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    Rain poured from the sky in torrents, utterly ice-cold.

    Just like Li Che''s state of mind at the moment, so cold it yearned for murder.

    The smile on Li Che''s face slowly vanished as he stared deeply at Xu Beihu, despite Xu Beihu being his guide on the martial path, he actually coveted Xi Xi!

    Xi Xi was only two and a half years old... and this man was already thinking of making her a child bride?!

    It wasn''t just about finding Xi Xi adorable, undoubtedly it was because he had set his sights on Xi Xi''s divine talent, wanting to tie her future to them.

    As a father, how could he possibly throw Xi Xi into such a pit of fire?

    The warmth on Li Che''s face cooled, even the slightest gentleness towards Xu Beihu disappeared without a trace.

    "Second Shopkeeper is joking. Xi Xi is still young, it is far too early to speak of such matters."

    "Moreover, when it comes to Xi Xi''s marriage, it primarily depends on her own will. I won''t interfere."

    Li Che said indifferently.

    Sensing the indifference in Li Che''s words, Xu Beihu''s eyes narrowed, "Master Li, the marriage of children is inevitably linked with us as parents, and the words of the parents are of utmost importance."

    Li Che couldn''t be bothered to talk to Xu Beihu anymore.

    However, Xu Beihu felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, as if he saw a trace of disdain on Li Che''s face.

    As if to say, what right did his Xu Beihu''s son have to be worthy of Xi Xi, who possessed such high divine talent?

    "Master Li, nowadays Fei Lei City isn''t safe, the threat from the Spirit Infant Sect is growing more severe, and after all, Master Li is not a member of the Xu Family. The protection provided to Xi Xi by the Xu Family might not be comprehensive. If Xi Xi were to form a good match with my son... then she would be part of the Xu Family, and naturally, the protection we provide would be different."

    Xu Beihu said blandly.

    Li Che''s gaze remained steady as he looked at Xu Beihu, "Second Shopkeeper... are you threatening me?"

    His calm words seemed to bring silence to the world.

    The pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the tiles and bluestones grew deafeningly loud.

    Xu Beihu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his cultivated divinity boiling uncontrollably as if a terrible crisis was approaching.

    "Big brother, Xi Xi is like my goddaughter. As long as I, Xu You, live another day, I will give her the greatest protection."

    Out of the blue.

    From behind, within the Divine Cultivation Institute, a resounding and angry voice could be heard.

    Then, Xu You came slowly walking over, leading Xi Xi who carried a small school box on her back.

    "Daddy!"

    Upon seeing Li Che, Xi Xi called out in surprise and joy, her voice soft and shy. Outside, Xi Xi was always very timid and quiet.

    Li Che immediately looked at Xi Xi, a gentle expression flooding his face, "Daddy''s here to take you home, your mother made your favorite braised prawns today, let''s go back early."

    Greedy Xi Xi''s salivation seemed almost uncontrollable at the mention.

    However, as if to maintain her image, she quietly covered her mouth with her hand.

    On the other side, Xu You stood in opposition to Xu Beihu.

    Looking at the rarely angry Xu You, Xu Beihu''s mouth twitched, but didn''t completely fall out with him, "Enough, it was merely a suggestion, my attitude has been very sincere, Master Li... think it over."

    Xu Beihu couldn''t be bothered to say more. He only glanced at Li Che before turning around and leading his team away.

    "Second brother''s children... basically have too low divine talents, and his sons are already eight years old, too old." Xu You turned to Li Che, somewhat indignantly muttering.

    Even angrier than Li Che, the father.

    Li Che simply wanted to kill silently, it wasn''t too obvious on his face, but Xu You''s anger was written all over his.

    "Xi Xi''s future... must belong to the Divine Sect, she must not waste her potential at the Xu Family."

    Lu Chi: "..."

    Finally, Xu You couldn''t hold back and burst into laughter.

    Oh boy, the usually approachable Li Che suddenly becoming cold and fiercely protective was quite amusing.

    And about twisting heads so comfortably...

    You, Li Che, have never killed a person, but you do know how to scare someone quite well.

    ...

    ...

    Eventually, Lu Chi was still brought along for the meal, although he actually didn''t want to go.

    But for some reason, Li Che let him go anyway.

    After the meal, since it was raining heavily in the courtyard, Xi Xi and Lu Chi played there. This was the first time Xi Xi had brought a friend home, and the little girl had a lot of fun.

    But to Lu Chi, the sight of Li Che sitting under the eaves, holding a carving knife, carving the wood bit by bit, felt like the knife was always gesturing toward his body.

    After dinner, Xu You spoke with Li Che about the Divine Base battle and then took his leave to go back to the Xu Family to take care of matters.

    Although the Xu Family hadn''t notified him of such a major event... after all, he was still from the Xu Family''s direct lineage and should go back to help.

    Li Che didn''t try to keep him. For Xu You of the Xu Family''s direct lineage, he just felt sorry for him.

    Xu You, Xu Beihu, and Xu Heli, three brothers from the same father but different mothers. Xu You''s mother died early, and the family head father didn''t pay much attention to him because Xu You''s Divine Talent was too low, and whether he could reach the "Cultivation as Riverlike" stage was uncertain.

    Furthermore, Xu You''s personality was too good and too honest. The more honest a child is, the more the parents think you are sensible and the less attention they invest.

    Xu You''s status within the Xu Family was really not high, and Li Che sometimes felt heartache for him.

    Xu You left, and the now-staying Lu Chi felt as if his only support in the small courtyard had collapsed.

    Fortunately,

    Li Che didn''t put on that Cute Bull Mask, which killed without blinking an eye.

    Night fell.

    The rainy night was deep, and the dense clouds were so heavy they seemed impenetrable.

    Li Che gently put Xi Xi to sleep, then handed over the provisions to his wife Zhang Ya, and arranged for mother and daughter to sleep.

    Then he got up from the master bedroom, made sure all the mechanisms set in the master bedroom were intact.

    Li Che arrived at the study, changed into a black elastic outfit in the darkness, and carved out the Cute Bull Mask, covering his face.

    Putting on the cloak hat, he vanished with a flicker.

    In the side bedroom,

    Lu Chi, with his Nezha braids, sat cross-legged on the bed, slightly closed his eyes, and nurtured his Divinity. The quilt Zhang Ya had prepared for him was neatly folded like tofu blocks; he had never covered himself with it.

    Suddenly,

    Lu Chi''s eyes shot open.

    Boom boom boom!

    Behind the dense clouds, ferocious thunder tore through the night sky.

    Lu Chi looked towards the abruptly opened window.

    There, a figure in a cloak hat and dark clothes stood still.

    The howling wind whipped around, the air currents turbulent.

    The occasionally bright and flickering lightning...

    Cast light upon the grim and unsettled Cute Cow Mask beneath the cloak hat.