Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 37: Return to the Borderlands

Li Qing’s departure wasn’t the start of some grand journey across the Extreme Night World. He was an Outer Force martial artist now, capable enough to defend himself, but strength couldn’t fill an empty stomach. Without a reliable food source, the wilderness would kill him just as surely as any blade.

After a brief farewell to the Righteousness Gang, Li Qing left Obsidian City behind. He found a secluded forest deep in the mountains and, after what felt like an eternity away, crossed back into Feng Country.

A familiar hum vibrated through the air. Shifting between worlds no longer drained him as it once had. Even with a pack slung over his shoulder, the transit left him only slightly winded.

He emerged into the borderlands of Feng Country. A deep autumn chill was settling over the land, but compared to the perpetual twilight of the Extreme Night World, the air felt almost balmy.

A gust of wind scoured the desert, kicking up sand and carrying with it the thick, coppery stench of blood.

The sudden sunlight was a physical blow. Li Qing threw a hand over his eyes, blinded. He waited, letting the spots fade, before slowly blinking the world into focus.

Carnage. The ground was a carpet of corpses, men twisted in their final moments. He pushed himself to his feet, surveying the devastation. Bodies in shattered armor lay everywhere, the earth bristling with snapped arrows and splintered spear shafts.

“A recent battle,” Li Qing murmured, his expression hardening.

“The border garrison is gone,” he noted. “A battle just ended. Good luck or bad, I can’t decide.”

A wave of relief washed over him. He’d expected to reappear inside the Wuli Army’s granary, which would have meant a difficult escape from a camp crawling with experts. Instead, the camp that once guarded the mines was simply gone, replaced by this fresh killing field.

“Can’t linger,” he thought, his pragmatism taking over. “Scavengers or cleanup crews will be here soon. The battlefield is unpredictable; another skirmish could erupt at any moment. Time to go.”

As he moved, his eyes caught a splintered flagpole. The banner was stained a dark, crusty red, but the insignia was still visible. Liang Country.

“Just as I thought. The ‘bandit’ raids were a cover for Liang Country’s probing attacks. The eastern border is a powder keg.”

Back in a world with a sun, all Li Qing wanted was a quiet corner to lie low. A place to gather ingredients for his medicinal wine, forge steel, and build his strength in peace.

He was in the eastern reaches of Feng Country. To the east lay the enemy, Liang Country. To the north, the endless grasslands and their nomadic tribes. Neither was a good option for a man seeking stability.

“East leads to Liang Country, north to the grasslands. That leaves Wangyuan City. Hopefully, this war burns out quickly.”

With his decision made, Li Qing’s figure shot forward like an arrow, racing toward the distant city.

He broke into a ground-eating run. It was a long while before the mottled, imposing silhouette of Wangyuan City’s walls broke the horizon. Li Qing slowed to a halt, his breathing heavy.

“Whew. Getting inside, however, will be a problem. Wartime gates are not welcoming.”

He was, for all intents and purposes, undocumented. A man of his build and skill, appearing out of nowhere? He’d be flagged as a spy in a heartbeat.

Refugees were common enough in these times, but they didn’t look like him. A year in the sunless Extreme Night World had bleached his skin, a stark contrast to the swarthy blacksmith’s apprentice he once was. More importantly, he was powerfully built, a fact that even loose-fitting clothes couldn’t hide. Claiming to be a starving refugee with a physique like his? The guards would have to be blind to believe that lie.

At this moment, how to enter the city became his most critical problem.

Wangyuan City was so close, yet impassable. It was a true border fortress, a bulwark of stone and steel that could likely repel even an Inner Force master, let alone him.

As Li Qing weighed his options, a miserable procession appeared on the road ahead, a column of refugees being herded like cattle.

“Move faster, stop fucking dawdling!”

“You’ll get food when you reach our Jinshan Stronghold. If you’re late, I’ll skin you alive!”

“Hurry up! If you don’t want to starve, be quick about it!”

Behind them, several men on horseback, clearly mountain bandits, cracked their whips to drive the ragged crowd forward.

Li Qing identified them instantly. Bandits. And bold ones at that, openly rounding up people right under the city’s nose. Such brazenness was a symptom of the times. In this chaos, a human life was worth less than dirt. The authorities wouldn’t let the refugees in, fearing unrest, which left them vulnerable.

And these vultures from Jinshan Stronghold were happy to exploit that vulnerability, sweeping them up for slave labor. The promise of food was a thin lie; who knew what horrors awaited them in the mountains.

An idea sparked in Li Qing’s mind. An opportunity.

He stepped onto the center of the road, planting his feet. He stood alone, a solid, unmoving obstacle. He pitched his voice to carry, filling it with a righteous fury he didn’t feel. “Halt! You audacious curs! How dare you prey on these people in broad daylight!”

He looked the very picture of a young, hot-blooded hero, eager to make a name for himself by championing the weak.

The mounted bandits exchanged amused glances. One of them spurred his horse forward slightly. “And who might you be, hero? We of Jinshan Stronghold couldn’t bear to see these poor souls starve outside the city walls. We’re merely offering them shelter and a chance to survive.”

Li Qing let out a derisive snort. “Hmph! My name is not for the likes of you cowardly filth to know!”

Being called “cowardly filth” to their faces was too much. Even a saint would lose their temper, and these men were far from saints.

“Damn your eyes, you arrogant pup!” one of them roared, his face purpling with rage. “Think you can play the hero with us? I’ll skin you where you stand!”

As expected, one of them couldn’t hold back. With a savage crack of his whip, he spurred his horse into a full-gallop charge, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he bore down on Li Qing.

A flicker of cold amusement touched Li Qing’s eyes as he watched the man charge to his doom.