Clang!
The iron lock shattered with a loud sound, and a figure dressed in black boldly walked into Li Qing's blacksmith shop.
He had no intention of concealing his presence, still holding an oil lamp in his hand, using the dim yellow light to examine the various items in the blacksmith shop.
“Tsk tsk tsk, to be a blacksmith in Sheng Tian, one must indeed be wealthy; this iron alone is worth quite a bit.”
The man's tone was frivolous and full of disdain.
Facing a blacksmith, he believed he could easily take control of the situation.
Carrying the oil lamp, the man continued deeper into the shop, passing through the corridor, and pushed open the door to where Li Qing was.
Creak~
A strong smell of alcohol rushed out, causing the black-clad man to frown.
He thought to himself that this was indeed a drunkard; he probably was so intoxicated that he was out of his senses by now.
With this thought, the man raised the oil lamp and shone it inside. The moment he saw the scene within, his entire body stiffened involuntarily.
There, by the head of the bed, Li Qing was holding a jar of Dongmei Wine with one hand, staring at him with a gaze that was both smiling and not.
At this moment, the murderous aura around Li Qing was intense; it was the invisible force left behind after slaying a fierce tiger, or perhaps it should be called Tiger Sha!
Especially at his feet, there lay a young tiger, crouched down.
“Hand over the silver... and I might spare your life.”
Seeing this scene, the man was already stunned, yet he still spoke incoherently.
However, his words lacked any momentum, and after finishing, he realized his legs were starting to tremble.
“Seeking death!”
Li Qing suddenly stood up and strode towards the man.
Boom!
The only response to this man was a Tiger Fist. As he swung, the force surged through Li Qing's body like a long rainbow.
Bang!
This punch, even a mountain tiger would feel pain from it, and how could this man, who hadn’t even cultivated external strength, possibly withstand it?
Li Qing's fist struck directly against the man's chest, a powerful blow that shattered his sternum, causing his heart to stop beating in an instant.
“Hmph, I overestimated them; they aren’t even external strength cultivators and dare to come rob me.”
After saying this, Li Qing kicked the man's corpse again, and several pieces of silver and a few copper coins fell out.
Seeing this, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle; such a person was barely at the level of a street thug, and killing him was truly meaningless.
At that moment, he raised the wine jar and took a hearty drink, then wiped his mouth and continued to sit and practice his cultivation.
A night passed, and three waves of people came to the blacksmith shop, all without exception, were beaten to death by Li Qing, each one of them with ill intentions met their end without return.
As dawn broke, Li Qing walked outside the shop, yawning while replacing the old lock on the door with a new one.
Nearby, the owner of the wonton shop, who was also setting up his stall, looked at Li Qing changing the lock with a strange expression and couldn't help but ask, “Little Li, you made quite a noise last night; how did you break the lock?”
Without raising his head, Li Qing replied, “Hmm, I was busy forging iron last night; this lock was already broken long ago, just replacing it with a new one today.”
“Old Zhang, quickly give me two bowls of wontons to cool down; it’s too hot today!”
Old Zhang readily replied, “Alright!”
If one were to look inside Li Qing's blacksmith shop at this moment, they would find no corpses, not even a trace. Because he had long since disposed of the bodies into the Eternal Night World.
After a night of commotion, three waves of a total of four people came, and not a single external strength level warrior was seen.
This left Li Qing somewhat disappointed, but upon reflection, it made sense; if they were truly external strength cultivators, they would have the capability to take over a street in Sheng Tian City and collect protection fees monthly.
The dead were so insignificant that not even a splash of water was stirred.
Now, the imperial capital was in a state of flux, with internal strength masters occasionally clashing; no one would pay attention to a few ruffians who weren’t even external strength cultivators.
As spring turned to summer, time slipped away like sand through fingers, quietly passing by.
With the Wuli Army stationed, the situation in the imperial capital gradually stabilized, and martial artists from various places seemed to have lowered their flags and ceased their activities.
However, the Wuli Army was ultimately the army of the Maple Kingdom; whenever there was a hint of conflict at the borders, this army would have to rush to the frontlines, and it was impossible for them to remain stationed in the imperial capital day and night.
To avoid falling into a situation of internal strife and external troubles, a capable minister presented a strategy to the emperor.
To recruit talents from the ruffians of the martial world and establish an organization composed of martial artists specifically to manage those troublemaking warriors.
Once this strategy was proposed, it immediately received the great appreciation of the current emperor, Emperor Taiwen, and was approved without hesitation.
In the height of summer, the court promptly announced the news.
The Feng Wei Gate was about to be established, a direct organization under the emperor to manage martial artists causing disturbances, and capable individuals were encouraged to sign up; those who passed the assessment would be admitted.
Upon hearing this news, Li Qing found this move rather intriguing.
A department directly under the emperor, the Jinyiwei? The Eastern Factory?
If one were to successfully be selected, they would have an official position!
Despite the fact that those ruffians in the martial world cursed the court's watchdogs daily, when it came to signing up, their actions were anything but slow.
In just a few days, the registration and assessment locations were overflowing with people.
To secure a stable job was far better than fighting and killing for territory in the martial world!
Learning the Dragon-Slaying Technique, goods for the imperial family!
At this moment, with many martial artists in Sheng Tian, external strength level experts were emerging one after another to sign up, and even some who controlled one or two streets locally were tempted by this stable job.
For instance, the eight heroes from Liao Zhou on Chiming Street were calculating their options.
“Brother Yang, what do you think about this?” Big Boss Fang directly asked. Among the eight of them, although Yang Xing was the youngest, he was the most resourceful, akin to a strategist.
Yang Xing's eyes flickered slightly as he said softly, “If any of us can hold a position in the Feng Wei Gate, it would definitely be a good thing with countless benefits and no harm!”
Big Boss Fang nodded straightforwardly, saying, “That’s right; having someone in the court makes things easier, especially in the Feng Wei Gate; we must have our people in there!”
The other six were mostly simple-minded brutes; they felt that their current lives were already quite good, much better than the days of sleeping rough.
“Aren't we living quite comfortably now? Why go work for the court and get nothing in return?”
“Exactly! My adoptive father was harmed by corrupt officials; I won’t go!”
Big Boss Fang understood the temperament of his other brothers and naturally did not place his hopes on them.
Thus, he turned his gaze to Yang Xing.
Among them, Yang Xing was the youngest, but he had already reached the external strength level in internal martial arts, and his mind was sharp.
Yang Xing exchanged glances with Big Boss Fang and then solemnly nodded.
“Big Brother, let me go.”
(End of Chapter)