Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"To deal with scoundrels, you must be even worse than them to make them fear you." Xu Qing's tone was calm, almost cold.

With just a few words, the answer is already obvious.

Zi Nu took a deep breath, her voice heavy: "The person you humiliated and abandoned on the street was Mo Ya. He is the head of Ji Wuye's personal guards, and has been ordered to keep a close watch on Zi Lan Xuan day and night. It is because of his constant presence that Ninth Prince and Wei Zhuang have been unable to set foot here again..." She stared at Xu Qing, her eyes filled with gloom, "Once this matter comes to light, regardless of whether it has anything to do with my Zi Lan Xuan, Ji Wuye's Nightfall will hold us accountable!"

Xu Qing's gaze suddenly sharpened, his intent as cold as a sword blade locking onto Zi Nu: "Miss Zi Nu, are you blaming me?"

An invisible, sharp energy suddenly erupted, piercing Zi Nu's mind. She felt as if a chilling sword aura had pierced through a rainbow, pinning her to the spot, causing her to catch her breath.

Zi Nu had only seen Xu Qing draw his sword once.

That was several months ago.

Coincidentally, the object of its appearance that time was also a black crow.

However, since it was only a fleeting glimpse at the time, I didn't think about it in detail. Now, I sense this sword energy.

Zi Nu had also gained some understanding of Xu Qing's strength.

This person, aside from being a top-notch swordsmith.

Without a doubt, he was also an extremely powerful swordsman.

Yes, Mo Ya is quite strong, yet he ended up in such a sorry state.

Looking at Xu Qing in front of him, there were no wounds on his body, which showed that he had easily defeated Mo Ya in the process of fighting Mo Ya.

Zi Nu suppressed the shock in her heart, and her voice unconsciously lowered: "Since Mr. Xu Qing said he would protect himself, how could Zi Nu... dare to blame him?"

"It's good that you don't blame me." Xu Qing's lips suddenly curled into a cold smile, and he changed the subject, taking the initiative, "Then, I have something I need to ask Miss Zi Nu about!"

His gaze was intense as he stared intently at Zi Nu: "What were you thinking when you sent Nong Yu to that dragon's den and tiger's lair in the General's mansion?" Every word he spoke carried a chilling force. "Just because you once adopted and raised her, does that give you the right to manipulate her fate at will?"

Zi Nu's expression suddenly changed, then turned serious: "You knew everything?"

When Xu Qing asked about Nongyu's whereabouts last night, she indeed chose to keep it a secret.

Nongyu bears a heavy responsibility, and Liusha still needs to investigate and observe Xu Qing's background. How can she entrust everything to him after just meeting him?

Xu Qing remained silent, but his gaze seemed to have already seen through all the lies.

Zi Nu recalled the past, how this mysterious person always seemed to know secrets that ordinary people could never access, and couldn't help but sigh softly, with a hint of resigned weariness: "Indeed, for you, what in this world can remain a secret?"

Seeing that concealment was useless, she simply confessed: "Ji Yihu coveted Nongyu's beauty. At that time, the new emperor had just ascended the throne, and Ji Wuye's power was immense. We were in a difficult situation, so Nongyu voluntarily played along. Using her infatuation as bait, she infiltrated the general's mansion to act as our inside agent, secretly collecting evidence of Ji Wuye's illegal crimes..."

"Evidence?" Xu Qing interrupted with a cold laugh, his eyes full of mockery. "Ji Wuye has never concealed his evil deeds. He acts recklessly and without restraint. Why would he need evidence to prove his guilt? Even if there were evidence, do you really expect the new emperor to uphold justice and bring down Ji Wuye?"

Zi Nu did not answer directly. Instead, she cautiously walked to the window, gently pushed it open a crack, and scanned the silent courtyard with her eyes. After confirming that there was no danger, she quietly closed the window, cutting off the outside noise.

Returning to Xu Qing, she lowered her voice and uttered a startling statement: "Ordinary evidence naturally won't touch Ji Wuye's foundation. But what if it's... the crime of regicide?"

Her gaze was unusually grave. "Although the King of Han's health wasn't particularly good, it shouldn't have led to his sudden death. Princess Honglian, who returned afterward, told us some things. Therefore, we suspect that there must be something fishy about the King of Han's passing!"

"At that time, he fell into a coma due to the abduction of the Crown Prince and Princess by Tianze. He was recuperating in the deep palace. The royal city was closed, and even the princes could hardly see him. Only one person could easily kill him."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, revealing the target of their suspicions: "The Night's Deadly General, the Tide Demoness!"

"The night was used by Ji Wuye, and after the death of the King of Han, Ji Wuye was the biggest beneficiary. Of course we would suspect Ji Wuye."

After saying this, Zi Nu changed the subject slightly: "Although Han Yu is currently relying on Ji Wuye to consolidate his power, if the irrefutable evidence of regicide is brought to light, even he will not tolerate such a usurper!"

She looked directly at Xu Qing and said, "The premise of all this is finding solid evidence."

She paused, then asked seemingly casually, "So, Mr. Xu really doesn't know Tianze's whereabouts?"

"I already answered that question yesterday," Xu Qing said calmly.

Seeing this, Zi Nu stopped pressing the matter.

She understood Xu Qing's concern for Nongyu. Nongyu never hid anything from him, and she knew that Xu Qing was entrusted by Nongyu's father to take care of Nongyu.

“I know you care about Nongyu.” She softened her tone, trying to make a promise, “I swear on my life that after this, I will never let Nongyu be in danger again.”

"And what about afterward?" Xu Qing's voice suddenly turned icy. "Isn't Ji Wuye's residence the most dangerous place right now? Not to mention, you want her to do dangerous things in that dangerous place!"

"In my opinion, you so-called Quicksand, Han Fei, Wei Zhuang, and you are all nothing but a bunch of incompetent fools!" He showed no mercy, his words like knives, "You actually placed the heavy burden of the success or failure of the nation on the tender shoulders of a young girl! How laughable! How shameful!"

The blatant rebuke stung Zi Nu's pride, but faced with those all-seeing, disdainful eyes, she was speechless, and the heavy sense of powerlessness almost crushed her.

Xu Qing's sarcasm did not stop; the coldness in his voice intensified: "By the way, since you instructed Nongyu to infiltrate the General's Mansion to gather evidence, you must have a way to contact her."

"If not, how do you plan to help Nongyu? Are you still hoping that Wei Zhuang will single-handedly storm the mansion to rescue her?"

After repeated questioning, Xu Qing said, "If he's really that powerful, why doesn't he just break into the mansion and seize the evidence, or even take Ji Wuye's head? Wouldn't that be more efficient than relying on a woman?"

The last sentence was clearly a veiled attack on his conscience. Zi Nu simply took it as Xu Qing venting his dissatisfaction. Regardless of whether Wei Zhuang could actually do it, this in itself went against the original intention of Quicksand.

"A knight-errant uses martial arts to break the law," is a saying of Han Fei.

What the quicksand people fear most is using overwhelming force to disrupt order.

Ji Wuye must be punished according to the law.

Ignoring Xu Qing's later words, but the first half of his question was genuine, Zi Nu weighed the options briefly before finally admitting, "We do have a way to contact Nong Yu."

"Very well," Xu Qing commanded without room for argument, "Make contact with Nongyu for me!"

Zi Nu frowned, her eyes filled with doubt and wariness: "What do you intend to do?"

Xu Qing remained expressionless, but a deep, cold glint flashed in his eyes. His voice was extremely low, like the clash of iron and stone: "Nongyu is in the General's Mansion and has received great care from Ji Yihu. As her elder, it is only right and proper for me to prepare a generous gift in return."

Chapter 122 Frostmourne

Ji Wuye's General's Mansion is arguably the most prominent building in Xinzheng City besides the Royal Palace.

Not only because of its vast area, but also because of the towering Sparrow Pavilion that stands in the mansion, a magnificent cage built by Ji Wuye for his pleasure.

Every woman selected for the Sparrow Pavilion is an exceptional beauty.

However, this gilded cage has not been occupied by any new residents for a long time, thus serving another purpose: as a lookout tower overlooking the entire city of Xinzheng. Standing atop the Sparrow Pavilion, the view is superb, with all the movements in the city clearly visible, and any changes can be detected immediately.

Apart from the usual ways to ascend the tower, only birds can reach this pavilion.

Those named after birds, such as Mo Ya and Bai Feng, could easily leap over it with their exceptional lightness skills. However, under normal circumstances, they would not approach this area on their own initiative, simply because it would be an overstepping of boundaries, and if the Great General found out, they would be punished.

Aside from humans, the only creatures that can truly perch on it safely are real birds in nature.

Perhaps to add a touch of life to the imposing mansion, the General's Mansion, despite its heavy security, does not prohibit birds from hovering around.

Because of Ji Yihu, Nongyu did not live in the Sparrow Pavilion, but was instead placed in Ji Yihu's residence.

The courtyard was heavily guarded, with guards watching over it every twelve hours.

Although Nongyu came from Zilanxuan, Zilanxuan had too close a relationship with Han Fei. Ji Wuye had to consider his son's safety, so all of Nongyu's actions were closely monitored, and no dangerous objects were allowed on her.

Fortunately, Nongyu has remained well-behaved so far, and although Ji Yihu is extremely infatuated with her, he has not yet reached the point of blindly obeying her.

If the other party were to say something to his son, inciting his son, no matter how beautiful the other party was, Ji Wuye would definitely kill her.

On this day, a bird flew across the sky and finally landed on the eaves of the inner pavilion of Ji Yihu's residence.

The birdsong was clear and melodious, going unnoticed by anyone, but Qin Ji, who was sitting quietly indoors, was suddenly startled by the birdsong.

That afternoon, Ji Yihu came to listen to the zither music, and Nongyu suddenly took the initiative to speak.

"Young General..."

Ji Yihu's gaze sharpened immediately, and he became wary.

Although Nongyu was unlike any other woman he had ever met—her elegance and purity deeply moved him—he never forgot his father's warning: if she behaved herself, all would be well; otherwise, if she made demands, she must have ulterior motives.

However, what Nongyu said next stunned him.

……

In the Purple Orchid Pavilion, Zi Nu looked at Xu Qing beside her and said, "I have taken care of the matter you entrusted to me."

"But I still don't understand what your purpose is in doing this?"

"Why do you always think I have ulterior motives?" Xu Qing sighed softly. "People often misunderstand me. Sometimes, I really just mean well. As you said, although Ji Yihu is Ji Wuye's son, he has indeed treated Nongyu well."

"What's wrong with me giving him a gift?"

Zi Nu's voice was low and deep: "If you had given me something else, it would have been fine."

"But you chose a sword."

"As a swordsmith, swords are my specialty and my proudest possession. Is it not only reasonable to gift me a sword?" Xu Qing replied calmly.

“That may be true,” Zi Nu said, her gaze darkening slightly, “but I always feel there’s more to this than meets the eye.”

“If you hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t have contacted Nongyu at this time; it would only have put her in a more dangerous situation.”

"Now you're suddenly concerned about her? Why didn't you consider this when you sent her to the General's Mansion?" Xu Qing glanced at Zi Nu, his words laced with sarcasm.

Zi Nu fell silent again.

Xu Qing then said, "However, I didn't expect that you would contact Nongyu through birds."

Zi Nu explained in a low voice, "Nong Yu has been gifted since childhood and can understand bird language. I used this ability to train several spirit birds that understand human nature and can relay messages for us when necessary."

"The general's mansion is heavily guarded, and it is difficult for ordinary people to enter."

"Because there is a Hundred Birds Squad stationed in the mansion, the birds flying around in the sky will not arouse suspicion."

After a brief pause, she solemnly added, "This is the only time. I will not help you contact Nongyu again next time."

Xu Qing nodded: "Don't worry, I won't bother you again."

……

As night fell, Ji Yihu stepped into Zilan Pavilion again after many days.

He came here because of the reputation of Zilan Pavilion, and by chance heard Nongyu's zither music. He was amazed by her beauty and fell in love with her from then on.

However, after Nongyu entered the mansion, he never set foot in this place again.

I have come tonight to retrieve something—the family heirloom sword that Nongyu mentioned.

Few people know about Nongyu's background. The key figures in the Fire Rain Agate case were missing, and the members of the Quicksand remained tight-lipped. Even Ji Wuye was unable to find out her origins.

Therefore, she could freely recount her life story and make things up.

For example, as Ji Yihu said: She has a family heirloom sword that only a hero can wield.

"The young general is so dashing and spirited. Nongyu is deeply grateful for the care he has shown her these past few days. She has no way to repay him but to present him with her family heirloom sword."