After delicately prying open the hollow prayer bead, Wang Guan was naturally surprised to find another bead nestled inside.

At the same time, he suddenly caught a faint, elegant fragrance that was impossible to describe in words.

The scent seemed to appear out of nowhere, ethereal and fleeting, barely there.

It was incredibly subtle; by all rights, it should have been easily overlooked, yet it insisted upon making its presence known with undeniable clarity.

However, just as Wang Guan instinctively tilted his nose, trying to trace the source of the aroma, he was astonished to discover that the scent seemed ubiquitous yet had no specific origin, leaving him deeply perplexed.

Scratching his head, Wang Guan turned and asked, "Beiye, did you use any sandalwood powder?" "No,"

Beiye replied, looking bewildered. "The things were right there on the table; nobody touched them..." "Uh?" At that moment, Wang Guan was a little confused. "Then where is this fragrance coming from?" As he spoke, Wang Guan’s first instinct was to look down at the prayer bead—so ancient and utterly plain—worrying that the scent might be emanating from the bead itself.

But before he could confirm this, he heard Beiye exclaim in astonishment, "What fragrance?" "What?" Wang Guan was momentarily taken aback. "The fragrance, even though it's faint, you should be able to smell it."

"Is there?" Beiye frowned slightly, taking a deep breath only to shake her head in confusion. "I can’t smell anything. Could there be something wrong with my sense of smell?" "I don't smell any fragrance either."

At the same time, Old Man Qian gently shook his head. "Wang Guan, what fragrance are you talking about?" "It's just..." Wang Guan struggled for a long time, racking his brain. "It's faint, kind of like a fresh, natural floral scent. It smells very good, anyway. I can't quite place what kind of scent it is."

While Wang Guan explained, Old Man Qian and Beiye exchanged very strange looks, because they couldn't perceive the fragrance Wang Guan described at all. Even when Grandma Lü came in, she shook her head, reporting that she smelled nothing.

At this point, Wang Guan was dumbfounded and began to waver. While others might conspire to tease him, Old Man Qian and the others had no reason to lie to him.

"Could it be that my olfactory system is malfunctioning?" Wang Guan felt a bit nervous.

Because, even now, he could still clearly smell that delicate, elegant aroma.

"Right, the prayer beads."

In his panic, Wang Guan immediately thought of the beads in his hand.

After all, this anomaly had only started after he pried open the bead, so he steadied himself and cautiously brought the ancient-looking bead close to his nose to sniff it.

"Huh?" But at that very moment, Wang Guan was astonished to find out.

The ancient bead had absolutely no scent, not even a trace of fragrance.

However, whether it was his imagination or not, while the bead itself was odorless, the surrounding fragrance seemed to have intensified slightly.

After confirming with Old Man Qian and the others that they still couldn't smell anything, Wang Guan suddenly felt a faint chill creep up his spine, making his expression grow increasingly unnatural.

"Don't panic."

Just then, Old Man Qian suddenly reached out. "Give me the prayer bead."

Wang Guan flinched, hesitating somewhat, afraid the bead might harbor something unclean. If he got contaminated, it was one thing, but passing it on to Old Man Qian would be a heinous crime.

Of course, this supposed 'unclean thing' might not be the supernatural entity people usually imagine, but rather some minute microorganism. According to scientific research, tomb robbers often die mysteriously for no apparent reason. Some attribute it to curses, but in reality, it's often the work of microorganisms. Wang Guan worried that the ancient bead might harbor such microbes. For his own safety, and the safety of others, he was already considering a thorough disinfection at the hospital later...

"Don't overthink it; the item isn't that dreadful." Old Man Qian, experienced as he was, saw Wang Guan’s thoughts and chuckled softly. "It’s just a bead. Can it really cause chaos? Hurry up and let me see it."

At that moment, Wang Guan also calmed down. The bead was small; even if it contained some microbes, they had likely evaporated by now, posing little danger. Thinking this, Wang Guan inspected the bead repeatedly, and only after confirming nothing was amiss did he hand it over to Old Man Qian.

Though, while inspecting it, Wang Guan couldn't quite determine the material of the bead. The only certainty was that it must be some kind of natural jade-like substance.

As Wang Guan was pondering, Old Man Qian suddenly asked, "Can you still smell the fragrance now?" "Hmm?" Prompted by Old Man Qian, Wang Guan instantly realized: the inexplicably appearing fragrance had suddenly and inexplicably vanished. Not a trace remained, as if it had all been his hallucination.

"What happened?" Wang Guan’s face was full of shock and bewilderment. "Could it have just been my hallucination?" "It was a hallucination, and yet it wasn't,"

At this point, Old Man Qian chuckled lightly. "Because now it's my turn to smell the fragrance."

"What?" Everyone was startled, especially Grandma Lü, who looked at Old Man Qian with concern.

"It's fine; you should see this as a good thing," Old Man Qian smiled faintly, signaling everyone not to worry, then sighed. "Wang Guan, your luck is truly... never mind. Master Banshan was right; you truly have an affinity with the Buddha."

As he spoke, Old Man Qian also opened the other eight hollow prayer beads. Inside each, he found eight equally dull and simple beads hidden. Old Man Qian gently stroked these beads, appearing quite content, and smiled as he asked, "Do you know how I feel right now?"

"What does it feel like?" Everyone shook their heads, filled with curiosity.

"Rain of various fragrances, the scent as vast as Mount Sumeru, the flowers as large as cartwheels!" Old Man Qian described it. "A pervasive, swirling fragrance hangs in the air, appearing and disappearing around me. If I try hard to locate it, there is no trace, yet I can clearly sense its existence."

"Yes, that’s exactly how it feels," Wang Guan nodded repeatedly, then inevitably worried, "Old Man Qian, there seems to be something wrong with these beads. Perhaps we should put them aside for now."

"Really?" Grandma Lü’s face was filled with doubt. "What fragrance? I’m right next to you; how come I can’t smell anything?" "None of you need to worry; didn't I already say this is a good thing?" Old Man Qian shook his head slightly, beaming. "This is Sumeru Fragrance. According to Buddhist doctrine, only the most devout followers can sense this aroma. Otherwise, even if it’s right under one's nose, it’s as distant as the ends of the earth, and nothing can be smelled."

"Sumeru Fragrance?" Wang Guan was utterly astonished. "...Why is that?" It sounded mystical, almost idealistic, yet it was factual. Wang Guan couldn't grasp the underlying principle, which gave him a feeling that his worldview was being dismantled.

"Let me tell you about Sumeru Fragrance first," At the same time, Old Man Qian hung the beads around Grandma Lü's neck so she could also experience the feeling of the subtle fragrance enveloping her, before slowly explaining, "Legend has it that when the Buddha resided in the Jeta Grove, a wealthy elder named Sudatta built a Sandalwood Hall and prepared to invite the Buddha. He held an incense burner, gazed toward the Grove, and offered fragrant prayers. The incense smoke curled upwards, drifting toward the Grove, and slowly settled over the Buddha's head, forming a canopy of fragrant cloud. The Buddha knew, and immediately proceeded to Sudatta’s Sandalwood Hall."

"Setting aside the truth of this legend for a moment, from this, we can understand that offering incense to the Buddha is a devout and sincere form of offering in Buddhism. Because incense is a medium for conveying sincere sentiment, a medium for the disciple’s faith to reach the Buddha—this is the origin of honoring the Buddha with incense in Buddhism." Old Man Qian spoke eloquently, then smiled. "When the followers offered incense to the Buddha, and during the time the Buddha was teaching the Dharma, the phenomenon of 'rain of various fragrances, the scent as vast as Mount Sumeru, the flowers as large as cartwheels' occurred. This was the Buddha's response to his followers. Therefore, everyone calls this fragrance—which only the individual can perceive while others remain completely unaware—Sumeru Fragrance."

"Old Man Qian, the name isn't the key part," Wang Guan pressed urgently. "The crucial thing is the beads. They clearly have no smell, so how can they create the illusion of a surrounding fragrance?"

"This is actually quite hard to explain," Old Man Qian pondered for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Do you know about Dzi beads?" "Dzi beads?" Wang Guan was momentarily startled, pondering, "The Dzi beads, one of the Seven Treasures of Tibetan Buddhism? They are said to be a rare gemstone, even formed from a meteorite that fell from the sky, thus possessing a strong, natural cosmic magnetic field energy that benefits the body." As he spoke, Wang Guan asked with surprise, "Old Man Qian, are you suggesting these beads are Dzi beads?"

"Something like that," Old Man Qian smiled faintly. "According to research, the origins of Dzi beads can be traced back to between 3000 and 1500 BCE, invented by the Aryan people of the ancient Indian kingdoms in a quest for divine protection. This technique was completely absorbed and eventually flourished as it spread through Buddhism."

Wang Guan nodded, then shook his head. "Even if the beads have a magnetic field, it shouldn't generate a fragrance."

"They didn't have a fragrance initially, but you must have heard the saying, 'He who lies with dogs will rise up with fleas' (or, to be near the vermilion is to be stained red)." Old Man Qian explained softly. "Don't let these beads fool you; their magnetic field energy is actually extremely powerful and very stable."

"I still don't understand," Wang Guan frowned.

"It’s normal not to understand," Old Man Qian said lightly. "Such beads are extremely rare. Whoever obtains them keeps it a secret. Otherwise, just like you a moment ago, they would become suspicious, and without understanding the reason, they would definitely seal them up or throw them away."

"Old Man Qian, we don't understand, but you definitely do," Wang Guan urged. "Stop beating around the bush and tell us what's going on quickly."

"Aren't I explaining?" Old Man Qian chuckled softly. "To understand the background of an object, you must grasp its historical context, why it was created, and its fundamental reason for existence."

"Why elaborate? It involves Buddha and incense—in short, to expand the influence of Buddhism, right?" Wang Guan said, perplexed. "What I want to know right now is, in what form does this fragrance exist, and by what method is the sense of smell of other people shielded, allowing only the person touching the bead to experience it individually?"

"That is the effect of the magnetic field..."