Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 19: The Ambush

The weight of over three hundred pounds of iron ingots did little to slow Li Qing down. His frame remained perfectly stable, the immense load barely a burden.

Since beginning his martial arts training, his physical power had soared, and his senses had sharpened to a razor’s edge. His hearing was acute, his vision crystal clear. He could now perceive the faintest rustle of wind through the grass, every subtle shift in his surroundings.

As Li Qing left the bustling market behind, the heavy basket of iron on his back, a soft sigh escaped his lips.

“You’ve been following for quite some time. You can come out now.” Li Qing came to a halt. Every muscle in his body coiled, a spring wound tight as he scanned his surroundings.

The streets beyond the market were desolate. Every door was shut tight, the houses silent and devoid of life.

Moments after he spoke, the scuff of footsteps echoed from both sides of the narrow street.

More than one, he noted internally. He turned slowly, his eyes falling on the three figures emerging from the shadows.

The men were dressed in rags, their clothes worn thin and covered in crude patches. A single glance was enough to see the desperation of their lives. The one in the middle, tall and lanky, appeared to be their leader. His face was gaunt, his eyes haunted by a perpetual, gloomy hunger.

“Brother,” the leader rasped, his voice hoarse with weakness. “We three haven’t eaten in a long time. Spare a bite for us?” It was clear from his tone that he wasn’t lying about the hunger.

But Li Qing’s guard remained up. To be this weak from starvation and still dare to attempt a robbery meant they had an ace up their sleeve.

And sure enough, the shortest of the three piped up, “Boss, why waste your breath? Let’s just cripple him and make him lead us to the food.”

The third man added in a low growl, “Yeah! I saw it myself back in the market. His basket’s got at least twenty, maybe thirty pounds of Black Wheat Mushrooms!”

Gulp.

The man swallowed hard at the thought, then drew a crude cleaver. Despite the rust spotting its spine, the weapon had a certain menacing weight to it.

So that’s what it was. A flash of wealth in the market. He’d never imagined that a mere twenty pounds of mushrooms would be enough to get him targeted.

“You see how it is, brother,” the tall one said, his voice losing its pleading tone. He produced a long cudgel. “We really are starving. Why don’t you make this easy on yourself?”

In an instant, the three spread out, forming a triangle that cut off Li Qing’s escape. They were poised to strike.

Li Qing could have told them he’d already sold the mushrooms, but he knew it would be pointless. Vultures like these wouldn’t back off until they’d torn a chunk of flesh from their prey.

Yet, there was no fear in him. Instead, a strange, thrilling excitement began to bubble in his chest. He had practiced for so long, honing his techniques in solitude. A few starving thugs would make for excellent practice dummies. He didn’t know when it had started, but the thrill of a real fight sent a surge of hot blood through his veins.

“It seems a fight is unavoidable,” Li Qing said with a low chuckle.

The moment the words left his lips, he shrugged off his heavy cotton coat, letting it and the massive basket fall to the stone-paved street.

THUD!

The impact of over three hundred pounds of solid iron shook the ground, the sound echoing like a death knell in the silent alley.

The leader’s face went pale. He stared, horrified, at Li Qing’s now bare torso. The man wasn’t just sturdy; he was a sculpture of corded, powerful muscle.

Shit. We picked the wrong one. He never would have guessed that beneath that simple coat and honest face was the physique of a bull.

But there was no time for regret. Freed from his burdens, Li Qing exploded forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. In the space of two breaths, he closed the distance to the leader.

Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram—Vicious Tiger Pounces on Prey!

Li Qing launched himself into the air, his body a blur of ferocious momentum as he brought a palm strike down on the man.

“Courting death!” the leader snarled, swinging his iron cudgel to intercept.

CLANG!

Li Qing’s forearm met the cudgel with a jarring impact, effortlessly deflecting the blow. In the same fluid motion, his open palm clenched into a fist, whistling through the air as he drove it forward.

CRACK!

The man couldn’t react in time. Li Qing’s full-force blow shattered his shoulder like a dry twig, sending him flying backward to crumple in a heap.

Li Qing exhaled sharply, shaking out his hand. The cudgel had left nothing more than a faint red mark on his skin.

“Boss!” the short man cried out, stunned. It had all happened too fast. Before he could even process it, their leader was down.

“What are you scared of? We’ve got a blade!” The third robber, a simple-minded brute, found courage in the cleaver he held and charged Li Qing.

A blade? Li Qing sneered internally. He planted his feet, sinking into the foundational stance of the Gu Xuan Hammer Technique. His base was as solid as a mountain.

As the brute closed in, Li Qing’s left leg lashed out like a whip.

Qingluo Leg Technique!

The technique was known for its fluid grace, but it could turn a limb into a deadly whip. After countless hours of stance training, Li Qing’s Novice-level kick blurred through the air, carrying astonishing force.

WHAP!

The kick connected with a sickening crunch. The burly robber was sent spinning through the air, his cleaver flying from his grasp before he could even swing it.

Li Qing snapped his leg back, pressing his advantage without a moment’s hesitation. He followed up with another heavy, powerful Tiger Fist.

The dazed man took the punch square in the chest. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Clatter.

The last man standing, the short one, watched his companions fall. Without a second’s hesitation, he dropped his own rusty blade. All thoughts of resistance had vanished. This wasn’t a mark; he was a monster. They had picked a fight with the wrong man.

“We give up,” the man said, surprisingly calm. “Kill us or let us go, it’s your call.” He stood there, completely resigned to his fate.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Li Qing’s face. He was just starting to warm up, and the fight was already over. What a letdown.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Li Qing asked, shaking his head with a wry smile. “And you dare to call yourselves robbers?” He turned, picked up his coat, and shrugged it back on, once again hiding the formidable physique beneath.

The remaining robber’s mouth twitched as he watched. That was the look that had fooled them. That plain, honest face. They never could have imagined that a ferocious tiger was hiding beneath such a simple, unassuming coat.

“You three,” Li Qing commanded, his voice dropping and his gaze turning to ice. A palpable pressure emanated from him. “Pick up the ingots. Carry them and follow me.”

“Right away! Sir, right away!”

They were, after all, just common thugs. After the brutal lesson Li Qing had just taught them, they scrambled to obey, their defiance utterly broken.