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

Li Che brushed off the wood shavings from his body, his gaze returning to the present, his eyes brimming with laughter, quite satisfied.

His mind stirred.

[Dao Fruit: Immortal Artisan (LV3, 78%)]

Impressive!

A whole 10% increase in maturity at once, this indeed confirmed his initial thoughts.

Carving a divine image that overlapped with his own memory did indeed enhance the maturity of the Dao Fruit.

Good news indeed...

Looking at the [Immortal Artisan] Dao Fruit, getting ever closer to level 4.

Li Che couldn't help but feel excited.

Level 4 Immortal Artisan... what transformation would that bring?

In fact, Li Che was also aware that he had formed bonds with Xi Xi, and as his daughter grew up safely each year, he would receive a Dao Fruit.

The number of Dao Fruits would only increase over time, and with the quantity growing, he certainly wouldn't be able to evenly distribute them.

He would have to choose several Dao Fruits to specialize in and focus on for improvement.

After storing the Zhong Kui statue in the Qiankun Space, Li Che changed into clean black clothes and left the workshop courtyard.

As soon as he left the workshop courtyard, Li Che felt a sensation of being watched.

"Qin Family, Qin Haonan..."

"And the Temple Control Bureau... Divine Envoys Hong Yong, Shi Lei."

Li Che remained expressionless, but his heart was very calm.

These three people... they'd been monitoring him for half a month already.

After he came out from meeting head envoy Zhang Lianhao at the Temple Office, the very next day two Divine Envoys began tailing him.

What they didn't know was that, under Li Che's control of the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, while they watched him, he had been keeping an eye on them from a higher level.

Once he confirmed they were merely tailing him, he didn't act against them.

It just so happened that in the past half a month, his routine was very regular, which would help dismiss any concerns the Qin Family and Temple Office might have.

In Mansion City, Li Che mainly portrayed someone who was kind to others, who lived by the principle that if no one offended him, he would not offend anyone else.

He just wanted to live peacefully until Xi Xi could attend the Divine Sect's entrance examination, nothing more.

Upon returning to the small courtyard, the sky had darkened.

Li Che paused in his step. Besides Qin Haonan's and the Temple Office envoys' surveillance outside the courtyard, many other gazes swept over him from around the alley.

They belonged to the local gangs of the street where Listening Flowers Lane was located.

Mansion City was much larger than Fei Lei City, and even within Fei Lei City, there were gangs collecting protection money from merchants and exploiting the people.

Not to mention Mansion City, where gangs abounded; among them, several held substantial power and were not to be underestimated.

Mansion City had three major gangs: Fishing Gang, Black Jiao Gang, and Beggars' Sect.

For example, the Fishing Gang, because Golden Light Prefecture City was built next to Nine Dragons River, and the river's tributaries ran across the city, had abundant water resources.

Therefore, there were many people engaged in the fishing industry, making the Fishing Gang naturally powerful.

The gang tailing his own small courtyard, however, wasn't a major one like the Fishing Gang. Named the "Black Snake Gang," the gang had a Divine Foundation member stationed within it.

This gang had planted many spies around Listening Flowers Lane, disguised as various merchants and customers, and many small stalls had changed faces.

Li Che didn't know whose knife the Black Snake Gang was because, for Mansion City's major forces, gangs were like commodities, constantly changing hands.

In fact, Li Che was somewhat puzzled. Since Qin Haonan of the Qin Family was already personally surveilling him, there was no need to assign a gang to watch him as well.

After pondering for a while, Li Che speculated,

"Could it be the Gold Split Gate?"

Gold Split Gate, one of the five major sects of Mansion City, had a slightly lower status than the Divine Sect Branch, because the latter had the backing of the Ganyuan Orthodox Sect, a truly colossal entity.

In Mansion City, the only ones who could contest the Divine Sect Branch were... the Temple Office and the Heavenly Oversight Guest Official.

The Gold Split Gate was merely on par with the Five Great Clans.

Li Che felt that since coming to Mansion City, the only forces he had provoked were the Qin Family...

Gold Split Gate could be considered half-provoked since, according to rumors, Qin Yuqing had an unclear relationship with the Great Elder of Gold Split Gate...

Therefore, investigating him made some sense.

Gangs were but the knives in the hands of Mansion City's nobles and big shots, the scythes harvesting the people's hard-earned wealth.

Li Che's perception constantly probed, sensing that these gangs were perhaps wary of his identity as a Heavenly Oversight Guest Official and the status of a prospective disciple of the Xixi Divine Sect.

They only dared to investigate in secret and carry out surveillance, without any intention of taking action.

He returned to the yard without attracting any attention.

Xi Xi was practicing her boxing, with her qi and blood surging and Divinity fluctuating. Her small body seemed to possess great strength.

Li Che was taken aback, "Yo, this little girl... has she undergone Bone Tempering?!"

How old is she now?

To have stepped into Bone Tempering at three years old without having taken any elixirs?

Moreover, her Divinity has reached the level of Nurturing Nature Like a Stream...

This Martial Path talent and Divine Talent...

If I didn't have Dao Fruits, she would really have surpassed me!

Truly worthy of being Li Che's daughter!

A smile hung on the corner of Li Che's lips.

Old Chen, who was puffing on his dry pipe while giving pointers to Xi Xi, had long since fallen silent, thinking that in his entire life he had met a weirdo.

Lu Chi also came running over, looking at Xi Xi, who had undergone Bone Tempering, and continuously touched his own big head with a pout.

Is this what a Supreme Spiritual Child looks like?

No... even a Supreme Spiritual Child doesn't have this kind of speed.

Lu Chi, now nine years old, what was he doing at three?

Oh, still nursing.

Back then, let alone Nurturing Nature Like a Stream, he hadn't even gathered his nurturing energy into a cup...

You can only say, comparison can kill a person.

Fortunately, the one surpassing him by a head is Xi Xi.

Seeing Lu Chi's laugh, Li Che knew that this little fellow came to their house every day specially to stand up for them because he heard about him being taken away for investigation by the Temple Control Bureau.

Li Che thought about the gangs tailing them and took the opportunity to ask about the Gold Split Gate.

"Gold Split Gate? They wouldn't dare to make a move on you all, you're recommended by the teacher and brought back, even if Golden Light Prefecture's Great Elder Jin Xuan had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to touch..." Lu Chi said with a smile, touching his big head.

Li Che was taken aback. So, the Black Snake Gang wasn't arranged by Gold Split Gate?

Then which power was the one spying on them outside?

Li Che frowned slightly, things were truly a bit chaotic. The Qin Family had Qin Haonan personally surveilling them, so it was likely not them. In fact, Li Che saw through his Heaven and Earth chessboard perception that Qin Haonan had investigated these gangs...

So, who brought this gang here?

Li Che's eyes darkened a bit, and his heart began to take it more seriously.

Zhang Ya had already prepared the meals and just served them, setting them out in the courtyard where the family dined together for dinner.

Perhaps because she had stepped into Bone Tempering, Xi Xi's appetite had become huge, and the tiny girl held a big bowl, shoveling food non-stop.

Li Che and Old Chen clinked glasses and drank, utterly contented.

A much warmer spring breeze blew over, comfortable and gentle.

Suddenly, Li Che's expression shifted slightly, and his brows furrowed.

Because, outside the door, his sister-in-law was stepping forward, approaching with quick steps.

Anxiety was written all over her face.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

Zhang Ya opened the door and saw that her sister-in-law Liu Chunming did not look good.

Liu Chunming glanced at Li Che and pursed her lips, "A Che, your cousin... he hasn't come home for two days and two nights..."

Li Che put down his wine cup, his brow furrowing.

Cousin Li Zhengran?

The Divine Chess Piece he had left on Li Zhengran hadn't indicated any danger to his life.

No danger to his life...

Then why hasn't cousin been home for two days and two nights?

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