Chapter 31 Low-key and Sudden Kill

The sobbing wind and snow whirled wildly amidst the raging currents, swirling and sweeping through the air.

Seeing the elder before him—exhausted, eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down his face—Li Che felt a pang of softness in his heart. He hastily led his great-uncle into the warmth of the workshop.

Pouring a cup of hot tea for his great-uncle, Li Liang, Li Che's expression turned serious.

"What happened, Great-Uncle? Take your time and tell me."

Li Che asked in a deep voice.

His great-uncle's family had raised him and never mistreated him, a debt of gratitude that was far from easily repaid.

If he could help, Li Che naturally wouldn't sit idly by.

The Old Scholar, convulsing all over, had specks of snow clinging to his clothes, which gradually melted in the warmth of the workshop. His hands, red from the cold, cradled the cup of tea, his expression finally relaxing a bit.

He took a deep breath, looking at Li Che, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. After some hesitation, he shakily reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a palm-sized wooden carving.

The moment Li Che laid eyes on the carving, his gaze sharply narrowed.

"The Spirit Infant Statue?"

Li Che was no stranger to this wooden sculpture!

Back when he hadn't yet moved into Xu's Wood Carving Shop, a Spirit Infant Wood Carving had mysteriously appeared in his own courtyard. That had caused him great unease and forced his family to relocate to Xu Ji.

Taking the carving from his great-uncle's trembling hands, Li Che immediately noticed some subtle differences from the carving left at his past home's entrance.

This wasn't the three-headed, six-armed Spirit Infant Wood Carving, but a more standard-looking version: one head, two arms, and a pair of alternating open-and-closed eyes. Even so, it was unmistakably a Spirit Infant Statue.

As a Wood Carver, he was acutely sensitive to the expressions carved onto wooden sculptures.

"Prioritization distinction, perhaps?" Li Che murmured softly under his breath.

"Great-Uncle, Zhouzhou is turning one soon, isn't he?"

Li Che asked, furrowing his brows.

His great-uncle repeatedly nodded, "Yes... In three days, we've planned his birthday banquet. Initially, we thought we'd keep it simple, but now... alas, I don't dare anymore. Not at all."

"These past few days, your cousin hasn't even dared to go to work, staying holed up at home wielding a firewood knife—just in case…"

His great-uncle sighed heavily.

He was well aware that if the Spirit Infant Sect set its sights on his grandson, Li Chengzhou, how could an ordinary family like theirs possibly resist?

These recent days had been utterly consumed by fear and anxiety.

The tragic fate of other children haunted the old scholar's dreams, turning every night into an unending nightmare.

"Your cousin and his wife haven't dared to sleep for three consecutive nights... terrified that the Spirit Infant Sect will make a move on Zhouzhou if they let their guard down."

Li Che tightened his grip around the Spirit Infant Wood Carving, his gaze faintly sharpening.

"So, Great-Uncle, what you want is to have Cousin's wife bring Zhouzhou over to my place for a while, to lie low... Xu Ji still holds some deterrent power."

The Old Scholar gripped this lifeline like a drowning man clinging to a straw, looking at Li Che with heartfelt hope.

"Don't worry, Great-Uncle. Having Zhouzhou stay at my house is absolutely fine, and it will undoubtedly be safer there."

Li Che saw no reason to refuse.

The appearance of the Spirit Infant Wood Carving brought an overwhelming sense of dread and anxiety. Having experienced it firsthand, Li Che deeply empathized with the terror and despair in his great-uncle's heart.

It was an almost tangible feeling—like death creeping increasingly closer to his grandson.

Ordinary folks facing the Spirit Infant Sect were indeed utterly helpless, like lambs awaiting slaughter.

"Alright, alright, Che... thank you so much. Your great-uncle is deeply grateful..."

Overcome with emotion, the Old Scholar's expression visibly relaxed.

"I'll head back right away to arrange things, and then Zhengran and Chunming will bring Zhouzhou to your house..." Holding his cup of tea, the Old Scholar got up and headed toward the door.

Li Che hurriedly stopped him, "Great-Uncle, don't! Have your cousin and his wife protect Zhouzhou at home; don't leave the house. It's too risky on the road. I'll personally go pick them up. I've been practicing martial arts recently, so it'll be safer."

"Alright, alright..." His great-uncle nodded quickly.

"I'll take leave from the shop and head over soon. In the meantime, stay home and guard Zhouzhou with your cousin and his wife."

Li Che said.

A trace of relief finally appeared on his great-uncle's face. After setting down the tea cup, he bid farewell, disappearing into the blizzard in haste.

Seated at the table, Li Che weighed the palm-sized Spirit Infant Wood Carving in his hand, a contemplative look flickering in his eyes.

"The Spirit Infant Sect..."

"Bringers of disaster."

Li Che exhaled heavily.

However, to him, the Spirit Infant Sect was an enormous entity, further interwoven with the noble families of Fei Lei City...

"Moreover, even the government office holds ties to the Spirit Infant Sect. That arrest officer, Zhao Chuanxiong, is one of them..."

...

...

Li Che didn't actually take leave. As a wood carving master, he had the freedom to come and go freely from the workshop as long as he delivered his pieces on time.

Changing into sturdy gear and grabbing a thin piece of wood, Li Che donned a bamboo hat and stepped out of the shop, plunging into the stormy snow.

Having been raised in his great-uncle's home as a child, Li Che naturally knew the way there.

However, he didn't head there immediately; instead, he chose to proceed cautiously.

"Could this be a trap set by the Spirit Infant Sect? Trying to lure me there on purpose?"

"If I fall victim, losing the status of a wood carving master, Xu's Courtyard might no longer provide shelter for Little Ya and Xi Xi..."

"If they leave Xu's Courtyard, the Spirit Infant Sect could easily target Xi Xi."

"An orphaned mother and child would be defenseless, at their mercy!"

Pressing the bamboo hat lower over his face, Li Che pondered the possibility. It wasn't implausible.

But it was equally uncertain; after all, he had left Xu's Courtyard several times recently, and if they wanted to act, they could have done so long ago...

"No need to complicate matters—it might not be a setup after all..."

Nonetheless, caution couldn't hurt...

Walking through the long streets, he paused as he noticed the wanted posters at the notice board had been updated. There, his Bull Demon alter ego had been prominently displayed, with a bounty of five hundred taels...

"Five hundred taels... Five Gold Leafs!"

"It's roughly the price I'd charge for crafting a Nine-headed Guanyin Statue."

Li Che muttered to himself.

Still, that amount of money could certainly tempt desperate souls to take extreme risks.

"Seems it's time to keep a low profile for now."

Chuckling softly, Li Che adjusted his bamboo hat, braving the fierce snowstorm as he made his way to a courtyard he had rented outside.

There, he retrieved a black garment soaked in a vat and summoned Inner Strength, shaking it briskly until steam rose and the fabric dried swiftly.

It was an extremely elastic garment, skillfully crafted by Li Che using his own expertise. The enhancement brought by the Dao Fruit of the Immortal Artisan extended beyond wood carving, refining his mastery in various crafts.

With this outfit, he needn't worry about tearing his clothes when activating the Vajra Transformation.

Skillfully dressing and donning his Cute Bull mask, Li Che pulled his bamboo hat low and darted out of the courtyard.

...

...

Fei Lei City, Anping Alley.

A courtyard surrounded by walls of yellow earth, its doors tightly shut.

Inside the house.

The Old Scholar, Li Liang, puffed on his dry tobacco pipe, the sound of his inhales steady and frequent.

Li Zhengran clutched his firewood knife, his bloodshot eyes pacing non-stop while straining to hear any noises from outside.

Meanwhile, Liu Chunming held her son, Li Chengzhou, disheveled hair in disarray—a clear sign of neglecting her appearance in the midst of turmoil.

"Father, hasn't Che arrived yet?"

"Could it be that he... deceived you into coming back first?"

Holding her child close, Liu Chunming, along with her mother-in-law, gazed with reddened eyes, her voice cracked and hoarse as she spoke.

Under the ever-present threat of losing her son, this mother had reached her breaking point, teetering on collapse.

"He wouldn't do that. Che wouldn't lie to me. If he said he could help, he absolutely will..."

"He's a wood carving master now, a man of high status. Letting us stay in his courtyard to escape disaster is just him lending a hand—he won't deceive us."

Puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, the Old Scholar shook his head.

He trusted Li Che—he saw through to the inherent character of his nephew!

"Let's not entertain wild thoughts. Che will come!"

Li Zhengran joined in firmly, his tone resolute.

The house fell to an oppressively silent stillness, broken only by the sound of heavy, rhythmic breathing.

Suddenly, there came a faint rustling noise from outside.

The three inside froze, their very skin tightening in response.

Clutching the firewood knife tightly, sweat glistened upon Li Zhengran's brow as he stepped cautiously to the door. Peeking through the crack, his gaze landed on the figure outside.

On the other side of the door, the blizzard howled ferociously, the sky shrouded in gloom.

A slender figure stood crouched before the door, bearing a Bagua Staff on his back and wearing a grotesque little girl mask. He lowered a Spirit Infant Wood Carving onto the ground, maneuvering it back and forth until its open-facing eyes aligned directly with the tightly shut front door.

The chilling wind wailed like ghostly cries.

As though aware that Li Zhengran was peeking through the door crack, the figure suddenly tilted his face upward. Beneath the eerie mask resembling a crying-laughing doll lay a pair of playful, mockingly amused eyes.

That near-nightmarish visage appeared once more!

Li Zhengran's entire body stiffened in fear, trembling uncontrollably, his grip on the firewood knife shaking violently...

Suddenly.

Peering intently through the door crack, Li Zhengran's pupils constricted sharply, freezing in stunned disbelief.

Because...

Behind the slender figure masked as a little girl crouching in the snow.

A towering, mountainous silhouette emerged almost ghostlike amidst the storm, seemingly materializing from the tumultuous snow in an instant. His form, clad in taut black fabric, etched immaculate musculature sculpted like knife-hewn stone.

Wearing a bamboo hat and donning the Cute Bull mask, his eyes gleamed with fierce brilliance.

Raising one massive palm.

With a booming thud...

Before he could fully react, the slender figure bent on rising was sent hurtling sideways by the fan-like smack of the newcomer's hand...

Blood sprayed through the air.

pS: Good news, the PK contest advanced to the second round! Bad news, the second round is even more competitive, please continue reading and supporting instead of shelving the novel!