In the last few tranquil days before the storm, Li Qing devoted all his thoughts to practicing the Fierce Tiger True Intent.
There was no shortage of food in the army, and with Fatty Wu providing him with a private kitchen, he could eat to his heart's content every day. During this time, Fatty Wu even remarked that Li Qing seemed to have been reincarnated as a starving ghost, as his appetite was even greater than his own.
Li Qing could only smile wryly at this; he couldn't possibly tell Fatty Wu that he was currently training in martial arts. Moreover, traversing the Eternal Night World with a time flow of three to one, it was only natural that he would get hungry quickly.
However, an increased appetite also meant rapid progress, and his raw strength had indeed grown significantly. Now, Li Qing had already touched upon the threshold of the Fierce Tiger True Intent, and it wouldn't be long before he fully entered its realm.
As the storm approached, on a scorching afternoon, after sweating profusely from his physical training, Li Qing vaguely heard some movement outside his tent, as if footsteps were drawing near.
Cautiously, Li Qing retracted his martial stance, draping the cloth he usually used for forging iron over his shoulder, appearing as if he had just finished his work.
With the scorching heat radiating from the furnace, his sweaty appearance did not seem out of place.
"Is Erniu here?" A deep voice called from outside the tent.
Li Qing, who usually had little interaction with others in the military camp, did not recognize the voice, but he quickly got up and walked outside to lift the tent flap.
Standing outside was a man clad in armor, sporting two small mustaches, whose demeanor and appearance did not quite match the imposing armor he wore.
"You are... Officer Li Gui? May I ask what brings you here?" Li Qing recognized the identity of the visitor from his face.
Li Gui was an officer in charge of the military's granary. Although they shared the same surname, Li Qing had little interaction with him.
"That's right, it is I. I want to know if the long spear of Captain Chen Meng was forged by your own hands?" Li Gui asked.
Li Qing put on a naive expression and blinked, replying, "Yes, it was forged by me. Is there a problem, Sir Li?"
Upon hearing Li Qing's admission, Li Gui burst into laughter, "Hahaha, very good! It seems you have indeed inherited some of Master Gu's true teachings!"
Then he changed his tone and spoke softly, "I came to find you because I want you to forge a mountain axe for me. It needs to be heavy, preferably over two hundred jin!"
At this, Li Qing's expression changed slightly. He hesitated and said, "Sir Li, I remember that this armor you are wearing was forged by my master at the beginning of the year."
In fact, in the military camp, regardless of whether one was a captain or a thousand-man leader, one could not forge weapons without restraint. There were limits to the quantity, after all, as the iron ore that could be mined each year was finite.
This Officer Li Gui had already forged a set of armor at the beginning of the year; wanting to apply for over two hundred jin of iron ore to forge a personal weapon like a mountain axe was certainly against the rules.
The Wuli Army was a military force formed through martial prowess, unlike other armies that used standardized weapons. Many of the leaders were highly skilled martial artists, and naturally, they could not be allowed to use ordinary standardized weapons.
Li Qing, as a blacksmith accompanying the army, was there to meet the needs of these skilled martial artists.
Li Gui chuckled and nodded, saying, "That may be true, but didn't they recently discover a new vein of iron ore in the mine and send over a batch of iron ingots?"
"I have about a hundred jin of iron ingots on hand, and you should have some surplus in your shop as well, Erniu. Just make a little adjustment and help me cover the rest, consider it an advance on next year's quota."
His tone was friendly, making it sound as if he was expressing a sense of camaraderie.
However, Li Qing was not truly a naive fool, and sweat had already begun to bead on his forehead.
In the Maple Kingdom, privately misappropriating salt and iron was a very serious crime. This Officer Li Gui actually said in front of him that he had over a hundred jin of iron ingots and wanted him to help cover the rest to forge a mountain axe weighing over two hundred jin. If this got out, it would be a capital offense!
"Sir Li, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Li Gui's smile remained undiminished as he patted Li Qing's shoulder, saying, "Hahaha, Erniu, you need to learn to be flexible. In today's world, you can't be so rigid!"
"It's just a shortfall of less than a hundred jin of iron ingots; no one will notice. If it really comes to it, you can just push it onto your deceased master, can't you?"
As he spoke, Li Gui took out a handful of silver ingots from his bosom, which at first glance seemed to weigh five or six taels.
"Take this. You've been with the border army for so long; it must have been hard on you. When you get the chance, treat yourself in Wangyuan City."
Accepting bribes is a crime that adds to the charges.
Li Qing took the silver ingots, silently adding this thought in his heart.
Sigh! Forget it.
He sighed inwardly and ultimately did not refuse.
"Hahaha, very good! I'll send the iron ingots over later." Seeing that Li Qing did not refuse, Li Gui's smile grew even more satisfied.
Watching the officer leave the tent, the naive expression on Li Qing's face quickly faded, replaced by a calm demeanor.
He wasn't particularly worried about the shortfall of iron ingots; generally speaking, few in the border army would investigate such matters.
Moreover, even if there were a sudden inspection, he could guarantee that his shop would be absolutely clean, with no mistakes.
In the Eternal Night World, acquiring some iron ore was quite simple. Over the years, just from forging farming tools for the Yan family, he had saved quite a few iron ingots.
Furthermore, the border army was about to go to war, and he was planning to take this opportunity to escape, regardless of the outcome of the battle.
At that time, having some silver would make everything much easier.
At worst, he could find a place to hide, using the threefold time flow of the Eternal Night World to cultivate his martial arts to an invincible level before re-emerging. By then, who could do anything to him?
Of course, all of this depended on whether he could have enough food to survive.
Since he began training in martial arts, the increase in his appetite had even startled Li Qing himself, making him doubt whether he could support himself after leaving the military.
"Speaking of which, I should forge a weapon for myself to carry." Li Qing muttered to himself.
The weapons used in combat in the Ancient Hammer Technique could not possibly be a blacksmith's hammer; he needed to forge one specifically suited for him.
"Sigh, the peaceful days are about to pass." Li Qing shook his head and said.
The officer in charge of the granary suddenly wanting to forge a weapon could not be without reason.
Clearly, this clever man had also sensed the signs of impending turmoil at the border, seeking to secure more opportunities for himself.
However, Li Qing was indeed astonished by the other party's martial prowess; being able to wield a mountain axe weighing over two hundred jin was heavier than many captains' weapons.
As the saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." To make progress in martial arts, one must eat well.
This Officer Li Gui clearly had not refrained from indulging in corruption.
(End of Chapter)