Chapter 15

"Spirit infant statue?"

Li Che's eyes were ice-cold, indeed……

Even after moving into Xu Ji Mu diao Pu and receiving Xu Ji's protection, they still could not completely avoid the Spirit Infant Sect's designs on Xixi!

Barely had the first-birthday banquet ended when the Spirit Infant Sect showed up!

"A lingering spirit…"

Li Che clenched his fists, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

However, recalling the fleeting silhouette that had just vanished, his brow furrowed.

"That spirit infant statue had never appeared since our family moved into the Xu Ji manor; today it did… the only outsiders we had contact with were the helpers and cook hired from Chunfeng Lou."

"But those helpers and cook had already been sent away by Steward Sun from the Xu Ji manor, not allowed to linger, so we can rule them out. There are many senior craftsmen around the courtyard, strong and perceptive… yet the perpetrator managed to evade them and place the spirit infant statue before my courtyard."

Li Che drew a deep breath, feeling the wind and snow between heaven and earth grow several degrees colder.

In his jet-black pupils, a fierce gleam appeared.

"In other words… this follower of the Spirit Infant Sect is likely an acquaintance from Xu Ji Mu diao Pu!"

There is a Spirit Infant Sect member inside Xu Ji Mu diao Pu!

The chill seemed, at that moment, to seep continually through his pores into his body.

"This possibility… is very, very high!"

"I suppose I've been a bit careless… where is there any absolutely safe place?"

Li Che shook his head, his gaze fixed on the glaring spirit infant wood carving on the ground, his face cold: "There is a Spirit Infant Sect person inside Xu Ji Mu diao Pu—who could it be?"

One face after another flashed through Li Che's mind, yet in the end he still could not determine.

Shaking his head, Li Che snatched up the glaring wood carving from the ground; qi and blood surged from beneath his skin, his five fingers suddenly glowing gold—with a pop, the wood carving instantly exploded under his pinch.

"I will find you…"

"Don't underestimate the obsession of a father who covers up his shortcomings."

……

……

"A spirit infant statue… appeared outside your courtyard?"

The next day, Chen Dabao, who had slept soundly through the night, heard Li Che's words and his eyes narrowed sharply.

"You suspect that a follower of the Spirit Infant Sect might appear inside Xu Ji Mu diao Pu?"

Chen Dabao narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Li Che nodded, but he could not guess who it was.

"Indeed, it is quite possible for them to appear outside the Xu Ji manor; even if it's in Wai Cheng, it's no easy feat……"

"Followers of the Spirit Infant Sect have already spread throughout Fēiléichéng; if someone in the workshop became one, it's truly unpredictable."

"No, it should be said that it is certain to happen; the Spirit Infant Sect… to shake the rule of the great powerful families of Fēiléichéng must plant agents, and faith erosion is indeed the most effective means."

Chen Lao said in a low voice: "Don't worry, I'll go check; it's actually not hard to investigate… becoming a Spirit Infant Sect follower is actually not easy to hide; if I find out, I'll tell you right away, and you should also keep watch and guard against it in daily life."

"The third steward has been sent out of the city to eradicate the evil things of Guiyi Miao; during this time… the workshop actually has no one in charge, which is also the best time for them to strike."

"But even if I truly knew the other's identity, I couldn't act directly before they made a move on little stinky Xixi……"

Chen Lao frowned and said.

Li Che, upon hearing this, expressed understanding.

The Spirit Infant Sect has spread within Fēiléichéng; becoming a follower of the Spirit Infant Sect, various powers may dislike it, but they will not specially go out to exterminate them.

After all, before causing any trouble, it's merely freedom of belief.

"But at least knowing who it is would put my mind at ease and allow me to guard against it."

Li Che said sincerely.

Chen Lao, upon hearing this, also felt it made sense.

……

……

Chen Lao's investigation took three days.

During these three days, Li Che increased his training time, after all the feedback from the Dragon Elephant Vajra cultivation fruit gave him vigorous energy.

Three days of arduous practice pushed the maturity of the Dragon Elephant Vajra to 5%; at full power, releasing the fruit's force, it was even stronger than having perfected the marrow-refining stage, capable of a thousand jin of force.

However, in the end it was still merely having perfected the marrow-refining stage.

In the training field, Li Che was drenched in sweat, his skin glowing with a reddish sheen, heat waves rolling, the air hazy.

He set down the stone lock, his eyelids drooping.

"I now want to break through to the meridian-opening stage; I need a meridian-opening cultivation method… but I cannot go to Xu Beihu, after all, the cultivation I've shown Xu Beihu is only the perfected marrow-refining stage……"

The previous two days, Xu Beihu came to inspect his cultivation, and Li Che displayed his perfected marrow-refining stage.

He had not fully revealed the strength of having perfected the marrow-refining stage.

Nevertheless, Xu Beihu was already quite astonished; in one year… to have reached the perfected marrow-refining stage, his talent already surprised Xu Beihu somewhat.

Unfortunately, Xu Beihu said that wanting to learn meridian-opening cultivation and internal energy methods… requires having perfected the marrow-refining stage first.

Li Che also did not want to reveal his perfected marrow-refining strength; one year of perfected marrow-refining could be explained as extraordinary talent, and Xu Beihu originally was only at that level.

But if it were one year to perfect the marrow-refining stage, that would be too exaggerated……

"So, this meridian-opening cultivation method and internal energy art… I must seek them myself."

Li Che changed into a clean set of clothes, his eyes flickering as he pondered slightly.

"I also have some savings now; I can go to Wai Cheng's market to have a look—perhaps there will be cultivation manuals for sale, but I must conceal my identity before going."

After finishing his training, Li Che returned to the workshop of Xu Ji Mu diao Pu.

A few days ago I took on a woodcarving job, carving a 'Eight Treasures Exquisite Maitreya statue'; the client asked for richer connotation, and the price offered was actually a gold leaf, equivalent to a hundred taels!

This is the highest‑priced woodcarving job Li Che has ever taken on so far!

Grasping the carving knife, he lightly entered the wood, tearing open the wood's structure; wood shavings fluttered down like falling blossoms.

【Immortal Artisan】 Dao Fruit throbbed slightly, Li Che's gaze focused, everything around seemed to vanish at this moment; in his mind, all the carving techniques for the Maitreya statue surged forth.

Chen Lao had a wine gourd filled with fermented slurry hanging at his waist, and with a solemn expression he knocked open the carved wooden door of Li Che's workshop.

「Chen Lao？」

Li Che held a file in his hand, carving the wood, and asked softly.

「Found it. 」Chen Lao found a chair, plopped down, pulled open the gourd's stopper, took a swig of wine, and said in a low voice.

「Who is it? 」Li Che's eyes turned cold, and the motion of his file scraping the wood came to an abrupt halt.

「Wai Cheng's Xu Ji Mu diao Pu; over the past year, quite a few woodcarvers and their families who follow the Lingying Sect have turned up—I was genuinely startled when I looked into it。」

「However, on the day Xixi turned one year old, among those who came to the banquet…… only one person secretly followed the Lingying Sect。」

Chen Lao shook his head, a flicker of fear appearing in his eyes.

The Lingying Sect's expansion…… is faster and more terrifying than he imagined.

Li Che didn't care about these; he was more concerned about who had set their sights on Xixi.

「Who is it? 」

Li Che asked again.

Chen Lao sighed: 「Steward Sun's second son, Sun Changbiao, has been married for four years but still has no son, feeling anxious; his wife was bewitched by the Lingying Sect, told that worshiping the Lingying Sect would grant a son, so Sun Changbiao also went and joined。」

Sun Changbiao?

Li Che froze, recalling how Steward Sun had once brought his family to look at the courtyard with a smiling face.

Sun Changbiao is his second son, and also a woodcarver at Xu Ji Mu diao Pu; he is a third‑grade woodcarver, usually mild‑mannered—who would have thought…… he actually joined the Lingying Sect.

Moreover, he has set his sights on Xixi.

Li Che took a deep breath.

「What is Sun Changbiao's strength? 」Li Che asked expressionlessly.

Chen Lao raised his eyebrows: 「Ordinary talent; he spent three years refining the skin, only just finished opening the meridians in the past two years, and cultivated an internal strength method……」

「Thanks, Chen Lao, I understand. 」

Li Che's face instantly broke into a smile as he thanked Chen Dabao.

「Don't act rashly; you've only just finished refining the skin, you can't beat Sun Changbiao… Moreover, you have no evidence—if you strike, you'll invite gossip, and Old Sun's side… would also look bad。」

Chen Dabao reminded Li Che, then took another sip of wine: 「Now that we know who it is…… we just need to guard against him, keep an eye on him。」

「Xixi is under my watch, so Sun Changbiao has little chance。」

Li Che nodded silently.

Chen Dabao said nothing more, rose, humming a little tune as he left; he didn't go to his own workshop to work, but instead strolled over to Li Che's little courtyard, familiar with the route, to play with Xixi.

「Xiao Chou Xi, your Grandpa Chen is here! 」

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Li Che carved the Eight Treasures Exquisite Maitreya statue step by step.

After finishing today's work.

Li Che rose, put on a straw hat, took out a black cloak, and glanced at the snowflakes continually drifting down from the sky over the courtyard.

「I've said before…… don't underestimate the obsession of a father who protects his shortcomings. 」

「You've clearly given birth to so many daughters, yet because you lack a son, you plan to trade my daughter for a son? 」

「It's truly…… unreasonable. 」

He reached out and plucked a snowflake.

Li Che's expression gradually turned cold; Chen Lao said…… just watching and guarding is enough.

But in Li Che's view……

Watching, guarding—none is as good as……

Kill.

(End of chapter)