Chen Dabao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching Little Liu leave. Snowflakes danced down from the sky, landing on his graying hair.
His eyes held a hint of distraction and complexity.
Sun Changbiao was dead, but what Chen Dabao found noteworthy wasn’t the death itself. In this era, the death of a man was all too common.
What concerned him was Li Che’s decisiveness.
They had just discovered that the person coveting Xi Xi had joined the Spirit Infant Sect and turned out to be Sun Changbiao. As soon as the workday ended… Li Che had hurried off to kill Sun Changbiao.
Decisive, ruthless, quick to act!
Was it really Li Che who did it?
Where did he get the strength to kill Sun Changbiao?
Even Chen Dabao began to feel bewildered and doubtful.
His leisurely stroll turning serious, he changed his course and headed towards Sun Changbiao’s house.
As he approached the house, he heard earth-shattering cries.
Outside the courtyard, a crowd bustled about, and there was Steward Sun, his old face turning ashen, his whole body trembling. Clenching his fists, he was a mix of anger and sorrow.
“Who was it? Who killed my son?”
“My son was kind and honest, always treating others well. Who would be so vicious?”
Steward Sun cried inconsolably, the agony of losing a child piercing his heart.
Madame Liu sat in a chair, propped up by others, her tears falling ceaselessly, sobbing loudly.
Old Chen moved in closer, made some inquiries, and suddenly felt a peculiar twist in his thoughts.
“A towering figure as imposing as a mountain, hands like fan-shaped leaves, he kicked open the door with one foot, breaking Sun Changbiao…”
“A Quenched-Bone Warrior made the move, indeed… It couldn’t have been Li Che. Of course, Li Che had only just achieved Major Accomplishment in Skin Refinement, he would only have been beaten to death confronting Sun Changbiao.”
“How very strange, such a coincidence?”
Chen Dabao found it quite astonishing as well.
Looking at Sun Changbiao’s body, head severed, bones and organs crushed by the kick, he shook his head; death had come to him in a particularly tragic way.
Turning his head, he saw Sun Changbiao’s four daughters standing in the corner, timid and apprehensive. The eldest daughter, looking at her father’s corpse, had no sorrow in her eyes, but instead…
She almost seemed pleased.
…
…
The news of Sun Changbiao’s horrendous murder spread like a storm throughout Xu’s Courtyard in no time.
It caused quite an uproar.
The Third Shopkeeper was outside the city and not in the shop when it happened, resulting in considerable impact.
The next day, the Inner City branch of Xu Ji sent people to investigate, accompanied by arrest officers from the Outer City Yamen.
Xu Beihu, draped in a fox fur cloak, with strands of solid blood energy like electrical arcs moving on his imposing figure, glanced down at Sun Changbiao’s corpse in the coffin, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes.
“The strength of a thousand catties, one kick shattering the organs, and the exchange of punches broke Sun Changbiao’s arm bones with a crushing force. Beyond doubt, the perpetrator… must be a dominant Quenched-Bone Warrior. As for the final cut severing the head, being so neat indicates an extremely sharp weapon… it seems to be the work of a Sword Artifact.”
Next to Xu Beihu, Head Constable Zhao Chuanxiong from the Outskirts Government Office, also a robust figure with a broad-bladed saber at his waist, narrowed his eyes as he analyzed.
“Head Constable Zhao, I’ll need to trouble you with this matter. I never thought that after so many years of peace, my Xu Family shop would suffer such brazen violence,” Xu Beihu bowed.
Zhao Chuanxiong laughed and waved dismissively, “Perhaps it’s another family seeking to kill two birds with one stone, targeting Sun Changbiao to send a message and disturb Xu Ji. But what’s odd… Why target Sun Changbiao? Why him?”
Xu Beihu was also puzzled, unable to come to a conclusion after some thought.
Zhao Chuanxiong chuckled, raising his hand with a light flick.
“Search the place, see if you can find any clues.”
As he finished speaking, the arrest officers brought by Zhao Chuanxiong proceeded to search Sun Changbiao’s large house.
Madame Liu, who was sitting and weeping in the chair, showed a flash of panic in her eyes when she saw the officers searching, followed by despair.
Soon after, an officer called out, “Found something!”
He returned with a “Three-Headed Six-Armed Spirit Infant Statue” in his arms.
“Spirit Infant Sect?!”
Xu Beihu’s eyes widened in anger, his hair standing on end as he turned to Madame Liu and bellowed, “You worship the Spirit Infant Sect?!”
Zhao Chuanxiong narrowed his eyes, patting his hand lightly, “So it’s the Spirit Infant Sect, that clarifies things…”
He glanced at the four girls standing in the corner, the youngest looking only two or three years old, tilting her head, her hair messy, and her face confused.
Xu Beihu’s face darkened, knowing the Spirit Infant Sect had infiltrated his shop was an anticipated circumstance, but having it exposed so abruptly was embarrassing for Xu Ji.
“Now the matter seems clear. Sun Changbiao had joined the Spirit Infant Sect, and his daughter must have caught their eye for sacrifice. Unwilling to comply, Sun Changbiao chose to protect his daughter’s life, thus intervening and succumbing to a vile hand.”
“Tsk tsk, truly a tearjerker of fatherly love…”
“Madame Liu, you say it is or it isn’t?”
Sitting in her chair and still crying, Madame Liu suddenly froze.
Mingled among the crowd, Li Che couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth when he heard the constable’s analysis.
Sun Changbiao had indeed died of fatherly love, but it was his, Li Che’s, fatherly love…
Without further ado, Li Che headed to the practice field to train.
…
…
The atmosphere at the training field was fiery and enthusiastic.
The new wood carvers recruited by the shop this year had just received the Skin Refinement Cultivation Method and were brimming with fighting spirit, carrying stone locks and continuously refining their bodies.
Zhao Xuan, with her straight and slender legs, was giving pointers to the newcomers. When she saw Li Che appear, she greeted him with a smile brimming with warmth, “Master Li has arrived?”
Li Che smiled warmly and nodded in response.
Wang Zhengpin, drenched in sweat, also stopped his training, “Master Li, have you heard? Master Sun’s death was terribly gruesome; a villain crushed his entire skeleton and tortured him to a brutal death. In the end, they even cut off his head. It was too dreadful to behold.”
The corner of Li Che’s mouth twitched again—the story had become more exaggerated… Was he really so ferocious?
Nevertheless, Li Che joined the conversation with a sigh on his face.
While a few elders chatted, the new recruits did not dare to join in. After a while, Li Che began his training.
His publicly displayed cultivation level was now at Great Success in Skin Refinement, which already made many people envious.
Li Che would not skip his daily training, for the Dao Fruit of the Dragon Elephant Vajra could mature through diligent practice, making daily training indispensable.
However, while he was training, he began to ponder the Tendon Activation Technique and the Internal Strength Method.
Just as he was deep in thought, Xu Beihu arrived at the practice field.
“Second Shopkeeper.”
Everyone immediately ceased their movements and greeted him with a fist-and-palm salute.
Xu Beihu’s face softened slightly, “I came to investigate Sun Changbiao’s cause of death in the Outer City today. It’s also a good opportunity to give you some guidance on your cultivation levels.”
His gaze fell on Li Che, showing a look of satisfaction, “To reach Major Accomplishment in Skin Refinement within a year demonstrates excellent body refinement talent. Keep up the hard work and do not slack off. If you have any needs, feel free to mention them.”
Upon hearing this, Li Che clasped his fist and said, “Second Shopkeeper… Now that I’ve achieved Major Accomplishment in Skin Refinement, may I request a share of the Tendon Activation Technique and the Internal Strength Method?”
“Today, I passed by Master Sun’s courtyard and saw his dreadful death, which left me terrified. I’ve heard that Master Sun was like a mountain of fatherly love, dying tragically to protect his daughter, and I’m… scared.”
Li Che’s words were filled with sincerity and worry.
Xu Beihu fell silent upon hearing this, as he was indeed aware of Li Che’s situation.
Li Che had joined Xu Ji for protection against the Spirit Infant Sect, and now this incident had occurred… Indeed, the Xu’s reputation had been somewhat tarnished, a sign of diminishing prestige.
However, the rules of the Xu Family could not be broken. Xu Beihu shook his head, a look of regret on his face, “According to the rules of Xu Ji… you must reach Perfection in Skin Refinement before we can pass on the Tendon Activation Technique and Internal Strength Method to you…”
“You need a solid foundation to proceed, otherwise, the high-rise is prone to collapse. If we pass it on to you too soon, I’m afraid you might be tempted to practice it prematurely, injuring your body. This is for your own good.”
Li Che showed a look of regret upon hearing this.
Seeing his reaction, Xu Beihu hesitated for a moment before a porcelain bottle appeared in his hand. He handed it to Li Che, “Here’s what we’ll do… This bottle contains ‘Skin Refinement Pills’, six in total… Consider it a reward for achieving Major Accomplishment in Skin Refinement.”
“Take one pill every five days. With your talent, in just over a month, you should be able to achieve Perfection in Skin Refinement.”
“At that time, you can come to me for the Tendon Activation Technique and Internal Strength Method.”
Li Che felt a bit disappointed, but he accepted the “Skin Refinement Pills” with a look of joy, already deciding in his heart to visit the marketplace to see if he could purchase an Internal Strength Technique.
Old Chen had mentioned that they were not people from the Xu Family, so the Meridian Opening Method and Internal Strength Technique they were qualified to practice were not particularly profound and not much different from the high-quality Internal Strength Techniques available for purchase in the marketplace.
Seeing Li Che accept the elixir, a smile appeared on Xu Beihu’s rugged face.
“Li Che, I have a job specially for you.”
“I know your wood carvings are full of meaning. The young master of the Si Family from the Inner City has sought me out and wants to commission you to carve a wood carving, with a compensation of five Gold Leaves.”
Li Che’s heart jolted at those words.
Five Gold Leaves?!
Five hundred taels!
A wealthy client indeed!
But this undoubtedly also implied that the client’s request was anything but simple; the wood carving job was bound to be extremely difficult.
Li Che, with a solemn expression, clasped his fists and focused his gaze, “May I know what the Si Family young master… wishes to have carved?”
Xu Beihu looked at the cautious Li Che and smiled.
“The Nine-Headed Guanyin Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue.”