Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 85: An Earth-Shattering Case

Shengtian City, Lianyue Street.

This was the street where the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall stood. Due to the recent string of murders, a pall of gloom seemed to hang over the entire district.

*CRACK!*

A deafening noise exploded from within the hall.

The Master of the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall, Song Yunting, stood before a splintered wooden training dummy. Dressed in a white training robe, his face was a thunderous mask as he clenched his fists.

“The third one… and now the fourth, Lu Feng, is dead too!” Song Yunting growled, the rage in his heart a churning storm.

Since founding his hall, he had only ever accepted seven personal disciples. Yet, in the span of a mere half-month, three of them had been murdered, their deaths shrouded in mystery.

Seven disciples might not sound like many, but each was a trusted confidant, an individual he could entrust with the hall’s future. When he grew old and retired, these seven were meant to be his pillars of support.

His heart bled with every loss. Even in the bloodiest turf wars against other halls, they had never suffered casualties like this. He had personally taught each of them his unique internal martial arts; their skills were formidable. For them to be killed so easily was a vicious slap in the face, an act that dragged the entire reputation of the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall through the mud.

“Eldest, what are your thoughts on this?” Song Yunting’s gaze shifted to the oldest of his four remaining disciples, the most mature and level-headed of the group.

The eldest disciple, Mo Nian, wore a grave expression. “Master, this is highly suspicious,” he said slowly. “Of the three major martial arts halls in the city, why are our members the only ones being targeted?”

The other disciples chimed in. “He’s right. This is clearly premeditated. Could it be someone with a deep-seated grudge against us?”

“Or perhaps…”

The sentence hung in the air, but the implication was clear to everyone: the other two martial arts halls were prime suspects.

The three great halls of Shengtian City were renowned throughout the land, controlling more than half of the city’s underworld. In the past, when the Nine Lotus Sect held power, the three halls had banded together to resist them, splitting the city’s territory—half for the Sect, half for their alliance.

But now, with the Nine Lotus Sect gone, the rope that had bound them together had frayed. They were no longer allies, but direct competitors. While they weren’t openly hostile, their relationship, both in public and in private, was far from harmonious.

*Creak!*

Song Yunting’s knuckles turned white as he squeezed his fist, the sound sharp in the tense silence. His face was so dark it looked as if it might drip venom.

“Damn it all. I’m not dead yet!”

Among the remaining disciples, at least one still possessed a rational mind. “Master, we must investigate this carefully. It’s possible someone is trying to provoke a war between us and the other two halls.”

“If we rush into a conflict now, we’ll be walking right into their trap!”

His words found purchase, and the others nodded in agreement.

“That makes sense.”

“Third Brother is right. It’s a definite possibility.”

Song Yunting’s teeth were clenched so hard they threatened to crack. “Mo Nian,” he commanded, “send more men to liaise with the Feng Guard. I want to be informed the moment they have a lead!”

He then turned to the others. “And you three, until this is over, you are not to go anywhere alone. If you have no business outside, you stay in the hall. Understood?” His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. “And pray I don’t find out which bastard is behind this. Because when I do, I, Song Yunting, will personally tear him limb from limb!”

***

In the year since its establishment, the Feng Guard had sprouted branches in every major city across the states of Feng Country, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Their presence was the primary reason the martial world had remained so peaceful for the past year. After all, they were an official arm of the court, and everyone had to give them some face.

Now, with three of the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall’s personal disciples dead—two of whom were Outer Force experts—the case naturally fell under their jurisdiction. A serial murder case in the Imperial Capital, right under the Emperor’s nose, immediately drew the full attention of the newly formed organization.

“Yang Xing, what’s the status of your investigation?” Zhao Yuan, the Jingji Blade slung across his back, asked a quiet young man.

To be blunt, many members of the martial world were brutes with more brawn than brain. They excelled at brawls and manhunts, but criminal investigation was far from their forte. Yang Xing, however, was one of the sharper minds in the Feng Guard. His thinking was agile, his analysis clear and logical. The burden of this case had therefore fallen squarely on his shoulders.

“The Golden Armor Martial Arts Hall,” Yang Xing began. “Aside from one member whose whereabouts were unconfirmed on the night Zhang Lai died, everyone else has a solid alibi for the times of the other two murders. For now, I believe we can temporarily rule them out.”

Zhao Yuan nodded. “The Hongfeng Martial Arts Hall is much the same. Everyone, including their master, is in the clear for now.”

“But if that’s the case, we have no suspects left!” another guard exclaimed.

Yang Xing sighed and shook his head. “We’ll take it one step at a time. In the meantime, send someone to the yamen. We need to borrow a few of their most experienced constables.”

The case sent ripples of gossip throughout Shengtian City, but it caused little actual panic among the populace. The victims were all from the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall, all of them martial artists. It seemed unlikely that the killer would target ordinary civilians.

And throughout this period, Li Qing was perhaps the least suspicious person in the entire city.

From the very night of the first murder, after Zhang Lai’s death, he had remained at the Feng Guard headquarters, seeking Guo Zhentong’s guidance on how to break through to the Inner Force realm. While two more men were killed, Li Qing never once set foot outside the compound. He was completely absorbed in deciphering the mysteries of Inner Force. His alibi was ironclad.

“No wonder they call the Inner Force stage the Hundred Battles Realm,” Li Qing murmured to himself. “This method of power generation is incredibly difficult to grasp. It truly requires the experience of a hundred battles…”

His innate talent was decent, but it wasn’t enough to reach the Inner Force realm at the tender age of twenty. However, thanks to the Golden Body Art and the Tiger Bone Wine, his physique had been tempered into an incredibly solid foundation. Once he finally broke through, his power would undoubtedly skyrocket.

He turned and placed his palm on a heavy stone roller.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

He struck it three times in quick succession, but only a web of surface-level cracks appeared.

Beside it lay the remains of another roller, half of it shattered to pieces. On the intact half, a single, deep palm print was branded into the stone. That was from Guo Zhentong’s demonstration of Inner Force—the ability to strike a mountain to kill the ox behind it, using penetrating force to destroy an object’s internal structure.

At that level, ordinary iron armor was rendered useless. A single strike could send devastating force right through the metal, rupturing the organs within. This was why most Inner Force experts rarely bothered with heavy armor; it was unnecessary against Outer Force opponents and only hindered their speed against peers. The only exception was for those fighting on a battlefield.

Li Qing frowned at the shallow cracks he had made.

It’s time to go back. He had learned all the essential principles. All that remained was the final step.

He sighed, unhooked the wine gourd from his waist, and took a long swig.

“Hah!”

He had actually approached Qian Hong first. But upon seeing that Li Qing practiced an external art, Qian Hong had immediately recommended Guo Zhentong, who was a master of the same. To avoid revealing that he also cultivated the Turtle Breath Technique, an internal art, Li Qing had readily agreed.

Initially, Guo Zhentong had asked Li Qing to reforge his meteor hammer as payment—not to the level of a divine weapon, but simply to improve its quality. However, when Guo noticed the unique aroma of the wine Li Qing was drinking, he quickly changed his terms, asking for half a gourd instead.

The finely brewed Tiger Bone Wine had the old drunkard grinning from ear to ear. Utterly delighted, Guo held nothing back, imparting every bit of his experience to Li Qing.

Guo Zhentong had proven to be an excellent teacher. Although Li Qing hadn’t yet entered the Inner Force realm, he could feel that he was very, very close.

“Senior Guo, I won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell,” Li Qing said, finding the old man and clasping his fists.

Guo Zhentong waved a dismissive hand. “Mm. The Guard is in chaos these days. I don’t have time to entertain you anyway.”

He was, of course, referring to the Feiyun Martial Arts Hall case, which Li Qing had heard whispers about. Li Qing said nothing more, simply offering another respectful bow before turning to leave.

Watching Li Qing’s broad back disappear, Guo Zhentong couldn’t help but sigh.

“Ah, Old Gu, Old Gu… you found yourself one hell of a disciple.”

He had, of course, looked into the matter of Li Qing bringing Master Gu’s descendants to Shengtian City. He deeply approved of the young man’s character, which was the main reason he had shared the secrets of Inner Force so freely.

When they had first met, Li Qing was just a greenhorn. Now, in the blink of an eye, he had not only perfectly inherited Master Gu’s blacksmithing legacy but had also made remarkable progress on the martial path. The transformation commanded his genuine respect.

“By the looks of it,” Guo mused, “it won’t be more than a year before that boy truly grasps the threshold of Inner Force.”