Chapter 14: The First Birthday Feast, the Spirit Infant's Furious Glare

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"Master Li, congratulations! Xixi, happy first birthday!"

Clean white snowflakes flew, landing on the black tiles, standing out prominently.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and the sound of footsteps on the snow was continuous, with congratulatory voices echoing without end.

Figures came from outside the courtyard, each presenting their first birthday gifts.

They were all familiar faces from the Wood Carving Shop. Li Che and Zhang Ya, dressed in fine clothing, stood at the gate to welcome the guests.

In the courtyard, the servants from Spring Wind Tower had already set up a pavilion and arranged tables and chairs. The chef had set up a cooking stove in one corner and started a fire, and the fragrant appetizers had already been delivered to each table.

There were nine tables in total, which was not a small number. After all, many of the old masters from the shop brought their families, making it a lively and festive occasion.

Chen Dabao, holding Xixi, who was dressed in a red dress and looked incredibly cute, was proudly showing her off to a few old friends, his face beaming with joy and love.

Uncle's family had also arrived. The old scholar, holding an unlit smoking pipe, was accompanied by a young couple, who were carrying a swaddled baby boy, chubby and wide-eyed with curiosity.

"Uncle, Aunt, Cousin Brother, and Cousin Sister-in-law, please come in!"

Li Che saw them and greeted them with a warm smile.

Li Che was grateful to Uncle's family. If not for their adoption and nurturing, he would not have been able to live so easily in this chaotic world.

Moreover, his marriage to Zhang Ya was also arranged with the help of Uncle and Aunt.

The old scholar's face was creased with a smile, looking at Li Che, who had now made a name for himself, feeling a deep sense of emotion.

"You've done well, you've done well, Ache."

"Your parents would be proud."

The old scholar patted Li Che's shoulder, his smile warm and genuine.

Aunt then took out a silver ornament wrapped in a red cloth and handed it to Li Che. "Ache, this is Xixi's first birthday gift. Please accept it."

Li Che did not refuse, accepting it with a serious expression, then turned to look at Cousin Brother Li Zhengran and Cousin Sister-in-law Liu Chunming, who were holding the baby boy.

"Zhouzhou is about half a year younger than Xixi, right? He must be close to his first birthday too. Can he flip over smoothly now?" Li Che asked with a smile.

"Very smoothly! He kicks his little legs and flips over like a windmill, very lively and energetic!" Cousin Sister-in-law Liu Chunming replied with a smile.

Being able to become a woodcarver at Xu's Wood Carving Shop, Cousin Sister-in-law Liu Chunming understood the significance of it, and her attitude was much more enthusiastic than before.

Li Che chatted for a while and then led Uncle's family to their seats.

As the time arrived, the banquet began. The servants from Spring Wind Tower called out the names of the dishes as they were served to the tables.

With the [Divine Artisan] Dao fruit, Li Che's woodcarvings, rich in meaning, were highly sought after. Though not as skilled as old masters like Chen, he had sold a piece for fifty taels of silver, the highest price so far!

His wealth was far different from the past, and he could afford the expensive banquet from Spring Wind Tower.

Moreover, the old masters in the courtyard would bring gifts, so the first birthday feast would not only break even but even make a profit.

"Brother Ache, Third Manager is here!"

Li Che, who was toasting with a few old masters, hearing that Third Manager had arrived, quickly picked up Xixi and went with Zhang Ya to greet him.

"Ha ha ha, it's Xixi's first birthday, I came specially to see her. This is Xixi's first birthday gift."

Third Manager Xu You was a humble and well-respected figure in the shop, though he might also have come with the intention of courting Li Che.

After all, Li Che could create highly spirited woodcarvings, which were now in high demand in the Inner City.

"Thank you, Manager. Xixi, come and thank Uncle Xu." Li Che, holding the adorable Xixi, called out with a smile.

Xixi's eyes were lively, her lashes long, and her skin as smooth as jade. Xu You, upon seeing her, also liked her very much. He took her from Li Che, played with her for a while, and then reluctantly handed her back.

"I won't stay for the feast. I have some matters to attend to. Recently, the Strange Temples in the Outer City have been restless, and many evil creatures have emerged. The Inner City's major families have organized teams to clear them out... I also need to go."

Xu You explained.

He then bid farewell and left.

"Manager Xu is truly a good person..." Zhang Ya said softly by his side.

Li Che nodded. Xu You was indeed a good person, humble and down-to-earth, lacking the arrogance and extravagance often seen in noble families.

However, Li Che had heard that in the Inner City, Xu You was not favored and had been sent to manage Xu's shop in the Outer City, effectively being removed from the Xu family's power center.

Compared to the Inner City's businesses, Xu's Wood Carving Shop in the Outer City was not a major operation.

"In this world, the more gentle one is, the more likely they are to suffer. Bad things... always happen to the honest."

Old Chen, holding a wine cup, walked over, his expression somewhat complicated as he shook his head.

"Like this dangerous task of clearing out the Strange Temples outside the city, which major noble family would send their core descendants..."

"Xu Beihu, with his strong cultivation, was not sent, but instead, Xu You, with weaker cultivation, was sent. Isn't it because Xu You is not favored in the family?"

Old Chen sighed.

Li Che, holding Xixi, watched Xu You's lonely figure disappear into the snow, feeling a deep silence.

...

...

After a round of toasting.

Old Chen was in a great mood today, drinking himself into a stupor and falling asleep early.

Zhang Ya took Xixi inside to put her to bed.

Li Che wiped his face with the cold snow, sobering up a bit, and then sat in the workshop in the side courtyard, lighting the oil lamp to continue working on the mechanisms.

With a thought, information appeared before his eyes.

...

[Name: Li Che]

[Bond: Daughter (Li Nuaxi)]

[Dao Fruit: Divine Artisan (lv2, 89%), Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv1, 2%)]

...

His gaze fell on the [Divine Artisan] Dao fruit. In a year, its maturity had increased to 89%, and it was close to reaching level 3.

He just needed to complete one more mechanism.

Standing up, he walked to a corner of the workshop and gently turned a woodcarving, revealing a hidden compartment.

He took out a statue of Guanyin sitting on a blood-red lotus mountain.

Guanyin had a kind and benevolent face, but upon closer inspection, the statue was made of thousands of fine wooden needles!

This was one of the three mechanisms in the *Tang Family Mechanism Records* that did not require internal energy, the Guanyin Blood Lotus.

Next to it were two rectangular matchboxes. Taking one, he placed it in his palm, and immediately, a faint mechanical sound came from inside, and eight long spider legs sprouted, embedding themselves into Li Che's palm.

With a light wave of his hand, countless fine silver threads shot out silently, cutting a piece of wood several meters away into a perfectly smooth slice, the cut edge gleaming.

With a flick of his fingers, the silver threads danced around the room, the whistling sound of air being sliced filled the air.

After a while, the countless silver threads returned to the matchbox in a flash.

"What a Thousand Thread Spider. With my minor skin-hardening cultivation, even a regular Tendon Opening martial artist would find it hard to resist the spider silk's strangling."

"But martial artists, after reaching the Tendon Opening stage, will cultivate internal energy. According to Old Chen, their strength increases by three to four times with internal energy, and with internal energy techniques, their destructive power is even greater..."

"I cannot be complacent."

"I must focus on enhancing my own martial power. Once I can cultivate internal energy, using it to activate the Thousand Thread Spider will make it even more powerful!"

Li Che put the Thousand Thread Spider and the Guanyin Blood Lotus back into the hidden compartment.

He sat back down by the oil lamp and began trying to create other mechanisms from the *Tang Family Mechanism Records*.

Due to the lack of internal energy and sufficient vitality, all his attempts at other mechanisms had failed.

However, it was not a big problem. Failure was also a way to gain experience. Once he cultivated internal energy, he could complete them in one go.

Suddenly.

Li Che, who had just picked up a carving knife, furrowed his brow slightly.

He left the workshop and walked a few steps to the courtyard gate, his gaze piercing the darkness, seeing a black shadow flash and disappear into the night.

Li Che's eyes instantly sharpened, and he looked down.

He saw a familiar...

Three-headed Six-armed Spirit Infant Statue.

However, this time, the Spirit Infant Statue was not closing and opening its eyes as before, but rather, its eyes were wide open, staring at him with a fierce glare.

As if it was staring at him intently!

(End of Chapter)