Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 35: The Hearts of the People

“Wei Tian!”

At Tianlong’s bellow, Wei Tian emerged from a side room of the mansion, carefully holding two scrolls of animal hide.

These were not martial arts manuals. They were something Li Qing had coveted for a long time: two recipes for medicinal wine. This was the true reason he had agreed to help Tianlong crush the Yan family.

Tianlong took the scrolls and let out a wistful sigh. “Ah, it’s been too long since I’ve had a proper drink. I’d kill for one right now.”

With that, he passed the recipes to Li Qing.

“Brother Li, take these. The Yan family originally had three. Unfortunately, one was stored improperly over the years and was ruined.” Tianlong’s voice was laced with genuine regret. “In the age of the sun, these recipes would have been priceless—more valuable than even some of the finest internal martial arts.”

Li Qing’s heart hammered against his ribs, but his expression remained a mask of calm indifference. He accepted the scrolls, his eyes immediately scanning the brewing instructions and lists of ingredients.

*Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine. Main Ingredients: Venomous Snake, Black Scorpion, Centipede, Blister Beetle, Lanternfly. Supplementary Ingredients: Old Camphor Root, Solomon’s Seal…*

As the name suggested, the wine was designed to invigorate one’s qi and blood. The ingredients were terrifying; a single one of the main components was toxic enough to kill a grown man. To combine them into a wine was unheard of.

Beyond the rarity of the ingredients, the brewing method was impossibly demanding in the current era. After reviewing the first scroll, Li Qing’s face fell into a carefully constructed frown.

“No wonder the Yan family, for all their power, could never brew this,” he said, his tone heavy with disappointment. “These ingredients are nearly impossible to find in this world. I’ve never even heard of some of them.”

Tianlong sighed in agreement. “Exactly. And this Five Poisons Wine has to be buried in the earth during the peak of a scorching summer, left to ferment for three years using the natural shifts of the seasons. In this frozen wasteland, where could we possibly find an environment like that?”

Nearby, Master Mo Nan, who had been tearing into a large piece of roasted meat, paused to add his own grim observation. “The path of martial arts is truly at its end.”

The second recipe was for Tiger Bone Body-Nourishing Wine. Its brewing method was simpler, lacking the extreme environmental requirements of the Five Poisons Wine, but its ingredients were just as difficult to procure.

The main components were the spinal column, tailbone, and penis of a great tiger, supplemented by a host of precious herbs: angelica, ginseng, fleeceflower root, and glossy ganoderma.

Forget the Extreme Night World; even if he were back in Feng Country, gathering these materials would cost a fortune. It would take hundreds of silver taels, at the very least.

Seeing the genuine-looking trouble on Li Qing’s face, Tianlong let out a hearty laugh. “Hahahaha! Brother Li, I know your heart is set on the martial path. Don’t be discouraged! I’ll have the Righteousness Gang help you search for these ingredients. And the martial arts manuals in the Yan family’s library are all yours to study. Take your pick, learn whatever you wish!”

The swift and total victory over the Yan family would have been impossible without Li Qing. His contribution was undeniable. In the aftermath, Tianlong no longer saw him as just an ally, but as a trusted brother-in-arms.

Li Qing understood the offer perfectly. He maintained his look of regret, but inwardly, a cold, sharp thrill cut through him. To him, these recipes were truly priceless. The ingredients were rare, yes, but once he returned to Feng Country, acquiring them would be a matter of time and money, not an impossibility.

Suppressing the wave of excitement, he adopted a grateful tone. “Then I thank you, Gang Leader!”

Long after the battle had ended, the Yan mansion blazed with light, the aroma of a feast drifting through its halls. During the victory banquet, the future of Obsidian City was decided. The Righteousness Gang would replace the Yan family as the city’s rulers. Trusted followers who had played key roles in the battle, like Zhao Kou and Wei Tian, were handsomely rewarded.

As for Li Qing, he had no desire for power. He repeatedly refused Tianlong’s offer of the second-in-command position, insisting he would only serve as an honored elder. He would be content to forge his iron by day and study the martial library by night.

Seeing how resolute Li Qing was, Tianlong didn’t press the matter.

Master Mo Nan, the practitioner of internal martial arts, accepted a similar position. Like Li Qing, he would not be involved in the gang’s daily affairs, serving instead as a symbol of strength and a resident enforcer.

With its ranks now swollen with new members and three Outer Force masters in its corner, the Righteousness Gang’s position in Obsidian City was unshakeable.

After the banquet, news of the Yan family’s extermination finally ripped through the city, sending shockwaves of disbelief through the populace.

“The Yan family… wiped out? That’s impossible.”

“The Righteousness Gang is that ruthless? I thought they were just petty thugs, but to do something like this…”

“I heard the Yan mansion is stained red with blood. Not a single person was spared, from the masters to the servants!”

“What about the farmland outside the city? If the Yan family is gone, does that mean…”

“Heh, don’t get your hopes up. The Righteousness Gang aren’t saints. The land just switched owners, from the Yan family to them.”

“That’s true…”

“Sigh, I just wonder what their tax on Black Wheat Mushrooms will be. I hope it’s not too high…”

“…

On Zhengming Street, in the home of Old Man An across from Li Qing’s former residence, the mood was electric. The old man, who had been living in constant fear, was ecstatic when he heard the news. The Yan family’s destruction meant he could return to his old business and no longer had to worry about the second young master preying on his granddaughter.

But his joy was soured by a nagging thought. He worried that Li Qing might have been killed by the Righteousness Gang in the fighting.

For the common folk, the fall of the Yan family changed little. Life was the same as it had always been. One tyrant had simply been replaced by another, and there was no guarantee this new one would be any better.

Having seized power, Tianlong was well aware of the public’s sentiment. To stabilize the city and win their hearts, he issued his first official decree.

“From this day forward, the tax on all harvests of Black Wheat Mushrooms from the fields outside the city is reduced to sixty percent!”

The moment the order was announced, cheers erupted across Obsidian City. Finally, the people felt a tangible benefit from the Yan family’s demise. In an instant, the hearts of the people turned toward the Righteousness Gang, their infamous reputation all but forgotten.

And all it had cost was a meager ten percent reduction in their crippling tax.