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

Snowflakes fluttered down heavily, rendering the air once again cold and silent.

Li Che, having used the Slumbering Dragon Elephant technique to hide his presence within the darkness, looked indifferently at Zhao Xuan, who had burst out onto the scene, shocked and speechless.

This woman, who had started learning martial arts at the same time as him, had only achieved Skin Refinement Completion. Now, Li Che… could take down a hundred Zhao Xuans with just one hand, without any difficulty—she posed no threat at all.

Yet she had the audacity to bravely come to the battlefield of Blood Exchange Warriors, even if it was after the battle... the risk remained high.

After confirming that Zhao Xuan had come to collect the corpses of the heroes rather than being a rear guard of the Spirit Infant Sect,

Li Che shook his sleeves, releasing the Sleeve Crossbow that could explode Zhao Xuan's head at any moment, and silently withdrew.

Dispersing the active power brought about by the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, a powerful sense of fatigue and weakness surged through him immediately.

It was as if all his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been squeezed dry.

The second stage of "Angry Vajra" brought too significant an improvement, a leap in Horizontal Refinement unparalleled, more like a metamorphosis of life!

The effect was excellent and the burst of power was strong... but, conversely, the consumption was just as great.

At this moment, Li Che felt his vital energy somewhat depleted, his legs a bit weak after blasting to death the three Blood Exchange Experts from the Spirit Infant Sect with a burst of thunderous force.

However, now that his own Body Refinement had also reached Bone Tempering Completion, his recovery was very strong. By the time he darted back to his own courtyard, his legs were no longer weak.

Using the "Slumbering Dragon Elephant" to conceal his aura, he circled his own courtyard three times, ensuring there were no hidden disciples of the Spirit Infant Sect, before darting back inside like a ghost.

Stripping off his blood-soaked clothes, removing his mask, Li Che exhaled a cloudy breath, and directly darted into his own woodshed.

He dumped out the "filthy items" wrapped in the clothing of a smashed Blood Exchange Warrior from the Spirit Infant Sect.

These were his loot from searching the corpses after the battle!

Li Che's heart rarely became excited; he rubbed his hands subconsciously.

Friends who often kill should know how good a habit searching corpses is for those who roam the martial world.

This was his first time searching corpses; he had actually forgotten such an important matter in his previous killings.

"Still lacking experience in the martial world, too young... too young..."

Li Che shook his head.

The spoils from searching the corpses were not much: a few bottles and jars, two small booklets, and he also found a wood carving of a "Three-Headed Six-Armed Angry Spirit Baby" the size of a thumb on a Blood Exchange Warrior from the Spirit Infant Sect.

Li Che, with emotions stirring, began to inventory his gains.

"Eighteen Gold Leaves, plus three silver notes, each with a face value of five hundred taels... This haul is like striking it rich; fitting for Blood Exchange Warriors, truly wealthy!"

Li Che's eyes shone brightly. Even though he was now a genius Wood Carver at Xu Ji's Wood Carving Shop, obtaining so much wealth at once still thrilled him to the core.

"Silver notes are harder to deal with, but... there are plenty in the marketplace willing to take them, albeit at a discount."

Beyond that, there were various bottles and jars, which Li Che glanced at—many were medicinal treatments for injuries and for nourishing the vital energy and blood.

One particular porcelain bottle contained a pungent, round elixir exuding a strong, acrid scent of blood.

Li Che puzzled over it for a long while, clueless. He sniffed once and felt his blood and qi roil within.

"This was found on Guo Zhan's body... It must not be an ordinary elixir."

"Hmm, I'll have to ask around the marketplace when I get a chance."

Li Che put away the elixir and finally turned his gaze to the two booklets, his heart already beating with anticipation.

Picking up the first booklet, it was one found on a Blood Exchange Warrior from the Spirit Infant Sect.

Opening the first page, six bold characters jumped out at him.

"Six Shifts Blood Exchange Method!"

This was a Blood Exchange Method!

And it was not the common Low-tier Three Moves Blood Exchange Method.

The Six Shifts Blood Exchange belonged to the Mid-tier Blood Exchange Method.

To Exchange Blood, one's blood and qi must shift nine times, turning blood into mercury and marrow into stone, to achieve Perfection!

"It resolves my pressing problem, if only it were a Divine Method. But Divine Methods are precious and not easy to acquire... With this Blood Exchange Method, I can start aiming for Blood Exchange..."

Li Che was not too disappointed. After all, his publicly recognized level of cultivation was just entering Bone Tempering. If he wanted to ask Xu Ji for a Blood Exchange Method, it wouldn't be possible until he had reached Bone Tempering Completion.

By normal standards, that would take about two or three years...

Two to three years from the start of Bone Tempering to reaching Completion... Combining the persona of a genius martial artist, it was still reasonable.

His gaze shifted to the booklet found on Guo Zhan's body.

After flipping the page, Li Che's eyes suddenly narrowed!

It's not Divine Method, nor Blood Exchange Method…

but a martial art!

And not an ordinary martial art…

Indeed, a Divine Martial Art!

Angry Cry Hundreds of Ghosts Wind-Thunder Arrows!

...

...

Outside Xu's Wood Carving Shop, on the bluestone street.

Exceedingly dry, even somewhat scorching, it emitted a faint heat, evaporating the snowflakes falling from the sky before they could touch the ground, just like a branding iron on bricks and stones.

Several figures floated down, all wearing wooden child masks and standing with hands behind their backs, landing on the rooftops beside the long street.

"Hahaha, 'Prince of Rage,' a Divine Foundation technique of the Four Imperials Level, unexpectedly appeared in Fei Lei City…"

"Is this…an opportunity for our sect?"

"Hahaha, the Dharma Master also cultivates 'Wrath Divinity,' and since this child has not yet built his Divine Foundation, if he could be devoured by the Dharma Master… the Dharma Master might just have a chance to advance further, to manifest the Divine Minister's aspect of 'Three-Headed Six-Armed Angry Spirit Child'!"

A figure wearing a smiling child mask, his tone full of laughter, could barely contain himself.

"However, tonight's 'Bull Catching' plan is a complete failure, Si Mubai… has also been severely wounded, the Nine Luminaries Level 'Angry Cry Town Ghost' faced 'Prince of Rage,' and got thrashed soundly, hahaha… too miserable."

"If not for the Si Family's old man with the Divine Foundation stepping in... Si Mubai would have been skinned and deboned, hahaha…"

"As allies, I should feel sympathy and sorrow for Si Mubai, but why do I feel like laughing… I can't hold it back, hahaha…"

The others beneath the masks watched sternly, not bothering with the figure who could not stop laughing.

"Bull Demon… someone's backing him! No wonder he emerged in Fei Lei City out of the blue and disrupted the great plans of our sect…"

"It seems that behind every so-called hero, there are dark forces manipulating…"

Their voices were grave, as the Bull Demon was untouchable, and the mysterious backer who could display the 'Prince of Rage' was even more intimidating and unsettling.

But the figure with the smiling child mask burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha why do you care so much, isn't the Bull Demon trying to be a hero?"

"Someone propping up a hero is just to steady the public's heart, offer a psychological support, not wishing for the citizens of Fei Lei City to collapse so easily..."

"And ruining a hero... that's the easiest!"

"Although the 'Prince of Rage' is not weak, he has yet to build his Divine Foundation, what's there to fear?"

"Once the Bull Demon is disgraced, and the public loses their so-called hero to lean on, hahaha the people behind him will have to use more means to remedy the situation, and the one who intervenes more is bound to surface eventually."

...

...

After summarizing his gains and hiding the dirty items, Li Che returned to the courtyard from the firewood room. He rubbed his body with the icy snowballs to get rid of the smell of blood before stepping into the house.

Inside the house, the lights were bright!

His wife, Zhang Ya, clutched the "Wood Raven" nervously, remembering the mechanism's operation method that Li Che taught her.

When she saw that the person who had returned was her own husband, her tense emotions finally relaxed.

She quickly took three steps in two, reached Li Che's side, circled around him carefully to see that Li Che was without any injury, then breathed a sigh of relief, and then threw herself into Li Che's arms, tightly wrapping around his waist.

As if to vent all the unease and nervousness she felt throughout the night.

"It's alright now."

Li Che gently patted his wife's tender shoulders, feeling her slightly trembling body, speaking calmly to comfort her.

Zhang Ya nodded softly.

The couple embraced silently like this, with Xi Xi lying arrogantly on the bed, kicking off the blankets and sleeping soundly, looking very much like a gift...

The heat from the charcoal stove in the room dissipated the severe cold, making the atmosphere extremely warm.

After a long time,

Li Che felt the darling in his embrace move, and saw Zhang Ya lifting her pretty face, her eyes filled with resolve.

"Husband…"

"I want to practice martial arts."