Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The person in the darkness spoke softly, revealing their status as a first-class official who had come to Linzi.

"I didn't expect that you would still be caught in the net."

In the darkness, Xuan Jian, with his powerful strength and keen sense of presence, was able to vaguely discern the figure of the newcomer, though unlike the other party who could see clearly in the dark.

He said in a deep voice, "You know so much about the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven)... It seems that the Luo Wang of Qi has indeed changed."

The newcomer in the darkness did not answer, but sighed instead: "What surprises me more is you. The Net has been in turmoil before, and many assassins have broken free of their shackles. You were the one who craved freedom the most back then, so why did you stay? Could it be... that after Wei Qianqian's death, your heart died, and you no longer have any desire to pursue freedom?"

It's still that familiar name.

When this name, which was considered taboo by Xuan Jian, was circulated...

In an instant, the killing intent in Xuan Jian's heart involuntarily spread out.

Even though he has been constantly adjusting his mental state over the years, much of his inner trauma has healed.

Especially during the turmoil in the Qin state, that person paid a price.

But all of this is on the premise of not touching his sore spot.

Wei Qianqian is that unyielding threat.

The black and white swords moved again. After a brief truce, Xuan Jian took the initiative to attack the figure in the darkness. As he flew, ghostly figures emerged from the swords one after another, and then returned to the swords. With each movement, the power of the two swords reached its peak.

As a top-tier member of the Luo Wang organization, Xuan Jian's strength is beyond doubt.

In recent years, in particular, the wounds in his heart have gradually healed, and the enemies he once held a grudge against have paid a heavy price. He no longer has any obsessions and devotes all his time to personal cultivation. His strength has improved even further on the basis of what it was before.

Unfortunately, the opponent he encountered this time was cheating.

When ordinary people improve their strength, they will experience a period of rapid progress after crossing the threshold, but after reaching a certain level, they will stagnate.

The reasons are related to the cultivation method and the individual's aptitude. Unless some of the problems can be solved, progress can be made again, but the speed of progress will obviously not be as fast as before.

Of course, if there is a serendipitous encounter, that's another story.

But this time, the visitors are different.

In the beginning, because we were just starting out, our strength didn't improve very quickly.

However, as time went by and his stats gradually increased, his strength improved at an increasingly rapid pace. No matter what kind of martial art it was, he could quickly learn and master it after acquiring it.

It is precisely because he dislikes fighting that he is not very famous in the world.

Faced with Xuan Jian's furious onslaught, he wielded his ancient longsword with ease. His sword moves seemed plain, yet they contained profound truths of the universe, always managing to deflect fatal attacks with the slightest incision.

Xuan Jian's twin swords were like a raging storm, while his sword was like a gentle spring rain or a deep-sea whirlpool, absorbing and eliminating everything.

Another sword strike was unleashed.

This sword strike was like a reversed Milky Way, its dazzling light instantly filling the heavens and earth, illuminating every detail inside the room. The pressure of the sword was so intense that Xuan Jian felt his bones and muscles were about to crack.

In that fleeting moment of light, Xuan Jian finally saw his opponent clearly. It was a young and calm face, which overlapped with the young man in his memory who had escaped from his hands many years ago with his wit and special sword.

"It's you!" Xuan Jian exclaimed in shock and horror, desperately trying to block with his twin swords.

boom!

Amidst the deafening roar, Xuan Jian felt an irresistible force surge towards him, his blood and qi churning, and he was on the verge of being injured.

At the critical moment, the opponent's sword technique subtly shifted, and another gentle sword aura, arriving later but arriving first, deflected the previously fierce and unparalleled sword light, eliminating most of its destructive power.

The sword light faded, and darkness returned to the room.

"It seems you still remember me." The newcomer spoke calmly, flicking his left finger to precisely ignite an oil lamp several feet away.

The dim light shone again, illuminating the two figures, one standing and one standing. Although it was still dim, it was enough to make them see each other.

"Originally, I wanted to come and meet the top-ranking member of the Luowang team who has come to Qi this time, but I didn't expect it to be you. Since we are old acquaintances and you recognized me, I'll have a chat with you."

The figure in the darkness was Xu Qing.

After Wu Kuang went missing, and the big fish in the net arrived in Linzi, he wanted to come and meet him.

The result was somewhat unexpected.

The top-ranking member of the Luo Wang organization has indeed arrived in Linzi, but it's an old acquaintance—who is still within the Luo Wang organization.

However, Xu Qing did not directly acknowledge the other party. After all, they had only met once and were not particularly familiar with each other.

On the contrary, back when he was still weak, this person chased after him and brought him great pressure.

If he hadn't mentioned "Wei Qianqian" at the crucial moment, and hadn't used a "calm mind and focus" sword to distract her, she really wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.

Because of his past experiences, even though he recognized Xuan Jian long ago, he still chose to directly attack Xuan Jian to assess Xuan Jian's level.

The conclusion is that Xuan Jian's strength is much greater than it was back then, but compared to Xu Qing now, it's just so-so.

Xu Qing's progress over the years has been incredibly rapid; opponents who once required him to be on high alert are now commonplace.

Chapter 169 Unwavering Original Intention, Suppressing Xuan Jian

"I never expected to meet you in the State of Qi."

A strange look appeared on Xuan Jian's lips, but the scene of chasing Cheng Jiao back then involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The person lurking in the shadows ended Chengjiao's life before him.

He pursued them relentlessly, only to discover that their strength far exceeded his expectations.

Even though he was quite strong, he couldn't defeat him in a short time. Instead, he was distracted by the other party's words.

What impressed him even more was that he left behind a sword that would be of great help to him, and then calmly left.

Although they had only met once, Xuan Jian still vividly remembered Xu Qing.

This is also related to the fact that Xu Qing did not use a bronze mask to cover his face in the past. At that time, Xu Qing had revealed his true face to the outside world and did not make any effective disguise when doing things.

"So, now that you know the answer, what are you going to do next?" Xu Qing asked Xuan Jian in a cold voice.

Although he and Xuan Jian had crossed paths, they were by no means friends. If he had a choice back then, Xu Qing would never have wanted to get involved with this assassin from the Luo Wang organization.

His appearance in Tunliu was solely for the purpose of gaining prestige by assassinating Chengjiao, which was no easy feat at that time.

However, Xuan Jian keenly sensed his presence, forcing the two to confront each other directly.

Although Xu Qing later unexpectedly helped Xuan Jian regain some of his senses, he never expected Xuan Jian to be grateful for it, nor did he intend to take advantage of the favor.

Xu Qing was willing to talk to Xuan Jian this time, partly because of their past acquaintance; but if Xuan Jian didn't know what was good for him, Xu Qing would not hesitate to take action.

After all, countless people in the Luo Wang organization have suffered tragic fates, and Xuan Jian is just one of them.

"It's not about what I want to do, but what you want to do to the Net."

Xuan Jian spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on Xu Qing.

His heart was not unmoved; on the contrary, he was filled with emotion.

The scene of his battle with Xu Qing years ago echoed in his mind. Although it was only a brief encounter, it was that encounter that was the key to his awakening. If it weren't for the person in front of him, he would probably still be in a daze, a puppet being manipulated by others.

However, what impressed him the most was Xu Qing's previous display of strength. Compared to back then, Xu Qing's current strength made him feel a sense of shock.

"What if I said I wanted to overthrow the Net?"

Xu Qing did not hide his purpose, but simply said these words and then looked at Xuan Jian.

If Xuan Jian continues to intervene and chooses to protect the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), then his intervention will have a reasonable justification.

But surprisingly, Xuan Jian remained completely calm.

"I'm afraid you've already infiltrated Qi's web of intrigue," Xuan Jian said calmly.

"I didn't do such a thing, but I do have a way to find out some of the movements of the Qi State's Luo Wang (Net of Heaven)," Xu Qing replied to Xuan Jian's question.

"So, you can answer my question now, right?"

Now that you know my purpose, what are you planning to do?

Xuan Jian fell silent for a long time before giving his answer: "Once a member of the Luo Wang, always a member of the Luo Wang. As the top-ranking member of the Luo Wang, one's life revolves around only the word 'mission.' My superiors have ordered me to come to Qi to oversee the Luo Wang situation there. Since you have harmed the Luo Wang here, I have an obligation to set things right."

"Setting things right is no easy task; it requires considerable strength."

Xuan Jian sighed, "Yes! Although we've only exchanged a few blows, I already have my answer. Your strength is terrifying, and I'm not confident I can defeat you."

"More importantly, I don't know which members of this network are loyal and which are treacherous..."

"Since we can't distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous, let's just kill them all. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free; that's one way to deal with the problem," Xu Qing suggested to Xuan Jian, offering him a solution.

“That is indeed a solution,” Xuan Jian agreed, then his tone shifted, tinged with emotion, “However, all of this is predicated on my ability to win you over.”

"Since I can't win you over, then I don't mind having a chat with you."

"What are you talking about?" Xu Qing asked Xuan Jian curiously.

Xuan Jian was clearly the assassin, but he voluntarily gave up fighting and instead talked peacefully with Xu Qing, which was quite unexpected.

"Thank you so much for what you did back then." Xuan Jian's gaze suddenly softened as he sincerely expressed his gratitude.

The scene of reuniting with Xu Qing may not be pleasant, but it is already rare that they can talk calmly at this moment.

Xuan Jian has always been clear about gratitude and grudges, and the black and white swords exist to repay kindness and seek revenge.

For him, repaying kindness and vengeance is paramount; the net of vengeance is secondary.

Even though he was ranked first among the top-tier members, due to his past experiences, he didn't feel much of a sense of belonging to the organization.

He remains here today because he has no attachments and nowhere else to go.

"Thank me?"

Xu Qing's eyes flickered with surprise.

“Yes,” Xuan Jian said in a deep voice, “If I hadn’t fought you back then, I’m afraid I would still be in a daze.”

As he spoke, Xuan Jian pulled out another sword.

Compared to the previous Black and White Xuanjian, this sword seemed rather ordinary.

Xu Qing still recognized the sword; it was one of his early works and could be considered a failure.

Back when he was a second-tier swordsmith, he had tried to forge third-tier swords. Due to his previous skills, there were naturally many failures. Some of these failures, although rated as excellent swords, possessed special abilities.

"I can't believe you actually kept it."

Looking at the sword that Xuan Jian had taken out, Xu Qing was quite emotional. Back then, at the very end, he left this sword to Xuan Jian. Xu Qing wasn't sure whether Xuan Jian would choose to hold onto the sword and keep it.