Chapter 63: Winter’s Echoes

XiXi’s birthday had just passed, and the weather grew increasingly bitter.

Amid the cold winter, the wintersweet stood proudly, its petals dusted with pure white snow. The bluestone pavement of the Inner City’s Long Street was blanketed by thick, dazzling snow.

Li Che bid farewell to Xu You, who had led the team out of the city to purge evil, and returned to his small courtyard on Qingfeng Alley.

Old Chen sat on a rattan chair beneath the eaves, sipping aged wine and staring blankly at the withered old tree in the yard.

“Old Chen, what are you thinking about?” Li Che asked curiously as he shook the snow off his oil-paper umbrella.

Old Chen’s gaze refocused as he shook his head. “When you get old, you tend to drift off…”

“Soon the Divine Sect will send people to Feilei City to select prodigies. If XiXi stays safe during this time, she’ll likely be chosen to join the Divine Sect…”

“Old Chen, I’m afraid I might not see XiXi again after this,” he murmured.

Old Chen sighed, picked up his wine gourd, and took several hearty swigs.

Having spent so much time with the child, the thought of a permanent farewell filled him with an inescapable loneliness and worry.

He feared that once he was gone, he wouldn’t have the chance to see her again.

“Then why not join us in heading to the Divine Sect so you can accompany XiXi during her cultivation?”

Li Che said softly.

Old Chen rolled his eyes, looking at Li Che as if he were a fool. “Ah Che… you’re still too young.”

“The Divine Sect only allows family members to accompany prodigies into their ranks. How could I possibly qualify?” Old Chen shook his head; after all, at his age he knew a bit of the Sect’s inner workings.

Li Che couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry… XiXi won’t abandon you.”

“It’s just a trip to the Divine Sect—nothing to worry about…”

Old Chen shook his head. The rigid rules of the Divine Sect weren’t going to change just for you.

After exchanging a few more words, Li Che set off for the Private Workshop to advance his cultivation.

But even before he left, the sound of soft footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

Li Che looked up, and the swirling snow seemed to be torn apart.

Two figures, draped in crane capes and treading softly on the snow, approached and gently knocked on the open courtyard door.

“Master Li, are you here?”

The visitors were none other than Xu Helil and Xu Beihu.

“Congratulations, Master Li, on your promotion to ‘Shidu’ Woodcarving Master. What a joyous occasion for Xu Ji!” Xu Helil said with a gentle smile, a Divine Sword hanging at his waist.

His eyes, filled with astonishment and fiery intensity, fixed on Li Che.

Xu Helil never expected that a rough, streetwise fellow from the Outer City would rise to become a Woodcarving Master.

“Just luck,” Li Che replied with a respectful fist salute.

Clearly, Xu Ji didn’t hold him in as high esteem as one might have thought—otherwise, it would have been Xu Nanming, the family head, who had come instead of Xu Helil.

Does a Woodcarving Master not warrant the personal attention of the Family Head?

Chen Daba, ever the seasoned veteran, was so astonished by the news of Li Che’s promotion that he practically leaped from his rattan chair, his jaw hanging open in disbelief.

“What the heck? How come he never mentioned that he was the one teaching you woodcarving? Has your trust vanished?”

Old Chen stared at Li Che, a mix of astonishment and suspicion in his eyes.

But being an old hand, he soon composed himself, keeping many thoughts to himself.

Xu Beihu, standing beside Xu Helil, wore an equally complex expression as he struggled to process his shock.

“A true Woodcarving Master is made by genuine skill and craftsmanship—not merely luck!”

“Master Li, don’t be so modest. I heard that yesterday you carved a ‘Sanyan Riding the Ox, Suspended Sword Inquiry Statue’ for Third Brother. Would it be possible for Xu Helil to commission a divine wood carving from you?”

Xu Helil cupped his fists in greeting and said.

“Five hundred Gold Leaf pieces, with the design and spiritual wood on me. Although Master Li works for Xu Ji as a woodcarver, the rules of the Woodcarving Masters mean Xu Ji can’t take a commission fee…”

Five hundred Gold Leaves for one wood carving.

That was truly an astronomical price.

But for divine cultivators, a single divine wood carving that eases the rigors of their practice was undoubtedly worth it.

After all, when building a divine foundation and cultivating, every second counts.

Li Che glanced at Xu Helil in astonishment. Was he really here to order a divine wood carving outright?

Xu Ji’s reaction to his promotion as Woodcarving Master had, to Li Che’s surprise, been rather unexpected.

Chen Daba, nearby, furrowed his brow.

Li Che thought for a moment. The Dao Fruit [Chess Saint] had greatly enhanced his reasoning and analytical skills.

He soon figured out the reason.

“Shopkeeper, I just became a Woodcarving Master and spent a lot of effort carving that statue for Xu You. I won’t be taking on any orders for now…” Li Che shook his head, declining the deal.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want the five hundred Gold Leaves.

Rather, in the coming days he planned to push toward the Open Meridian stage to bolster his strength in the Way of Qi and Blood.

Li Qingshan had mentioned taking him to the Bizarre Temple. Li Che took it seriously but remained cautious—the stronger one is, the safer one becomes.

Xu Helil’s smile gradually faded. He hadn’t expected Li Che to decline, even if the reason was perfectly valid.

Yet, it left him feeling a bit uneasy.

“Then I’ll trouble you another day, Master Li. Xu Helil will come back to order a carving another time…” Xu Helil calmed himself, bowing with clasped fists.

After Li Che returned the gesture, the two brothers, Xu Helil and Xu Beihu, turned and left.

Old Chen watched their departing backs and frowned. “Ah Che, you should have taken that order.”

“Feilei City is bound to face a major upheaval, which might have led Xu Ji to change his attitude toward Woodcarving Masters. He worries that you’ll just walk away after investing resources. But if you take the order, Xu Ji’s stance might at least soften.”

Li Che opened his oil-paper umbrella with a smile. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Old Chen… I now have the confidence to turn down orders.”

With that, he grasped his umbrella and stepped into the falling snow.

Chen Daba stared at Li Che in astonishment, momentarily lost in reverie.

He couldn’t help but compare the confident young man before him with the nervous, timid figure who once sought help at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop in the Outer City.

Can time really change someone so profoundly?

……

……

Inside a luxurious carriage, water churned in a boiling furnace.

Misty steam billowed within the compartment.

Xu Helil sat expressionlessly in a plush chair, gazing out at the swirling snow through the window.

“I underestimated him… Who would have thought that the rube from back then would one day become a Woodcarving Master…”

“It’s like a fish leaping over the dragon gate—a complete turnaround.”

Xu Beihu poured a cup of tea for Xu Helil and said resolutely.

“That’s true talent… to produce a top-tier prodigy like Li Nuǎnxi, one’s own gifts must be exceptional.”

“What a pity…” Xu Helil shook his head.

Recalling what Old Master had said, Xu Helil lowered his eyes slightly as a flash of bitterness crossed his face.

“You carve statues for Old Third for free, yet when I offer five hundred Gold Leaves, you won’t take the order…”

That is truly an outrageous demand!

Unbelievable nerve…

After a moment, Xu Helil closed his eyes and said to Xu Beihu, “Go to the City Lord’s Residence and find Zhao Xuanhai. Inform him about Li Che’s new status as Woodcarving Master—hasn’t he always wanted Li Che to craft wood statues?”

“That would perfectly fulfill his wishes.”

Hearing this, Xu Beihu’s hand froze mid-pour.

Scalding tea spilled out in a rush.

……

……

As dusk fell, snowflakes began to flutter down from the darkening sky.

Snow, as delicate as goose feathers, floated down, enveloping the world in a biting cold.

On Long Street, passersby became fewer and fewer.

Though the Inner City was more prosperous than the Outer City, its dwindling population meant that once night fell, hardly anyone was seen.

Zhao Xuanhai, wearing a bamboo hat with one hand tucked into his coat, had a towering, bear-like build. Yet wherever he stepped in the deep snow, no footprints were left behind.

“This Li Che… he has become a Woodcarving Master. How intriguing.”

“He’s a genius. The City Lord will surely appreciate him—if he secures a Woodcarving Master for his ‘Thousand Buddhas Carving Banquet,’ success is within reach.”

Most Woodcarving Masters have been tied to prominent families for years and are not inclined to move.

But an independent, newly emerged Woodcarving Master is simply irresistible.

“The Xu Family was pragmatic too. Knowing they couldn’t stop the City Lord’s ‘Thousand Buddhas Carving Banquet,’ they chose to sell off this new Woodcarving Master outright.”

“No wonder businessmen are so cold-blooded—they pursue profit above all else.”

He cast his gaze toward the Private Workshop in the alley, having learned that the Xu Family had disclosed its location to him.

“Li Che, oh Li Che…”

“Back when we spent silver on toasting you and you declined, now… you’d better drink the penalty wine.”

Zhao Xuanhai stepped forward and pulled an angry Boy Mask from his pocket, slapping it over his face.

Snowstorms raged overhead.

The swirling snow seemed frozen in time, as if being melted away by flames.

……

……

Inside the Private Workshop.

Li Che sat quietly as the swirling snow danced and wavered.

Just as a snowflake was about to settle on his hair, it was torn apart by an unseen force.

Before him lay a chessboard crafted from nanmu, its grid meticulously drawn. Yet it was completely empty—without a single chess piece.

He gently rested his palm across the board.

In an instant,

within his chest,

the Dao Fruit [Chess Saint] trembled violently.

His spirit soared as lines of divine energy interwove, forming an ethereal chessboard that spanned the cosmos.

Li Che slowly opened his eyes.

And he saw…

At the mouth of the alley, Zhao Xuanhai was slowly pulling an angry Boy Mask over his face…

He watched as the masked man steadily approached the workshop nestled in the alley.

Like a black chess piece on a board.

Impatiently…

heading straight for a deadly fate.

PS: One piece of bad news—the new book just hit the bestseller list for ‘Chong Sanjiang’… and it’s going to be even more challenging. But here’s some good news: our backend fake reads have surpassed three thousand. With continued support, we hope the numbers climb even higher. So, Old Li is asking for more fake reads! Tomorrow is Monday, the day for Chong Sanjiang—everyone, please show some support! Old Li thanks you on bended knee!