Chapter 33: Spirit Infant Parade, Drinking to Righteousness
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The sobbing wind and snow carried a hint of desolation.
Li Che, dressed in black attire and wearing a hood, had an extremely solemn expression.
Beside him was Uncle's family.
They braved the increasingly violent wind and snow, too preoccupied with their escape to Xu's Wood Carving Shop to be frightened by the recent brawl in the courtyard.
Stepping on Blue Stone Street, the road was sparsely populated due to the weather, with most people hurrying along with their heads down.
The entire journey was silent, with no one speaking.
Suddenly.
Li Che halted, his foot pushing aside a small mound of snow.
Through the misty snow, a wisp of smoke could be seen.
Clanging sounds came from the other end of the street, accompanied by the sounds of drums, trumpets, and devout chanting, forming a bizarre symphony that made one's hair stand on end.
"The Holy Spirit teaches, cleansing the world, the无忧法 of reincarnation, achieved by the wise without instruction..."
The soft and sultry sounds came through the snow.
Bare-chested men wearing children's masks carried a shrine.
On the shrine was a three-headed, six-armed Spirit Infant statue, each head displaying anger, sorrow, or laughter... The eyes were lively, as if real eyeballs were embedded.
The procession was neatly arranged, with dozens of people, all members of the sect, parading the Spirit Infant through the streets!
Women wearing girls' masks, with graceful figures, held flower baskets, scattering petals to the music, competing with the snow.
Li Che frowned and instructed Uncle's family to keep their heads down and not to look.
However, this time, the Spirit Infant parade did not pass by Li Che as it had before, without incident.
In the falling snow, the Spirit Infants saw Uncle's family, and Li Chengzhou in Liu Chunming's arms, and seemed to become excited.
They danced in strange steps, wearing children's masks, tilting their heads and twisting their bodies, like demons from hell, approaching step by step.
A strong sense of oppression filled the air, enveloped by the wind and snow, rushing towards them!
Uncle Li Liang was drenched in sweat, trembling.
Cousin Li Zhengran's eyes were red, gripping the woodcutter's axe.
Uncle's mother and Cousin Liu Chunming were terrified, almost crying, tightly holding the frightened Li Chengzhou.
Li Che took a step forward, his blood surging, his skin turning red, displaying his perfected Skin Tempering cultivation.
"In broad daylight, what are you doing? Kidnapping children?!
"Do you still respect the law and the court?"
Li Che roared, his voice powerful enough to slightly intimidate the sect members.
However, the drums and trumpets sounded again, and the masked sect members surrounded them once more, drawing closer, their eyes gleaming with greed and evil.
Li Che clenched his fists.
He thought... they were wearing masks!
As they drew closer, a unique aura seemed to permeate the air, disrupting the mind and influencing emotions!
Li Che's heart raced... Divine aura?
Not strong, just a bit, but it was extremely deadly to ordinary people!
Suddenly.
The wind and snow exploded, and a figure darted from the distance, landing in front of Li Che and Uncle's family like a cannonball.
A powerful surge of qi and internal strength erupted, creating a strong wind, dispersing the approaching Spirit Infant parade.
"I am... the Third Manager of Xu's Wood Carving Shop, Xu You."
"Gentlemen, in broad daylight, such coercion is excessive. Feilei City... is not yet a place where the Spirit Child Sect can act as they please."
The figure, dressed in a fox cloak, with snow-white clothes and flying black hair, spoke coldly.
Li Che was stunned, not expecting the visitor to be the long-lost Third Manager Xu You, who had been missing since the city-hunting expedition. His appearance was unexpected in such a situation.
Xu You's qi was like fire, his internal strength surging, standing there, his presence was terrifying.
The Spirit Infant parade scattered, the divine aura dissipating with the wind and snow.
No words were exchanged.
The parade, carrying the shrine, dancing, scattering petals, and accompanied by drums and trumpets, gradually moved away, disappearing into the snow.
The evil seemed to fade away with them.
Uncle's family finally breathed a sigh of relief, Uncle's mother feeling as if she had survived a disaster, unable to hold back her sobs.
Li Che bowed, sincerely saying, "Thank you, Third Manager."
Xu You turned around, his face more weathered than before, with an additional scar on his refined and scholarly face.
He glanced at Li Che and smiled, "I just returned from dealing with a temple's evil entity outside the city and saw this situation..."
"Seeing you, I stepped in. Xu's Wood Carving Shop still has some influence with the Spirit Child Sect."
Li Che bowed again, explaining Uncle's family's situation. Xu You sighed, "The Spirit Child Sect... is becoming more and more lawless."
"However, those who are destined to perish will first go mad. Someone will eventually destroy it."
"In any case, you can move Uncle's family into Xu's courtyard, find a secluded courtyard, but... the rent will need to be paid separately."
Wood carvers living in the courtyard did not need to pay rent, and although Uncle's family had Li Che's background, they did not have the right to live in Xu's courtyard. However, Xu You relaxed the conditions, so the rent could not be waived.
"Don't worry, considering your talent as a wood carver, the rent will be cheaper."
Xu You smiled.
"I won't go back to the courtyard with you. I'll go to the murder scene you mentioned... a Bone Tempering Warrior was killed, wearing a Bull Demon mask... that Bull Demon, huh? Interesting."
Xu You said simply, then left, his figure disappearing in a step.
Li Che watched Xu You's retreating back, letting out a breath. Letting Uncle's family live in Xu's courtyard was likely Xu You's way of extending goodwill... after all, he had the potential to become a master wood carver.
Extending goodwill... was normal.
...
...
Peaceful Lane.
In the wind and snow.
Several figures approached, their powerful qi intertwining in the air.
Xu You, draped in a fox cloak, strolled in, finding more than one figure in the courtyard.
Zhao Chuanxiong, with a knife at his waist, looked grimly at the dead Bagua Staff Warrior, his hand gripping the hilt, veins bulging, his eyes filled with ferocity and... fear.
Besides Zhao Chuanxiong, there were three other figures, all with powerful qi, skilled martial artists.
Xu You recognized them as the managers of the inner city noble families' outer city estates.
Like Xu You, they were not favored in their families but held prestigious positions in the outer city.
The inner city noble families consisted of four major clans: the Yang, Xu, An, and Si families.
Besides Zhao Chuanxiong, the other three were from the Yang, An, and Si families.
"Killed by sheer force, the ten-thousand-pound strength of a perfected Bone Tempering, combined with martial techniques, shattered his chest bones and internal organs, completely overwhelming him, leaving no room for resistance..."
"From the method of death, it's impossible to determine the martial technique used by the murderer..."
"This household left survivors, we can ask them for the murderer's appearance."
"In the outer city, those who can kill a Bone Tempering are likely the wanted Bull Demon."
"This Bull Demon just committed a crime in the inner city, killing a Spirit Child Sect disciple favored by the Dharma Lord, and now, in the outer city, killed a Spirit Child Sect Bone Tempering Deputy Incense Master... truly audacious."
Si Family's manager, Si Liuxian, looked at Xu You and smiled, "Third Young Master Xu, are you interested in joining forces to capture this Bull Demon?"
"Si Liuxian... your Si Family is involved with the Spirit Child Sect, but my Xu Family is not. This Bull Demon... is clearly targeting the Spirit Child Sect. The people he killed are all evil men who harm innocent children. I see this as a righteous act."
"He did what we dare not do... I applaud him, wishing to drink with him and call him a great hero. Why would I want to capture him?"
Xu You glanced coldly at Si Liuxian, sneering.
Si Liuxian's face darkened.
Xu You, hands behind his back, scanned the Bagua Staff Warrior, whose body was covered in cracks, having been hammered to death. His eyes narrowed.
Seeming to recognize something, he showed a hint of surprise and then turned and left.
Zhao Chuanxiong, standing nearby, kept his head down, not daring to speak.
These noble family disciples, though not favored in the inner city and far from the center of power, were still from powerful families.
Zhao Chuanxiong had no right to be arrogant in front of them.
Of course, he was also extremely anxious...
Last time, he and the Bagua Staff Warrior had hunted the Bull Demon together...
And now, the Bagua Staff Warrior was dead, seemingly in retaliation.
Next...
Would it be him?
The Bull Demon... in just a month, had advanced from initial Bone Tempering to perfected Bone Tempering, capable of delivering a ten-thousand-pound force, killing the Bagua Staff Warrior.
Terrifying, too terrifying...
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.
Zhao Chuanxiong's forehead was drenched in sweat, feeling a cold sweat run down his back.
What should he do?
(End of Chapter)