Before anyone approached the camphor forest, a captivating fragrance wafted towards them, refreshing their senses.
Clearly, it was camphor wood, also known as blackwood in folk tradition, belonging to evergreen trees. The entire tree emanated a peculiar scent.
Camphor wood was fine-grained, with delicate textures and exquisite patterns. Its wood was tough and resistant to cracking, making it a highly precious material.
"Chirp—"
Various wild beasts often gathered in such forests. Po Tian Ying flew ahead, circling in the sky once before letting out a piercing shriek that split the clouds.
The wild beasts gathered in the camphor forest scattered in a flurry.
All the birds and beasts living in the ten-thousand-meter mountains of Zhuxi Village were familiar with the sound of Po Tian Ying. They knew it was not only the overlord of the skies but had also become a king on the ground.
From Po Tian Ying's cry, these beasts could discern a signal for them to clear the area, indicating the arrival of important individuals.
A pleasant garden is no place to linger.
The air in the camphor forest was good, but it wasn't their permanent dwelling!
Once the beasts were cleared, Cheng Xiao Fan and his party walked into the camphor forest.
"Wow, the air here smells so good!" Shen Ruo Bing exclaimed in delight.
Bai Yi Ling smiled, "Yes, the air here seems to be filled with spirituality!"
In this forest, numerous camphor trees lay fallen in disarray. Some of the fallen camphor trees were nearly a thousand years old.
These fallen camphor trees were sometimes uprooted by landslides or struck by lightning, and some fell for unknown reasons.
Although the outer bark of these fallen camphor trees had rotted away, the remaining wood was the true essence.
The surface appeared somewhat dark. Cheng Xiao Fan took out a piece of sandpaper from his bag and gently polished a piece of wood, quickly revealing the dark red wood beneath.
He then took out a bottle of mineral water and poured some on it, immediately bringing out the wood's grain.
The fine grain shimmered with layers of dark red luster, showcasing the mystery of nature to humanity.
Gazing at the fine and spiritual grain on the wood, Cheng Xiao Fan's heart stirred inexplicably.
"Ruo Bing, did you bring that secret manual with you?" he suddenly raised his head and asked Shen Ruo Bing urgently.
Shen Ruo Bing nodded and replied, "I brought it with me!"
Cheng Xiao Fan said, "Quick, take it out and let me see!"
Shen Ruo Bing immediately took the secret manual from her backpack and presented it to Cheng Xiao Fan with both hands.
Cheng Xiao Fan opened the manual and glanced at the various patterns of wedding beds depicted. He noticed that some of the drawn runes bore a resemblance to the grain on the camphor wood.
He examined it carefully, then bent down and aligned the scroll with the wood's grain.
At this moment!
Something incredible happened.
A green light suddenly flashed from both the pattern on the scroll and the wood, rapidly merging together to form a mystical glow.
However, this glow disappeared in less than half a minute.
Bai Yi Ling and Shen Ruo Bing, who were by Cheng Xiao Fan's side, along with the two engineers, all stared with wide, astonished eyes.
"Why did that happen?" Shen Ruo Bing blurted out.
Cheng Xiao Fan put away the manual and smiled faintly, "There's nothing to be shocked about!"
"The phenomenon that just occurred was merely a collision between the spiritual energy in the manual's drawings and the spiritual energy contained within the camphor wood!"
As he returned the manual to Shen Ruo Bing, he added, "Famous woods have souls. This means that excellent wood also needs to be crafted by someone who understands it. Only furniture crafted this way will be imbued with spirituality!"
"Ruo Bing, this secret manual drawn by your ancestor also requires someone who understands it to comprehend the profound patterns within!"
"And these profound patterns, precisely, originate from nature."
Finally, he reminded Shen Ruo Bing, "Also, remember that the grain on this wood is a marvelous pattern bestowed by nature. In the eyes of a craftsman, this pattern is alive, like the vast expanse of the starry sky, encompassing everything!"
Cheng Xiao Fan's words also reminded Bai Yi Ling, making her recall the dragon boat in the vast starry sky from her dream, and her own spiritual fusion with Cheng Xiao Fan on that boat.
Every time she was with Cheng Xiao Fan on the dragon boat, she could hear a profound rhythm emanating from the depths of the universe, like heavenly bells, imprinted in the deepest part of her sea of consciousness.
"Master Cheng, I will definitely keep your words in mind!" It seemed Shen Ruo Bing was unable to change her address for Cheng Xiao Fan.
In fact, she only half-understood what Cheng Xiao Fan had just said.
As for the two engineers, they looked at Cheng Xiao Fan with admiration. In their eyes, this young farmer was incredibly powerful!
What he said was so profound that even they, the engineers, couldn't understand it!
Wasn't that impressive enough?
Cheng Xiao Fan stood up and said, "Let's leave the wood here for now. We'll move it out when it's time to use it!"
He was clearly speaking to Shen Ruo Bing.
The implication was that until she made significant breakthroughs in craftsmanship and could understand the secret manual, she shouldn't move these precious woods carelessly.
To avoid ruining the timber!
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Cheng. Ruo Bing understands!" Shen Ruo Bing immediately responded, having understood Cheng Xiao Fan's admonishment.
Cheng Xiao Fan was speechless about Shen Ruo Bing's address for him.
He decided to let it be. Although "master" had become a rather derogatory term nowadays, it was still a title given by a beautiful woman. Even though it sounded jarring, her voice was truly sweet and melodious!
Why resist it?
In this vast expanse of ten-thousand-meter mountains, there were many such camphor forests. There was no need to examine them one by one at the moment.
With Po Tian Ying leading the way, the group changed direction and moved west.
Actually, Cheng Xiao Fan could have asked Bai Yi Ling to deploy a helicopter to search for trees from the air, which would have been much more convenient.
Bai Yi Ling had also suggested this to Cheng Xiao Fan.
However, Cheng Xiao Fan felt that it was better to search for precious woods on foot in the forest, as it allowed for a better understanding of the environment where the timber grew.
Only by understanding environmental differences could one grasp the characteristics of these precious woods and explore their souls at a superficial level.
Along the way, Cheng Xiao Fan openly shared these thoughts.
Shen Ruo Bing knew very well that Cheng Xiao Fan's words were actually meant for her.
She felt deeply moved. She was truly fortunate to have met such a Master Cheng. At all times, he never forgot to guide her on how to improve in craftsmanship.
After passing through a pine forest, they walked for a few kilometers before encountering a beech forest.
The beech trees were about thirty to forty meters tall, with a diameter of over a hundred centimeters. As autumn approached, the leaves began to fall, and the gray bark peeled off in patches, revealing the white bark of the trunk beneath.
As the group of five walked in, their feet landed on the soft fallen leaves, making rustling sounds.
"Sister—"
Suddenly, a large gray bird let out a sharp cry from the top of a tall beech tree and unexpectedly swooped down towards Shen Ruo Bing.