Chapter 22: Immortal Artisan Battles Martial Arts, Guanyin's Blood Lotus

After Sun Changbiao died, his four daughters were taken away by Steward Sun, and the Liu clan lady who had guided Sun Changbiao to join the Soul Infant Sect, after this fright, actually lost her fetus, and because she had joined the sect she was driven out of the Xu Estate by the second steward Xu Beihu.

Steward Sun then found a courtyard outside for Lady Liu to sit her short postpartum period.

Sun Changbiao's four daughters had not joined the Soul Infant Sect, so Li Che had never killed them, but Sun Changbiao's wife was different……

She was the one who actively joined the sect, even guiding Sun Changbiao to want to harm Li Che's daughter, the chief culprit.

Initially, a witness was needed, and her testimony was required to guide it, so her life was spared……

Li Che feared that afterward, this woman would continually lead the Soul Infant Sect followers to endanger Xixi.

Therefore……

It is indeed time to clean things up cleanly.

Changing into travel attire, Li Che's figure plunged into the wind and snow, and after a moment he arrived at the south of Fēiléichéng.

Inside a dilapidated courtyard, heavy snow lay piled thick and soft beyond compare.

In the courtyard, the stove burned fire, boiling water bubbled "dudu" and sprayed hot air, warming the room.

Li Che covered his face with a mask, then wore a bamboo hat, dressed all in black, he floated and landed against the wall inside the courtyard, stepping on snow without a sound, rising and falling, he came before the house.

Inside the house, incense sticks were lit, and gray smoke drifted continuously.

Li Che poked a hole in the window paper with a finger, looked inside, and saw a thin figure kneeling before a statue of the Three-Headed Six-Armed Wrathful Soul Infant, constantly kowtowing and rubbing his hands.

"The Holy Spirit has a teaching, cleansing dust, the law of reincarnation without worry, attained by supreme wisdom without instruction……"

"The Supreme God above, the commoner woman will surely let the Li clan's Soul Infant return to its place, please bless that the commoner woman's child may be reborn……"

Lady Liu chanted without cease, kneeling devoutly.

Gazing at that wrathful Soul Infant statue, the flesh beneath Li Che's cute ox mask twitched, and a hint of killing intent slowly welled up in his pupils.

Raising his arm, his sleeve crossbow shot out a swift bolt!

Boom!

It directly pierced the head of the wrathful Soul Infant statue and nailed it to the wall.

This commotion instantly drew Lady Liu's attention inside the house; she started in fright, and Li Che, not wanting to waste time, fired another bolt from his sleeve crossbow, piercing her throat.

Lady Liu widened her eyes, then turned her body, staring fixedly at the direction from which Li Che's bolt had shot.

Her face showed no terror of death, blood gurgled from her throat, yet her face revealed a mad smile.

"Vice Incense Master… please……"

Li Che, however, remained very calm.

There was deceit, but it was within expectation.

He stomped down heavily, the ground trembled, countless white snow exploded upward, and Li Che's burly, mountain‑like figure shot outward like a cannonball.

"What bold thief, where do you think you're fleeing!"

A piercing, miserable shriek, half cry half laugh, instantly came from outside the courtyard.

Through his mask, Li Che glanced that way and saw a figure leap forward, wearing a gray robe, a knife at the waist, wearing a weeping boy mask, eyes shining like fire.

Besides that, there was a burly figure wearing a girl mask, carrying an Eight Trigrams Staff, crouched on the courtyard wall, eyes bearing a half‑smile.

Overbearing qi and blood surged forth, melting the flying snow, killing intent intertwined, the wild wind wailed like ghosts wailing!

"Indeed, you deliberately attacked my Soul Infant Sect followers… just who are you?"

A cold voice came from the mouth of the knife‑bearer.

Li Che stared at the knife‑bearer, feeling a vague familiarity, he lowered his voice, a hoarse tone with probing intent, echoing in the courtyard: "Zhao Chuanxiong?"

The courtyard fell silent at once; after a long while, a low, deep laugh sounded.

Boom!

Instantly, blade light burst forth, sharp sword qi swirling within the courtyard.

Li Che stomped hard with his foot, like a dragon's long roar and an elephant's trumpet!

The thick snow beneath his feet exploded outward, the flying snow scattering like hidden weapons!

The blade light rolled in, and before his eyes lay a thick pile of snow.

Huh?

A slash cleared the snow, but the blade's force had already weakened by half; the next moment he only felt a low hiss in the air, as if something sharp were slicing rapidly!

A glance beneath his mask made his pupils contract instantly!

Thread!

A silver thread!

Extremely fine, extremely sharp!

As the long blade swept across, he felt a subtle force rubbing along the blade, sending up a spray of sparks.

Then followed the sound of piercing the air accompanied by a series of "xiu xiu xiu" whistles… three arrows shot nearly simultaneously, howling forth!

Damn!

He is tall and big, yet his methods are so vicious and ruthless!

The boy‑masked Vice Incense Master rolled his long blade, blade light spreading, while stepping back in the snow, after three successive clashes he finally blocked all three crossbow bolts.

But he had not yet caught his breath.

Beneath Li Che's cute ox mask, his pupils seemed to ignite flames, he raised an arm, tendons tensed, like a strong bow drawn to full and released!

His body shot forth like a military crossbow, his nearly two‑meter burly frame exerting immense pressure.

His fist shot out like a bullet, detonating the falling snow in the sky into a hazy mist!

This was not a martial technique, merely a simple yet pure punch.

In a fleeting instant, he killed his way to the Vice Incense Master's front.

The blade swept out violently, pressing against Li Che's fist, sword qi raging, it stubbornly resisted his punch, but the two‑thousand‑jin force burst forth, the tearing airflow gale slammed down hard!

Boom—, accompanied by the whimper of the airflow being crushed!

He slammed hard onto the vice incense master's boy's mask, shattering it into pieces, hair disheveled, and a face Li Che knew all too well instantly came into view.

"Zhao Chuanxiong..."

Li Che coldly stared at that face, confirming the identity of this vice incense master—indeed, he was the prefecture constable.

Kill the Liu clan, confirm Zhao Chuanxiong's identity……

All today's objectives have been achieved.

"Attack! Stop watching the show! Together kill this sinister, crafty villain, the Ox Demon!"

Zhao Chuanxiong's face was extremely gloomy, he stared fixedly at that cute ox mask, feeling it was like a demon's head.

He was indeed a genuine Ox Demon with the strength of a thousand catties!

The figure on the courtyard wall also rose, slowly drawing the eight-trigram staff from his back, as mighty blood and qi surged and intertwined.

"This Ox Demon must be a martial artist who has achieved minor success in Bone Tempering, on par with us; do not underestimate him!"

Zhao Chuanxiong said coldly.

"Heh heh, he doesn't even know martial arts... what's there to underestimate?"

The figure on the high wall wearing a girl's mask snorted, then leapt down fiercely, wielding a staff with one hand, and charged at Li Che.

Li Che frowned slightly, feeling a bit of pressure.

Looks like I need to unleash my big move.

Touching down with his toes, Li Che shot backward, while the sleeves beneath his loose robe billowed out suddenly.

"Ox Demon, take this—my eight-trigram staff strike!"

One staff strike shook the heavens, countless staff shadows intertwined and overlapped, creating an illusory vision!

Its momentum was tremendous, the gale was blasted apart, and the flying snow swept wildly to both sides!

A martial technique!

Li Che suddenly felt pressure; he had trained in martial arts until now, yet had not learned any martial technique……

However, Li Che did not panic; with a grab and pull of his five fingers, instantly countless spider silk spread densely, dancing wildly throughout the courtyard!

"【Immortal Craft】 Dao fruit reached level 2, approaching level 3; Li Che is not only skilled at crafting mechanisms, but deploying them has reached exquisite mastery!"

Countless silver spider silk wrapped around that heavy, mighty eight-trigram staff.

Using Immortal Craft, I withstand the martial technique!

Li Che raised his hand, then unleashed a continuous sleeve crossbow—*patter-patter-patter*.

Three consecutive arrows pinned the staff-wielding martial artist; he stomped hard, leapt, and landed on the courtyard wall.

"Want to run? Where can you run?!"

"Blood-Rage Mad Blade!"

Zhao Chuanxiong had already caught his breath, drew his knife and shot out; the blade light swirled, humming brilliantly, blood and vital energy surged and boiled—it too was a martial technique—as he slashed toward Li Che.

Li Che glanced at him indifferently.

With a shake of his hand, a "Guanyin Blood Lotus" appeared in his broad, fan-like palm—this was the last of his three hidden mechanisms.

It was also the most powerful one!

He crushed the kind-faced Guanyin wooden carving; the remaining lotus base was instantly flicked out by Li Che, light as a feather.

"This sinister Ox Demon... still has hidden weapons?!"

Zhao Chuanxiong's heart jolted, but the long knife he swung, the momentum of the martial technique already hard to diminish, he could only grit his teeth and continue slashing forward.

However, that blood-colored lotus base eerily hovered in midair.

"Boom."

Then, accompanied by a burst of firelight, it began to spin at high speed.

Amidst the *whoosh-swish* sounds.

Dense and fine as cow hair, the wooden needles fell like Guanyin's tears, a torrential rain upon the world.

Tens of thousands shot out.

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(End of chapter)