A year slipped away in silence. In the Eternal Night World, there was no such thing as winter passing into spring; this place was forever steeped in cold and darkness.
With no sunrise or sunset, Li Qing found it difficult to calculate the passage of time. He could only roughly estimate it from the amount of stored food consumed in the warehouse.
Based on his daily appetite, he had divided all the food into portions enough for roughly a year and a half, then used his body clock to calculate how much time had passed.
Yet this method was ultimately somewhat inaccurate. After stepping into the level of an Outer Strength expert, his appetite had increased considerably once more.
The food that had originally been enough to last him a year and a half was nearly gone after just about a year.
The food hidden in his cellar was now running low. It was time to return to the other world and investigate the situation.
"Still, this past year hasn't been wasted. The Outer Strength in my body has become much more profound." Li Qing spread his hands, feeling the surging, roaring power within his body, thoroughly satisfied.
During his time hiding from the war in the Eternal Night World, he had cultivated the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger, the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique, and the Light Silk Leg to the minor mastery stage.
Only the Turtle Breath Technique progressed slowly as ever, still circling the edge of entry level. It had merely produced a little Internal Energy—better than nothing.
Li Qing was not particularly discouraged by this. Instead, he still held great expectations for this internal martial art.
This internal martial art might well be the limit of his future path in martial arts. Whether he could reach the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster would most likely depend on the Turtle Breath Technique.
"Some things have happened in Obsidian City lately. I wonder what exactly has become of the Feng Kingdom."
When he had left, the bandits had been ravaging the border fortress. However, the entire Wu Li Army of the Feng Kingdom had also been rushing to Wangyuan City. He had no way of making an accurate judgment as to whether the war was still ongoing.
Just as Li Qing was preparing to travel back, a knock suddenly sounded outside the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
An aged voice followed. It was Old An's voice.
"Little Master Li, are you home?"
Li Qing walked to the front courtyard and opened the gate, then raised his brows in surprise.
Outside his gate stood not only the short, stoop-backed Old Man An, but also a skinny, sallow-faced little girl. The malnourished girl looked only twelve or thirteen. Her face was pale and bloodless, yet her eyes were exceptionally clear.
If nothing unexpected had happened, this girl should have been Old Man An's granddaughter.
"Old Man An, why have you suddenly brought your granddaughter to see me?" Li Qing glanced at the little girl, then withdrew his gaze.
Old Man An said bitterly, "Little Master Li, this old man wishes to entrust my granddaughter to you. Let her serve as a maid here, helping you with small tasks each day. What do you think?"
"Grandpa." The little girl clutched the hem of her grandfather's clothes, her face full of panic and unease.
Take in a servant? How is that possible!
He carried the secret of traveling between two worlds. How could he be willing to keep such a burden at his side?
"Old Man An, wouldn't it be better for you to take care of your own granddaughter? Why are you suddenly asking me to look after her?" Li Qing asked coldly.
"Alas, this old man plans to leave the city in the next few days to harvest Black Rye Mushrooms. My family hasn't eaten for several days already." As he spoke, Old Man An stroked his granddaughter's head.
"Old Man An, are you trying to get yourself killed? At your age, you still want to leave the city to harvest Black Rye Mushrooms? Isn't it good enough to sew clothes and make shoes for others?" Li Qing's brows lifted slightly.
"How could I not want that? But some time ago, the Yan family announced that from now on, no one in the city was allowed to do business with me."
Old Man An then explained what had happened during this time.
It turned out that Second Young Master Yan had taken a fancy to Old Man An's granddaughter and wanted Old Man An to personally send her to the Yan family estates.
Naturally, Old Man An refused. He clenched his teeth and would not let go, refusing to let his granddaughter fall into the Yan family's pit of fire even if it killed him.
In Obsidian City, Second Young Master Yan's reputation was infamously foul. No woman he set his sights on ever met a good end after entering the Yan estate. They either went mad or threw themselves into a well.
What surprised Li Qing, however, was that Second Young Master Yan had not taken forceful action for some unknown reason.
With the Yan family's influence in Obsidian City, snatching Old Man An's granddaughter would not have been difficult in the slightest.
Li Qing guessed that Second Young Master Yan wanted to satisfy his twisted desires by making Old Man An willingly send his granddaughter to the estate. That was why he had devised so many schemes to make things difficult for Old Man An.
Now Old Man An had reached the end of the road. He could no longer do business, and to avoid starving to death, he could only leave the city to harvest Black Rye Mushrooms, selling his labor for a little food to survive.
It was worth mentioning that all the land outside the city used to grow Black Rye Mushrooms belonged to the Yan family. Everyone in the city could practically be called a tenant of the Yan family.
Those without any skill who wanted to eat could only leave the city to help the Yan family plant and harvest Black Rye Mushrooms. Only then could they receive a little Black Rye Mushroom as payment.
Leaving the city to harvest Black Rye Mushrooms was no easy task. Beneath the land where they grew lived creatures called Black Sand Worms, and they were extremely deadly to an old man like Old Man An.
Besides, even if he did not encounter dangerous insects like Black Sand Worms, Old Man An might not return safely to the city after finishing the farm work.
For an old man like him, who could say he would not encounter someone seeking wealth and taking lives on the road back to the city?
That was why Old Man An had decided to entrust his granddaughter to Li Qing. He knew full well that this trip out of the city was more likely to be bad than good.
After hearing Old Man An's account, Li Qing sighed inwardly.
The Yan family truly deserved to die. Relying on their power, they treated the people of the city like fish on the chopping block.
He was now an expert who had cultivated Outer Strength, so he did not fear the Yan family that much. But he had yet to sound out the depth of the Yan family's strength, and for now, he did not wish to draw their attention too early.
After all, apart from the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique, the martial arts he had learned all came from the Yan family.
Li Qing absolutely did not believe that the Yan family had not raised several Outer Strength experts as Guest Elders!
"Alas, Old Man An, you should take your granddaughter back. I won't take her in here," Li Qing said with a sigh.
Upon hearing these words, Old Man An's face grew even dimmer. He still wanted to say something, but in the end, he gave up.
"So be it. I have disturbed Little Master Li. The Yan family truly isn't easy to offend."
After saying that, Old Man An took his granddaughter's little hand and hobbled home.
As he turned around, Li Qing saw mist gathering in the little girl's eyes, and for a moment, he could not bear it.
"Wait, Old Man An." Li Qing called out to the grandfather and granddaughter.
"Little Master Li, if you find it difficult, then don't force yourself," Old Man An said awkwardly.
But Li Qing had already turned around and gone into the warehouse at his home, carrying out all the Black Rye Mushrooms he had earned from forging iron for others over the past year.
"Take these. They should be enough for the two of you to eat for quite a while. Wait a little longer and see whether the storm passes. The Yan family can't possibly keep watching you forever."
As he spoke, Li Qing handed the Black Rye Mushrooms to Old Man An.
"H-how can this be? Little Master Li, you..." Old Man An panicked for a moment. He wanted to refuse, but the words would not come out.
Li Qing smiled. "Take them back. I'm not short on this little bit of food."
"Xuan, hurry and thank Uncle Li!" Old Man An pulled his granddaughter along as they hurriedly expressed their thanks.
"Thank you, Uncle Li! Thank you, Uncle Li!" Tears fell from An Xuan's eyes like pearls, one after another, onto the ground.
Hearing the repeated thanks, Li Qing's mouth twitched. He waved his hand, said nothing, and returned to the courtyard.
He was only eighteen in this life, yet he had already become an uncle. Though in terms of his mental age, he really was of that generation.