Chapter 107: Fate’s Gambit

The murky night unfurled as the moon hung high, casting its pale light across the sky.

Within the courtyard.

Li Che frowned and set down his wine cup.

His wife, Liu Chunming, wore a sombre expression.

“Li Zhengran hasn’t returned home for two days. This has never happened before… I’m worried something’s amiss,” she lamented.

Zhang Ya hurried over, seating Liu Chunming while soothing her and pouring tea.

Upon seeing everyone, Liu Chunming’s pent-up distress overflowed as she wiped away tears.

“Don’t worry too much, my dear. Perhaps our cousin got delayed? Tell me, what was he up to before he failed to return?” Li Che asked.

“He said he was heading to the market district to look for work. All the silver from Feilei City has been nearly spent, so he had to earn his keep. He can’t always rely on your support, Li Che.”

Perhaps now that Li Che’s status had changed, Liu Chunming felt a measure of relief.

“To look for work in the market district?”

Li Che nodded.

“Don’t worry, dear. Finding work there isn’t easy. Maybe he actually found a job but didn’t have time to inform you. You should go back and take care of the boat—I’ll go find him and see what’s holding him up,” he said.

His tone was gentle.

Liu Chunming smiled weakly in response.

“Perhaps you should eat before heading back?” Zhang Ya suggested hurriedly.

Liu Chunming waved it off; she had lost her appetite.

After Liu Chunming left, Zhang Ya turned to Li Che.

“Husband, you don’t think something’s really wrong with him, do you?”

Their eldest, the uncle’s son, had been a great help, and Zhang Ya hoped nothing happened to him so everyone could remain safe.

“Nothing major, I’m sure. Besides… both Liu Chunming and the Uncle must have their suspicions already,” Li Che murmured.

He added quietly, “If our cousin were truly in danger, the Uncle would have shown up by now.”

“Now that Liu Chunming is the one coming… it seems the Uncle might be reluctant to be seen or perhaps worried about losing face.”

Li Che understood the Uncle well—Old Scholar Li Liang was all about his pride.

Cousin Li Zhengran hadn’t returned for two days; perhaps he’d done something dishonorable, and instead of seeking Li Che’s help, it was Liu Chunming who couldn’t sit still any longer and came to him for a solution.

“Ah?” Zhang Ya was taken aback, not expecting so many hidden layers.

Li Che glanced lovingly at his wife and couldn’t help but gently pinch her cheek.

Nearby, Old Chen, XiXi, and Lu Da Tou were long accustomed to Li Che and Zhang Ya’s occasional displays of affection.

After dinner, Li Che returned to his study.

Seated in his chair, his expression remained inscrutable.

Suddenly, the Chess Sage Dao Fruit began to pulsate; in the next moment, a small Cosmic Chessboard hovered before him.

He raised his hand and, with a mere flick of his finger, a chess piece trembled into life.

It was the Divine Chess Piece he had left upon his cousin Li Zhengran.

With a sweep of his fingers, the view zoomed out as the full map provided by the Gaode Chess Sage locked onto the divine chess piece on his cousin.

“The gambling den?”

Li Che opened his eyes wider, his eyebrows drawing tighter.

He knew Li Zhengran’s temperament well; why would he venture into a place like a gambling den? That was a den of ruin!

Another sweep of his fingers expanded the view further, revealing Li Zhengran, reddened in the gambling den, huddled with a group of gamblers at a table—his eyes bloodshot as he bellowed, “Big! Big! Big!”

Li Che was stunned.

Seeing it with his own eyes left no room for doubt.

“Someone is deliberately leading our cousin astray…”

In an instant, the thought flashed through Li Che’s mind.

After all, the strict home-life of Uncle Li Liang had always forbade gambling, and Li Zhengran had been raised with such integrity. Though he might not have achieved great things, he had never strayed.

Yet barely half a month in Jingguang City and Li Zhengran was already entangled in gambling.

By all rights, if he were truly predisposed to gambling, he would have frequented gambling dens back in Feilei City.

Li Che exhaled sharply—no wonder the Uncle hadn’t come himself. Perhaps he had known about this all along.

He had simply kept it hidden from Liu Chunming.

“The environment can change a person, but not so drastically overnight… Could it be that someone is deliberately guiding him?”

Li Che narrowed his eyes, a hint of cold resolve flickering within.

Although Li Che valued his wife and daughter most, he also held his Uncle and cousin in high esteem for the care they had shown him.

Anyone daring enough to manipulate those close to him through underhanded means had certainly crossed the line.

“Since I became a Third-Rank Retainer of the Imperial Watch, both the Qin Family and the Temple Guardian Division have shown great caution towards me. And as Lu Chi mentioned, Jin Lie Men has no intention of targeting me…”

“In truth, their suspicions about my identity remain just that—speculation. With my status as a Third-Rank Retainer of the Imperial Watch, plus XiXi’s nomination as the Prodigy of the Divine Sect Branch, no one dares act rashly.”

Li Che pondered, slowly piecing together the current situation.

Zhang Xiangyang had indeed provided some influential intelligence to the Temple Guardians, but its impact was minimal.

Even Chief Messenger Zhang Lianhao of the Temple Guardian Division couldn’t definitively determine whether Li Che was truly the Ogre or the mysterious cultivator behind Qin Yuqing’s assassination.

Though doubts lingered, certainty was elusive.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dispatched two divine messengers to tail him secretly.

“In fact, they don’t really care who the Ogre is… What they’re concerned about is that assassin known as Ma Mian who killed Qin Yuqing.”

Li Che’s eyes flashed as he considered not only Qin Haonan, the Temple Guardians, or Jin Lie Men.

Their focus wasn’t merely on avenging Qin Yuqing’s death.

It was more about the fear of that mysterious cultivator capable of striking a powerful enemy from miles away.

As long as Ma Mian remained hidden, many would lie awake at night, fearing they might someday become his next target.

Who could endure that constant anxiety?

“So they plan to act against those around me? Force my hand and then pin my identity on me?”

“For now, they restrain themselves because of my status as an Imperial Watch Retainer. But if it’s revealed that I’m the Ogre—or worse, if my connection to Ma Mian becomes known—I’ll be struck down by a storm of retribution.”

Li Che narrowed his eyes.

Flickering candlelight danced across his face as a sudden, eerie smile appeared.

“If they dare target cousin Li Zhengran today, will they next aim at my Uncle, my wife, or even my daughter?”

“Step by step, pushing boundaries further…”

Li Che closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, they were void of all color.

“Do you all really yearn to see the Ogre?”

“If the Ogre doesn’t show up… are you not satisfied?”

“If that’s the case…”

“Then as you wish.”

Li Che was a modest man who only sought a peaceful life.

But the Ogre was anything but.

…

…

Along a ten-mile stretch of Long Street in Liu Xiang Pavilion.

In a private room, Qin Haonan sat quietly, savoring the finest wine Liu Xiang Pavilion had to offer as glass after glass went down.

In the room across from him sat two divine messengers dressed in the red-cloud patterned robes of the Temple Guardian Division.

These were the very same messengers, Hong Yong and Shi Lei, who had once escorted Li Che to the Temple Guardians.

The two parties, working in silent coordination, had never exchanged a word despite sharing the task of monitoring Li Che.

Not a single word was spoken between them.

Qin Haonan’s eyes sparkled; he had been tailing Li Che for half a month without finding the slightest fault.

“How meticulous… his life is so regimented. By day he serves at the Imperial Watch, and after work, he retreats to his workshop to carve wood…”

“For the past two weeks, his routine has been monotonously identical—utterly dull!”

“He never goes to Yunfang Fang, just home to his wife and kids every day…”

“Could such a man really be the ruthless, cold-blooded Ogre depicted in the intel?”

Qin Haonan clutched his wine cup, looking dazed.

It was the first time he had seen a cultivator so pristine and disciplined, someone who never stirred trouble—living a fixed, unchanging life.

“That old scoundrel from Jin Lie Men… took so much advantage of Qin Yuqing, and now that Yuqing is dead, he hasn’t even thought of taking revenge!”

“Yu Qing always had terrible taste in men.”

Shaking his head, Qin Haonan downed his wine and exhaled slowly.

“As for Li Che… it appears there’s an eighty percent chance he’s not the Ogre after all.”

“The Ogre is probably Li Nuǎnxi’s master, which is why he’s so close to Li Che’s family.”

“But Li Nuǎnxi is untouchable… the Divine Sect’s chosen prodigy is beyond reproach.”

Qin Haonan shook his head again.

“A cultivator with an exquisite appearance, yet his spirit was shattered by Li Qingshan’s Goat-Horn Hammer—what a waste.”

“Then there’s the Black Snake Gang… it seems they intend to target Li Che’s family too.”

Qin Haonan squinted as he considered the subtle shifts among the merchants and customers in Tinghua Alley over the past fortnight.

Besides the Qin Family and Jin Lie Men, could there be other forces planning something?

“The Black Snake Gang isn’t under one of the five great families’ control—it hails from the Fisher Gang…”

Qin Haonan mused while pouring more wine.

“The Fisher Gang, the Black Jiao Gang, and the Beggars’ Gang are the three major gangs in Jingguang City—but they’re no match for the five great families and five major sects. They belong to the third tier of power.”

“Yet we have no control over their internal affairs… Why would the Fisher Gang set up a regional branch to watch Li Che’s family?”

“What could be their reason?”

As a strong contender for the next head of the Qin Family, Qin Haonan was well acquainted with the various factions.

He had long ago had the inner workings of the Black Snake Gang investigated—it wasn’t the similarly named Black Jiao Gang, but the Fisher Gang behind it.

The Fisher Gang bordered the Jiulong River; its control over aquatic resources made it the foremost among the three major gangs.

However, he couldn’t discern the specific reason why the Black Snake Gang was targeting Li Che’s family.

Suddenly.

A glimmer of insight flashed in Qin Haonan’s eyes.

It was as if he’d just figured something out…

His wine cup wavered, spilling a few drops.

…

…

The night grew deep and the moon soared high.

A gentle spring breeze swayed the willows along the riverside.

Inside the tea room of the Temple Guardian Division,

Shi Lei was reporting the situation to Chief Messenger Zhang Lianhao amidst a fragrant haze of tea.

“Today, Li Che’s routine is as usual—serving at the Imperial Watch by day, carving wood in the workshop after work, and returning home by evening… nothing out of the ordinary.”

Shi Lei stated solemnly.

They said the retainers of the Imperial Watch loved to frequent performance halls, but Li Che was clearly different—untarnished, his eyes held only thoughts of his wife and daughter.

Zhang Lianhao raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Oh? For the past half month, he’s been so disciplined. If he weren’t an honest fellow, he’d be a force to be reckoned with.”

“Sir, should we continue the surveillance?”

Shi Lei asked.

After half a month of repetitive days, Li Che’s routine had become almost hypnotic.

“Let’s keep watching for another fortnight. Although Zhang Xiangyang’s words shouldn’t be taken entirely at face value, the reports from our agents in Feilei City mostly match his account…”

“In time, we’ll have our answers.”

“Also, why is that gang—the Black Snake Gang, which is part of the Fisher Gang—suddenly targeting Li Che’s family?”

Zhang Lianhao sipped his tea, eyes squinting as he contemplated.

The Fisher Gang and Li Che’s family…

It seemed utterly incongruous.

The Fisher Gang wasn’t part of the Qin Family nor under Jin Lie Men’s control. They had no reason to intervene unless another force was at play.

Shi Lei, equally perplexed, thought that over the past two weeks Li Che had embodied the ideal man—hardworking, family-oriented—making those who frequented performance halls feel inferior.

Working diligently, loving one’s family, and shunning vices!

Wasn’t that the very image Shi Lei dreamed of?

Alas… society had tainted his purity.

“Alright, you may step back now. Keep watching and report any anomalies,” Zhang Lianhao said flatly.

Shi Lei immediately clasped his fists and retreated.

Zhang Lianhao narrowed his eyes, lifting his hand to reveal two strands of bloodstained Bodhi Wood String in his grasp.

“One strand appeared in Feilei City—the one linked to Cao Qingyuan’s second uncle, Cao He. The other… is the method used to kill Qin Yuqing.”

“Is the Ogre the one who killed Qin Yuqing?”

“If not—if it took two people, then could it be… the work of some unknown faction?”

“Machinery techniques… could it be that the remnants of the Tang Clan still intend to rise from the ashes?”

Zhang Lianhao laughed suddenly.

“Regardless, the Ogre and the one who killed Qin Yuqing are surely connected.”

“Find the Ogre, and we find the murderer of Qin Yuqing.”

“That fearsome mechanism that can bind life from miles away—if only the Temple Guardian Division could harness it…”

…

…

The next day, under a drizzling, misty spring sky,

Clouds, like sponges saturated with water, released droplets as if squeezed by the heavens.

After breakfast and ensuring XiXi and Zhang Ya’s daughter practiced martial arts, Li Che set out with an umbrella.

The moment he stepped outside, the many forces secretly tailing him suddenly perked up.

Qin Haonan, Hong Yong, Shi Lei, and members of the Black Snake Gang finally got excited—today, Li Che seemed to be making a move.

Following Li Che, they soon saw him in a black outfit with an umbrella. After some inquiries, he strode through the spring rain to arrive at the “Million Gambling House.”

Shortly after the news spread, cousin Li Zhengran, looking dejected, was escorted out of the gambling den by a group of burly men.

“Ah Che…” Li Zhengran, upon seeing Li Che, blushed with shame. His unkempt beard and disheveled look betrayed his lost spirit.

Li Che regarded his cousin with a hint of emotion, then sighed softly.

“Cousin, come on…”

“Let’s go home with me.”

Li Zhengran nodded blankly, too ashamed to meet Li Che’s eyes.

Fists clenched, he felt a tumult of emotions toward Li Che—never did he imagine that the once simple wood-carving laborer would grow to such heights.

At home, whether it was his father Li Liang or his wife Liu Chunming, nearly every other sentence was filled with praise for Li Che—how outstanding he was as an Imperial Watch Retainer, bringing honor to the family.

Meanwhile, Li Zhengran, who had been in the Capital for a long time, hadn’t even managed to find work.

Listening to these words, his heart ached.

He longed for wealth and glory so his family would finally look at him with respect.

In search of work, he met a fellow native from Feilei City who led him to the “Million Gambling House.”

Though Li Zhengran initially refused—remembering his father Li Liang’s teachings—the local insisted that great fortunes were won by taking risks, for ordinary work would never make one rich.

So Li Zhengran stepped into the gambling den, intending only to try his luck and then leave.

But once he began, he couldn’t break free.

“Leaving now? This kid owes our gambling house 500 taels—it’s not as simple as just walking away!”

A burly man, skilled in Blood Exchange cultivation, sneered coldly at Li Che.

Li Zhengran shrank back, his anger mixed with despair, “I only borrowed 50 taels!”

“In just two days it’s ballooned to 500 taels… it’s outrageous!”

“The debt contract clearly spelled it out—did we force you to stamp your seal?”

The burly man’s face, red with anger, trembled.

Li Zhengran was rendered speechless, his eyes burning with further despair.

Li Che sighed, “I’ll pay it. The debt is on me.”

He then produced five one-hundred-tael silver notes and handed them to the gambling thugs.

Paying money for one’s freedom—it was that simple.

There were no further complications; everything appeared as if Li Zhengran had willingly fallen into the trap and lost money.

But in Li Che’s chest, the Chess Sage Dao Fruit trembled, and the seal of the corpse curse he had suppressed on the Cosmic Chessboard pulsed violently, as if stirred with excitement.

Likewise, he sensed that curse mark emanating from Li Zhengran.

Thus, Li Che understood that his cousin had indeed been caught in the crossfire.

The enemy… was coming for him!

“Cousin, it’s alright—let’s go home. Your wife and the Uncle are waiting,” Li Che reassured him.

Li Zhengran bowed his head in dejection.

“These past few days…I’ve lost 170 taels. That’s nearly all of our family’s savings.”

Gripping his head, bloodshot eyes betrayed his growing agitation.

“I just need to win a couple more rounds—no, even one win would let me break even, recover our savings!”

“Cousin, gambling ruins lives. You mustn’t do it again,” Li Che patted his shoulder as divine energy surged, calming him.

“In a few days, I’ll take you to the Imperial Watch—maybe I can find you a proper job,” Li Che said warmly.

Hearing this, Li Zhengran’s agitation gradually subsided.

Under a misty spring rain, Li Che escorted his cousin toward the Uncle’s home.

In a secluded corner,

divine messengers Hong Yong and Shi Lei appeared. They had clearly overheard Li Che’s comforting words.

“Master Li… you truly are a kind soul. A gentle temper is rare—gamblers, who squander their fortunes, are as loathsome as maggots,”

someone remarked.

“It’s only because Master Li is so temperate…”

Shi Lei shook his head.

How could such a kind, gentle man be the ruthless Ogre who, as the intel claimed, killed without a blink and dismembered his foes?

Shi Lei felt that any suspicion cast on Li Che would be an insult to his noble character!

“Let’s move—stay close,” Hong Yong muttered.

…

…

Li Che saw that his cousin had been dropped off at home.

Upon hearing that Li Zhengran owed 500 taels at the gambling den, the Uncle seized a tobacco rod and began lashing him. Li Zhengran dared not dodge.

Liu Chunming wept quietly by the side, at a loss for words, disappointed in her husband.

Li Che offered a few comforting words and promised that after taking Li Zhengran to the Imperial Watch to look for suitable work, things would calm down.

“Ah Che, we’re so indebted to you…” Uncle Li Liang grasped Li Che’s hand and sighed deeply.

He blamed himself for his poor guidance.

Declining the invitation to stay for dinner, Li Che excused himself by saying he had to resume work at the Imperial Watch.

Leaving the Uncle’s home, Li Che’s expression turned cold and grim.

“Corpse God Sect…”

Li Che relaxed his frown. He felt the oppressive corpse curse seal on the Cosmic Chessboard and within Li Zhengran—his eyes brimmed with murderous intent.

That very statue, “Desire Beyond Corpse Guan Yin,” which Cao He once wielded against his daughter, had contained the corpse curse seal before Li Che intercepted it.

And now… it was back.

Li Che even sensed that the target of the Corpse God Sect might be his daughter.

In Jingguang City, the major families and sects might fear the Divine Sect and refrain from acting against XiXi.

But the Corpse God Sect would not…

For the Corpse God Sect was a behemoth in its own right.

Rumor had it that in the remote regions of the Dajing Dynasty, the Corpse God Sect nearly swept an entire province!

Li Che exhaled slowly and headed toward the Imperial Watch.

All around, members of the Qin Family—Qin Haonan, divine messengers Hong Yong and Shi Lei, and even scouts from the Million Gambling House—quietly followed, tracing his steps.

Li Che bypassed every other location and headed straight for the Imperial Watch Tower.

By the riverside, the delicate rain tapped on the calm water, ripples spreading with each drop.

The misty rain cloaked the ornately decorated, multi-arched Imperial Watch Tower standing atop a riverside cliff.

Amid this poetic scene, Li Che, clad in black, stepped into the tower under the weary gazes of Qin Haonan, Hong Yong, and Shi Lei.

Qin Haonan murmured, “…”

Divine messenger Hong Yong scoffed, “How dull.”

Shi Lei admired, “Master Li… right on time for work again. His discipline is remarkable.”

…

…

The moment Li Che stepped into the Imperial Watch, he activated the Breath Convergence of Dragon Elephant Vajra. With no one noticing, he clutched the Divine Chess Piece.

Feilei Chess Sage.

Shift Form!

In a narrow alley outside the Million Gambling House, the gentle patter of spring rain echoed.

The chess piece Li Che had previously conjured transformed into his very silhouette.

With two fingers brought together, he tore through the air.

Wearing a conical hat and dressed in black.

A muffled thud resounded.

His flesh swelled and expanded in rippling circles; muscles bulged like forged steel, tendons quivering like thunder.

“Since you all wish to see me…”

“Then your Ogre grandpa…”

“Here I come!”

Like a fan of outstretched fingers, his hand slid down slowly until his cheeks were covered by the long-forgotten, irresistibly cute Cute Cow Mask.

In the next moment, a wild, unbridled, domineering energy burst from his body.

Donning the mask, Li Che seemed to… finally free himself!

Like a beast unleashed from its cage!

Bad news: the new book period has been abruptly over. The naked sprint begins—no idea when recommendations will come. Everyone, keep reading! Your continued support is crucial for recommendations. Old Li appreciates your votes and follows!