Chapter 34: Daughter Two Years Old, Dao Fruit [Immaculate Heart]

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Li Che brought Uncle's family back to the Xu Compound, staying in his own courtyard for a night. The next day, he went to find Steward Sun.

Since he had Xu You's promise, Steward Sun didn't make things difficult. Although, after the death of his son, Steward Sun had become much colder towards Li Che. But upon reflection, it was Sun Changbiao who had wanted to sacrifice Xixi to gain a son.

The fault lay with his son, not the Li Che family, who should have been the victims.

After smoothly resolving Uncle's living arrangements, Li Che let out a sigh of relief.

Recalling the oppressive atmosphere when the Spirit Child Sect paraded through the streets, Li Che couldn't help but frown slightly.

The entire Spirit Child Sect... none of them seemed to be good people.

They were bound to be a disaster sooner or later.

Inside the workshop, Li Che stopped his engraving knife, his black hair dusted with wood shavings, and gazed at the snowflakes drifting in the courtyard. In his heart, he wrote down the entire Spirit Child Sect on his list of must-kill targets.

Of course, at the top of the list was the Spirit Child Dharma Master, circled and marked as a priority!

Days passed one by one.

Since the bounty on the Bull Demon was raised to 500 taels, Li Che, apart from helping Uncle's family once, chose to keep a low profile and did not act again.

Of course, he had also tried to find the whereabouts of Constable Zhao Chuanxiong, but unfortunately, Zhao Chuanxiong seemed to know that Li Che wanted to kill him and became cautious and evasive.

He never appeared alone, and even when he went out, he was always accompanied by several constables. At night, he didn't return home, hiding somewhere unknown.

Li Che, unable to find an opportunity to act, decided to give up.

Perhaps due to the death of the Bone Tempering Realm martial artist with the Eight Trigram Staff, Feilei Outer City seemed to be calm for a while, but gradually, news of more children being harmed began to spread.

As long as there were people, evil would never cease.

Time slipped through his fingers like sand, marking the transition from spring to summer.

Before he knew it, half a year had passed.

Xu Family Wood Carving Shop.

Li Che took a deep breath, blowing away the wood shavings from the carving. Amidst the fluttering, a lifelike "Nine Children Embracing Lotus Statue" appeared before him.

Old Chen had also carved a Nine Children Embracing Lotus wood carving before, but Li Che's current work was even more vivid, with a unique charm that made the nine children seem to come to life, playing and laughing as if they could be heard.

This was the result of the Divine Artisan Dao Fruit reaching level 3, bringing a more profound charm.

"Ah Che, your skills have improved! Next month's evaluation, you might be rated as a Fourth Rank Wood Carver."

At the workshop entrance, Xu You, dressed in a silk white robe, leaned against the doorframe, holding a jar of wine, and said with a gentle smile.

"Fourth Rank Wood Carver, you can move freely between the inner and outer cities. Ah Che… have you thought about moving your family to the Inner City?"

Xu You asked.

Li Che, hearing this, thought of the numerous experts in the Inner City. He had heard that the true powerhouses of the Spirit Child Sect were all in the Inner City, and moving there would be too risky.

As Old Chen had said, although the living conditions in the outer city were a bit worse, being away from the center of the storm meant fewer troubles, and life was more carefree and enjoyable.

Seeing Li Che not responding for a long time, Xu You waved his hand. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. If you move to the Inner City, it would be a hassle to find you for a drink."

As an outcast in the family, having lost the chance to compete for the head of the household, staying in the outer city was like being exiled, and he rarely bothered to return to the Inner City.

Since returning from the outer city after clearing out the strange temple, Xu You seemed to have taken a liking to Li Che and often came to drink with him. At first, it might have been out of a desire to win him over, but over time, he truly considered Li Che a friend.

Visiting Li Che's small courtyard for meals became more frequent.

After work, Li Che and Xu You returned to the small courtyard together.

The loquat tree in the courtyard was lush and green.

Little Xixi, holding a wooden stick, was shouting and laughing under the loquat tree.

At one and a half years old, Xixi was lively and intelligent, as clever as a three-year-old, full of energy, and always bouncing around, the differences of being a spirit infant becoming more apparent.

"Daddy!"

Seeing Li Che return, Xixi's chubby little face lit up, and she ran over with bare feet.

She then came to a sudden stop in front of Li Che and Xu You, almost bumping her head, which was tied in a topknot, into Li Che's thigh.

"Daddy… you promised to bring Xixi some sugar-coated haws, where are they?"

Xixi blinked her big eyes and started looking around.

However, after searching for a while and finding nothing, she deflated like a punctured balloon, her puffed-up chest deflating.

Li Che smiled and picked up the disappointed Xixi, saying innocently, "That was a promise I made two days ago. Didn't I bring you sugar-coated haws yesterday? You must have mixed it up."

Xixi was puzzled for a moment and tilted her head. "Really? I've forgotten the taste of the sugar-coated haws from yesterday…"

She then stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

Xu You burst out laughing. "Uncle will give you some. Your daddy didn't bring any, but Uncle Xu You did."

As if by magic, Xu You pulled out a stick of sugar-coated haws, and Xixi cheered.

Old Chen pulled over a bamboo chair, sat under the loquat tree to cool off, and seeing this, couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Third Master, don't spoil little stinky Xixi. Eating sugar-coated haws every day will ruin her teeth."

Xixi, hearing this, pouted. "Stinky Old Chen, I'm not stinky Xixi, I'm Warm Xixi, Li Warm Xixi!"

Her mumbled words still carried a hint of baby talk.

This made everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Ya, having finished her kitchen work, was busy setting up for dinner.

Xu You, who was freeloading, and Old Chen, along with Li Che's family, laid out a table in the courtyard for dinner on a summer evening.

Xu You enjoyed this feeling; living alone in the outer city, he always ate alone. This lively and cozy atmosphere was something he cherished.

Taking a bite of pork head meat, Xu You looked at Li Che and said, "Ah Che, the Spirit Child Sect has been getting more and more active these days."

"In the Inner City, the Spirit Child Sect has teamed up with the Si Family… targeting the spirit infants and spirit children of the other three families, causing a major rift. Several Bone Tempering Realm experts have been killed."

"The Si Family can't bear the anger anymore. The instigator, Si Mu Bai, has been expelled from the Inner City, and the Spirit Child Sect's influence in the Inner City has been completely cleared out, with most of them retreating to the outer city…"

Xu You said solemnly.

Li Che took a sip of wine. "Since the three major families in the Inner City have turned against the Spirit Child Sect, why don't they completely wipe out the Spirit Child Sect's influence? Why not finish them off completely?"

Old Chen laughed coldly. "The Spirit Child Sect originates from the strange temple outside the city. How easy do you think it is to clean them out? The higher-ups in the Spirit Child Sect mostly wear masks and hide their identities… their influence is complex and intertwined, making it impossible to clean them out completely."

"Who knows, maybe the higher-ups in the three major families or the government… have Spirit Child Sect experts among them."

Old Chen, who seemed used to such things, spoke with a mix of coldness and sorrow.

"This matter with the Spirit Child Sect… if not handled well, Feilei City… will eventually be doomed."

After his words, the table fell silent.

Xu You's brow furrowed and then relaxed…

He looked at Old Chen, wanting to say something but holding back.

Old Chen took a large gulp of wine and slammed the bowl on the table. "Third Master knows my background. I'm originally a refugee from Zhouyun City to the north. I will never forget how Zhouyun City fell…"

Xu You sighed, not saying much, but looked at Li Che. "These days, keep an eye on Xixi, don't let her run around… once the matter with the Spirit Child Sect is over, or when the spirit child selection next year comes around, I'll try to get her into the 'Divine Cultivation Academy' established by the major families of Feilei City. That will provide some safety."

"However, I've also received news that the Divine Sect will send experts down the mountain next year to recruit disciples. Unfortunately, Xixi is a bit young, and I don't know if she will catch the eye of the Divine Sect's disciples. I'll try my best to help. If she can join the Divine Sect, she won't have to worry about the threat from the Spirit Child Sect anymore."

"Compared to the Divine Sect, a behemoth, the Spirit Child Sect… is pitifully weak."

"Therefore, the Spirit Child Sect will likely go on a rampage before the Divine Sect's disciples arrive."

Li Che nodded, refilled his cup, and raised a bowl to Xu You.

"Xixi's matter… I'll trouble you, Old Xu."

Xu You rolled his eyes but still raised his bowl in return.

"Don't be so formal, Xixi and I are close."

...

...

Li Che listened to Xu You's advice and didn't take Xixi out recklessly.

He also observed that the outer city had indeed become more chaotic, with the Spirit Child Sect's followers becoming more active. Even outside the Xu Family Wood Carving Shop, there were often martial artists lurking late at night, eyeing the place greedily.

However, the guard team organized by Xu You, consisting of many martial artists and wood carvers, had increased patrols. After Xu You personally killed a tendon-opening martial artist who was eyeing the shop, the Spirit Child Sect became more restrained.

But in other areas, the Spirit Child Sect remained highly active.

Feilei Outer City fell into a chorus of wailing during this half year, with many bereaved parents reporting to the government.

The government's constables organized patrols, but with little effect. The Spirit Child Sect's criminals seemed to always get wind of the patrols in advance.

Amidst this chaos, half a year passed, and the chaos not only didn't improve but worsened.

The cold wind blew, and early winter arrived quietly.

Half a year had passed again without notice.

Xixi, two years old.

In the outer city, Rain Listening Lane.

Inside the courtyard Li Che rented.

Li Che sat cross-legged, and as snowflakes fell from the sky, they were shattered into mist by the inner strength surging from his body, resembling a dragon.

He slowly opened his eyes, reining in his inner strength, which all returned to the Dao Fruit [Dragon-Elephant Vajra].

"Serpent Inner Strength… has reached the third level. This inner strength has reached its limit."

"To break through to the fourth level, I need a higher-level inner strength technique."

Li Che exhaled, and a powerful gust of air shot out of his mouth like a sharp arrow.

Suddenly, the Dao Fruits [Divine Artisan] and [Dragon-Elephant Vajra] in his chest pulsed slightly!

A familiar scene appeared before his eyes.

On a vast, desolate land, a towering treasure tree rose into the clouds. Countless leaves shimmered, and slowly, a seven-colored fruit began to form. The fruit glowed with a rainbow of colors, reflecting the many scenes of Xixi's growth over the past year.

With his black hair cascading over his shoulders, Li Che's eyes shone brightly.

Another year of anticipation, finally blooming at this moment.

Xixi, two years old, the third Dao Fruit…

Finally arrived!

...

[Your daughter is two years old, safe and sound, free from illness and disaster. You have obtained a Dao Fruit "Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit"]

(End of Chapter)