Chapter 10: Nine Arrows from the Linked Crossbow, Mechanisms of Murder

Li Che clutched the spirit infant statue, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Since the other party had targeted him and used the eerie spirit infant wooden statue as a mark, Li Che naturally did not dare to take any risks. If he went out to work and the other party broke into the mud house and attacked, he would surely regret it.

"The safest place... is naturally the wooden sculpture shop!"

"I am now a wooden sculpture master with my own workshop. I can have Xi Xi and Xiao Ya stay in my workshop..."

"Yes, steady and safe!"

After making the decision to play it safe, Li Che woke up his wife, Zhang Ya.

"Dear, you were too rough last night, didn't you... hold it in for too long?" Zhang Ya's face turned slightly red, her gaze seemed to be dripping with water as she looked at Li Che.

Li Che smiled and gently stroked his wife's disheveled hair.

"Dear, tidy up, take Xi Xi, and go to the wooden sculpture shop... stay with me for the next few days while I work."

Zhang Ya was taken aback. Go to the wooden sculpture shop to work together?

"Dear, today is your first day as a wooden sculpture master... wouldn't it be inappropriate for me and Xi Xi to go? Would the shop owner be unhappy?"

Li Che shook his head: "No, the workshop is the private space of the wooden sculpture master. Family members can stay there. Besides, I will explain to the shop owner."

Zhang Ya didn't say anything more and started to pack, taking Xi Xi, who was playing on the bed, with her.

After wrapping Xi Xi tightly, the family braved the wind and snow, heading for Xu's Wooden Sculpture Shop.

Li Che protected his wife and daughter, the cold wind howling, he tightened Zhang Ya's cotton coat and wrapped Xi Xi to protect her from the cold.

At the same time, Li Che's eyes scanned the surroundings, his heart on high alert.

Seeing her husband's demeanor, Zhang Ya's heart tightened, knowing something must have happened. But since Li Che didn't say anything, she didn't ask, though worry began to gnaw at her heart.

The couple, with their child, braved the wind and snow, stepping onto the snow-covered cobblestone street.

"The Holy Spirit teaches, cleansing the dust, the method of worry-free rebirth..."

"Those with great wisdom do not need to be taught..."

The sound of clanging bells and drums echoed as the Spirit Infant Sect's procession, with its mesmerizing sequence, approached from the distance.

On the altar they carried, the three-headed, six-armed spirit infant wooden statue became even more eerie in the incense smoke.

Li Che even felt that the spirit infant statue's eyes seemed to deliberately look in their direction, a vague gaze that never left him, making him feel as if he had thorns in his back!

"Dear..." Zhang Ya looked at the procession of the Spirit Infant Sect, her face showing obvious panic.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Don't look, keep walking."

Li Che patted his wife, wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders, and walked straight to the wooden sculpture shop.

However, Li Che felt a cold wind brush past from behind, as if someone was following them.

The crisis was like ink spreading in a pool, gradually darkening the entire pool.

Fortunately, they soon arrived at Xu's Wooden Sculpture Shop.

The moment they stepped into the shop, Li Che felt a sense of relief. He looked back and saw a black shadow flash by at a corner.

"Lei Chunlan?"

Li Che's chest heaved, and a surge of killing intent welled up within him.

"A Che?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out. Chen Dabao, holding a gourd and drinking, saw Li Che and his wife Zhang Ya and their daughter Xi Xi.

This scene... made him pause, but the old Chen, being wise, immediately understood the situation, recalling Li Che's previous mention of the Spirit Infant Sect targeting his daughter.

"Come in first."

Old Chen's face was stern as he let Li Che and his family into the shop.

Li Che arranged for Zhang Ya to stay in his workshop and then went to find Old Chen.

Old Chen, drinking from his gourd, glanced at Li Che: "You've been targeted?"

Li Che nodded and took out the spirit infant wooden statue that appeared at his doorstep last night.

The moment Old Chen saw the spirit infant statue, his face turned serious, and he stopped drinking: "You did the right thing by bringing your wife and daughter to the wooden sculpture shop. Your house... is no longer safe."

"Spirit Infant Sect, Spirit Infant Sect... giving you this statue means they have evaluated your daughter... as a spirit infant!"

Old Chen's face was extremely grave as he took the statue.

Li Che's face also changed.

"They have probably been watching your family. This 'three-headed, six-armed spirit infant statue' only appeared last night?"

"It seems they know you became a wooden sculpture master at Xu's and that you would move into the Xu family compound, so..."

Li Che's face darkened: "They want to strike first?"

"Yes, fortunately, you were cautious and brought your family here..."

Old Chen clenched his fingers, and the spirit infant statue instantly cracked and shattered into pieces.

"You said someone was following you? Was it the midwife who has caused the deaths of many children?"

"Maybe, I didn't see clearly... can't be sure."

"Considering we will be harmonious neighbors... I'll take you to check if it's the brainwashed midwife..."

Old Chen took a swig of his strong liquor, squinted his eyes, and said.

Hearing this, Li Che couldn't help but feel relieved.

He knew that Old Chen's change in attitude was due to his talent in wooden sculpture, which could imbue the sculptures with profound meaning. This talent... seemed more important than he thought!

Li Che arranged for his wife and daughter to stay in the workshop, instructed Zhang Ya not to wander around, and had Old Chen ask an old master to keep an eye on them. Then, he and Old Chen left the shop.

Both wore straw hats to shield themselves from the wind and snow.

Outside the shop, Old Chen threw a cloak to Li Che, wrapped himself in one, and tucked his gourd into his waist.

They arrived at the alley corner.

There, on the snow-covered ground, was a 'three-headed, six-armed spirit infant statue.'

"Wow, quite bold, to leave a mark in front of Xu's shop... do they think Xu's is made of clay?"

Old Chen squinted his eyes, stomped his foot, and the statue exploded into pieces with a burst of energy.

Swish!

At the same time.

A black shadow in the distance seemed startled and quickly fled through the snow.

"Found it." Old Chen squinted his eyes and glanced at Li Che.

"Follow slowly, be careful."

Old Chen's exposed skin turned red as if burned, his body stretched, and his tendons tightened with a sound like a bowstring being pulled.

The snow under his feet instantly melted into water, a wave of heat surged, and with one step, he shot forward like a red-hot iron, shattering the snow and chasing the fleeing black shadow.

Seeing Old Chen shoot away, Li Che was slightly stunned.

Skin refinement, tendon stretching, bone tempering... Old Chen must have reached a high level, and his internal strength was also formidable.

Exhaling a breath of hot air from the wind and snow, Li Che pressed the crossbow hidden in his sleeve, his face cold as ice.

I'm not afraid of thieves stealing, but I am afraid of them having me in their sights...

Thinking of his adorable Xi Xi being targeted by these villains, Li Che felt a surge of intense anger.

If you want to harm my daughter, I...

Will kill you!

...

...

Li Che quickly caught up, stepping on the cobblestone road.

In the distance, he saw Old Chen leaning against a wall in the alley, sipping from his gourd.

Behind him, a black shadow lay on the ground, blood staining the snow.

"It's not the midwife, just a skin-refined practitioner who joined the Spirit Infant Sect and became a disciple."

Old Chen said calmly as Li Che approached.

Li Che's heart sank, feeling disappointed.

Not Lei Chunlan... what a pity.

The man had dark, weathered skin, but now he was extremely weak, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, lying on the ground, panting and coughing up blood.

Clearly, he had been beaten badly by Old Chen in just a few moves.

Old Chen, after beating the man, drank his liquor, enjoying the aftertaste.

Li Che stared at the man, his eyes cold and empty.

"Where is Lei Chunlan?"

Li Che's voice was hoarse.

"I... I don't... know..."

The man, with his head buried in the snow, grunted in response.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Che kicked him hard in the head, causing it to hit the cobblestone ground with a dull thud.

Li Che kicked him several more times, but the man only groaned, not crying out.

Old Chen watched with a faint smile.

After a moment, the two walked silently down the street, Old Chen with his hands behind his back, leisurely.

Li Che, however, looked at Chen Dabao: "Old Chen, go back to the shop first. I'll buy a pound of pork head meat and two taels of yellow wine to thank you..."

Old Chen grinned: "No need to be so formal, go ahead. I want the one from the shop in the west of the city."

Li Che smiled, nodded, and disappeared into the wind and snow.

Old Chen watched Li Che's retreating back, smacked his lips, took a swig from his gourd, and said:

"This kid... is a good father."

"But, without martial arts training, killing a skin-refined practitioner... won't be easy."

...

...

In the alley.

Snowflakes drifted, cold and piercing.

The strong smell of blood filled the air. The dark-skinned man, who had been beaten badly by Old Chen, struggled to get up, leaning against the wall.

Old Chen was too strong, and he, just a skin-refined practitioner, had no chance to resist.

As for the kicks from Li Che, they were not painful but rather humiliating.

"The spirit infant marked by the Sect Master... none will escape... even Xu's can't protect them..."

The man panted heavily.

Suddenly.

His body stiffened as a shadow blocked the light at the alley entrance.

He struggled to lift his head and saw a tall figure in a straw hat blocking the alley entrance.

The figure raised its arm.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the air, piercing the snow.

Thud!

Something seemed to explode...

The dark-skinned man felt a sharp pain in his eye as a wooden crossbow bolt, with great force, pierced his eyeball, blood instantly blurring his vision.

He screamed in agony, his nerves on fire!

Like an enraged tiger, he roared and lunged at the figure in the alley entrance, trying to tear him apart!

Li Che, wearing a straw hat, looked at the lunging man with cold indifference. With a whistling sound, another crossbow bolt shot out.

One after another, each bolt hit the eye!

Skin refinement indeed made the skin tough... but could you toughen your eyeballs?

After firing the first nine bolts from his sleeve crossbow.

The dark-skinned man, with his head pierced like a hedgehog, finally collapsed, dead.

Li Che shook his sleeve, expressionless, hid the crossbow, and pressed his hat down...

He walked towards the pork shop in the west of the city.

(End of Chapter)