Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 22: One Year

A year slipped by in silence. In the Extreme Night World, there was no spring to chase away the winter; the land was trapped in an eternal state of cold and darkness.

Without a sunrise or sunset to mark the days, Li Qing had to rely on cruder methods. He estimated the passage of time by the dwindling stockpile of food in his warehouse. Based on his daily consumption, he had originally portioned out enough rations for a year and a half, using his own body’s rhythm as a rough clock.

But the calculation was flawed. After breaking through to the realm of Outer Force, his appetite had surged once more. The food that should have lasted eighteen months was nearly gone in just twelve.

Now, the cellar was almost bare. It was time to return to the other world and see what had become of it.

*This past year wasn’t wasted, though. My Outer Force has become far more profound.* Li Qing spread his hands, feeling the raw, thrumming power that coiled within his muscles. He was deeply satisfied.

During his self-imposed exile, he had honed the martial arts he’d acquired. The Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram, the Gu Xuan Hammer Technique, and the Qingluo Leg Technique had all reached a state of proficiency.

Only the Turtle Breath Technique progressed at a glacial pace, still hovering at the Novice stage. The internal energy it produced was barely a whisper in his meridians.

Yet, Li Qing felt no discouragement. On the contrary, his hopes for this internal art were higher than ever. It was the key, he believed, that would define the upper limits of his martial path. Whether he could one day touch the realm of a Grandmaster would almost certainly depend on the Turtle Breath Technique.

*Still, things have been happening in Obsidian City while I’ve been holed up. I wonder what the situation in Feng Country is now.*

When he’d left, bandits were ravaging the borderlands, but the entirety of Feng Country’s Wuli Army had been marching toward Wangyuan City. He had no way of knowing if the war still raged.

Just as Li Qing prepared to cross back, a sharp rap echoed from his courtyard gate.

*Knock. Knock. Knock.*

An aged voice followed. It was Old Man An.

“Master Li, are you home?”

Li Qing strode to the gate and opened it, an eyebrow arching in surprise.

Standing outside was not only the stooped, frail figure of Old Man An but also a small, sallow-skinned girl. She looked no older than twelve or thirteen, her face pale and bloodless from malnutrition, but her eyes were strikingly clear.

This had to be Old Man An’s granddaughter.

“Old Man An,” Li Qing began, his gaze flicking over the girl before returning to the old man. “What brings you and your granddaughter here so suddenly?”

Old Man An’s face was a mask of bitterness. “Master Li, this old man… I want to entrust my granddaughter to you. Let her serve you, help with the daily chores. What do you say?”

“Grandpa…” the little girl whispered, clutching the hem of his worn clothes, her eyes wide with fear.

*A servant? Impossible.* The thought was immediate and sharp. He harbored a secret that could shatter worlds; the last thing he needed was a witness, a liability, tethered to his side.

“Old Man An, you should be taking care of her yourself. Why push her onto me?” Li Qing’s tone was cold, detached.

“Sigh… I plan to leave the city in a few days to harvest Black Wheat Mushrooms,” the old man explained, his hand gently stroking his granddaughter’s hair. “We haven’t had a full meal in days.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Li Qing’s brow furrowed. “A man your age, going out to harvest Black Wheat Mushrooms? Weren’t you making a living mending clothes and making shoes?”

“I wish I still could,” he lamented. “But a while ago, the Yan Family passed down the word. No one in the city is to give me any business.”

Old Man An then recounted the events of the past few months.

The Second Young Master of the Yan Family had taken a fancy to his granddaughter and demanded the old man deliver her to the Yan estate. Old Man An had refused, gritting his teeth and holding firm, refusing to let his granddaughter be thrown into that pit of fire.

In Obsidian City, the Second Young Master Yan’s reputation was infamous. Any woman who caught his eye and entered his mansion met a grim fate—they either went mad or threw themselves down a well.

What surprised Li Qing, however, was that the Young Master hadn’t simply taken the girl by force. With the Yan Family’s influence, abducting her would have been trivial.

Li Qing guessed it was a game to satisfy some twisted part of the man’s psyche. He didn’t just want the girl; he wanted the old man to break, to offer her up willingly. That was why he was tormenting him with these schemes.

Now, Old Man An was at a dead end. With his livelihood destroyed, his only choice to avoid starvation was to risk the fields outside the city, harvesting Black Wheat Mushrooms for a pittance.

It was worth noting that all the land where the mushrooms grew belonged to the Yan Family. In essence, nearly every citizen of Obsidian City was their tenant. Those without a valuable skill had to toil in the Yan fields, harvesting their crops just to receive a handful of mushrooms as payment.

And it was dangerous work. The soil teemed with creatures called Black Sand Worms, which were lethal to a frail old man. Even if he survived the worms, the journey back was just as perilous. A weak, elderly man returning from the fields was an easy target for robbers and murderers.

This was why Old Man An had come to him. He knew that if he left the city, his chances of returning were slim to none.

Listening to the story, Li Qing sighed internally. *The Yan Family really deserves to be wiped out, preying on the people like this.*

As an Outer Force expert, he no longer feared them in the same way. But he had yet to gauge their true depth and had no desire to attract their attention so soon. After all, besides the Gu Xuan Hammer Technique, all his other skills had come from them.

Li Qing would never believe that a family like the Yans didn’t have a few Outer Force masters of their own on retainer.

“Sigh… Old Man An, you should take your granddaughter home,” Li Qing said, his voice flat. “I won’t be taking her in.”

At his words, the old man’s face fell, the last glimmer of hope extinguished. He opened his mouth to plead again but ultimately let it go.

“So be it. I’ve troubled you, Master Li. The Yan Family… they are not to be crossed.”

With that, Old Man An took his granddaughter’s small hand and began the slow, shuffling walk home.

As they turned, Li Qing saw the shimmer of tears welling in the little girl’s eyes. A sudden, unwelcome pang of pity struck him.

“Wait, Old Man An,” he called out.

The old man stopped, his voice apologetic. “Master Li… if this is too difficult, please, don’t force yourself.”

But Li Qing had already turned and walked back into his house, heading for the storeroom. He emerged moments later, hauling the sacks of Black Wheat Mushrooms he had earned from his smithing work over the past year.

“Take these,” he said, holding them out. “It should be enough to last you both a long time. Wait and see if things blow over. The Yans can’t watch you forever.”

“This… how can I accept this, Master Li? You…” Old Man An was flustered, wanting to refuse but unable to form the words.

Li Qing offered a faint smile. “Take them. I’m not short on food.”

“An Xuan, quickly! Thank your Uncle Li!” the old man urged, pulling his granddaughter forward.

“Thank you, Uncle Li! Thank you!” An Xuan bowed, tears now streaming down her face like pearls, splashing silently onto the dusty ground.

Hearing the repeated thanks, the corner of Li Qing’s mouth twitched. He simply waved a hand and retreated into his courtyard without another word.

*I’m only eighteen in this life, and I’m already an ‘uncle’…* he thought with a grimace. *Though, I suppose my mental age fits the title.*