Chapter 17: Bone‑Tempering Thousand Spiders, No Longer Benevolent

The opponent wore an adorable ox mask, but the eyes beneath the mask showed not a trace of cuteness.

Merely upon meeting his gaze, Sun Changbiao felt the taste of death.

An extreme killing intent, like a raging river bursting its banks, sought to overwhelm his mental defenses!

"This is Xu Ji Woodcarving Shop! You… you dare commit murder here?!"

Enduring the excruciating abdominal pain, in the face of death's terror, Sun Changbiao let out a hoarse roar.

His qi and blood surged wildly, his major tendons sang, inner energy like thin snakes wandered in his palm, revealing his Opening Tendons cultivation, ready to launch a counterattack.

Sun Changbiao also clearly knew this was the Xu Ji Grand Courtyard, where many elderly woodcarvers lived; if he could stall for time, perhaps help would arrive.

At worst, his elder brother and father lived in a nearby courtyard; hearing the commotion, they could come running immediately.

Li Che looked at Sun Changbiao indifferently; the opponent's hoarse, exhausted appearance bore no trace of his usual gentle grace.

In fact, Li Che could never have imagined that a person who was extremely gentle outwardly would treat his own biological daughter so cruelly, so viciously…

Ordering his daughter to cook and do chores was bad enough; the slightest dissatisfaction earned a whipping with rattan.

Knowing a person's face does not mean knowing their heart.

Of course, none of that matters…

What matters is that Li Che heard Sun Changbiao's words.

Having confirmed Sun Changbiao's malice toward Xixi, this person was the one who placed the Wrathful-Eye Spirit Infant woodcarving last night, intending to send Xixi to the Dharma Lord in exchange for his own son—a villain!

That alone is enough cause for death.

Upon this thought, Li Che's murderous aura surged, killing intent boiling over.

Bang!

Under the stimulus of life and death, Sun Changbiao let out a roar, slammed both arms hard onto the ground, launched himself upward, his back tendons taut like strings, and thunderously hurled two astonishing punches at Li Che.

The power of his Opening Tendons and inner energy erupted fully!

However…

That burly, ox-masked figure merely raised a hand, his fan-like fist clenching suddenly and thrusting out a horizontal punch.

Instantly, as if a dragon's roar and an elephant's cry, a terrifying sound carried fierce sound waves, shaking the air and raging inside the house.

Fist met fist, and a bone‑cracking sound exploded!

Sun Changbiao screamed in agony, fear flashing in his eyes!

"Bone‑tempering?! A bone‑tempering martial artist!"

Such strength must be that of a bone‑tempering martial artist!

How could a bone‑tempering martial artist appear for no reason inside the grand courtyard to kill him?!

One punch shattered Sun Changbiao's arm bone; beneath Li Che's ox mask, his eyes were indifferent and unwavering.

A fingertip lightly flicked from his sleeve, and the Dao Fruit Immortal Craft twitched slightly.

An invisible silver thread seemed to tear the air, like a spider spitting silk, or like an ultracheeky sword being drawn, dancing wildly across the sky, whipping up a sudden gust.

Mechanism, Thousand Spider Silk!

Accompanied by several twangs and cutting sounds.

Clenching his five fingers, the threads swiftly recoiled, retracting back into his robe's sleeve.

The burly figure pressed down his straw hat, shook his sleeves, turned, took a few leaping steps, and charged into the courtyard.

He opened the courtyard gate from inside, walked straight out, and vanished into the wind and snow.

Sun Changbiao stared blankly at the burly figure's retreating back.

A red line on his neck slowly oozed droplets of blood…

The overturned Eight Immortals table behind him was silently sliced, the cut perfectly smooth.

Also cut at the same time…

…was Sun Changbiao's head.

With a gurgling sound, the head tilted, fell from the neck, accompanied by spraying scalding hot blood.

The whole house reeked of blood.

Madame Liu, fallen to one side, had already been frightened into idiocy, her whole body trembling like chaff in a sieve.

Once the raging wind and snow outside the shattered door rushed in, howling.

Only then did she emit a hoarse scream of utter terror from deep in her throat!

"Kill… kill someone!"

……

……

In the dark alley.

Li Che withdrew the power of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, his body instantly returning to normal, he redressed, took out the ox mask, clenched his fingers, and the mask instantly shattered into wood shavings on the ground.

Pressing down his straw hat, Li Che listened to the sobbing carried on the wind and snow.

His face showed little change.

If Sun Changbiao were not dead, he would pose a grave threat to Xixi, and Li Che also feared that if he ever failed to watch over Xixi, the one crying would be himself.

Born in this world, one's heart must not be merciful, one's hand must not be soft.

Li Che no longer considers himself a good person; killing is not the first time he has done it—formerly that dark‑skinned brute, and now Sun Changbiao.

Li Che's hands are also stained with fresh blood.

But he merely wishes to protect his daughter well.

All of this is his duty as a father.

"I am still too weak; if I could… eradicate the Spirit Infant Sect, Xixi's safety would not be threatened."

Li Che glanced at his own palm and murmured softly.

Afterwards, he held his head high, chest out, and stepped out of the alley.

……

……

Li Che returned to the courtyard, where Chen Lao was playing with Xixi.

He extravagantly used his inner strength to melt the snow covering the courtyard, leaving the ground dry, allowing the little girl to totter on her walker, running back and forth in a wobbly gait.

"Daddy!" the little girl exclaimed upon seeing Li Che, her eyes instantly brightening.

She staggered over to Li Che, who burst into a smile: "Little stinky Xixi, did you miss Daddy?"

Li Che lifted the girl and teased her little nose.

Chen Lao instantly felt jealous, and without using his inner strength to melt the snow, the snowflakes from the sky began to drift down sparsely.

"Daddy's the best, after all—Grandpa Chen kept you company all day, but as soon as Daddy returns, you forget Grandpa Chen." Chen Lao pursed his lips, and it seemed as if vinegar filled the air.

Li Che burst out laughing, pointing at Chen Lao.

Zhang Ya walked out from the kitchen carrying hot dishes, smiling gently: "Uncle Chen, husband, come eat."

She placed the dishes on the table; the spread was abundant, with meat and fish, rich in nutrition.

She took a small bowl, picked out some fish meat, paired it with plain congee, and began feeding Xixi, who sat in her baby chair tapping the wooden bowl.

Li Che and Chen Lao then started eating, drinking alcohol and enjoying the dishes while chatting.

Zhang Ya's cooking was excellent; Chen Lao often came to mooch meals, feeling no psychological burden, after all, this bit of meal money was nothing of a burden for Li Che nowadays.

Moreover, to keep Xixi company, Chen Lao reduced his own work, frequently introducing his woodcarving clients to Li Che, allowing Li Che to take on many lucrative jobs.

After the meal, Chen Lao walked away with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune, in a pleasant mood.

However, he had barely gone far when hurried footsteps sounded, and he encountered a panicked figure at the corner.

"Xiao Liu, where are you headed?"

Chen Lao recognized him—he was the young son of Old Master Liu, the veteran carpenter of the woodworking shop.

"Yo, it's Master Chen, alas… something happened, something happened at my sister's place…"

Xiao Liu's face grim, upon seeing Chen Dabao, he still stopped to greet him.

Upon hearing this, Chen Lao's expression instantly turned grim.

Xiao Liu's sister… isn't she Sun Changbiao's wife?

"Inside the Xu Family Manor, a villain suddenly appeared, stormed into my brother-in-law's courtyard, and brutally killed him… alas… my father told me to inform the manager, alas…"

Xiao Liu sighed endlessly, exchanged a few words with Chen Lao, then hurriedly ran toward the manor's exterior.

The cold wind rustled, biting and chilling, the world fell into a great stillness.

Sun Changbiao… dead?

Not long ago, he had just informed Li Che that the one eyeing Xixi was Sun Changbiao.

As it turned out, Sun Changbiao died at home, beaten to death by someone.

A coincidence?

Chen Dabao gripped his wine gourd, his expression instantly turning complex.

(End of chapter)