Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 63: Return to the Imperial Capital

Shengtian, the crown jewel of Feng Country, was a city whose four gates never slept, forever choked with a ceaseless tide of humanity. The summer heat brought the flow of merchants to a fever pitch, forcing Li Qing’s carriage to wait in a long, stagnant queue before it was finally permitted entry.

The journey back had been a frantic one. He was now responsible for a tiger cub, barely a month old, that required constant feeding. This urgency had cut the return trip to less than two days.

“Mrow! Mrow!”

The cub, having gone hungry for the better part of a day, was now howling its complaints at Li Qing.

“Sigh, what a bottomless pit. From now on, I’ll call you Fantong—Rice Bucket,” Li Qing said with a wry smile, lifting the tiny creature. Fantong pawed furiously at the air, a gesture that might well have been a protest against its new name.

When Li Qing had first found him, the cub’s breaths were shallow wisps, its life seemingly moments from being extinguished. Li Qing had taken him on a whim, not expecting much. But after a bit of milk, the little tiger had miraculously rallied, its vitality returning with a surprising speed.

“They say survival against all odds brings great fortune. Stick with me, little one, and you’ll live a life of comfort,” Li Qing chuckled, setting Fantong down and giving its head a casual scratch.

Soon, the carriage cleared the city gate’s inspection. A few silver taels pressed into the hands of the guards ensured a smooth passage back into Shengtian. Private carriages were rarely scrutinized; the guards were mainly concerned with contraband like untaxed salt and iron, crimes Feng Country took with deadly seriousness.

Back in the sprawling capital, Li Qing didn’t head straight for his forge. His first stop was the Quanshan Medicine Shop, where he retrieved the Five Poisons he had left in their care.

Next, he sought out a specialty shop run by merchants from the northern grasslands. In this era, dairy was an absolute luxury, something even the wealthy seldom consumed. The difficulty of preservation and transport made milk, by weight, far more expensive than meat. To ensure Fantong grew strong, Li Qing placed a standing order with the herdsman-garbed shopkeeper for fresh goat’s milk, to be delivered daily to his forge.

“Sigh, I have no idea how to raise a tiger. I suppose it’s like raising a cat at this age? Goat’s milk for now, then meat when it’s old enough,” Li Qing muttered to himself, a hint of frustration in his voice. He could already see the fortune this creature would cost him to raise to adulthood.

Fortunately, money wasn’t a pressing concern. If his funds ran low, a quick trip to the Extreme Night World would replenish his coffers. He could certainly afford to keep one little Fantong.

Besides, his primary motive for bringing the cub back was to have a living reference for his practice of the Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram. His battle with the great tiger on Xiaocui Ridge had been profoundly enlightening. Having a tiger close at hand could only accelerate his mastery of the art.

Though, Li Qing had his doubts. Could this mewling, domesticated cub ever grow to possess the terrifying majesty of its mother?

“Grow up fast,” he murmured. “I’m not raising you for nothing.”

Back at the forge, Li Qing let the cub, which had been nestled quietly in his arms, loose on the floor. It immediately began to tumble and roll with abandon. After another feeding of goat’s milk, Li Qing fashioned a crude den for it and then turned his attention to more important matters.

The grand brewing project was about to begin.

***

At the Taoyuan Restaurant on the next street, the air was thick with the smell of wine and the sound of boisterous bragging. Li Qing had barely stepped inside when snippets of conversation reached his ears.

“Whoa, you haven’t heard? That female Thousand-Man Commander from the Wuli Army? She’s vicious. Not what you’d expect from a woman at all. Already beaten four or five troublemaking Outer Force thugs to death.”

“Lady Qinghong has been fighting on the battlefield since she was a girl. Her family’s Inner Force arts are top-tier. Of course she’s fierce. The Qian family is…”

“Tsk, tsk. A woman who puts herself on display like that… she’s got a certain spice to her, I’ll give her that.”

“Heh, friend, I’d watch your mouth. The last loudmouth she killed—just the day before yesterday—was the one who told her to her face she had a nice figure…”

“Hiss—!”

A collective, sharp intake of breath swept through the rough-looking Jianghu men in the tavern. A few, however, wore expressions of disdain, convinced no woman could ever achieve true martial prowess.

Li Qing listened for a moment longer. He knew exactly who they were talking about. There was only one female Thousand-Man Commander in the Wuli Army. It could be none other than Qian Hong.

He continued to eavesdrop, catching up on the city’s recent events. Confirming that nothing else of major significance had occurred, he got down to business.

“Shopkeeper,” Li Qing said, leaning against the counter. “What’s the name of your strongest liquor?”

It was a question the shopkeeper had clearly answered a thousand times. “Our strongest? That’d be our Nine-Ferment Spring, our Burning Knife, and the Three-Bowl Knockout!” he recited. “Even seasoned Jianghu experts don’t dare have more than a taste. Which will it be, sir?”

“Five jars of each,” Li Qing stated calmly. “Deliver them all to the blacksmith’s forge on Chiming Street.”

Both the Tiger Bone Body-Nourishing Wine and the Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine required a potent base. The stronger the liquor, the better the final product. With the large quantity of tiger bones he had prepared, he could easily brew more than a dozen jars at once.

The sheer size of the order made the shopkeeper’s eyes widen. He gave Li Qing a new, appraising look. “Sir, you truly want that much?”

“What’s the matter? Don’t have enough in stock?” Li Qing asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Hahaha, of course not! Sir, our restaurant may run short of many things, but never liquor!” the shopkeeper boomed with a laugh. He rubbed his hands together. “It’s just that the price…”

*Thud.*

Li Qing placed a solid gold bar on the counter. Its brilliant, heavy gleam captured the shopkeeper’s gaze, and he couldn’t look away.

“Money is not an issue. Get the liquor to me as soon as possible. And add two jars of Winter Plum to the order.”

“Yes, right away, sir! I’ll have the boy deliver it immediately!” the shopkeeper exclaimed, his face alight with a massive grin.

Winter Plum was a well-known vintage in Shengtian, and Li Qing’s personal favorite. It was strong, yet it went down smooth, lacking the throat-searing bite of other spirits.

With the transaction complete, Li Qing strolled out of the restaurant as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

He was keenly aware, of course, that the tavern had fallen unnervingly quiet the moment he left.

Establishments like this were magnets for the Jianghu’s rougher elements. By openly buying so much liquor and flashing a gold bar, he had undoubtedly painted a target on his back. He could have avoided this by purchasing the jars one by one over time, but an amount worth a mere hundred or so silver taels was beneath the notice of any true Inner Force master.

His martial skill had grown considerably. Among Outer Force practitioners, he was now second to none. The old fear was gone.

*A perfect opportunity to test my current limits,* Li Qing thought, his steps growing lighter. *And to see just how tame these Jianghu dogs have become with the Wuli Army holding their leash.*

Everything was going according to plan.

Seeking recommendations, seeking collections!!!