Usurping Iron Ingots

In the last few days of peace before the storm, Li Qing focused all his attention on practicing the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger.

The army had no shortage of food, and with the special meals Fatty Wu prepared for him, he ate heartily every day.

Fatty Wu even remarked that Li Qing seemed possessed by a hungry ghost lately, eating even more than he did.

Li Qing could only offer a wry smile in response. He couldn't tell Fatty Wu that he was practicing martial arts, and with the three-to-one time flow in the Eternal Night World, it was natural to get hungry quickly.

However, the increased appetite also meant rapid progress, and his brute strength had grown considerably.

Now, Li Qing had reached the threshold of the Tiger Form in the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger, and it wouldn't be long before he fully mastered it.

As the saying goes, "The wind fills the tower before the mountain rain arrives." On a sweltering afternoon, after a session of physical training that left him drenched in sweat, Li Qing faintly heard movement outside his tent, like approaching footsteps.

Li Qing, ever vigilant, dropped his martial arts stance and draped the rag he usually used for forging iron over his shoulder, appearing as if he had just finished working.

Combined with the searing heat radiating from the nearby furnace, his sweaty appearance seemed genuine.

"Is Er Niu here?" a deep, resonant voice called from outside the tent.

Li Qing, who rarely interacted with others in the military camp, didn't recognize the voice. Nevertheless, he quickly got up and went outside, lifting the tent flap.

A man clad in armor stood outside, with a small mustache above his lips. His demeanor and appearance didn't quite match his heroic armor.

"Are you... Officer Li Gui? May I ask what you need?" Li Qing recognized the man from his face.

Li Gui was an officer in charge of the army's granary. Although they shared the same surname, Li Qing had almost no dealings with him.

"It is I. I want to know, was the long halberd of Centurion Chen Meng forged by your own hands?" Li Gui asked.

Li Qing put on a naive expression, blinked, and replied, "Yes, I forged it. Is there a problem, Lord Li?"

Seeing Li Qing admit it, Li Gui burst into laughter. "Hahaha, excellent! It seems you've truly inherited some of Master Gu's true teachings!"

Then, his tone shifted, and he said in a low voice, "I've come to ask you to forge a Mountain-Splitting Axe. It needs to be heavy, preferably over two hundred jin!"

Li Qing's expression changed slightly at this request. He said with some difficulty, "Lord Li, I recall the armor you're wearing was forged for you by my master at the beginning of the year..."

In fact, within the army, whether one was a centurion or a chiliarch, there were limits to how many weapons could be forged.

There were quantity restrictions, as the amount of iron ore that could be mined each year was limited.

Officer Li, for example, had already had a suit of armor forged for him at the beginning of the year. Applying for over two hundred jin of iron ore to forge a custom Mountain-Splitting Axe would certainly be against regulations.

The Wu Li Army was an army built on martial prowess. Unlike other armies that used standardized weapons, many of their generals were highly skilled martial artists and thus couldn't use ordinary standard weapons.

Blacksmiths like Li Qing who were attached to the army existed to meet the needs of these skilled martial artists.

Li Gui chuckled and nodded. "What you say is true, but didn't they just dig up a new batch of iron ore in the mine recently, which was smelted into ingots and delivered?

"I have about a hundred jin of ingots here. You should have some surplus in your shop, Er Niu. If you could just be a little flexible and make up the difference, consider it an advance on next year's quota."

His tone was friendly, making him seem approachable.

However, Li Qing wasn't truly a simpleton. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

In the Feng Kingdom, illegally appropriating salt and iron was a serious crime.

This Officer Li was openly admitting to having a hundred jin of ingots and asking him to make up the rest to forge a Mountain-Splitting Axe weighing over two hundred jin.

If this got out, it would be a capital offense!

"Lord Li, that might not be a good idea..."

Li Gui's smile remained unchanged as he patted Li Qing's shoulder. "Hahaha, Er Niu, you need to learn to be flexible. In this day and age, you can't be so rigid!"

"It's less than a hundred jin of ingots short. No one will notice. If worse comes to worst, you can just blame your deceased master, can't you?"

As he spoke, Li Gui took out some silver ingots from his huái, which appeared to be about five or six taels.

"Take this. You must have worked hard here on the frontier for so long. When you have the chance, go to Wangyuan City and treat yourself."

Accepting bribes, an additional charge...

Li Qing took the silver ingots, silently adding that thought to himself.

Sigh! Forget it.

He sighed inwardly, ultimately unable to refuse.

"Hahaha, excellent. I'll send the ingots over later." Li Gui's smile widened with satisfaction when Li Qing didn't refuse.

After watching the officer leave the tent, the naive expression on Li Qing's face quickly faded, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor.

He wasn't too worried about the shortage of ingots. Generally, few people in the border army investigated such matters.

And even if an inspection were suddenly ordered, he could ensure his shop was spotless, leaving no trace of wrongdoing.

In the Eternal Night World, obtaining iron ore was quite simple. Over the years, he had saved quite a few ingots from making farm tools for the Yan Family.

Moreover, the border army was about to go to war. He was planning to use this opportunity to extricate himself from the border army, regardless of the war's outcome.

With money in hand, everything would be more convenient.

At worst, he could find a place to live in seclusion, and with the triple time flow of the Eternal Night World, he could train his martial arts until he was invincible before emerging, at which point no one could touch him.

Of course, all of this depended on him having enough food to survive.

Since he started practicing martial arts, his increased appetite had made Li Qing feel a little uneasy, wondering if he could even support himself after leaving the army.

"Speaking of which, I should forge myself a weapon for self-defense too," Li Qing muttered to himself.

The weapons used in combat within the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique naturally couldn't be blacksmith's hammers; a specialized one needed to be forged for him.

"Sigh, the peaceful days are about to end," Li Qing said, shaking his head.

It was obvious that Officer Li, who was guarding the granary, suddenly wanting to forge a weapon wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Clearly, this intelligent man had also noticed the signs of impending war on the frontier, and was seeking more chances of survival for himself.

However, Li Qing was astonished by the other man's martial arts cultivation; he could wield a Mountain-Splitting Axe weighing over two hundred pounds. Many Centurions didn't even have weapons that heavy.

As the saying goes, scholars are poor and warriors are rich. To make progress on the path of martial arts, one needs good food.

This Officer Li had clearly been skimming off the fat for quite some time.

Seeking collections, seeking recommendations!