Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"An interesting person!"

Watching Xu Qing leave, Xunzi's usually stern face suddenly revealed a faint smile.

Xu Qing left Xunzi's place.

He saw that Fu Nian was still waiting for him there.

Also waiting there were several messengers from Hou Sheng.

However, there is some distance between the two sides.

After learning about these people's background, Fu Nian had no intention of talking to them.

After all, Hou Sheng's reputation in the State of Qi was not particularly good.

Fu Nian was a rather upright person. He did not enter the court as an official and could not change the structure of the court, but in his heart, he naturally still had some resistance to those treacherous ministers and their subordinates. His bottom line was not to talk to them unless necessary.

However, upon seeing Xu Qing, he still took the initiative to go to greet him.

Although it's unclear why someone as skilled as Xu Qing would serve Hou Sheng.

But Xu Qing did give him some pointers yesterday.

Aside from the fact that Xu Qing served Hou Sheng, Fu Nian's impression of Xu Qing was not bad.

"Have you finished talking with Uncle Xun?" Fu Nian asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.

In his view, Xu Qing was a man who would eventually win, and his visit to Uncle Xun must have been about official matters. The fact that he came out so quickly meant that he must have been turned away.

"Yes." Xu Qing nodded.

"Uncle Xun has never liked officialdom, so don't take it to heart," Fu Nian quickly comforted him, afraid that Xu Qing would feel embarrassed.

“Who said I was talking to Xunzi about officialdom?” Xu Qing interrupted him, a hint of amusement in his voice. “We had a very pleasant conversation.”

Fu Nian was stunned, opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

He simply couldn't understand what Xu Qing, a subordinate of Hou Sheng, could possibly be discussing with Uncle Xun. Could it be a discussion of Dao? But Xu Qing looked so young; how could he possibly have such knowledge?

Xu Qing didn't care about his doubts. From the beginning, he came to the Confucian school only to deliver the sword. Discussing the Dao? Even those old scholars who had studied the doctrines for decades couldn't win against Xunzi. He wasn't overestimating himself.

As for a martial arts contest, he had no grudge against Xunzi, so there was no need for him to fight.

All he wanted was to get those famous people to use his sword so he could "fleece" them.

Now that Xunzi has signed the sword contract, his goal has been achieved, and he feels very relieved.

Fu Nian wanted to say something more, but in the end, as before, he remained silent.

Instead, he took Xu Qing and Hou Sheng's envoy and left this place, heading towards the front of Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

Although Xunzi ultimately refused, the task assigned by Hou Sheng was considered completed because Fu Shang agreed to speak out.

Hou Sheng's envoy did not linger at all, and left Xiaoshengxianzhuang immediately to return to Linzi to report back.

In this situation, the person who stayed behind would seem somewhat out of place.

"Aren't you coming back with us?" Fu Nian couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not in charge, just a fellow traveler." Xu Qing looked at the scattered houses in the manor with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Since we're already here, we should at least see the scenery of Little Sage Manor. It's not too late to go back in a few days."

Fu Nian remained silent for a moment. Although he couldn't understand why Xu Qing would serve Hou Sheng, he remembered Xu Qing's kindness in instructing him in swordsmanship yesterday.

If one could have more interaction with such a detached person, one might learn a great deal.

"If you don't mind, why don't you stay at the manor for a while?" he invited, his tone tinged with anticipation.

Xu Qing naturally agreed without hesitation.

In the following days, the kendo dojo became a place the two frequented.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and onto the wooden floor. Xu Qing held a wooden sword, his movements leisurely and graceful. Every parry and every swing of his sword exuded effortless ease.

Fu Nian initially carried a bit of arrogance. In his youth, he had thoroughly mastered Confucian classics and incorporated the principles of propriety and righteousness into his swordsmanship. He believed that his swordsmanship was among the best in the world.

But when he fought Xu Qing, he realized his own shortcomings.

Although the sword moves were well-structured, they lacked agility; although the internal energy was profound, it was difficult to control it freely.

"Here you should retract your force and use skill to deflect the enemy's attack, instead of taking it head-on." Xu Qing's wooden sword lightly touched Fu Nian's wrist, his tone calm but precisely pointing out the problem.

Fu Nian suddenly realized the truth and tried adjusting his sword techniques, which indeed became much smoother. In just a few days of sparring, he felt that his swordsmanship had improved even more than he had studied for the past few years.

"What an extraordinary person!"

Inside the kendo dojo, the young Yan Lu looked at Xu Qing, who was suppressing his senior brother Fu Nian but was defeated without being injured, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Before Xu Qing came to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, he always followed behind his senior brother Fu Nian.

Previously, Fu Nian had not concealed the fact that he had sparred with Xu Qing.

So when Xu Qing temporarily settled in Xiaoshengxianzhuang and occasionally sparred with Fu Nian, Yan Lu naturally came to join in the fun. He did not participate in the sword competition, but he watched from the sidelines.

Xu Qing's effortless and leisurely approach reminded him of his previous master.

He had been by her side since he was very young.

He didn't know his master's real name. To outsiders, he was called "Nameless." His nameless and surnameless master gave him the name "Yan Lu." For Yan Lu, his master held an extraordinary place in his heart.

He had personally witnessed his master take action.

He easily defeated his enemies with just a few moves.

That kind of demeanor is something that Yan Lu has been unable to replicate to this day.

But now, I see a familiar feeling in Xu Qing.

This made Yan Lu feel emotional.

He unconsciously touched the sword hidden in his sleeve.

"I've bothered you again, sir!" After another sparring session, Fu Nian's wooden sword fell to the ground. He bowed with his hands clasped, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Xu Qing didn't need to go to such lengths to guide him; he would remember this kindness in his heart.

"It's nothing, it's a novel experience for me too." Xu Qing, holding the wooden sword, suddenly turned his gaze to Yan Lu in the corner. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Yan Lu was taken aback, his fingers instinctively tightening around the hilt of the sword hidden in his sleeve: "Me?"

“Yes.” Xu Qing’s gaze seemed to penetrate the fabric, landing directly on the sword. “I can sense that you are carrying a very powerful sword. This sword contains immense power, and I want to see it for myself.”

Fu Nian looked at Yan Lu in surprise. He and Yan Lu had been living together day and night in the same dormitory, but he had never seen Yan Lu use a sword. How could Yan Lu be hiding a powerful sword?

Yan Lu remained silent for a moment, his fingertips tracing the hilt of the sword hidden in his sleeve.

He knew that some secrets could not be kept forever, and since Xu Qing had already noticed, he might as well face it openly.

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "Please enlighten me, sir!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a warm, smooth jade sword hilt was taken out from his sleeve. The jade was translucent and had fine cloud patterns engraved on it.

Fu Nian stared at the sword hilt and suddenly froze. He had seen this thing before and always thought it was Yan Lu's personal accessory. He never expected it to be a sword!

"I've long heard of the superior-grade Han Guang sword among Kong Zhou's three swords, and today I finally get to see it," Xu Qing's voice rang out, tinged with admiration. "Let me witness its power!"

"Han Guang Sword?" Fu Nian's gaze sharpened. The legendary invisible sword, its blade formless, could injure people without them even realizing it, and it had been hidden on Yan Lu's person all along.

He looked at Yan Lu, full of doubt. What was Yan Lu's background?

Yan Lu remained focused, slowly channeling his inner energy into the sword hilt.

In an instant, Fu Nian felt a clear and cool sword aura spread out. Although there was only a sword hilt in front of him, it was as if an invisible sword was floating in mid-air, its sharpness faintly visible.

Xu Qing stepped forward with the wooden sword in hand. The wooden sword collided with the invisible blade, producing a crisp "ding" sound, like jade striking each other.

Fu Nian watched intently, only to see the sword hilt in Yan Lu's hand moving left and right, the invisible blade sometimes extending from the front of the hilt and sometimes appearing at the back, the angles so tricky that it was impossible to defend against.

Even so, Xu Qing remained calm and composed, and after a few moves, the wooden sword was gently placed against Yan Lu's neck.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!" Yan Lu withdrew his inner strength, the invisible sword energy dissipated, and he bowed respectfully, his tone full of reverence.

Xu Qing sheathed his wooden sword, his gaze falling on him, and slowly said, "The Han Guang Sword is a fine sword, but unfortunately you lack the will to kill, so you cannot unleash its full power."

In Xu Qing's opinion, the most suitable owner for the Han Guang Sword is actually an assassin.

As the most powerful of the three invisible swords, it is almost completely hidden except for the hilt. The blade can extend from both ends of the hilt, meaning it can be used to assassinate from various angles.

Unfortunately, the person who used him was Yan Lu.

The method of cultivation is the meditation technique of forgetting the mind.

The Sitting Meditation Technique certainly allows Yan Lu to achieve a draw when facing opponents stronger than himself.

But a draw is not a victory.

On the contrary, it is possible that the desire to win or the desire to kill might arise, thereby ruining the unique state of mind that is called "sitting in oblivion".

Yan Lu simply listened quietly to Xu Qing's evaluation without offering any rebuttal.

Having witnessed his master wield the Han Guang sword firsthand, he knew that the sword was gathering dust in his own hands.

He then heard Xu Qing say, "Besides, this sword carries immense karma, involving many past events. If possible, it's best not to use this sword in public. If someone discovers it, you'll inevitably be dragged into trouble..."

Upon hearing this, Fu Nian looked at Yan Lu in surprise.

Yan Lu's expression changed, and finally he took a deep breath and said to Xu Qing in a deep voice, "Thank you for the reminder, Mr.!"

"It's nothing," Xu Qing shook his head. "Seeing this sword just reminded me of some past events."

There is a profound karmic connection between Han Guang Sword and Jing Ni.

In addition, the Flying Shadow Sword that Xu Qing forged in the past was based on the Han Guang Sword.

He had always been very curious about Kong Zhou's three swords.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until today that I finally got to see the Han Guang Sword.

If it were Xu Qing back then, he would definitely be amazed when he saw such a strange sword.

But for him today, this sword, though remarkable, is nothing special.

Chapter 162 Crimson Blood and Long Wind, with Consistent...

The Confucian lifestyle was quite monotonous.

Fu Nian and Yan Lu held extremely special positions within the Confucian school.