C7 Thunderwood

Half an hour later, the sports car queen executed a stunning drift and came to a halt in front of a lavish manor.

Outside the gates, a girl clad in a white floral dress ran up in haste.

Her long dress billowed like a fairy in dance, captivating Lin Hao for a brief moment.

"Hey, stop staring. You're out of your league!"

A gentle chide snapped Lin Hao back to reality.

"I..."

Lin Hao bit back the urge to swear, realizing that the elegant woman must be Uncle Lin's daughter.

A beauty from a wealthy family, he thought with a wry smile, she was indeed out of his league.

"Sisi, you made it!"

Qin Sisi had barely stepped out of the car when the woman in the flowing dress took her arm in a natural, friendly gesture, clearly more than just casual friends.

"Hmph, any later and my dad would've talked my ear off!" Qin Sisi complained, pouting.

Just then, the woman noticed Lin Hao and pointed at him, puzzled.

"Oh, he's here to discuss wood carvings with your husband!"

Qin Sisi's offhand remark sent a shiver down Lin Hao's spine.

He pieced together that not only was this woman married, but her husband was much older.

If Qin Sisi, still in her twenties, referred to him as 'uncle' and was friends with Elder Qin, her husband must be quite senior.

"Oh, well then... come inside," the woman said, her smile betraying a hint of reluctance.

Lin Hao assumed she was simply concerned about causing her ailing husband any trouble. But as he glanced at her once more, two words flashed across his vision: "Danger!"

This was the first time those words had appeared, leaving Lin Hao confused and uncertain of their significance.

Nevertheless, Lin Hao kept his composure and remained silent about his concerns.

He watched the two women, arm in arm, chatting intimately, and followed them into the manor.

Inside, the attention to detail was exquisite; it seemed as though every plant and tree had been meticulously placed.

Numerous wooden sculptures of various forms adorned the surroundings. From the myriad human figures to the animal statues, each was rendered with such lifelike precision, they seemed to come alive.

"Shocked, aren't you?"

Qin Sisi had quietly approached Lin Hao's side.

With a teasing smile, she said, "All these wooden sculptures are Uncle Lee's creations, and many have even won awards!"

"Hehe, they're quite impressive!" Lin Hao chuckled. "The wood is top-notch. To a connoisseur, these pieces would be invaluable!"

"Unfortunately... while they're valuable, they seem to lack a certain spirit."

"Oh, stop it!" Qin Sisi scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Each piece here is incredibly lifelike. How can you say they lack spirit?"

"I think you're just envious of someone else's talent. You can't achieve it yourself, so you nitpick at others."

Lin Hao remained silent, simply voicing what he read from the monitor.

The monitor even displayed the value of the items, estimating each piece to be worth millions.

Yet, he noticed that the monitor often labeled depictions of living beings, like humans and animals, as lacking 'spiritual energy.'

"Sisi, no need to be defensive; he's got a point!"

A beautiful woman approached with a smile. "I've already called for Uncle Lee. He's just woken up and will be out shortly."

After a brief pause, she turned to Lin Hao with a grin. "You've echoed my husband's sentiments exactly!"

"These pieces are missing that spiritual energy!"

"Ah?" Qin Sisi exclaimed, puzzled. "I haven't noticed any lack of spirit. To me, Uncle Lee's carvings are the spitting image of their subjects!"

"That's because you don't understand."

Just then, a new voice chimed in.

A man in his forties emerged.

Clutching a cane, he swayed slightly, resembling a small tree on the verge of toppling.

The beautiful woman quickly went to his aid, while Qin Sisi stood by, lips pursed in a sulk.

"Hello, my name is Lee Guangrui!" The man approached Lin Hao and offered his hand.

Lin Hao greeted him with a warm handshake. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Lee. I'm Lin Hao, but you can just call me Little Lin."

Lee Guangrui nodded, then turned to the beautiful woman. "Zhou Ya, would you prepare some fruit and tea, please? Bring them to the pavilion."

The beautiful woman hesitated briefly before nodding her agreement and walking away.

Watching Zhou Ya's retreating figure, Lin Hao felt a twinge of hesitation, yet he couldn't bring himself to speak up.

"Come on, let's sit in the pavilion!"

Supported by Qin Sisi, Lee Guangrui guided Lin Hao to a pavilion in the adjacent courtyard. He caught sight of the wood in Lin Hao's grasp and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes. "Do you know the story behind this rosewood?" he inquired.

Lin Hao replied with a smile, "Absolutely! I wouldn't offer just any rosewood to you. I'm hoping you can carve it for me."

Qin Sisi scoffed, "It looks like nothing more than a chunk of wood to me. What's so remarkable about it?"

Despite Lin Hao's significant help in the antique shop, Qin Sisi felt overshadowed by him. Unwilling to concede, she couldn't shake off a touch of irritation.

Lee Guangrui shook his head, chuckling wryly, "My dear, the type of wood matters, but a wood with a story? That's even more precious! The rosewood Lin has may be a common variety, but it's a piece of Thunderwood. The lightning struck it right in the middle without marring the surface. Take a closer look, and you'll see the grain is darker, the fissures wider."

"The lightning's force etched its path along the grain," he continued. "In the hands of the average person, such wood might not amount to much. But for those in the Taoist tradition, it's a gem. Carved properly, it could easily become the centerpiece of a small Taoist temple."

"What are you getting at?" Qin Sisi's brows knitted together. "The more you talk, the more mysterious it all sounds."

Lin Hao and Lee Guangrui exchanged a knowing smile, choosing not to elaborate.

Lin Hao's interest in the wood was rooted in the very reason Lee Guangrui had described. When he first laid eyes on the piece, the screen displayed a line of text that had taken him by surprise.

"Energy Body can enhance the system's capabilities!"

This statement was straightforward enough, yet the steps involved were causing him quite the headache. He was uncertain about the outcome of upgrading the monitor and the extent of the surprises it might unveil.

The crux of the matter was that the wood needed to be treated before the system could assimilate it.

Driven by a desire to uncover the answers, he was intent on transforming the wood into a finished product as depicted by the monitor's pattern. Doing so would dispel the doubts weighing on his mind and augment the capabilities of this enigmatic system.