Chapter 61: Under the Cold Moon

Snow drifts down, its chill cutting to the bone.

Yet Li Che’s heart burned with fierce passion and excitement.

The fourth Dao Fruit acts as a monitoring device—a guarantee for his daughter’s safety.

As long as the divine chess pieces remain close to XiXi, any danger will be met by their immediate appearance at her side.

For an aging father, a Dao Fruit like this is the ultimate reassurance.

In Feilei City, the threat posed by the Lingying Sect still lingers.

In fact, the danger is only growing, and Li Che knows full well that the Lingying Sect is intricately tied to the City Lord’s Residence.

“Lingying Sect…”

Li Che’s gaze narrowed as he held a white chess piece forged from concentrated divinity.

This menace—I wonder when I’ll finally be able to eliminate it…

“Senior Li is investigating the main altar of the Lingying Sect… I wonder if he’s made any headway?”

“If the Lingying Sect is eradicated, it’d be a huge boon for Feilei City. Parents could finally sleep soundly at night.”

Li Che exhaled deeply.

Inside the workshop, he continued to experiment with the [Chess Sage] Dao Fruit.

Once he had forged three white divine chess pieces, no more could be formed—three was his current limit.

“Only three, huh… one for XiXi and one to be placed with my wife—it should suffice.”

“If the Chess Sage Dao Fruit matures further, he can generate even more pieces.”

Li Che mused quietly.

A sudden spark of inspiration ignited as shimmering lights danced before him.

……

[Name: Li Che]

[Bond: Li Nuǎnxi (daughter)]

[Dao Fruits: 【Xiangong】 (lv3 10%), Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv2 49%), Unsullied Heart (LV1 20%), Chess Sage (lv1 1%)]

[Emerging Divine Technique: Immortal Craft: Qianxi Hand]

……

Observing the panel’s overall progress, Li Che couldn’t help but smile.

“Once I break through in my martial cultivation to the meridian stage, I should be able to mature the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit to 50%. It’s just a pity that elevating 【Xiangong】 and Dragon Elephant Vajra to level 3 is far more challenging.”

After a lazy stretch, Li Che’s optimism for the future swelled.

“Right now, what I need is a divine secret technique—the key weapon for divine cultivators in battle. The divine martial art I inherited from Guo Zhan is only barely usable.”

Back when Li Che killed Guo Zhan—the Blood Exchange expert sent by Si Mu Bai—he obtained a divine martial art called “Chenkū Baigui Fenglei Arrow.” It isn’t classified as a secret technique but as a form of divine martial art.

It couldn’t possibly compare to the unfathomable evasion technique of Si Mu Bai, which merged seamlessly with the rain.

Alas, among Si Mu Bai’s gifts, Li Che never uncovered that secret art.

Yet after mastering [Chin Ku Zhen Gui] divine nature, his practice of divine martial arts truly began to progress.

He had now reached a modest level of proficiency.

Divine martial arts are far more arduous than bloodline techniques, demanding precise control over one’s divinity—hence Li Che’s slow progress.

Drawing in his essence, Li Che completely concealed his divine nature while his vital energy reached a perfectly tempered Bone Tempering level.

“Three years from a beginner to perfectly tempered bones… that isn’t too far-fetched.”

Li Che smiled softly.

At least, compared to his hidden cultivation, it was quite impressive.

He selected a piece of wood from the courtyard, channeled his inner strength, dried it out, and began to carve.

Now that 【Xiangong】 had reached level 3, Li Che’s woodcarving skills soared; he had long mastered the art, imbuing his carvings with divine nature.

Focused, Li Che worked relentlessly as his carving knife whirled, sending wood shavings dancing, and smooth patterns emerged to form a “Six-Armed Bodhisattva Sitting on a Lotus.”

It seemed as though the world’s divine essence was slowly drawn into the woodcarving.

Once completed, Li Che infused the carving with his inner strength one final time, sealing it into the Unsullied Heart’s spatial realm.

This piece… Li Che reserved it for his own cultivation of [Chin Ku Zhen Gui] divine nature, just as Si Mu Bai once did.

According to the methods detailed in ‘The Nine Luminaries: Cultivating the Nature of Chin Ku Zhen Gui,’ divine essence can be absorbed from the universe or extracted via artifacts like wood carvings, stone sculptures, or paintings.

However, most practitioners favor woodcarving, as many types of wood possess inherent divine qualities.

Li Qingshan once remarked during a casual chat with Li Che that even within the Grand Sect of Qianyuan, there was a special ‘Woodcarving Ridge’ dedicated to training master woodcarvers.

Most divine wood carvings required by the sect’s disciples were the work of in-house master woodcarvers.

After completing his daily carving, Li Che tinkered with the mechanism “Bodhi Blood Tears,” ranked seventh in Tang’s Mechanism Chronicle. Although complex, he was nearly finished.

Glancing at the evening sky, Li Che returned to the workshop’s courtyard and retrieved the birthday present prepared for XiXi.

Handcrafted by Li Che, the “Twisty Car” was a simple toy to him now, yet it filled XiXi with delight.

He played with the Twisty Car in the courtyard for a while.

XiXi was now three years old, and Li Che had become a 22-year-old Prodigy…

A 22-year-old Prodigy playing with a Twisty Car? That should be just fine, right?

After his playtime, Li Che picked up the Twisty Car and left his secluded workshop.

First, he headed to Jinhuang Pavilion to order a lavish feast, instructing the staff to deliver it to his residence in the Inner City.

Li Che’s family had completely moved into the Inner City; with his wealth, he had acquired a spacious double-apartment courtyard there.

Old Chen also moved in to live with them.

Originally, Old Chen sought the tranquility of the Outer City, but now that XiXi was in the Inner City, he couldn’t bear to be apart—and so he moved too.

After arranging XiXi’s birthday banquet, Li Che proceeded to the Xu Ji Divine Cultivation Institute to pick her up after school.

……

……

“Daddy, what’s this?”

While Li Che held XiXi close, the little girl gazed up at him curiously at the Twisty Car in his hand.

“Daddy made this birthday gift just for you—come on, try it out.”

Li Che immediately demonstrated how to use it.

Behind them, Lu Chi craned his neck and widened his eyes as he watched XiXi gleefully twist on the Twisty Car, a surge of envy welling up inside him.

“Lu Chi, would you like to give it a try?” XiXi beamed, her dimples emerging with her radiant smile.

In that moment, Lu Chi regarded XiXi as if she were a celestial fairy.

However, under the intense, almost infernal stare of Li Che, Lu Chi shuddered and declared, “I’m a big kid now—I don’t play with childish toys!”

After his words, Lu Chi turned away, struggling to hold back tears of envy.

Xu You, clad in a scholarly white robe, trailed behind gently, though worry etched subtly across his calm features.

“Ah Che, after celebrating XiXi’s birthday, I’ll be swamped. There’s been another riot at the Bizarre Temple outside the city; evil forces run amok, and many villages have suffered. The Xu, An, and Yang Families in the Inner City have organized a cleanup team, and I’ve been assigned to work outside the city.”

Xu You managed a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Che frowned. “After all, you’re a legitimate heir. How could we send you on such a dangerous task? The other Yang and An families usually send their collateral off to lead, don’t they?”

Xu You shook his head helplessly, “I’m used to it…”

“Well, it’s also a good chance for experience.”

Xu You’s naturally mild demeanor was often too unassertive, avoiding conflict at every turn.

“You need to assert yourself. As a legitimate heir, the rights you deserve must remain firmly in your hands,” Li Che advised.

Xu You nodded repeatedly, his smile gentle.

Without another word, Li Che patted Xu You’s shoulder as the ‘chess piece’ formed from Unsullied Heart’s divine nature silently merged into Xu You’s being.

Xu You, none the wiser, continued laughing and chatting with XiXi.

Night had fallen.

In the courtyard.

Moonlight cast a cool, fragile glow.

Having gotten Old Chen drunk (despite his protests) and bidding farewell to a cousin who had come to celebrate XiXi’s third birthday, Li Che sat under the eaves with Xu You.

A blazing stove boiled water as emerald tea leaves twirled in the bubbling water.

A bowl of tea after wine felt as blissful as a divine treat.

Xu You, holding Li Che’s roughly brewed green tea, discussed with him the safety arrangements for XiXi’s upcoming move to the Divine Cultivation Institute.

“I’ve asked Granny Mu; she will personally greet XiXi at the gate. As one of the institute’s elders, she’s trustworthy. When you go to pick her up, she’ll see both XiXi and Lu Chi safely out of the institute…”

Still wary of the Lingying Sect’s lingering threat, Xu You was extra cautious, his heart heavy with concern for XiXi’s safety.

Drinking his hot tea, Li Che smiled and nodded before excusing himself into the inner room. When he emerged again, he carried a half-meter tall statue.

“Old Xu,”

“Take this ‘Three Immortals Riding an Ox, Contemplating the Sword’ statue with you.”

Xu You was momentarily stunned.

He instinctively set his tea bowl aside and accepted the wooden statue.

The moment his hand touched it, he felt the divine nature of [Suspended Thought Sword] begin to simmer within him.

This wooden statue… it possessed an extraordinarily potent divine essence!

Xu You gazed at Li Che in astonishment and disbelief.

“Old Li, have you become a master woodcarver?”

PS: Daily self-reflection. Our subscriber count nearly hit three thousand today. Stay strong—next week shows promise! Everyone, please keep reading and don’t hold back on your monthly and recommendation votes. Many thanks, Old Li!