"Spirit Infant Statue?"
Li Che's eyes were icy cold, as expected...
Even after moving into Xu's Wood Carving Shop and receiving protection from Xu Ji, they still couldn't completely avoid the Spirit Infant Sect's covetousness towards Xi Xi!
Right after the completion of the first birthday celebration, the Spirit Infant Sect had made its move!
"Relentless..."
Li Che clenched his fist, his eyes brimming with a murderous intent.
However, recollecting the figure that had just vanished, his brow furrowed.
"Since our family moved into Xu's Courtyard, this Spirit Infant Statue has never shown itself, yet today it has appeared... The only contact with outsiders was when those helpers and cooks from the Spring Breeze Building were invited."
"But these helpers and cooks were already sent out of Xu's Courtyard by Steward Sun, not allowed to linger, so they can be ruled out. There are many old masters around, they are strong and have keen perception... yet someone managed to place the Spirit Infant Statue in front of my house without them noticing..."
Li Che took a deep breath, feeling the wind and snow in the world turn a few degrees colder.
A fierce look reflected in his deep, dark pupils.
"That means... this follower of the Spirit Infant Sect... is very likely someone familiar from within Xu's Wood Carving Shop!"
There was someone from the Spirit Infant Sect inside Xu's Wood Carving Shop!
The coldness seemed to drill into his body through his pores at that very moment.
"This possibility... is very high!"
"I seem to have taken it too lightly... How can any place be absolutely safe?"
Li Che shook his head, his gaze fixating on the glaring Spirit Infant Wood Carving on the ground, his face full of coldness, "Someone in the wood carving shop is from the Spirit Infant Sect... who could it be?"
The faces flashed through Li Che's mind, but in the end, he still couldn't be certain.
Shaking his head, Li Che grabbed the glaring wood carving from the ground, the blood and qi surged from beneath his skin, his five fingers suddenly emitted a golden light, and with a "snap," the wood carving was instantly crushed.
"I'll find you..."
"Never underestimate the resolve of a father protecting his child."
...
...
"A Spirit Infant Statue... appeared outside your courtyard?"
The next day, after a night of sound sleep, Chen Dabao's eyes suddenly narrowed when he heard Li Che's words.
"You suspect there might be followers of the Spirit Infant Sect inside the wood carving shop?"
Chen Dabao squinted his eyes and said in a deep voice.
Li Che nodded, but he couldn't guess who it was.
"Indeed, there's a great possibility. Being able to appear outside Xu's Courtyard, even in the Outer City, is no easy feat..."
"Followers of the Spirit Infant Sect have already spread throughout Fei Lei City. If someone in the shop has become a follower, it really can't be certain."
"No, it should be certain. If the Spirit Infant Sect wants to shake the rule of the great and powerful families of Fei Lei City, they must plant their people, and faith erosion is indeed the most effective method."
Old Chen said in a heavy tone, "Don't worry, I will look into it. It's actually not hard to find out... Becoming a follower of the Spirit Infant Sect isn't easy to hide. If they are discovered, I will tell you right away. You also keep an eye out and be cautious on a daily basis."
"Third Shopkeeper has been sent out of the city to exterminate evil beings from the Mysterious Temple, and during this time... there is actually no one in charge in the shop, which is the best time for the other party to make a move."
"But even if we really find out their identity, before they make a move against Little Stinky Xi, it isn't appropriate for me to act directly..."
Old Chen said with a furrowed brow.
Upon hearing this, Li Che showed understanding.
The Spirit Infant Sect had spread throughout Fei Lei City; becoming a follower of the Spirit Infant Sect might disgust various forces, but they wouldn't specifically go out of their way to eliminate them.
After all, before any trouble arises, it's just a matter of religious freedom.
"But at least knowing who it is will give me some peace of mind and I can be on guard."
Li Che said earnestly.
Old Chen, hearing this, also felt it made sense.
...
...
Old Chen's investigation took three days.
During these three days, Li Che spent more time training, as the feedback from the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit made his practice extremely vigorous.
Three days of hard training had increased the maturity of the Dragon Elephant Vajra to 5%. With full force channeling of the Dao Fruit's power, he was stronger than at Skin Refinement Completion, with a strength reaching a thousand jins.
Nonetheless, it was still just Skin Refinement Completion.
In the training field, Li Che was drenched with sweat, his skin glowing red, and the air was filled with hot waves and mist.
He put down the stone weights, his eyelids drooping.
"Now if I want to break through to Sinew Transforming, I need the practice method for Sinew Transforming... but I can't seek Xu Beihu, after all, the cultivation I have shown to Xu Beihu is only Great Success in Skin Refinement..."
Two days ago, Xu Beihu came to inspect the cultivation, and Li Che showed him his Great Success in Skin Refinement.
He had not fully exposed his Skin Refinement Completion strength.
Despite this, Xu Beihu was already amazed. In just one year... reaching Great Success in Skin Refinement, his talent had somewhat surprised Xu Beihu.
Unfortunately, Xu Beihu said that to cultivate the Internal Strength Method and open the meridians... one needed to achieve Perfection in Skin Refinement.
Li Che wasn't willing to reveal his own achievement of Perfection in Skin Refinement. Achieving Great Success in one year could be explained as exceptional talent, which was the level Xu Beihu had been at originally.
But achieving Perfection in one year would be too exaggerated...
"So, this Internal Strength Method and the technique for opening meridians... I'll have to find on my own," Li Che concluded.
Dressed in clean clothes, with a glint in his eye, Li Che pondered for a moment.
"I have quite a few savings now. I can go to the marketplace in the Outer City and look around. There might be cultivation methods for sale there, but I'll have to conceal my identity first," he thought.
After finishing his training, Li Che returned to his position in the wood carving workshop.
A few days ago, he had taken on a wood carving commission to carve an "Eight Treasures Maitreya Statue." The client asked for a carving full of meaning and offered the price of a Gold Leaf, equivalent to one hundred taels!
This was the highest-priced wood carving commission Li Che had ever received!
Grasping the carving knife, he gently entered the wood, tearing the material apart, the wood chips fluttering down like blossoms.
The Dao Fruit of the "Immortal Artisan" pulsated slightly, and Li Che's gaze was focused. Everything around him seemed to disappear at that moment, and in his mind, all the carving techniques for the Maitreya statue flooded in.
Old Chen, with a gourd of wine tied to his waist, knocked on the intricately carved wooden door of Li Che's workshop with a serious look on his face.
"Old Chen?"
Li Che, holding a file in his hand and carving on the wood, asked softly.
"I found out," Old Chen said as he found a chair to sit down on with a sigh, opened his gourd, took a drink of wine, and spoke in a somber voice.
"Who is it?" Li Che's eyes turned cold, and the motion of the file grinding against the wood stopped abruptly.
"At Xu's Wood Carving Shop in the Outer City, there are indeed quite a few wood carvers and their families who have taken to worshipping the Spirit Infant Sect this past year. I was indeed startled once I probed into it."
"But on the day of Little Stinky Xi's first birthday, the person who came to the banquet and secretly worshipped the Spirit Infant Sect... was only one person."
Old Chen shook his head, showing a hint of horror in his eyes.
The expansion of the Spirit Infant Sect was faster and more terrifying than he had imagined.
Li Che didn't care about these details. He was more concerned about who had set their sights on Xi Xi.
"Who is it?"
Li Che asked again.
With a sigh, Old Chen replied, "It's the second son of Steward Sun, Sun Changbiao; he's been married for four years and has been anxious for not having a son. His wife was enticed by the Spirit Infant Sect, which promised a son if they worshipped it. So, Sun Changbiao also joined the sect."
Sun Changbiao?
Li Che was startled, recalling the smiling Steward Sun who had shown them around the property back then.
Sun Changbiao was his second son and a Wood Carver at Xu Ji's Wood Carving Shop, a Three-Strike Wood Carver. Usually gentle and amiable, Li Che hadn't expected... he would join the Spirit Infant Sect.
And moreover, he had targeted Xi Xi.
Li Che took a deep breath.
"What's Sun Changbiao's strength?" Li Che asked expressionlessly.
Old Chen raised his eyebrows and replied, "Average talent, he took three years to achieve Skin Refinement, and just in the past two years, he's completed the Sinew Transforming and picked up an Internal Strength Method..."
"Thanks, Old Chen, I've got it," Li Che said, suddenly showing a smile, thanking Chen Dabao cheerfully.
"Don't be rash, you've just reached Major Accomplishment in Skin Refinement, you won't be able to beat Sun Changbiao... Besides, without evidence, taking action would only bring verbal disputes, and it wouldn't look good with regards to Old Sun..." Chen Dabao warned Li Che, then took another drink of wine. "Now that we know who it is... we just need to watch him and keep an eye on him," he advised.
"Xi Xi has me looking after her; that Sun Changbiao won't have a chance," Li Che nodded silently in agreement.
Chen Dabao didn't say much more, got up leisurely humming a tune, and didn't head to his own workshop to work. Familiar with the area, he casually made his way to Li Che's small courtyard to play with Xi Xi.
"Little Stinky Xi, your Grandpa Chen is here!"
Meanwhile,
Li Che methodically continued to carve the Eight Treasures Maitreya Statue.
After completing the day's work,
Li Che stood up, put on a broad-brimmed hat, took a black cloak, and looked at the snowflakes endlessly drifting down from the sky in the courtyard.
"I said... never underestimate a father's obsession with protecting his family."
"Having so many daughters, just for lacking a son, you plan on exchanging my daughter for your desired son?"
"It's truly... unreasonable."
He reached out his hand and caught a snowflake.
Li Che's expression gradually turned cold. Old Chen said... just watch and guard against him.
But to Li Che...
Watching, guarding, are all less effective than...
Killing.