Chongning County, Xisha Street.
This place is less of a street and more like a dilapidated alleyway made of yellow mud.
Li Qing couldn't even imagine how muddy it would become if it rained; even the conditions in Cui Mountain Village of Xiao Cuiling were not this shabby—at least the roads had stones!
"Master was quite a character in his youth, charging into the government office and directly injuring the county magistrate."
"If it weren't for the Wuli Army taking a liking to his forging skills, he would have probably faced execution after autumn!"
These words were what he heard from He Baosheng. Attacking a court official was a capital offense anywhere.
However, at that time, Master Gu had already gained some fame, having forged a Nine Dragon Halberd, which could definitely be considered a divine weapon.
Unfortunately, his reputation had not yet fully spread, and Master Gu could only be regarded as a skilled craftsman, not a divine craftsman.
Now, the Nine Dragon Halberd had gained quite a bit of fame in the Jianghu, but its owner's whereabouts remained elusive, and he rarely appeared in the world, his fame far overshadowed by the Demon Blade Red Lotus and the Xuanwu Spear.
After walking halfway through the alley of Xisha Street, Li Qing finally found the place where Master Gu's descendant lived.
It was a very run-down tile-roofed house, with several gaps in the wooden door.
According to He Baosheng, Master Gu's descendant had inherited his father's trade and worked as a blacksmith on this street, barely making a living.
"Is Master Gu Yu at home?"
Li Qing thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to knock on the door with his hand, fearing that even a slight force would cause the wooden door to fall apart.
Before long, the wooden door creaked open, and a disheveled middle-aged man cautiously stepped out from inside.
"I am. May I ask who you are? Are you here to forge iron?"
Before Li Qing could express his intentions, a small figure resembling a muddy monkey rushed out from inside, holding a tree branch and chanting:
"Who goes there? State your name, yi ya ya~"
As soon as the little figure dashed out, it was stunned by a tiger's roar.
"Roar!"
A large tiger cub, resembling a dog, was crouched at Li Qing's feet, baring its teeth and scaring the muddy little figure into a stupor.
Smack!
The little figure plopped down on the ground, dropping the tree branch in its hand, tears welling up in its eyes, yet it couldn't muster a cry. One could only say that it was indeed a descendant of Master Gu!
"You little rascal, get back inside!" Gu Yu exclaimed, looking at the tiger cub at Li Qing's feet with surprise, then kicked his child back inside.
Li Qing frowned and kicked the tiger cub, sending it to a corner where it couldn't be seen among the debris.
"Sorry, Master Gu, I mean no harm. I just wanted to ask you to forge something." Li Qing thought for a moment but still did not directly state his intentions, wanting to observe the family's difficult conditions a bit more.
Upon hearing that there was business, a smile immediately appeared on Gu Yu's face.
"Oh, so you want to forge something! Please come in, esteemed guest. May I ask what you wish to forge?"
Li Qing followed him inside, glancing around and spotting a mining pickaxe in the corner. Without thinking, he said, "Make me a pickaxe, about this size should be enough. How long will it take?"
"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I can have it ready for you before dark."
Saying this, Gu Yu rekindled the furnace, preparing to start forging.
Generally, a blacksmith's furnace would maintain a high temperature, and from this, one could tell that Gu Yu's business was not thriving.
Watching Master Gu's son stand in a familiar yet not quite standard posture, Li Qing nodded slightly.
There were indeed traces of the Ancient Hammer Technique, but the foundation was poor, and the stance was average. It seemed that Master Gu had not been able to pass on all his skills to his son before being taken to the Wuli Army.
As for why he didn't leave the original martial arts to his son, Li Qing couldn't know; perhaps he was worried about attracting unwanted attention.
Thinking of this, Li Qing casually asked, "Besides pickaxes, what else can you forge? Do you forge weapons?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yu's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Esteemed guest, due to certain reasons, the government prohibits me from forging weapons. If discovered, the penalties are severe."
"It's fine, I was just asking." Li Qing nodded.
As the furnace temperature gradually rose, Gu Yu began forging.
From Li Qing's current forging standards, this level of skill was naturally insignificant; he could only be considered an ordinary craftsman, not having received Master Gu's true teachings.
When the pickaxe head began to take shape halfway through the forging, a raucous voice suddenly came from outside:
"Master Gu, the hoe you forged for me last month is no good! Look, I've hardly used it, and it's already loose!" Accompanying the voice, a bare-chested young man walked in, casually tossing a hoe inside the door.
"How could this be? If used normally, it shouldn't loosen so quickly," Gu Yu said, looking at the hoe on the ground.
The ruffian kicked the hoe, and indeed, the joint between the wood and the hoe was shaking.
"Don't believe me? Look, it's barely been used, and it's already this loose! How am I supposed to till the soil with this? What a shoddy craft!"
"Because of your broken hoe, my farming is delayed! Hurry up and compensate me with two taels of silver!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yu's expression turned ugly. How could he not know that this ruffian was here for money?
"Wait, Feng Jin, I'll forge you a new one, no charge. Two taels of silver is too much; I only charged you two coins for the hoe back then."
The ruffian named Feng Jin sneered, saying, "Forge a new one? The farming season is already delayed; what good will that do? What if it loosens again?"
"My family's harvest this year has suffered because of your hoe! You have to compensate me; hurry up and hand over the money, or I'll report you to the authorities!"
Hearing the mention of the authorities, Gu Yu's face grew even darker, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
At this moment, Li Qing bent down, picked up the loose hoe, and ran his fingers along the edge, softly saying,
"This hoe should not have loosened naturally; the edge has been struck hard, leaving obvious marks, and the joint has been shattered."
"Most likely, someone deliberately took this hoe to dig into rocks or other hard materials, causing it to break like this. If you want compensation, you should find the person who broke it."
Upon hearing Li Qing's explanation, Gu Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling grateful.
The ruffian Feng Jin was furious, saying, "Who the hell are you? This hoe has been sitting in my house every day; who else could have broken it?"
"Are you implying that I broke it myself?"
Li Qing didn't even look at him, casually tossing the hoe back and saying indifferently, "I don't know about that; anyway, this hoe being broken has little to do with the blacksmith's skills."
"Alright, alright! Old Gu, so you've found someone to back you up, huh? Just wait!"
The ruffian took the hoe, originally intending to teach Li Qing a lesson, but seeing Li Qing's imposing stature, he realized he was clearly outmatched and decided to go find some accomplices to settle the score.
However, before he could step out the door, a powerful tiger roar suddenly erupted:
"Roar!"
The tiger's might shook the surroundings, causing even the walls to tremble slightly.
Feng Jin's face turned pale from the roar, his legs felt weak, and his body trembled slightly.
The tiger cub dashed in, shaking its head, exuding a hint of the ferocity of a true tiger.
This time, Li Qing did not scold the tiger cub but allowed it to rub against his feet.
Feng Jin's gaze moved from Li Qing's feet upwards, and when he finally met Li Qing's cold, frosty eyes, he recalled a rumor he had heard earlier that day.
The bandits outside the city had been slaughtered by a young man carrying a tiger into the city.
"Hiss!"
Feng Jin inhaled sharply, his heart turning cold, stammering,
"You... you are the Fierce Tiger."
"You are the one who killed the bandits outside the city?"
Li Qing raised an eyebrow, still pondering the meaning of "Fierce Tiger," when Feng Jin suddenly knelt down:
"Great sir, spare my life! I shouldn't have tried to extort money; I was blind!"
What a quick kneel! I've never seen someone so cowardly!
Li Qing couldn't help but want to laugh, but still maintained a cold demeanor and said, "Get lost!"
Without a word, Feng Jin immediately fled in a panic.
However, turning back, Gu Yu's expression was also not quite right. He looked at Li Qing with a complex gaze and said, "You are the notorious Fierce Tiger in the city, the one who kills without mercy."
Kill without mercy? Fierce Tiger?
What kind of ridiculous nickname is that!
Not particularly fond of this nickname, Li Qing's expression darkened. He thought it was probably spread by those fleeing bandits, and he felt a desire to confront them.
Why did they give him such an unpleasant nickname? It sounded like a short-lived villain; what if one day someone took him out casually?!
Today was a bit busy, so this chapter is a bit late~
(End of Chapter)