Chapter 4: A Sculptor’s Rising Craft

The wood was nothing more than scraps he had brought back from Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop—a tiny piece nobody paid any mind to.

The carving knife was specially crafted by a smith from the West City’s iron shop when he first decided to master wood carving. Crafted as a set, it wasn’t cheap. Now, at last, it had come in handy.

The Dao Fruit [Xiangong] pulsed as if alive, filling him with a sensation of divine aid.

Since it was just a trial run, Li Che chose not to sketch outlines with ink. Instead, he went straight to carving. With the Dao Fruit’s support, the form of the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva’ was etched into his mind.

It was just like Master Chen—after hundreds or even thousands of carvings of the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva,’ mastery simply followed practice.

Every cut, every shave from the outer wood to the inner core, required delicate control of space and force.

Naturally, his hand was a bit unrefined at first. But as his carving progressed and his skills deepened, that initial clumsiness gradually faded away.

His technique began to acquire an elegant flow, even developing a unique charm—a clear sign of a craftsman coming into his own.

Mastery of such carving techniques demands a constant accumulation of experience.

Yet it seemed Li Che was drawing in years of Master Chen’s expertise through the Dao Fruit’s touch on the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva,’ like absorbing knowledge with a sponge.

The soft, rustling sound of the sharp carving knife against the wood filled the silence.

The oil lamp flickered wildly as debris fell, and in Li Che’s cupped hands, a miniature, sharply contoured ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva’ gradually took shape.

Though still unpolished with rough edges, the statue burst forth with a miraculous, almost divine precision!

After lulling XiXi to sleep, Zhang Ya watched in astonishment as Li Che swiftly produced the rough form of the statue.

So engrossed in his work, Li Che left Zhang Ya too curious to interrupt him.

She gave up on sleep, sitting by the bedside and silently watching Li Che, meticulously carving under the lamp’s warm glow.

Her eyes grew dreamy, and a tender smile blossomed on her lips.

She had presumed her husband might have given up on wood carving, yet…

He had never quit; he kept learning, and now he was secretly preparing a surprise for her!

“I just wonder if you’ll ever become a master carver at the shop—even as an apprentice would do. That way, you won’t have to laboriously haul heavy wood every day,” he mused.

Zhang Ya’s wish was plain and simple: she only wanted her husband to earn a steady, easy living.

Deep in his craft, Li Che soon snapped back as the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva’ was complete. No further carving was necessary, even if it remained rough around the edges.

Yet his heart swelled with joy.

Suddenly, it was as if he sensed something—a stirring within his soul.

【Xiangong Dao Fruit: Lv1 10%】

Huh?!

Li Che’s eyes lit up as he noticed that the experience indicator on the Dao Fruit [Xiangong] had inched upward.

“Does carving one piece boost my experience? Is it like a measure of proficiency?”

“Or is it that I’ve absorbed the technique of the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva’ by successfully carving it, earning a 10% bonus?”

By that reasoning, the Dao Fruit was like an unripe fruit waiting to mature.

Only through careful nurturing could its true power be unlocked.

Li Che couldn’t help but ponder.

Alas, he hadn’t brought any wood back to test it immediately.

Suppressing his curiosity, he stretched and then noticed his wife, Zhang Ya, leaning against the bedside in a light doze.

Knowing she was waiting for him to join her, his heart warmed.

In the biting cold, he quickly lit the oil lamp, pulled the drowsy Zhang Ya under the covers, and nestled her close.

Outside, heavy snowflakes danced through the air.

They softly landed on the thick layer accumulating on the roof.

Lulled by the serene sounds, they drifted off to sleep.

……

……

The next day, Li Che set off as usual for work at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop.

“Master Chen, may I take that scrap wood home to practice with?”

During a break, Li Che sidled up to Master Chen, eyeing the discarded remnants of ‘Hua Qu Yang’ and couldn’t help but ask.

Wood chips dusted Master Chen’s beard as he glanced at Li Che. “Thinking of learning wood carving? You do have a keen eye. This piece is good—even if it’s a bit old. I appreciate your eagerness, so take any scraps I carve off.”

Having assisted Master Chen for years, Li Che benefited from his lenient attitude.

Elated, Li Che quickly thanked him and began selecting the pieces he could use for practice.

Master Chen gave a wry smile, shook his head, and returned to carving the ‘Nine Sons Embracing Lotus’ with focused determination.

Li Che carefully bundled the chosen scraps, wrapped them in cloth, and set them at his workstation before hurrying into the yard to adjust the freshly moved wood pieces.

【Xiangong Dao Fruit】 trembled slightly as he touched a carving named ‘Spring Fills the Universe’—a piece demanding exquisite detail and patience to render lifelike leaves and capture the very essence of spring.

The familiar sensation surged through him the moment he touched it.

It was as if he saw a female sculptor, blade in hand, imprinting the vast world upon the wood, summoning spring with every stroke.

A flood of insights regarding the techniques behind ‘Spring Fills the Universe’ rushed into his mind.

Joy filled Li Che as, much like with the ‘Six-Eyed Bodhisattva,’ he learned yet another wood carving method.

However, when he touched other carvings, the Dao Fruit remained inert—its learning count clearly limited to once per day.

For the next few days, Li Che dedicated himself to studying the Xiangong Dao Fruit.

All-Encompassing Celestial Art, A Divine Touch, Peerless Craftsmanship!

Each sculpture he touched taught him a new technique, and every work boosted his experience by 10%—though only once per piece. In effect, mastering ten types of woodwork would elevate the Dao Fruit to Lv2.

Realizing the Dao Fruit’s potential, Li Che felt a surge of hope for the future!

……

……

Day by day, time passed.

Before long, a month had gone by.

XiXi had reached one month old, her bright eyes blinking as she curiously waved her chubby little hands from her swaddling cloth.

Holding a homemade rattle, Li Che playfully teased XiXi, drawing peals of giggles from the little girl.

XiXi’s infectious laughter, complete with charming dimples, was just like her mother’s.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ya sat mending old clothes, her eyes gleaming with warmth and satisfaction as she enjoyed the father-daughter moment.

“Husband, how did it go with the shop owner about becoming a master carver?”

Zhang Ya asked inquisitively.

For the past month, Li Che had been carving all kinds of wood sculptures each night, his work so mesmerizing that Zhang Ya marveled at his extraordinary craft.

In her unwavering admiration, she believed her husband was far superior to the apprentices—even rivaling the masters at the shop.

“The shop owner said… that I must follow the rules. I have to undergo a carving skills test with those paying students, and only if I pass can I join the shop as a master carver.”

While teasing XiXi—encouraging the little girl to grab the rattle—Li Che answered Zhang Ya’s question.

Zhang Ya nodded firmly and declared, “I know you can do it, my love!”

Li Che smiled confidently, his eyes sparkling with determination.

A fresh surge of inspiration coursed through him.

【Xiangong Dao Fruit: Lv2 8%】

After a month of relentless practice and burning the midnight oil, the Dao Fruit had finally advanced to Lv2.

At Lv2, the Xiangong Dao Fruit enhanced his ability to infuse his sculptures with deep inner meaning. His work now radiated powerful intent.

Moreover, his craftsmanship had reached new heights. His nimble fingers could handle not only wood but also intricate mechanisms with ease.

After playing with XiXi for a while, Li Che set off for work.

The wind and snow had calmed, and the cold winter was drawing to a close.

Yet the air still bit with a frigid chill.

Just outside the Earthen House, he spotted a familiar figure—clutching a smoking pipe, frowning, and dressed in a worn scholar’s robe with a tattered overcoat—hurrying toward him.

“Uncle.”

Li Che called out.

Due to his traditional bias toward sons, his uncle hadn’t visited XiXi at all during the month—even though his aunt had stopped by once, delivering some eggs for Zhang Ya to regain her strength.

“Che’er, off to work? Perfect timing,” the old scholar remarked, his brows still furrowed.

Li Che nodded as the old scholar, puffing on his dry pipe, hesitated a moment before saying, “Che’er, have you heard?”

“That old Lei A-Po, the one who helped deliver Xiao Ya’s baby…”

“They say she’s responsible for the death of several infants…”

“And rumor has it… every baby she delivered ended up dying!”