Guidance

As usual, he brought food to Master Gu. Outside the tent, Li Qing heard another bout of urgent coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Pushing aside the curtain, he saw Master Gu lying on the bed, the deathly aura around him even thicker, and the age spots on his face seeming to have multiplied.

These were the signs of a man nearing his end.

Seeing this scene, Li Qing sighed inwardly.

Reaching the end of life was truly a tragic thing, especially when plagued by lung disease—the passing would likely be far from peaceful.

"Master Gu, time to eat." Li Qing placed the bowl of food before Master Gu, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.

Whether for the kindness of passing on his skills or for the care he'd received in the army, Li Qing had to admit that without Master Gu, his life at the border fortress wouldn't have been nearly so comfortable.

And Master Gu seemed to catch this sentiment in Li Qing. He looked at Li Qing and spoke: "Er Niu, my time is short. There's something I'd like to entrust to you."

Was this about to be his final instructions?

Li Qing muttered to himself, then leaned by the bed, meeting Master Gu's gaze with sincere eyes. "Master Gu, whatever it is, just say it. I can never repay your teaching, but I'll do my utmost."

"Do you want to leave the border fortress?" Master Gu stared fixedly at Li Qing, as if trying to see through him.

Wasn't that obvious? With war about to break out, who wouldn't want to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible?

Of course, Li Qing couldn't say that. Even if Master Gu was about to die, he wouldn't trust him completely.

"Leaving the border army without permission is a serious crime." Li Qing put on a look of exaggerated shock, playing the fool.

With his cowherd-like face, it carried a hint of honest simplicity.

"Cough, cough, cough! This old man is from Qingzhou, living in Chongning County. Back then, because of some matters, I was blinded by rage and offended the local magistrate, so I was exiled to the border army as a blacksmith."

Master Gu coughed as he continued: "There are still descendants of mine in Chongning. If you ever get the chance, I hope you can pass the 'Ancient Profound Hammer Technique' back to the Gu family. The legacy of our ancestors shouldn't end with me."

Li Qing was silent. After a moment's thought, he spoke: "Master Gu, if I ever retire from the army in the future, I will definitely return the 'Ancient Profound Hammer Technique' to the Gu family."

"Good, with those words from you, I can rest easy. Cough, cough, cough!" Master Gu coughed, then added: "While this old man still lives, let me guide you in your stance training. Judging by the look of you, you must have practiced plenty last night."

Having trained in the 'Ancient Profound Hammer Technique' for so many years, Master Gu could see at a glance the peculiarity in Li Qing's legs and feet—the posture of someone standing in a stance for the first time.

"Thank you, Master Gu!" Li Qing quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Less talk, show me a stance now." Master Gu waved his hand, urging him on.

Li Qing immediately complied, beginning his stance according to the movements recorded in the hammer technique.

Once he was set, he closed his eyes and silently recited the accompanying mental method.

Seeing Li Qing's proficiency, Master Gu's cloudy eyes brightened slightly.

He'd only given Li Qing the 'Ancient Profound Hammer Technique' last night, and in such a short time, he'd already reached this level—truly a fine seedling for martial arts.

Master Gu nodded to himself, quietly praising Li Qing's talent and bone structure, but said little more.

With his life experience, he'd seen all kinds of people. The talent Li Qing displayed was barely passable, far from being a prodigy.

"Not bad. You can probably hold this stance for nearly half an hour now. But there's another crucial point to this hammer technique's stance foundation—breathing in and out." Master Gu began his guidance unhurriedly.

"Breathe out, sink it into your dantian. Calm your heart, quiet your mind, and feel it carefully..."

Li Qing, eyes closed in his stance, listened intently to Master Gu's teachings.

Under Master Gu's guidance, his stance practice was remarkably efficient this time. He quickly entered a state where his whole body felt warm and comfortable, as if his blood and qi had come alive.

"Hah!"

Half an hour later, Li Qing let out a long breath. A trace of sweat marked his honest, simple face.

"A pity. You started martial arts too late. If you'd begun as a child, you might have achieved something on the martial path." Master Gu looked at Li Qing with regret.

The martial path was best started young, while the bones were still forming.

Because the human body had its limits. After forty, qi and blood declined, the body began to age, and further progress became nearly impossible.

And Li Qing, just sixteen, was only now starting with basic stance training. In Master Gu's view, it was far too late.

This gap couldn't be bridged by mere talent.

"Master Gu, I never aimed for great heights on the martial path. If I can gain a bit more strength to work the forge, that's enough for me." Li Qing scratched the back of his head, speaking with simple honesty.

Master Gu chuckled dryly. He struggled to sit up from the bed and said: "In the army, those centurions are nothing special. But there's a thousand-commander surnamed Yuan—if you ever cross paths with him, be extremely careful."

"Also, there's a female thousand-commander surnamed Qian. Her origins are mysterious. Under no circumstances should you offend her!"

Li Qing blinked at this, then nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"I'm just a lowly blacksmith. I'll have no chance to interact with those great lords. Rest assured, Master."

"Haha, enough. Go now. To take on a disciple on the verge of death counts as a stroke of luck." Master Gu waved his hand, shooing Li Qing out of the tent.

Once outside, Li Qing washed the bowl as quickly as possible and returned to his own tent.

He stoked the forge fire and began smelting iron ingots, preparing to forge the farm tools and blades the Yan family had ordered.

The forging conditions in the army were far better than in the Eternal Night World. Here, smelting iron and hammering things was much more efficient.

As for the Eternal Night World, since its time flow was three times that of this world, Li Qing planned to focus on martial arts training there.

Doing this allowed him to maximize the advantages of both worlds.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Once the Iron Ingots were smelted, Li Qing began striking them with his hammer, blow after blow.

Soon, he discovered with delight that swinging the hammer had become much more natural, and his strength had increased noticeably.

"It must be the effect of the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique. This will also greatly improve my forging efficiency!" Li Qing muttered to himself in pleasant surprise.

Just practicing the basic Stance Training had yielded such results, which only strengthened Li Qing's resolve to master the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique.

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