Translator: AnubisTL
"Gentlemen, please come in!" Li Qing lowered his posture as much as possible, suppressing his blood and aura to the fullest extent, ensuring that his true Martial Path cultivation was not revealed.
The leading constable, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, stepped in slowly. He glanced around at the furnishings and then nodded with a light smile, saying, "No need to be nervous, Blacksmith Li. It's nothing major, just a routine inquiry."
This was within Li Qing's expectations. If it were something serious involving him, it wouldn't be just a simple visit for questioning.
"Feel free to ask anything, gentlemen. I assure you, I will answer all your questions!" Li Qing promised.
"Have you been frequenting the tavern next door recently?"
Hearing this question, Li Qing roughly understood why they were here. He breathed a slight sigh of relief internally and then replied without changing his expression, "Yes, that's correct. I like to have a couple of drinks at the tavern when I'm not busy."
At that moment, the constable revealed the wanted posters that were plastered all over the city.
"Then you must have seen this person."
Li Qing took a glance and confirmed, "Yes, I've seen him several times at the tavern. I never expected him to be the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. Quite surprising!"
Seeing Li Qing's cooperation, the constable followed up, "Since you knew it was him, why didn't you go to the Prince's residence to provide the clue? Don't tell me you didn't want the hundred taels of silver?"
"Don't tell me you haven't seen the wanted posters."
Suddenly, the constables narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing Li Qing's expression.
"Gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding. I saw the wanted posters this morning and was thrilled to recognize the person in the portrait. Unfortunately, someone else had already stepped forward—a regular at the tavern."
"That tavern-goer rushed to the Prince's residence before I could. I didn't have any more information than he did, so I thought the Prince's residence, despite its vast resources, probably wouldn't pay a hundred taels for the same clue. That's why I didn't go."
It was a reasonable explanation, and it was indeed what Li Qing had thought at the time.
He didn't need the hundred taels of silver and didn't want to get too involved with the nobility over this matter.
"Ha, don't be nervous. We're just asking. In fact, besides you, there are a few others who frequented the tavern and didn't go to the Prince's residence to provide clues about the Star-Stealing Divine Thief."
"Alright, tell us about the process of seeing the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. Focus on describing that person."
Li Qing put on a thoughtful expression and cooperatively answered, "That person liked to drink from a wine jug."
After the interrogation, Li Qing quickly took out a few pieces of silver, saying, "Gentlemen, you've worked hard," and slipped the silver into their hands.
Thus, the constables left quite satisfied, without lingering or causing any trouble for Li Qing.
Li Qing watched them leave, his thoughts drifting.
'The search is much more intense than I imagined. What on earth did the Star-Stealing Divine Thief do to provoke such anger from the Prince's residence?'
Sighing, Li Qing decided to close the shop for the day and stay put to avoid any further trouble.
However, before he could close the door, another customer approached.
The man was tall and burly, and even the robust Li Qing felt a sense of oppression in his presence, as if facing a giant.
"Are you here to forge or buy weapons?" Li Qing glanced at the man and asked.
"Did you forge this sword?" The burly man was sparing with his words, his face perpetually tense, as if everyone owed him hundreds of taels of silver.
Li Qing looked at the long sword in the man's hand and suddenly remembered.
Wasn't this the sword he had forged for Zhong Hui? How did it end up in this man's hands? Come to think of it, Zhong Hui had never returned to pay the remaining balance for the sword after the incident at Small Jade Ridge. Li Qing sighed inwardly and replied, "Yes, I forged it. Zhong Hui still owes me the final payment. How did this sword end up with you?"
Not knowing the burly man's intentions, Li Qing was already slightly on guard. Clang!
The man casually tossed the sword to the ground and said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhong is dead. Before he died, he asked me to return the sword to you. He said he couldn't pay the remaining money, so returning the sword would count as settling the debt."
Hearing this, Li Qing was momentarily stunned, then sighed softly and picked up the sword.
"So that's how it is... What a pity. Brother Zhong was such a good man. It's such a shame that he died like this. It shouldn't have happened!"
Li Qing spoke from the heart. It had been less than a month, and he had already received news of the death of someone he knew.
This martial world truly devours people. "Thank you for bringing this to me. May I ask your name?"
The burly man replied succinctly, "Zhao Yuan!"
"I've heard of you!" Li Qing placed the sword aside and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.
Zhao Yuan didn't speak, just stood there in silence for a moment.
His attitude left Li Qing somewhat puzzled.
"Brother Zhao... is there something else?"
Only then did Zhao Yuan nod and reply, "You forge good swords. Can you forge a weapon for me too?"
So that was it—he wanted a weapon forged. He had to be asked before he would say it. This was the first time Li Qing had met someone so reserved!
"Of course, no problem. What kind of weapon do you want? Tell me your requirements."
"A sword, a big sword! A sword weighing over three hundred jin!" Zhao Yuan said seriously, "How much silver would that cost?"
"For three hundred jin, it would cost at least fifty taels of silver." Li Qing thought for a moment and gave a price that was on the lower side but not unreasonable.
To his surprise, Zhao Yuan immediately pulled out two silver ingots from his pocket and handed them to Li Qing.
"When can I come to pick up the sword?"
"Five days!"
"Deal! Make sure you forge me a good sword!"
With that, Zhao Yuan turned and left, so decisively that Li Qing began to wonder if he should consider raising his prices in the future.
But feeling the weight of the two silver ingots in his hand, Li Qing dismissed the thought.
Business was still slow, so there was no need to raise prices. Forging a few more weapons for others would also help extend his own lifespan.
And so, having accepted Zhao Yuan's order, Li Qing temporarily set aside his plan to head to Small Jade Ridge to hunt tigers.
"Sigh, I wonder how that kid Qi Kang is doing. Could he have survived the chaos at Small Jade Ridge?"
After learning that so many people had died at Small Jade Ridge, Li Qing made up his mind to be even more cautious in the future.
There was no need to risk his life for the sake of competing for treasures or opportunities. Living a stable life was the best choice!
(End of the Chapter)
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