Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Meanwhile, in an inn outside the city, Xu Qing was lost in thought, staring at a cup of cold tea.

He was waiting for news from Han Fei, but he didn't expect to be greeted by an "uninvited guest".

The window was blown open by the night wind, and a purple figure slipped in like a ghost, with lingering dust still clinging to its waist.

Xu Qing looked up and, upon seeing who it was, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Miss Zi Nu, you have quite the nerve."

He had already learned of the burning of Zilan Pavilion from the gossip in the streets and alleys. After Bai Yifei succeeded as the Grand General, his first act was to seal up the once bustling pavilion on the grounds that "Zilan Pavilion was involved in Ji Yihu's murder of his father".

The city of Xinzheng is now in a state of high alert, with soldiers patrolling day and night. Han Fei’s residence is surrounded by spies under the cover of night, and any unusual activity will attract a raid.

Xu Qing knew all this because very few people in South Korea knew him. The Nightfall members who had seen his true face either had their memories erased like Mo Ya's, or had already become victims of his sword.

He only needed to change into plain clothes and pretend to be an ordinary traveler wandering through the streets and alleys to get a clear understanding of the situation.

But to his utter surprise, Zi Nu, who was wanted throughout the city, would actually come to him on her own initiative.

"Could it be that Miss Zi Nu, seeing Zi Lan Xuan destroyed, wants to drag me down with her?" Xu Qing put down his teacup, his tone somewhat playful.

Zi Nu didn't respond to his words, but stared at him intently, her eyes as complicated as tangled threads: "Mr. Xu has brought my Zi Lan Xuan to such a state, are you not even allowed to come looking for you?"

“You’re wronging me, young lady,” Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. “It was Bai Yifei who surrounded Zilan Pavilion. Even if you’re angry, you should confront him.”

"But the root of the trouble at Zilan Pavilion lies in the death of Ji Wuye." Zi Nu took a step forward, her voice suddenly turning cold. "And Mr. Xu, you probably can't escape responsibility for Ji Wuye's death, can you?"

Xu Qing's fingertips paused slightly.

“That sword,” Zi Nu continued, her eyes piercing. “That day, you sent that strange sword to Ji Yihu through Nong Yu, using the connections of Zi Lan Xuan.”

After these words were spoken, the playful look in Xu Qing's eyes vanished completely.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "So, young lady, you've come today to demand an explanation?"

"I've come to ask you for help," Zi Nu suddenly changed her words, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Miss Zi Nu risked being caught to sneak into this city, just to ask me for a favor?"

"Yes!"

Zi Nu readily admitted it.

"Why don't you go find Han Fei and the others?" Xu Qing asked Zi Nu.

"How do you know I didn't go to them?" Zi Nu retorted.

Xu Qing looked at her with calm eyes.

Under that gaze, Zi Nu felt as if she had been seen through.

Then, as if she had let out a sigh, she said, "The Ninth Young Master and the others can't help with this matter, and I don't even want him to know."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems that what you want to do is somewhat unusual."

“Wei Zhuang wants to use his sword to pierce the night.” Zi Nu’s voice was very low, as if afraid that the night wind outside the window would hear it. “He wants to kill Bai Yifei.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing was taken aback at first, then slowly nodded: "It does seem like something he would do."

He instantly understood the crux of the matter: Han Fei always insisted on punishing evil with the law, and even if the road ahead was full of thorns, he was unwilling to go against his beliefs.

He knew that only by using national laws to restrain the powerful could South Korea have the possibility of reforming and strengthening itself.

But Wei Zhuang is different. As a disciple of Guigu, he believes in strength. In his eyes, the fastest way to clear away the darkness is to eliminate it completely.

In the past, Wei Zhuang respected Han Fei, and out of consideration for their friendship, he would never do such a thing.

However, the current situation is complex, and the only way to break the deadlock is to take risks.

However, because this matter contradicted Han Fei's principles, it had to be kept secret from him.

“This matter is extremely risky,” Xu Qing said thoughtfully.

Zi Nu's heart sank instantly. The reason she risked coming to find Xu Qing was because she knew his strength. Back then, the General's Mansion was heavily guarded, but he was able to come and go with ease and even rescued Nong Yu from Ji Wuye. If he had his help, Wei Zhuang's chances of winning would greatly increase.

Just when Zi Nu thought Xu Qing was going to refuse, she heard him suddenly say, "I have to pay more."

Zi Nu was taken aback at first, then breathed a sigh of relief, and even a faint smile appeared on her lips: "After it's done, I will do everything I can to help you find everything you want."

"make a deal."

……

As night deepened, the desolate palace deep within the royal palace appeared even more overgrown.

The broken walls cast dappled shadows in the moonlight, and the wind howled through the broken window frames, as if foreshadowing the impending bloodshed.

Wei Zhuang leaned against the edge of a broken wall, his Shark Tooth Sword stuck diagonally in the ground, the cold light on the blade intertwining with the moonlight. His other sword, the Heart Sword, hung at his waist, ready to be drawn at any moment.

He turned his head to look at Lady Mingzhu, who was bound to the stone pillar, and said in a tone devoid of warmth: "If he does not come in an hour, you will die."

Madam Mingzhu's face had long since lost its color, but when she mentioned Bai Yifei, a trace of certainty still flashed in her eyes.

She didn't believe her cousin wouldn't come to her rescue, and she didn't believe anyone could rival Bai Yifei's strength.

Time passed second by second, and only the sound of the wind and Lady Mingzhu's slightly rapid breathing remained in the Cold Palace.

Just as the moon was high in the sky, a series of crisp footsteps suddenly came from afar.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, yet they carried a chilling sense of oppression, as if each step was treading on the very tip of one's heart.

Wei Zhuang looked up.

Under the moonlight, a red figure slowly walked over.

The man was dressed in a fiery red robe, his white hair standing out starkly in the night. His pale face was expressionless, except for his eyes, which were as cold as the ice of the far north.

Bai Yifei has arrived.

After arriving here, Bai Yifei's gaze swept across the area, finally settling on his cousin atop the stone pillar.

"It seems like something interesting is going to happen tonight!"

He spoke calmly, showing no panic at having fallen into a trap.

Instead, he looked at Wei Zhuang and a strange smile appeared on his lips. "You've made me underestimate you!"

Wei Zhuang remained silent.

Bai Yifei continued, "You have more courage than Han Fei!"

"I just don't know if your strength matches your courage."

Wei Zhuang finally spoke, "Whether it's a good match or not, we'll know once we try."

"But before that, I want to know a few things!"

"All you want is the truth," Bai Yifei guessed Wei Zhuang's thoughts. "I'll let you die knowing the truth."

"I orchestrated the death of the King of Han. And Ji Wuye's death was also related to me! And now, you are going to die too!"

Chapter 132 The Death of Bai Yifei

The three words "death" struck Wei Zhuang's heart like three icy stones, shattering the truth shrouded in mystery.

His hands, hanging by his sides, slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white. At this moment, the last trace of hesitation in his heart completely vanished.

If it were before, knowing such a cruel truth, he would have immediately found Han Fei, laid out the evidence, and then tried to gather evidence against Bai Yifei, hoping to bring this villain to justice. But now, that thought has long been swept away by the cold winds of this chaotic world.

He finally understood that in this era of moral decay, the so-called law was nothing more than a plaything in the hands of the powerful and wealthy, and could not restrain true evil at all.

Since the law cannot stop the darkness, then let's cleave it with a sword.

Wei Zhuang suddenly stood up, and the air around him seemed to freeze for a moment with his movement.

In the next instant, without any warning, Shark Tooth drew a chilling line of light under the moonlight, striking Bai Yifei's side like a thunderclap, its sword wind carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

Bai Yifei's expression remained calm, as if what was coming towards him was not a deadly sword, but a gentle breeze.

A pale white mist emanated from his sleeves, flowing down his clothes and swirling onto the ground. The sound of the mist condensing echoed incessantly. In an instant, the mist transformed into layers of solid ice, forming an invisible barrier in front of him.

The Shark Tooth Sword slammed into the ice, the blade sinking half an inch into the ice, but could not advance any further.

Wei Zhuang's movements suddenly froze, his wrists going numb from the cold air transmitted through the ice.

At the same time, Bai Yifei raised his hand and drew the two swords hanging at his waist.

Those two swords were no ordinary items. The scabbards were engraved with intricate ice and blood patterns. They were treasures left by his mother. The red sword was named Blood, and its blade had a dark, scab-like sheen, which matched the bloodthirsty nature of his martial arts. The white sword was named Snow, and its blade was covered with fine ice shards. When it reflected the moonlight, it exuded a chilling coldness.

The moment the two swords were in hand, Bai Yifei's aura suddenly surged. The ice layer that had been frozen on Shark Tooth shattered with a bang. Amidst the flying ice shards, he lightly turned his wrist, and the white sword was swung out like a whirlwind dancing with snow. The chilling sword energy, carrying a coldness that could freeze blood and qi, swept towards Wei Zhuang, even dyeing the surrounding moonlight a cold white.

Wei Zhuang channeled his inner strength to resist the biting cold, the Shark Tooth Sword dancing in his hand, leaving afterimages.

The Ghost Valley Horizontal Sword Technique is known for its versatility, which is completely different from the Vertical Sword Technique's pursuit of a single, decisive strike. He misstepped, his sword moves shifting left and right, sometimes thrusting straight, sometimes slashing horizontally, each strike carrying a tricky angle, attempting to evade Bai Yifei's sword energy blockade.

"Spanning all directions!"

Wei Zhuang gave a low shout in his heart, and the Shark Tooth Sword suddenly exerted its power. The blade drew an arc in mid-air and landed hard on Bai Yifei's crossed red and white swords.

Just as the two swords clashed, he suddenly flicked his wrist, and the sword shadows transformed. In a daze, four sword shadows appeared simultaneously from the four directions of front, back, left, and right, like four invisible nets, completely blocking Bai Yifei's retreat.

Bai Yifei's eyes narrowed slightly. He flicked his fingertips lightly on the spine of the white sword, and more cold mist surged from his body, condensing into a thick layer of frost. Although it was not as solid as before, it was enough to barely block Wei Zhuang's first wave of attacks.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, he thrust out his white sword like a viper's tongue, striking precisely the spine of the Shark Tooth Sword.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound of their weapons clashing echoed through the cold palace, making their arms go numb.

Before Wei Zhuang could regain his footing, Bai Yifei swung his red sword at an unpredictable angle. The sword's path was more cunning than anyone could imagine. Even though Wei Zhuang managed to dodge in time thanks to the keen observation of a Ghost Valley disciple, the red sword's edge still grazed his clothes, leaving a shallow wound on his shoulder.

Crimson blood spurted from the wound, and the moment it hit the ground, it was frozen into tiny ice beads by the icy aura surrounding Bai Yifei, making a soft, rustling sound.

"Your blood stinks." Bai Yifei's lips curled into a cold smile, his tone full of undisguised contempt.

In his eyes, Wei Zhuang's blood was nothing but filth, far less palatable than the blood of pure young girls, especially those girls who struggled to grow up in the mud but still retained a trace of purity; their blood was the sweetest fruit in the world.

Influenced by him, Ji Yihu once selected Nongyu at Zilan Pavilion, hoping to cultivate her into such a fruit. Similarly, Bai Yifei also had a fruit he had been cultivating for many years but had not yet been harvested; it was his most treasured possession.

Wei Zhuang ignored his taunts, gripped the Shark Tooth Sword tightly, and launched another fierce attack.

The sound of clashing blades echoed continuously in the Cold Palace. As the red and white swords clashed with Shark Tooth, ice shards fell all over the ground.

Even though Wei Zhuang tried his best, he was quickly put on the defensive.

Bai Yifei's cultivation was truly profound, the result of decades of accumulated power, nourished by the blood of countless young girls during the Baiyue War, reaching a terrifyingly high level.

Wei Zhuang knew in his heart that if he were given a few more years, his strength might surpass Bai Yifei's.