Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 41: Ballista

Early the next morning, at the horse market in Wangyuan City.

With the horse traders’ eyes on their backs, Li Qing and Qi Kang led their new mounts out of the market.

“Let’s ride. To the imperial capital!” Li Qing swung himself into the saddle first, guiding his horse toward the west gate at a steady pace.

Qi Kang, however, was a bundle of nerves. It was the first time in his life he’d ever been on a horse, and he clutched the reins with a white-knuckled grip, terrified to let go. Fortunately, the market sold docile draft animals, not spirited warhorses, making the ride manageable even for a complete novice.

They had just reached the central street, planning to ride straight out of the city, when the world erupted in thunder from behind them.

A series of concussive booms rolled from the direction of the east gate, powerful enough to make the very ground shudder beneath their feet.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

The deep, resonant tolling of a bell immediately followed—the signal for an attack.

“The Liang are attacking! The Liang army is here!”

“It’s a ballista! A triple-bow ballista! They’ve brought siege engines!”

“Hold the gate! Everyone, secure the gate!”

Wangyuan City’s central street was a straight shot between the east and west gates. The moment the alarm bells rang, the bustling avenue emptied in a flash. Vendors, laborers, and citizens vanished into the alleyways, leaving the wide street eerily deserted.

But in the next instant, armored figures poured out from the side streets, sprinting toward the beleaguered east gate. This was the Wuli Army, a force composed entirely of martial artists. They were disciplined, and even in the face of devastating siege weaponry, not a flicker of fear showed on their faces.

From the rushing crowd, several of the Wuli Army’s Thousand-Man Commanders broke away and began to scale the city wall. They moved with uncanny agility, using the towering stone face for leverage, their hands and feet finding purchase as they scrambled swiftly to the top.

Li Qing’s gaze locked onto one of them. It was a woman, her bearing sharp and commanding. Her long hair was tied back, and a slender sword hung at the waist of her light armor.

It was Qian Hong, the commander he had seen before—the only woman among the Wuli Army’s leadership.

As if sensing his stare, Qian Hong paused after reaching the ramparts and instinctively glanced back over the city. Her eyes swept across the distance and passed over Li Qing. But he was too far away, and his entire presence had changed. The simple, dark-skinned blacksmith’s apprentice was gone, replaced by someone harder, colder. A flicker of familiarity sparked in her mind, but it vanished before she could place the face.

Before she could dwell on it, another volley from the massive ballistae slammed into the fortifications.

*CRUNCH! BOOM!*

Even the thick, solid stone of the wall groaned and trembled violently under the assault.

The commanders on the wall wore grave expressions. They stared out at the tens of thousands of Liang soldiers arrayed nearly a thousand meters from the gate, a knot of tension tightening in their chests.

“Damn. To have this kind of power from so far out… those Liang artisans are no joke.”

“A direct hit from one of those bolts would vaporize even an Inner Force martial artist.”

“Hmph. They’re good for pounding walls, but trying to hit one of us with it? A fool’s dream.”

“Exactly. Their toys are impressive, but let them get close. A few charges from our men, and their morale will shatter!”

Qian Hong remained silent, her brow furrowed as she studied the siege engines at the head of the enemy army, her thoughts her own.

The relentless bombardment continued. The city gate shuddered, threatening to splinter and collapse, but was held shut only by the sheer brute force of the martial artists bracing it from within.

None of this, however, concerned Li Qing any longer.

The moment he felt Commander Qian Hong’s gaze, a knot of unease tightened in his gut. He hadn’t waited for a second look. Wheeling his horse around, he spurred it toward the west gate. He had spent years in the Extreme Night World, and his appearance had shifted, but in this world, only four months had passed. He couldn’t be sure if she would eventually recognize him.

Either way, he had no desire to remain in Wangyuan City. He cracked the whip, urging his horse into a gallop.

Fortunately, the west gate remained open. The guards were letting people leave freely, not even bothering to check identities. Their focus was entirely on the assault to the east.

And just like that, with a stock of food and supplies, Li Qing and Qi Kang rode out of the city and began their journey toward the imperial capital.

In the days that followed, the situation in Wangyuan City deteriorated rapidly. The initial confidence of the populace curdled into widespread panic. The source of the growing dread was simple: the Liang army’s siege engines were multiplying. What began as three triple-bow ballistae had swelled to eight.

Under the ceaseless barrage, Wangyuan’s formidable gates were blasted open on several occasions. Even with scores of martial artists desperately trying to hold them, they could not withstand such terrifying, city-breaking power.

But the warriors of the Wuli Army were far from helpless. Each time the Liang forces attempted to storm a breach, the Wuli Army would sally forth to meet them. Led by a dozen Inner Force masters, the commanders spearheaded devastating counter-charges. They consistently drove back the far larger Liang army, inflicting heavy casualties.

Ultimately, the battle settled into a grim stalemate.

The Liang army could break the gates but could not force its way inside. The Wuli Army, fighting intelligently, never overextended its pursuits. After repelling an attack, they would immediately withdraw back into the city. After several bloody exchanges, the Liang army consistently paid the higher price in lives.

And so, the two sides remained locked in a bloody impasse.

Li Qing learned all of this from rumors and travelers on the road. When he heard that Wangyuan’s gates had been breached, he counted himself lucky to have left when he did, avoiding the carnage.

After another ten days of hard travel, Li Qing and Qi Kang finally reached the heartland of Feng Country and approached their destination: the imperial capital, Shengtian City.

The scenery here was breathtaking, a world away from the stark beauty of the desert. Even with winter approaching, the climate was mild and the air moist and clean. The long road from Wangyuan City had ground them down, leaving them bone-weary and saddle-sore.

Now, with Shengtian rising before them, its majestic walls visible in the distance, Li Qing felt a surge of anticipation.

“We’re here. Let’s get ready to enter the city,” he murmured, his eyes fixed on walls that looked every bit as formidable as those of Wangyuan City.

In all his years in this world, it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the capital.

Beside him, Qi Kang’s face was alight with a similar excitement. The past weeks had been grueling, the constant jostling on horseback an agony. To finally see the legendary Shengtian City with his own eyes was more than enough to wash away the fatigue.