Translator: AnubisTL
After Yan San left, Li Qing continued to practice his stance in his courtyard, spending the next few hours on this basic stance training.
When his body was utterly exhausted and he could no longer keep his eyes open, he finally returned to his room to rest.
He was awakened by a knocking sound. Li Qing never slept too deeply, and as soon as the door was knocked three times, his eyes snapped open.
Opening the courtyard gate, he saw Yan San carrying a pile of iron ingots and a stone slab engraved with mysterious patterns.
"Hehe, Master Li, the Yan Family has agreed to your request. They are willing to let you view a secret manual first. Once the farming tools are forged, they will send two more!" Yan San said with a grin.
It was clear that the Yan Family had agreed to the deal readily, and Yan San had also profited quite a bit from it.
From the moment Li Qing laid eyes on the stone slab, he found it hard to look away from the mysterious patterns engraved on it.
"May I ask what kind of martial art is inscribed on this slab?" Li Qing asked calmly, finally tearing his gaze away.
"The steward of the Yan Family said this martial art is called the Light Silk Leg Technique, one of the signature techniques of the Light Silk Martial Arts School in the city. This slab was personally engraved by their school's master!" Yan San explained, handing the slab to Li Qing, then added, "Of course, the Yan Family will reclaim this slab afterward."
Taking the heavy slab, Li Qing examined it carefully once more.
There was indeed an inexplicable charm to it, and he could sense the energy within, making it seem genuine.
"Alright, I'll keep the slab. I'm quite tired today, so you can head back. Come back in seven days to collect the sickle," Li Qing nodded, speaking with a calm expression.
"Got it! Master Li, I'll be back in seven days!" Yan San didn't linger, and as he left, he even closed the courtyard gate behind him.
Bang! Once the door was shut, Yan San's previously ingratiating expression immediately turned into one of disdain and contempt.
After walking a distance, he muttered to himself, "What a fool. At a time like this, he's passing up the Dark Wheat Mushroom to practice this useless stuff. Does he really think he'll achieve anything?"
Inside the courtyard, Li Qing, with his keen hearing and sharp eyes, naturally overheard this mocking remark.
He didn't care in the slightest; in fact, he almost felt like laughing.
Practicing this martial art might indeed be time-consuming and yield little visible progress, but he had no shortage of time!
He planned to develop silently, and once his martial arts reached mastery, he would crush everyone with a single kick.
"It's fine. Even if my talent is poor, practicing for eight or ten years should show some results. If not, I'll just forge a few more weapons!"
Li Qing silently vowed in his heart. Exhausted, he returned to his room and fell asleep once more.
He woke up almost precisely on time. His years as a blacksmith apprentice in the military had taught him the trick of keeping time in his mind, ensuring he never overslept.
Leaving the stone slab inscribed with the Light Silk Leg Technique in the World of Eternal Night, he brought back some iron ingots and the Ancient Mystic Hammer Art to his tent.
Upon returning, despite having slept a cumulative ten hours, he was once again drained of energy, panting heavily from exhaustion.
He rolled out of bed, feeling sore all over, especially his legs, which trembled slightly even as he walked.
The aftermath of standing in the stance! Despite the exhaustion, Li Qing genuinely felt that his physical strength had improved a bit. When he stepped on the ground, he felt a sense of solidity, a result of the stance's influence on his force exertion.
"Gurgle, gurgle~"
Having not eaten for nearly a day, his stomach naturally protested.
"Sigh, if it weren't for the triple time flow and the harsh living conditions, I would have liked to stay in the World of Eternal Night forever."
He had considered using the World of Eternal Night to escape trouble, diving into another world when enemies attacked, leaving everything behind. However, there was a drawback to shuttling between the two worlds: wherever you were before the shift, you would return to the same spot!
The borderland where the Wu Li Army was stationed was a crucial stronghold, with an iron mine nearby that required constant guarding.
If the enemy occupied this place and he returned, it would be a disaster.
He might be captured as a spy and subjected to severe torture.
Of course, the most critical issue was the lack of food in the World of Eternal Night. He had no confidence in sustaining his post-training appetite there.
Hungry and restless, Li Qing stepped out of the tent. The sky outside was just beginning to lighten.
He quickly grabbed two food bowls and hurried to the kitchen. Surprisingly, the one on duty this morning was still the chubby Wu Chong.
However, compared to last night, Wu Chong's face now bore a noticeable trace of worry.
"What's wrong, Wu Chong?" Li Qing asked.
Then he saw the small mountain of white steamed buns on the stove, and his eyes gleamed with hunger. Starving as he was, he felt he could easily devour a dozen or twenty buns in one go.
"The master who taught me how to cook went to check on the grain convoy yesterday afternoon. He was supposed to return last night, but he hasn't come back yet!" Wu Chong couldn't keep anything to himself and blurted everything out to Li Qing.
Li Qing glanced around; no one else was up yet. He grabbed two buns and stuffed them into his mouth, mumbling, "Did anyone from the infirmary come to deliver food this morning?"
Wu Chong shook his head, then looked at Li Qing in surprise as he kept shoving buns into his mouth. "Are you a starving ghost reincarnated? How can you be this hungry? Didn't I give you so much food yesterday?"
Naturally, Li Qing couldn't tell Wu Chong about his day-long stance practice in another world without eating.
He filled his two bowls with food, patted Wu Chong on the shoulder, and hurriedly left the kitchen.
The borderland was truly in chaos. If his guess was correct, the grain convoy had likely been ambushed by bandits.
Last night, someone from the infirmary had delivered food, but no one had come this morning. Those severely injured individuals who returned yesterday afternoon were probably in dire straits.
However, it was surprising that they had lasted this long. They must have been martial artists with some skills; otherwise, ordinary people would have died on the spot.
The bandits along the border are from the nomadic tribes of the eastern grasslands, bordering both Maple Country and Liang Country.
It is still only midsummer, far from the harsh winter, yet they are already boldly plundering provisions and killing soldiers, which is quite unusual.
This is a surefire way to make enemies! It seems they are eager for Maple Country to send troops to attack and eliminate them.
But would bandits so easily court death? Naturally not, they are not fools; there is no benefit in provoking Maple Country like this.
Unless the bandits are colluding with Liang Country.
The sharp thinking honed from modern times led Li Qing to ponder many things, but he believed that what he could think of, the higher-ups of the Wu Li Army could not have overlooked.
Next, it depends on the attitude of the imperial court.
"Sigh, I just wanted to quietly forge some iron and develop myself further. Why is it so difficult!"
(End of the Chapter)
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