The Secret Way of Immortality

When Ren Qing arrived at the blacksmith shop, the doors were closed, and Liu Hu's deafening snores could be heard from inside.

He had no choice but to find a teahouse nearby to kill time.

Before Ren Qing could even wait for Liu Hu to wake up, he heard a commotion outside the teahouse, with a bustling crowd seemingly discussing something.

Ren Qing walked to the window and looked towards the end of the street.

He noticed that several constables were escorting five fire workers to the yamen, who appeared to have come from outside the city.

Could they be the fire workers from Hexing Street?

He remembered that a total of nine people had been dispatched to deal with the plague, and five of them actually survived.

Ren Qing listened to the reactions of the people, who were all worried about the plague spreading to Sanxiang City, so they avoided the fire workers like the plague.

He felt that it wasn't that simple; the plague outside the city was likely related to the forbidden zone, but fortunately, there were forbidden soldiers to bear the risk.

On the surface, Sanxiang City was still very prosperous, and even the daily disappearances and deaths didn't affect it.

After all, there were hundreds of thousands of people here, and most people's lives were relatively ordinary.

Near dusk, Ren Qing finally entered the blacksmith shop, fortunately not making a wasted trip.

In the few days since they last met, the skin exposed on Liu Hu's chest and abdomen was covered with burn marks, and his eyes were red and swollen from staying up late.

Liu Hu yawned: "It's nothing, once I get busy, my days and nights are reversed."

"You're pushing yourself too hard."

"The forging process cannot be stopped, otherwise it may affect the quality of the swords, so I can't be careless."

Ren Qing noticed the great miaodao hanging on the wall.

"Wait."

Liu Hu took down the great miaodao and handed it to Ren Qing with both hands: "The great miaodao has been forged, but after all, it is a unique weapon, and it is not easy to use."

Ren Qing took it and felt his arm sink, and couldn't help but look at the great miaodao.

The blade was nearly four feet long, and the scabbard was made of wood, wrapped in brass as an embellishment, with a rough beauty.

"Not bad, right? It took a lot of effort to forge."

Ren Qing praised with a happy face: "As expected of a famous blacksmith in Sanxiang City, your sword forging skills are superb."

Liu Hu proudly introduced: "To forge such a slender blade in one piece, it requires patient hammering, otherwise the nearly four-foot blade may develop cracks, leading to hidden dangers."

Ren Qing said sincerely: "Thank you."

Even without unsheathing it, the weight in his hand indicated that it was definitely the real deal.

Liu Hu watched Ren Qing stroking the scabbard with delight, and couldn't help but say: "I was worried that the great miaodao would be too heavy, but I didn't expect you to be so strong."

"About average."

For Ren Qing, wielding the sword with one hand might be slightly affected, but the great miaodao could be wielded with both hands.

In this way, the weight of the great miaodao became an aid instead.

Ren Qing couldn't wait to draw the great miaodao, and a dazzling cold light flashed in the blacksmith shop.

The blade was like a mirror, able to clearly reflect a person's image, and the edge of the blade had wave-like quenching patterns.

"Why isn't it sharpened?"

Liu Hu said with a smile: "Since it's your sword, then sharpen it yourself, so you can learn more about the great miaodao."

"Alright."

Liu Hu briefly taught him the sharpening techniques, and then gave Ren Qing a palm-sized whetstone.

With Ren Qing's eyesight, sharpening the blade was no problem, and he could even do it more accurately than Liu Hu, after all, he could see every detail.

"No matter what kind of sword it is, seventy percent depends on forging, and the remaining thirty percent depends on maintenance."

Liu Hu took out a porcelain bottle filled with sword oil, which could prevent the sword from rusting and prolong its life if applied daily.

He began to explain the key points.

Ren Qing sat cross-legged on the ground and listened patiently, then picked up the great miaodao.

He dipped the whetstone in some water, and then ran the blade over it, the friction of the metal brought a harsh sound.

"You……"

Liu Hu was furious when he saw this, he had just said that he couldn't be careless with swords, but he was sharpening it so casually, he really didn't take me seriously.

Wait!!!

Liu Hu's expression became strange, he noticed that Ren Qing's sharpening movements were extremely steady, even without the slightest amplitude.

Moreover, the four-foot blade of the great miaodao made the same sharpening sound from beginning to end, which was incredible.

Liu Hu didn't even dare to disturb him, and quietly waited for Ren Qing to completely sharpen the great miaodao, and couldn't help but feel admiration on his face.

He said with relief: "Ren Qing, with your talent, you should use it for……"

"Let me try the great miaodao first."

Ren Qing's hands itched for a moment, and he wielded the sword with both hands. At first, his movements were unskilled, but as he used his double pupils, he became more and more proficient.

It was clearly a four-foot great miaodao, and he was in a cramped blacksmith shop, surrounded by various furniture and sundries.

Ren Qing forcibly displayed the great miaodao's fierce offensive to the fullest.

Clang!!!

Sheathing.

He looked at Liu Hu and asked: "Brother Liu, what did you want to say just now?"

"Uh."

The corners of Liu Hu's mouth twitched, and a drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead.

He said with a dry smile: "It's nothing, it's not a waste to have the great miaodao in your hands, I hope it's still intact in a few years."

"It's getting late, I plan to return to the yamen. If Brother Liu has anything, you can send a message to the fire worker hall on Tan Street."

"Then I'll continue to catch up on sleep, this deal was really a losing business."

In fact, the great miaodao was more suitable for horse combat, tied to the horse's back so it could be drawn at any time.

But if Ren Qing hung it on his waist, it would easily drag on the ground, and it would be difficult to unsheath it from his back, so he simply tied a slipknot to fix it on his back, so he could loosen it and take out the whole sword at any time.

He walked straight towards the yamen, and passers-by turned their heads because of the style of the great miaodao, and even attracted exclamations from children.

The expressions of some Jianghu people were slightly disdainful.

With such a long blade, you're bound to hurt yourself when you wield it.

After Ren Qing returned to the fire worker hall, he wrapped the great miaodao in cloth strips, so that even if he carried it with him, others would only think it was a thin stick.

Xiao Wu enviously touched the great miaodao. He could barely wield it, but his arms would soon be sore and weak.

"Brother Qing, do you know that those fire workers from Hexing Street returned today?"

"I saw it with my own eyes."

The fire workers from their Tan Street and the fire workers from Hexing Street lived in the same fire worker hall, so it was inevitable that Xiao Wu would be a little worried.

"By the way, where are those five people?"

"It is said that the plague outside the city is very serious. After they came back, they were locked in the Sibu Zhai. They should be released in a while."

Li Mian passed by and added: "It's clearly only four people."

Ren Qing frowned and was about to refute, when he suddenly noticed that the fire workers in his memory became blurred, and their figures gradually changed from five to four.

One of them seemed to be erased out of thin air.

Li Mian added: "Ask Li Heng, he also saw those four fire workers enter the yamen at that time."

Li Heng was sweeping the dust on the steps, and nodded after hearing this: "That's right, there were four people."

Ren Qing loosened his frown and carefully recalled the memories in his mind several times, and there were indeed only four fire workers.

I must have just misremembered it……