Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Some focused on finding the bronze box containing the seven constellations of the Azure Dragon, while others traced its origins, ultimately all turning their attention to the Zhou Dynasty. However, the Zhou Dynasty had long since collapsed, and many secrets had vanished with it, leaving clues to be found among the forces and states associated with it.

The Yin-Yang School has always been dedicated to exploring the way of heaven and man and understanding the secrets of heaven. In its early years, it had placed its bets on the State of Yan, but later realized that it was going in the wrong direction, so it turned to support the State of Qin.

However, they did not give up on the Yan Kingdom, especially after studying the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions in depth, they discovered that the Yan royal family possessed key clues.

To achieve his goal, the mysterious man personally intervened, using a heaven-defying technique to "revive" Yan Dan, even knowing that doing so would go against the will of Heaven.

However, this "resurrection" is not a true rebirth. It is actually a corpse puppet, where the soul is temporarily placed in a corpse using special techniques.

From another perspective, if one has mastered such methods, it would be better to transfer the soul into another, more vibrant body, but that is very difficult to do. The body is the dwelling place of the soul, and it is not so easy to change.

In his Yin-Yang school, there once lived a pair of twin sisters.

When one of them died, they considered using this method to possess the other's body. The twin sisters looked exactly alike, so in theory, the success rate of using such a forbidden method should have been very high, but in the end, it failed, and instead caused problems for the living.

Two souls reside within one body, occasionally leaping out to vie for control of the body.

Even though he used supreme methods to reconcile the other party's soul, he could not resolve this situation.

As for Yan Dan, although he was very important, he was not essential.

Therefore, for now, he can refine it into a corpse puppet. If that doesn't work, he has a backup plan.

From this point on, Yan Dan will become a walking corpse, unable to live like a normal person, and will need to take special pills regularly to prevent his body from decaying.

But in the mysterious man's view, it would be enough as long as Yan Dan could fulfill his predetermined destiny.

……

Fatalism is deeply rooted in this world, and Feng Hu Zi, the Yin Yang School, and many other martial arts figures firmly believe in it, but Xu Qing scoffs at it.

In his view, destiny is in one's own hands, not predetermined by fate.

However, if suitable sword-making talents could be found in the State of Qi and trained as sword slaves, that would be a good option.

Having learned his lesson in Yan, Xu Qing kept a very low profile in Qi this time.

Instead of supporting martial arts masters to gain fame through their swords as before, he chose to conceal his whereabouts, wandering through the countryside of Qi, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility. At the same time, he was constantly pondering the Mo Wen Sword in his hand.

As a newly forged third-tier sword, the Mo Wen Sword had developed a faint blood-red halo after numerous battles, as if some unknown change was taking place.

Xu Qing pondered, perhaps he could try to reforge the Mo Wen Sword into a fourth-tier sword, just like he had done with the "Heart Sword" before. If successful, even if it didn't allow him to break through the threshold of a fourth-tier swordsmith, it would still allow him to further enhance his experience.

However, fourth-tier swords are fundamentally different from third-tier swords. They need to be in harmony with the Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The forging method of each fourth-tier sword is unique. Past experience can only be used as a reference and cannot be copied.

Xu Qing pondered for a long time but could not find a suitable solution, so he had to put the matter aside for the time being.

Qingxi Village was a village that Xu Qing discovered by chance.

It is about 100 miles away from Linzi. A clear stream flows through the middle of the village, and the babbling water reflects the weeping willows on the bank, hence the name of the village.

Qingxi Village is small, with only a few dozen households. The villagers make a living by farming and fishing, and they are known for their simple and honest character. Xu Qing rented a simple thatched hut there and spent his days either helping out in the fields or fishing by the stream. In just a few days, he became familiar with the villagers.

This leisurely rural life was something Xu Qing had never experienced before.

Every morning, he would be awakened by the birdsong outside his window. Pushing open the door, he would see wisps of smoke rising above the village, the air filled with the aroma of earth and food. In the evening, he would sit on a rock by the stream, watching the sunset turn the water golden, feeling a profound sense of peace.

However, the good times did not last long.

On this day, Xu Qing, as usual, carried a fish basket to the stream at the edge of the village to catch fish.

He had just reached the edge of a dense grove of trees when he suddenly stopped, his ears twitching slightly.

A faint sound of footsteps came from the woods. Although the person tried to keep their voice down, it still did not escape Xu Qing's ears in the quiet environment.

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened instantly. He slowly turned around, his eyes sweeping across the dense forest, and said in a deep voice, "Come out! Stop hiding, I've already found you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dozen dark figures darted out of the woods and quickly surrounded Xu Qing.

These people were dressed in black robes and wore straw hats with the brim pulled low to cover their faces. Each of them wore a long sword at their waist, with a black scabbard.

What is most striking is the spiderweb pattern on the chest of their robes; a ferocious spider pattern appears particularly sinister and terrifying against the black fabric.

Under heaven, only one organization would use such a totem—the Net!

Chapter 156 Hidden in the Court

The moment the net appeared, the wind in the forest suddenly froze.

Withered leaves hung in mid-air, not yet falling. A dozen dark figures slid out from behind the tree like ghosts, their sword sheaths gleaming with cold, dark light. Their sharp auras, like an impenetrable net, locked tightly around Xu Qing.

But amidst that chilling atmosphere, there was not a trace of deadly ferocity. Xu Qing's fingertips twitched slightly, and he already understood that the other party's intention was definitely not to silence him.

"You've all been lying in wait for days, watching this country bumpkin. What brings you here?" He brushed the dust from his shoulder and glanced at the leader's face. "Have you mistaken me for someone else?"

"You're the one we've been looking for!" The leader of the Luo Wang group stepped forward, a simple and ancient sword hanging at his waist, which looked quite impressive.

Within the Net, the sword holds a supreme position, and everyone is a slave to the sword.

The easiest way to distinguish the level of a Luo Wang assassin is to look at their weapon.

"Sword Maniac!"

The leader of the Luo Wang organization spoke, revealing a name that had recently become the talk of the martial arts world.

Upon hearing this title, Xu Qing frowned slightly; he genuinely disliked it.

However, instead of interrupting the other person, he patiently listened to what they were saying.

“You committed a serious crime in the State of Yan. Now, the entire State of Yan is on your wanted list. Even if you have temporarily come to the State of Qi, you can only hide your identity and live in the countryside. Such a life must be very boring.”

Xu Qing suddenly spoke up: "Let's be direct. Just state your purpose. There's no need to beat around the bush. It's obvious that your speaking skills aren't very good. You still need to learn from the masters."

The words that were about to come out of the Luo Wang member's mouth suddenly stopped. In the end, he did not keep them in suspense, "Our Luo Wang organization is eager for talent and urgently needs a master like you to join us!"

After getting straight to the point and explaining the origins of his organization, the man went on to describe the organization's benefits and perks.

In short, if Xu Qing is willing to join the Luo Wang, in addition to receiving the Luo Wang's protection, he can also gain many benefits.

Beautiful women, money, and even divine weapons and martial arts techniques are all available.

If someone is greedy, they might be tempted when a man talks about all the benefits.

But Xu Qing did not.

This is simply because he was already a member of the Luo Wang organization and was no stranger to it.

Back in Xinling, he had once joined the Luo Wang organization, but at that time only a handful of people knew of his existence.

After that, Jingni left Luo Wang and destroyed all his files and criminal records.

This forced Xu Qing to passively escape the net, turning him into a disorganized and undisciplined person.

Xu Qing never imagined that one day he would be targeted by the Luo Wang organization again, and that the Luo Wang organization would extend a second invitation to him.

This does explain something.

That is because Jingni destroyed her own files very thoroughly back then.

Even Luo Wang (the organization behind the Luo Wang website) was unaware that it had once been a member of Luo Wang.

"That sounds good, but I refuse!"

Xu Qing calmly declined the invitation from Luo Wang.

As he spoke, he continued walking forward, as if he hadn't seen the people in the net.

Hearing Xu Qing's refusal.

The leader of the Luo Wang organization frowned slightly.

The members of the Luowang organization around them also sharpened their gazes.

"What? Is the Net preparing to attack me?"

Xu Qing sensed the killing intent of the people from the Luo Wang organization around him and spoke calmly.

"I just hope you'll give it a good look!"

The leader of the Luo Wang group continued in a cold voice.

“Consider? There’s nothing to consider.” Xu Qing said bluntly, “You either leave obediently, or you can choose to have a showdown with me.”

"I'd like to see if you have the capability."

"Sir, you are truly arrogant, no wonder you are called the Sword Maniac!" the member of the Luo Wang said coldly, his mind filled with the mission assigned to him by the organization.

He came to the State of Qi and recruited a man.

Xu Qing's whereabouts were not difficult to find. After fleeing from the State of Yan, it was not difficult to determine his destination as the State of Qi by following his route.

Since the news of what happened in Yan State spread, Luo Wang has placed great importance on Xu Qing, not only because Xu Qing has made a great name for himself in Yan State, but also because he killed Lord Yan Chun.

Lord Yanchun held a high position of power in the Yan Kingdom and was the uncle of the King of Yan. Many years ago, the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) placed its bets on him and set its sights on him, sending experts to infiltrate his side. Jueying was one of the people from the Luo Wang.

However, Xu Qing killed Yan Chunjun and Jueying, which meant that Luo Wang's plans in Yan State had all failed.

This naturally made Luo Wang take Xu Qing seriously.

In addition, Qin's Luowang had undergone a major change earlier and was now in a reshuffling phase. Some forces had been purged, and the Luowang organization was short of people. At present, if there were suitable experts, they would naturally not hesitate to recruit them into the Luowang.

Having ruined Luo Wang's plans and gained a great reputation in the Yan Kingdom, Luo Wang needs Xu Qing to make up for its losses.

Therefore, after determining Xu Qing's destination, Luo Wang deployed defenses in Yan State and eventually successfully located Xu Qing's whereabouts and captured him there.

The Luo Wang organization has spent a lot of effort on Xu Qing, so it's impossible for them to give up easily.

Then, the leader of the Net waved his arm.

In an instant, the rest of the members of the Net moved in unison and surrounded Xu Qing.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.

What do you mean by this?

"It's nothing, I just wanted to invite you back for a visit," he said, revealing his purpose.

"This is not the way to invite someone over!"

Xu Qing sighed.

It appears that he carried no weapons other than a fish basket.

But in the next instant, a sword appeared in his hand.

It was Mo Wenjian.