Zhao Xuanhai…
Li Che felt the hairs on his body stand on end, sensing that the wind and rain around him had vanished, replaced by scorching, searing heat, as if a colossal Furious Buddha Statue loomed from above!
If he looked into its eyes for too long, his mind would sway and sweat would drench his back.
Closing his eyes, he deliberately cut off his line of sight, and when Li Che opened them once again, he had become much calmer.
Zhao Xuanhai, sitting in front of the workshop, also stood up. His towering figure, resembling a bear, was nearly two meters in height, with tightly coiled whiskers and dense muscles.
Li Che put down what he was holding in his hands and greeted with a fist and palm salute, “The humble Li Che, a Four-Knife Wood Carver from Xu’s Wood Carving Shop, meets the Policeman.”
Zhao Xuanhai, Zhao Chuanxiong’s cousin, one of the three Divine Catchers of the Inner City…
He was a Divine Cultivator!
Why had Zhao Xuanhai come here? Was it to seek vengeance for Zhao Chuanxiong?
But that should have been directed at the Bull Demon, not him, Li Che?!
Li Che was somewhat puzzled.
“Master Li, there’s no need to be nervous. I am here primarily for two matters…” Zhao Xuanhai, with his imposing build, said indifferently with his hands behind his back.
In Fei Lei City, each of the three Divine Catchers was a first-class expert, extremely powerful, so naturally, Li Che was not willing to fall out with him face to face.
In the distance, footsteps hurried along.
Three figures walked in from outside the door.
Li Che looked over, startled because the three shopkeepers from Xu Ji’s Outer City Wood Carving Shop had all rarely arrived together.
The head shopkeeper, Xu Heli; the second shopkeeper, Xu Beihu; and the third shopkeeper, Xu You.
The three sons of the Xu Family had all arrived at the same time.
Even the seldom-seen and elusive head shopkeeper, Xu Heli, appeared.
In the many years that Li Che had been at Xu’s Wood Carving Shop, he had seen Xu Heli only a handful of times.
This was the first time since he became a Wood Carver.
Xu Heli had a handsome appearance and a straight frame, with eyes that seemed to glitter and a precious sword with a tassel hanging from his waist. He looked reserved, but at any moment, he could burst forth like a drawn Divine Blade, revealing his sharpness.
A Divine Cultivator!
Xu Heli was also one.
In fact, Xu Beihu and Xu You were both Divine Cultivators too, just that their Divine Cultivation was not high and their Divinity had not been fully revealed, unlike Xu Heli and Zhao Xuanhai, who merely by standing there, could continuously express their Divine Power, stirring the soul.
The first realm of Divine Cultivation was Nurturing Nature, and even within it, there were levels of proficiency.
Seeing the three shopkeepers present together, Li Che let out a slight sigh of relief, knowing he should be safe now.
“What kind of storm has brought God Catcher Zhao to our modest shop?” Xu Heli asked with a bow and a slight smile toward Zhao Xuanhai.
“Hahaha… I am here solely to seek Master Li for two matters. The first matter… I heard that Master Li is a talented Wood Carver from Xu Ji, so I have a good task I wish to seek Master Li’s assistance with,” Zhao Xuanhai laughed.
“It seems Young Master Xu isn’t far from forming his Divine Foundation. Among the Three Young Masters of Fei Lei, perhaps Young Master Heli will be the first to achieve it,” Zhao Xuanhai looked at Xu Heli, squinting his eyes.
“The Divine Foundation is hard to forge; what seems like an inch may actually be a thousand feet—it’s not that easy… God Catcher Zhao, you flatter me too much.”
Without any change in expression, Xu Heli replied, “Master Li is not yet a Woodcarving Master. With God Catcher Zhao’s status, you should be looking for a Woodcarving Master…”
Zhao Xuanhai waved his hand, “This task does not require a Woodcarving Master. Strictly speaking, this is more like a conscription…”
Conscription?
As soon as these words came out, everyone was taken aback.
Li Che’s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, conscription… that involved higher-level figures.
“Indeed, it’s a verbal conscription from the Lord of the City, calling upon skilled masters from the major wood carving shops of the noble families to complete a task together, with generous wages. In total, ten days of work, amounting to ten Gold Leaf…”
Ten Gold Leaf?!
One thousand taels?!
Everyone was shocked at heart.
“May I ask… what is the task?” Xu You actively inquired on behalf of Li Che.
Zhao Xuanhai glanced at the Xu Family’s third son and said indifferently, “I can’t disclose the details, but it’s essentially carving some Wood Carvings for the City Lord… It’s not a difficult task, nor does it require the spiritual essence of a Woodcarving Master’s work.
It’s just that the City Lord needs a large quantity without compromising quality, which is why we need the skilled hands of the wood carving shops.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Heli frowned. Had Zhao Xuanhai come solely for this matter?
He had thought it was because of the death of Zhao Chuanxiong. If not for the fact that Li Che was a talented Wood Carver in the shop with the potential to become a Woodcarving Master, Xu Heli wouldn’t even have bothered to respond to Xu You’s plea to come here.
Hearing this, Xu Heli turned to Li Che and asked, “Master Li, are you willing to take on this task?”
Li Che saluted sincerely, “To the head shopkeeper, my response is no.”
To work for the City Lord?
This definitely isn’t any ordinary job!
Though one thousand taels were tempting, for the newly rich Li Che, it was still something he could resist.
Unwilling?
Xu Heli was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Li Che to turn down this thousand-tael job so decisively, especially since it was for the City Lord’s Official Family.
Zhao Xuanhai was also speechless. When he visited other shops, those wood carvers were very enthusiastic about carving for the City Lord, as it gave them a connection to the City Lord’s Mansion, and a favor to be remembered…
But he had never thought Li Che’s attitude would be completely different from the others.
“Master Li, it’s an order from the City Lord… and the wages are extremely generous!” Zhao Xuanhai furrowed his brows.
“Divine Catcher Zhao, as you said, it’s just a verbal order from the Lord of the City and can be refused. Since Master Li is unwilling to take the job, let another Master from the shop go. It’ll be considered that Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop has produced someone for the task,” Xu Heli said.
Zhao Xuanhai gave Li Che a deep look. Rumors had it that the genius Wood Carver of Xu Ji’s was extremely cautious, timid and fearful. But now it seemed…
Si Mubai’s assessment was very fair.
“Forget it then. Since Master Li is unwilling, let’s leave it at that.”
As Zhao Xuanhai finished his words, his arm suddenly lifted, and, like lightning, he disappeared from his spot, abrupt like the roaring winds and thunder.
He reappeared beside Li Che, his fingers hooked, and he fiercely pinched Li Che’s right shoulder.
In Zhao Xuanhai’s eyes, a fire-like Divinity seemed to ignite, as if he was a Buddha with hair flying and his head thrown back in a roar!
A surge of Divine Power flowed from Zhao Xuanhai’s palm into Li Che’s body and swiftly circulated within.
The incident occurred too fast!
Xu Heli’s eyes narrowed, and the sword hanging at his waist, with its tassel trailing, unsheathed with a clang, its sword light densely interwoven throughout the entire workshop.
“Hahaha! The Xuansi Liu Sword of the Xu family truly lives up to its name, incredibly sharp indeed!”
The moment Xu Heli drew his sword, Zhao Xuanhai had already let go of Li Che’s shoulder with the swiftness of a startled swan and retreated back to his original spot.
Xu Heli, holding his sword, his eyes sharp as lightning, asked, “Divine Catcher Zhao… what’s the meaning of this?”
Zhao Xuanhai smiled and said, “I’ve heard that Master Li is a martial arts prodigy. In just two years of training, he has entered the Bone Tempering stage. Out of curiosity, I decided to verify it.”
Right after, Zhao Xuanhai waved his hand, “Since Master Li is unwilling to take the job, I shall take my leave. It’s a pity… such great skill Master Li has, yet he refuses to accept such rich rewards for free.”
“I will take my leave now.”
After speaking, Zhao Xuanhai turned and headed towards the exit of the wood carving shop.
He put on his hat, didn’t bother with an umbrella, and directly stepped into the wind and rain.
As soon as Zhao Xuanhai left Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop, his eyebrows squeezed together tightly.
“It’s not him?”
“Some left-path martial arts can constrict the blood flow and conceal one’s skills, exploding with power when necessary. The Bull Demon has made several moves, all related to this Li Che…”
“Sun Changbiao, Lei Chunlan, and my good-for-nothing cousin Zhao Chuanxiong… they all have their eyes on Li Che’s Spirit Child daughter.”
“I initially thought Li Che was playing the pig to eat the tiger, but now it seems…”
“Is Li Che really a pig?”
Standing amidst the wind and rain, Zhao Xuanhai’s burly frame rose imposing like a bear, permitting the rain to pummel his body and sketching out a hazy mist around him. He turned his head for one last glance at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop.
“Bull Demon… does it really have anything to do with Xu Ji?”
“Heh… not important.”
Zhao Xuanhai smiled faintly, and continued to walk into the rain.
However, after a few steps, his eyebrows knitted together.
“Strange… just by circulating inside Li Che’s body, why is my Divinity consumed so much?”
“As if something took a big bite out of it?”
…
…
Inside Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop.
Li Che, who had just refused Zhao Xuanhai’s offer, returned to his own workshop.
Feeling the burning heat in his arm, like an angry snake writhing with fury and Divine Power…
He rubbed his fingers together and could not help but slightly curl the corners of his mouth into a small smile.
Divine Catcher, how delicious.
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