Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 25: A Grand Conspiracy

“The Yan Family?” Li Qing feigned disbelief. “But why? I have no quarrel with them. In fact, we’ve even done business together.”

Tianlong, the gang leader, seemed to expect this reaction. With a smile and a wave of his hand, he dismissed the men hidden in the shadows.

As he did, Li Qing felt the several intense gazes that had been locked on him since his arrival simply vanish.

“Your gang is brimming with talent,” Li Qing said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “It’s truly admirable that you’ve been willing to serve under the Yan Family for so long. You have my deepest respect, Gang Leader Tianlong.”

The veiled sarcasm only broadened Tianlong’s grin. The fact that Li Qing could so keenly sense the hidden men confirmed it: he had reached the realm of Outer Force.

“To be frank,” Tianlong began, “some time ago, the Yan Family’s Second Young Master sent his servant, Yan San, to persuade me to put you in your place. The pretext was some old incident where you single-handedly dealt with a few of my worthless men.”

“Yan San’s approach was clumsy. Honestly, you were in the right that day; those thugs of mine were the ones out of line. It was so long ago I’d forgotten all about it until he brought it up.”

At this, Gang Leader Tianlong lowered his voice. “But I did send Wei Tian to your home to test you. I wanted to see what kind of man had caught the Yan Family’s attention.”

His implication was clear. If the test had revealed Li Qing to be nothing more than a brute with some strength, Tianlong would have gladly done the Yan Family a favor. But if Li Qing could detect a trained scout like Wei Tian, it meant he possessed real power.

And now, the results were undeniable. The strength Li Qing projected was clearly that of an Outer Force expert.

“Brother Li,” Tianlong said, his expression turning serious, “are you interested in joining me to achieve something truly great in Obsidian City?”

Something great? Li Qing thought, unimpressed. He means shaking down merchants and running protection rackets?

Outwardly, his expression remained unchanged. “Oh? And what great undertaking might that be, Gang Leader Tianlong?”

Tianlong took a deep breath. “Help me destroy the Yan Family!”

The declaration didn’t surprise Li Qing. Given the state of Obsidian City, there were no other major powers to target. The Yan Family was the only game in town.

But he didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he replied with a detached air, “Your martial prowess is renowned, Gang Leader Tianlong. Does the Yan Family truly have someone who can stand against you?”

“Brother Li, you don’t really think the Yan Family has held its position for so many years with just a pack of street thugs, do you?” Tianlong gave a bitter smile. “They have four retainers. Three are Outer Force experts. The fourth was a master of Inner Force, but he’s been in his coffin for over a decade.”

Li Qing now understood the man’s angle perfectly. He wanted to recruit him to deal with the Yan Family, dangling all sorts of rewards that would only materialize after their victory. To Li Qing, these were just empty promises—a check he couldn’t cash until the job was done.

“What do you say, Brother Li?” Tianlong pressed earnestly. “I just need you to hold off one of their Outer Force experts. My men and I can handle the other two. Once we succeed, Obsidian City is ours for the taking! I’ll make you the second-in-command of the Righteousness Gang!”

Li Qing mulled it over, not rushing to refuse.

If they actually pulled it off, the benefits would be substantial. The entire Yan Family martial library would be his to explore. He knew for a fact that most of the martial arts schools in Obsidian City had sold their core techniques to the Yan Family over the years. The thought of such a vast collection of martial arts manuals was undeniably tempting.

“Gang Leader Tianlong, I can’t agree to this hastily. There are things I must know for certain,” Li Qing said, his tone serious. “Are you absolutely sure the Yan Family only has three Outer Force experts?”

“I’m certain,” Tianlong nodded. “A matter this important leaves no room for error. I’ve spent years investigating every last detail of their operation.”

“And is it possible that one of those three has broken through to the Inner Force realm in recent years? From what I hear, the Yan Family isn’t short on cultivation manuals.”

“Absolutely impossible!” Tianlong stated with conviction before explaining. “Brother Li, you don’t understand. Cultivating Inner Force isn’t so simple. Without exceptional talent, one could train for twenty years and see no progress. And that’s assuming a constant diet of rich meat and grain. I doubt even the Yan Family has the resources to properly support three Outer Force martial artists anymore. They’re lucky if they can just maintain their current level.”

Li Qing knew this all too well. The daily consumption of a martial artist was immense; he himself had to devour a staggering amount of grain and meat each day. Without enough food, one’s vital energy and blood would wither, making it impossible to maintain peak condition.

From that perspective, it was very likely the Yan Family was limited to just three Outer Force experts.

Tianlong wasn’t finished. “The Yan Family has several recipes for medicinal wine. Back when the sun still shone, they could afford to brew potent concoctions that stimulated one’s blood and energy. Combined with enough meat, they might have been able to nurture a few Inner Force masters.”

“But now?” He scoffed. “Even if they have a few jars of that wine stashed away, they don’t have enough meat to feed their retainers. Nurturing an Inner Force expert is out of the question!”

Medicinal wine recipes?

A spark of intense interest ignited within Li Qing.

“Oh? Gang Leader Tianlong, may I ask what kind of wine possesses such a miraculous effect?” To be able to accelerate the cultivation of Inner Force was a power that could not be underestimated.

“Hahahaha! Brother Li, I knew that would catch your interest! I was the same in my youth, always scheming for a way to advance further on the martial path!” A flicker of melancholy crossed Tianlong’s eyes. “A pity this era is no longer suited for martial arts. We can’t get enough to eat, and meat is a rare luxury. A true pity!”

He sighed, then continued, “Back when there was a sun, the Yan Family acquired several recipes. I heard they used precious ingredients like tiger bone and blood ginseng. The wine was incredibly valuable. A single cup would make an Outer Force expert’s blood feel like it was boiling in their veins—a massive boon for cultivation!”

“Training after drinking it, one’s progress would be astonishingly fast! With enough meat to sustain that growth, breaking through to the Inner Force realm in a few years wouldn’t have been difficult at all.”

As he spoke, Tianlong himself wore a look of wistful longing.

Li Qing felt it even more acutely. His heart began to pound.

The ingredients he can’t find in this world… I can get them back in mine!

Tiger bones, rare herbs… if he returned to his original world, acquiring them would be a simple matter of money.

The proposition he had been ready to dismiss suddenly seemed incredibly appealing.

“So, what do you say, Brother Li?” Tianlong said, striking while the iron was hot. “Pull this off with me, and you’ll never have to worry about food again for the rest of your life.”

Li Qing took a slow breath. “Gang Leader Tianlong, the stakes are too high for a quick decision. Please, allow me some time to consider.”

“Hahaha, of course! I’ve already waited for years, what’s a little longer? Take all the time you need, Brother Li!” Tianlong boomed cheerfully.

Li Qing nodded. As he stood to leave, he asked with a casual, joking tone, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll walk out of here and report everything to the Yan Family?”

Tianlong paused for a second, then erupted in laughter. “Hahahaha! Brother Li, you’re a man of integrity. I trust you!” He leaned in slightly. “Besides, that Second Young Master of theirs is known for holding grudges. You’ve already offended him. Your days of peace were numbered anyway.”

Clap!

Li Qing cupped his fists in a parting salute, then hoisted the Peerless Hammer onto his back and strode out of the Righteousness Gang’s headquarters.

Long after he was gone, Tianlong’s gaze fell upon a faint spiderweb of cracks on the stone floor—cracks that had appeared right where the Peerless Hammer had rested when Li Qing sat down.

“This Blacksmith Li is no simple man,” Tianlong mused. “To reach Outer Force at his age… what a pity he was born in the wrong era. All that talent, wasted…”