Chapter 11: with translation of chapter title

He sliced a catty of braised beef and poured some old yellow wine.

Li Che's mood was somewhat heavy.

For his first kill, his feelings…… actually didn't provoke a strong reaction.

Born in an era where the court is weak and strange anomalies run rampant, life is as cheap as grass, inherently worthless.

Although the dark‑skinned brute wasn't the midwife Lei Chunlan, since he harbored ill will toward Xixi, Li Che naturally wouldn't go easy on him.

He didn't want to kill in front of Chen Lao, so he deliberately found an excuse to circle back.

After all, killing someone in front of Chen Lao…… would just give him leverage.

Chen Lao himself hasn't ever killed anyone, has he?

Mainly, the words the dark‑skinned brute said before dying left Li Che with a lump in his throat……

Xu's shop, could it be that even you can't suppress the Lingying Sect?!

Li Che exhaled, walking on foot down the long street; passing the official notice board, he paused his steps and glanced over.

Yet he discovered that the notice board's wanted order for Lei Chunlan had been torn away at some point, replaced with a notice for a flower‑snatching bandit.

"The wanted order for Lei Chunlan…… has it been cancelled?"

"Is Lei Chunlan already dead? Or…… did someone from the Lingying Sect intervene and suppress the warrant?"

Li Che furrowed his brows, his face growing ever more grim.

Killing a Lingying Sect dark‑skinned brute did little to ease his worries.

"Until we move into the shop's main compound, we can't relax……"

Braving the wind and snow, he returned to the woodcarving shop, took off his bamboo hat and cloak, warmth sweeping in, accompanied by Xixi's "ee‑ee ya‑ya" sounds, echoing without cease.

Li Che's heart instantly softened; arriving at the workshop, he saw Chen Lao holding Xixi, happily teasing her with a beaming smile, his body swaying left and right in rhythm.

"Mmm, Xixi, give Grandpa Chen a smile." Chen Lao chuckled.

Xixi cooed, her chubby little hands grabbing Chen Lao's beard and pulling hard, making Chen Lao laugh louder and louder.

Some of the senior craftsmen nearby also set down their work, gathered around, and watched with smiles.

It's rare for the shop to have a little child; like a happy nut, she delighted many of the senior craftsmen.

"Ah Che is back? Hurry to the rear courtyard, Second Steward is waiting for you."

"Xixi is here; I, Chen Lao, am keeping her company. Rest assured, the little girl takes to me—anyone who dares to harm a single hair on her head, this old man will slap them to death."

Chen Lao caught sight of Li Che and hurriedly shouted.

Li Che nodded, set down the beef and old yellow wine in his hands, first went to the workshop to say a few comforting words to his waiting wife Zhang Ya, then proceeded to the rear courtyard.

……

……

The snowfall grew heavier, goose‑feather snowflakes scattering in midair.

On the training ground, several figures were already present.

The woodcarvers recruited together with Li Che, Zhao Xuan and Wang Zhengpin, were already, under the order of Second Steward Xu Beihu, conducting skin‑tempering practice.

Li Che hurriedly quickened his pace, saw the two stewards, and bowed with clasped fists.

"Second Steward, Third Steward, Li Che has arrived late."

Third Steward Xu You sat under the eaves of the side‑room of the training field, using tweezers to hold a winter plum, placing it into the boiling furnace water, then scattering in a few pieces of roasted tea leaves.

Seeing Li Che, Xu You nodded.

"Chen Lao told us there was a reason; it's understandable."

"Your daughter…… has been targeted by the Lingying Sect?"

Xu You spoke gently, and did not blame Li Che for his tardiness.

"The Lingying Sect…… does nothing but harm; what good could come from the things transmitted by the Guiyi Miao? Yet so many worship the Lingying Dharma Lord, offering divinity to him, and even many powerful clans in the city secretly support them…… this bunch of idiots will surely brew a cataclysmic disaster!"

Xu Beihu's burly frame, upon hearing this, let out a cold snort; his mighty qi and blood exploded the snowflakes drifting from the sky into powder.

"Come learn skin‑tempering; only by becoming strong yourself do you have capital, otherwise in this world…… you won't even be able to protect your wife and daughter."

Xu Beihu looked at Li Che and boomed.

"Go ahead; I've already sent someone to arrange your move. Tomorrow you and Chen Lao will go inspect the courtyard." Xu You said while brewing tea.

"Even in Wai Cheng, the Xu's shop dares not provoke the Lingying Sect; inside the Xu's shop, safety is assured."

"When your daughter grows up, she will go to the Xu's manor in Nei Cheng to train alongside the Xu's juniors, laying a solid foundation……"

Upon hearing this, Li Che paused, wondering: "Training with the Xu's juniors in Nei Cheng?"

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Li Che didn't dwell on it; after returning the bow, he went to the courtyard.

Xu Beihu reached out and patted Li Che's body, his brows relaxing: "Your foundation is decent; though you're older, you can still train—put in more hard work, and there's still hope to reach the Bone‑Tempering stage."

"Skin‑tempering is actually the beginning of the method of regulating qi and blood."

"Qi arises within the body, moving from inside to outside and outside to inside, mutually aiding and stimulating each other; using blood to temper the skin, using qi to forge the muscles!"

Next, Xu Beihu began to impart to Li Che the method of skin‑tempering cultivation.

Li Che listened extremely attentively, daring not to slack in the slightest.

Although he killed today, it was through mechanical trickery; if he could possess personal martial prowess like Chen Lao……

Well, if the mechanism could kill……

It's still more comfortable to kill via mechanism.

……

……

Heavy snow swirled, the chill biting.

But Li Che was drenched in sweat all over, steaming with a hazy heat, bean-sized sweat droplets continuously rolling down from his forehead.

After a day of hard training, Li Che felt his skin burning; although he had not yet entered the stage of skin polishing, he could be said to have grasped the method of cultivation.

The skin-polishing method has already been passed on to you; from now on, you must diligently cultivate, not be lax, for the martial way demands no distinction between cold and heat, and only through assiduous hard practice can one gain progress and improvement.

Once you have completed skin polishing, I will then teach you the meridian-opening method.

However, completing skin polishing will take you at least two years… Strive from now on: in the mornings come to the training field to practice skin polishing, in the afternoons work at the workshop carving, and every six months we will evaluate your skin-polishing results.

Xu Beihu said in a deep voice.

His tiger eyes exuded immense pressure as he swept his gaze over the three.

Li Che and the three immediately clasped their fists in assent.

……

……

Returning from the training field, the sky had already grown dim.

Li Che's skin felt a stinging pain, yet his mood was exceedingly refreshed; at last he had formally begun martial training.

Chen Lao held Xixi, showing off as he strolled among the workshops of the various masters, as if familiarizing Xixi with the people.

Li Che could feel that Chen Lao truly cherished Xixi.

I heard that Chen Lao lived alone, with no wife or children… his whole life had been devoted to Xu Ji Mu diao Pu.

Unlike the other masters, whose households were full of wives and concubines, with both sons and daughters.

A single wood-carving master could support a family; although not yet a grand master, their carvings are highly marketable, making money not difficult.

Like Chen Lao, who carved a piece called "Nine Children Embracing a Lotus" and directly earned 150 taels!

"Training finished? Time to start skin polishing?" Chen Lao spotted Li Che, walked over holding Xixi with a beaming smile.

Upon seeing Li Che, Xixi stretched out her arms to be held.

"Oh, you heartless little rascal, your Uncle Chen held you all day and you're not even reluctant to let go!" Seeing himself so easily abandoned by Xixi, Chen Lao even puffed his lips like a mischievous child.

Li Che laughed as he took Xixi; the month-old Xixi grew ever more chubby, fair and cute, with big bright eyes, long lashes, and when she blinked she resembled an elf.

"Chen Lao, there's one more thing… I'd like to ask a favor of you."

Chen Lao, while playing with Xixi, waved his hand.

"I know what you want to say, you intend to ask me to guard Xixi tonight, right? Since you haven't moved into the workshop's main residence, your heart truly can't be put at ease." Chen Lao laughed.

Chen Lao laughed.

Li Che was not embarrassed either; in this chaotic world, fearing death is nothing to be ashamed of.

Moreover, he indeed had such worries.

"Rest assured, Xixi and I, the old man, get along well; I will indeed guard her, and tomorrow I'll happily accompany my Xixi to look at the courtyard." Chen Lao then, without missing a beat, took Xixi from Li Che's hands: "All right, you've held her long enough—Xixi, come, Uncle Chen's hug~"

Li Che smiled helplessly; he hadn't held her that long—he had just taken her a moment ago.

Returning to the workshop, he saw his wife Zhang Ya having tidied the workshop spotless, and his face instantly broke into a smile.

Wife, kids, warm kang bed…

This is what he pursues; he only wishes his wife and daughter to be safe and sound.

He only wants to watch his daughter gradually grow up…

Therefore, Spirit Infant Sect, do not push him!

If you drive him to desperation…

Today kill one person, someday…

He would not hesitate to slaughter the entire Spirit Infant Sect!

(End of chapter)