Chapter 4: Immortal Artisan Upgrade, Bad News Arrives

The wood was scrap material he brought back from the wood carving shop, just a small piece that no one cared about when he took it home.

The engraving knife was something he had prepared years ago when he desired to self-learn the art of wood carving. He had it custom-made by a craftsman at the blacksmith shop in the west of town. The entire set wasn't cheap, but finally, it was proving to be useful.

*The Dao Fruit of Immortal Craft pulsed vividly, and an almost divine feeling surged through his heart.*

Since it was just a trial run, Li Che didn't bother to outline the shape with ink but went straight to carving. Under the aid of the Dao Fruit, Li Che felt as though the form of the "Six-Eyed Bodhisattva Statue" was etched deeply into his mind.

It felt as though he had honed his skills by carving hundreds, if not thousands, of Six-Eyed Bodhisattva statues alongside Master Chen.

He had full control over every cut's precision, from the placement of the blade on the wood to the measured exertion of force needed to capture its spatial form from outer layers to inner details.

Still, as this was his hands-on attempt, there were some moments of unfamiliarity. *However, this initial disconnect between his fingers, the engraving knife, and the wood gradually faded as the carving progressed and his proficiency increased.*

The saber technique became more elegant, even taking on a unique charm—a sign of skill reaching maturity.

Mature carving techniques are invariably an accumulation of repeated practice.

*But it seemed as though, through the Dao Fruit of Immortal Craft, touching upon the essence of the "Six-Eyed Bodhisattva," Li Che was like a sponge absorbing Master Chen's years of carving expertise.*

The sound of the sharp engraving knife scraping against the wood whispered softly.

The oil lamp flickered and crackled, sawdust and wood shavings fell steadily, and in Li Che's palm, a miniature Six-Eyed Bodhisattva statue, roughly the size of his hand, with its sharp contours, slowly took form.

Though unpolished and with extremely coarse edges, its shape already exuded the kind of supernatural craftsmanship that stunned the eye!

Nearby, Zhang Ya had just lulled Xi Xi to sleep and was astonished to see Li Che, within mere moments, produce a rough draft of the statue.

Watching Li Che utterly immersed in his carving craft, Zhang Ya dared not disturb him, pressing down the curiosity bubbling within her.

She chose not to sleep either but instead sat calmly at the edge of the bed, silently observing Li Che's focused effort under the oil lamp's glow.

As she watched, her gaze grew soft with a hint of a daze, the corners of her lips curving upwards into a radiant smile.

*She had thought her husband might have given up on wood carving long ago, but little did she know…*

*He had never given up, always striving to learn, and now… he was secretly planning to surprise her!*

"I just wonder if my husband can become a wood carving master at the shop… Even an apprentice would be good. That way, he wouldn't have to toil every day, hauling heavy timber and carvings," she mused to herself.

Zhang Ya's hopes were modest and straightforward, wishing only for her husband to earn their living without hardship.

Immersed in his carving, Li Che soon snapped back to awareness, as the Six-Eyed Bodhisattva statue took shape—it required no further carving. Though unpolished and unfinished, it was already complete in form.

*Li Che felt a surge of joy blossom within his heart.*

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something, his spirit stirring slightly.

*[Dao Fruit: Immortal Craft (lv1, 10%)]*

"Huh?!?"

Li Che's eyes lit up as he noticed the Dao Fruit of Immortal Craft displayed a hint of an experience gain indicator, which had increased slightly.

"Does carving a wood carving increase experience value? Like proficiency levels?"

"Or perhaps… when I touched the 'Six-Eyed Bodhisattva' sculpture, I grasped its carving techniques and successfully created a replica, which earned me a 10% growth?"

*If that's the case, then this Dao Fruit could be understood as newly formed but immature—something that can only reveal its true power when ripened through steady cultivation.*

Li Che couldn't help but speculate.

Unfortunately, he hadn't brought back more wood, so he couldn't test it out immediately.

Suppressing the curiosity within him, he stretched lazily before noticing his wife, Zhang Ya, resting lightly against the bedpost, her eyes closed in a light snooze.

*Li Che knew his wife had stayed up waiting for him to sleep together, and his heart grew warm.*

In the freezing winter night, he quickly extinguished the oil lamp before helping his startled wife into bed to snuggle under the quilt.

Outside, the snow fell endlessly.

Piling in thick layers atop the roof, lending a soft, hushed sound.

An ambiance perfectly suited for deep sleep.

...

...

The next day, Li Che, as always, headed for Xu's Wood Carving Shop to work.

"Master Chen, can I take this scrap wood home to practice with?"

During a break, Li Che approached Master Chen, pointing to some discarded "flowering curved willow" scraps, unable to hold back his request.

Master Chen, his beard dusted with wood shavings, glanced at Li Che. "Thinking about learning wood carving? You've got a meticulous mind; you might have potential. Too bad you're a bit older now. Still, it's good that you have the heart for it. Take whatever scrap wood I've carved off—you're free to use it."

Having worked as Master Chen's assistant for years, Li Che naturally earned a more lenient attitude from the master.

Overjoyed, Li Che quickly expressed his gratitude before starting to select the scraps suitable for practice.

Master Chen watched him briefly before chuckling quietly and shaking his head, then refocused on carving the "Nine Sons Embracing the Lotus."

Li Che packed the selected scraps using cloth and stored them at his workstation. Afterward, he headed to the courtyard under the pretense of adjusting some newly transported wood carvings so he could touch them.

*The Dao Fruit of Immortal Craft trembled faintly. This time, his hand brushed against a wood carving called "Spring Fills the Universe," which demanded an exceptionally intricate carving technique along with patience to shape vivid leaves and evoke a sense of spring.*

When Li Che touched it, a familiar sensation surged through him.

*It was as though he saw a female wood carver, engraving knife in hand, carving the Myriad Forms, crafting the universe with her hands—spring bursting vibrantly from the wood.*

Suddenly, knowledge about the techniques and methods for creating the "Spring Fills the Universe" carving rushed into his mind.

*Li Che's heart swelled with happiness. Much like with touching the "Six-Eyed Bodhisattva," he had absorbed another technique for wood carving.*

However, when he touched other carvings afterward, the Dao Fruit no longer reacted—it was clear there were daily limits to learning.

In the following days, Li Che devoted himself to studying the Dao Fruit of Immortal Craft.

Myriad Forms Immortal Craft, a God-given hand, unparalleled technique!

Touching sculptures allowed him to learn their carving methods and technical skills. Additionally, carving each statue once incremented his experience value by 10%, but each piece only offered experience gain once. In other words, Li Che needed to learn and carve ten unique wood carvings to level up the Dao Fruit to lv2.

*Having figured out the Dao Fruit's usefulness, Li Che felt his future was brimming with hope!*

...

...

Days passed by.

Soon, an entire month went by.

Xi Xi turned one month old. Her lively, glimmering eyes blinked curiously as she waved her chubby little hands in her swaddling clothes, exploring the world with wonder.

Li Che held a hand-crafted rattle toy, teasing Xi Xi and coaxing peals of laughter from the little girl.

Xi Xi loved to laugh. When she did, her dimples appeared, just like her mother's.

Beside them, Zhang Ya was stitching up some worn clothes, her eyes filled with a gentle, content warmth as she watched the father-daughter interaction.

"Husband, how's the matter you brought up with the Third Shopkeeper about becoming a wood carving master progressing?"

Zhang Ya asked curiously.

Over the past month, Li Che had spent every night carving countless wood sculptures, mesmerizing Zhang Ya with his creations. She knew her husband's skill was extraordinary.

In her overly admiring view, she even thought Li Che could outperform the apprentices at the shop—perhaps even rival the masters.

"The Third Shopkeeper said… I'll need to follow the proper procedures and test my skills alongside those students who paid to learn wood carving. If I pass the evaluation, only then can I join the shop as a master,"

Li Che answered while entertaining Xi Xi, who reached out her tiny hand, attempting to grab the rattle.

Zhang Ya nodded firmly, her lips pressed with conviction. "My husband will definitely succeed!"

Li Che chuckled, his spirit invigorated, and his eyes gleamed with confidence.

*His spirit stirred.*

*[Dao Fruit: Immortal Craft (lv2, 8%)]*

After a month of incessant touch and study of various wood carvings, combined with his nightly carvings, he had finally upgraded the Dao Fruit to lv2.

The lv2 Immortal Craft Dao Fruit enhanced Li Che's skills in a profound way; the carvings he created could now imbue strong emotional depth and meaning.

Moreover, his craftsmanship had reached an entirely new height. *His five fingers were exceedingly nimble, which gave him the confidence to tackle even intricate and demanding mechanical contraptions with effortless precision.*

After playing with Xi Xi for a while, Li Che headed out to work.

The snowstorm had lessened; the bitter winter was nearing its end.

But the air remained piercingly cold, sharp enough to sting one's skin.

As soon as he emerged from the earthen-brick house, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance, trudging towards him with hurried steps. The man clutched a tobacco pipe between his teeth and frowned, wrapped in a patched Confucian robe layered with a thick coat.

"Uncle."

Li Che greeted him.

Since discovering that Xi Xi wasn't "blessed with a handle," his uncle—steeped in the belief of valuing sons over daughters—hadn't visited them once this past month. His aunt, on the other hand, had dropped by once to deliver some eggs to Zhang Ya for nourishment.

"Che'er, heading to work? Perfect timing." The Old Scholar uncle's brows remained tightly furrowed.

Li Che nodded, watching as the man hesitated a moment, smoking his pipe before speaking cautiously: "Che'er, have you heard?"

"The midwife who delivered Xiao Ya's baby, Grandma Lei..."

"She killed several infants..."

"It's said… they were all children she delivered herself!"