Chapter 39: Malicious Yang Scheme, Revealing Cultivation

Chen Lao?

Li Che's face instantly darkened.

During this time, not only did Xixi especially like Chen Lao, but even Li Che and Zhang Ya as a couple completely regarded this lonely old man as family.

Li Che's gaze shifted onto Zhao Chuanxiong.

It seemed he sensed Li Che's piercing gaze; Zhao Chuanxiong's escorting of Chen Dabao paused slightly, he narrowed his eyes, and looked back.

Li Che?

So it's Master Li...

Long time no see.

Zhao Chuanxiong saw Li Che, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Initially, when Sun Changbiao died, Zhao Chuanxiong was in charge of the investigation, and he traced it to Li Che, claiming it was an investigation but actually a threat, and to confirm Xixi's spirit child aptitude.

Zhao Chuanxiong felt regret that, after confirming Li Nuanxi's spirit child aptitude, he had never found an opportunity to act.

Moreover, he encountered the Bull Demon, was injured by it, recuperated for a while, then encountered the Bull Demon killing the Eight Trigrams Staff...

Frightened, Zhao Chuanxiong no longer dared to casually stir up trouble, merely scraping by to survive, thus having even less chance to act.

This time... if it weren't for Si Mubai's side urging urgently, Zhao Chuanxiong would still want to continue scraping by, after all... the Bull Demon hasn't died yet.

"Captain Zhao, I don't know what offense Master Chen has committed?"

Li Che asked in a low voice.

"The case of Sun Changbiao: Sun Lianfu has filed a report again, claiming that Chen Dabao killed his son Sun Changbiao and also murdered Sun Changbiao's wife, Lady Liu."

"This matter has reached the authorities, so I have been reassigned to take charge of this case again... to apprehend Chen Dabao."

Zhao Chuanxiong stared at Li Che with a half-smile.

"Your daughter has been doing quite well this year, huh?" Zhao Chuanxiong said with a pointed meaning.

Upon hearing that, Li Che's eyes narrowed slightly, suppressing the killing intent in his heart.

Yet he ignored the provocation in Zhao Chuanxiong's words and said in a low voice: "Back then, wasn't it said that the Bull Demon was responsible for that case?"

Zhao Chuanxiong shook his head: "Sun Lianfu has filed an official report again; now the villain Bull Demon runs rampant in the city, his killing methods are brutal, the city lord needs a major case to pacify the populace, so he personally inquired and issued a handwritten order commanding me to apprehend Chen Dabao for investigation; if he truly has a grievance, the city lord will naturally clarify it."

"Master Li, rest assured, Master Chen is a highly respected woodcarver of Xu Ji; our prefecture will not let him come to harm."

"Once the matter is cleared up, he will naturally be released."

"However, he still has to go through the Flying Thunder Prison."

"Master Chen is quite strong; I, Zhao, know that if he resists... he will end up on the prefecture's wanted list, and then the ones to act will be the divine constables of Nei Cheng, not me, Old Zhao."

Zhao Chuanxiong said lightly.

Chen Dabao's face sank slightly as he gave Li Che, who still wanted to say something, a slight shake of the head.

The divine constables of Nei Cheng... they are truly divine cultivators; provoking such individuals would be troublesome.

"Ah Che, protect Xixi well."

Chen Lao instructed Li Che in a low voice.

Zhao Chuanxiong took Chen Lao away.

Before the woodcarving shop, a silence fell.

Li Che drew a deep breath; his heart already understood: the Spirit Infant Sect... had finally begun to act against Xu Ji in Wai Cheng.

Or rather, they had set their sights on Xixi, this spirit child.

Xu You had once said that Xixi's divinity was extremely abundant, belonging to the top tier among spirit children; to the Spirit Infant Sect, the temptation was enormous, perhaps they would resort to desperate measures.

"Because Chen Lao has always lived in my home, with his protection guarding Xixi, does Zhao Chuanxiong feel he needs to first take Chen Lao away before acting?"

Indeed, it is clear to any observant person that this is the case.

Chen Lao's body-refinement cultivation is at the Blood Exchange realm; after all, he has trained for decades, and as a senior woodcarver of Xu Ji, Xu Ji naturally would not stint on giving him the Blood Exchange method.

As for inner strength, Chen Lao has even reached the threshold of the Fourth Heavenly Layer.

Among Xu Ji's woodcarving elders, Chen Lao's martial prowess is the highest; even placed in Nei Cheng, he would not be considered weak.

With such a strong protector, wanting to take Xixi away is not easy; Zhao Chuanxiong naturally must transfer him away.

However, precisely because Chen Lao is strong, Li Che does not worry about his safety.

"What about the third steward?" Li Che stared at the steward Sun.

Zhao Chuanxiong said the one who reported to the authorities was the steward Sun Lianfu.

But Steward Sun did not refute; his silence already indicated the matter was true, and even if not, his choosing to remain silent implicates him with Zhao Chuanxiong.

Steward Sun did not answer Li Che's words, lowering his head, even avoiding eye contact.

"The third steward... was summoned early this morning by the second steward and returned to Nei Cheng."

Zhao Xuan, with long legs and a heroic bearing from martial practice, spoke up to explain to Li Che.

"The second steward... Xu Beihu?"

Li Che furrowed his brows.

What a coincidence?

As soon as Third Steward Xu You had just left, Zhao Chuanxiong immediately came to the door and took Chen Lao away...

Could it be that Xu Beihu also mingles with Zhao Chuanxiong's crowd?

"Steward Sun... how could you falsely accuse Master Chen? The case of Sun Changbiao was already closed back then, wasn't it? They said it was the Bull Demon Hero who did it!"

Zhao Xuan was furious, looking at Steward Sun and speaking loudly.

"Before my son died, Chen Dabao examined him..." Steward Sun raised his head, his old face trembling slightly: "After he finished... my son died... how could there be such a coincidence in the world?"

"My son's death is definitely inseparably linked to Chen Dabao!"

"What Bull Demon, what so-called hero... it might even be a disguise by Chen Dabao!"

Steward Sun said coldly, and even from between his teeth burst forth icy words.

Steward Sun, the Great Hero Bull Demon…… hates evil as an enemy, the Spirit Infant Sect has thrown our Fēiléichéng into turmoil, with many families hanging white cloth and burning white paper, yet only the Great Hero Bull Demon stepped forward, specially picking out and killing the wicked followers of the Spirit Infant Sect—such a heroic figure, do you even have the nerve to insult him?

Your son Sun Changbiao has joined the Spirit Infant Sect, wanting to exchange someone else's daughter for his son…… such a vicious person, death is not enough to atone for his crimes!

Zhao Xuan crossed her arms and said coldly.

Moreover, your accusation is too obvious—what physique does the Bull Demon have, what build does Chen Lao have…… and you can even connect them together?

Why don't you say that Li Shifu is the Bull Demon?

Zhao Xuan was thoroughly displeased with the turncoat Steward Sun.

Li Che, however, was startled, thinking he had been exposed……

Miss Zhao…… it's not proper to say such things randomly.

Zhao Xuan saw Li Che's startled look and hastily explained: 'Just an example, merely an example, Li Shifu, don't be nervous…… you've only trained martial arts for how long? You're worlds apart from the Bull Demon, I understand.'

Li Che: ……

You know jack shit!

Suddenly.

Before Xu Ji Mu diao Pu, the clamor suddenly fell silent; in the misty wind and snow, Zhao Chuanxiong in a black-red uniform returned.

His rough hand rested on the hilt of the long knife at his waist, standing straight in the wind and snow.

Everyone's hearts jolted in shock.

Zhao Chuanxiong's gaze fixed straight on Li Che.

Li Shifu, Steward Sun said…… it was you who had Chen Dabao investigate Sun Changbiao, so…… does Sun Changbiao's death also have something to do with you?

The returned Zhao Chuanxiong stared at Li Che and said softly.

Li Shifu, why not…… also go along with a certain household?

As the words fell, Shi Potian was startled!

Before Xu Ji Mu diao Pu, the atmosphere instantly exploded, clamoring and boiling!

Many were both shocked and angry; anyone with clear sight could see that Zhao Chuanxiong was deliberately making things difficult!

Steward Sun's complexion flickered and changed, gloomy, yet he didn't utter a single word.

Zhao Chuanxiong's gaze even held a hint of ferocity as he stared at Li Che, the knife at his waist drawn an inch, his vital energy and blood surging, like a venomous serpent or flood dragon.

Li Che! A certain household asks you, at the time of Sun Changbiao's death……

Where were you?

What were you doing?

You were……

Bang!!

Before the forceful questioning words containing inner strength had even finished, the sound exploded like thunder and reverberated!

Yet the blade's light had already spread across heaven and earth, tearing apart the wind and snow filling the sky, like a great net of heaven and earth, crashing down upon Li Che!

Intending to overwhelm Li Che, leaving him unable to respond, to surrender bound!

The aura of accomplished bone-tempering was violent and frenzied, his whole body boiling with qi and blood, combined with the splendid blade light, making the area before Xu Ji Mu diao Pu utterly oppressive!

Zhao Chuanxiong…… not only wanted to take Chen Dabao, but also wanted to take Li Che himself!

Thus, in the Xu Ji household, only Zhang Ya and Xixi remained, a mother and daughter powerless to truss a chicken!

By then, when the villains of the Spirit Infant Sect strike, they will surely easily abduct Xixi!

A blatant scheme!

A vicious blatant scheme carried out under the prefecture's regulations!

What a dirty tactic!

Gazing at the blade light bursting forth like a waterfall before his eyes, the instant the blade light reached within three feet of his body, Li Che's eyes flashed with a fierce aura!

His face flushed red, as if venting the anger born from Zhao Chuanxiong's vital energy and blood oppression!

Then, Li Che clenched his five fingers, like hooking fingers tearing the air, drawing out streams of airflow, his arm clenched into a fist, straight as a spear!

He stepped.

He bowed.

He threw a punch!

Taking the fist as a spear!

Accomplished…… Xu Ji's Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear!

His whole body's tendons and bones rang in unison, bones exploding with sound!

Almost like the instant of lightning flash and thunder!

Zhao Chuanxiong's blade and Li Che's fist then underwent several collisions of intertwined vital energy and blood, flickering, and one could see his blade trembling repeatedly!

The qi surged, the snowflakes drifting in the air could not fall, as if bounced away by an overwhelming force, exploding around the two into a hazy snow mist.

Zhao Chuanxiong single-handedly gripped the trembling long knife, then drifted backward.

Li Che, meanwhile, had his face flushed red, retreating several steps in succession, stomping the ground so that flying flower-snow exploded upward.

Before the woodcarving shop.

The scorching qi and blood still seethed, not yet dissipated.

Yet everyone had already been stunned by the thunderous collision of Li Che and Zhao Chuanxiong, silent as sparrows.

Zhao Chuanxiong gripped the long knife, his black hair swaying, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Li Che, a sense of absurdity and disbelief.

You actually……

Bone-tempered?

ps: Please keep reading! This crucially important Tuesday, everyone help Lao Li push for another wave!

(End of chapter)