Chapter 37: The Spirit Carving, the Spirit Child as Bait

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Li Che hummed a tune, his mood extremely pleasant. He specially went to the braised meat shop in the west of the city, cutting two pounds of pig's head meat to enjoy a good drink with Old Xu and Old Chen that evening.

Just obtaining the third Dao Fruit, he felt that his foundation in this world had become even more solid, naturally making him feel very happy.

Snowfall on the Long Street.

Because Xixi's birthday was in the cold winter, every time Xixi's birthday approached, heavy snow would accompany it.

The bone-chilling cold was piercing, but Li Che, having completed Bone Tempering and with strong blood and qi, was not afraid of the cold.

Suddenly, Li Che felt a slight tingling on his scalp, and the Dao Fruit [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit] he had just obtained throbbed in his chest.

Li Che stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing.

It was a feeling of being watched.

The face under the conical hat suddenly lifted, and he looked up to see an old man leading a child with two braids, staring at him in a daze.

Li Che felt a bit puzzled. The street was bustling with people; why was this old man staring at him? It couldn't be because of the pig's head meat in his hand, could it?

Li Che also looked back and saw the old man leading the child with two braids turn away.

Feeling something was off, Li Che immediately became wary.

However, Li Che only kept his guard up. As they passed each other, the old man took no action. Li Che relaxed, thinking he had been too cautious, almost adding the old man to his watch list.

...

...

"Master? What's wrong?" Lu Chi noticed something was off with his master and couldn't help but ask.

The old man closed his eyes, dispelling the [Divinity Insight Technique], shook his head, feeling very regretful and pained.

"What a pity... truly a pity..."

"Flawless, pure as water, like a blank sheet of paper..."

"There is such pure white newborn Divine Essence in this world..."

"Such Divine Essence has great malleability, but it's a pity... it's in a young man, and he's just a Muscle Opening martial artist. He's too old."

"A Spirit Child in his twenties? That's strange."

"Spirit Child and Spirit Infant cultivate Divine Essence differently from ordinary martial artists. They are born with Divine Essence, so they can start cultivating [Soul Nurturing] from the beginning, nurturing their Divine Essence. By the time they reach adulthood, they can generally reach the level of 'Soul Nurturing like a lamp,' and have a chance to build a Divine Foundation before the age of thirty, and hope to condense a Divine Form before the age of sixty..."

The old man shook his head. Using the [Divinity Insight Technique], he saw the pure white Divine Essence in Li Che, and he was truly... moved for a moment.

Unfortunately, the Divine Essence was not in a young child but in a rough man.

"He's a bit too old, and his martial arts cultivation is only at Muscle Opening, far from Blood Transformation. Before the age of thirty... it will be difficult to build a Divine Foundation."

"Such Divine Essence is wasted."

...

...

Back at Xu's Wood Carving Shop, Li Che was still thinking about the old man.

It was very strange, giving him a strong sense of danger, and the Dao Fruit's warning was certainly not without reason.

Fortunately... he, Li Che, had always been peaceful and had not encountered any trouble.

"Feilei City is becoming increasingly chaotic, with various forces and all kinds of powerful individuals... emerging one after another."

Li Che shook his head.

Back in the courtyard, Xixi was cultivating Divine Essence under Xu You's guidance.

"Xixi is a Spirit Child, with abundant Divine Essence. Learning to cultivate it early will lay a solid foundation, which is beneficial for her future. For Divine Essence cultivators, age milestones are crucial."

Xu You, dressed in white with a sword at his waist, smiled when he saw Li Che return.

"By the way, A Che, the shop has formed a guard squad, composed of woodcarving masters, and you need to participate in patrols. I've arranged shifts for each woodcarving master, separating your and Old Chen's shifts to ensure Xixi's safety."

If both Old Chen and Li Che were away at the same time, Xixi's safety would not be guaranteed. Xu You considered this when making the arrangements.

Night fell.

Xu You and Li Che walked side by side, patrolling the Xu family compound, ensuring the safety of the families of the woodcarving masters living there.

Li Che carried a long spear. The martial technique he openly cultivated was the "Xu Family Eight-Linked Bone Shattering Spear." With his Muscle Opening completion and proficient spear skills, he had earned the title of a "genius" in the Xu family.

Two years of martial arts practice, from skin scraping to Muscle Opening completion, was naturally extraordinary.

"A few days ago, the Yang Family compound in the outer city, set up by the inner city Yang Family, was attacked by Spirit Infant cultists..."

Xu You placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking at the dark sky, and said solemnly.

Li Che was startled; he didn't know about this news.

"Spirit Infant cultists... so rampant?" Li Che said solemnly.

"The Spirit Infant cult has many powerful individuals. After being expelled from the inner city, they settled in the outer city. Now they are targeting Spirit Children in the outer city... Several woodcarving masters in the Yang Family compound died, and a Spirit Child was taken away."

Xu You clenched his fingers, the veins on his hand standing out.

"Because... news came that Divine Sect cultivators are descending to Feilei City."

"The Spirit Infant cult must act before the Divine Sect cultivators reach Feilei City; otherwise, the truly promising talents will be taken away by the Divine Sect cultivators."

"So, in recent days, the Spirit Infant cult... has gone completely mad."

"Will the inner city Xu family not send powerful individuals to the outer city to take charge?" Li Che frowned, unable to resist asking.

Xu You fell silent upon hearing this.

"The inner city Xu family..."

"There's no problem; we can handle it ourselves..." Xu You managed a weak smile.

But Li Che saw a hint of sorrow and helplessness on his face.

...

...

In the inner city of Feilei, the Golden Splendor Pavilion.

A gentle breeze blew through the hall, causing the curtains to flutter.

A figure bowed and walked along the corridor, arriving at a suspended pavilion within the Golden Splendor Pavilion after a moment.

In the center of the pavilion, a hot stove was boiling water.

Si Mu Bai sat in a chair, with a beautiful woman by his side, elegantly brewing tea, showcasing her tea art.

"Young Master, Zhao Chuanxiong has arrived."

A low voice came from outside the door.

Then, Zhao Chuanxiong, dressed in casual clothes with a sword at his waist, stepped into the pavilion.

"Young Master Si, what can I do for you?" Zhao Chuanxiong's face was filled with a fawning smile, speaking in a somewhat humble tone.

Although he was an official, he was only the head of the outer city police, and thus had little authority when facing the young master of a powerful family.

"I heard... you fought the Bull Demon and survived?"

Si Mu Bai drank the tea brewed by the beautiful tea artist, not even glancing at Zhao Chuanxiong, and said calmly.

Zhao Chuanxiong was taken aback, not expecting Si Mu Bai to bring up this topic.

His expression quickly changed.

Because, at the time, he had sought out the Bull Demon as the deputy incense master of the Spirit Infant cult, and fought the Bull Demon alongside a Bagua Staff martial artist...

Si Mu Bai... knew his identity?

Zhao Chuanxiong was startled, his face twitching.

"Don't worry, your identity is no longer a secret. Not only you... I know the identities of many people in your Spirit Infant cult."

Si Mu Bai finished his tea, playing with the jade teacup, with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"I have a collaboration with your Dharma Lord. I've shown enough sincerity, and your Dharma Lord will naturally reciprocate. The Dharma Lord has promised to carve a second-stage [Soul Nurturing Carving], but it requires a Spirit Child as a catalyst..."

Zhao Chuanxiong's face showed difficulty: "Young Master Si, are you asking me to find another Spirit Child in the outer city and send them over?"

"But Young Master Si, in the outer city over the past two years... most of the Spirit Infants and Spirit Children are gone. The remaining children have poor Divine Essence, ordinary... and useless."

"A few days ago, even the Spirit Child in the Yang Family compound was taken away..."

"So, to find another Spirit Child will take some time, or we'll have to wait for a new batch of infants to be born."

Zhao Chuanxiong let out a sigh.

Si Mu Bai: "Isn't there still a high-quality Spirit Child in Xu's Wood Carving Shop?"

Zhao Chuanxiong immediately thought of Li Che, recalling how a cultist died in the woodcarving shop because of the high-quality Spirit Child that made the Dharma Lord descend a three-headed, six-armed fierce Spirit Infant statue.

"You mean... the daughter of the woodcarving master Li Che in Xu's Wood Carving Shop?"

Zhao Chuanxiong asked tentatively.

Si Mu Bai played with the teacup, his face cold and indifferent: "Are there any other high-quality Spirit Children?"

Zhao Chuanxiong's face twitched: "To be honest with Young Master Si... I suspect the Bull Demon has some connection with Xu's Wood Carving Shop."

"I..."

Si Mu Bai waved his hand: "No need to explain, I know what you fear..."

"You have been staying low and not traveling alone for the past year, all to avoid the Bull Demon, right?"

"You used the widow of Sun Changbiao as bait to lure the Bull Demon to kill him, and you fought the Bull Demon. Later, when Bagua Staff died, you were scared..."

Zhao Chuanxiong was not embarrassed. To survive, what was there to be embarrassed about?

And look at Bagua Staff. Was he still embarrassed now?

Without life, there was nothing left.

"Based on the Bull Demon's actions, he seems to have a grudge against the Spirit Infant cult and also has some connection with Xu's Wood Carving Shop."

"The Bull Demon is likely from Xu's Wood Carving Shop."

Si Mu Bai leaned back in the huangli wood armchair, his long fingers tapping the table lightly.

"I'm also very curious... who exactly is this Bull Demon in Xu's Wood Carving Shop?"

"Able to freely move between the inner and outer cities, with completed Bone Tempering cultivation... who could it be? It can't be Xu Helì, nor Xu Beihu, and certainly not the third son of the Xu family..."

"Whoever it is, besides him, it could be anyone."

Si Mu Bai's eyes seemed to be laughing and crying, looking at Zhao Chuanxiong.

"Do the job for me, and I'll get rid of the Bull Demon for you."

"Since the Bull Demon wants to kill you so much... let him come and kill you."

Zhao Chuanxiong's face darkened, but his heart... was quite tempted!

If he could really get rid of the Bull Demon, he could live without constant fear.

The Bull Demon must die, or he would truly be unable to sleep or eat, haunted by the vivid memory of Bagua Staff's death, like a nightmare!

Zhao Chuanxiong's eyes flickered...

But he was still hesitant...

After all, Si Mu Bai's so-called getting rid of the Bull Demon...

Was using him as bait!

No, it was more like using him as bait to catch a bull!

He had been hiding for so long, and he was afraid...

That the bull wouldn't be caught, and he, the bait, would be eaten first!

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(End of Chapter)