https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-5-The-Spirit-Child-Dharma-Master-and-Master-Carver/12831055/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-7-The-Four-Armed-Bodhisattva-Embracing-a-Child/12831057/
Chapter 6: Hobbies Challenging Professions, the Tang Mechanisms
Chapter 6: Hobbies Challenging Professions, the Tang Mechanisms
Although Chen Dabao and Li Che were good friends, a laborer who moved wood and finished statues every day had no hope of passing the master's exam.
At least, from Chen Dabao's perspective, he saw no hope of Li Che becoming a certified woodcarver.
Even if Li Che practiced carving with scrap wood from the shop after work, learning woodcarving wasn't that simple.
Given Li Che's situation, he could only be considered to have an interest in woodcarving, not a formal education.
And challenging someone's profession and livelihood with just an interest... that was a bit presumptuous.
Li Che didn't bother to explain or argue.
What did he have to argue with?
His eyes gleamed, and the Dao Fruit of Master Craftsmanship throbbed slightly, radiating a warm light that illuminated his path forward.
He had his trump card...
"Li, if I were you, this year... I'd try to learn some farming techniques. Even without strength, at least you could stand up and protect your child with your fists when needed."
Chen Dabao stood up, patted Li Che on the shoulder, and returned to the workshop to continue his woodcarving.
Li Che pondered for a moment and found Chen Dabao's suggestion quite reasonable...
"Farming techniques... I need a way to learn them. With the Dao Fruit of Master Craftsmanship, perhaps... I can design some mechanisms to serve as a precaution."
"Although that Old Lady Lei usually strikes a year after a child is born, what if something happens?"
Li Che took a deep breath and made up his mind.
Without further thought, he continued his work, moving wood and statues.
Perhaps because they learned that Li Che was also going to take the woodcarving exam, many of the apprentices looked at him with strange and wary eyes. Some even refused to let Li Che move the finished woodcarvings.
For a while, Li Che found himself idle in the woodcarving shop.
Only a few of the old masters and regular customers still sought him out. Li Che, content with the break, began to think about mechanisms.
But after some thought, he had no idea where to start.
He felt he needed to seek out Old Chen, who might have some leads.
"Mechanisms? You want to set up some mechanisms to protect your child. That's not a bad idea... it could work."
"But setting up mechanisms is a science. Even I don't understand the more advanced ones. However, I do have an ancient book on mechanisms in my library."
Old Chen, hearing Li Che's question, paused his carving and smiled.
Li Che rubbed his hands together, his eyes brightening.
Many in the shop knew that Master Chen had a library filled with many precious ancient texts.
Old Chen glanced at Li Che and raised a finger. "I can lend you the ancient book, but I, Old Chen, never do business at a loss. This ancient book is rare and valuable... one silver coin for a day's borrowing."
One silver coin a day?
Li Che took a deep breath. It wasn't cheap.
But Li Che nodded decisively, agreeing to the terms.
"Wow, so decisive. That's a good father, willing to do anything for your daughter's safety. If you tried to haggle, it would be more than one silver coin a day."
"Given your fatherly love, I'll lower it to fifty large Jing copper coins a day."
Chen Dabao stroked his beard and smiled.
Li Che was delighted and hurriedly thanked Chen Dabao. Who wouldn't want to save money?
"I'll bring it to you tomorrow. Remember to bring enough money."
Chen Dabao said this and then returned to his carving.
As time passed, the sky grew dark.
Li Che collected his wages for the day—only fifteen copper coins, nearly a third less than usual.
But he wasn't bothered. After collecting his pay, he carefully wrapped the scrap wood he had selected and carried it home.
Now, bringing some scrap wood home each day to practice and gain experience with the Dao Fruit of Master Craftsmanship had become a habit for Li Che.
Today, he had carved a new statue, which should give him some more experience.
The constant pressure of Old Lady Lei's threat, like an unrelenting shadow, made Li Che feel an urgent need to improve himself quickly.
He hurried home, and upon seeing his wife, Zhang Ya, playing with Xi Xi on the bed with the wooden toys he had carved, his tense heart relaxed.
"Xi Xi, did you miss your old dad?" Li Che's heart eased, and he smiled warmly, opening his arms to Xi Xi.
The month-old Xi Xi, with her delicate and adorable appearance, lay on the bed, cooing and waving her tiny hands, full of the sweet scent of milk.
Lee Zhi laughed as he picked up his little girl, wandering around the cramped room, making the little girl giggle nonstop.
After playing with Xi Xi for a while, Zhang Ya prepared dinner.
After dinner, Lee Zhi, by the light of an oil lamp, took out some scrap wood and began working on today's wood carving.
In truth, the variety of wood carvings in the shop was limited. As Lee Zhi touched each piece, it might take several days to find a new design from the master carvers.
Since the Dao Fruit of Master Craftsmanship had already been upgraded to Level 2, he could now carve a piece much faster.
[Dao Fruit: Master Craftsmanship (Level 2, 9%)]
His experience had increased a bit.
Lee Zhi's lips curled into a smile, and his eyes narrowed as he decided to try making a mechanism.
However, he had no real concept of mechanisms, so he started thinking about highly lethal crossbows, sketching designs on paper.
...
...
The sky was faintly bright, the east turning a pale white.
Beyond the misty mountains, clouds surged, and large snowflakes drifted down, wrapping the entire Thunderfly City in a white blanket.
Lee Zhi got up early, washed up, and started preparing breakfast. Zhang Ya tried to get up to help, but Lee Zhi gently pushed her back down.
"Xi Xi was crying all night. You need to soothe her to sleep. You should rest a bit more, my dear. You can eat when you wake up."
Lee Zhi gently patted Zhang Ya, who was still drowsy with disheveled hair, and she nodded, lying back down to sleep.
After finishing everything, Lee Zhi placed the breakfast in a warm pot.
He then left the earthen house, stepping on the thick snow, heading towards the wood carving shop.
Walking down the long street paved with blue stones, the wind and snow howled, but the clanging sounds of metal and the blaring of horns and flutes could still be heard.
"The Holy Spirit teaches, cleansing the dust, the reincarnation without worry, achieved by the wise without instruction..."
The chanting drifted down the street, accompanied by the continuous trampling of feet on the snow-covered blue stones.
Lee Zhi squinted, standing by the roadside, lowering his hood to glance at the red shrine carried by the crowd in the narrow procession.
Inside the shrine was a lifelike statue of a three-headed, six-armed child, its eyes gleaming with life, clearly the work of a master.
Behind the procession, a group of believers dressed in white followed, men and women, old and young, their gaunt faces filled with madness.
"The Spirit Infants Sect..." Lee Zhi took a deep breath, a fierce look flashing in his eyes.
No matter what the Spirit Infants Sect's leader claimed, Xi Xi was his treasure, his everything. His wife and child were what he wanted to protect.
If they dared to touch Xi Xi, they would destroy his family. Even if he died, he would take a piece of them with him.
Clenching his fists, Lee Zhi braved the wind and snow, heading straight for Xu's Wood Carving Shop.
At that moment, his desire to become a formal wood carver at the shop became even stronger.
It wasn't just because becoming a wood carver meant getting a house and protection from the shop, but also because it granted him the opportunity to learn internal energy techniques and martial arts...
While the [Master Craftsmanship] Dao Fruit had given Lee Zhi a significant boost, it ultimately only enhanced his talent in craftsmanship.
It did little to improve his personal combat skills.
Upon arriving at the shop, the atmosphere was tense, and many apprentices were not working, conserving their energy.
Lee Zhi immediately understood that today was likely the day of the wood carving exam.
Chen Dabao, sipping from a gourd of aged yellow wine, was sitting on a bench with his legs crossed, humming contentedly.
"Little Li, come here."
Old Chen waved at Lee Zhi.
Lee Zhi's eyes brightened, the dark mood from seeing the Spirit Infants Sect's procession lifting, and he hurried over. Old Chen pulled out a yellowed, leather-bound book from his chest.
"This book, Tang's Mechanism Records, is one of my treasured ancient texts, though I haven't studied it much. It contains many secret techniques for mechanisms, but they require skilled hands. Some even need internal energy and martial arts to operate. Of course, you can try the simpler ones. They should be enough to deal with most non-martial artists."
"Thank you, Old Chen." Lee Zhi's face was filled with excitement as he handed over fifty copper coins to Chen Dabao and took the book.
The moment his fingers touched the ancient text, the [Master Craftsmanship] Dao Fruit in his chest...
Throbbed!
(End of Chapter)
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