Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 96: Sand Crocodile Gang

Once the sniveling thugs from the Sand Crocodile Gang had scurried out of sight, Miao Qi hurried to relay the intelligence he had gathered.

“Hosting a birthday banquet? And formally inviting the leaders of every prominent faction to attend?”

Li Qing rubbed his chin, his mind immediately peeling back the layers of the announcement.

First of all, a ‘birthday banquet’ was complete nonsense. The sun had died generations ago; in an era of eternal, grinding darkness, no one kept track of their birthdates.

It was a transparent excuse. The City Lord was throwing a peace-making summit. The recent wolf hunt had ignited a powder keg of resentment and bloodshed across Giant Rock City, and as the supreme authority, City Lord Qin Xiu had no intention of letting his city tear itself apart in a turf war. He was summoning the gang leaders to force a ceasefire.

Crucially, if the City Lord was inviting every prominent figure, the enigmatic Red Fish Chamber of Commerce would absolutely be on the guest list.

This could be my way in, Li Qing mused, his thoughts turning sharp and calculating.

“Miao Qi,” Li Qing asked suddenly. “Would you consider me a prominent figure in Giant Rock City?”

Miao Qi blinked. A look of deep, agonizing awkwardness washed over his face. He scratched the back of his head, struggling to find a diplomatic answer. “Ah… well…”

Li Qing couldn’t exactly blame him. He had intentionally buried himself. As an Inner Force expert, his arrival should have shifted the city’s power dynamics. Any normal martial artist of his caliber would have immediately paid a visit to the City Lord’s Manor and the Red Fish Chamber of Commerce—if not to conquer a territory, then at least to plant their flag and demand respect.

Instead, Li Qing had quietly rented a dilapidated storefront and spent his days hammering out farming hoes. It was the perfect disguise, but it also meant he was a complete nobody in the eyes of the city’s elite. If he had established a brutal reputation, street trash like the Sand Crocodile Gang would never have dared to extort him.

Am I playing it too cautiously? Li Qing wondered.

He dismissed the thought a second later. His primary objective was to uncover the Otherworlder behind the Red Fish Chamber of Commerce. Striking from the shadows was always the superior tactical choice.

“Miao Qi,” Li Qing said, pivoting his strategy. “If the City Lord’s Manor is sending out wide invitations, the Sand Crocodile Gang will definitely receive one, correct?”

“Without a doubt,” Miao Qi replied confidently. “The Sand Crocodile Gang isn’t massive, but their leader, Ke Luoda, is a bona fide Outer Force expert. He’s guaranteed a seat at the table. And no one in their right mind will refuse the invitation. The City Lord publicly announced that he’ll be breaking out several jars of aged, vintage wine to entertain the guests!”

In the Extreme Night World, alcohol was a mythical luxury. While Miao Qi had never tasted it, he knew that the Red Fish Chamber of Commerce occasionally auctioned off salvaged bottles from the Age of Sunlight for astronomical sums. The Chamber had even made public claims that they were attempting to brew fresh alcohol, though no one knew if it was true.

“I see…” Li Qing murmured, his eyes glinting with a dangerous, predatory light.

That afternoon, the quiet blacksmith shop on Falling Stone Street closed its doors early.

Stone Treasure Street served as the main headquarters for the Sand Crocodile Gang.

Despite boasting an Outer Force expert as their leader, the gang was relatively small, barely holding down three streets of territory. The City Lord’s Manor kept a tight leash on the underworld; if the gangs were allowed to expand unchecked, the civilian population would be squeezed to death, collapsing the city’s economy.

Deep inside the headquarters, Ke Luoda sat in his command chair, staring at the gilded invitation card from the City Lord’s Manor.

“Heh. A birthday banquet?” Ke Luoda sneered. The motion sharply tugged at the jagged, brutal scar running across the bridge of his nose. “That old scoundrel Qin Xiu actually expects us to believe he remembers his birthday? The old dog is just terrified the city is going to burn itself down in a gang war.”

Still, a peace-making banquet wasn’t something to ignore—especially not one serving real alcohol. Born in the dark era, Ke Luoda had only tasted wine once or twice in his entire life, but the burning, intoxicating memory was etched into his soul.

“Boss! Boss, you have to get justice for us!”

“We were beaten! He’s a martial artist, Boss!”

The pathetic, wailing cries echoed from the courtyard, snapping Ke Luoda out of his reverie.

He frowned, shifting his broad shoulders under his heavy leather vest. Had his men provoked a rival faction? The Sand Crocodile Gang had stayed out of the wilderness bloodbath during the wolf hunt, specifically to maintain their neutral, lawful reputation.

“Get in here,” Ke Luoda barked, his voice rumbling like grinding stones.

Four of his street enforcers shuffled into the hall. Ke Luoda’s expression instantly darkened. Their faces were bruised, battered, and swollen bright red, with the distinct, overlapping outlines of brutal handprints covering their cheeks.

They were bottom-feeding thugs, but they were his thugs. In the underworld, beating a dog meant you were openly slapping its master’s face.

“Speak,” Ke Luoda demanded, his tone cold and dangerous. “What happened?”

The four thugs immediately launched into a chaotic, overlapping tirade. They carefully omitted their attempt at extortion, heavily embellishing the encounter to paint Li Qing as a psychotic, arrogant tyrant who had insulted the entire Sand Crocodile Gang.

“Boss, you have no idea! That blacksmith, Li, is a dead man walking. He just got to the city and he’s already acting like he owns the streets!”

“Yeah! If someone doesn’t put him down, he’s going to demand the whole city take his surname!”

“I’ve never seen such absolute disrespect!”

As a seasoned gang leader, Ke Luoda wasn’t stupid enough to believe their one-sided whining. He knew exactly how much truth and how much bullshit was in their story.

Still, the insult stood. A retaliation was required.

“Hold your ground,” Ke Luoda ordered, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ll send scouts to dig into this blacksmith’s background. Until then, you four keep your heads down. No more trouble.”

The thugs practically vibrated with malicious excitement.

“Once the Boss steps in, that blacksmith is going to piss himself in terror!”

“Damn right!”

Ke Luoda merely shook his head. He wasn’t a reckless fool. If this blacksmith was just a heavy-handed bruiser, Ke Luoda would personally shatter his legs and drag him into the gang as an enforcer. But if the man was a genuine Outer Force expert, it was an entirely different game.

Risking his life against a peer-level martial artist over four useless street rats? He’d beat the thugs to death himself before he let them drag him into a suicide match. Bullying civilians was fine, but Ke Luoda survived by knowing exactly who not to provoke.

“Alright, get out of my sight,” Ke Luoda grunted. “I’ll make my decision once I know exactly who this blacksmith is.”

Before the four thugs could even turn around, a calm, resonant voice echoed lazily through the main hall.

“There’s no need for that, Gang Leader Ke. If you want to know my background, I’m perfectly happy to tell you myself.”