Night fell swiftly at the border fortress. Evening had barely approached when darkness already blanketed the surroundings. Only the oil lamps lit within the military camp tents gave off a dim yellow glow.
That night, Li Qing was the first to carry two mess tins to the kitchen. He keenly noticed that the soldiers lined up for food today all wore grave expressions, and the atmosphere was nowhere near as cheerful as usual.
It was probably related to those several men who had returned grievously wounded that afternoon. Their injuries had been so severe that blood had soaked through their clothes. They likely would not survive.
Leaving the border fortress was destined not to be a journey one could simply set out on whenever one wished. This had to be considered over the long term. At the very least, he needed to first find out the situation in the surrounding area. After all, deserting the army was a grave crime in the Feng Kingdom.
With that thought, Li Qing followed the stream of people into the kitchen.
The cook on duty today was called Wu Chong. He was one or two years older than Li Qing, and since they were close in age, the two had a good relationship in the army.
When Wu Chong saw the honest-looking Li Qing enter, he gave him a series of exaggerated winks. Then, using his ladle, he scooped several extra pieces of braised pork into the mess tin Li Qing had brought and covered them tightly with two coarse-grain steamed buns.
"Hey, did anyone take food to the Wounded Soldiers' Camp today?" Li Qing took a look at his mess tin and asked curiously.
As a cook, Wu Chong certainly looked the part. He was round and plump from head to toe, his cheeks piled with fat, and his two eyes had been squeezed into slits by the flesh on his face.
"Yeah. Before it even got dark tonight, people from the Wounded Soldiers' Camp came to collect food. They even told me to add a couple more pieces of meat." Wu Chong answered with a grin.
"Oh, right, right. I was the one at the stove for today's braised pork. Go back and see how it tastes."
Saying this, Wu Chong gave him another round of winks.
Seeing this, Li Qing could not help wondering how that face full of fat managed to squeeze out such a rich variety of expressions.
"You should eat less behind the cook's back. You're already this fat—when fighting breaks out one day, you won't even be able to run!" Li Qing teased.
"Heh heh, if a cook doesn't steal, the five grains won't grow! All right, all right, hurry up and go." Wu Chong said with a grin.
Li Qing was speechless at that. Without saying anything, he left the kitchen and carried the two mess tins back to his own camp tent.
However, he did not enter his own tent immediately. Instead, he lifted the flap of the neighboring tent, stooped low, and walked inside.
"Master, it's time to eat." Li Qing walked into the tent and placed the mess tins on the table beside the bed.
Cough, cough, cough!
On the bed, an old man with one foot already in the grave coughed without stop.
It was difficult to imagine that in a place like the border fortress, there would actually be an old man with half his body already in the earth.
He was Master Gu, the master Li Qing had followed to learn blacksmithing and weapon forging.
Master Gu lay on the bed. At some unknown time, several age spots had appeared on his ancient, weathered face.
Yet when he opened his eyes, they were still bright and piercing, as if two candle flames burned beneath his pupils.
Master Gu examined Li Qing for quite a while before finally letting out a long sigh. He picked up his mess tin and began eating in great mouthfuls, with an appetite utterly unlike that of an ordinary old man.
Seeing this, Li Qing also picked up the two coarse-grain steamed buns and started biting into them. Together with the rosy, glistening braised pork, he ate with great relish.
Before long, Master Gu set down his mess tin and looked at Li Qing again.
Whenever Master Gu stared at him, Li Qing felt like a rabbit being watched by a male lion, and he could not help trembling inwardly.
Li Qing did not even dare meet his eyes. His master's imposing, soul-shaking gaze was simply too terrifying.
"Er Niu, how long have you been learning blacksmithing from me?" Master Gu called Li Qing by his childhood name.
Li Qing hurriedly swallowed the food crammed into his mouth and answered, still somewhat indistinctly, "A year and a half, Master! Almost two years now."
"Heh heh, so much time has passed in the blink of an eye. Do you remember when you first arrived? Your legs weren't even as thick as someone else's arms." A trace of a smile, rare indeed, surfaced in Master Gu's eyes. At his age, he had always liked reminiscing about the past.
"Li Qing thanks Master for the grace of passing down his craft!" Saying this, Li Qing was about to kneel, the gratitude on his face wholly sincere.
Back then, he had been seized as a conscript and brought to the border fortress to serve as a soldier. Later, Master Gu had taken a liking to him and accepted him as a blacksmith's apprentice.
Cough, cough, cough. "Get up, child." Master Gu caught Li Qing as he knelt and pulled him directly back to his feet.
Li Qing, who had just been about to kneel in salute, was startled inwardly. His aged master was far stronger than he had imagined.
Although Master Gu was a renowned blacksmith in the army, ever since Li Qing had become his apprentice, he had rarely forged weapons himself. Nearly all such work had fallen onto Li Qing's shoulders.
Li Qing did not mind in the least. Every weapon he forged earned him lifespan—why would he not be delighted?
"Er Niu, why do you like blacksmithing so much?" Master Gu asked after helping Li Qing up with one hand.
That was obviously because it could earn me lifespan.
Naturally, Li Qing could not possibly say that aloud. He intended to guard this secret to the death.
In this era, immortality was an unreachable luxury. Especially for rulers, in order to extend their lives, there was nothing they would not do.
Not to mention distant examples—just take his master before him, who was already on the verge of death. If he learned that Li Qing could gain lifespan by forging weapons, then this master-disciple bond, which currently seemed rather good, would immediately become plastic.
"Because whenever I forge weapon after weapon, I feel immensely satisfied. It makes me feel that I am a useful person." Li Qing's answer did not surprise Master Gu.
"Heh heh, it seems you truly do love blacksmithing. No wonder your iron-forging skills have improved so quickly."
Cough, cough, cough!
Master Gu chuckled softly, then broke into another violent fit of coughing, as if he were about to cough out his lungs.
"This border fortress truly is no place to nurture a person. War is about to come. If you get the chance in the future, leave the border fortress and go south. The water and soil there nourish people, and they can live longer too." Master Gu spoke between coughs.
Upon hearing these words, Li Qing's heart trembled again. If what his master had said spread out, he would likely lose his head.
Deserting the army without permission was a grave crime!
Even military blacksmiths could not leave easily, unless they rendered great merit.
Li Qing did not dare respond. He merely began silently gathering the mess tins.
"Master, I'm going to wash the mess tins."
Master Gu watched Li Qing's retreating back, shook his head with some disappointment at his failure to live up to expectations, then pulled out a dust-covered book from beneath the bed.
"Wait. Take this with you."
Smack!
Master Gu tossed the dust-covered book at Li Qing's feet, sending dust flying all over the ground.
Li Qing lowered his head to look, then deliberately turned around with a confused expression and asked his master curiously, "Master... what is this?"
"All that I have learned in my life is in here. Take it back and study it well. Cough, cough, cough!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Li Qing's nose stung. He knew that his master was entrusting him with his final wishes.
At once, Li Qing set down the mess tins, then knelt and performed a solemn bow.
"Master!"
No matter what, he had accepted this grace of passing down knowledge. Moreover, during this time, when it came to blacksmithing and weapon forging, Master Gu had indeed taught him without holding anything back. He did not have that narrow-minded notion of teaching the apprentice only to starve the master.
And so, Li Qing tucked the thick book beneath his arm, carried the two mess tins in his hands, and left his master's camp tent.