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

Li Changqing ignored the commotion behind him.

He walked out of the Drunken Spring Breeze Tavern with his hands behind his back, swaying unsteadily.

Outside Shazhou City, the sun was already gradually setting in the west.

The crimson clouds in the sky made the distant Singing Sand Dunes look like a golden treasure mountain.

Li Changqing stretched and strolled along the ancient street, enjoying the slightly cool evening breeze.

Three days may seem like a long wait to ordinary people.

But for him, it was just a moment of resting with his eyes closed.

He strolled around Shazhou City, stopping here and there, and managed to get a thorough understanding of its sights and features.

On the morning of the third day.

Li Changqing returned to that woodworking alley.

In front of Old Man Ma's shop stood a huge, incredibly heavy poplar wood door.

The door is made entirely of the dark golden grain characteristic of poplar wood, is three inches thick, and is covered with a layer of polished black iron sheet.

On the door, three rows of fist-sized heavy plum wood nails were neatly nailed.

The entire door exudes an indestructible, imposing aura, as heavy as a mountain, resembling a miniature city gate.

Old Ma was squatting by the door, holding a piece of cotton cloth in his hand, carefully wiping the dust off the door.

His eyes were filled with pride in his masterpiece.

"Old man, this door is well made. It's perfectly sealed and has immense weight."

Li Changqing walked to the door, reached out and touched the cold sheet metal, and nodded in satisfaction.

Old Ma stood up, rubbed his aching lower back, and snorted coldly.

"I've been making wood all my life, but this is the first time I've ever done such heavy work. Sir, the door is finished. But each door leaf weighs over four hundred pounds."

"Didn't you hire a big truck to haul it away? With your physique, let alone moving it, even pushing it over would crush you into a meat patty."

Old Man Ma looked around but couldn't find the cart or the porter, so he frowned.

Li Changqing smiled slightly and said nothing more.

He walked up to the heavy door, without adopting any stance or showing any signs of agility.

He simply and casually extended his seemingly pale and thin right hand and gripped a groove on the edge of the door panel.

Then, in Old Man Ma's instantaneous wide-eyed gaze, as if he had seen a ghost,...

Li Changqing exerted a slight force on his wrist.

"rise."

The iron gate, weighing over 400 pounds and requiring three or four strong men with crowbars to move even a fraction of an inch, was lifted up by him with a single hand as easily as a thin wooden board!

Not only that, Li Changqing casually hoisted the huge door panel onto his shoulder.

His slightly thin body, dressed in a blue robe, did not bend in the slightest after carrying this "small mountain," and his breathing remained as steady as ever.

"This...this..."

Old Ma pointed at Li Changqing, his lips trembling violently, unable to utter a complete sentence.

He worked as a carpenter his whole life and had seen countless strong men with superhuman strength.

But have you ever seen anyone lift a 400-pound object with one hand as easily as carrying a lantern?

Is this even human?!

Li Changqing, carrying the gate on his back, turned around and smiled kindly at the stunned old man, Ma.

"I've had my fill of your skill, sir. I'll take this with me. Farewell."

Having said that, he carried the exaggerated iron gate on his shoulder, took steady steps, walked out of the woodworking alley, and disappeared into the bustling streets of Shazhou City.

Along the way, the locals and merchants of Shazhou City all stopped and stared at him.

They stared dumbfounded at the strange man in blue robes who carried a weight as heavy as half a city gate, yet walked with the ease of a leisurely stroll.

Leaving the city, entering the Gobi Desert.

A string of footprints, neither too deep nor too shallow, were left on the long ancient road.

As the sun sets and the evening glow paints the desert crimson,

Li Changqing finally returned to his dilapidated Changmen Inn.

He gently lowered the door without breaking a sweat.

Then, they found some tools and quickly installed the brand-new, incredibly sturdy door firmly onto the inn's door frame.

"Bang."

Li Changqing pushed the door open and then closed it again.

That deep, solid sound made one feel exceptionally reassured.

Night falls.

The starry sky over the desert is as dazzling as a celestial river inlaid with countless diamonds.

Li Changqing moved a long bench and sat in the courtyard of the inn.

He didn't light a lamp, but simply blended quietly into the boundless night.

A night breeze carrying fine sand blew by, fluttering the hem of his blue robe.

From the distant Gobi Desert, the occasional mournful howl of a wolf could be heard.

A century of tumultuous changes, the life-and-death struggles in the imperial court—all seem like distant memories now.

At this moment, he was merely the innkeeper of a desert inn.

In this endless expanse of immortality, he watched the flowers bloom and fade, and observed the clouds drift and gather.

The vicissitudes and profound weight of the world were transformed into the deep and serene gaze in his eyes.