Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 90: Internal Affairs of the Righteousness Gang

A bigger gang meant bigger problems.

Li Qing’s eyes instinctively fell upon Tianlong’s decrepit form. A palpable aura of twilight, of an era coming to an end, emanated from the old man. This martial artist, a relic from the age of sunlight, was truly ancient.

In a few more years, Li Qing mused, when the last of Tianlong’s generation passed away, the very idea that the sun once graced the skies of the Extreme Night World would fade from memory into myth.

What a pitiful age, he sighed internally, then turned to the old leader. “Gang Leader, you still look strong and healthy. Why speak such disheartening words?”

Tianlong shook his head. “A youth spent brawling and fighting left me with a body full of chronic ailments. I know my own condition; I don’t have many years left.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I truly don’t know who to pass this position to. If only you were willing to stay… what a pity.”

Li Qing remained silent. He had no intention of getting involved in the gang’s internal politics. That was a mess for Tianlong to sort out himself.

As it turned out, Tianlong’s exhaustion was well-founded. Not long after his private meeting with Li Qing, a rumor began to circulate, spreading like wildfire and causing a considerable stir.

“Brother Zhao, have you heard? They’re saying Boss Tianlong wants to make that Li Qing the next gang leader!”

Zhao Kou, the once-wolfish youth, had proven his ruthlessness and loyalty during the overthrow of the Yan family. He had been a key player in that monumental event and was now a pillar of the Righteousness Gang, a hero in his own right.

“And?” Zhao Kou didn’t even look up, his head hung low as if he were dozing. His subordinates were mostly new blood, young and ambitious.

“How can that be right? If Boss Tianlong does that, it’s completely unfair!”

“Exactly! We don’t even know this Li Qing. Sure, they say he did something great back in the day, but…”

“It’s not right. If the Boss really makes it official, none of us brothers will stand for it.”

“Brother Zhao, you’re an Outer Force martial artist now! We all think the position should be yours. It shouldn’t go to some outsider like Li Qing, no matter what!”

Listening to his trusted men chatter, a strange, quiet laugh escaped Zhao Kou’s lips.

“Heh. All of you, over here,” he said softly.

The men who had been speaking exchanged expectant glances and eagerly shuffled forward. They lined up neatly before him, and only then did Zhao Kou raise his head. His eyes were predatory.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

A series of sharp, brutal slaps echoed in the room. Each of his confidants was sent sprawling to the ground, clutching their stinging cheeks and staring up at their leader in utter confusion.

“Brother Zhao…”

Zhao Kou’s gaze was as cold and vicious as ever. “Whatever decision Big Brother Tianlong makes is his business,” he snarled. “What gives any of you the right to run your mouths?”

“Big Brother Li single-handedly eliminated two of the Yan family’s Outer Force masters. If he were to become the leader, I wouldn’t dare utter a single word of protest. Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I don’t care what you hear on the streets, but don’t let me ever hear my own men spreading such baseless gossip again.”

His words fell like stones. The slapped underlings, their faces etched with fear, nodded and stammered their agreement.

This scene repeated itself across Obsidian City. Anyone with a crew and a patch of turf heard the same rumors.

When a subordinate tried to report it to Wei Tian, he didn’t even get to finish his sentence before a boot sent him flying across the room.

“I call him Master Li, and you call him Li Qing?” Wei Tian roared. “What’s that supposed to mean? Have you forgotten your place?”

“The day you joined, I made you memorize the face in that portrait! Have you all gone stupid?”

The whispers even reached An Xuan.

A cold glint flashed in her clear, beautiful eyes. “If I ever hear such talk again,” she said, her voice chillingly calm, “you can cut out your own tongues.”

Her tone was quiet but laced with deadly promise. If Li Qing had seen her now, he would have marveled at the transformation. The little girl who once hid behind her grandfather was gone, replaced by a woman who radiated the cold authority of a gangland queen.

Of course, not everyone in the Righteousness Gang was so quick to fall in line. The old guard, the veterans who had been with Tianlong from the very beginning, were far from pleased.

“Damn it all, Big Brother Tianlong must be going senile! That Li Qing might have done us a service, but that doesn’t mean he should be handed the entire gang!”

“I won’t accept it! I was here when this gang was nothing but a handful of strays. In terms of seniority, that kid Li Qing is at the bottom of the list!”

“Hmph. He vanishes for years, then waltzes back in and expects to take the throne? Who’s going to agree to that?”

“If the Boss really goes through with it…”

In the main hall of the Righteousness Gang, a specter of a man slipped inside.

“Gang Leader…”

The figure bent low, whispering into Tianlong’s ear in a voice barely audible.

As Tianlong listened, his expression shifted. At first, he looked pleased, gratified even. But soon, his face darkened, turning as grim as a stormy sea. Finally, his hands clenched into fists, knuckles white.

He sat in stony silence for a long time, his face a mask of cold fury. At last, a chilling resolve hardened his eyes. He raised a hand and drew a single, deliberate line across his throat.

After the spectral figure nodded and vanished, Tianlong collapsed back into his chair. He covered his eyes with a trembling hand, seeming to age a decade in an instant.

“Sigh…”

Immediately after, the Seven Kills Squad—a unit that answered only to Tianlong—moved into action.

The old veterans, the founding members who had grumbled the loudest about Li Qing, all met sudden and inexplicable ends. In the shortest span of time, their heads rolled.

A wave of terror swept through the gang, silencing all dissent. But with this one brutal decision, Tianlong had excised a cancer from the Righteousness Gang, saving it from a future of bloody infighting. Even after his death, the position of leader would not be contested.

Meanwhile, Li Qing stood in the Yan family’s former martial repository, engrossed in a scroll. He had no interest in the gang’s affairs, and even less desire to get involved. Once he had plundered their wealth and absorbed the knowledge in their library, he would be gone.

“This Shadow-Seeking Footwork is quite interesting,” Li Qing murmured to himself, his mind eagerly devouring the text. “Combined with my Qingluo Leg Technique, it could produce some unexpected results…”

He was lost in his studies when the sound of light footsteps approached from outside, followed by a soft, gentle voice.

“Big Brother Li, are you in there?”