Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Now, on the stage in the eastern suburbs, Han Liu has won sixteen consecutive matches, and the odds have risen to an unprecedented level.

Some people joked that if Korean pop artists secretly bet on their own losses in underground money exchanges and then deliberately throw matches to lose to their challengers, they would be guaranteed to make a fortune.

But anyone with eyes can see that a swordsman who has reached this level must have his own pursuits in his heart.

After all, if he could keep winning, his reputation would only grow. According to the organizers, as long as he could win twenty consecutive matches, he would be able to earn the title of "Number One Swordsman of Yan".

Although this title is not permanent and may be challenged and taken away at any time, just having these four words for a short period of time is enough to make countless swordsmen flock to it.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing couldn't help but smack his lips.

What is this? The number one swordsman certified by the public?

However, upon closer examination, it's probably not as simple as it seems to the general public.

It would be impossible for such a large-scale martial arts competition to be held in the eastern suburbs of the capital without the support of the Yan state government.

Xu Qing made a wild guess about who was behind this.

Prince Dan, it's you I've chosen!

The territory of Yan was much larger than that of Han, and its domestic situation was far superior to that of Han.

Although there were many treacherous officials in the court, none were as powerful and all-powerful as Ji Wuye. Looking at the royal families alone, Yan Dan and Han Fei were worlds apart: one was the rightful crown prince of Yan, holding a prestigious position; the other was a prince disliked by the King of Han, wielding no real power.

For Han Fei, accomplishing anything in the state of Han was an incredibly difficult task, constantly hampered by Ji Wuye's faction. Yan Dan, on the other hand, was completely different. As the crown prince, he not only had a solid foundation in the court but also enjoyed the trust of King Xi of Yan.

To be honest, King Xi of Yan was not a monarch with his own opinions. He was often led by Yan Dan's ideas and almost always listened to him.

Xu Qing recalled historical records that, under pressure from the power of the Qin state, King Xi of Yan had sent Yan Dan to the Qin state as a hostage. Later, Yan Dan secretly escaped back to Yan. Knowing that this would anger the Qin state, after Xu Qing persuaded him, King Xi of Yan gladly accepted him and had no intention of sending him back to the Qin state.

In the subsequent assassination attempt on the King of Qin, it was ostensibly led by Yan Dan, but no one could say for sure whether King Xi of Yan was aware of it or even secretly supported it.

Even though Yan Dan ultimately died at the hands of King Xi of Yan, it was only when the allied forces of Yan and Dai suffered a major defeat and the Yan state was on the verge of destruction that King Xi of Yan had no choice but to offer up Yan Dan's head in order to protect his ancestral lands.

In this world, after the fall of the Yan state, Yan Dan miraculously survived and hid in the Mohist school, where he was active in the world for many years as the leader of the Mohist school.

Knowing that Yan Dan was fond of causing trouble and that his thinking was often unpredictable, Xu Qing immediately guessed that Yan Dan was the behind-the-scenes supporter when he heard that there was a tournament in the eastern suburbs of Jicheng.

As for the purpose, it is nothing more than to win over martial arts practitioners and use them for one's own purposes, which is indeed a good method.

"I wonder if this arena competition accepts sponsorships?" A glint of light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as a novel idea popped into his head.

He knew that not everyone in the martial arts world was wealthy. Many martial artists entered the martial arts world with dreams in their hearts, and practiced hard day and night to improve their strength, but because of their poor family background, they could not even afford a good weapon.

Having finally gotten a chance to make a name for oneself, only to be defeated because of inferior weaponry, this kind of regret of missing an opportunity due to external conditions is often even more frustrating.

Having traveled extensively over the years, some of Xu Qing's ideas may have changed; after all, people always grow through experience.

However, there are some principles that he has never wavered from beginning to end. For example, he once called himself an "angel investor for martial arts heroes," always thinking of helping those martial artists who have potential but lack resources.

This was the first time Xu Qing had ever seen a martial arts tournament spontaneously organized by people from all walks of life, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue; wherever there is intrigue, there is conflict.

Even the various schools of thought in ancient China would argue endlessly over their respective ideas and doctrines; this was a contest of "literature." And since there are rankings of swords in this world, how could there not be a struggle for superiority among swordsmen and martial artists?

However, the struggles here are given a more formal and procedural form.

Xu Qing, who had developed a strong interest in the arena competition, set off for the eastern suburbs of Jicheng early the next morning.

After passing through a dense forest, a large open space suddenly appeared before us.

There were many sheds set up on the open ground, and the cries of vendors could be faintly heard rising and falling.

"Authentic wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain, replenishes qi and nourishes the spirit!"

"Hudi Fruit Wine, sweet and mellow, you'll regret missing it!"

"Qi State dried fish, salty and flavorful, easy to carry!"

Seeing this, Xu Qing was stunned. This was no ordinary fighting arena; it was clearly a folk market!

In his imagination, the arena competition should have been a scene of martial arts masters gathering together, with everyone ready to draw their swords and the atmosphere tense. But what he saw before him was not tense at all. Instead, many businessmen who did not know martial arts gathered around to set up stalls.

Xu Qing had a knack for judging people's martial arts skills. He could make a rough judgment simply by looking at the other person's hands, feet, walking posture, and words and actions.

Of course, he didn't rule out the possibility that these vendors were masters who had cultivated to the point of returning to simplicity, but upon further thought, he dismissed that possibility.

He had seen top experts like Chu Nan Gong before, and even when facing Chu Nan Gong, he could see through some of his tricks, let alone these ordinary merchants.

Xu Qing strolled around the market, buying whatever caught his eye. After walking around for a while, he had a bulging bag on his back.

Finally, he spotted several martial arts practitioners carrying swords and knives. His eyes lit up, and he quickly approached them.

"Great hero!" His voice reached the ears of a middle-aged martial artist.

Perhaps it was the title "hero" that made the middle-aged martial artist feel favorably towards him. He turned around, his face showing no sign of wariness, but rather a hint of kindness: "Young brother, what can I do for you?"

"I heard that there are martial arts masters here competing and exchanging skills, so I came here specifically to see..." Xu Qing quickly explained his purpose.

"You're talking about the sword duel, aren't you?" the middle-aged martial artist drawled, then waved his hand. "It's over."

"It's over?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the version of events he heard from passersby yesterday.

"Yes!" The middle-aged martial artist nodded and explained, "The last match just ended not long ago, and Yan Xiangjian and Han Liu won. Counting it up, he has been winning for more than a year, winning more than a dozen matches in total. We don't know when the next match will be, after all, not everyone is qualified to challenge Han Liu, and they have to go through a selection process first."

"Oh? Then how do I select them?" Xu Qing adopted a humble and eager-to-learn attitude.

"First, you have to register at the government office!" The middle-aged martial artist's explanation of the procedure left Xu Qing stunned.

Yesterday, when Xu Qing learned from passersby that winning twenty consecutive sword duels in the arena would earn him the title of "Number One Swordsman of Yan," he suspected that there was an official backing behind it. However, he never expected that he would actually have to deal with the government.

"Go to the government office to register? Could it be that the organizers of this arena are the government?" Xu Qing couldn't help but ask the question that was on his mind.

“No, that’s not it.” The middle-aged martial artist patiently explained to him, “In the beginning, it was just a group of martial artists who spontaneously came here to spar. Later, more and more people came, and some martial artists didn’t hold back, causing deaths. This is Jicheng after all, and the government couldn’t just sit idly by. In the end, His Majesty the Crown Prince intervened and allowed the sword fights to continue, but on one condition: all martial artists participating in the competition had to register with the government first. Moreover, the government also found several veteran masters from Jicheng to screen the applicants together, so as not to let those who were not strong enough join in the fun and waste the time of the real masters.”

"So, the title of the number one swordsman in Yan is officially recognized?" Xu Qing asked again.

“Of course!” The middle-aged martial artist nodded firmly.

Xu Qing thought to himself, "Indeed, some things can never be fully understood without seeing them for yourself."

From this middle-aged martial artist, he not only learned the ins and outs of the sword duel, but also learned about Yan Dan's reputation in Ji City.

Although this prince was born into royalty, he had no airs of nobility. He was considerate of the common people and often interacted with martial artists, proactively offering them assistance. It was precisely because of these heart-winning measures that Yan Dan enjoyed extremely high prestige among the people and was deeply loved by both commoners and martial artists.

Xu Qing originally wanted to see if he could sponsor the arena competition.

But now it seems that if we want to continue to get involved, we'll have to deal with Yan Dan.

Of course, Xu Qing doesn't oppose Yan Dan either.

Chapter 142 Do you want to become the number one swordsman in Yan?

Although in the original work, Yan Dan dragged the Mohist school, which should have maintained neutrality and lived in seclusion, into the center of the anti-Qin vortex, leaving it with no way back.

This conflict ultimately destroyed the mountain city of Mechanical City, which was built by the founder of the Mohist school and his disciples over several years with painstaking effort.

From the perspective of the Mohists, Yan Dan was undoubtedly the sinner who personally destroyed his foundation.

However, Xu Qing was not a member of the Mohist school, and his feelings towards Yan Dan were far from being one of disgust.

Even if he may be a hypocrite, the premise of being "hypocritical" is that he always maintains the demeanor of a gentleman in public.

As for how many filthy thoughts were hidden behind the scenes, that was of little concern to Xu Qing, who remained uninvolved.

They now knew the truth behind the duel, or rather, the realities of the sword fight.

Xu Qing had no intention of registering with the government.

What do I need to do when I register there?

Will he pretend to be weak to outmaneuver his opponents, defeat powerful enemies along the way, and then seize the title of the number one swordsman in Yan?

Xu Qing never considered himself a swordsman.

I have no interest in such empty fame.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hide their true appearance and identity so many times.

However, since Yan Dan had intervened in this sword duel and even involved the government, Xu Qing could easily guess Yan Dan's intentions.

Han Fei once said, "Knights-errant violate taboos with martial arts, and scholars disrupt the law with literature." Han Fei was by no means the only one who could understand this principle.

Yan Dan took the initiative to intervene in the battles between martial artists, and had the government provide support for sword duels, making them "formalized". He even gave the winner the title of "Number One Swordsman of Yan". Such actions seemed to be close to the martial arts world and treat martial artists with courtesy, which made many people like him and flock to him for the official endorsement.

But Xu Qing knew that Yan Dan's purpose was never to provide convenience for martial artists, but to bring these unrestrained Jianghu people into the rules of the government.

It's clearly unrealistic to expect these brave and aggressive warriors to obey the law.

That's why Yan Dan came up with this idea: the government would support a leader to indirectly restrain other martial artists by setting an example for them.

Warriors seek fame, and the government bestows upon them the most illustrious titles. However, the power of life and death over these titles always rests with the Yan state government, and the titles can be revoked at any time if the law is violated.

After pondering Yan Dan's scheme, Xu Qing left the market and temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​sponsoring the arena competition.

If it were a spontaneous sword fight among the common people, he wouldn't mind getting involved. However, this sword fight was too deeply entangled with the government and was essentially a "political achievement" supported by the authorities. Getting involved rashly would only bring him unnecessary trouble.

"Since we can't sponsor the official events, how about sponsoring the participants?" A new idea popped into Xu Qing's mind after he returned to the inn.

After personally investigating, he had grasped the popularity of this sword duel among the people.

If it were any other competition, it wouldn't matter.

It happened to be a duel between swordsmen.

When it comes to swords, it would be really unreasonable for him, the swordsmith, not to get involved.

With the idea in mind, the immediate priority was to find suitable participants.

He wasn't incapable of participating himself, but he gave up after a moment's thought. Rather than taking the field himself, he preferred to plan from behind the scenes.

Therefore, he decisively set off to seek help from the peasants' stronghold in the Yan state.

After the peasants attached themselves to Lord Changping, although they established a foothold in the State of Chu and expanded their power, they did not limit themselves to the State of Chu.

When Xu Qing left the State of Chu, Situ Wanli, perhaps at Tian Guang's behest, informed him of the various strongholds of the Farmers in different states so that he could maintain contact with them while he was away.

The State of Yan was one of the key states that the agriculturalists focused on developing. Although the state was weak, its remote location made it difficult for the State of Qin to attend to it, which provided the agriculturalists with the space to grow stronger.

Tian Guang was already renowned in the Yan state and was known as a "hero of integrity".

He traveled throughout the Yan Kingdom for many years, helping those in distress and keeping his promises. He was both brave and wise, and his reputation had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.