Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

In the twelfth year of Chengping, in autumn.

The Ming Dynasty's ships had long been transporting the wealth of the entire nation back to the national treasury.

Spices from Southeast Asia and exotic delicacies from the West were no longer considered rare items in the markets of Beijing and Jiangnan.

The world is at peace, and the seas are calm and the rivers are clear.

The historians wrote extensively about this unprecedented golden age.

However, no matter how much the sails on the sea obscure the sky.

This northwestern border region of the Ming Dynasty still retains its desolate appearance, unchanged for thousands of years.

Outside Jiayuguan Pass, the yellow sand stretches for thousands of miles.

The fierce wind whipped up rough sand and gravel, scraping across the barren Gobi Desert like a knife.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the rolling sand dunes a bleak dark red.

Occasionally, one can see a few skeletons half-buried in the sand.

Whether they were soldiers guarding the frontier in a previous dynasty or merchants lost in the wind and sand, they silently tell the story of the vastness and profound history of this land.

Thirty miles west of Jiayuguan, there is a sheltered mound.

At the foot of the mound, a lone inn built of loess and poplar wood stands.

Outside the inn, there was a tattered wine pitcher, its color obscured by wind and sand, with the words "Nagamon" still faintly visible on it.

On this desolate ancient road, this dilapidated Changmen Inn was the only place for passing merchants and wandering swordsmen to stop.

In the backyard of the inn, next to a deep well, there is an old tree stump.

Li Changqing was wearing a blue long gown made of coarse cloth, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He casually held a dry branch meant for starting a fire in his hand and was slowly chopping wood.

In recent years, he has lived a life of leisure amidst the wind and sand of this place beyond the Great Wall, just like a true hermit.

He no longer paid attention to the infighting in the court, nor did he think about the overall situation of the world.

The longevity system, deeply rooted in the soul, seemed to have reached a state of perfection after more than a hundred years of accumulation.

No more need to clock in and wake them up every day.

Now, the energy and blood within him are as unfathomable as a vast ocean.

With every gesture, that immense power has long since returned to its original simplicity.

His physical body, nurtured over the long years, has reached a wondrous state where it is impervious to all evil and indestructible.

Let alone ordinary weapons, even the most powerful Hongyi General Cannon of the Ming Navy would not be able to harm him in the slightest.

The true cataclysmic power lies hidden beneath this seemingly frail blue robe.

"Click."

Li Changqing casually placed the fragile, withered branch in his hand onto the hard, iron-like poplar wood in front of him.

Without making a sound, the poplar tree, which was taller than a person, was cut as if by the sharpest sword.

It was silently split in two, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

The withered branch in his hand wasn't even scratched by a single bark.

"The way this firewood is being chopped is becoming increasingly refined."

Li Changqing threw down the tree branch, dusted off his hands, walked to the well, scooped up a ladle of cold water, and drank it all in one gulp.

The exhilarating, refreshing sensation made him let out a long, comfortable sigh.

"Shopkeeper! Is the shopkeeper here?"

A series of anxious slams on the table came from the front hall, accompanied by the neighing of warhorses and the sound of chaotic footsteps, breaking the tranquility of the Gobi Desert.

Li Changqing put down the water ladle and slowly strolled to the front hall.

Twenty or thirty men rushed into the dimly lit hall.

These people were all travel-worn, with chapped lips, dressed in uniform dark-colored close-fitting clothes, and with goose-feather sabers at their waists.

Despite being exhausted, they maintained their formation and moved with the discipline of a well-trained military.

The person they were protecting in the middle was a middle-aged merchant with a large belly.

He was clutching a camphor wood chest wrapped in layers of oilcloth tightly in his arms, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.

Outside the lobby, there were more than a dozen large trucks fully loaded with goods.

A flag fluttered in the wind on the carriage shaft, embroidered with a large character "Song".

Li Changqing walked behind the counter, picked up a rag, and wiped the table idly, lazily raising his eyelids.

"Stay at an inn or have a meal? Staying at an inn costs one tael of silver per night, with a shared dormitory. If you're having a meal, all we have is coarse tea and plain noodles; the beef sold out yesterday."

The head of the guards was a man with a face full of scars.

He slammed a ten-tael silver ingot onto the counter and said urgently:

"Shopkeeper! Bring out all the water and food in your shop! Also, keep the doors tightly shut! No matter what's happening outside, don't peek out!"

Li Changqing looked at the silver ingot and, without any hesitation, swept it into the drawer.

"No problem. I'll do what I'm paid for. Please make yourselves at home, my shop's door is very sturdy."

He turned around and slowly went to the kitchen to fetch a large bucket of cold water, and then brought out several stacks of coarse flour flatbread.

The guards pounced on them like hungry wolves, swallowing the food greedily.

The middle-aged merchant carrying the wooden box recovered slightly and, seeing Li Changqing's slow and deliberate manner, stamped his feet in frustration.

"Shopkeeper, you still have the mind to wipe the table! Quickly find a cellar to hide in! There are bandits chasing us! They are the most ruthless Blood Wolf Bandits from beyond the Great Wall, with over a hundred riders! If they catch up, we'll all be torn to pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Li Changqing's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't stop pouring tea for a moment.

Blood Wolf Thief?

The bandits outside the pass are even more rampant than the pirates at sea.

"Don't panic, sir."

Li Changqing pushed a bowl of tea in front of the merchant, speaking in a calm tone.

"My shop is located in this desolate place, so I believe in making money through harmony. Those bandits are also made of flesh and blood; they wouldn't ruin my business."

The merchants shook their heads repeatedly, thinking the shopkeeper was just a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

The guard captain swallowed a mouthful of dry biscuit and said in a deep voice:

"Shopkeeper, you may not know this, but my master is the head shopkeeper of the Northwest branch of the Royal Trading Company. This time, he is bringing with him a prototype of a firearm newly developed by the imperial court, which he intends to hand over to Datong Prefecture."

"Those Blood Wolf bandits must have received a bribe from the Tatars and are trying to seize this batch of crucial military equipment. If they come, they will leave no survivors!"

Upon hearing the words "Royal Trading Company," Li Changqing paused slightly in the hand holding the rag.

The Royal Trading Company.

All things considered, this was an industry he built single-handedly back then.

It's quite a coincidence that I've run into the younger generation of the business bureau here outside the pass.

Just as they were pondering this, the yellow sand outside the inn suddenly began to churn violently.

The earth began to tremble slightly. The dull sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, booming across the Gobi Desert like muffled thunder.

"They're here! They've caught up!"

The guard commander's expression changed drastically. With a clang, he drew his long sword from his waist and roared angrily.

"Brothers! Form ranks! Fight to the death to protect the shopkeeper and the firearms! We are paid by the court; even if we die today, we must not let this important weapon fall into enemy hands!"

The twenty-odd guards drew their swords and shielded the merchant against the wall, their faces filled with determination.

"Bang!"

The inn's already flimsy wooden door was kicked open with great force.

Even the door frame was shattered, with wood chips flying everywhere.

Amidst the swirling sandstorm, dozens of fierce bandits surrounded the inn.

The first man rode a jet-black steed and carried a spiked club stained with dried blood.

His face was covered in thick, fleshy muscles, and his single eye revealed a bloodthirsty cruelty.

It was none other than Bald Wolf, the notorious leader of the Blood Wolf Bandits, who struck fear into the hearts of merchants and travelers beyond the Great Wall.

Bald Wolf spurred his horse, smashing through the threshold, and entered the main hall.

The tall warhorse snorted, exhaling a foul stench.

"Running? Why did you stop running?"

The bald wolf burst into wild laughter.

The spiked club banged loudly on the saddle, its eyes greedily fixed on the wooden box in the merchant's arms in the corner.

"You're from the Royal Trading Company, right? I've been waiting for you in this desert for almost half a month! Hand over that box, and I'll leave you with a decent corpse."

"If you dare utter a single word of dissent, I'll skin you alive and hang you on the city wall to dry in the wind!"

The atmosphere in the lobby was extremely tense, with tensions running high.

The merchant was so frightened that his whole body went limp, but he clung tightly to the box and wouldn't let go.

The guard commander's hand, gripping his sword, was drenched in sweat as he stared intently at Bald Wolf.

At this critical moment.

"Cough cough."

An extremely untimely cough came from behind the counter.