Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 43: Qingshan Martial Arts Hall

In the world of martial cultivation, seasons change in the blink of an eye. Winter descended upon Shengtian City, blanketing it in thick, goose-feather snow.

For some time now, a commotion stirred by the Star-Plucking Thief had kept the imperial capital on edge. Spurred on by the Prince’s Mansion, every major martial arts hall and underground gang had mobilized. Even common citizens joined the manhunt, all eager to find the culprit who had stolen the Prince’s 400-year-old wild ginseng.

The outcome, however, was predictable. Without so much as a clear description of the thief’s face, capturing such an audacious phantom was proving impossible.

Li Qing, meanwhile, had not been idle. He liquidated the Top Grade jade he had brought from the Extreme Night World, converting it into a small fortune in silver. With the funds, he purchased a blacksmith shop on a street in the outer city. The cost was considerable, but the paperwork was in order, saving him the headache of dealing with the bureaucracy.

And just like that, Li Qing was a blacksmith again. His days were spent hammering iron for clients and selling the weapons he forged himself.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Inside the forge, Li Qing’s expression was one of intense focus as he hammered a block of cherry-red iron. His movements were a study in meticulous precision, as if he were sculpting a masterpiece from raw metal.

Outside, the fierce heat of the forge kept the ground before his shop clear of snow, creating a pocket of warmth and dry earth amidst the winter chill. Qi Kang leaned against a doorpost, watching the snow-swept street with a bored gaze.

*CLANG!*

With one final, ringing strike, a kitchen knife took shape on the anvil.

Qi Kang chose that moment to speak up. “Master, don’t forget the banquet at the Qingshan Martial Arts Hall tonight. The Hall Master is overjoyed—he had a son in his old age.”

Li Qing relaxed his Gu Xuan Hammer Technique stance and plunged the glowing blade into a trough of water. The surface erupted with a violent hiss, sparks flying as a plume of white steam billowed toward the rafters.

As the knife cooled, Li Qing let out a slow breath. “Sharpen this and deliver it to Widow Wang’s.”

After buying the shop, Li Qing had officially taken Qi Kang on as his apprentice. He wasn’t teaching him martial arts, however—only the craft of the forge. With the prospect of a long life ahead of him, Li Qing finally understood why the ancient patriarchs so often forbade their disciples from using their names. A troublesome student could attract powerful enemies, and the master would inevitably be dragged into the conflict.

And so, Li Qing taught only blacksmithing. When it came to the martial path, he taught nothing at all.

***

As evening fell, Li Qing led Qi Kang to the only martial arts hall on their street: the Qingshan Martial Arts Hall.

The elderly Hall Master, Xu Qingshan, had some genuine skill; he was an expert who had cultivated his Outer Force. In a place like Shengtian City, however, that barely registered. The truly fearsome reputations belonged to the city’s three great martial halls: Hongfeng, Feiyun, and Jinjia.

The masters of those three halls were all Inner Force experts, their combat prowess immense. They commanded legions of Outer Force cultivators, making them leagues beyond what a small-time operation like Qingshan could ever hope to match.

Beyond them, another power lurked in the city’s shadows: the Nine Lotus Sect. This faction’s influence stretched across half of Feng Country, and its murky ties to the imperial court allowed it to sink its roots deep into the capital.

All this information had been gathered by Qi Kang alone. The young man had proven himself indispensable, gathering intelligence and assisting at the forge with a quiet competence that almost made Li Qing feel guilty about his meager pay. Of course, the diligent Qi Kang never once mentioned a raise. His only desire was for Li Qing to teach him martial arts.

They walked through the snowy streets and soon arrived at the gates of the Qingshan Martial Arts Hall. The Hall Master himself was standing at the entrance to greet his guests, a brilliant, beaming smile plastered on his face.

“Hahahaha, Master Li! Welcome, welcome! Please, come in and take a seat of honor!” Xu Qingshan boomed, offering a cupped-fist salute in the classic Jianghu manner.

Playing his part, Li Qing presented his gift—a heavy pouch of coins. “Congratulations, Hall Master Qingshan,” he said with a polite smile, pressing the money into the man’s hand.

Xu Qingshan’s fingers closed around the pouch. Feeling its substantial weight, his smile widened, though his words were a hollow gesture of refusal. “Hahaha, you are far too generous, Master Li! Come in, come in, have a seat.”

Doing business in Shengtian City involved more than just paying taxes to the government. You also had to pay “protection fees” to the local martial arts halls. In return, if you ran into the kind of trouble the authorities couldn’t be bothered with, the halls would step in. Once you paid up, the local thugs and riffraff would leave you alone, and you could run your business in peace.

The city’s underworld was carved up and controlled by the three great halls and the Nine Lotus Sect. A small outfit like Qingshan Martial Arts Hall had no choice in the matter; even if they didn’t want to collect the fees, they couldn’t operate without the approval of their superiors. To open a hall in this territory, you had to pay tribute.

Even the government turned a blind eye, offering its tacit approval.

Qingshan Martial Arts Hall was located in a district controlled by Feiyun Martial Arts Hall. Every year, a large portion of the money Xu Qingshan squeezed from the street’s merchants went straight into Feiyun’s coffers.

The territories had long ago been settled. Half of the sprawling city belonged to the Nine Lotus Sect, the other half to the three great halls. It was said that long ago, before the lines were drawn, the factions had been locked in a brutal gang war. Fierce battles erupted nightly outside the city walls, and even Inner Force masters from both sides had clashed and died.

Eventually, the imperial court had stepped in to “mediate,” brokering a truce that established the current balance of power.

There was an old saying: “In Shengtian, the rice is dear and life is hard.” This was one of the reasons why. The martial halls extorted the merchants, and the merchants, having no other choice, simply raised their prices, passing the cost down to the common people.

This was the reality of the so-called Jianghu.

When Qi Kang first learned of this, he had reacted with the fury of an idealistic youth, privately cursing the court’s incompetence and the greed of the martial sects. He developed a burning resentment for men like Xu Qingshan and dreamed of becoming a Peerless master, one strong enough to dismantle the entire corrupt system that preyed on the common folk.

Li Qing had merely smiled at his apprentice’s tirades. He didn’t bother telling Qi Kang that the great halls and the Nine Lotus Sect were most likely operating with the court’s blessing. He let the boy vent in private, but warned him that in public, he needed to put on a face and keep his mouth shut.