"Are you saying that that blacksmith Li showed kindness and gave all the black wheat mushrooms to Old Man An?"
Inside the luxurious and grand residence of the Yan family, a young master dressed in brocade robes was reclining in a chair. His complexion was a sickly pale, devoid of blood, clearly a sign of excessive indulgence in his daily life.
This person was none other than Yan Gui'an, the second young master of the Yan family, who had taken a liking to An Xuan!
Before Yan Gui'an, a shifty-eyed man named Yan San was bowing respectfully, nodding repeatedly.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes," Yan San said, lowering his gaze submissively.
Yan Gui'an narrowed his eyes, tapping his pale fingers on the armrest of the chair, as if deep in thought.
"I heard that the Qi family’s three brothers, who used to steal and cause trouble in the market streets, were also taught a lesson by this blacksmith Li, right?" Yan Gui'an asked.
"That's right. After that blacksmith Li came out of the market, he was ambushed by the Qi family’s three brothers, but he managed to take care of them all by himself," Yan San continued.
Hearing this, Yan Gui'an let out a cold laugh.
"Heh, did giving him a few martial arts manuals actually help him achieve some results?"
"Uncle Jing, how strong do you think that blacksmith Li could have become? To defeat the Qi family’s three brothers alone, he must have some skills, right?"
At this moment, a burly middle-aged man stepped forward behind Yan Gui'an.
It was hard to imagine that in this world of scarce resources, there was still someone with such a robust physique.
This man, known as Uncle Jing, had a plain face and spoke with an unperturbed tone, "Blacksmiths inherently possess a bit more strength than ordinary people. If he has also practiced some martial arts, dealing with a few street rascals who can barely fill their stomachs is not difficult."
"As for his martial arts level, I don’t think it could be very high. If a martial artist usually doesn’t get enough meat to eat, it’s hard for them to make rapid progress."
Uncle Jing expressed his professional opinion. He was a martial artist who had reached the peak of External Strength and was on the verge of touching the threshold of Internal Strength, so he naturally understood this well.
If Li Qing hadn’t transported so much food and dried meat from the military camp, it was indeed likely that, as he said, his martial arts would struggle to make any progress.
"Well, that blacksmith's forging skills are indeed quite good, so it wouldn’t be wise to easily make an enemy of him." After pondering for a moment, Yan Gui'an suddenly smiled.
"Yan San, find a way to have the Yihang gang test the blacksmith's martial arts. They can’t really just endure this for so long after being dealt with, can they?"
Yan San immediately nodded repeatedly and said, "Leave it to me, Second Young Master. I will handle this matter properly."
After Yan San left, Uncle Jing spoke up, "Second Young Master, if you want to deal with that blacksmith Li, just let me go. There’s no need to go through all this trouble of using others’ hands."
However, Yan Gui'an shook his head and smiled, "It’s best not to get my hands dirty when teaching someone a lesson, especially since I’m not trying to take his life."
"Let the Yihang gang test the waters first. If he really is just a soft guy, then let those from the Yihang gang handle him."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Jing said no more and closed his eyes again.
He thought of the few martial arts manuals he had given to Li Qing: Light Silk Leg, Turtle Breathing Technique, and True Intent of the Fierce Tiger.
None of these martial arts were top-tier skills, and it would take time to master them. He estimated that Li Qing had at most only grasped the basics of the Light Silk Leg.
As for the Turtle Breathing Technique and True Intent of the Fierce Tiger, he didn’t believe Li Qing could comprehend them in such a short time.
What threat could a mere blacksmith pose?
After tidying up the Wushuang Hammer and Iron Armor, Li Qing was about to return to the Maple Kingdom when he suddenly stopped his movements.
After stepping into the ranks of External Strength masters, Li Qing’s perception had significantly improved. As soon as he focused his thoughts, he could easily hear some sounds outside the courtyard.
For instance, at this moment, a gentle sound of footsteps suddenly broke the silence of the courtyard street. The footsteps were slow and light, making hardly any noise, much like a cat, completely unlike the steps of a normal passerby.
"Is there a thief? How strange, that someone would actually come to my blacksmith's home as a thief?"
"Or is it that the Yan family has acted so quickly?"
Li Qing smiled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He chose not to return to the Maple Kingdom but instead sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting for the intruder to enter.
He wanted to see what this sneaky thief was after.
At this moment, in Li Qing's courtyard, a slender figure dressed in black scaled over the courtyard wall and landed steadily inside.
He quietly surveyed his surroundings for a while, confirming that there was nothing unusual before heading towards the house in the courtyard.
As he approached the house, he caught a whiff of an enticing aroma.
Gululu~
The thief couldn’t help but swallow the saliva that was continuously secreting from his mouth. It smelled too good; it was the scent of meat!
"Damn it, are blacksmiths living so well now that they can even afford to eat meat? No wonder the gang leader sent me to steal from this place."
The scent he detected was indeed the aroma of meat, left over from when Li Qing had just finished his meal. He hadn’t expected to catch a whiff of it.
This remark naturally reached Li Qing’s ears upstairs, causing him to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
So it’s not the Yan family?
This guy was sent here on the orders of some gang leader? Gang leader? That must be the Yihang!
Confirming the target, Li Qing’s expression immediately turned cold.
He hadn’t expected that after all this time, the Yihang would still remember the lesson he taught the Qi family’s three brothers and only now send someone to retaliate.
Being remembered for so long would make anyone feel uncomfortable.
"I didn’t expect it to be the Yihang; they dare to send someone to my doorstep."
Muttering softly, Li Qing got out of bed.
Having practiced the Light Silk Leg, he moved even more silently, making less noise than a cat.
The thief rummaging downstairs naturally couldn’t perceive this.
After descending, Li Qing looked at the thief, who had his back turned to him and was searching for food in the kitchen, a cold smile on his face.
"Damn it, where did this person hide the meat?" The thief muttered as he searched.
Unable to find it, the slender thief was about to look elsewhere for something valuable when suddenly, his entire body stiffened.
A strong and powerful hand had clamped down on the back of his neck.
He could clearly feel that it was a force he could not resist, an absolute might that could easily control his life and death.
"I was wrong. Please... spare me."
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(End of Chapter)