Chapter 23: Bull Demon's Enlightenment, Spirit Infant's Divine Nature
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Puff, puff, puff!
Countless fine, razor-sharp Wood Needles, as thin as cow hair, suddenly rained down, covering the sky and the earth!
Zhao Chuanxiong's long saber, stained with blood, swung wildly. Seeing this, his hair stood on end, his pupils contracted, and he had no choice but to raise his saber to block the dense barrage of hidden weapons!
But there were too many. The Blood Lotus exploded, and the dense Wood Needles rained down like a torrent, ultimately piercing his body!
A mist of blood rose, and Zhao Chuanxiong, who had leaped up, fell heavily back into the snow-covered courtyard. Fine blood droplets seeped from his pores, instantly staining the white snow red.
"Ah!"
Zhao Chuanxiong let out a low roar, his hair and beard bristling. He hurriedly circulated his Internal Energy to resist the blood flowing through his Meridians, his face turning red with anger!
"So insidious, so vicious! What a wicked Bull Demon!"
Zhao Chuanxiong's angry shouts continued.
The Bagua Staff martial artist, wearing a girl's mask, leaped onto the wall, but the delay meant the Bull Demon was nowhere to be found, already vanished in the snowy mist.
Looking back at the snow-covered ground, pierced through with countless Wood Needles, the Bagua Staff martial artist couldn't help but shiver.
"Protect me for a moment. This Bull Demon is truly vicious. These Wood Needles are extremely fine, even my Body Tempering Realm skin couldn't block them. They pierced into my body and are now following my Meridians, trying to puncture my heart. I need to use my Internal Energy to protect myself and force these Wood Needles out!"
Zhao Chuanxiong panted heavily, immediately sitting cross-legged in the snow and instructing the Bagua Staff martial artist before beginning to seriously circulate his Internal Energy.
A scorching heat spread from every inch of his skin.
After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, Zhao Chuanxiong's body trembled violently, and he opened his mouth, spitting out a large mouthful of congealed blood.
The congealed blood was filled with red-stained, fine Wood Needles.
"How is it?"
The Bagua Staff martial artist, holding the staff, looked at Zhao Chuanxiong and asked in a deep voice.
"It's fine, just injured my Meridians. I need some time to recover. This Bull Demon... truly vicious."
Zhao Chuanxiong's face was grim. He had set a trap to capture and kill this Bull Demon, but he had ended up taking a big loss.
"At least, he didn't poison those Wood Needles..." The Bagua Staff martial artist glanced at him and smiled.
Zhao Chuanxiong's lips twitched, too tired to respond, but he secretly felt a bit relieved.
This Bull Demon, vicious but not quite poisonous enough...
"Wearing a Bull Demon mask, with a towering and robust body, and Bone Tempering cultivation... such a conspicuous figure should be impossible to hide in the Outer City."
Zhao Chuanxiong exhaled. "Could he be from the Inner City?"
"Most likely. The Inner City's noble families have superior legacies, their martial arts are extremely profound, and they have abundant nutrition, resulting in robust physiques. Look at the Yang Family, each one is as strong as a bull. Almost every major noble family has such robust, Body Tempering martial artists."
"And that Bull Demon's strength is even greater than that of a Bone Tempering martial artist. The martial arts he practices must be extraordinary, definitely from a noble family."
"And those Wood Needles... they are likely related to the wood carvers of those noble families. Such skill might be the work of a master wood carver."
The Bagua Staff martial artist, holding the staff, nodded and said.
"Dharma Master went to the Inner City and clashed with those noble families, seizing many interests... these families are not to be underestimated, and it's normal for them to retaliate."
"Yang Family? Xu Family, An Family... or Si Family?" Zhao Chuanxiong slowly got up, slowly picking out the fine Wood Needles from the snow with his rough fingers, his eyes filled with intense killing intent.
"No matter what, this Bull Demon... must be killed eventually!"
...
...
Li Che, wearing a bamboo hat and a cloak, returned to the rented courtyard.
His body immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, returning to its normal size.
"Escaping from two Bone Tempering martial artists... not bad, but my trump cards are all used up."
"Sleeve Crossbow, Thousand Spider Threads, and the Blood Lotus, all three mechanisms were revealed... tsk, if only I had formed my Internal Energy, I could have used it to enhance the Blood Lotus, doubling its power, and Zhao Chuanxiong would have been severely injured or even killed."
"Now, I can only inflict some minor injuries on him."
"Hmm... if I had poisoned the Wood Needles, the Blood Lotus would have been even more lethal, the toxins would have spread through the Meridians, doubling the damage..."
Li Che exhaled, his eyes brightening, feeling a sense of enlightenment.
What a miscalculation, otherwise, I could have killed Zhao Chuanxiong this time.
"Without the Bagua Staff martial artist, in a one-on-one fight, even with the [Dragon-Elephant Vajra] activated, I'm no match for Zhao Chuanxiong. His Internal Energy is at the third level, higher than mine, and he has a Martial Technique..."
Li Che reviewed his brief confrontation with Zhao Chuanxiong.
Without the Divine Art Mechanism, he would have been defeated and suffered a significant loss in a prolonged battle.
"Martial Technique... I need to get a Martial Technique. I have the [Dragon-Elephant Vajra] Dao Fruit, and my martial arts practice is very fast. Learning a Body Tempering Martial Technique will be even faster, and there might be additional benefits." Li Che had a plan in mind.
"Will Second Manager teach me a Martial Technique? Hmm, even if he does, it will have a Xu Family style... I'll have to look for one myself, or maybe from Old Chen."
Li Che stretched, his bones cracking.
This battle gave him an estimate of Zhao Chuanxiong's strength and a bit of confidence in killing him.
He took off his clothes and tidied up.
Li Che leisurely went out, bought a pound of braised beef and half a pound of pig's ears from a meat shop in the west of the city, a jar of old yellow wine, and a box of osmanthus cake, then strolled back to Xu's Wood Carving Shop.
"Daddy!"
As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, Xixi, her nose red from the cold, stumbled through the snow toward Li Che.
Li Che, moved by her, put down the meat and wine and picked up the chubby Xixi.
The little girl was as beautiful as a doll, her lips red and adorable, and her small hands wrapped around his neck as he lifted her.
"Daddy... hug hug."
The little girl was very smart, although only a little over a year old, she already showed extraordinary abilities.
Now she could walk smoothly without a walker.
Old Chen was sitting under the eaves, sipping from a gourd, and seeing Li Che and Xixi, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious: "This little stinker is amazing, she seems to hear your footsteps from far away..."
"She is a Spirit Infant, after all."
Zhang Ya came out of the house, saw the things Li Che had brought, and hurriedly took them inside.
"Husband, you bought osmanthus cake again, isn't that a bit too extravagant?" Zhang Ya smiled sweetly. Since moving to Xu's, their life had really improved, and the future looked brighter.
Li Che smiled. "If my wife wants to eat it, we can have it every day."
They could really afford it now.
With Li Che's skills, the wood carvings he made were very profitable, and he could earn at least fifty taels per carving, ensuring they were well-fed and clothed.
Zhang Ya took the things inside.
Li Che, holding Xixi, sat down next to Old Chen with the old yellow wine.
"Old Chen, what can you tell me about Spirit Infants?"
Li Che asked.
The Spirit Infant sect had determined that Xixi was a Spirit Infant... but what exactly does that mean? Li Che was truly unsure.
Old Chen put away his gourd, gestured for Li Che to pour the wine, and after Li Che filled his cup, Old Chen smiled broadly.
He took a sip of the old yellow wine.
Old Chen became serious, looking at Xixi with a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Ache, do you know about Divine Essence Techniques?"
"A Spirit Infant... is one who is born with divine nature, an excellent candidate for practicing Divine Essence Techniques!"
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(End of Chapter)