People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

The donkey, which was chewing its fodder, raised its neck and brayed at Wei Zhuang, recognizing the "good man" who had brought it to its master.

Wei Zhuang paused, his brows furrowing slightly, and glanced indifferently at the blue donkey.

The donkey's owner has yet to appear, much to his regret that he cannot fight him and hone his swordsmanship.

A swordsman who so casually discards a donkey cart worth over a hundred gold coins must be extremely wealthy.

A swordsman who is both wealthy and powerful...

Wei Zhuang had this thought in mind and went straight into the small courtyard in the middle.

Jing Ke, who arrived later, looked at the blue donkey eating fodder at the entrance of the courtyard with some surprise, and couldn't help but step forward and pat the donkey's plump belly.

"Hey, Brother Donkey, you're eating well."

He naturally recognized the blue donkey that Brother Cao called "Brother Donkey." Back then, Brother Cao had often driven Brother Donkey, carrying good wine, to Niushou Village.

That was the happiest time for him. He practiced swordsmanship with Master Lu, stole some of the butcher's dishes, and drank with Brother Cao behind Master Lu's back.

Jing Ke felt a touch of sadness.

Brother Donkey brayed and nudged the hay with its head, signaling to Jing Ke to eat some.

Jing Ke chuckled, "I'm not going to fight you anymore, I'm going to get into a fight. I'll treat you to drinks when I get back!"

The donkey stopped eating its fodder, silently retreated to the side, and made a few scared "uh-huh" sounds.

Jing Ke slapped his forehead: "Look at my memory! I forgot you can't drink alcohol, what a pity!"

He casually offered Brother Donkey a glass of wine, and then went to drink with Cao Ze.

Who knew that Brother Donkey was a lightweight? He took one sip and immediately passed out, only to be picked up by a passing butcher.

When they found Brother Donkey, Butcher Ding was already sharpening his knife, saying he was going to make some Hejian donkey meat sandwiches for everyone to try.

Just then, Brother Donkey woke up, and his loud bray was deafening.

"Xiao Ke, what are you doing?"

Yan Dan wondered what Jing Ke was doing circling a donkey.

Cao Ze slightly widened his eyes, forgetting that Jing Ke knew his donkey brother.

Holy crap! What a coincidence!

Zi Nu's purple eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be that Jing Ke knew this donkey?

Jing Ke, oblivious to everything, said, "Look at Brother Donkey! Brother Cao is indeed skilled at raising donkeys, even better than..."

"Ahem!" Cao Ze said solemnly, "Brother Jing Ke, don't keep us waiting."

"Ha, that's true." Jing Ke, carrying his greatsword, took a step and went straight into the courtyard in the middle.

He wouldn't mistake that somewhat sinister and domineering sword intent.

Han Fei paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Cao, it seems that Jing Ke knows your donkey brother."

Cao Ze said without changing his expression, "Miss Zi Nu and I were just driving a donkey cart to Qianlong Hall, so it's normal that we know each other."

Han Fei continued, "Being able to call someone 'Brother Donkey' so fluently doesn't seem like someone you've only met once."

Zi Nu chuckled and said, "It seems Mr. Cao Ze is keeping a secret from us."

Cao Ze said mysteriously, "Now that you've discovered it, I won't hide it anymore."

Yan Dan paused, her leg about to take a step, and listened intently.

"This is no ordinary donkey."

Zi Nu narrowed her purple eyes slightly, thinking of the donkey's owner—a swordsman's donkey, which was indeed no ordinary donkey.

Han Fei thought about it even more deeply.

When he, Cao Ze, and Cheng Jiao were traveling back and forth in South Korea, they vaguely sensed that someone was following them.

Cao Ze and Cheng Jiao brushed it off, making him think he was just overthinking things.

Now, thinking back to the sword master who suddenly appeared in Xinzheng, could it be that Brother Cao has a powerful ally?

No wonder Cheng Jiao followed Cao Ze; no wonder Cao Ze wasn't afraid of being persecuted by the Nightfall after being exposed...

Han Fei was a little excited. If Cao Ze really had a sword master behind him, could he be even more reckless?

Since he's already called her brother-in-law, it's only natural to help him out.

Yan Dan asked, "Is there something special about this donkey?"

Cao Ze pointed at the donkey that was eating heartily and laughed, "Look closely, isn't this a blue donkey?"

Yan Dan's eye twitched slightly, and she suddenly wanted to take back her previous thought.

The saying "a great reputation is not without merit" is probably just a joke about a good-for-nothing!

Han Fei clapped his hands and laughed, "This donkey is not a blue donkey, and this white horse is not a horse. Brother Cao's donkey is indeed extraordinary."

Zi Nu seemed to understand something and said in perfect unison, "It is indeed extraordinary."

Yan Dan began to doubt the meaning of life, and even wondered if she had gone blind.

Isn't this just an ordinary donkey?

They have plenty of them in the Yan state; they can easily pull out hundreds or even thousands.

Does being a blue donkey make it special?

Cao Ze clapped his hands and laughed, "Indeed."

Yan Dan silently took a step back from where she had stopped; the people here seemed abnormal.

Suddenly, two powerful sword intents erupted from the central courtyard, clashing against each other.

The four of them quickly arrived outside the courtyard.

At this moment, neither Jing Ke nor Wei Zhuang made a move; they were both engaging in a swordsmanship contest based on their own sword intent.

Outsiders can only see the two motionless figures in the courtyard; only through their spiritual perception can they sense the clash between the swordsmen who have mastered the sword intent.

Cao Ze was not proficient in swordsmanship, but he could tell that the two were evenly matched, otherwise Wei Zhuang would not have been so excited.

"Who will win?" Han Fei asked a question.

Zi Nu shook her head slightly: "The outcome is uncertain before the sword is drawn."

Only a swordsman understands that strong sword intent and sword momentum are different from strong combat power.

Cracks appeared intermittently around the courtyard, a sign that the sword intent had been pushed to its limit and was about to unleash sword energy.

Yan Dan frowned slightly, but in terms of performance at this moment, Wei Zhuang was slightly better. Jing Ke suffered from being young and progressing a little later. In addition, Wei Zhuang's domineering sword intent made him think that in a pure sword intent contest, Jing Ke was inferior to Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang sneered, "Draw your sword!"

Jing Ke remained silent.

Swords flashed, wind was like a blade, and the two exchanged blows dozens of times in an instant.

Cao Ze narrowed his eyes to see the movements of the two fighting.

It must be said that swordsmen who have mastered the essence of swordsmanship are indeed difficult to deal with. Their attacks are fierce and ever-changing, and if you are not careful, you will be choked.

Han Fei commented: "Brother Wei Zhuang's sword is as mad as the wind, as fierce as the waves, as imposing as the heavens, as murderous as lightning, as fast as lightning, ever-changing, and deadly in every move, giving the opponent no chance to breathe."

"And Brother Jing Ke's sword is like a military formation, advancing without hesitation, its skill seemingly effortless. The two are evenly matched, and it will be difficult to determine a winner in a short time."

Although he couldn't discern the intent of the swordplay, he could still discern some of it after exchanging blows.

Cao Ze casually asked, "In Brother Han's opinion, what sword is the strongest?"

Han Fei shook his head and said, "Swords have no superior or inferior strengths; there is no strongest sword, only the strongest person."

Yan Dan glanced at the arena and couldn't help but say, "Xiao Ke and Wei Zhuang are evenly matched, but Xiao Ke is currently at a disadvantage because the sword in his hand is not a famous sword of this era."

As a swordsman, how could he not know the importance of a good sword? He disagreed with Han Fei's words and even refuted them.

Han Fei said, "That's because he's not strong enough. Zhuangzi has a chapter called 'On Swords,' which divides swords into three categories: commoner's swords, feudal lord's swords, and emperor's swords. When commoners wield swords, no matter how good the sword is, it's just for showing off their bravery and fighting. But when feudal lords wield swords or emperor's swords, no matter what kind of sword they use, even if it's just a wooden sword, they are still capable of defeating ten thousand men, and no one in the world can compete with them."

Yan Dan's heart suddenly raced. He had naturally read Zhuangzi's "On Swordsmanship".

The Emperor's Sword... Yan Dan's eyes hardened, and he agreed with Han Fei's statement.

He too will wield the swords of the feudal lords and the swords of the emperor!

"Chong-"

The sound of the sword breaking was extremely jarring in the arena.

Han Fei said regretfully, "The Shark Tooth Sword is the nemesis of many famous swords. I'm afraid Brother Jing Ke is going to be defeated."

Cao Ze shook his head slightly: "Brother Han just said that the sword is just a vehicle for the swordsman's way of swordsmanship, and Jing Ke may not necessarily lose."

Han Fei said, "That makes sense."

Wei Zhuang sheathed his Shark Tooth Sword and said coolly, "Your swordsmanship is no weaker than mine, but it's a pity you lack a sufficiently sturdy and sharp sword."

Jing Ke was not discouraged and did not care that his sword was broken by Shark Tooth. Instead, he said, "He said that swordsmanship is not about the sword itself. He also told me that if a sword has a soul, then it will be invincible."

"Oh? Who is he?" Wei Zhuang asked with great interest.

"Everyone calls him the Sword Demon, but I still prefer to call him Grandpa Lu."

"Sword Demon Lu Goujian?" Wei Zhuang couldn't help but ask, "You're his disciple? He's still alive?"

His teacher, Gongsun Yan, once said that in the world of swordsmanship, there are only two people who can reliably defeat him.

One is the Sword Saint Nameless, and the other is Lu Goujian, the former leader of the Mohist school, known as the Three-Handed Sword Demon.

Jing Ke said with a hint of sadness, "He's gone."

Wei Zhuang remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Can you inherit the Three-Handed Sword of the Sword Demon?"

Jing Ke, gripping the broken sword, said, "Of course!"

"The final move," Wei Zhuang said coldly, "The Ghost Valley Horizontal Sword Technique, using the horizontal sword as a means of attack, employing strategy to seek advantage!"

Jing Ke said slowly, "Ink Sword - Heaven's Will. Heaven's Will means to use one's own will to represent Heaven's will."

Han Fei frowned: "Are they going to fight to the death?"

Yan Dan shouted, "Xiao Ke, that's enough!"