Yet Ye Wudao's eyes lit up, not for the Maitreya Buddha carving, but for the root itself. This root was a rare medicinal material that the person who had dug it up might not have known, thinking only that the root looked good and thus decided to carve it into an artwork.
However, the market price for root carvings has been rising sharply recently, and one shouldn't underestimate such a piece. Referred to as natural art, these carvings can easily sell for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, especially root carvings made of sandalwood, which are particularly beloved by the wealthy.
