Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 15: Enemy Raid

Across the desert plains bordering the fortress, a force of over 5,000 horsemen thundered forward, kicking up a storm of dust and sand. They were a tide of violence, and savage, unrestrained grins stretched across their faces as they charged the distant military camp.

The very earth seemed to tremble beneath their hooves.

“Hahaha, kill!”

These raiders from the grasslands were masters of horseback archery.

Long before they reached the camp’s perimeter, bows were already drawn. The first flaming arrow arced through the sky, a deadly comet that struck a tent at the front of the line with pinpoint accuracy.

The next moment, a torrential volley of fire rained down from above.

In an instant, the entire camp was swallowed by a sea of flames. Thick, black smoke billowed into the sky as waves of searing heat rolled through the tents, transforming the camp into a vision of hell.

Amidst the chaos, panicked shouts tore through the air.

“Enemy raid! Enemy raid!”

“It’s the grassland horsemen! They’re attacking!”

“What?! That’s impossible!”

But the shouts were quickly drowned out by screams of agony. Men, wreathed in flame, shrieked as they rolled desperately on the ground, trying to beat out the fire consuming them. It was a futile effort. The arrows were tipped with oil-soaked rags; once the fire took hold, it clung like a parasite, impossible to extinguish.

They never imagined they would be ambushed while Thousand-Man Commander Yuan Xiao was away on an expedition. They couldn’t fathom how the Wuli Army’s network of sentries—both hidden and in plain sight—had failed to send back any warning. How had this ferocious horde charged right up to their gates so brazenly?

Li Qing was just as stunned. He had just returned to his tent from the mess hall, his stomach finally full. He hadn’t even had a chance to sit down when he heard the whistle of the first flaming arrow. Then came the deluge. The overwhelming assault sent a jolt of ice through his veins, and he instinctively recoiled, nearly throwing himself into the other world right then and there.

“How is this possible?” Li Qing muttered, his mind racing. “There are countless sentries along that route. Why was there no word? Did they all turn traitor?”

The possibility of a mass defection was virtually zero. It was unthinkable.

That left only one, chilling possibility: the raiders knew the location of every single hidden outpost and had eliminated them all, swiftly and silently.

The Imperial Court’s reinforcements were still days away. For the raiders to strike at this exact moment, with such perfect timing…

“There’s a mole… inside the Wuli Army!”

The thought sent a cold dread prickling across his scalp.

“Run! Everyone, run!”

“To Wangyuan City! Head for Wangyuan City!”

The chaotic cries from outside reached his ears, and a grimace twisted his lips.

Run?

A bitter, cynical thought. *And accomplish what?* The raiders were on horseback. Wangyuan City was dozens of miles away. Not even an Outer Force expert could outpace a warhorse over that much open ground. Scattering like this was a death sentence. On the flat, barren plains behind the camp, they were nothing more than live targets.

“Damn it, this is too sudden. No warning at all. I’m completely unprepared,” Li Qing hissed, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. He forced himself to take a breath, to calm the frantic beating of his heart and think.

“Plans change. Time to take some food and seek refuge in the Extreme Night World.” Clenching his jaw, Li Qing made his decision.

He immediately broke into a run, heading straight for the granary. He would take enough food to last.

He noticed that while many tents were ablaze, the area around the granary was untouched by the flames.

Seeing this, a dark, knowing smile touched Li Qing’s lips.

The raiders clearly knew the granary’s location and had deliberately avoided it. Their intelligence was flawless. If someone tried to tell him there wasn’t a mole in the army now, Li Qing would have laughed in their face.

The other soldiers were fleeing in a blind panic toward Wangyuan City, paying no mind to the granary. Their only instinct was to get as far away as possible.

Li Qing kicked open the heavy, shut door of the granary. But before he could start grabbing supplies, he saw a figure that was both unexpected and, in a way, completely predictable.

“Fatty Wu? What are you still doing in here?” Li Qing stared, dumbfounded.

Inside, the plump, round figure of the cook was sitting on a pile of cured meat, stuffing his face with wild abandon.

“I… I saw there was no fire here, so I came to hide…” Wu Chong stammered, the fat on his cheeks quivering with every word.

“You idiot!” Li Qing snapped. “These raiders are here for the food! Staying here is courting death!”

Wu Chong’s mouth fell open. He mumbled through a half-chewed piece of meat, “Then what do I do? I can’t run that far. Wangyuan City… I’d be caught by those bastards long before I collapsed from exhaustion.”

The damn fatty was surprisingly clear-headed, calmer than the soldiers who had fled. He knew two legs couldn’t outrun four.

Li Qing sighed internally.

Before he could speak again, Wu Chong slumped in resignation. “It’s death either way. I might as well die on a full stomach!”

“I’ll eat! I’ll eat, eat, eat!”

Li Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. Even with death at the door, all this man could think about was food.

“Fatty, if you want to live, you listen to me!” Li Qing grabbed Wu Chong by the arm and hauled him to his feet. “Remember where my master was buried?” he said, his words coming in a rapid-fire burst. “Get your ass over to that graveyard now. Find any tomb and hide inside. The raiders won’t bother searching a place like that!”

At his words, Fatty Wu’s eyes lit up.

“Right! Why didn’t I think of that?”

With a path to survival suddenly clear, an unimaginable will to live erupted from Wu Chong’s obese frame. He scrambled to his feet. “What about you? You’re not staying here, are you? Let’s go together!”

“You go first,” Li Qing said, giving the big man a shove. “I’m grabbing some food. I’ll be right behind you!”

“Alright! Remember to take extra dried meat! We can’t let those damn raiders get it for free!”

With that final instruction, Fatty Wu’s round body shot forward with surprising speed. He summoned every ounce of his strength and bolted out of the granary, disappearing in a flash.

A thought suddenly struck Li Qing, and he yelled after the fleeing figure, “Fatty, remember—don’t hide in my master’s grave!”

He didn’t know if Wu Chong heard him, and he didn’t have time to care. Turning back to the stores, Li Qing hoisted a massive pile of rice, flour, and dried meat onto his shoulders. He closed his eyes and began his great migration.

He would move enough food to last for a long, long time. Then he would vanish into the Extreme Night World and wait for this storm to pass.