Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Fear gripped his heart like vines; he feared the destruction of South Korea, but even more so, he feared that the person who could kill Bai Yifei would target him next.

The first person he suspected was Han Fei.

After all, Han Fei had a long-standing grudge against Nightfall and was also very close to Wei Zhuang.

Han Yu immediately summoned Han Fei to the palace, staring at him with eyes like a hawk, trying to find any clues on his face.

If Han Fei reveals even the slightest flaw, he will not hesitate to accuse him of "treason" and completely eliminate this prince's brother.

But he was ultimately disappointed.

Upon hearing the news of Bai Yifei's death, Han Fei's shock was genuine. Wei Zhuang had not informed him before the operation, and during this time he had been under close surveillance by Han Yu, without even having the opportunity to contact Zi Nu.

But amidst his shock, he had a vague idea of ​​who the real culprit was, though he was unwilling to reveal it.

Han Yu couldn't find any clues on Han Fei, so he could only let him go for the time being. However, his fear of Han Fei was already so strong that it couldn't be dispelled.

Since he got no results from Han Fei, he ordered that all those who had a grudge against Bai Yifei, and all those who were wanted by Bai Yifei, be included in the suspect list and investigated one by one!

Zilanxuan and Weizhuang were naturally the first to be affected.

After all, the first thing Bai Yifei did after succeeding as Grand General was to besiege Zilan Pavilion and issue a warrant for Wei Zhuang's arrest, accusing him of colluding with Ji Yihu to harm Ji Wuye.

Now that Bai Yifei is dead, making Wei Zhuang and others take the blame is both reasonable and can quell the anger of the court and the public. It is simply a "perfect" solution.

Han Yu had no idea that his act of "finding a scapegoat" would inadvertently lead him to the real culprit.

However, the price was that Zilanxuan was completely exposed to the storm, and Weizhuang and others had nowhere to stay in Korea. The Quicksand organization, which once stirred up the storm in Xinzheng, is now dead in name only.

While Han Yu was in the palace demanding answers, a completely different scene unfolded in Lady Mingzhu's bedroom.

Xu Qing leaned against the soft couch, playing with a jade pendant in his hand, while Madam Mingzhu knelt beside him, her head bowed low, barely daring to breathe.

Xu Qing spared her life not because he coveted her beauty, but because he valued the worth behind her.

Although three of the four Nightfall villains were killed, Madam Mingzhu still controlled some of Nightfall's undercover agents, and these agents were her bargaining chips for survival.

“Remember, you’re alive not because I’m soft-hearted.” Xu Qing’s voice broke the silence in the room. “The resources of Nightfall, the secret agents, the places where gold is hidden… everything you know, you must tell me one by one. If I find out that you’ve hidden even the slightest thing, you should know the consequences.”

Madam Mingzhu's body trembled violently as the pain of that night flashed through her mind.

After Wei Zhuang left, Xu Qing planted a "curse mark" in her body, which was said to be a secret technique of the Yin-Yang School. When the curse mark was activated, it was not a physical pain, but an excruciating pain that tore the soul apart. As long as Xu Qing had a thought, she would fall into an endless hell.

In the past few days, Xu Qing also used illusion magic to read her memories. All her secrets and all her tricks were exposed to him.

She had tried to seduce Xu Qing with her seductive arts, but he wouldn't even give her a chance to use her illusions; she had thought of resisting, but the moment the thought crossed her mind, the excruciating pain of the cursed seal made her wish she were dead. Now, she was like a puppet on strings, completely at Xu Qing's mercy.

"I...I will tell you the truth." Madam Mingzhu's voice was choked with sobs. "I will help you control the underworld's secrets, I only beg you...don't let the curse mark activate again."

Xu Qing nodded slightly: "It's not about helping me, it's about helping yourself. Only by demonstrating your value will you have the right to live."

He got up and walked to the window, gazing at the dark night sky outside, his fingertips gently caressing the Heart Sword at his waist.

In the past few days, he has gleaned many secrets from Bai Yifei's remnant soul.

Bai Yifei's ambition, his deal with Han Yu, his secret plot against the Crown Prince... these secrets may be the truth to Han Fei, but to Xu Qing, they are nothing more than trivial matters.

What he truly cared about was the remnant soul within the Heart Sword.

The Heart Sword already possessed the ability to absorb blood and heal, but Xu Qing knew that this sword had another purpose: to devour souls.

The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, Ling Shu states: "The liver stores blood, and blood houses the soul." Blood is the dwelling place of the soul, and since the heart sword can crave blood, it can naturally devour the soul.

Bai Yifei practiced his skills with blood and died under the Heart Sword. His remnant soul had a 90% compatibility with the Heart Sword, making him an excellent material for reforging a fourth-tier sword.

Previously in the State of Chu, he had witnessed the advancement of Chu Nan Gong's "Xuan Shu Sword" to the fourth level, and thus he had already grasped the secrets behind it.

A fourth-tier sword must be inscribed with one of the three elements: "Heaven, Earth, and Man." He chose the mark of "Man," which represents the essence, energy, and spirit of a person.

Bai Yifei's remnant soul and his red and white twin swords were the materials Xu Qing used to forge the sword.

"It's about time." Xu Qing sheathed his Heart Sword, turned and walked out. "You stay here and organize the Nightfall's hidden map. I'll come and get it later."

Madam Mingzhu quickly responded, and only after Xu Qing's figure disappeared outside the door did she collapse to the ground, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

The next morning, Xu Qing arrived at Qianlong Hall outside the city.

Although Situ Wanli has left.

But Xu Qing had stayed here for so long.

As long as Qianlong Hall remains open, he can freely access the resources here, thanks to his relationship with the farmers.

He came here to use the sword-making workshop.

Inside the workshop, the flames of the furnace burned fiercely, scorching the surrounding air.

However, he was not in a hurry to use it.

The furnace was simply preheated first.

Then, I entered the system's space.

There is another foundry here, which is also the place Xu Qing frequents most often.

He first threw Bai Yifei's red and white swords into the furnace. The two swords were Bai Yifei's natal weapons, and now they gradually melted in the flames, turning into a pool of red-hot molten iron.

He then placed the Heart Sword into the furnace, but instead of melting it, he tempered its blade with intense flames and gradually incorporated the molten iron from the red and white swords into the Heart Sword.

Bai Yifei's remnant soul stirred within the sword, but Xu Qing firmly imprisoned it with Yin-Yang techniques, leaving it no choice but to allow the sword to absorb its essence and spirit.

After an unknown amount of time in the system space, back in the workshop in reality, Xu Qing raised the huge iron hammer he had used when fighting Bai Yifei, and looked at the sword blank in his hand, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"clang!"

The hammer fell heavily, striking the sword blank with a bang, sending sparks flying.

This hammer blow not only forged the sword's body, but also completely integrated Bai Yifei's remnant soul and new characteristics into it.

As the final hammer fell, the cold light on the sword blank suddenly surged, and an invisible wave of energy spread out, scattering all the surrounding dust.

The new sword took shape, and its appearance was very similar to the original Heart Sword.

This is no coincidence.

It was Xu Qing who did it on purpose.

It is called "Ling Shuang Sword" simply because of its name.

Or rather, this is the original name of the Heart Sword.

The Frost Sword is divided into two swords: one is the Heart Sword, and the other is the Demon Sword.

Only when the two are combined can it become the true Frost-Piercing Sword.

At the beginning, Xu Qing gave Wei Zhuang a Heart Sword, intending to keep the Demon Sword and reforge it later to give to Gai Nie.

Let the ruthless Wei Zhuang wield the healing sword, and let the compassionate Gai Nie wield the killing sword.

However, due to various unforeseen circumstances, the so-called plot took a turn.

Gai Nie never came to Korea.

Xu Qing also went to the State of Chu with Situ Wanli.

This matter can only be dropped here.

Unexpectedly, after many twists and turns, he still had the idea of ​​reforging the Frost Sword.

A single Heart Sword is a third-tier sword.

Currently, the Frostbite Sword is the complete version of the Heart Sword and Demon Sword after they have been combined. Naturally, this sword has reached the fourth tier in the system's rating.

This is also the first sword to finally take shape in the real world.

Chapter 134 Wei Zhuang, you will be the one to take down the Straw Raincoat Guy!

Forging a fourth-tier sword was never Xu Qing's primary goal when he entered South Korea.

His real intention was to stir up the stagnant waters of South Korea and reap enough prestige amidst the turmoil in the government and the public.

After all, only with enough reputation can one upgrade traits, especially fourth-tier traits, which are extremely expensive.

He knew in his heart that the forging of a fourth-order sword was inherently full of variables, and whether it would succeed was still unknown.

However, the fourth-tier characteristic is a necessity. Even if the final sword fails to reach the fourth-tier rating, as long as it is endowed with the fourth-tier characteristic, its power will far exceed that of an ordinary third-tier sword.

The Xuan Shu Sword back then was just like that.

If it weren't for Chu Nan Gong's sudden arrival, Xu Qing would have even planned to keep that sword in his possession for a while longer.

After all, the Xuan Shu Sword is indeed very useful.

With a single swing of the sword, one can draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

It wasn't until he ventured deep into the heart of Korea and observed the situation in Xinzheng that Xu Qing conceived the idea of ​​forging a fourth-tier sword there.

This is because South Korea possesses a wealth of materials suitable for "forging swords with human souls."

Initially, his target was Ji Wuye, for which he specially forged "Frostmourne" and even manipulated Ji Yihu to kill his father, making the "filial son sword" live up to its name.

However, subsequent observations revealed that Ji Wuye and Frostmourne were not particularly compatible.

Aside from his formidable external martial arts skills, this person has nothing special about his soul, making him far less suitable than the other person.

That person was Bai Yifei.

Bai Yifei used the blood of young girls to practice his skills, and his body was surrounded by a bloodthirsty aura. Xu Qing, on the other hand, wanted to use his soul and weapon to create a truly bloodthirsty sword.

This cycle of cause and effect seemed perfectly reasonable to him.

The facts proved his judgment correct; Bai Yifei's compatibility with the Heart Sword was perfect.

Xu Qing even had a vague feeling that the true owner of the Heart Sword should have been Bai Yifei, not Wei Zhuang.

Perhaps to make up for this "misalignment," or perhaps to enhance the power of the sword, Xu Qing ultimately decided to integrate Bai Yifei's remnant soul and the red and white swords into the Heart Sword.

His confidence to attempt this boldly stemmed not only from the fourth-order mysteries he had gleaned after observing the Xuan Shu Sword, but also from the secret techniques of the Yin Yang School.

Those spells, though dangerous, were exactly what Xu Qing wanted.

He was someone who enjoyed danger. While he said that "the magic is fraught with hidden dangers," his body honestly began to practice some of the secret techniques and incorporated them into the sword-making method.

The world is far more complex than it appears.

It wears the cloak of martial arts, but its core is more like the desolate realm after the end of Dharma.