Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

In the dark room, after a period of recuperation, Wu Kuang's injuries had healed considerably and no longer affected his mobility.

But he didn't choose to leave; instead, he stayed there.

During this time, he kept dreaming about that day at night: Tian Mi's panicked cries for help, Chen Sheng's astonished eyes, and the sudden stabbing pain in his back. The poisoned silver needle still sends chills down his spine whenever he thinks about it.

He even secretly touched the back of his neck, where the scars still tingled, as if reminding him of the reality of that betrayal.

"Can the Heroic Leader really protect me?" He asked himself this question more than once, but he could not get a definite answer.

Many familiar people have become complete strangers, which makes him afraid to show himself, fearing that appearing before certain people will lead to a dead end.

"Have you decided where you're going?" Tian Guang walked in, carrying a cloth bag containing a new set of clothes and a human skin mask.

Wu Kuang looked up at Tian Guang and noticed that the bloodshot eyes of the chivalrous leader were more pronounced than when they last met, indicating that he had also been busy with farm affairs during this time.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he hadn't decided yet, but he was afraid of disappointing the chivalrous leader's good intentions, so he finally just whispered, "It's all up to the chivalrous leader."

Upon hearing this, Tian Guang handed the cloth bag to him and softened his voice: "I've found you a place to go. Go to the State of Qi and find a man named Master Qing."

He paused, then added, "This person is trustworthy."

……

Wu Kuang eventually left the farm headquarters.

Under Tian Guang's guidance, he changed his appearance and headed towards the State of Qi.

The Farmer School was no stranger to the State of Qi, although it primarily developed in the State of Chu, with its headquarters located in what is now the Eastern Commandery of the State of Qin.

But let's not forget that within the farming community, the most core surname is "Tian" (田), and the surname of the ruler of the State of Qi is also "Tian". It is obviously impossible to say that there is no connection between the two.

The State of Qi was an extremely peaceful country, and the various schools of thought were naturally happy to establish their presence and develop their own influence there. The Farmer School also wielded considerable power in Qi. However, after arriving in Qi, Wu Kuang did not make any contact with the Farmer School, since he was already considered a dead man within the Farmer School.

Following Tian Guang's directions, he went straight to Linzi and then arrived at the entrance of Hou Sheng's residence.

Before the vermilion gate, two armored guards stood watch, holding long halberds. Sunlight shone on their armor, reflecting a dazzling light.

Upon seeing Wu Kuang, their first instinct was to stop him.

But Wu Kuang, following some instructions from the leader of the chivalrous sect, spoke first, "It was Mr. Qing who sent me to find him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the guard on the left, but he quickly put on a polite expression and said, "So you are Mr. Qing's friend! Please wait a moment, I will go and inform him right away."

When the guards turned and ran into the mansion, their steps were faster than usual, clearly showing their great respect for Mr. Qing.

Wu Kuang stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over Hou Sheng's magnificent mansion. He couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Hou Sheng is the Prime Minister of Qi. How can Mr. Qing hold such a position here?"

Not long after, the guard ran back and gestured for him to come in: "Sir, please come in. Mr. Qing is waiting for you in the backyard."

Wu Kuang followed the guards into the mansion. The bluestone path under his feet was spotless, and the old trees on both sides drooped their branches, bringing a refreshing fragrance in the breeze.

After passing through several artificial hills and ponds, we finally arrived at the backyard, where a middle-aged man in a blue robe was sitting at a stone table, flipping through a scroll of bamboo slips.

The middle-aged man turned his head, his face refined, but his eyes deep and unfathomable; he was the middle-aged version of Xu Qing.

"Mr. Qing, the person has been brought here," the guard said, bowing.

Xu Qing waved his hand: "Thank you for your hard work, you can go now."

After the guards left, Xu Qing's gaze fell on Wu Kuang's face, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "Can I see your true face?"

Wu Kuang's heart tightened, and he subconsciously touched the mask on his face, only to see that Xu Qing's eyes showed no malice, but rather a gentleness.

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Xu Qing said slowly. “Tian Guang has already told me everything about you. If I wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t be standing here now.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Kuang felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, as if he had become a speck of dust, while Xu Qing was a towering mountain. This is what it means to look up to a towering mountain.

He immediately knew that the person in front of him was no ordinary person, and that his strength was probably beyond comprehension.

Thinking of Xia Kui again, Wu Kuang finally chose to believe him and raised his hand to remove the mask.

A handsome face was revealed, but a scar running from his left brow bone to his right cheek gave him a somewhat ferocious appearance.

Xu Qing's gaze fell on the scar, and her voice was calm: "This scar, is it from that incident before?"

Wu Kuang's body trembled, a complex look flashing in his eyes: "The leader of the chivalrous sects even told you all this."

"He trusts me, just as you can only trust him right now."

Wu Kuang's expression became complicated. "It's so good to have someone you can trust..."

Wu Kuang didn't know the exact relationship between the person in front of him and the Xia Kui, but he did know that the Xia Kui trusted the person in front of him very much.

On the other hand, the person he once trusted most betrayed him, and the person beside him in bed has become a stranger.

"And what about you? Do you still trust your brother?"

Just as Wu Kuang was feeling conflicted, Xu Qing asked him, "This scar, it seems, was left by him, right?"

Wu Kuang remained silent.

That day, he heard his wife's scream and rushed over. He saw his brother and wife together, and his wife even claimed that his brother had bullied her. Anger surged in his heart, and he took action without saying a word.

His brother had no choice but to fight back; otherwise, he wouldn't have had such a deep scar on his face.

But at the most crucial moment, he suffered a fatal blow.

It was a poisoned needle. It was because of that poisoned needle that he lost all his strength to resist and could only take the sword head-on.

Logically speaking, as the person who fought him at the time, the most likely person to release that poisoned needle was his good brother. However, his good brother's astonished expression and subsequent actions revealed something unusual.

Ever since he was rescued by the chivalrous leader, Wu Kuang has been pondering this question.

"I have no idea!"

Complex words came from Wu Kuang's mouth.

"I heard he didn't die, but escaped from the farm?" Seeing Wu Kuang's expression, Xu Qing changed the subject and talked about the other's brother, "Perhaps one day he will come to Qi."

"At that time, you might see him."

Upon hearing this, Wu Kuang felt no joy. If he truly wanted to see the other person, he would have gone directly to find them after leaving the farmhouse, and would not have followed the leader's arrangement to come here.

"What do you need me to do for you?" Wu Kuang didn't want to bring up the farmhouse matter anymore, so he turned to Xu Qing and asked.

The fact that the chivalrous leader assigned himself to this person's side suggests that the person was short of manpower, so the chivalrous leader wanted to bring this nominally dead man to help.

"What are you doing? You might need to do things later. For now, just enjoy yourself." Xu Qing said something that surprised Wu Kuang.

Not long after, Wu Kuang understood what Xu Qing meant. He put the human skin mask back on and, under Xu Qing's guidance, quickly integrated into the atmosphere of Hou Sheng's mansion and met many of Hou Sheng's retainers.

"Here, there's not so much scheming and backstabbing, and you don't have to worry about anyone stabbing you in the back. You've been living in fear lately, so now, just relax and enjoy yourself..."

Xu Qing spoke to Wu Kuang in this way, and at the same time, introduced Wu Kuang to the many retainers of Hou Sheng.

Of course, his name was changed to "Jin Guang," and he was a swordsman.

Xu Qing originally planned to change Wu Kuang's name to "Wu Guang", but after thinking about it, he gave up. The names Wu Kuang and Wu Guang are similar, and people will inevitably make connections. So, he changed the surname. In the original work, when Wu Kuang was infiltrating Gonggong Hall, he was called Mr. Jin. Xu Qing was too lazy to think about it and just used this surname.

Although he didn't understand why Xu Qing gave him such a name, Wu Kuang still chose to accept it.

He followed Xu Qing's arrangements and enjoyed himself in Hou Sheng's mansion.

Over the years, quite a few people have sought refuge with Hou Sheng. Although Hou Sheng's reputation among the people is not very good, his retainers are treated well. Moreover, because of the peace in Qi, those who are Hou Sheng's retainers do not need to do too much.

Of course, not everyone is qualified to join Hou Sheng's family and enjoy this wealth and honor.

Wu Kuang is new here, and even if he is able to hide here because of Xu Qing, he naturally has to show off his skills.

As requested by Xu Qing, he demonstrated his swordsmanship, which naturally won the approval of many of his disciples who were skilled in swordsmanship.

This went on for more than half a month.

Every day, Wu Kuang would drink and make merry with the retainers in his mansion, and sometimes he would go to the pleasure quarters in Linzi City.

Most of the retainers were scholars or chivalrous figures, and they were all very generous and open-minded. There was no infighting or backstabbing like in a farming family, and no constant vigilance against treacherous schemes.

At first, Wu Kuang felt uneasy, constantly thinking about farm life. But gradually, he found himself able to temporarily forget his past pain while drinking and laughing. However, whenever the night was quiet, the scars on his cheeks would ache faintly, reminding him of the truths that had not yet been uncovered.

That morning, Wu Kuang found Xu Qing and asked bluntly, "Mr. Xu, is there really nothing you need me to do?"

Xu Qing was organizing bamboo slips at his desk when he heard this. He looked up, glanced at Xu Qing's face, and smiled, "It seems you've adjusted your mindset quite well."

He put down the bamboo slips and walked up to Wu Kuang. "I didn't assign you any tasks before because there was really nothing to do in the manor, and also because you had just experienced a change in your life and the wounds in your heart had not yet healed. If you act with an obsession, it's easy to make mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Wu Kuang felt a warmth in his heart; he hadn't expected Xu Qing to be so thoughtful.

“The fact that you’ve come to me now means you’re ready.” Xu Qing pulled out a roll of cloth from somewhere and handed it to Wu Kuang. “Take a look and memorize what’s on it.”

Wu Kuang took the cloth, unfolded it, and saw that it contained detailed records in ink of an organization's structure, member ranks, and code of conduct, as well as portraits and whereabouts of some core members.

“This is…” His eyes were full of surprise.

"This is intelligence from the Qin State's Luowang (Net of Heaven)."

Xu Qing's voice turned serious. "The Net is the most mysterious assassin organization in Qin, with influence throughout the six states. They even have spies among the various schools of thought. The Farmer's School may seem secretive and has been developing in the shadows, but in reality, it has also been targeted by the Net."

Upon hearing this, Wu Kuang felt a chill run down his spine, and then he heard Xu Qing say something else.

“After Chen Sheng escaped from the peasant family, given his abilities, he would likely be recruited by the Luo Wang organization,” Xu Qing continued. “What I need you to do is infiltrate the Luo Wang organization and obtain their intelligence.”

"Infiltrate the Net?" Wu Kuang frowned. He had heard of the Net, the official assassin organization of the Qin state.

This time, Xu Qing provided information about the Luo Wang organization. If the Luo Wang organization is truly that terrifying, once you enter it, escaping will not be an easy task.

Xu Qing seemed to see his concerns and slowly said, "If you can gain a foothold in the Net, I can help you find out the truth about what happened before... This may be very difficult for you, but it is easy for me."

Wu Kuang suddenly looked up at Xu Qing, and sensed a deep confidence in Xu Qing's words.

This confidence also inspired him.

He gradually made up his mind. In order to find out the truth, he no longer cared about the danger. Even if there were mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, he was willing to take the plunge.

"I promise you," he said in a deep voice, looking at Xu Qing with unwavering eyes.

"How do I join the Luo Wang?" Wu Kuang asked Xu Qing again.

“There’s no rush,” Xu Qing said to Wu Kuang. “Your most important task right now is to memorize this intelligence and then improve your strength.”

Xu Qing couldn't quite believe Wu Kuang's strength.

In the original novel, Tian Guang personally entered the trap to help Wu Kuang infiltrate the net, but when he ended up at the farmhouse, Wu Kuang was only a minor character.

The "killing" rank is not very high in the Luo Wang organization. If Xu Qing wants to arrange for Wu Kuang to infiltrate the Luo Wang organization, he should at least be ranked as the "heavenly" rank.

Therefore, improving one's strength is the key.