Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"Green Cauldron, Competing Stars, Sun and Moon, Divine Abode, Heavenly Waterfall..."

"Adding to the Youlong sword that King Jian of Qi brought to Qin as a gift, and the Mowen sword in my hand, this set of seven swords is now complete."

Inside the system workshop, Xu Qing looked at the five swords placed in front of him and spoke softly.

Compared to a single sword, completing a series of swords undoubtedly brings a greater sense of accomplishment.

When Xu Qing first arrived in Korea, he wanted to forge a series of evil swords based on the Seven Deadly Sins. However, after leaving Korea twice, he only completed two swords, Heaven's Wrath and Frostmourne. After that, the series was essentially shelved.

However, in the State of Chu, he created a complete series of swords for the first time.

That is the "Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry". Each sword possesses extraordinary abilities, especially the strongest one, "Xuan Shu", which was upgraded to a fourth-tier legendary sword because of Chu Nan Gong.

As for the fact that Xu Qing had previously forged swords in the Big Dipper and Southern Dipper series, that was just a gimmick. Those swords were essentially only second-tier swords and were not taken seriously by Xu Qing.

The five swords before me are all only third-tier swords, with power similar to the "Broken Mountain Sword" that Xu Qing forged in his early years. However, the prestige that can be gained from the third tier is ultimately incomparable to that of the second tier.

Scattering them into a net to make a name for themselves wouldn't be bad.

As for the sword contract, it would be best to sign it, but if it's not possible, there's nothing that can be forced.

Just like the "Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry" of the past, no sword contract was signed.

The mind emerged from the sword-making workshop.

Back to reality.

Xu Qing found Hou San.

As for why it wasn't Wu Kuang?

Naturally, this is because, after passing the tests of the Luo Wang and completing some tasks, Wu Kuang has been officially ranked by the Luo Wang.

He became a top-tier assassin.

It seems a bit low at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it makes sense.

Jin Guang, the alias Wu Kuang used, was not a well-known master in the martial arts world. Before joining the Luo Wang, he had not made a name for himself, so the Luo Wang naturally did not value him too much.

Even if a rating is assigned, it won't be a very high one.

Reaching the "Master" level is already quite an achievement, signifying that one has shed their lowly status and now possesses the ability to recruit subordinates and lead a team independently.

All you need to do next is keep completing tasks, and you can keep getting promoted.

Naturally, after becoming a rank-based assassin, Wu Kuang also acquired a new title.

The Luo Wang organization originally intended to give him a sword, but after Wu Kuang indicated that he already had a sword, they abandoned this plan and instead used Wu Kuang's own sword, "Qing Guang," as Wu Kuang's code name within the Luo Wang organization.

As for whether Luo Wang will bestow a new sword upon Wu Kuang and change his name if he continues to upgrade in the future, that remains to be seen.

"Please deliver these swords to the Net for me."

"Just say that you obtained it by accident while on a mission."

Xu Qing gave instructions to Hou San.

Actually, it would have been fine to have Wu Kuang deliver the swords, which would have allowed him to accumulate some merit. However, after thinking about it, Xu Qing gave up on the idea. After all, Xu Qing wanted to send more than just one or two swords into the Luo Wang organization. If there were too many, it would inevitably make Wu Kuang a target of public criticism.

Even if Hou San, this tool, is targeted by the Luo Wang, it's not a big deal.

It's nothing more than discarding Hou San when the time comes.

Soon, the five swords appeared in front of Xuan Jian.

Because of Zhao Gao's hobbies, Luo Wang searched for famous swords all over the world. When Xuan Jian came to Qi to take charge of the overall situation, he naturally took on such a task. As a top-notch swordsman of the highest rank, his vision far surpassed that of ordinary people.

He can tell whether a sword is good or not just by examining it.

"How did you obtain these five swords?"

Because Xu Qing appeared before Xuan Jian in a completely different manner than she had been in Hou Sheng Mansion.

Therefore, Xuan Jian did not associate Xu Qing with "Mr. Qing".

After the five swords were delivered, he immediately asked Hou San about them.

It's not that I doubt Hou San, it's just a routine question.

"I learned it from a conversation between Hou Sheng and others..." Hou San carefully explained to Xuan Jian.

It is likely that someone bribed Hou Sheng, informing him that he had recently acquired several precious swords and wanted to give them to Hou Sheng. Since the Luo Wang organization had a mission to collect famous swords, Hou Sheng secretly learned of this and chose to strike first, seizing these precious swords.

"You did a good job."

After learning the origins of these swords, Xuan Jian praised them to Hou San.

"The organization will remember your contributions. From now on, you need to continue to be careful and stay hidden."

He knew about Hou San's mission.

Before he arrived in Qi, Hou San had already accepted the organization's mission to infiltrate Hou Sheng's household and act as an inside agent.

Xuan Jian originally didn't take this matter seriously.

But with Hou San bringing back five precious swords this time, he felt that this kind of infiltration mission was still very necessary.

After all, Hou Sheng held a high position and wielded great power. Staying in Hou Sheng's residence would allow him to learn a great deal of confidential information immediately.

After Hou San left.

Xuan Jian then looked at the five swords placed on his desk.

"Are these swords related to you?"

He thought of the person who reforged the Black and White Xuanjian.

Without a doubt, that person possessed unparalleled sword-making skills. Even if it wasn't his doing, there was at least a master craftsman behind him.

Now, with five precious swords appearing at the same time, and right here in the land of Qi, it's hard not to make Xuan Jian start to make connections.

After making those connections, Xuan Jian realized he had been overthinking things.

It might just be a coincidence.

After all, Luo Wang ordered people to collect famous swords, and there are countless famous swords in the world. Just look at the sword manual, which lists hundreds of famous swords. Of these swords, very few actually end up in Luo Wang's hands.

……

Time is like sand slipping through your fingers, flowing silently away. If the gaps are large, the flow is faster; if the gaps are small, it is slower, but the fact that time is passing cannot be changed.

The King of Qi personally went to Qin, which resulted in the consolidation of friendly relations between the two countries. Qi no longer had to worry about the flames of war spreading to its own territory.

But for other countries, things aren't so good.

In a short period of time, the Qin state launched a series of military campaigns, causing immense suffering to the other states.

In particular, the states close to Qin, such as Zhao, Han, and Wei, became direct targets of Qin's attacks.

The State of Zhao was relatively better off, as it had the renowned general Li Mu, who could be considered the Great Wall of Zhao.

The State of Wei also boasted that Daliang City was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and was extremely solid.

But South Korea is different.

The State of Han was the weakest of the three Jin states, and even the weakest in the world. Faced with the Qin's attack, and recalling the previous incident where the ruler of Qi personally went to Qin to conclude an alliance, they also began to take the initiative to seek peace with Qin.

However, Han Yu did not have the courage of King Jian of Qi.

Therefore, the envoy he chose was Han Fei!

Chapter 173 The Azure Dragon Brings Disaster, the Famous Sword Creates Waves

The palace walls of Xinzheng were covered with the cold frost of late autumn. Han Fei stood under the corridor of the main hall, his fingertips unconsciously stroking a talisman.

It was a token that Han Yu had given him earlier. After he held it, it became a little warmer, but this warmth could not dispel the melancholy in his eyes. He thought about what had happened in the court earlier, and his mood was extremely complicated.

In the original novel, Han Fei once fought fiercely with Ji Wuye's Nightfall. In order to maintain the balance, King An of Han did not hesitate to make good use of Han Fei to suppress Ji Wuye.

But the world is different. Han Fei had great ambitions and returned to his homeland. Before he could show his talents, one misfortune after another struck, leaving him with no opportunity to use his skills.

The sudden death of King Han An and the disappearance of the crown prince led to Han Yu's ascension to the throne. Ji Wuye and other factions lost their suppressor, and with Han Yu's indulgence, their power grew ever stronger.

The balance that King Han had painstakingly maintained was completely shattered.

Zhang Kaidi was swept into obscurity, and Han Fei, who was mistakenly identified as one of Zhang Kaidi's associates, was also suppressed and frustrated. His memorials were submitted but never received, and his eligibility to participate in discussions was quietly revoked. He could only sit in his study, staring blankly at the shelves full of bamboo slips.

This continued until Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei both died.

Han Fei's situation had just improved a little.

With military power in disarray, Han Yu had no choice but to reinstate Zhang Kaidi. Zhang Kaidi, who was once in relatively good health, now had to attend court with a cane. A few more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples, but at least he had been reinstated.

Han Fei originally thought he could follow this old minister and do some serious work, but every time he requested an audience, Zhang Kai turned him down with the excuse that "His Majesty believes you still need more experience."

He then realized that Zhang Kaidi was never someone he could rely on. The other party had an extraordinary desire for power, and now that he had finally returned to the court, he certainly wouldn't let any unexpected changes ruin his chances.

Han Fei is that variable, and what Han Yu fears is never Zhang Kaidi, but Han Fei.

This made Han Fei extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why Han Yu was so wary of him.

What Han Fei didn't know was that Bai Yifei had taken the initiative to find Han Yu and made a deal with him. Han Yu didn't know exactly what Bai Yifei had done; he only knew that not long after the deal was made, Princess Honglian returned, but the Crown Prince had not.

The whereabouts of the Crown Prince became a thorn in Han Yu's side. Han Yu was always afraid that Han Fei would find out something from Hong Lian, and that Han Fei would follow the clues to find out about his deal with Bai Yifei.

Even though Bai Yifei is dead and there is no way to verify the truth, Han Yu doesn't dare to gamble. Han Fei's mind is too sharp, like a sword that hasn't been drawn yet. Even when it's hidden in its sheath, it can still make people feel a chill.

Therefore, Han Yu could only suppress Han Fei, so much so that Han Fei rarely even left the city gates of Xinzheng, and all of Han Fei's knowledge could only be transformed into silent words on bamboo slips under the candlelight in the dead of night.

Wei Zhuang's act of entering the night resulted in Han Fei providing some covert assistance, but this assistance could not be made public.

Unless Han Fei can make up his mind to let Ye Mu kill Han Yu and then find a way to ascend to the throne of Han, then all the predicaments can be reversed.

But clearly, Han Fei couldn't do such a thing. When he dealt with Ji Wuye, he only thought about using magic to fight against Ji Wuye, and never thought about assassinating Ji Wuye. Now, facing the suppression of the new king Han Yu, he can only seek a way to break the deadlock from other places.

However, it is clear that this so-called law is utterly powerless in the face of royal power.

The change began when border battle reports were sent to the imperial court in Xinzheng.

Because the state of Han lost two generals in succession, the state of Qin naturally launched a military campaign against Han. Faced with the invasion of Qin, Han had no strength to resist. In a short time, the iron cavalry of Qin broke through three cities on the border of Han. The smoke of war drifted along the Yellow River to Xinzheng, and Han Yu finally called out Han Fei's name in the court and summoned him to the court.

“Ninth Brother, the King of Qin has always admired your talent. This time, your mission to Qin to seek peace will surely give Han a chance to breathe.” As Han Yu spoke, his fingers tapped lightly on the imperial desk, a hint of calculation hidden in his eyes.

When Han Fei received the envoy's tally, his fingertips touched the cold patina on it.

How could he not know Han Yu's thoughts? A few days ago, the King of Qin sighed three times in Xianyang Palace because of a copy of "Han Feizi" which he had obtained from an unknown source, saying, "I wish I could travel with him arm in arm." These words were passed on to Xinzheng by a secret agent, and Han Yu was very unhappy when he heard them.