Li Qing had already spent a full two months here, practicing martial arts day and night, striving to temper his physique into something even stronger.
Now, he had begun practicing four martial arts simultaneously. Among them, the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique had progressed the furthest, followed by the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger.
As for the Turtle Breath Technique and the Light Silk Leg, they were still circling the threshold of entry.
The former required far too much time to cultivate, while he had only begun practicing the latter not long ago, making it difficult to give both the attention they needed.
Though he practiced four martial arts at once, Li Qing was not worried about biting off more than he could chew. With his long lifespan, he could take everything slowly.
Boom!
In the secluded courtyard, bare-chested Li Qing suddenly launched a punch. His blood and qi faintly surged through his body, and the force behind it was immense.
Fierce Tiger Pounces!
The next moment, Li Qing sprang into the air. He was agile without losing momentum, as if he were a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
"By my reckoning, it should have been nearly twenty days over there. I wonder how the situation at the border fortress is." Li Qing muttered to himself.
During this time, he had remained at home and had not stepped beyond his courtyard gate even once.
Only occasionally did people come to ask him to forge iron. To avoid arousing suspicion, he accepted every job that came his way, taking Black Rye Mushrooms as payment.
After all, he was a blacksmith. If he stayed indoors all day without ever leaving and still did not starve to death, anyone would grow suspicious of where his food came from.
Although his physique was far stronger than it had been two months ago, he had yet to truly cultivate Outer Strength. He did not want others setting their sights on him.
Slowly withdrawing from the stance of Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain, Li Qing, now deeply studying the martial path, had eyes that shone with spirit. The lines of his muscles were exceptionally defined, brimming with strength.
He now looked completely unlike someone from this world.
Pick anyone at random from the surrounding streets, and they would look malnourished, sallow-faced, and gaunt.
How could they be like Li Qing, with his rosy complexion and vigorous spirit, looking nothing like someone who survived on Black Rye Mushrooms every day?
Of course, all this was thanks to the large amount of grain and dried meat he had moved from the military camp's granary.
Every day, he ate and drank his fill, trained hard in martial arts, and otherwise got plenty of sleep.
"It's about time I went out and had a look around Obsidian City. I can't stay cooped up at home forever, can I?" Li Qing let out a long breath. The scorching air within him nearly formed a long white serpent in the frigid air.
His breath flowed on without end, and his spirit was full and rounded.
Though he had yet to truly enter the ranks of Outer Strength experts, he felt he was not far off. Sooner or later, he would pierce through that threshold.
That was why he dared to go out and investigate this city without laws or order, unafraid of encountering villains in the streets.
This was the confidence martial arts had given him!
"If some blind fool comes looking for trouble, I wouldn't mind letting him have a taste of my Fierce Tiger Fist!"
Li Qing smiled. Saying this, he draped a broad, thick cotton coat over himself, concealing his strong muscles.
A gentleman hides his weapon upon his person and waits for the right time to move!
Now that Li Qing could knock an ordinary person senseless with a single punch, he had no desire to flaunt the martial strength he possessed.
If one wished to live long in an unfamiliar world, learning how to hide was essential.
Over the past two months, he had helped his neighbors forge quite a few iron tools and repair some everyday items.
Though his lifespan had not increased by much, he had obtained a pile of Black Rye Mushrooms in exchange.
In Obsidian City, this stuff was hard currency. So long as one had enough of it, one could trade for nearly anything.
Yes, anything!
Some time ago, the Black Rye Mushroom harvest outside the city had been poor. The already hungry and impoverished people had been starving until their eyes turned green. A handful of Black Rye Mushrooms could even be exchanged for a person!
Of course, Li Qing, who possessed ample food, would never eat Black Rye Mushrooms. Nor did he have any interest in exchanging for a few people to bring into his courtyard.
Li Qing used a cloth basket to pack up all the Black Rye Mushrooms he had saved during this period. There were more than twenty catties in total.
"Mm, a pinch of the fingers tells me that today is auspicious for going out to do business!"
A weight of over twenty catties was naturally nothing to him. Carried on his back, it felt like nothing at all, incredibly light and easy.
Perhaps he had recently caught the season of a bumper Black Rye Mushroom harvest. There had been especially many people in the city these past few days, and everyone still wore smiles on their faces.
As he walked along the street toward the market, he saw many people carrying all sorts of things to trade.
What caught Li Qing's eye most were several pieces of exquisitely crafted jade. If such things were brought back to his original world, they would be worth a fortune!
Yet in this unremarkable market, a few Black Rye Mushrooms could actually trade for them. It was simply unbelievable.
Thinking of how he might have to live in poverty for a while after returning someday, Li Qing began to entertain a little scheme.
Should I trade for some to bring back? Once I return, I can sell them for money, and I won't have to worry about how to make a living.
Practicing martial arts cost a great deal of money, especially when it came to food.
Once nutrition fell short, practicing martial arts became an act of harming the body. It was easy to leave behind the roots of illness, and one might be gone before they knew it.
But if one could ensure good food, eating one's fill of fish and meat every meal, then practicing martial arts would yield twice the result with half the effort!
Li Qing had especially heard that some martial arts schools brewed medicinal wine for sale, all using secret formulas passed down to no one.
Drink a bowl, and one's blood and qi would increase considerably. For progress in the martial path, it was like traveling a thousand miles in a day.
Having made up his mind, Li Qing walked directly to the stall selling jade and asked in a deep voice, "Old sir, how much are these jades?"
In this era, when even food was difficult to come by, jade artifacts had become quite worthless.
The man selling jade was an old man. Business at his stall was dismal; it could even be said that no one ever visited it.
Finally seeing someone come to ask the price, the old man, whose face was thin and gaunt and whose eye sockets and cheeks had sunken in, hurriedly said, "These are all jade artifacts passed down from my ancestors. Especially this jade lion—look at how lustrous it is!"
He rattled off a great deal of dazzling nonsense, all in an attempt to raise the price and trade for more Black Rye Mushrooms.
Li Qing naturally understood this perfectly. He simply turned a deaf ear, watching the old man continue boasting with a faint smile on his face.
Seeing Li Qing like this, the old man could not be bothered to go on. It seemed he had tired himself out from talking.
The old man selling jade waved a hand weakly and said, "Ten catties of Black Rye Mushrooms, and you can take all these jade stones."
Ten catties?
Even Li Qing, who did not know much about local prices, knew the man was opening his mouth like a lion!
I worked myself to the bone forging iron for others for so long and only saved a little over twenty catties of Black Rye Mushrooms. This little old man really dared to name such a price!
Without saying a word, Li Qing stood up and prepared to browse the other vendors' stalls.
But very quickly, the old man grabbed the corner of his clothes and said weakly, "Young man, at least make an offer. Why do you have no sincerity at all?"
"Business depends on fate, and buying jade even more so. Don't be so impatient, young man. That is no good!"
Li Qing was left somewhat speechless and amused. He said, "Three catties of Black Rye Mushrooms."
"Deal!"
The old man agreed cleanly and decisively. He even began helping Li Qing pack up the jade stones, apparently having no intention whatsoever of raising the price again.
I was too careless, Li Qing grumbled inwardly.