Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Yan Fei stood below the Star Gazing Platform and reported the details of her meeting with Han Fei to Donghuang Taiyi.

Her voice was clear and calm, “Han Fei is a man of exceptional intelligence and cautious speech, who seems to be naturally wary of any outside approach. His will is as firm as a rock and cannot be easily shaken.”

On the high platform, Donghuang Taiyi's figure was shrouded in a wide black robe and a mysterious mask, his aura as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

Upon hearing this, he did not respond immediately. Instead, his gaze seemed to pierce through the palace ceiling, looking towards the endless starry sky. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice deep and authoritative: "Han Fei's talent is indeed as you say, unparalleled in the world. His ideas, which combine law, technique, and power, are quite valuable in today's chaotic times. If we can bring him into our Yin-Yang School, it may add a powerful boost to our future endeavors. Even if we cannot, we still need to know his movements to avoid complications."

Yan Fei nodded slightly. She understood Donghuang Taiyi's considerations. The Yin Yang School itself had the idea of ​​recruiting all kinds of talents to work for them.

Years ago, Gan Luo, a retainer under Lü Buwei, made great contributions, but he became a victim in the power struggle between Empress Dowager Zhao Ji and Lü Buwei, ultimately leading to the execution of his entire family.

The Yin-Yang School seized that opportunity and secretly pulled the other party into their ranks.

Now, in just a few years, the opponent's strength has increased by leaps and bounds, and is already close to the level of the five elders.

Gan Luo was able to acquire such strength in a short period of time not only because of his talent for Yin-Yang arts, but also because he was intelligent enough.

What the Yin-Yang School values ​​most is not the age of the disciple; on the contrary, intelligence is the most important condition. As long as one is smart enough, it is easy to gain great strength by taking advantage of the rapid learning characteristics of Yin-Yang techniques.

During this period, Han Fei's reputation soared. Officials from the Legalist school were all impressed by him, and the King of Qin also valued him highly.

If Han Fei could join the Yin-Yang School, it would greatly facilitate the school's gaining favor with the King of Qin.

Yan Fei was the most powerful person under Donghuang of the Yin-Yang School, so she naturally knew a thing or two about Donghuang's thoughts.

After sharing her impressions of Han Fei after observing him up close, Yan Fei brought up another matter.

The techniques of the Yin-Yang School bear unique personal traces.

This mark is unknown to many practitioners of Yin-Yang arts.

However, those who have truly mastered the art of Yin and Yang can perceive the existence of that trace.

"Did someone from the Yin-Yang School make contact with Han Fei beforehand?"

The light in Donghuang Taiyi's eyes, hidden beneath his mask, flickered. His first thought was of the Yin-Yang School members who were living outside the immediate community.

Just as the Yin-Yang school separated from the Taoism five hundred years ago.

In its subsequent development, although the Yin-Yang School did not split into two, it was similar to the Taoism of today, with some members breaking away from the original main lineage and becoming independent.

It is also because the Yin-Yang School is currently too busy to attend to other matters that they have not paid attention to those disciples who are wandering outside.

If one day the Yin-Yang School becomes extremely powerful, it will definitely not let those outsiders go unpunished.

Donghuang Taiyi had many guesses in his mind. Perhaps he should pay attention to the Yin-Yang School disciples in other countries, lest they ruin the headquarters' grand plan.

After a moment of contemplation, Donghuang Taiyi looked up at Yanfei and said, "Send a letter to the State of Qi and summon Yunzhongjun back."

"The situation in Qin is different from what it used to be, and our plans need to be adjusted. It's time to let him come back and know the details."

Consort Yan bowed and accepted the order. As she turned to leave the main hall, she glimpsed that Donghuang Taiyi had closed his eyes and was using his fingertips to draw the outline of the constellations in the air. The constellations were chaotic, especially the constellation representing the Qi Kingdom, which was glowing with an ominous red light.

However, the letter sent from the Yin-Yang School headquarters to the State of Qi disappeared without a trace.

The two disciples, dressed in black, traveled day and night to reach Langya, just as a thick fog rolled in at the seaside. Langya Terrace was shrouded in a white mist, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a dull thud.

Following Yun Zhongjun's usual method of communication, they left a secret signal behind the stone tablet at Langya Terrace, but after waiting for three whole days, no one responded.

"Could it be that Elder Yunzhongjun is not here?" The younger disciple gripped the token at his waist, his tone tinged with anxiety.

Another older disciple frowned and walked to the fishing village by the sea, where he found an old fisherman who had been delivering messages for the Yin-Yang School for many years.

The old fisherman's cloudy eyes swept over the two men's black clothes, and he said in a low voice, "Are you looking for Mr. Xu Fu, who usually resides at Langya Terrace? A while ago, he was summoned to Linzi by the King of Qi's men, who said they wanted him to refine elixirs of immortality."

The two men felt a pang of anxiety and immediately set off for Linzi.

When we arrived in Linzi, it was already dark. The lanterns in the market were lit one by one, and people gathered in twos and threes, talking about something.

The older disciple found someone in Linzi who was well-versed in local gossip, spent some money, and inquired, "May I ask, sir, has any alchemist from Langya recently been summoned by the King of Qi?"

Upon hearing this, the intelligence broker immediately replied, "You're talking about that alchemist named Xu Fu, right? Oh, don't even mention him! I heard that his elixirs had problems, and he offended the Prime Minister Hou Sheng. He was arrested a few days ago! I just don't know which execution ground he's being held in; there's no definite news."

The two disciples' expressions changed drastically.

Yun Zhongjun was an elder of the Yin-Yang family and a top expert even in the world. How could he have been defeated by the Prime Minister of Qi? They dared not delay, knowing that this matter was thorny and beyond their ability to handle. They immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Qin through special channels.

When the news reached Donghuang Taiyi.

This naturally surprised the Yin-Yang School leader, who was known for his unparalleled strategic thinking. Undoubtedly, the events in Qi State had once again slipped out of his control.

As an elder of the Yin-Yang family and the Lord of the Clouds, Xu Fu was considered a master even in the world.

However, things went wrong in the State of Qi, and Donghuang Taiyi had no idea what exactly happened.

Although he was well-versed in astrology and could see some patterns in the stars, he was not omniscient or omnipotent.

Even if it is given the title "Donghuang Taiyi", it is not just a fancy name that makes it truly the supreme deity.

Then, Donghuang Taiyi thought of the changes in the stars in recent years.

Many years ago, the Yin-Yang School glimpsed a corner of the future through special means.

It is precisely for the sake of that future that the disciples of the Yin-Yang School have made their efforts throughout the generations.

Donghuang Taiyi believed that in his generation, the Yin-Yang School would accomplish an unprecedented feat, completely unraveling the secrets of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, thus achieving immortality and ascending to heaven.

Therefore, he secretly maintained his original course, and after discovering the changes in the Yan Kingdom, he rushed to the Yan Kingdom as soon as possible to set things right.

Unexpectedly, just when things were finally settled in Yan, Qi also encountered some problems.

"Send Shao Siming to the State of Qi!"

After thinking it over, he still did not send Dongjun or Yueshen to the State of Qi.

Yun Zhongjun is an elder of the Yin-Yang School. Even if he is captured by Hou Sheng, he will definitely be able to find a way to escape. Sending another elder would be enough to handle everything.

……

In Linzi, Qi State, the story of Xu Fu sparked a wave of scrutiny of the alchemist community.

King Jian of Qi was originally quite interested in the alchemists' pursuit of immortality through alchemy, but the Xu Fu incident was like a bucket of cold water, making him wary and causing him to begin to doubt the true abilities of many alchemists in the country.

To relieve his boredom and to distinguish between truth and falsehood, he once again ordered the summoning of famous alchemists, including An Qisheng, a renowned figure from Langya.

“An Qisheng… was also a famous alchemist.”

Xu Qing soon learned of this and was quite moved.

In fact, there were many famous alchemists in this era.

Lu Sheng, Hou Sheng, and Xu Fu are all people with names and surnames. An Qisheng is also one of them. In fact, he is even more mysterious than the previous ones. According to historical legend, he once sold medicine in the East China Sea. When the First Emperor of Han toured the East China Sea to Langya, he met with him for three days to discuss the way to immortality. Later, Emperor Wu of Han also sent people to sea to search for him.

After the establishment of Taoism, he was revered as "the True Man of the North Pole" and "Immortal Zheng," a true immortal.

Xu Qing naturally did not believe the latter, those rumors filled with mythological elements.

However, the fact that both Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had contact with An Qisheng demonstrates An Qisheng's extraordinary nature.

Xu Qing was naturally quite interested in such a person.

Don't be fooled by the label of "fraudster" that Xu Fu was given by Hou Sheng. In reality, it was because Xu Qing interfered and repeatedly ruined Xu Fu's plans. In addition, Xu Fu was too arrogant and was unwilling to show his true abilities from the beginning, which led to him never having that opportunity again.

The real Xu Fu possessed remarkable abilities, which is why Xu Qing chose to torture Xu Fu while always sparing his life.

During this period, in his spare time, Xu Qing often read the "Dao of Alchemy" and alchemy books written by Xu Fu. The more he read them, the more profound and extensive they seemed.

Therefore, after tormenting Xu Fu for a while longer, if possible, we should meet with him again, since there are still some questions that Xu Fu needs to answer.

Xu Qing didn't have any questions and decided to go find Xu Fu. Instead, he secretly wrote down these questions, planning to ask Xu Fu about them all at once later.

As for Xu Fu's unwillingness to speak, and his continued attempts to conceal things as before, it can only mean that he hasn't suffered enough.

"Prime Minister, regarding the matter of the King of Qi summoning An Qisheng, why don't I go and meet him, so I can see if this man is also a fraud?"

Xu Qing took the initiative to find Hou Sheng and told him her thoughts.

Hou Sheng naturally did not refuse this offer.

Putting aside the many methods Xu Qing used on Hou Sheng, which made Hou Sheng have virtually no defenses against Xu Qing and trust him to the extreme, just the fact that Xu Qing exposed Xu Fu's true colors earlier was a great achievement. Of course, Hou Sheng was willing to accept Xu Qing's task of testing the alchemist.

If possible, Hou Sheng would also prefer that those shady characters not come into contact with King Qi.

He is currently the most trusted person of the King of Qi, but if these sorcerers use any tricks, they might cause the King of Qi to change his mind. Even for the sake of the King of Qi's safety, these sorcerers must be screened.

The place where An Qisheng lived was the same place where Xu Fu had lived before. In fact, many of the things in the room were left behind by Xu Fu.

Pushing open the door, one sees an elderly man, simply dressed, even slightly disheveled, calmly arranging medicinal herbs in the room, his movements slow yet methodical. The air is filled with the fresh scent of herbs, mixed with a hint of musty dust.

The layout of the courtyard remains the same, but the atmosphere is quite different from when Xu Fu was there. It has lost some of the deliberately created mystery and gained more of a natural, unpretentious feel.

"Langya is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. Besides the headquarters of the Confucian school being located there, it is also home to Xu Fu, Mr. An Qisheng, and many other famous figures. It is truly remarkable that so many outstanding people have emerged from there." Xu Qing got straight to the point, his sharp gaze sweeping over An Qisheng.

An Qisheng slowly straightened up, his face calm, his eyes cloudy but occasionally flashing with a sharp glint. He replied indifferently, "Coastal places are often stormy and turbulent, and also give rise to many extraordinary people. I am but a recluse from the mountains and fields, who has occasionally ventured into the mortal world and is not worthy of the title of a famous scholar."

"What a remarkable recluse!" Xu Qing clapped his hands, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "Compared to Xu Fu's initial arrogance, you are quite humble, sir. However, knowing the cautionary tale of Xu Fu, you still dared to accept the summons to Linzi. Where does this courage, or rather... confidence, come from?"

He keenly sensed that the old man before him possessed profound skills that were no less than, and perhaps even surpassed, those of Xu Fu, and his demeanor vaguely reminded him of Chu Nan Gong, with whom he had once had a brief encounter in the state of Chu.

An Qisheng raised his eyes, gave Xu Qing a deep look, and instead of answering, asked a question in a low and steady voice: "I have come here not out of courage or confidence, but because I have recently had a feeling that there is an opportunity leading me to Linzi. In addition, the matter of my old friend Xu Fu is shrouded in mystery, so I have come to find out the truth. Your demeanor is profound, and you are no ordinary person. I wonder how much you know about Xu Fu?"

"Xu Fu is a wicked man who, despite his talent, is incapable of following the right path!" Xu Qing made no attempt to hide his contempt for Xu Fu.

Then, his gaze turned to An Qisheng, "Now that you know Xu Fu's fate, what choice will you make?"

Do you want to rescue the other party?

Before meeting An Qisheng, Xu Qing was only interested in him because of his reputation.

After seeing this person in person and sensing their aura, Xu Qing knew that this was a master.

He was probably even better than Xu Fu.

Therefore, the other party's attitude is quite important, so that Xu Qing can determine whether the other party is a friend or foe.

Chapter 180 Discussing Profound Truths and the Dao, Swords Containing Celestial Power

"Xu Fu violated the law, and he deserved his punishment. Although I feel sorry for my comrade, I will never disregard the law for personal reasons," An Qisheng said calmly, expressing his thoughts.

Xu Qing looked at An Qisheng and chuckled softly: "Sir, you do know how to be pragmatic. However, such adherence to rules is somewhat inconsistent with the image of a recluse in the eyes of the world. I originally thought that a person as accomplished as you, who is detached from worldly affairs, would never want to be bound by rules."

Then, his tone suddenly changed: "Xu Fu back then probably had the same idea. He dared to deceive the King of Qi and the Prime Minister, treating the important officials of the court as fools. He really had the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard."

An Qisheng smiled faintly: "Those who live outside the secular world may claim to be detached, but once they enter the mortal world, it's like a boat sailing on water. How can they truly escape the waves? The mortal world has its own rules, just follow them. What's the point of talking about whether they conform or not?"

"Sir, you are indeed eloquent." A hint of approval flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, but the tone shifted again, "I've heard that you are skilled in alchemy and medicine making. Is that true?"