https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-32-The-Sleeping-Dragon-and-Elephant-the-Bull-Demon-s-Eight-Trigram-Killing/12831094/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-34-Daughter-at-Two-Years-Old-Dao-Fruit-Purity-of-Heart-/12831096/
Chapter 33: The Spirit Infant Parade and the Righteous Drink
Chapter 33: The Spirit Infant Parade and the Righteous Drink
The howling wind and snow carried a sense of desolation.
Lee Zhe was dressed in black, wearing a hood, his face grave.
Beside him were his uncle's family.
They braved the increasingly violent storm, not having the time to be startled by the recent fight in the courtyard. The family's only thought was to escape to Xu's Woodcarving Shop.
Stepping on the cobblestone streets, the road was nearly empty due to the storm, with most people hurrying along with their heads down.
The whole way, everyone was silent, not a word spoken.
Suddenly.
Lee Zhe halted, the snow pushed aside by his sudden stop forming a small mound.
Through the misty snow, a hint of warmth was discernible.
Clanging sounds came from the other end of the street, mixed with the sounds of drums, trumpets, and devout chanting, forming a eerie symphony that made one's hair stand on end.
"By the holy spirit, cleanse the world, the method of rebirth without worry, achieved by the wise without teaching..."
The soft and soothing melody carried through the snow.
There were bare-chested men wearing children's masks, carrying a shrine.
On the shrine was a statue of a Spirit Infant with three heads and six arms. The infant's three heads showed expressions of anger, sorrow, and joy, with eyes that seemed to be real, embedded in the statue.
The procession was neatly lined up, with dozens of people, all members of the cult, parading the Spirit Infant through the streets!
Women with graceful figures, wearing girls' masks, held flower baskets and scattered petals to the music, their beauty competing with the snow.
Lee Zhe's brows furrowed, and he instructed his uncle's family to keep their heads down and not look.
However, this time, the Spirit Infant parade did not pass by them as peacefully as before.
Amid the flying snow, the Spirit Infants saw the uncle's family and the baby Li Chengzhou in his aunt Liu Chunming's arms, and they seemed to get excited.
They danced in strange steps, wearing children's masks, twisting their bodies like demons from hell, gradually closing in.
A heavy sense of oppression filled the air, enveloping them in the storm!
Uncle Li Liang was drenched in sweat, his legs trembling.
Cousin Li Zhengran's eyes were red, gripping a hatchet.
Aunt and Cousin Liu Chunming were terrified, having never seen such a spectacle, almost crying as they clutched the frightened Li Chengzhou.
Lee Zhe took a step forward, his blood surging, his skin turning red, displaying his perfected cultivation.
"In broad daylight, what do you intend to do? Snatch a child?!"
"Do you still have any respect for the law and the government?!"
Lee Zhe roared, his voice powerful enough to slightly intimidate the cult members.
But the drums and trumpets sounded again, and the masked cult members once more surrounded them, closing in, their eyes glinting with greed and malevolence.
Lee Zhe clenched his fists.
He thought... they were wearing masks!
As they drew closer, a unique aura began to permeate the air, disrupting the mind and affecting emotions!
Lee Zhe's heart chilled... divine power?
It wasn't strong, just a trace, but it was deadly for ordinary people!
Suddenly.
The snow exploded, and a figure darted from the distance, landing in front of Lee Zhe and his uncle's family like a cannonball.
A surge of powerful qi erupted, inner strength bursting forth, creating a violent storm that scattered the approaching cult members.
"I am... the third manager of Xu's Woodcarving Shop, Xu You."
"Gentlemen, in broad daylight, this kind of coercion is excessive. Fei Lei City... is not yet a place where the Spirit Infant Cult can act as they please."
A figure in a fox fur cloak, with snow-white clothes and flying black hair, spoke with a cold demeanor.
Lee Zhe was taken aback, not expecting the third manager Xu You to appear. Since the hunt outside the city for the demonic creature, Xu You had been out of touch. Now he appeared in such a situation.
Xu You's qi was like a raging fire, his inner strength surging, standing there with an overwhelming presence.
The cult members scattered, and the trace of divine power dissipated with the snow.
No words were exchanged.
The cult members, carrying the shrine, dancing and scattering petals to the sounds of drums and trumpets, gradually moved away, disappearing into the snow.
The evil aura seemed to fade with them.
Uncle's family finally breathed a sigh of relief, with Aunt feeling as if she had survived a disaster, unable to stop her quiet sobs.
Lee Zhe bowed, sincerely saying, "Thank you, Third Manager."
Xu You turned around, his face more weathered than before, with an additional scar on his refined and elegant features.
He looked at Lee Zhe and smiled, "I just returned from dealing with the evil entity at the strange temple outside the city, and I saw this situation..."
"Seeing it was you, I stepped in. Xu's reputation... the Spirit Infant Cult still respects it for now."
Lee Zhi bowed again, recounting his uncle’s family situation. Xu You sighed, "The Spirit Infant Sect... They’re becoming more and more lawless."
"However, those who are destined to fall will first go mad. Someone will eventually put an end to them."
"Alright, your uncle’s family can move into the Xu Family Compound. They can find a quiet courtyard, but... they’ll need to pay rent."
Woodcarvers living in the compound didn’t have to pay rent, and while Lee Zhi’s uncle’s family had his backing, they didn’t have the right to live in the Xu Family Compound. However, Xu You relaxed the conditions, so the rent couldn’t be waived.
"Don’t worry. Considering you’re a Genius Woodcarver, the rent will be discounted."
Xu You smiled.
"I won’t return to the compound with you. I’ll go to the murder scene you mentioned... A Bone Tempered Warrior was killed, and the culprit wore a Bull Demon mask. Is this the Bull Demon? Quite intriguing."
Xu You spoke briefly and then left, disappearing in a single step with his hands behind his back.
Lee Zhi watched Xu You’s disappearing figure, letting out a breath. Allowing his uncle’s family to move into the Xu Family Compound seemed like Xu You’s way of showing goodwill and trying to win him over...
After all, he had the potential to become a master woodcarver.
It was normal for Xu You to try to recruit him.
...
...
Peaceful Alley.
Amidst the snow and wind.
Several figures arrived one after another, their powerful vital energy intertwining in the air.
Xu You, wrapped in a Fox Cloak, walked in with his hands behind his back. The courtyard was already filled with more than one person.
Zhao Chuanxiong, a broad-shouldered man with a saber at his waist, looked at the dead Bagua Staff Warrior with a grim expression. His knuckles were white, and his eyes were filled with both ferocity and... fear.
In addition to Zhao Chuanxiong, there were three other figures, all with strong vital energy, indicating they were skilled martial artists.
Xu You recognized them as managers of the Inner City noble families' properties in the Outer City.
Like him, they weren’t particularly favored within their clans but held prestigious positions in the Outer City.
There were four major noble families in the Inner City: the Yang, Xu, An, and Si families.
Besides Zhao Chuanxiong, the other three were from the Yang, An, and Si families.
"Beaten to death with sheer force. A Bone Tempered Warrior at the peak with ten thousand pounds of strength, combined with a martial technique, shattered this man’s chest bones and internal organs. He was completely crushed, with no chance to resist..."
"From the method of death, it’s hard to determine what martial technique the culprit used..."
"There are survivors in this household. We can question them to find out the culprit’s appearance."
"But in the Outer City, the only one capable of killing a Bone Tempered Warrior is likely the wanted criminal, the Bull Demon."
"This Bull Demon just committed a crime in the Inner City, killing a Spirit Infant Sect disciple favored by the Law Master. Now, he’s killed a Spirit Infant Sect deputy incense master in the Outer City... Truly audacious."
Si Liuxian, the manager of the Si family’s Outer City properties, looked at Xu You and smiled, "Third Young Master Xu, interested in joining forces to capture this Bull Demon?"
"Si Liuxian... Your Si family is involved with the Spirit Infant Sect, but my Xu family isn’t. The Bull Demon... is clearly targeting the Spirit Infant Sect. The people he killed were all evil-doers who harmed innocent children. In my view, it’s a righteous act."
"He’s done what we dare not. I applaud him and wish to share a drink with him, calling him a great hero. Why would I want to capture him?"
Xu You glanced at Si Liuxian with a faint smile, then sneered.
Si Liuxian’s face darkened.
Xu You scanned the Bagua Staff Warrior, whose body was covered in cracks and had been hammered to death. His eyes narrowed, seemingly recognizing something, then he turned and left.
Zhao Chuanxiong, standing nearby with his head bowed, didn’t dare speak.
While these noble family disciples weren’t favored in the Inner City and were far from the center of power, they were still scions of great families.
Zhao Chuanxiong had no right to act arrogantly in front of them.
Of course, he was also extremely anxious...
The last time he and the Bagua Staff Warrior hunted the Bull Demon together...
And now, the Bagua Staff Warrior was dead, presumably in retaliation.
Next...
Would it be him?
The Bull Demon... In just a month, he had advanced from early Bone Tempered to peak Bone Tempered, capable of delivering ten thousand pounds of force, enough to kill the Bagua Staff Warrior.
Terrifying, too terrifying...
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.
Zhao Chuanxiong’s forehead was drenched in sweat, and he couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat running down his back.
What should he do?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
