Li Che returned to the wood carving shop, as the sky had already darkened gradually.
During heavy snow, the sky always grows dark a bit earlier.
Back at his own small courtyard, the lights were bright, and Xi Xi was playing with Old Chen in the yard.
Old Chen was certainly fond of Xi Xi. Whenever they played outside, he would use his Inner Strength to create a dry and warm area, dispelling the cold of the heavy snow, so the little girl could play joyfully without catching a cold.
"Back already? How was the scenery in the Inner City? Did it open your eyes?" Old Chen asked with a smile.
"The Inner City is indeed more prosperous than one can imagine, and is worlds apart from the Outer City, incomparable indeed," Li Che nodded, unable to deny the prosperity of the Inner City.
Old Chen snorted with laughter, "Those residing in the Inner City are the noble families and clans, and at the very least, smaller families. They're bound to have a better living environment arranged for them."
"As for the Outer City, with its mix of people including refugees from other places, disaster victims, or the locals, all mixed up together, those big shots from the Inner City, who cares about your life or death? They can't manage it either."
The topic turned heavier, and Li Che, knowing Old Chen had also fled to Fei Lei City in times of disaster, did not continue the conversation.
He handed over a jug of fine wine he had brought from the Inner City to Old Chen.
"This is the exquisite wine from the Golden Splendor Pavilion in the Inner City. I specially brought a jug for you, and it wasn't cheap—this jug alone cost Five Taels of silver!"
Old Chen's face opened up with a smile, "I knew you were a good lad, you have a conscience!"
Eagerly cracking open the wax seal on the jug, he took a big gulp as the strong aroma of wine filled the courtyard.
With a glug, Old Chen drank a big mouthful, his face flush with color.
"Ah, refreshing! The wine from the Golden Splendor Pavilion sure has a good taste!"
"Grandpa... Xi Xi wants to drink too," Just as Old Chen had finished his drink, he felt a tug at the hem of his clothes and saw little Xi Xi with her big, innocent eyes looking up at him.
Children have strong curiosities and want to taste everything.
Li Che laughed out loud, scooped up Xi Xi, and darted back into the house with her.
Night fell.
Zhang Ya reheated the delicacies Li Che had brought back from the restaurant, and then invited Old Chen to dine with them. The delicious food from the Inner City was indeed appetizing, enticing even Old Chen to eat two additional bowls of white rice.
"My dear, we earned five Gold Leafs from this trip. Here, take these four, and I'll keep one for miscellaneous expenses," Li Che said with a smile, taking out the day's earnings from selling the wood carvings and sharing them with his wife.
Zhang Ya pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on her husband under the light, her heart trembling slightly—it was full of contentment and happiness.
Life was finally getting better.
Earning five Gold Leafs in one go was something they'd only dared dream about before.
After dinner, they put Xi Xi to bed, the little girl having played all day.
At night, when it was quiet all around.
The overworked Zhang Ya fell into a deep sleep.
Li Che, draped in a thin garment, tucked his wife and daughter's blankets tightly and then slowly walked out of the room, heading to the study.
He didn't start studying or making the other mechanisms from "Tang's Mechanism Essentials."
Instead, he lifted his hand under the oil lamp, and his arm, which looked like jade, suddenly emitted a mist of jade color.
In the mist, it seemed as if tiny fire-red snakes were slithering.
Had it not been suppressed by the Thousand Analyzing Hands, this Divinity might have instantly penetrated his mind, eroding his consciousness, driving him into a crazed and angry state, losing all sense of self.
"Very domineering, very frightening... very peculiar," Li Che's expression became grave.
A weight settled on his heart, aware that this was just a wisp of the Divinity the Spirit Infant Master left in the wood carving. It gave him a glimpse of the whole picture, and it was impossible to imagine how powerful the Spirit Infant Master himself must be!
This was a terrifying blade hanging over his head, one even more daunting than Lei Chunlan!
Only by becoming stronger and continuously so... could he protect Xi Xi from the threat of the Spirit Infant Master.
"And the Si Family... Lei Chunlan appeared at the Si Family; does it suggest that the deaths of those mere one-year-olds are related to the Si Family?"
"Could it be for cultivating Divinity?"
Li Che furrowed his brows, his face extremely serious.
This world was much darker and filthier than he had imagined.
Taking a deep breath, Li Che calmed down and continued his research.
"This wrathful Divinity, now gathered in my arm—if I were to use the Martial Technique 'White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist', I might be able to harness the power of the Divinity for my own use!"
Li Che's eyes shone with brilliance, as he quickly deduced the uses of this Divinity extracted by the [Thousand Analyzing Hands].
Closing his eyes, he used his mind to feel the Divinity within the jade-like Thousand Analyzing Hands...
Suddenly, Li Che's eyes snapped open, feeling an intense throbbing within his chest from the Dao Fruit [Dragon Elephant Vajra]!
In his ears still echoed the chants of dragons and the hissing of elephants!
The Divinity siphoned by the Thousand Analyzing Hands, like a stream of heat, was entirely drawn out in the beat of the Dao Fruit!
Li Che was astounded.
Before his eyes, a prompt appeared.
[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv1, 60%)]
Li Che's breath caught, his eyes intense, twinkling with fierce excitement!
The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit could actually devour Divinity to hasten its ripening?!
Divinity...
Turns out to be such a great tonic!
...
...
The next day.
Li Che went to the Xu's Courtyard training ground early in the morning.
He was currently displaying a level of Cultivation that had officially entered the completion stage of Skin Refinement and was working hard towards Sinew Transforming.
The training ground was as bustling as ever.
After practicing for a while, Xu Beihu arrived, stepping through the snow and wind.
"Master Li, come with me."
Xu Beihu's gaze landed on Li Che, he said in a heavy tone, then entered the back room.
Li Che understood what Xu Beihu was there for, but his expression remained calm.
Inside the back room, a charcoal stove burned; boiling water whistled longingly, and tea leaves tumbled in the water.
Once the water was ready, the tea was rinsed three times, bringing out a strong fragrance.
Xu Beihu brought his two fingers together and pushed a tea cup in front of Li Che.
"Master Li... Lei Chunlan is dead."
Xu Beihu sipped his tea while saying this in a low voice.
Li Che had just taken a sip of tea when he suddenly looked as if he'd burnt his mouth, getting into a small flurry before his eyes showed a hint of elation, "What? Lei Chunlan... is dead?"
"She was still fine yesterday... How did she die?"
Xu Beihu kept an eye on Li Che and seeing his sincere reaction, furrowed his eyebrows.
The death of Sun Changbiao... was related to Li Che, and it was said that it was because of his targeting of Sun's daughter.
Lei Chunlan, in fact, died in a manner related to Li Che as well; however, the murderer who killed them both was the mountainous and fierce Bull Demon.
That Bull Demon could easily kill guards with Complete Meridian Opening, indicating strength at the Bone Tempering Level, clearly not the simple, steady, and honest Li Che in front of him.
Li Che lowered his voice, glanced around, and whispered, "Second Shopkeeper... Could it be Young Master Si who killed Lei Chunlan?"
"I heard Lei Chunlan committed many evil deeds, killing numerous children just over a year old... This Young Master Si Cultivates 'Angry Cry Divinity'…"
Xu Beihu: "..."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Don't ever talk about this outside, Si Mubai has no reason to kill Lei Chunlan."
Xu Beihu was truly at a loss for words. He had intended to probe Li Che, but he did not expect Li Che to directly guess that the Si Family was involved.
The Si Family definitely wouldn't do such things, but...
Xu Beihu fell silent, being diverted by this line of conversation, he felt a chill run down his spine. The Si Family wouldn't... The Xu Family wouldn't... But it couldn't be guaranteed that other Noble Families and Clans wouldn't take action.
Xu Beihu shook his head, his expression becoming more serious. This matter would have to be discussed with the Elders back in the Inner City.
The main reason Xu Beihu had come today was to pass on the Sinew Transforming Technique to Li Che, as his Cultivation had broken through to the completion of Skin Refinement.
"Thank you, Second Shopkeeper!" Li Che's face showed excitement as he accepted the Tendon Activation Technique and Internal Strength Technique from Xu Beihu.
Both were of Medium Grade Rank, not much different from what Li Che had purchased in the Marketplace; Old Chen had said that unless one was willing to join the Xu's in the Inner City, it would be difficult to obtain higher quality Martial Arts.
The unexpected joy came from the fact that, in addition to the Sinew Transforming Technique and Internal Strength Technique, Xu Beihu also passed on a Martial Technique.
"Xu Family's Eight Consecutive Bone-Shattering Spears!"
It was a spear technique that required the use of a weapon; of course, if the body was trained to be tough enough, it could also be used with the arms.
Li Che cherished it and read it over and over again.
Seeing Li Che's happy expression, Xu Beihu's face broke into a smile. He patted Li Che on the shoulder, encouraging him to work hard on improving his wood carving skills in preparation for becoming a Woodcarving Master.
After the Second Shopkeeper Xu Beihu left.
Li Che practiced the Xu Family's Eight Consecutive Bone-Shattering Spears at the training ground; owing to the advancement from 'Dragon Elephant Vajra,' his martial understanding had increased somewhat. With just a morning of hard practice, he managed to learn the basics of this Medium Grade spear technique.
Returning to his workshop, he first took on a wood carving job and then went to the yard to select the timber.
Li Che was accustomed to choosing himself the wood that was suitable for his carvings, leaving the actual carrying to the porters—it was how they earned their living, and there was no need for him to take that away from them.
The snow fell gently from the sky.
Fluttering down.
As Li Che directed the porters to carry the timber, preparing to return to the workshop,
He saw his uncle Li Liang, dressed in a scholar's robe with a padded jacket over it, hastily coming in under the guidance of a doorkeeper, bowing and scurrying along.
"Uncle?"
When Li Che saw who it was, he couldn't help but call out.
The Old Scholar looked up sharply, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes, looking as though he hovered on the brink of a breakdown.
The moment he saw Li Che, the old man's tears fell uncontrollably.
"A Che, help your uncle, please..."