Chapter 37: Shadows and Omens

Li Che hummed a cheerful tune, his mood soaring as he made a special trip to the stewed meat shop on the west side to order exactly two jin of pork head meat. He planned to share a jar of wine with Old Xu and Old Chen that evening.

Having just acquired his third Dao Fruit, his means of survival in this world had grown a bit, which lifted his spirits even higher.

Snow drifted along Long Street.

Since XiXi’s birthday always fell in the heart of winter, heavy snow would invariably accompany her as the day approached.

The biting cold could cut like a knife, but Li Che, having perfected Bone Tempering, was bursting with robust vitality and remained unfazed by the chill.

Suddenly, a slight prickling sensation ran over Li Che’s scalp as the freshly acquired Dao Fruit ‘Pure Heart’ began pulsing within him.

Li Che came to an abrupt stop, his brows drawn in concern.

It felt as though he was being observed.

Beneath his bamboo hat, his face lifted suddenly. Looking up, he spotted an old man on Long Street amid the swirling snow, leading a child with Nezha-style braids who stared blankly at him.

Puzzled, Li Che wondered why, amidst the bustling crowd, this old man was fixated solely on him. Surely it couldn’t be the pork head meat in his hand?

Glancing back, he saw the old man and the child with the Nezha braids shifting their gaze elsewhere.

Unease prickled within him, and he instantly grew alert.

Yet, as they passed each other and the pair receded into the distance, the old man made no further move.

Only then did Li Che relax, chastising himself for almost mentally noting the old man’s peculiar behavior.

……

……

“Master? What’s wrong?” Lu Chi asked, noticing something amiss with his teacher.

The old man closed his eyes and dismissed the Divination of Essence, shaking his head with deep regret and sorrow.

“Such a pity… truly a pity…”

“So pure and undefiled, as clear as water—like a blank canvas…”

“In all the heavens and earth, there exists a rebirth of such immaculate divine nature…”

“This kind of divine nature is remarkably malleable. It’s a shame, though—the bearer is just a young man, merely a martial man with only the basics of Tendon Burst. In the end, he’s already too old.”

“A spiritual child in his twenties? How strange.”

“Spiritual children, unlike ordinary martial men, are born with divine nature. They can nurture their innate spirit from the start, and once mature, most reach the stage of ‘Nurtured Spirit like a Lamp’—even possibly breaking through their divine foundation before thirty, with the chance to manifest a divine image before the Jiazi cycle ends…”

The old man shook his head. Using Divination of Essence on Li Che, he saw that pure white divine nature—and his heart skipped a beat.

Alas, divine nature belonged not to a tender child but to a rugged man.

“He’s gotten too old, and his martial cultivation is only at the initial stage of Tendon Burst. True transformation is still far off; forging a divine foundation before thirty seems nearly impossible.”

“Such divine nature is being wasted.”

……

……

Back at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop, Li Che found his thoughts drifting back to that enigmatic old man.

There was something disconcertingly familiar about the feeling—a strong sense of impending danger. The Dao Fruit’s warning was clearly not baseless.

Fortunately, Li Che had always valued harmony over conflict and had never let his life descend into chaos.

“Feilei City is growing increasingly chaotic. Various factions and formidable figures are cropping up everywhere…”

Li Che shook his head in silent agreement.

Back in the courtyard, XiXi was nurturing her divine nature under Xu You’s careful guidance.

“XiXi, being a spiritual child, already brims with divine nature. Cultivating it early lays a solid foundation for her future. For divine cultivators, timing is everything.”

Dressed in a white robe with a sword at his waist, Xu You greeted Li Che with a smile as he returned.

“By the way, Li Che, the shop has formed a security patrol team made up entirely of master woodcarvers. You’ll need to join the patrols too. I’ve arranged shifts so that you and Old Chen are on a different schedule—this way, XiXi’s safety is assured.”

If both Old Chen and Li Che stepped out at the same time, XiXi’s safety would be compromised. Xu You had planned with that in mind.

Night fell.

Xu You and Li Che walked side by side along a snow-blanketed alley, patrolling Xu Ji Courtyard to safeguard the families of the resident woodcarvers.

Li Che bore a long spear. His public martial art was the ‘Xu Ji Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear.’ With his refined Tendon Burst and perfected spear skills, he had earned a reputation as a genius at Xu Ji.

After two years of training—from Skin Polishing to a perfected Tendon Burst—his progress was undeniably impressive.

“Just a few days ago, the Yang Family Mansion in Inner City, set up by the Wood Carving Shop in Outer City, was overrun by vicious assailants from Lingying Sect…”

Xu You rested his hand on his sword hilt, gazing at the darkening sky as he spoke in a low tone.

A chill ran down Li Che’s spine; this news was entirely new to him.

“Assailants from Lingying Sect… are they really this rampant?” Li Che asked gravely.

“There are quite a few formidable ones within Lingying Sect. After being expelled from Inner City, they have set up camp in Outer City. Now they’ve set their sights on the spiritual children everywhere. The Yang Family Mansion lost several woodcarvers, and one of the spiritual children was even looted and taken away.”

Xu You’s grip tightened, veins visibly pulsing with tension.

“There’s word that a Divine Sect cultivator is heading into Feilei City.”

“Lingying Sect had to act before the Divine Sect cultivators set foot in Feilei City; otherwise, the truly promising talents would surely be snatched away.”

“For these past days, Lingying Sect has been in complete disarray.”

“In Inner City at Xu Ji, aren’t there any strong figures holding the fort in Outer City?” Li Che frowned, unable to hide his concern.

Xu You fell silent.

“Inner City Xu Ji…”

“It’s not a major problem. We can hold them off ourselves…” Xu You offered a strained smile.

But Li Che could see sorrow and helplessness etched on his face.

……

……

Inside Feilei City’s Inner City, at Jinhuang Pavilion.

A gentle breeze drifted through the hall, causing the curtains to sway.

A figure bowed respectfully while traversing the long corridor, and soon reached a suspended pavilion within Jinhuang Pavilion.

In the center of the pavilion, a brazier boiled water.

Si Mu Bai sat in a chair, while beside him, a stunningly beautiful woman with delicate makeup elegantly brewed tea, showcasing her refined tea art.

“Young Master, Zhao Chuanxiong has arrived.”

A low voice echoed from outside.

Moments later, Zhao Chuanxiong, dressed in plain clothes with a knife at his waist, stepped into the pavilion.

“Si Mu Bai, what’s this summons about?” Zhao Chuanxiong asked obsequiously, his tone tinged with deference.

Although he served as an official for the Imperial Court, he was just the Outer City constable, which left him little confidence when addressing the esteemed master’s son.

“I heard you fought with Ogre and lived to tell the tale?”

Si Mu Bai sipped the tea prepared by the beautiful tea artist without so much as glancing at Zhao Chuanxiong, replying in a calm tone.

Zhao Chuanxiong was taken aback by the unexpected topic, his expression twisting in surprise.

His face quickly shifted into a more troubled look.

After all, it was he who, in his capacity as the vice-chief of Lingying Sect, had sought out Ogre and teamed up with martial artists wielding the Eight Trigram Staff to battle him…

Si Mu Bai… so he now knew his identity?

Zhao Chuanxiong’s face flushed as he was visibly startled.

“Rest assured, your identity is no longer a secret. Not only yours—I know the identities of many within Lingying Sect.”

After finishing his tea, Si Mu Bai idly toyed with a jade tea cup, a wry, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

“I am in cooperation with your Dharma Master. I have shown every sign of sincerity, and in turn, your Dharma Master has reciprocated. He agreed to carve the second-stage ‘Yunshen Diao’ for me, though I require a spiritual child as a catalyst…”

Zhao Chuanxiong’s expression soured as he asked, “So, Young Master, are you asking me to search Outer City for another spiritual child?”

“But Young Master, in Outer City these past two years, nearly all Lingying spiritual children have vanished. The few that remain possess abysmally weak divine nature—ordinary and practically useless.”

“Even the spiritual child from the Yang Family Mansion was taken away not long ago…”

“So, finding another spiritual child would mean waiting—perhaps until a new batch of infants is born to confirm their potential.”

Zhao Chuanxiong exhaled deeply.

Si Mu Bai continued, “Isn’t there also a top-grade spiritual child at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop?”

At his words, Zhao Chuanxiong immediately thought of Li Che and recalled the tragic incident at the shop—a believer’s death that had prompted the Dharma Master to unleash the Wrathful Spirit Infant statue with three heads and six arms.

“You mean… Li Che’s daughter from Xu Ji?”

Zhao Chuanxiong asked cautiously.

Si Mu Bai toyed with his tea cup, his countenance growing cold and indifferent. “Then, are there any other top-grade spiritual children?”

Zhao Chuanxiong’s face twitched as he replied, “Honestly, Young Master, I suspect that that vicious Ogre might have some connection with Xu Ji.”

Si Mu Bai began, “I…”

Waving his hand dismissively, Si Mu Bai said, “No need to say it. I know what you fear…”

“All this while, you’ve kept a low profile, never venturing out alone—all to avoid Ogre, haven’t you?”

“You once used Sun Changbiao’s widow as bait to lure Ogre into a trap. After the Eight Trigram Staff warrior died, you were understandably shaken…”

Zhao Chuanxiong felt no embarrassment; when survival is at stake, there’s no room for shame.

After all, does the Eight Trigram Staff still hold any pride once everything is lost?

If you lose your life, you lose everything.

“Based on his repeated attacks, Ogre appears to be targeting Lingying Sect, and he also seems to have some ties with Xu Ji.”

“This Ogre is most likely from Xu Ji.”

Leaning on a yellow pear wood chair, Si Mu Bai tapped his slender fingers on the table.

“I’m also very curious… who exactly from Xu Ji is this Ogre?”

“Someone who can freely roam between Inner and Outer City and possesses perfected Bone Tempering… Who could it be? It surely isn’t Xu Helil, nor Xu Beihu, and as for Xu Ji’s third son—that’s even less likely…”

“No matter who it is, anyone other than him will do.”

Si Mu Bai’s eyes shimmered with a mix of laughter and tears as he looked at Zhao Chuanxiong.

“Take care of the matter for me, and I’ll take care of Ogre for you.”

“If Ogre is so determined to kill you, then let him try—if he dares.”

Zhao Chuanxiong’s face darkened, a curious mix of determination and hope stirring within him.

If Ogre could truly be taken down, he’d finally be free from constant fear.

Ogre must die—otherwise, he would forever haunt his thoughts. The grim fate of the Eight Trigram Staff still loomed like a nightmare.

Zhao Chuanxiong’s eyes flickered with inner turmoil…

Yet a part of him still hesitated…

After all, Si Mu Bai’s plan to eliminate Ogre…

was nothing more than bait for him!

Not bait for Ogre!

After surviving for so long, his greatest fear was that…

if Ogre wasn’t caught, his own bait would be devoured first!

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