https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-36-The-Essence-of-Purity-the-Foundation-of-Immortality/12831098/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-38-Seeking-No-Justice-The-Ox-Demon-s-Reappearance/12932854/
Chapter 37: Spirit Nurturing Crane, Spirit Child as Bait
Chapter 37: Spirit Nurturing Crane, Spirit Child as Bait
Li Che hummed a little tune, feeling extremely pleased. He made a special trip to the stewed meat shop in the west of the city and specifically bought two pounds of pig's head meat, planning to have a good drink with Old Xu and Lao Chen in the evening.
Having obtained the third Dao Fruit in this life, his foundation for establishing himself in this world had increased, and his mood was naturally elated.
The long street was covered in snow.
Because Xi Xi's birthday was during the cold winter, every time her birthday approached, heavy snow would accompany it.
The piercing coldness was bone-chilling, but the current Li Che, with his perfected Bone Tempering and robust qi and blood, was unafraid of the cold.
Suddenly, Li Che felt a slight tingling sensation on his scalp, and in his chest, the newly obtained Dao Fruit, the Pure Heart, throbbed.
Li Che halted and frowned.
It was a feeling of being watched.
Under the hood, his face suddenly lifted, and as he looked into the distance on the snowy street, he saw an old man leading a child with a Natacha braid staring at him in a daze.
Li Che felt puzzled. There were many people coming and going on the street, so why was this old man staring at him? It couldn't be because of the pig's head meat in his hand, could it?
Li Che looked back and saw that the old man, leading the child with the Natacha braid, averted his gaze.
Feeling something was amiss, Li Che became alert.
However, Li Che was only cautious in his mind, and as he passed by the old man, even when they were far apart, the old man made no move.
Li Che relaxed, thinking he had been too cautious and was about to record this old man in his mental notes.
...
...
"Master, what's wrong?" Lu Chi noticed his master's unusual behavior and asked.
The old man closed his eyes, dispelling the Perception Art, and shook his head, feeling a deep sense of regret and sorrow.
"What a pity... truly a shame..."
"Flawless and pure, as clear as water, like a blank sheet of paper..."
"There is such a pure and white newborn Divinity in the world..."
"This Divinity is highly malleable, but what a pity... it resides in a young man, a Sinew Opening warrior, and at his age, it's too late."
"A Spirit Child in his twenties? How strange."
"The cultivation of Divinity by Spirit Children and Spirit Infants differs from that of ordinary warriors. They are born with Divinity, so they can start cultivating their Nature from the beginning, nurturing their own Divinity. By the time they reach adulthood, they will likely have cultivated their Nature to the extent of 'Nature like a lamp,' giving them a chance to forge their Divine Foundation before the age of thirty and possibly condense their Divine Form before the age of sixty."
The old man shook his head. He had used the Perception Art and witnessed the pure white Divinity within Li Che, and indeed, his heart had stirred.
Unfortunately, this Divinity was not within a tender child but a burly man.
"He's a bit old, and his martial cultivation has only reached Sinew Opening, far from Blood Exchange. It will be difficult for him to forge his Divine Foundation before the age of thirty."
"Such a waste of Divinity."
...
...
Upon returning to Xuji Woodcarving Shop, Li Che's mind was still occupied by the old man.
It was mysterious, and vaguely, it gave him a strong sense of crisis. The warning from the Dao Fruit was undoubtedly not without reason.
Fortunately, Li Che had always lived a harmonious life and had not encountered any troublesome matters.
"Thunder City is becoming more chaotic, with various forces and powerful individuals emerging one after another."
Li Che shook his head.
Back in the courtyard, Xi Xi was being taught by Xu You, learning to nurture her Divinity.
"Xi Xi is a Spirit Child with abundant Divinity. Starting her cultivation early and establishing a solid foundation will benefit her future. For Divinity cultivators, age milestones are crucial."
Xu You, dressed in white with a sword at his waist, smiled as he saw Li Che return.
"Oh, Ah Che, the shop has formed a small patrol team consisting of woodcarving masters. You should also participate in the patrols. I've arranged shifts for each woodcarving master, keeping you and Lao Chen's shifts separate to ensure Xi Xi's safety."
If both Lao Chen and Li Che left at the same time, Xi Xi's safety would be at risk, and Xu You had made this arrangement with this in mind.
Night fell.
Xu You and Li Che walked side by side on the snow-covered alley, patrolling the Xuji compound and protecting the safety of the woodcarving masters' families living there.
Li Che carried a long spear, openly practicing the "Xuji Eight-Linked Bone Shattering Spear." With his perfected Sinew Opening and advanced spear skills, he had earned the title of "Genius" within the Xuji compound.
After two years of martial arts training, progressing from Skin Grinding to perfected Sinew Opening, his skills were naturally impressive.
"A few days ago, the Yang Family Compound in the Outer City, established by the Yang Family from the Inner City, was attacked and breached by the Spirit Infancy Sect's thugs..."
Xu You placed his hand on the sword hilt, gazing at the dark sky, and said solemnly.
Li Che's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't heard this news.
"The Spirit Infancy Sect's thugs are so rampant?" Li Che asked gravely.
"There are many powerful cultivators in the Spirit Infancy Sect. After being expelled from the Inner City, they settled in the Outer City and targeted the Spirit Children of various families. Several woodcarving masters in the Yang Family Compound were killed, and one of the Spirit Children was abducted."
Xu You's fingers clenched, and his veins popped out.
"Because... news of Divine Sect Cultivators descending to Thunder City has spread."
"The Spirit Infancy Sect must act before the Divine Sect Cultivators arrive in Thunder City; otherwise, the truly exceptional Spirit Children will be taken away by the Divine Sect Cultivators."
"So, these days, the Spirit Infancy Sect has gone completely insane."
"Hasn't the Xuji in the Inner City sent any powerful cultivators to oversee the Outer City?" Li Che furrowed his brows, unable to hold back his question.
Xu You fell silent at these words.
"The Xuji in the Inner City..."
"It's not a big issue, we can handle it on our own..." Xu You forced a weak smile.
But Li Che noticed a hint of sorrow and helplessness on his face.
...
...
In the Inner City of Thunder City, within the Golden Radiance Pavilion.
A gentle breeze blew through the corridor, causing the curtains to flutter.
A figure, bowing slightly, walked along the corridor and soon arrived at a suspended pavilion inside the Golden Radiance Pavilion.
In the center of the pavilion, a hot stove was boiling water.
Si Mu Bai sat in a chair, with a beautiful woman by his side. She wore light makeup, and her graceful appearance complemented her elegant tea-brewing skills.
"Young Master, Zhao Chuanxiong has arrived."
A deep voice came from outside the door.
Zhao Chuanxiong, dressed in casual attire with a sword at his waist, stepped into the pavilion.
"Young Master Si, what brings you to summon me?" Zhao Chuanxiong's face was filled with a flattering smile, and he spoke with a hint of deference.
Although he was an official patrol officer, he was only an Outer City patrol captain, so he didn't have much confidence when dealing with the young master of his superior's family.
"I heard... you fought the Ox Demon and survived?"
Si Mu Bai sipped the tea prepared by the beautiful tea master, not even glancing at Zhao Chuanxiong below him, and said indifferently.
Zhao Chuanxiong was taken aback by his words, never expecting Si Mu Bai to bring him here to discuss such a topic.
His face soon showed a subtle change in expression.
Because he had initially approached the Ox Demon as the deputy incense master of the Spirit Infancy Sect, and together with the Eight Trigram Staff Warrior, they had fought the Ox Demon...
Did Si Mu Bai know his identity? Zhao Chuanxiong's heart skipped a beat, and his face twitched.
"Rest assured, your identity is no longer a secret. Not only do I know about you, but I'm also aware of the identities of many others within your Spirit Infancy Sect."
Si Mu Bai finished his tea and toyed with the jade teacup, a smile that wasn't quite a smile on his face.
"I have a cooperation with your Sect Master, and I've shown my sincerity. Your Sect Master will also reciprocate with sincerity. He promised to carve a second-tier Spirit Nurturing Crane for me, but it requires a Spirit Child as a catalyst..."
Zhao Chuanxiong's face fell at these words: "Young Master Si, do you want me to find another Spirit Child in the Outer City and bring them to you?"
"But Young Master Si, in the past two years, almost all the Spirit Children in the Outer City have been taken, and the remaining ones have poor spiritual qualities, they're just ordinary... completely useless."
"Even the Spirit Child from the Yang Family Compound was taken away recently..."
"So, finding another Spirit Child will take some time, perhaps until a new batch of infants are born."
Zhao Chuanxiong exhaled.
Si Mu Bai: "Isn't there still an Upper Rank Spirit Child in the Xuji Woodcarving Shop?"
Zhao Chuanxiong immediately thought of Li Che and the incident at the woodcarving shop where a disciple died, all because of the Upper Rank Spirit Child who had caused the Sect Master to send the Three-Headed Six-Armed Wrathful Divine Infants Statue.
"You mean... the woodcarving master Li Che's daughter?"
Zhao Chuanxiong asked tentatively.
Si Mu Bai toyed with the teacup, his face cold and indifferent: "Are there any other Upper Rank Spirit Children?"
Zhao Chuanxiong's face twitched: "I won't hide it from you, Young Master Si... I suspect that the Ox Demon, the murderous culprit, might have a connection with the Xuji."
"I..."
Si Mu Bai waved his hand: "No need to explain, I know what you're afraid of..."
"You've been keeping a low profile this year, never going out alone, all to avoid the Ox Demon, right?"
"You used Sun Changbiao's widow as bait to lure the Ox Demon, and you can be considered to have fought him. Later, when the Eight Trigram Staff Warrior died, you became scared..."
Zhao Chuanxiong didn't feel embarrassed; what was there to be embarrassed about when it came to survival? And what right did the dead Eight Trigram Staff Warrior have to feel embarrassed now? Without life, everything was lost.
"From the Ox Demon's actions, it seems he has a grudge against the Spirit Infancy Sect, and he also has some connection with the Xuji."
"This Ox Demon most likely came from the Xuji."
Si Mu Bai leaned back in the yellow pear wood armchair, his long fingers tapping lightly on the table.
"I'm also curious... who exactly is this Ox Demon from the Xuji?"
"Who could it be? It can't be Xu Helai, nor Xu Beihu, and it's even less likely to be Xu's third child..."
"Whoever it is, as long as it's not him."
Si Mu Bai's eyes seemed to hold a mix of laughter and tears as he looked at Zhao Chuanxiong.
"Just do as I say, and I'll take care of the Ox Demon for you."
"If that Ox Demon wants to kill you so badly... then let him come and kill you."
Zhao Chuanxiong's face darkened, and his heart... was tempted!
If he could really get rid of the Ox Demon, he would be able to live without constant fear.
The Ox Demon must die; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat in peace. The image of the Eight Trigram Staff Warrior's death was still vivid in his mind, like a nightmare! Zhao Chuanxiong's eyes flickered...
But he still felt apprehensive...
After all, Si Mu Bai's plan to get rid of the Ox Demon...
Was a damn ploy to use him as bait!
No, it was to bait the Ox! He had been hiding for so long, and he feared that...
If the Ox wasn't caught, he, the bait... would be the first to go!
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(End of Chapter)
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