Ever since Sun Changbiao's death, his four daughters had been taken away by Steward Sun, while Madame Liu—who led Sun Changbiao into joining the Spirit Infant Sect—was so terrified that she miscarried. Furthermore, due to her affiliation with the sect, she was expelled from Xu's Courtyard by Second Shopkeeper Xu Beihu.
Steward Sun found an estate outside the city to house Madame Liu during her recovery.
Sun Changbiao's four daughters had not joined the Spirit Infant Sect, and so Li Che did not kill them. Madame Liu, however, was a different story…
She voluntarily joined the sect and was the key culprit behind instigating Sun Changbiao to harm Li Che's daughter.
At the time, Li Che spared her life in order to secure a witness to guide critical testimony…
*Yet Li Che feared this woman would continue to lead Spirit Infant Sect followers to endanger Xi Xi in the future.*
Hence…
It was time to clean up the loose ends.
Changing into his traveling outfit, Li Che plunged into the blustery snow. Moments later, he arrived south of Fei Lei City.
An abandoned courtyard lay ahead, blanketed under layers of soft, heavy snow.
Within the yard, a furnace blazed, the bubbling water boiling and releasing warm steam that filled the room.
Li Che, his face concealed by a mask, donned a wide-brimmed hat and a black robe. Moving like a shadow, he hugged the wall as he dropped silently into the courtyard, his steps muffled completely by the snow. Rising and falling, he headed directly toward the house.
Inside the house, incense sticks burned relentlessly, as gray smoke coiled and permeated the air.
Li Che poked a small hole through the paper window with his finger and peered in. There he saw a skinny figure kneeling in front of a "Three Heads and Six Arms Angry Spirit Infant Statue," repeatedly kowtowing and rubbing her hands together.
"The Holy Spirit teaches purification from the mortal realm, the worry-free method of reincarnation into higher wisdom without instruction…"
"Oh Supreme Deity, I, a humble woman, will ensure Madam Li's Spirit Infant is restored. Please bless my child with rebirth into this world…"
Madame Liu recited devoutly, kneeling with utmost reverence.
As Li Che took in the sight of the angry Spirit Infant Statue, a faint twitch rippled across the skin beneath his Cute Bull Mask. His pupils slowly filled with killing intent.
Raising an arm, his sleeve crossbow unleashed a speeding arrow!
BAM!
The bolt penetrated the head of the angry Spirit Infant Statue, pinning it directly to the wall.
The sudden commotion instantly alarmed Madame Liu inside, and as she froze in terror, Li Che wasted no time. Another bolt from the sleeve crossbow pierced through Madame Liu's throat.
Madame Liu's eyes widened. She turned her body, locking her gaze firmly on the direction from where Li Che had shot the arrow.
Her expression betrayed no fear of death. Despite blood bubbling and gurgling from her throat, her face contorted into a maniacal grin.
"Deputy Incense Master… help…"
Li Che remained eerily calm.
*It was a trap, but it was expected.*
He stomped down hard, shaking the ground as an explosion of snow erupted in all directions. His massive, mountain-like frame shot outward from the courtyard like a missile.
"You cowardly thief, where do you think you're going!"
A chilling, spine-shivering scream—half laugh and half cry—suddenly echoed outside the courtyard.
Li Che's pupils darted toward the sound. There he saw a figure leaping toward him, clad in a gray robe, with a knife strapped at the waist and wearing a weeping boy mask. His fiery eyes seemed to burn with intensity.
Beside him stood another hulking figure wearing a little girl mask. She crouched atop the courtyard wall with a Bagua Staff slung across her back, her eyes holding an amused, mocking glint.
A surge of Qi-Blood radiated outward with startling ferocity, melting the surrounding snow while the murderous intent filled the air. The whirlwinds roared like ghostly wails!
"Of course, deliberately assassinating our Spirit Infant Sect followers… Who exactly are you?"
An icy voice emerged from the figure with the knife.
Li Che stared at the knife-wielding man and felt a sense of familiarity. Lowering his voice, he rasped a probing reply that echoed throughout the courtyard: "Zhao Chuanxiong?"
The courtyard fell silent. After a long pause, a low, guttural laugh reverberated.
BANG!
Suddenly, a burst of blinding blade light exploded forth, the sharp sword energy whipping violently within the courtyard.
Li Che stomped the snow underfoot with force, his movement resonating like the cry of a Divine Dragon and the wail of a Giant Elephant!
The piled-up snow shattered, flinging like concealed weapons in every direction!
Amid the swirling blade light appeared a thick snow mound.
Hmm?
With one slash, the blade cleaved the snow apart—but in doing so, its force diminished by half. In the next instant, he felt a subtle hum slicing through the air—something sharp was cutting at an alarming speed!
From beneath the mask, his eyes narrowed sharply.
Threads!
Silver threads!
Thin and razor-like!
The long blade swung horizontally, feeling a faint friction against its surface before throwing out a spray of sparks.
Soon, the resounding "whoosh whoosh whoosh" of speeding projectile streaks filled the air… three arrows raced simultaneously toward him!
Damn it!
For someone so tall and big, their methods were unnervingly insidious and ruthless!
The boy-masked Deputy Incense Master rolled his blade with precision, sending blade light spreading in defense. Moving back through the snow, he clashed three times with the arrows, finally deflecting them all.
Before he could catch his breath.
Underneath Li Che's Cute Bull Mask, his eyes seemed to ignite with fiery rage. Raising his arm, his muscles tightened like bowstrings pulled taut to their limit!
His body propelled forward like a military crossbow, the nearly two-meter tall frame exerting a formidable coercive force.
He struck with his fist, akin to a bullet flying through the air, smashing into the snowy sky and turning falling snowflakes into a misty haze!
It wasn't a martial technique—just a simple yet devastating punch.
In one fleeting moment, it landed squarely in front of the Deputy Incense Master.
The blade swung violently, skimming close to Li Che's fist as sword energy erupted, forcefully resisting the strike. Yet the sheer two-thousand-pound force unleashed tore at the air currents, crushing them downward!
With a deafening bang, the impact reverberated harshly against the Deputy Incense Master's boy mask, causing it to shatter into countless pieces. His disheveled hair revealed a face Li Che recognized instantly.
"Zhao Chuanxiong…"
Li Che stared icily at the revealed face and confirmed the Deputy Incense Master's identity—he was, indeed, the arrest officer from the yamen.
Killing Madame Liu and identifying Zhao Chuanxiong…
Li Che had achieved everything he set out for today.
"Attack now! Stop staring! Kill this venomous and cunning brute, the Bull Demon!"
Zhao Chuanxiong's expression turned incredibly grim, his glare fixed intensely on the Cute Bull Mask that seemed to him like the face of a devil.
A devil bearing true-to-form thousand-pound bull power!
The figure on the courtyard wall stood as well, slowly drawing the Bagua Staff from her back as tremendous waves of Qi-Blood surged violently around her.
"This Bull Demon appears to have achieved Bone Tempering Minor Accomplishment. Comparable to our levels and definitely not to be underestimated!"
Zhao Chuanxiong said coldly.
"Heh, if he doesn't even know martial techniques… what's there to fear?"
The girl-masked figure sneered before leaping downward in a single motion, gripping her staff tightly and charging toward Li Che.
Li Che furrowed his brow, sensing the increased danger.
*It seemed time to unleash his full strength.*
Lightly tapping his toes against the ground, Li Che propelled himself backward, the sleeves of his robe suddenly inflating with air.
"Bull Demon! Take my Bagua Staff technique!"
One strike from the staff sent shockwaves rippling outward, casting numerous overlapping illusions of staff shadows meant to disorient the senses!
Its might shook the surroundings, splitting gusts of wind and driving snow to the sides like wild streams!
A martial technique!
Li Che instantly felt the overwhelming pressure, for though he had trained in combat, he had yet to learn martial techniques…
However, Li Che did not panic. His five fingers stretched and snapped forward, and immediately, a dense web of Thousand Spider Threads spread across the courtyard, twisting and weaving furiously!
Through his Dao Fruit as an Immortal Artisan, which had reached Level 2 and verged upon Level 3, not only was he skilled at crafting mechanisms, but also had mastered their exquisite application!
The myriad silver spider threads entangled the hefty Bagua Staff.
Using artisan craft to counter martial technique!
Li Che raised his arm, firing consecutively with his sleeve crossbow, the bolts piercing toward the staff-wielding fighter and forcing him into defense. Li Che's foot crashed against the ground, catapulting him upward onto the courtyard wall.
"Trying to escape? You're not going anywhere!"
"Frenzied Blood Knife!"
Zhao Chuanxiong regained his footing, unsheathing his blade and unleashing an explosive strike of blade light accompanied by a gleaming hum. His Qi-Blood surged wildly, roaring in fervor—it was yet another martial technique, this time aimed squarely at Li Che.
Li Che glanced at him impassively.
His hand trembled lightly, revealing a palm-sized Guanyin Blood Lotus—his trump card from among his three most powerful mechanisms.
This was his ultimate weapon.
Crushing the benevolent-looking Guanyin wood carving left only the lotus platform remaining, which Li Che casually flicked forward.
"That venomous Bull Demon… still has hidden weapons?!"
Zhao Chuanxiong's heart jolted with alarm, but the force behind his blade technique had already been unleashed, leaving him no choice but to press forward.
However, the crimson lotus platform eerily floated mid-air.
"Explode."
With that, it erupted into firelight, spinning at high speed.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."
The sound of countless needles—thin as cow hairs—pierced the air, scattering like Guanyin's tears from above.
Thousands upon thousands of fine wooden needles rained down upon the courtyard.
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