In the last few peaceful days before the storm, Li Qing devoted all his thoughts to practicing the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger.
The army never lacked food, and with Fatty Wu's special meals for him, he ate until he was stuffed every day.
Fatty Wu even sighed over it once, asking whether Li Qing had been reincarnated as a starving ghost lately. His appetite had actually grown even bigger than Fatty Wu's.
Li Qing could only smile bitterly at that. He could hardly tell Fatty Wu that he was practicing martial arts. Besides, with the three-to-one time flow in the Eternal Night World, it was only natural for him to grow hungry quickly.
But his increased appetite also meant that he was progressing rapidly. The brute strength in his body had naturally increased by quite a bit.
The current Li Qing had already touched the threshold of the Tiger Form within the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger. It would not be long before he fully entered the path.
As mountain rain threatened, winds filled the tower. One swelteringly hot afternoon, after Li Qing had just tempered his body and worked up a sweat, he vaguely heard movement outside his camp tent, as though footsteps were approaching.
Wary, Li Qing withdrew his martial stance and draped the rag he usually used for forging iron over his shoulder, making himself look as though he had just finished working.
Together with the scorching waves of heat beside the furnace, his sweat-soaked appearance did not look fake at all.
"Is Er Niu here?" A deep, muffled voice sounded outside the camp tent.
Li Qing, who had never had much contact with the others in the military camp, did not recognize the voice. Still, he hurriedly got up, walked outside, and lifted the tent flap.
A man in armor stood outside. He had two small mustaches above his lip, and his temperament and appearance were rather mismatched with the valiant armor he wore.
"You are... Officer Li Gui? May I ask what happened?" Li Qing recognized the visitor from his face.
Li Gui was an officer in charge of the army's grain stores. Though they shared the same surname, Li Qing normally had almost no dealings with him.
"That's right. I want to know, was Centurion Chen Meng's long halberd forged by your own hand?" Li Gui asked.
Li Qing put on an honest, simple expression and blinked. "I did forge it, Lord Li. What is it? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Li Qing admit it, Li Gui burst into laughter. "Hahaha, good! It seems you truly inherited a few portions of Master Gu's teachings!"
Then his tone shifted, and he lowered his voice. "I came to find you this time because I want you to forge a Mountain-Splitting Axe. It has to be heavy—preferably over two hundred jin!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing's expression changed slightly. He said with some difficulty, "Lord Li, I remember that the armor you are wearing was forged by my master for you at the beginning of this year, wasn't it?"
In the military camp, no matter whether one was a Centurion or a commander of a thousand men, no one could forge weapons without restraint.
There were limits on the quantity. After all, the iron ore that could be mined each year was limited.
An officer like Li Gui had already forged a suit of armor at the beginning of the year. If he wanted to apply for another two hundred-plus jin of iron ore to forge a personal Mountain-Splitting Axe, it would definitely violate the rules.
The Wu Li Army was an army built upon martial arts. Unlike other armies that used standardized weapons, many of its commanders were highly skilled martial artists. Naturally, they could not be made to use ordinary standardized weapons.
Military blacksmiths like Li Qing existed to meet the needs of these highly skilled Martial Artists.
Li Gui nodded with a light smile. "That is true, but didn't the mines recently dig out another batch of iron ore, refine it into iron ingots, and send it over?"
"I have managed to get hold of a little over a hundred jin of iron ingots. There should be some surplus in your workshop for the rest, right, Er Niu? Just be flexible and make up the difference for me. Consider it an advance on next year's quota."
His tone was very amiable, carrying an air of deliberate closeness.
But Li Qing was not truly some honest fool. Sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
In the Feng Kingdom, privately misappropriating salt and iron was an extremely serious crime.
This Officer Li had actually said right to his face that he had gotten hold of over a hundred jin of iron ingots, and wanted Li Qing to make up the rest and forge a Mountain-Splitting Axe weighing more than two hundred jin.
If word got out, it would be a crime punishable by beheading!
"This... Lord Li, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
Li Gui's smile did not fade. Instead, he patted Li Qing on the shoulder and said, "Hahaha, Er Niu, you need to learn to be flexible. In times like these, you cannot be so rigid!"
"It is merely a shortfall of less than a hundred jin of iron ingots. No one will notice. And if it truly comes to it, just pin it on your dead master. Wouldn't that settle it?"
Saying this, Li Gui took a handful of silver fragments from his robes. At a glance, there were at least five or six taels' worth.
"Take it. You must have had a hard time after being in the Border Army for so long, right? When you get the chance, go to Wangyuan City and treat yourself."
Accepting bribes would add another degree to the crime.
Li Qing accepted the silver fragments and silently added that line in his heart.
Ah! So be it.
He sighed inwardly and ultimately did not refuse.
"Hahaha, good. I'll send the iron ingots over later." Seeing that Li Qing had not refused, Li Gui's smile became even more satisfied.
After watching the officer leave the camp tent, the honest look on Li Qing's face swiftly faded, replaced by a calm, unruffled expression.
He was not particularly worried about the shortage of iron ingots. Generally speaking, few people in the Border Army would inspect such matters.
And even if there was suddenly an inspection, he could ensure that his workshop was absolutely clean and free of any flaws.
In the Eternal Night World, getting some iron ore was a simple matter. Over the years, just by making farm tools for the Yan family, he had saved up quite a few iron ingots.
What was more, the Border Army was about to go to war. He had calculated that, regardless of whether the war was won or lost, he would use this opportunity to get away and leave the Border Army.
When the time came, having silver on hand would make everything much more convenient.
At worst, he could find somewhere to live in seclusion. With the Eternal Night World's triple time flow, he could train his martial skills until he was invincible under heaven before emerging from the mountains again. Who would be able to do anything to him then?
Of course, all of this depended on whether he had enough food to survive.
Ever since he began practicing martial arts, the growth in his appetite had made even Li Qing's heart pound with fear. He wondered whether, after leaving the army, he would still be able to afford to feed himself.
"Come to think of it, I should forge a weapon for myself to carry." Li Qing muttered.
The weapon for fighting and killing described in the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique naturally could not be an iron-forging hammer. He needed to forge one specially suited to him.
"Ah, the peaceful days are about to pass." Li Qing shook his head.
The officer guarding the grain stores suddenly wanting to forge a weapon could not possibly be without reason.
Clearly, this clever man had also seen the signs that war was about to break out at the Border Fortress. He was seeking more chances to survive for himself.
But Li Qing was rather shocked by the man's martial cultivation. He could actually wield a Mountain-Splitting Axe weighing over two hundred jin. Even the weapons of many Centurions were not that heavy.
As the saying went, poor scholars and wealthy martial artists. To make progress along the martial path, one could not do without good food.
This Officer Li had clearly embezzled no small amount of profit in his daily life.
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