Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"Xu Qing." Zi Nu uttered only two words, but they shocked the three people present.

"It's him?!" Wei Zhuang and Han Fei exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

They had all had contact with Xu Qing and were familiar with this mysterious swordsmith, but they did not expect that he was also involved in the affairs of the General's Mansion.

"You previously informed us that he had returned to Xinzheng, but we never expected that he would be involved in the upheaval at the General's Mansion," Han Fei said in a deep voice, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "What role does he play in this situation?"

Xu Qing has been back in Xinzheng for some time now, and has visited Zilan Pavilion several times during that time. Zi Nu did not hide this from Han Fei and the others, and had already passed on the news through a secret passage.

“I don’t know exactly what role Xu Qing is playing, but I’m sure he’s not an outsider,” Zi Nu said with certainty. “He had previously approached me, wanting to give Ji Yihu a sword through Nong Yu.”

"A sword?" Wei Zhuang frowned, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes.

He knew Xu Qing's sword-making techniques all too well.

The Heart Sword that Xu Qing forged for him still accompanies him to this day. According to Xu Qing, it is a healing sword, but as he uses it for a long time, Wei Zhuang discovers that the sword is far from being as simple as it is said. Instead, it faintly exudes a bloodthirsty aura and can be called a demonic sword.

Even so, Wei Zhuang did not abandon the Heart Sword.

Shark Tooth was originally known as a demonic sword, so having another demonic sword wouldn't be a problem for him, especially since the power of the Heart Sword far surpasses that of ordinary weapons.

“A very strange sword.” Zi Nu recalled the scene, her tone grave. “I didn’t examine the sword closely, but when I got close, I felt inexplicably uncomfortable, as if something was stirring my emotions in the shadows, amplifying the restlessness and unease in my heart…”

Ordinary people find it difficult to perceive subtle changes in emotions, but Zi Nu has a special background. She once practiced in a sect that specializes in spirituality and the soul, making her exceptionally sensitive to such abnormal forces.

"An ominous sword?" Wei Zhuang's eyes flickered, and he already had the answer in his heart.

He was almost certain that Xu Qing would play a key role in this situation.

Previously, the death of Emerald Tiger was related to Xu Qing. Now that Ji Wuye has died, he has been implicated again. Wei Zhuang couldn't help but wonder where Ji Wuye had offended this mysterious swordsmith.

From a personal perspective, Ji Wuye's death was not a bad thing for him.

Han Fei insisted on dealing with Ji Wuye according to the law of the state, trying to uphold the rules of the state, but Wei Zhuang did not think so in his heart.

The Guigu School has always considered it its mission to stir up trouble. Only when the world is in chaos can Guigu disciples have the opportunity to act. In fact, he doesn't care about the so-called laws of the country.

But who could blame him when Han Fei was his friend? Moreover, Han Fei was known for his strong opinions, and for the sake of this friendship, Wei Zhuang could only do his best to help him gather evidence of Ji Wuye and his cronies' crimes.

Zi Nu then told the three of them everything that Nong Yu had seen and heard at the General's Mansion. Finally, she remembered something and added, "By the way, Xu Qing also told Nong Yu something. The King of Han may not have been killed by Ji Wuye. The real culprit is someone else."

These words were like a stone thrown into a still lake, causing all three people present to fall into deep thought.

……

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye, but the turmoil caused by Ji Wuye's death has not yet subsided.

After all, he had held power in South Korea for many years, leaving his mark on the military, political, financial, and espionage fields, and his influence had long since permeated all aspects of South Korea.

Although Jade Tiger had died, it only cut off one of Ji Wuye's sources of income, without shaking his foundation.

Ji Wuye still holds an unshakeable position within the military, the imperial court, and intelligence networks.

South Korea was originally a small country, with national strength and territory far inferior to its neighbor Chu. However, it was precisely this "smallness" that gave Ji Wuye the opportunity to extend his reach throughout the country.

In terms of fame, he may not be as renowned as Huang Xie of Chu, but Huang Xie's death had a far less significant impact on Chu than one might imagine.

Ji Wuye's death, however, was like a boulder thrown into a pond, its ripples spreading to every corner of Korea.

Some are filled with anxiety because they have lost their patrons, some are secretly pleased to have eliminated their political enemies, and others have mixed feelings because the situation is unclear.

Xu Qing was undoubtedly one of the happiest people.

Wei Zhuang was still speculating about what grudge Xu Qing had against Ji Wuye, but the truth was that the two had no conflict.

Xu Qing's goal has always been singular: to plunge the state of Han into chaos. If this chaos is related to the sword he forged, that would be even better.

Although Ji Wuye's death was unexpected, the final outcome was almost exactly as Xu Qing had planned.

Ji Wuye died under the Sorrow of Frost, by the sword he himself forged.

When news of Ji Yihu's murder of his father with a sword spread throughout Xinzheng, the subsequent chain reaction brought Xu Qing a massive amount of prestige in just a few days.

If he so desired, this reputation would be enough to upgrade several traits to the fourth tier, giving him the opportunity to attempt forging a fourth-tier sword.

However, Xu Qing did not rush to take action. He preferred to observe the subsequent development of the situation in South Korea and see what kind of future this fire, which he had personally ignited, would create.

In the following days, the situation in South Korea changed drastically, with each event appearing absurd and bizarre.

On the first day, Han Yu, who had just taken power, sentenced Ji Yihu to death on charges of "patricide and regicide".

The "lord" here does not refer to the monarch, but to feudal lords such as Lord Xinling and Lord Chunshen. Ji Wuye held a very high position in the state of Han and was certainly entitled to the title of feudal lord. However, in the past, his more famous title was Grand General.

Even though Ji Yihu cried out his innocence at the execution ground, desperately identifying Bai Yifei as the real culprit and claiming that Bai Yifei had poisoned the wine, no one believed him.

After all, dozens of guards from the general's mansion witnessed his patricide, and the evidence was conclusive, leaving no room for denial.

The following day, Han Yu issued an edict appointing Bai Yifei as the new Grand General of Han, in charge of the nation's military power.

In order to completely win over the leader of the Nightfall, Han Yu decisively canceled the previous engagement between Ji Yihu and Princess Honglian, and instead betrothed Princess Honglian to Bai Yifei.

This series of actions was nothing short of miraculous, causing a sensation throughout South Korea.

Xu Qing had no idea how Han Fei and the others felt when they learned of this news, nor did he care.

He was currently hiding in the inn, quietly observing the changing situation.

Chapter 130 In this chaotic world, swords should be the only weapons to speak!

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, war raged for hundreds of years, and the Han region was particularly affected by constant warfare, with corpses filling ditches and the population plummeting to rock bottom.

To reverse the decline, various countries issued strong orders to encourage widows to remarry, and some even provided food and money as rewards.

Princess Honglian's situation was even worse than that of a widow. She had never truly married, yet she had become a bargaining chip repeatedly offered by her brother, Han Yu.

People say that emperors have no relatives, but Han Yu's actions have already crossed the line of "outrageous" and are approaching cold-bloodedness.

Is his own sister really just a pawn used to build his tower of power?

Previously, when Ji Wuye held military power, Honglian was hastily betrothed to his son, Ji Yihu.

Now that Ji Wuye is dead and Bai Yifei has taken over the General's Mansion, Honglian has been betrothed to this new nobleman.

It was as if wherever the position of the Great General of Korea was, Honglian had to belong there, without even the slightest room for resistance.

As for his fiancé, Bai Yifei, being quite old? That's not a problem, after all, he has mastered the art of preserving his youth and looks very young.

His reclusive nature is even less important.

Han Yu's true intentions were never to find a good match for his sister, but rather to use this marriage contract to firmly grasp the new power tree of the Blood-Clad Marquis.

After Ji Wuye's death, Han Yu actually took back the military power that Ji Wuye had originally controlled.

But Bai Yifei's speed was simply too fast.

By the time he realized what was happening, Bai Yifei had already taken over the General's Mansion with lightning speed. The key point is that the people in Ji Wuye's mansion did not show any intention of resistance.

Han Yu understood immediately.

South Korea lost an old powerful minister, but a new one rose to power.

In addition, this is reminiscent of his private encounter with Bai Yifei.

Bai Yifei is even more terrifying than Ji Wuye.

Why did only Honglian return back then, but the Crown Prince did not?

Did Tianze not release the crown prince?

Some things simply shouldn't be thought about too much.

Even though Han Yu was unwilling, he could only accept this reality and then try to win over Bai Yifei.

Fortunately, Bai Yifei did not object to the arranged marriage.

It's important to know that Bai Yifei had always been alone.

Han Yu probably thinks he has made another good move.

But for some people...

This is not good news.

"Han Yu, why did you do this?"

"Honglian is your own sister!"

Han Fei found it hard to accept.

He was furious.

He had objected once before when Han Yu betrothed Honglian to Ji Yihu.

However, it had no effect whatsoever.

They thought that with Ji Wuye dead and Ji Yihu executed, the marriage agreement would be called off.

But to everyone's surprise, Han Yu was in such a hurry to marry off his sister.

Before Han Fei could recover from this devastating news, another wave of bad news followed.

The newly appointed General Bai Yifei has sent troops to surround Zilan Pavilion!

……

Zilanxuan enjoys great popularity in Xinzheng.

It is the most famous place of pleasure and entertainment.

Over the years, countless dignitaries have used this place as a place for leisure and relaxation.

This is because climate forces are intertwined and complex.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Ji Wuye did not directly attack Zilanxuan.

Instead, it gave Zi Nu a chance.

No one expected that the first thing the newly appointed General Bai Yifei did after taking over the General's Mansion was to take action against Zilanxuan.

This unusual move instantly stirred up undercurrents in Xinzheng.

Many people are wondering: Why would the Blood-Clad Marquis target a brothel? Who is his real target?

Inside the general's mansion, the furnishings remained exactly as they were when Ji Wuye was alive, but when Bai Yifei sat in the main seat, a bloody smell suddenly filled the air.

He tapped the armrest casually with his fingertips, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt for Ji Wuye: "Ji Wuye is a fool. He only dares to let you keep an eye on Zilan Pavilion, hoping to find some trivial dirt on you."