Return to the Border

Li Qing's departure wasn't a genuine long journey in the Eternal Night World. Although he now possessed a certain degree of self-preservation ability as an Outer Strength martial artist, he'd still starve to death if he didn't have enough food.

After bidding farewell to the Righteous Gang and temporarily leaving Obsidian City, Li Qing found a secluded, deep mountain forest and, after a long absence, returned to the Feng Kingdom.

Buzz!

Traveling back and forth between two worlds no longer posed a significant burden for Li Qing. Even carrying a backpack, he only had to take a few extra breaths.

Feng Kingdom, a border region.

Autumn had deepened, and the surrounding weather was gradually growing cold.

However, compared to the Eternal Night World, the temperature here could be considered warm.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind and sand swept across the desert, the air still carrying a strong scent of blood.

Li Qing, unaccustomed to sunlight after so long, instinctively shielded his eyes with his hand. Once his eyes adjusted to the surrounding light, he slowly opened them.

Brutal! Bloody! Corpses everywhere!

This was Li Qing's first impression of the scene before him.

"Are they fighting a war?" Li Qing's expression shifted slightly. He got up from the ground, surrounded by bodies clad in tattered armor. Arrows and broken weapons were scattered everywhere.

"It seems the Border Army from outside the pass has withdrawn. A battle just ended here. I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky."

Li Qing let out a sigh of relief, his tense heart finally relaxing.

He had initially expected to return to the Wu Li Army's granary, where escaping from the multitude of experts in the military camp would have been quite difficult.

Now, the Border Army camp guarding the mine was gone, replaced by a battlefield, and one that had just finished a fight.

"I can't let my guard down. Someone might come to clear the battlefield later, and the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing. Who knows when fighting might break out again? It's best to leave as soon as possible."

Li Qing muttered to himself as he ran quickly across the battlefield.

While running, he picked up a broken banner. The flag was stained with dark red blood, but Li Qing still managed to recognize it as belonging to the Liang Kingdom.

"Just as I suspected. The bandits harassing the border must have received orders from the Liang Kingdom. The east is truly not peaceful..."

Returning to the world with the sun, Li Qing's most immediate desire was to find a peaceful place to develop slowly, collecting materials for brewing medicinal wine and forging iron while practicing martial arts.

He was currently in the eastern territory of the Feng Kingdom, a border region. Continuing east across the desert would lead to the Liang Kingdom, which was at war with the Feng Kingdom. To the north lay the endless grasslands, home to various nomadic tribes.

If he wanted to practice martial arts peacefully, Li Qing's first choice would definitely not be a place embroiled in war. He preferred somewhere with a developed trade, abundant resources, and peace.

"Sigh, to the east is Liang Kingdom, to the north is the grassland. I can only go back to Wangyuan City for now. I hope the war stops soon."

As his voice fell, Li Qing shot forward like an arrow, heading towards the distant Wangyuan City.

He ran for quite some time until the mottled, imposing outline of the city walls appeared on the horizon. Li Qing stopped, panting.

"Whew! With the current war and chaos, entering the city has become a troublesome matter."

Li Qing was essentially an undocumented person now, with nothing to prove his identity and possessing considerable martial arts skills. He could easily be mistaken for a spy.

Of course, refugees were common during wartime, but someone like Li Qing was not.

Having spent a year in the Eternal Night World, where he rarely saw the sun, Li Qing's skin had become somewhat fair, certainly much better than his previous dark, blacksmith apprentice appearance.

Furthermore, he was strong and healthy, his muscular physique evident even through his clothes.

If he tried to pass himself off as a refugee in this state, the city guards, unless they were blind, would never believe him.

How to enter the city had become Li Qing's most pressing issue.

Wangyuan City was within sight but inaccessible. It was a formidable fortress guarding the border, likely difficult for even Internal Energy masters to overcome, let alone Li Qing in his current state.

Just as Li Qing was sighing in frustration, a group of refugees was being driven along the official road ahead of him.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle, damn it!"

"You'll get food when we reach Golden Mountain Village. If you're late, we'll skin you alive!"

"Move it! If you don't want to starve, get a move on!"

Behind the refugees, several men on horseback, dressed like bandits, were whipping them forward.

The moment Li Qing saw them, he knew who they were.

They were bandits, and with the main city just ahead, they dared to openly rob people and take them to their stronghold.

This was only possible in the current era. In times of chaos, human lives were cheap. These refugees had been gathering below Wangyuan City's walls for days, and the authorities likely wouldn't let them in easily, as it could cause significant unrest.

This created an opportunity for these bandits. They would abduct the refugees to their mountain stronghold to be used as laborers. They claimed they would provide food, but what truly happened once they reached the mountain was uncertain.

The instant Li Qing saw the bandits, a plan formed in his mind.

"Hmph! Daring bandits, to abduct civilians in broad daylight!"

Standing straight on the road ahead, Li Qing blocked the path of both the refugees and the bandits.

His voice was filled with righteousness, like a young hero eager to uphold justice right after emerging into the world!

A few horse-riding bandits behind the refugees exchanged glances, then chuckled. One of them asked, "May I ask your name, sir? Our Golden Mountain fortress cannot bear to see so many refugees starve and freeze to death outside the city. We are merely taking them to the mountain to keep them alive."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing let out a disdainful snort.

"Hmph! You spineless cowards aren't worthy of knowing my name!"

Calling them spineless cowards, even a clay Buddha would get angry, let alone these bandits who were used to committing evil deeds.

"Damn it, what blind brat is this, trying to play the hero here? We'll skin you alive today!"

As expected, someone couldn't take it anymore and immediately cracked his horsewhip, charging fiercely towards Li Qing.

Seeing this, a flicker of mockery flashed in Li Qing's eyes.