Chapter 40: The Weight of Destiny

The clanging of weapons echoed relentlessly!

It was like the overwhelming shock that Zhao Chuanxiong felt deep in his heart!

All because of the spirit child, Zhao Chuanxiong had meticulously examined Li Che’s records—a childhood orphan who lost his parents early and was raised by his Uncle.

Before his daughter Li Nuǎnxi was born, he was nothing more than a laborer at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop—a brute with some strength, lacking any martial talent and unaware of even basic farming techniques.

Yet in just over two years, that laborer had actually mastered Bone Tempering!

After merely two years of martial training… he has already delved into Bone Tempering!

What sort of martial aptitude is this?!

Remember, Skin Polishing and Tendon Burst are painstakingly time-consuming. It took Zhao Chuanxiong a full eight years to progress from Skin Polishing to Bone Tempering…

I never expected this… mastering the basics of Bone Tempering in just two years has really turned you from a mere laborer into someone to reckon with!

Zhao Chuanxiong narrowed his eyes, gripping his long blade tightly, his intent laced with lethal menace.

After all, his target was Li Che’s daughter, and with Li Che’s remarkable martial talent, there was no telling if he wouldn’t later retaliate and become a monumental threat!

Meanwhile, everyone at the woodcarving shop stood there, dumbfounded.

Zhao Xuan and Wang Zhengpin, who had learned the Skin Polishing technique from Xu Beihu alongside Li Che, looked thoroughly stunned.

Li Che… has he really achieved Bone Tempering?

How could it happen so fast?!

While everyone else practiced martial arts, those two were still struggling with Skin Polishing—they had only just perfected it and hadn’t even attempted Tendon Burst.

Yet Li Che had already mastered Bone Tempering…

Achieving Bone Tempering as a warrior made him a prominent figure in the Outer City!

Li Che’s expression turned icy. As soon as his Tendon Burst was perfected, Xu You had passed on the Bone Tempering method from Xu Ji. With his current display of Bone Tempering, his achievement was entirely justified.

“Officer Zhao, well played.”

“You’re only suspicious and have no right to jail me, are you? You claim that the city lord issued an edict arresting Master Chen—was I not mentioned in it?”

“Sun Changbiao is after my daughter, and my family is the victim here. How can the victim be the guilty one?”

Li Che, his arms trembling with qi surging through him, spoke in a deep, steady tone.

Zhao Chuanxiong narrowed his eyes, his murderous intent unmistakable as he gripped his broad-bladed knife, which hummed continuously.

He tapped his finger on the blade, its gleaming silver-white edge reflecting his grim, stern face.

“Do you really think the authorities care if a lowlife like you has something to say?”

“And what will you do if I try to haul you off to Feilei City Jail?”

Zhao Chuanxiong’s rugged face hardened with icy determination. He feared death, so he had no choice but to kill Li Che.

Even if Li Che was the celebrated woodcarver, the prodigy of Xu Ji’s shop—what difference would it make?

In Zhao Chuanxiong’s eyes, Li Che, bolstered by his reputation, was even more deserving of death.

Otherwise, if Li Che were to rise up, he’d be doomed!

“With Xu You absent, who at Xu Ji can have your back? Even if questioned later… Xu Ji wouldn’t dare cross me. My Uncle is none other than Inner City’s divine constable, Zhao Xuanhai…”

Zhao Chuanxiong’s blade techniques escalated fiercely. Clearly, he had mastered his art to perfection, his every movement exuding the aura of a powerful strike.

Once he reached his transformation, his blade intent would solidify, enabling him to hold his own against divine cultivators.

A ruthless intent swept through the swirling snow.

In front of the woodcarving shop, many seasoned craftsmen hesitated, unsure whether to intervene on Li Che’s behalf.

But to provoke a madman like Zhao Chuanxiong was clearly a bad idea.

Most would choose self-preservation in the face of trouble.

Li Che’s eyes narrowed as a murderous intent welled within him, yet he was surprised—Zhao Chuanxiong… actually had a divine constable as his Uncle?

That was something he hadn’t known before.

A divine constable—a member of the Inner City’s Black Yamen Constabulary—

a true divine cultivator!

A shadow fell over Li Che’s heart.

One must root out a problem completely. But if he killed Zhao Chuanxiong, this root was too thick to pull out easily.

Facing Zhao Chuanxiong’s aggressively lethal intent, Li Che pondered his next move.

From afar, a sound slicing through the air announced the rapid arrival of a dashing figure.

The wind and snow burst apart as if a curtain were being torn open!

A frown crossed Zhao Chuanxiong’s face as he eyed Xu You, who was speeding in from a distance, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Xu You… wasn’t he supposed to be confined to the Inner City?

Clearly, Zhao Chuanxiong had underestimated Li Che’s standing in Xu You’s eyes. As his plan had just begun, Xu You received word and rushed straight from the Inner City…

Xu You was a direct member of the Xu Family. His arrival made Zhao Chuanxiong realize that today, Li Che was untouchable.

Sheathing his blade, Zhao Chuanxiong shot Li Che a long, cold look before quickly retreating, not waiting for Xu You to confront him.

Li Che continued to watch Zhao Chuanxiong’s departing back.

Xu You landed with a surge of wind and snow, the cold air howling as his expression remained grim.

“Was Old Chen taken away?”

“And this Zhao Chuanxiong… does he still intend to take you away?”

Xu You clenched his fists, veins bulging, and said, “Si Mu Bai has gone too far… it’s blatant.”

Li Che was taken aback, “Si Mu Bai?”

“The Lingying Sect attacked Xu Ji’s Divine Cultivation Institute, aiming to seize the spirit children. I’ve been urgently recalled to the Inner City for guard duty, so I can’t be in the Outer City for a while…”

Xu You turned to Li Che, his tone grave.

“The Lingying Sect wouldn’t dare touch the Divine Cultivation Institute—that’s the backbone of Feilei City’s prominent divine cultivators. But we can’t let our guard down. It’s an open conspiracy, so I must return…”

“And now Zhao Chuanxiong has once again taken Old Chen. I suspect the Lingying Sect’s true aim… is XiXi.”

“XiXi’s spirit child rank is exceedingly high. Si Mu Bai intends to forge a divine foundation and needs a catalyst—a top-grade spirit child to set things in motion.”

Xu You’s voice was both cold and resigned.

“With members of the Si Family acting like this… allying with the Lingying Sect, will none of the Inner City clans take a stand?” Li Che’s gaze dropped as he gently stroked the bulging veins on his fist.

“After all, Si Mu Bai is a direct descendant of the Si Family and a promising candidate for forging a divine foundation. The Si Family will surely protect him, and without solid evidence, the other clans can only stay silent…”

“After all, that elder of the Si Family who has reached the Divine Foundation stage is still alive.”

Xu You exhaled deeply.

“Though Si Mu Bai is considered a divine foundation seed, forging a divine foundation is extremely arduous—almost an exercise in futility. That’s why he joined forces with the Lingying Sect, hoping to break through using the Spirit Infant Cult Leader’s 【Yunshen Diao】.”

“Yunshen Diao… it requires the divine essence of a spirit child as a catalyst, so…”

As Xu You continued, Li Che began to understand.

So, it turned out…

that the deal Lei Chunlan once struck with Si Mu Bai was precisely this.

In other words, even then… Si Mu Bai had already set his sights on XiXi.

“Si Mu Bai…”

Li Che narrowed his eyes… a noble youth, huh?

He wasn’t exactly an easy kill…

A divine cultivator at the peak of refinement… even if Li Che unleashed 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 now, could he really kill him?

That would be rather difficult.

But… it wasn’t impossible!

Even a noble youth can be slain!

“Don’t worry about Old Chen—he’ll be fine. Zhao Chuanxiong wouldn’t dare harm him; his plan was merely to whisk him away.”

“Tonight, stay in the courtyard and keep a close watch on XiXi. Do not go anywhere… if things go wrong, take XiXi and flee, stalling for time!”

“I’ll be back tomorrow. As soon as dawn breaks, I’ll return at once…”

“I’ve already mentioned your situation back home. Unfortunately, I’m not highly regarded—otherwise, Xu Ji would have dispatched a blood-swapping warrior to safeguard you and XiXi.”

Xu You gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Not being favored is just that pitiful.

Even though Xu You had clearly demonstrated Li Che’s excellence, he still wasn’t given the attention he deserved…

Instead, Li Che reassured Xu You.

Without further words, Xu You patted Li Che’s shoulder, exchanged a few respectful handshakes with several veteran craftsmen at the shop, and then turned to swiftly head back toward the Inner City.

Li Che too said little; he bid farewell to the onlookers still in awe of his martial prowess at the shop, then turned back to Xu Ji Courtyard and returned to the yard.

The courtyard door was tightly closed. Inside, Zhang Ya clutched XiXi as she sat in the room, her face pale.

The moment Li Che arrived, Zhang Ya finally felt a pillar of support.

“Husband, Uncle Chen was taken away. He… is he alright?”

But even with that support, Zhang Ya couldn’t remain strong and began to panic.

Li Che took XiXi from her arms. The little girl slept soundly, drooling as if she were dreaming of candied fruit.

“It’s alright. Old Chen is fine—a mere minor setback…”

“Wife, come here. I’ll teach you something.”

Li Che, one hand cradling XiXi, took Zhang Ya’s hand.

In the study, Li Che opened a box and retrieved a palm-sized black nanmu wooden bird.

“This is my mechanical 【Muduya】. Its power is quite formidable. In times of danger, it will protect you and XiXi. Let me show you how to operate it…”

Li Che instructed Zhang Ya on operating the 【Muduya】. Zhang Ya listened intently and quickly memorized the steps.

“Be careful—avoid open flames…” Li Che cautioned.

Nodding repeatedly, Zhang Ya carefully stowed away the 【Muduya】 before looking at Li Che with a hint of curiosity.

“Husband… you said this little wooden bird packs quite a punch. Just how powerful is it?”

The 【Muduya】 is the eighth-ranked mechanical hidden weapon from Tang’s Mechanism Chronicle, which Li Che even modified using his 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit talent.

After a moment’s thought and weighing his own strength, Li Che offered an answer.

Its power…

“If operated correctly, it’s roughly enough to nearly take down a warrior like Old Chen if he lets his guard slip…”

“It could leave him half-dead.”