Taking advantage of the deep, quiet night, Li Qing once again arrived in the Eternal Night World.
The blood-colored moon hanging high in the sky seemed eternal and unchanging. The temperature was still bitterly cold, and one had to wrap up in cotton clothes to go outside.
Within Obsidian City, Li Qing placed the twenty-odd forged sickles in the courtyard, then continued his Stance Training off to the side.
This time, he held his stance longer than ever before. With the breathing method Master Gu had taught him, he persisted for nearly two hours.
Previously, standing too long would leave his legs somewhat numb. This time, however, his qi and blood flowed incomparably smoothly, and his entire body felt exceptionally comfortable.
"Huff!"
After resting briefly, Li Qing began practicing Stance Training repeatedly in the courtyard. Even in the Eternal Night World, where time flowed three times faster, he could not bear to waste a single moment.
Li Qing felt that time passed astonishingly quickly during this visit to the Eternal Night World. In the blink of an eye, nearly half a day had slipped away.
Yet he did not feel tired in the slightest. His spirits remained remarkably high, and his waist and legs brimmed with strength.
But even if he wanted to keep practicing, his stomach would not allow it.
His Stance Training had shown considerable progress, and with it came a sharp increase in appetite.
Though he had eaten nearly two dinners in the military camp, he quickly felt hungry again. He needed energy; every cell in his body seemed to crave food.
"Alas, I can only eat some Black Rye Mushrooms to fill my stomach." Li Qing sighed. He truly did not want to relive that peculiar taste.
He had accumulated some Black Rye Mushrooms at home. They were left over from his past dealings with the Yan family. He had forged Farm Tools for them more than once, and they had always paid with Black Rye Mushrooms.
These Black Rye Mushrooms were good in every way: easy to preserve, filling, and quick to cook. Their one flaw was their terrible taste. When Li Qing first acquired them, novelty had driven him to cook a huge pot. But after tasting them, he had nearly vomited his guts out.
They tasted exactly like moldy wheat flour—sour and astringent, almost impossible to swallow.
In the storeroom, Li Qing, his expression slightly unsightly, once again grabbed a pile of the remaining Black Rye Mushrooms and tossed them into the pot.
These Black Rye Mushrooms had sat here for nearly a year, yet they looked no different from when they had first been harvested. That was precisely the advantage of how well they kept.
"Maybe I could bring some grain here in the future and sell it for some powerful martial arts to practice?" A bold idea suddenly sprang into Li Qing's mind.
But he quickly dismissed it.
"No. The source of food would be hard to explain, and it would easily draw unwanted attention. At the very least, I need some ability to protect myself before I can sell small amounts."
"At the very least, I need to cultivate Outer Strength. Otherwise, three to five burly men could deal with me easily right now. And such trade must be kept secret; I need to hide my identity."
"Before that, I can at least make some inquiries into whether this world has anything unique."
As the iron pot continued heating, Li Qing let the thoughts in his heart run wild like a horse unleashed on the plains.
Soon, he set three goals for himself.
First, become an Outer Strength expert as quickly as possible. Whether he wanted to find a way to escape the military camp or seek something in this world, he could not do without becoming stronger.
No one would discuss fairness with the weak. This was a world without laws; if he did not want to be devoured, he could only become stronger.
Second, he could begin investigating this world's circumstances—for example, whether there were unique things that held little value here but were worth a fortune in the other world.
He had been in this world for quite some time, but Li Qing had barely ever left the street where he lived.
All he currently knew was that this was a cold Dark Night world. Perhaps it had once had a sun, but it had not appeared for a very long time.
The small city he was in was called Obsidian City. Many Black Rye Mushrooms were cultivated outside the city, but all the land belonged to the Yan family, the greatest power in Obsidian City.
Other than that, he knew nothing. Reflecting on it now, he felt that his behavior had been deeply inappropriate. If he did not understand the environment he lived in, some calamity falling from the sky might very well drag him into death.
Third, he needed to escape the Border Fortress, where war was about to break out, as soon as possible. Trapped in the military camp, he felt constrained at every turn. Even entering the Eternal Night World required him to act with excessive caution, preventing him from fully making use of the advantages of both worlds.
Thinking this through, Li Qing unexpectedly felt that his mind had become much clearer and sharper.
"Phew, this is one of the benefits of martial arts. Once the body grows stronger, the blood supplying the brain becomes vigorous and abundant as well, and only then can one's thoughts become sharp and nimble. Of course, maybe I'm just too hungry."
Li Qing muttered to himself, then took out the now-cooked Black Rye Mushrooms.
Cooking Black Rye Mushrooms was actually very simple. Add some water and heat them, and they would soon be done.
The scalding food gave off steam in the icy air. Once it gradually cooled, Li Qing frowned and began eating, forcing himself to endure it.
Unbearably sour and astringent! Impossible to swallow!
Even though he was starving to death, the food in his mouth still felt like dregs. It had not become any more delicious.
He did not carefully savor the Black Rye Mushrooms. After stuffing them into his mouth and chewing slightly, he swallowed them down.
After eating an entire potful in one go, his hunger was finally completely relieved.
But a thick sour and astringent taste still lingered in his mouth, constantly stirring nausea within him. He kept feeling as though what he had just eaten was a pile of cotton wadding.
"Glug glug~"
After gulping down several mouthfuls of water, Li Qing stood up and once more prepared to practice Stance Training with renewed determination.
Just as he assumed his stance, a slow knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Knock knock knock!
"Master Li, are you home?"
The voice sounded somewhat aged. Li Qing immediately recognized who it was: likely the An family living across the street.
They had originally been a family of four. It was said that, due to some accident, the couple had died outside Obsidian City, leaving behind only an old man and a child.
Li Qing withdrew from his training stance, then slowly walked behind the courtyard gate and opened it.
There stood an old man with sparse silver hair, so thin that he was little more than skin stretched over bones, hunched outside the door.
This was the first time Li Qing had seen someone so thin. Even the man's eye sockets had sunk deeply inward, making him look like nothing more than a skeleton.
Even Master Gu, who was on the verge of death, looked far healthier than the elder before him. Li Qing even suspected that this old man might fall apart the next moment.
Old Man An carried a deformed iron pot and looked pleadingly at Li Qing. "Master Li, could you help repair this iron pot?"
Li Qing lowered his eyes and took a look at the pot. It seemed to have been deliberately smashed, probably Yan San's handiwork.
He withdrew his gaze and said, "I can."
Saying This, Old Man An brought out a small bag of Black Rye Mushrooms, his expression troubled. "There isn't much food left at home. I don't know whether this is enough."
Li Qing, who had just finished eating Black Rye Mushrooms and felt somewhat nauseated, could not help but have his brow twitch. He said, "Take these Black Rye Mushrooms back. I have some questions for you. Just answer them."
Old Man An seemed fairly advanced in years. Having lived so long, he surely knew more about this world than Li Qing did. Li Qing could use him as a starting point to learn some basic information about Obsidian City and the Eternal Night World.
"How could I do that?" Old Man An became somewhat embarrassed, thinking Li Qing pitied him.
Li Qing said calmly, "Come in first."