Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Xu Qing spoke gently to Fu Nian.

"Sir, what are you saying? It is an honor for our Little Sage Village to have you as a guest," Fu Nianyi replied to Xu Qing with a gentle expression.

"I'm leaving now. Before we part, let me give you each a gift." Xu Qing said, flipping his hand to reveal three ancient sword boxes on the stone table. The wooden boxes were engraved with cloud patterns and exuded a sense of weight and solidity.

He picked up the first sword case and pushed it toward Fu Nian: "You are exceptionally talented and can create your own sword techniques from Confucian classics, but you have never had a suitable sword. This sword is called Azure Blood Long Wind, which corresponds to the Great Learning in the Confucian classic Book of Rites. In my opinion, it is most suitable for you."

Fu Nian gazed at the sword case before him, his fingertips gently tracing the cloud patterns on its surface, and murmured softly, "Azure Blood and Everlasting Wind..."

The name carries a sense of righteousness, which subtly aligns with his pursuit of the "inner sage and outer king" ideal.

The concept of "inner sage and outer king" originated from Zhuangzi and was later adopted by Confucianism and incorporated into the "Great Learning." Xu Qing's choice of this sword clearly involved careful consideration.

Before Fu Nian could express his gratitude, Xu Qing picked up the second sword box and handed it to Yan Lu, his tone softening slightly: "As I said before, your sword is entangled in too much karma and should not be used anymore. During this time, I specially found a new sword for you. It is called Yi Guan Zhi, which corresponds to the Confucian doctrine of the mean. I think it will suit your temperament very well."

Chapter 163 A Stormy Night, Undercurrents in the Farmhouse

In Pili Puppet Show, the Confucian School is a formidable force.

It is said to have four famous strikers.

Before coming to the Confucian school, Xu Qing had an idea when he thought of the famous masters there.

Fortunately, during this period, he was quite favored by Hou Sheng and had become a confidant of the prime minister of Qi. As a result, he received Hou Sheng's unreserved support.

Qi was already one of the richest of the seven states, but Sheng, as prime minister, became even more greedy, with his mansion overflowing with treasures.

When Xu Qing first stepped into Hou Sheng's mansion, his eyes were drawn to the sword-forging materials that were carelessly discarded in the corner of the storeroom. Among them were rare high-grade materials such as millennium-old cold iron and deep-sea scale crystals. In his eyes, these materials, which were enough to forge peerless divine weapons, were being wasted by Hou Sheng.

Xu Qing couldn't stand this kind of thing.

Therefore, after gaining Hou Sheng's trust, he decisively used these sword-making materials.

In secret, he quietly forged several swords.

Because they had long held Confucian ideas, the Four Great Swordsmen were born out of this reason.

Among them, Xi Mo Kun Feng was given to Xunzi by Xu Qing in the name of Han Fei during their previous meeting.

Of the remaining three famous swords, two were given to Fu Nian and Yan Lu.

After exchanging many words with Fu Nian and Yan Lu, Xu Qing pushed the third sword box in front of Fu Nian.

"There is also a sword here called the Annihilation of Mortals and Transcendence of Saints. It was also forged based on Confucian classics. It doesn't have a master yet, so I'm entrusting it to you. If you have a junior brother in the future, you can give this sword to him..."

Before Fu Nian could recover from the surprise brought by Bi Xue Chang Feng, he heard Xu Qing say such words.

The final result, of course, was that they accepted the gift from Xu Qing.

The Fu Nian of today is not the future leader of the Confucian school who will wield the Tai'a Sword.

Although he often studied the Tai'a sword, its current owner was his father, Fu Shang.

As for Fu Nian, he naturally wanted to find a suitable sword.

The sword "Azure Blood and Long Wind" is based on the Confucian classic "The Great Learning," which teaches the principles of "cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world." This aligns perfectly with what Fu Nian has learned throughout his life. After opening the sword case and trying out the sword, Fu Nian found that it suited him very well.

In other words, he really liked the gift Xu Qing gave him.

As for Yan Lu, he also carefully examined the sword in his hand called "Yi Yi Guan Zhi". "Yi Yi Guan Zhi" is very similar to the character "Zhong" in Chinese. On its blade, there is also the character "Yong". Xu Qing had said before that this sword corresponds to the doctrine of the mean. However, this is a bit too direct.

He simply wrote down the two characters "中庸" (zhongyong).

Yan Luxin was curious about the person who forged this sword, but he gladly accepted it.

Although the Han Guang Sword was excellent, he knew that it was indeed connected to many past events.

It didn't matter to Yan Lu himself being involved; what he feared was that the Confucian school would also be dragged into the turmoil because of him.

At this point, switching to a different sword might not be a bad idea.

"The Doctrine of the Mean?"

Yan Lu murmured to himself.

The concept of moderation perfectly aligns with his inner thoughts.

The third sword, which could annihilate mortals and surpass saints, was not observed by Fu Nian and Yan Lu.

Instead, he put it away, intending to strictly follow Xu Qing's arrangements.

Naturally, the sword contract was also signed.

After giving away the famous sword, Xu Qing did not leave Xiaoshengxianzhuang immediately. He still had something on his mind: to go to the Confucian Library.

This library has stood in Xiaoshengxianzhuang for over a century, housing countless books, ranging from ancient oracle bone inscriptions to recent commentaries on Confucian classics, and even rare books from the Seven Kingdoms period, making it a veritable treasure trove of knowledge.

Previously, when Fu Nian took him for a stroll around the manor, he had developed a strong interest in this ancient pavilion. Fu Nian noticed this but did not say much.

Now that Xu Qing has gifted the two with famous swords and has provided much assistance in the manor, Fu Nian has already been planning how to repay him.

After a long talk with his father, Fu Shang, he finally obtained permission to take Xu Qing to the library.

Standing in front of the library, Fu Nian pointed to the plaque on the building and introduced, "Although this library may not claim to have the best collection in the world, it covers both ancient and modern times. You are welcome to browse here at your leisure."

Xu Qing nodded his thanks and pushed open the door. A rich scholarly atmosphere wafted towards him. The building was spacious and bright. Rows of bamboo slips were neatly arranged on wooden bookshelves, which were over ten feet high and stretched from the ground to the ceiling. The characters on the bamboo slips were clearly visible, and some of the ink had already turned yellow, but they still exuded the weight of history.

After bringing him here, Fu Nian quietly left, leaving Xu Qing alone to wander in the sea of ​​books.

Xu Qing looked at the empty library and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "They seem to trust me quite a bit."

He casually picked up a bamboo scroll and sat down at the table by the window to carefully peruse it. As for whether he could discover any secrets from it, he didn't force it and just left it to fate.

Several more days passed.

After browsing through a large collection of books at the Confucian Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Xu Qing finally set off to leave Sanghai.

Unlike when he came, he returned alone, without needing to worry about others, and could travel at his own pace, free and at his own discretion.

During his journey, he heard a piece of news: Xiaoshengxianzhuang, a sacred Confucian site, publicly praised King Tian Jian of Qi for going to Qin to conclude an alliance, calling it a "benevolent act that benefits the country and the people." With Xiaoshengxianzhuang's statement, the dissent among Confucian scholars gradually subsided.

When Xu Qing returned to Linzi, King Tian Jian of Qi had already set off for the State of Qin.

This was Tian Jian's first time leaving the State of Qi, but little did he know that this journey to the west was only the beginning of a turning point in his fate. He would never have imagined that when he stepped into Xianyang again, the State of Qi would have already perished and ceased to exist.

Xu Qing didn't feel much about this. He didn't have any sense of national or familial responsibility. After returning to Linzi, he went straight to Hou Sheng's residence and lived a secluded life.

After the King of Qi left, Hou Sheng immediately became busy, needing to take over all the political affairs of Qi in place of Tian Jian.

Although he only held power temporarily, Hou Sheng was unwilling to let go of this opportunity to amass wealth, and spent his days busy plundering riches, completely disregarding the safety of the country.

To outsiders, Hou Sheng was a treacherous villain who brought disaster to the country and its people, but Xu Qing didn't care about that at all. What he cared about was how much benefit Hou Sheng's power could bring him.

However, Xu Qing was not the only one who had his sights set on Hou Sheng.

On this day, while Xu Qing was inspecting the mansion, he noticed a newly arrived retainer.

Although he had not been under Hou Sheng's command for long, he had become Hou Sheng's confidant due to his unique abilities. Now he was managing many of Hou Sheng's retainers and was quite prestigious among them.

"Are you a new retainer?" Xu Qing walked up to the young man and asked softly.

The young man looked ordinary and was dressed in a blue cloth robe. Upon hearing Xu Qing's voice, he quickly bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Mr. Qing."

He had only been in the manor for a few days, but he had already heard that this seemingly refined middle-aged man was someone who should not be provoked in the manor.

"No need for formalities, I just want to have a chat with you." Xu Qing's tone was gentle, but his gaze remained fixed on the young man. "For example, are you used to living in the manor? What are your thoughts on the Prime Minister?"

He paused, his tone suddenly turning icy, "And most importantly, which is better, life here or in the Net?"

Upon hearing the words "Net," the young man's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his composure and asked, feigning calmness, "Mr. Qing, what do you mean by that?"

"Stop pretending." Xu Qing said lazily. "You bunch of stinking rats from the gutter, it would be fine if you hadn't shown up in front of me."

"Now that you've appeared, I could smell your stench from a great distance."

The young man's face turned deathly pale instantly. He knew he had been exposed, so he stopped pretending and lunged at Xu Qing.

His movements were extremely fast; his hand formed a claw, aiming straight for Xu Qing's throat. He was calculating that as long as he subdued Xu Qing and faked his accidental death, he could continue to infiltrate the mansion.

However, just as his hand was about to touch Xu Qing, it suddenly froze in mid-air. Xu Qing's hand had somehow grasped his wrist, and a strange force spread from his wrist to his whole body. He instantly felt his limbs go limp and could no longer muster any strength.

“Young man, why be so impatient?” Xu Qing’s voice rang in his ear, tinged with a hint of mockery.

The young man tried to beg for mercy, but found that he couldn't make a sound. He couldn't even bite his tongue to commit suicide. He could only watch helplessly as Xu Qing dragged him into a dark room in the mansion.

The room was dimly lit, with only a single oil lamp flickering.

Xu Qing looked at the young man who had fallen into a coma, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

He had previously used illusion magic to read the young man's memories. The young man was a first-class assassin of the Luo Wang organization, belonging to the third level within the organization.

This is not because Luo Wang underestimated Hou Sheng, but because Luo Wang, after the Lao Ai Rebellion and Lü Buwei's dismissal, was purged by King Ying Zheng of Qin and suffered heavy losses. Many old members were abandoned and new recruits were extremely scarce. A single Earth-level assassin was already considered a good configuration.

"Killing you would be too much of a waste," Xu Qing murmured to himself. "I'm not a bloodthirsty person."

Now that he has the backing of Hou Sheng in the State of Qi, with its abundant resources, he is starting to have other ideas besides sword making.

He never forgot that Luo Wang had previously sought him out, and if he could take this opportunity to counter-infiltrate Luo Wang, it might be a good move.

Previously in Yan, he found Ah Gang, Ah Jin, and Ah Ming, gave them swords, and used special methods to let them accumulate combat experience in nightmares. He originally wanted to play a "hero training program", but due to various accidents, he was forced to leave Yan. Now, he doesn't know what the three are doing.

At present, the situation in Qi is relatively stable, which is a good time to carry out "double agent" operations.

In the original story, Tian Guang once sent Wu Kuang, who had faked his death, to infiltrate the Luo Wang organization, but the attempt failed because the Luo Wang organization had already become too powerful.

But now that the Luo Wang organization is severely weakened, it is the perfect time to infiltrate.

Aren't they searching everywhere for experts? Xu Qing wouldn't mind recommending some people to them, or using special methods to modify some people so that they could infiltrate the Luo Net as sword slaves.

After all, the assassins of the Luo Wang organization are sword slaves, and the people who use the swords they forge are also sword slaves. It is perfectly reasonable for sword slaves to join the organization of sword slaves.

……

Dongjun was a newly established prefecture in the fifth year of King Zheng of Qin's reign, when Meng Ao attacked Wei, captured Suanzao, Yan, Xu, Changping, Yongqiu, and Shanyang, taking twenty cities from Wei and mixing them with cities such as Puyang from Wei.

Even the Qin state was unaware that hidden among the vast mountains of Dongjun was one of the schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought—the Agricultural School.

The Farmer's Clan is hidden among the mountains of Dongjun. However, the Farmer's Clan of today is not as high-profile as in the original novel, which boasts 100,000 disciples.

However, thanks to Tian Guang's behind-the-scenes development, the farm has been thriving in recent years.

While Xu Qing was quietly developing his power in the State of Qi.

Tian Guang then brought a large iron hammer to the farmhouse.

"From now on, just treat this place as your home."