Chapter 228 - 227: Green Leaves Agarwood
Chen Afu went to the Zen room, where a table of vegetarian meals had already been laid out, and Abbot Liao Chen was leading some children to sit at the table. She sat down and joined them for the meal.
After the meal, the children went for a nap, and Chen Afu stayed to chat with Abbot Liao Chen. When she heard that his health hadn’t been good and that he often suffered from insomnia, she gave him a stick of Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance.
When Liao Chen heard it was Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance, he was incredibly surprised, his eyes bulging. He exclaimed, "My god, is there really such an extraordinary fragrance that exists in the world?" He then answered his own question, "It’s from Master Wu Zhi, it must be genuine."
He accepted the fragrance and took a sniff, then closed his eyes and inhaled again with immense enjoyment. He opened his eyes and announced joyfully, "Indeed, it is subtly beautiful, long-lasting, and delicately fragrant like nothing I’ve ever experienced."
Seeing this, Chen Afu was somewhat taken aback. As the name suggests, Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance contains leaves of agarwood. She understood that no ordinary monk could have made this fragrance, it was something quite rare and treasured.
So she asked, "Abbot Liao Chen, is this Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance very rare?"
Liao Chen smiled and said, "It is understandable that you don’t know about the valuable nature of this fragrance. I read about Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance in an ancient book. To create it, they must find a tree called agarwood and use its leaves. But this tree grows in remote mountains where few people ever tread. I used to think it was just a myth, as no one in our dynasty or the previous one ever produced such a fragrance... Master Wu Zhi is indeed a profound monk; it’s remarkable that he found such leaves and made this extraordinary fragrance." While holding Chen Afu’s hand he chuckled, "Afu, you’re very fortunate to have Master Wu Zhi’s favor, as he bestowed three sticks of this fragrance unto you."
So, ancient books did record the existence of this fragrance. It cleverly mentioned that the agarwood could be found deep in the mountains. This way, people would not be so apprehensive about this fragrance.