Translator: AnubisTL
The height of summer had arrived, and the temperature had become scorching hot.
The Little Tiger Cub had grown to about three or four months old, but due to its previous injuries and congenital weakness, it was still only the size of a local dog.
At this point, Li Qing had already started feeding it meat. In another month or two, when it was about half a year old, Xiao Fantong would be fully weaned.
Although Li Qing had little experience in raising animals, as the Little Tiger Cub grew, its vitality became more robust, and it was full of energy. It was unlikely that he would fail to raise it properly.
"Roar!" Xiao Fantong was gnawing on the wooden bed frame, restlessly tearing apart the house.
Beside it, Li Qing was simultaneously practicing the Golden Body Technique and the Turtle Breathing Art.
After this period of training, his Golden Body Technique was still lingering outside the first layer. However, he had a premonition that he would successfully break through to the first layer this year, fully mastering the Golden Body Technique.
In contrast, his progress in the Turtle Breathing Art had been much faster. The depth of his Inner Force was now approaching the level of an External Strength expert.
Simultaneously mastering both internal and external martial arts to the level of an External Strength expert was an extremely difficult feat. If it weren’t for the fact that the Golden Body Technique complemented the Turtle Breathing Art, Li Qing, with his innate talent, would have likely taken at least seven or eight years to reach his current level.
"Hu!"
Li Qing retracted his stance, feeling the stream-like Inner Force flowing within his body, and nodded in satisfaction.
"At my current level, I could probably take on two or three External Strength Martial Artists without much difficulty."
As he spoke, his eyes gleamed as he looked at the large sealed jar of Tiger Bone Wine in the room. By next year, the wine would be ready to drink, and his Martial Path would continue to advance by leaps and bounds.
So, he would wait! Wait patiently! Just as Li Qing was anticipating this, there was suddenly a knock at the door of the blacksmith shop.
Knock, knock, knock! Along with the knocking came a rough voice:
"Is Master Li here?"
It was Fang Long’s voice. What was his purpose for coming here so suddenly? With curiosity, Li Qing went outside to greet his guest.
Boss Fang stood at the door, beaming with joy and holding a string of cured meat. When he saw Li Qing come out, his smile widened even further.
"Boss Fang, what brings you here?" Li Qing asked, puzzled.
Fang Long laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Master Li, it’s like this. My Young Yang has successfully joined the Maple Guard. I’ve come today to ask for a blessing."
With that, Boss Fang handed the string of cured meat to Li Qing.
Li Qing didn’t refuse and accepted the meat, repeatedly congratulating him.
"I’ve heard of the Maple Guard. Only the best of the best can join. Congratulations!"
This was no exaggeration. The Maple Guard, established by the imperial court, sought only the most elite individuals, as they served in the capital.
It was said that more than half of its members were External Strength Martial Artists, and some had even been transferred from the Wu Li Army to this newly established department.
The fact that Yang Xing had been able to join spoke volumes.
Moreover, the status of the heroes from Liangzhou would likely become even more secure. Even the three major martial arts schools would probably think twice before trying to encroach on the interests of this street.
This was the advantage of having connections in the court. Boss Fang was no longer the same as he had been in the past.
Afterwards, Boss Fang continued, "Master Li, there’s actually another matter I’d like to ask of you today! I want you to forge a suitable weapon for my worthy brother!"
"Working in the Maple Guard is not like before. As his elder brother, I can’t always look out for him, so this is the only way I can think of to give him an extra means of self-protection."
"Of course, you can rest assured that the payment will be absolutely sufficient, not a penny less than what’s due!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing immediately agreed to the request.
"So that’s the matter. Of course, no problem. May I ask what kind of weapon Young Yang uses?"
Boss Fang promptly replied, "A sword! A longsword! It doesn’t need to be too heavy, but it should be sharp. Those are the two requirements my brother mentioned."
"I’ll charge you thirty taels of silver, and you can come to collect the sword in three days," Li Qing agreed without hesitation.
Forging swords was no stranger to Li Qing. As soon as Boss Fang mentioned the requirements, an image of an iron sword had already formed in his mind. "Good, here’s the silver. I’ll come to collect the sword in three days."
With that, Boss Fang took out three ten-tael silver coins.
Unlike the financial constraints when they first arrived in Shengtian, the brothers from Liangzhou, having occupied Chiming Street for so long, had obviously accumulated quite a bit of wealth.
"Master Li, I won’t disturb you any further. Farewell!"
Boss Fang clasped his fists and then quickly left.
Li Qing watched the departure of this street boss, a surge of thoughts rising within him.
The Liangzhou heroes had managed to place their own people within the Maple Guard, and now they could be said to have established a foothold in Shengtian. From now on, it wouldn’t be so easy for anyone to snatch away their territory on this street.
And the newly established Maple Guard by the imperial court was clearly not just for maintaining order among the martial artists in the city.
Court struggles? Balancing factions? Unclear, hard to grasp.
"Although the imperial capital is prosperous, it’s truly a place full of troubles," Li Qing shook his head, pushing these thoughts out of his mind.
The next moment, a noise of a shelf falling over suddenly came from inside the house.
Boom!
Along with it were a few startled roars from Little Tiger Cub: "Roar! Roar!"
Hearing this noise, Li Qing couldn’t help but have a black line appear on his face. Without even thinking, he knew that the tiger cub had started wrecking the house again.
He rushed into the room at once, sweeping his gaze around to ensure that the large wine vat was unharmed, and then immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he grabbed Xiao Fantong by the scruff of its neck, staring straight into its eyes, and said in a stern voice, "If you dare wreck the house again, I’ll stew you!"
"Roar!" The tiger cub let out a pitiful howl, looking quite pitiful, and didn’t struggle too much, remaining relatively docile.
But to be honest, this was the stage when the little tiger was at its most energetic, so it was quite normal for it to like making a bit of noise.
After giving it a warning, Li Qing couldn’t help but sigh softly, putting it down and starting to clean up the fallen shelf.
The shelf mostly held some miscellaneous items, but underneath it, he had hidden the martial arts techniques he was currently practicing.
For example, the Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram, the Golden Body Technique, the Light Silk Leg Technique, and the like, were all stored underneath.
As he was tidying up, his hand suddenly brushed against a thick booklet.
It was the "Ancient Mystic Hammer Art". Li Qing held this martial arts manual in his hand and fell into deep thought.
He recalled the last words his Master had entrusted to him on his deathbed, instructing him to return this martial arts manual to his family.
However, after arriving in Shengtian, he had been preoccupied with various tasks such as brewing wine and other miscellaneous matters, causing him to delay the task repeatedly.
Now that he finally had some rare free time, he could consider returning the martial arts manual.
"Qingzhou... Chongning County..."
The instructions his Master had given him on his deathbed were still firmly etched in his memory.
Indeed, it was time to find an opportunity to make the trip!
"Behave yourself these next few days. Once I finish forging the weapons, I’ll take you out to play," Li Qing pointed at the Little Tiger Cub and warned him repeatedly.
The Little Tiger Cub seemed to understand Li Qing’s words and immediately rolled around on the ground, looking quite delighted.
(End of the Chapter)
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