As a Father, I Just Want to Watch You Achieve Immortality Chapter 4: Immortal Artisan Upgrade, Bad News Arrives
Previously on As a Father, I Just Want to Watch You Achieve Immortality...
The timber consisted of scrap pieces he had scavenged from the woodworking shop—mere offcuts that had gone unnoticed when he carried them home.
His carving blade was a tool he had commissioned years ago, back when he first dreamed of mastering the craft. It had been forged by the blacksmith in the city's western district and had cost a significant sum for the set. Finally, after all this time, the investment was proving its worth.
Within him, the [Immortal Artisan] Dao Fruit throbbed with life, stirring a divine intuition that guided his every move.
To truly test his capabilities, Li Che bypassed the use of ink for sketching outlines and plunged directly into the carving process. Aided by the Dao Fruit, he possessed a profound, intimate grasp of the "Six-Eyed Bodhisattva Statue" design, as though the image were etched into his very soul.
It felt as if he shared Master Chen’s depth of experience, having carved thousands of these statues himself. Practice had paved the way for perfection.
He held absolute mastery over every detail, from the external proportions to the internal spatial relationships, controlling the pressure of each stroke with surgical precision.
Since this was his inaugural attempt at manual labor, a slight stiffness lingered initially. However, as the blade danced across the grain, the friction between wood and steel smoothed out his movements, and his proficiency surged with every shaving that fell.
His technique grew increasingly fluid, eventually taking on a distinct elegance—the hallmark of a seasoned expert.
True mastery usually requires decades of accumulated effort.
Yet, through the [Immortal Artisan] Dao Fruit, Li Che was able to "commune" with the Six-Eyed Bodhisattva. Like a sponge, he absorbed the years of expertise Master Chen had poured into the design.
The rhythmic rasp of the sharp blade against the wood filled the room.
Under the flickering, popping oil lamp, wood chips fell like a gentle rain. In Li Che’s hand, the sharp angles of a palm-sized "Six-Eyed Bodhisattva Statue" began to manifest.
Though it remained unpolished and rough around the edges, the underlying form already radiated the aura of divine craftsmanship!
Nearby, Zhang Ya had finished putting Xi Xi to bed. When she looked over and saw that Li Che had already shaped the rough outline of the deity in such a short window, her heart skipped a beat in amazement.
Seeing her husband so intensely focused, she refrained from speaking, quietly holding back her questions so as not to break his concentration.
Abandoning the idea of sleep, she sat on the edge of the bed, watching him work by the warm glow of the lamp.
As she observed him, her eyes grew misty with emotion. She bit her lip, and a joyful smile slowly spread across her face.
She had assumed he had long since abandoned his interest in wood carving, but she was wrong.
He had never stopped practicing in secret, laboring diligently to prepare this wonderful surprise for her!
"I wonder if he could find work as a carver at the shop, or even just as an apprentice... then he wouldn't have to endure the backbreaking labor of hauling heavy timber and finished goods every day," she whispered to herself.
Zhang Ya’s aspirations were modest; she simply wanted a life where her husband didn't have to struggle so hard to provide for them.
Lost in his work, Li Che eventually blinked back to reality. The Six-Eyed Bodhisattva Statue was complete—it required no more carving, though it still needed sanding to be a finished product.
A surge of pure satisfaction washed over him.
Suddenly, his spirit wavered as he sensed a change.
[Dao Fruit: Immortal Artisan (lv1, 10%)]
Eh?!
Li Che’s eyes widened as he saw the status of the [Immortal Artisan] Dao Fruit. The experience indicator had actually ticked upward.
"Does carving a single piece increase my experience? Is it a proficiency system?"
"Or did I gain this 10% because I 'touched' the original Six-Eyed Bodhisattva, learned its secrets, and successfully recreated it?"
It seemed this Dao Fruit was currently in an immature state.
Only through careful cultivation and nurturing could its true potential be unleashed.
Li Che sat in deep thought.
He felt a twinge of regret that he hadn't brought home more wood to continue his experimentation.
Subduing his excitement, he stood up and stretched his weary limbs, noticing his wife Zhang Ya nodding off against the headboard.
A wave of affection hit him, knowing she had stayed up just to wait for him. In the biting night air, he quickly extinguished the lamp and pulled his startled wife into the warmth of the quilts.
Outside, the snow continued its heavy descent.
It landed softly on the growing drifts atop the roof, creating a peaceful silence perfect for a deep slumber.
The following morning, Li Che reported for duty at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop as usual.
"Master Chen, would you mind if I took these scraps home to practice with?"
During a lull in the work, Li Che approached the elder. He gestured toward the offcuts from a "Flowering Curved Willow" project.
Master Chen, his beard dusted with wood shavings, looked up. "You want to learn the trade? You certainly have a sharp eye for detail, which is a good start. It's a shame you're starting a bit late in life. Still, I admire your initiative. Take whatever scraps you like from my bench."
Having assisted Master Chen for several years, Li Che enjoyed a level of favoritism from the old man.
Beaming with gratitude, Li Che thanked him profusely and began sorting through the waste for pieces suitable for practice.
Master Chen watched him for a moment, shook his head with a silent smile, and returned to the intricate work of carving "Nine Sons Embracing the Lotus."
Li Che bundled his findings in a cloth and left them at his station. He then hurried to the yard under the guise of organizing the inventory, using the opportunity to touch the finished carvings.
The "Immortal Artisan" Dao Fruit hummed. This time, he laid his hand upon a piece titled "Spring Fills the Universe." It was a work of immense complexity, requiring the carver to render individual leaves with such realism they seemed to breathe with the essence of spring.
The moment his skin met the wood, a familiar sensation flooded his mind.
He envisioned a female Wood Carver, her blade moving like a brush, capturing the vastness of the world within the palm of her hand as the spirit of the season bloomed from the timber.
A torrent of technical knowledge regarding the "Spring Fills the Universe" style rushed into his consciousness.
Li Che was ecstatic. Just as he had with the Bodhisattva, he had absorbed an entirely new technique. However, when he attempted to touch other carvings, the Dao Fruit remained dormant. It seemed there was a daily limit to what he could acquire.
Over the next few days, Li Che dedicated himself to studying the mechanics of the "Immortal Artisan" Dao Fruit.
An Immortal Artisan possessed a divine touch and unmatched skill!
By touching a statue, he gained its technique. For every new statue he successfully carved, he earned 10% experience. However, each specific design only granted experience once. To reach level 2, he would need to master and carve ten distinct designs.
Now that he understood the path forward, Li Che felt a newfound sense of hope for his future!
Time marched on, day by day.
A full month passed in a flash.
Xi Xi reached her one-month milestone. Her bright eyes scanned the room with curiosity as she flailed her chubby arms from within her swaddle.
Li Che entertained her with a rattle-drum he had crafted himself, eliciting peals of delighted laughter from the infant.
Xi Xi was a joyful baby; when she smiled, she revealed dimples exactly like her mother's.
Zhang Ya sat nearby, stitching old garments, her gaze lingering on the father and daughter with a look of pure contentment.
"Husband, have you had a chance to ask the Third Shopkeeper about becoming a Wood Carver?" she asked.
During the past month, she had watched Li Che produce various exquisite carvings every night. Her admiration had grown to the point where she believed his skill far surpassed that of the shop's apprentices—perhaps even rivaling the masters.
"The Third Shopkeeper mentioned... that there are procedures to follow. I have to take a formal assessment alongside the paying students. If I pass, I can join the shop as a proper Wood Carver," Li Che explained.
He continued to play with Xi Xi, letting her tiny hand grasp at the rattle as he answered his wife.
Zhang Ya nodded, her expression firm. "I know you'll succeed, husband!"
Li Che smiled, his eyes glowing with a quiet, spirited confidence.
With a mere thought, the status appeared:
[Dao Fruit: Immortal Artisan (lv2, 8%)]
After a month of absorbing techniques and carving late into the night, he had finally reached level 2.
At this stage, the Dao Fruit enhanced his ability to convey "meaning." The statues he created now carried a powerful, tangible essence. Furthermore, his manual dexterity had reached incredible heights; his fingers were so nimble that he felt he could assemble the most complex mechanical devices with ease.
After spending a little more time with Xi Xi, Li Che prepared to head out for his shift.
The snowfall had finally begun to taper off, suggesting the end of the brutal winter, though the air remained sharp and cold.
As he stepped out of his home, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance. It was his uncle, wearing a weathered Confucian robe under a heavy coat, puffing on a pipe with a deep scowl as he hurried toward the house.
"Uncle," Li Che greeted him.
His uncle, burdened by traditional preferences for sons, hadn't visited since Xi Xi was born. Only the Great Aunt had stopped by once to bring eggs for Zhang Ya’s recovery.
"Che'er, are you heading to the shop? Good, I caught you," the Old Scholar said, his brow tightly knit.
Li Che nodded, noticing the older man’s hesitation. "Is something wrong?"
"Che'er, haven't you heard the news?" the Old Scholar asked gravely.
"That midwife, Grandma Lei... the one who assisted with Xiao Ya..."
"She’s murdered several children..."
"They say... every single one was a child she helped deliver!"