiao Chen put away the bottle of elixirs.
Elder Chen saw Xiao Chen return to his seat and beckoned to him. "Why are you sitting over there? Come, sit with me at my table."
Before Xiao Chen could refuse, Steward Chen came up from the side, grabbed his arm, and pulled him over.
Along the way, he leaned in and whispered, "My apologies, Junior Brother Xiao. I was so busy earlier that I forgot to remind you about this. But I knew you’d handle it just fine."
Xiao Chen couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ’You’ve got some nerve saying that!’
’If Chen Zhiquan hadn’t given me that Sandalwood Incense, I would have been completely embarrassed.’
But by a strange twist of fate, he had ended up with a bottle of Five-Colored Essence Pills.
