As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life

Xu's Wood Carving Shop.

The charcoal stove radiated intense heat, boiling the water within and causing it to roll turbulently. A few verdant tea leaves were sprinkled on top, and a rich fragrance of tea immediately diffused.

Xu Heli sat in the seat of honor, carefully applying sword oil to maintain his treasured blade.

His sword required meticulous care after each unsheathing.

Xu Beihu and Xu You sat in lower seats, waiting for Xu Heli to finish maintaining his sword.

The room was extremely quiet. Xu Heli was the eldest son of Xu Ji's current generation, and together with Si Mubai of the Si Family and An Ruosu of the An Family, he was renowned as one of the Three Young Masters of Fei Lei. His Divine Cultivation was far superior to that of Xu You and Xu Beihu.

A moment later, accompanied by the gentle sound of the sword returning to its scabbard, Xu Heli completed the maintenance.

He turned to Xu You, "Little brother, next time don't disturb me with such matters until they're clear..."

"Just this once, not to be repeated."

Upon hearing this, Xu You stood up and bowed respectfully, "I understand, brother."

"This Li Che... entered Bone Tempering two years ago, and his martial talent is indeed good. After he undergoes Blood Exchange, he might have a chance to cultivate the Divine Methods, but it's uncertain what his Divine Talent will be..."

"His daughter is an Upper Class Spiritual Child, so Li Che's Divine Talent should not be too poor. Although he has been delayed, with further cultivation, he should have a chance to nurture his nature to the 'lamp' stage."

"As for the stages of 'creek' and 'river' after Nurture Nature like a Lamp, there's hardly any hope."

Xu Heli spoke indifferently.

"It's a pity that Li Che... is of timid character, lacking courage and ambition. Even if he were to master the Divine Methods, it would be difficult for him to become a valuable assistant to our Xu Ji."

"Let it be. After his Blood Exchange, grant him a Lower Vehicle Divine Method."

Having said that, Xu Heli turned to Xu You, "Little brother, do you have any objections?"

Xu You, with his head lowered, showed no joy or sorrow on his face, and spoke softly, "I trust elder brother's judgment."

Xu Beihu finally spoke, his eyebrows furrowed, "Elder brother, why is Zhao Xuanhai issuing these oral conscriptions from the City Lord... conscripting skilled wood carvers and willing to pay such generous wages? What is his purpose?"

"Could it... endanger the lives of these wood carving masters?"

Stroking the hilt of his sword, Xu Heli gazed out at the heavy rain through the window, as if he thought of something, and smiled faintly, "Most likely not... These wood carving masters come from various families, and although the City Lord is an official appointed by the Imperial Court, now that the Great Vista has lost its control over the regions, Fei Lei City...

is still under the dominion of our noble families and clans."

"If he were to harm these wood carving masters, would the noble families of Fei Lei City just let it go?"

"Therefore, Li Che is being too cautious. This conscription does indeed offer him wealth. Ten Gold Leafs, even if it's for him, with a good job, would take half a year, wouldn't it?"

Xu Beihu nodded and his lips curled at the corners. His own assessment of Li Che was not much different.

Xu Heli tapped the table lightly and spoke indifferently, "As for the City Lord's Mansion's purpose... I have a rough guess, which can be considered an unforeseen windfall from this trip. I plan to return and report to the old master."

Suddenly.

Xu Heli looked towards Xu You.

"Oh, little brother."

"Li Che's daughter has excellent Divine Talent, and the Outer City is being troubled by the Spirit Infant Sect, which is very unsafe. To prevent this Spiritual Child from coming to harm, tell Li Che to send his daughter to our Xu Ji's 'Divine Cultivation Institute'."

Xu You's cheeks lifted slightly as he looked at Xu Heli, "Elder brother... What if Master Li is unwilling?"

Xu Heli lightly tapped his finger on the hilt of the sword, and suddenly a bright sword's hum illuminated the entire warm room.

"If he is unwilling, it means he has not considered integrating with our Xu Ji. That Divine Method can be... withheld from him."

"When the Spirit Infant Sect's power truly runs rampant in the Outer City, the safety of his daughter... he can only pray for his own fortune."

Hearing this, Xu You remained silent.

And slowly lowered his head.

...

...

Within the workshop, Li Che sat upright on a chair, his emotions surged as he felt the freshly harvested strand of Wrath Divinity.

But soon, he was taken aback.

His eyebrows tightened slightly.

Because the Wrath Divinity extracted from the wood carving, which he obtained two months ago after killing a Blood Exchange Expert from the Spirit Infant Sect, was being bit by bit consumed by Zhao Xuanhai's Divinity!

It was somewhat akin to... merging together!

"Merging... Consuming?"

"Is this a characteristic of Divinity, or perhaps... are the two Divinities of the same origin?"

Upon this thought, Li Che's breath halted.

"If they share the same origin..."

"Doesn't that mean that one of the three great Divine Catchers of Fei Lei City, the powerful divine cultivator... is also a formidable figure of the Spirit Infant Sect?!"

Upon this thought, Li Che was terrified to the core!

Thinking back on how the government office withdrew the warrant for Lei Chunlan in just a few days before...

And now that Zhao Chuanxiong was revealed to be a member of the Spirit Infant Sect...

Li Che had thought Zhao Chuanxiong was an isolated case, but now it seemed that the vast government office of Fei Lei City might be deeply entangled with the Spirit Infant Sect!

If even the top expert and Divine Catcher inside the Yamen was involved with the Spirit Infant Sect...

What about the City Lord who was said to have forged a Divine Foundation?

"If that's really the case..."

A strong sense of urgency suddenly enveloped him.

If the government office was truly in league with the Spirit Infant Sect, considering their desire for Spirit Children... wouldn't Xi Xi be in great danger?

When the Spirit Infant Sect reached the point of desperation, Xu's Wood Carving Shop... might not be able to protect Xi Xi!

Moreover, it wasn't even certain if Xu's Wood Carving Shop was willing to protect her.

The sense of urgency made the hair on Li Che's body stand on end as he murmured while looking at his palm.

"I am still not strong enough..."

...

...

The next day.

A rare sunny day.

The warm sun of winter was most comforting.

Li Che and Old Chen were in the courtyard, accompanying Xi Xi as she practiced her horse stance. Old Chen kept teasing her, calling her Little Stinky Xi, making the little girl's face turn red in annoyance.

It was unclear where the girl got such a fiery temper.

As Li Che and Old Chen were drinking tea and admiring the winter plum blossoms, waiting for the sun to climb a little higher, he planned to make a trip to Ting Yu Alley. Over the past two months, he had also visited the marketplace several times, asking that familiar stall owner to look out for Divine Methods and Superior Internal Strength Techniques.

Regrettably, he came back with no news each time.

After finishing a bowl of tea and chewing on the tea leaves, Li Che was about to leave when he encountered Xu You, who looked upset.

Xu You went over what Xu Heli had said the day before.

"So you mean... if I don't send Xi Xi to the 'Divine Cultivation Institute' in the Inner City, after my Blood Exchange, Xu Ji won't easily pass on the Divine Method to me?" Li Che frowned.

Old Chen sat in the wicker chair and chuckled, "This is the typical conduct of noble families and clans. Little Xu, your elder brother is much more ruthless than you... You're too kind, too gentle."

"In this world, people like you tend to suffer."

"Your second brother, Xu Beihu, may seem honest, but in reality... he's also cunning and ruthless."

Xu You was silent, just looking at Li Che, "I've obtained a companion cultivation qualification for you; you can escort Xi Xi in and out of the Inner City every day, and then I'll personally make sure she's safe in the Divine Cultivation Institute."

"Frankly speaking, the Divine Cultivation Institute is indeed much safer than the Outer City..."

Li Che fell into thought.

Xu You did not interrupt Li Che's contemplation.

However, Li Che did not ponder for long and soon made a decision.

Go, send Xi Xi there!

Xu You had already secured excellent conditions for both him and Xi Xi.

He couldn't possibly keep Xi Xi confined to the courtyard all her life; she eventually needed to go out and face the world.

Moreover, once Xi Xi joined the Divine Cultivation Institute, she would be able to start nurturing her Divinity quickly and lay a solid foundation for her Divine Cultivation.

Of course...

Beyond that, there was another very important reason.

Being able to freely enter and exit the Inner City every day...

Gave Li Che the chance to get close to Si Mubai, who was hiding in the Inner City...

And to twist off the head of this top hater of Xi Xi!

PS: Monday, updating one chapter in advance to boost the new book rankings. The readership over these past few days will be crucial for the promotion recommendations next week. Everyone, please support with your Monthly Tickets and recommendation tickets! Help Old Li make another surge, Old Li thanks you!