Chapter 9: Three-Headed, Six-Armed Spirit Infant Statue, Mechanism Sleeve Crossbow

"You want to move into the woodcarving shop?"

"You are now a woodcarver, so naturally you can…… but some procedures still need to be gone through; I've ordered people to expedite and get your paperwork done. In two days, you go check the yard."

"Shop manager Xu You greatly appreciated Li Che's talent."

"The carved woodworks are extremely rich in meaning; such talent…… is extremely precious and coveted for any woodcarving shop."

"Only such a woodcarver has the chance to grow into a woodcarving master!"

"Therefore, Li Che's request will naturally not be refused; indeed, it is even something sought after."

"A genius naturally deserves the treatment of a genius."

""Thank you, shop manager." Li Che bowed his hands sincerely."

"Xu You nodded, and together with Xu Beihu they wandered into the wind and snow, disappearing from sight."

"Li Che let out a long breath of hot air, a smile unbidden appearing on his face; moving into the woodcarving shop would greatly reduce the threat posed by the Spirit Infant Sect."

"Returning to the shop, he took a bamboo hat and also received his monthly wages as a woodcarver, a total of five taels of silver."

"The shop manager said, from now on, this day each month will be when the monthly wages are distributed."

"Amid the envious and awed gazes of the apprentices, Li Che packed up his belongings, preparing to go home and tell his wife and daughter the good news."

"However, before leaving, he shamelessly sidled up to Master Chen."

""Master Chen, may I take some scrap materials back to practice?""

"Chen Dabao took a swig of gourd liquor, his face falling: "Ah Che, from now on you're also a woodcarver of the shop; given our friendship, stop calling me Master Chen and call me Old Chen.""

""These materials, you may take as you like; even if you fancy them, you can go to the yard to pick, as long as they're not too big, you can take them back to practice.""

"Li Che's talent, Chen Dabao naturally saw; maintaining a good relationship is very important."

"At this age, he's naturally a bit of a old fox; he won't easily offend people."

""By the way, when you're picking a place in the yard, call me; I'll give you a look-over, so we can be good neighbors." Old Chen laughed."

"……"

"……"

"When joyous events befall one, the spirit feels refreshed."

"Li Che was in high spirits; after becoming a woodcarver, his wages rose, his days had hope, wealth and honor—letting his wife and daughter live well was no longer a luxury."

"Along the long street of Feilei Wai Cheng, stepping on accumulated plain snow, he arrived at the shop, bought two taels of liquor, then went to slice some pork head meat and salted beef, heading home."

"The sky grew dim, and the lights along the road were sparse."

"From afar, Li Che saw the faint glow of the oil lamp in his family's earthen house."

"As if imagining his adorable daughter Xixi babbling away right now, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise."

"Returning to the earthen house, he reached out, about to call his wife Zhang Ya to open the door."

"But suddenly, Li Che's peripheral vision seemed to catch something; his breath hitched, and the surrounding air felt as if it had frozen."

"His neck felt stiff as he slowly turned."

"His gaze fell on the lower left corner of the wooden door; there, atop the thick snow, sat quietly a palm-sized little woodcarving!"

"A six-armed, three-headed child sat cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, his expression half-smile, lips slightly upturned, eyes opening and closing."

"Staring at it for a long time……"

"Li Che even heard an auditory hallucination of a child crying and laughing!"

""Spirit Infant Dharma Lord?!""

"Li Che's face darkened; he sharply scanned his surroundings, his glaring eyes full of ferocity."

"Is it…… already targeting us?!"

"Xixi is only just a month old!"

"Lei Chunlan!"

"Where are you?! Get out here!"

"But all around was silent, only the sound of drifting snowflakes falling, and from inside the house Xixi's 'ya ya' babbling."

"He reached out and grabbed the woodcarving; it was just an ordinary woodcarving……"

"Yet it gave Li Che a different signal; the joy in his heart instantly withered and froze."

"Just like a thief scouting a place before stealing, leaving a mark beforehand."

"Perhaps the other party had the same purpose."

"Li Che wore a grim face, thought for a moment, then threw this Spirit Infant woodcarving into the firewood shed, planning to take it to the woodcarving shop tomorrow to inquire about the situation."

"After doing all that, only then did he restore his cheerful countenance."

"Coming home…… one should report joy, not worry."

""Husband, you're back?""

"Zhang Ya opened the door; wind and snow blew in, seeing Li Che holding liquor and meat, her eyes instantly lit up with delight."

"She knew her husband must have some happy news to share with her."

"When she learned that Li Che had become a woodcarver at Xu Ji Mu diao Pu, she couldn't help but cheer like a maiden, hugging his waist and jumping up and down; the friction made Li Che…… his heart fluttering."

""Husband, tonight we must properly celebrate!""

"Zhang Ya raised her smooth chin, her smile full of cheer."

"Li Che embraced her, the corner of his mouth involuntarily curling into a mischievous arc: "Wife, how do you plan to celebrate?""

"Seeing Li Che's smile, Zhang Ya instantly understood his mischievous intent; her pretty face flushed."

"Li Che then took out the five taels of monthly wages he'd just received, and also told Zhang Ya of his plan to move into the woodcarving shop."

"Zhang Ya blinked; though the matter of moving struck her as odd, she didn't press further."

"Wherever her husband goes, she and their daughter naturally follow."

Moreover, Zhang Ya also understood in her heart that the woodcarving shop was definitely much safer than here……

After dinner, Zhang Ya quickly got Xixi to sleep, and only then did the couple cautiously carry out a session of vigorous exercise.

On the bed, Zhang Ya's black hair spread loosely, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Li Che, however, was refreshed and clear-headed, sitting before the lit oil lamp, he took out the Tangji Jianji Yaowu borrowed from Chen Lao.

The Dao Fruit 【Immortal Artisan】 quivered once again.

Li Che's eyes shone brightly as he began to flip through it, studying it attentively.

Inside were recorded all kinds of ingenious mechanisms, many of which possessed tremendous lethal power……

Li Che kept reading, and with the understanding granted by the Dao Fruit, he instantly became engrossed, completely conquered by the designs that seemed to snatch victory from heaven and the creative ingenuity.

However, the book recorded only twelve mechanisms in total, nine of which required inner strength and divine aid to craft.

As for Li Che now, he did not consider them.

He chose the remaining three that could be crafted without inner strength or divine aid, named respectively the Sleeve Crossbow, Guanyin Blood Lotus, and Thousand-Silk Spider.

Taking out the wood scraps brought back from the shop, Li Che intended to make a sleeve crossbow.

Mainly, this was somewhat similar to his original crossbow-arrow design, so…… he could proceed directly with production.

The carving knife sliced through the wood, the rustling sound of tearing wood fibers, each rustle marking a night……

When the first gleam of light from the east tore through the gloom, upon the earth blanketed in heavy snow.

Li Che also finally completed the making of the delicate and exquisite sleeve crossbow!

【Dao Fruit: Immortal Artisan (lv2, 19%)】

At the moment of completion, Li Che's mind was instantly flooded with much information on the use and introduction of the sleeve crossbow, and at the same time…… a prompt popped up before his eyes.

Li Che's eyes lit up instantly, his spirit doubled; he never expected that crafting the sleeve crossbow would actually grant 10% of the Dao Fruit's maturity!

Li Che referred to the percentage in the suffix as Dao Fruit maturity, for once it is full the Dao Fruit will rise, which is essentially the same as Dao Fruit maturity.

"Is it given according to the mechanism's difficulty?" Li Che couldn't help but feel curious.

Originally, the Dao Fruit's rise had been slow, causing Li Che some anxiety.

But now it seems he has found another way to increase the Dao Fruit.

However, the number of mechanisms is a bit low; Li Che quickly calmed down, feeling a little regret.

"But this Mechanism Chronicle details twelve mechanisms; if I were to craft them all, it would be enough to raise the Immortal Artisan to level 3!" Li Che's eyes shone, his heart surging.

There is still a chance!

Having crafted the sleeve crossbow, Li Che simultaneously mastered its usage techniques, so he was somewhat eager to try; if he mastered inner strength and blood qi, activating the sleeve crossbow would yield even greater power!

However, after glancing at his sleeping wife and daughter, he restrained the impulse.

He rose and stretched, his bones cracking all over.

Perhaps because of the Dao Fruit, having stayed up all night, he was still refreshed and clear-headed.

Stowing the sleeve crossbow in his sleeve, he made the crossbow body and arrows from wood; durability was not great, but the sharpened wooden-spike arrows were not weak in power, besides being lightweight, and the advantage lay in his ability to make them anytime.

After arriving at the kitchen, Li Che had prepared breakfast.

His gaze, however, involuntarily fell upon the wooden carving of the spirit infant he had placed in the woodshed.

His brow furrowed unbidden; after a moment's thought, he shook his head sharply.

"No, I cannot leave Xixi and her mother in the earthen house…… it's not safe."

(End of chapter)