"Master Li, congratulations, congratulations! Happy first birthday to Xi Xi!"
White snowflakes danced in the air, landing on the black roof tiles with striking contrast.
The courtyard gates were wide open. The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow echoed continuously, accompanied by an uninterrupted stream of congratulatory voices.
One shadow after another entered the courtyard from outside, each bringing a birthday gift.
They were all familiar faces from the wood carving shop. Li Che and Zhang Ya, adorned in elegant attire, stood at the door greeting their guests.
In the courtyard, the workers from Spring Breeze Building had already set up a pavilion with chairs and tables. A chef set up a stove in one corner and began cooking, delivering fragrant appetizers to each table far in advance.
A total of nine tables were arranged—not too few, considering the many wood carving masters who came with their families. It was lively and festive.
Chen Dabao carried Xi Xi—now dressed in a red jacket and skirt, adorable and exquisitely doll-like—boasting to a group of old acquaintances. His face was brimming with joy; his love and pride overflowed unmistakably.
The eldest uncle's family also arrived. The Old Scholar held a tobacco pipe in his mouth but didn't light it. Beside him were a young couple carrying a baby boy in swaddling clothes. The chubby child observed his surroundings with wide, curious eyes.
"Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, and Cousin-in-law, please come inside!"
Li Che spotted the family, and a gentle smile curved his lips.
*Li Che felt deep gratitude toward his uncle's family. If not for their shelter and care as he grew up, surviving in this chaotic world would have been nowhere near this easy.*
Moreover, his marriage to Zhang Ya was also thanks to his aunt's efforts in arranging it.
The Old Scholar's wrinkled face lit up with a cheerful smile as he looked at the now-prosperous Li Che. *He was filled with emotions.*
"You've made something of yourself, Che."
"Your parents, if they knew, would surely be pleased."
The Old Scholar patted Li Che on the shoulder, his smile radiant.
The Great Aunt retrieved a silver accessory wrapped in a red cloth and handed it to Li Che. "Che, this is Xi Xi's first birthday gift—please accept it."
Li Che did not decline. He solemnly accepted it before turning to his cousin, Li Zhengran, and his cousin-in-law Liu Chunming, who held their baby boy.
"Zhōu Zhōu must be about six months younger than Xi Xi, right? He's almost one year old—can he turn over well now?" Li Che asked with a smile.
"Very well! When his little legs kick, he flips over like a windmill. He's energetic and lively!" Liu Chunming replied warmly to Li Che.
Being fully aware of the significance of becoming a wood carving master at Xu's Wood Carving Shop, Liu Chunming's attitude toward Li Che had grown noticeably warmer than ever before.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Che led his uncle's family to their table.
As the appointed hour arrived, the feast began. The workers from Spring Breeze Building called out dish names as they served each delicacy to the tables.
These days, Li Che possessed the Dao Fruit of the "Immortal Artisan." The woodwork he carved carried rich, profound meaning, making it highly sought after. Although he still couldn't match masters like Old Chen, Li Che had once sold a single piece for fifty taels!
His financial situation had transformed greatly. Though Spring Breeze Building's feast was expensive, he could easily afford it now.
In addition, guests like the wood carving masters brought gifts to the banquet, ensuring the celebration not only broke even but actually yielded a tidy profit.
"Che, the Third Shopkeeper is here!"
Upon hearing this while drinking with several wood carving masters, Li Che hurried to greet the Third Shopkeeper, holding Xi Xi and accompanied by Zhang Ya.
"Haha, Xi Xi's first birthday—I made it a point to come. Here's Xi Xi's birthday present," the Third Shopkeeper, Xu You, said with an easygoing smile.
Xu You was known for his modest demeanor and held great influence within the shop. Of course, his visit wasn't devoid of a subtle intention to win Li Che's favor.
After all, Li Che's wood carvings, brimming with spiritual essence, had become very popular in the Inner City.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper! Xi Xi, thank your Uncle Xu." Li Che chuckled as he held the delicately beautiful Xi Xi.
Xi Xi's big, expressive eyes sparkled. Her long eyelashes and jade-like white skin captivated Xu You. He couldn't resist taking her from Li Che's arms and playing with her for a while. He reluctantly returned her afterward.
"I won't stay for the feast—I've got some pressing matters to attend to. Recently, the Mysterious Temple in the Outer City has been restless, and several evil entities have emerged. Noble families within the Inner City have organized teams to cleanse the area... I need to head out as well," Xu You explained briefly.
Then, he took his leave.
"Manager Xu really is a good person…" Zhang Ya said softly beside him.
Li Che nodded. Xu You was genuinely kind, humble, and devoid of the typical arrogance born of noble family privilege.
But, *Li Che also knew the truth. Rumor had it that, within the Inner City, Xu You was not favored. He had been relegated to manage Xu Ji in the Outer City, effectively removed from the Xu family's power hub.*
*Compared to the Inner City's businesses, Xu Ji's wood carvings in the Outer City were far from a lucrative endeavor.*
"In this world, the gentler someone is, the more they're made to suffer. Cruelty… always finds its way to honest hearts," Old Chen remarked as he approached, his expression complex, shaking his head slightly while gripping his wine cup.
"Take this mission to cleanse the Mysterious Temple's evil entities near the Outer City. Do you think the core heirs of noble families would ever be sent on such a dangerous task?"
"That's why Xu Beihu—despite his formidable cultivation—was spared, while Xu You, weaker and less influential, was assigned. It's simply because Xu You isn't valued by his family," Old Chen sighed heavily.
Li Che watched Xu You's solitary figure disappear into the snowy distance, holding Xi Xi quietly in his arms.
...
...
After more rounds of drinking.
Old Chen, in high spirits today, succumbed to drunken slumber early.
Zhang Ya took Xi Xi to the inner room to coax her to sleep.
Li Che wiped his face with the icy snow to sober up before retiring to the side courtyard workshop in his wing. He lit an oil lamp and resumed crafting mechanisms.
*With a focused mind, information flickered before his gaze.*
...
[Name: Li Che]
[Bond: Daughter (Li Nuanxi)]
[Dao Fruit: Immortal Craft (lv2, 89%), Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv1, 2%)]
...
Li Che's eyes landed on the "Immortal Craft" Dao Fruit. Over the course of a year, its maturity had climbed to 89%. He was now tantalizingly close to pushing it to the lv3 level.
He only needed to complete one more mechanism.
Standing up, he walked to one corner of the workshop and gently rotated a wood carving. At once, a hidden compartment emerged.
From it, he retrieved a statue seated on a blood-red lotus mountain: Guanyin.
Guanyin's expression radiated benevolence, yet upon closer inspection, one could see the entire statue was composed of thousands upon thousands of fine, stacked wooden thorns!
This was precisely one of the three mechanisms in *Tang's Mechanism Essentials* that required no Inner Strength: Guanyin Blood Lotus.
Beside Guanyin Blood Lotus stood two box-like mechanisms. Li Che picked up one, holding it in his palm as it emitted faint mechanical sounds. The box quickly sprouted eight thin spider-like legs that embedded themselves into his hand's skin.
With a flick of Li Che's hand, thin, silver threads shot forth silently, slicing through a piece of wood several meters away with seamless precision. The cut was dazzlingly smooth.
As his five fingers danced, the silver threads filled the room, shrieking with sharp air currents—the sound of splitting, fractured air.
After a long while, the countless silver threads streaked back like lightning into the box.
"What a brilliant Thousand Thread Spider. Even using my Skin Refinement with minor accomplishment to control it, ordinary martial artists in the Sinew Transforming stage wouldn't stand a chance against the spider web's onslaught."
"But martial cultivation doesn't stop there. Once one reaches Sinew Transforming, they begin Inner Strength training. According to Old Chen, Inner Strength augments power threefold to fourfold. Coupled with martial techniques based on Inner Strength, the killing force becomes immense…"
*"I can't afford carelessness.*"
*"I must focus on increasing my own combat abilities first. If I can develop Inner Strength to drive the Thousand Thread Spider, its power will become exponentially greater!"*
Li Che placed the Thousand Thread Spider and Guanyin Blood Lotus mechanisms back into the hidden compartment.
He returned to his work table under the glow of the oil lamp, trying to craft other mechanisms from *Tang's Mechanism Essentials.*
*However, without Inner Strength or abundant Qi-Blood, his attempts at crafting mechanisms during this time all resulted in failure.*
*Still, the setbacks didn't bother Li Che. Failure meant gaining experience, and once he cultivated Inner Strength, he would be able to complete these mechanisms in one decisive effort.*
Suddenly.
Picking up the engraving knife, Li Che's brow furrowed slightly.
He stepped out of the workshop and strode swiftly to the courtyard gate, peering into the distance. His eyes locked on a black shadow moving like lightning, shattering the darkness before vanishing into the night.
Li Che's gaze sharpened instantly, glancing downward.
There lay a familiar figure…
A Three-Headed Six-Armed Spirit Infant Statue.
Only, this time, its eyes were not in the usual closed-open alternation, but were wide open in rage.
The statue seemed to be glaring at him fiercely!