Wielding a Blade Against the Weak (Seeking Collection)

After dealing with the three thugs who tried to rob him, Li Qing finally managed to haul over three hundred catties of iron ingots to his courtyard with great difficulty.

Looking at the three men collapsed on the ground, unable to even crawl, Li Qing gained a new understanding of his current martial strength.

For people like these, who were perpetually underfed and even armed, he could easily handle five or six of them alone without issue.

If they were strong, able-bodied men without martial arts training, he could still take on two or three.

Li Qing was quite satisfied with this progress.

Once he tempered his physique and cultivated Outer Strength, officially becoming an Outer Strength master, he would forge himself a suitable weapon and armor for protection.

At that time, his combat power would increase exponentially.

With such martial prowess, even if he returned to his old army camp, he would have a considerable chance of sneaking away from the heavily guarded granary.

"Tell me, what are your names, and why did you target me?" Li Qing asked coldly.

"My lord, my name is Qi Jin Xiong. We brothers were blind this time. Please show mercy and let us go. We promise to take a detour if we ever see you again!"

The speaker was the tall, thin, gloomy man; he appeared to be the leader of the three.

After some questioning, Li Qing learned the background of the three men.

The second brother, Qi Jin Bao, was shrewd and slippery, while the third, Qi Jin Niu, was a hot-headed simpleton.

Interestingly, the three were not biological brothers. They had met later, sworn brotherhood, and even adopted the same surname.

In this world where food was scarce, there was no concept of "never changing one's name or surname." People didn't hold their names too dearly; today they might be surnamed Qi, but tomorrow, due to some encounter, they might be surnamed Yan.

Furthermore, to Li Qing's surprise, all three were affiliated with an underground force called the Righteous Gang.

This was the first time Li Qing had learned that besides the Yan Family, there were other powers in Obsidian City.

However, after inquiring further, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

It turned out that most of the members of this organization were like the Qi brothers, constantly engaged in petty thievery and only bullying honest folk.

Amusingly, this gang of hooligans, the Righteous Gang, even had a code of conduct: rob the rich to help the poor, with righteousness reaching the heavens.

"Rob the rich to help the poor? The wealthiest power in the city is the Yan Family. Why haven't you robbed them?" Li Qing mocked contemptuously.

The third brother, Qi Jin Niu, immediately bristled. He said breathlessly, "How could we not? The marketplace is owned by the Yan Family. We rob people going to and from the marketplace every day. If no one goes to the marketplace anymore, isn't that effectively striking a blow against the Yan Family!"

At these words, Li Qing's expression grew even colder.

This Qi, the third brother, was clearly a stubborn fool. It was unclear who had taught him these words, but he truly believed them as gospel.

He didn't realize that the Yan Family was the largest landlord in Obsidian City, a force that bled the entire city dry. As long as one lived in Obsidian City, one couldn't avoid being exploited by the Yan Family.

Li Qing estimated that the Yan Family had never even given the so-called Righteous Gang a second glance. The gap between their levels was too vast; they weren't even in the same league.

Li Qing spoke with disgust, "So, after you've been doing these dirty deeds for so long, has the business of the marketplace run by the Yan Family declined? Has the Yan Family truly been impacted?"

At this question, the third brother Qi suddenly froze. His brain, which he rarely used, began to ponder.

That's right, their Righteous Gang had been around for quite some time, yet the Yan Family's influence seemed completely unaffected, still as imposing as ever.

While he was thinking, Li Qing added coldly:

"Cowards who only strike the weak, get lost. Don't dirty my courtyard gate!"

With that, Li Qing turned and walked into the courtyard, slamming the gate shut.

Bang!

Once inside, Li Qing sighed inwardly and shook his head.

He had originally intended to control the three men and use their help to gather information in the city, to find out what was happening daily.

But thinking of their actions, Li Qing felt immense disgust.

If he hadn't learned martial arts, his fate after leaving the marketplace today would likely have been dire.

Losing limbs might have been the least of it. If they had discovered the pile of grain he had hidden in the cellar, it could have meant certain death.

"I still need strength."

The blood-red moon hanging high in the sky cast Li Qing's shadow, stretching it longer and longer.

At this moment, he finally understood the importance of strength and found the true purpose of practicing martial arts.

That day, the Qi brothers, notorious around the marketplace streets, became famous once again.

The news that the three of them were simultaneously defeated by a defenseless person caused quite a stir within the city.

"Hahaha, that felt good. Someone finally taught those scoundrels a lesson."

"A while back, they robbed me of two jin of Black Rye Mushrooms, which I'd bought with my last cent. I almost starved to death. Why didn't that person just kill them while he was at it!"

"They're just scum, doing nothing but stealing and swindling all day. Good riddance!"

"It would be best to wipe out that so-called Righteous Gang along with them. They're a real blight."

"..."

Many of the complainants were people who had been harmed by the Righteous Gang before. They had long harbored dissatisfaction towards this organization, even more so than towards the Yan Family.

However, Li Qing, the instigator of this incident, was completely unaware of any of this.

After taking the Iron Ingots home, he stoked the forge fire, preparing to craft a new hammer for himself, one to use in combat and for his daily smithing.

With his greatly increased strength, his usual blacksmith's hammer no longer felt right in his hands.

"The weight should be around two hundred jin. That should be my current limit."

Soon, a rough outline of a warhammer appeared in Li Qing's mind. He had long envisioned the style and weight of this hammer.

A hammer weighing around two hundred jin was still a bit of a burden for him at the moment.

Being able to carry three hundred jin of Iron Ingots didn't mean he could wield a three-hundred-jin weapon.

There was a significant difference between arm strength and the body's endurance.

With his current arm strength, swinging a two-hundred-jin warhammer would even be somewhat strenuous, leaving him feeling powerless.

However, Li Qing had a premonition that it wouldn't be long before he cultivated his Outer Strength.

By then, his strength would increase considerably, and a two-hundred-jin hammer would definitely feel effortless for him to wield!

But he faced another challenge next: how to smelt the Ink Gold into the hammer?

Seeking collection and recommendations~