Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The eclectic school at least compiled a masterpiece like "Lüshi Chunqiu," while novelists only recorded hearsay and anecdotes from the common people. The difference between the two is obvious.

But for Xu Qing, the existence of novelists saved him a lot of trouble.

Several years ago, he had considered recruiting members of the School of Names from among the Hundred Schools of Thought to serve him. After all, the members of the School of Names were the most skilled debaters, with extremely sharp tongues. If he could get them to help promote the swords he forged, he could easily spread the news about the swords throughout the land.

However, after gaining a deeper understanding of the various schools of thought in ancient China, Xu Qing discovered that novelists were actually more suitable for his use.

Novelists were extremely disorganized, without fixed affiliations or strict rules. They spent their lives mingling in the streets and alleys of various countries, collecting rumors and folk customs from all over the world, and then compiling these into books.

Since they are already doing this kind of thing, could I take the initiative to reveal some "folk rumors" to them, give them some money, and let them spread these rumors all over the world?

It was based on this idea that the brand-new profession of "storyteller" came into being.

In this era of extremely limited and monotonous entertainment options, although there were actors performing plays, most of those plays were for the upper-class aristocracy, and only high-ranking officials and nobles could appreciate them.

For ordinary people living in the city, there was simply no opportunity to go to the theater.

Just then, storytellers suddenly appeared, and their stories covered strange tales from all over the world. The stories were exciting and full of twists and turns, and they quickly aroused the great interest of the common people.

Even if the people and events in the stories are thousands of miles away from our lives, listening to these stories to relieve boredom is still an extremely pleasant thing.

After the idea of ​​training storytellers came to mind, Xu Qing immediately took action.

He sent people to various countries to find novelists who were eloquent and good at storytelling, offering them generous rewards and asking them to tell stories about swords in different places according to the scripts he provided.

Within just a few months, he trained hundreds of storytellers.

The rumors about the Heavenly Wrath Sword spread rapidly in the State of Qi thanks to these storytellers.

Right now, these storytellers are spreading rumors about the "Virgin Sword".

"Esteemed guests, today we will not talk about the Furious Sword, but about another famous sword related to Korea—the Maiden Sword!" In the largest teahouse in Linzi, a storyteller dressed in a gray robe and holding a gavel struck the gavel forcefully, attracting everyone's attention.

The teahouse fell silent instantly, with everyone, from the tea drinkers to the waiters, turning their attention to the storyteller.

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, many states stood side by side, and Zheng was one of them. Although Zheng was only a small state, it once dominated the region during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, intimidating the surrounding smaller states. Unfortunately, after Duke Zhuang of Zheng passed away, Zheng gradually declined, and its national strength decreased year by year." The storyteller spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of vicissitude, as if recounting a long-forgotten history. "Even so, Duke Zhuang of Zheng still left many treasures for Zheng, among which was an extremely precious sword-making manual."

"Legend has it that the sword-forging method recorded in this manual is extremely peculiar. The swords forged from it can transform a person's resentment, anger, fighting spirit, and other emotions into powerful strength. Strange patterns will also appear on the blade, making it incredibly powerful." The storyteller paused, his tone becoming heavy. "However, this sword-forging method is also extremely cruel, requiring the blood of living people as a catalyst. Therefore, this manual has always been sealed deep within the treasury of the State of Zheng, and no one has ever dared to try it lightly."

"Until the state of Zheng was attacked by the state of Han, and the state of Zheng was on the verge of collapse, with war raging outside the capital and people displaced, the storyteller's voice rose in urgency as he searched the depths of the treasury to save his kingdom. "Then, the king of Zheng ordered that the blood of royal maidens be used as a sacrifice, and summoned the nation's best swordsmiths to forge the sword day and night. On the day the sword was completed, almost all the young women of the Zheng royal family had perished, their blood staining the entire sword-making workshop. And so, this sword was named—the Maiden's Sword!"

"However, we all know that it is obviously impossible to save a country with a single sword." The storyteller's tone was tinged with regret. "This Maiden Sword, which has been imbued with the blood of countless people, did not save the Zheng Kingdom from its near destruction, as the people of Zheng had hoped."

"After the fall of the State of Zheng, the Maiden Sword, as a spoil of war, fell into the hands of the State of Han. The King of Han knew the evil nature of the sword and feared its power, so he sealed it deep in the treasury of the Han royal palace and assigned special people to guard it, forbidding anyone to touch it. This sealing lasted for more than a hundred years."

"And then what happened? What happened to the Virgin Sword?" A burly man in shorts couldn't help but ask loudly from below the stage, his eyes full of urgency.

The storyteller smiled slightly and struck the gavel again: "Don't rush, let me tell you slowly. On the eve of the fall of the State of Han, the city of Xinzheng was in chaos. Rebellions broke out everywhere, bandits roamed freely, and many major events occurred. One of them was the theft of the royal treasury of the State of Han! In the chaos, countless treasures were looted, and the soldiers guarding the treasury were either killed or deserted. No one could say exactly how many treasures were lost. And this Maiden Sword, which had been sealed away for many years, also disappeared without a trace in this theft..."

The words had barely left his mouth when the audience erupted in a clamor. "So, the Virgin Sword is currently out in exile?"

"Could it also come to our Qi Kingdom like the Heavenly Wrath Sword?" Everyone asked, their eyes filled with excitement and longing.

The storyteller, observing the crowd's reactions, understood the situation but didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave a vague answer: "That's hard to say. But think about it, everyone. The Heavenly Wrath Sword originally belonged to the State of Han, and now it has appeared in the State of Qi. Why can't the Maiden Sword do the same? Besides, although the Maiden Sword failed to save the State of Zheng, no one has ever denied the immense power it contains..."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stirred up the greed in everyone's hearts.

In this world where swords reign supreme, countless people are almost fanatically obsessed with famous swords, willing to risk their lives to obtain a legendary treasure.

The rumors surrounding the Heavenly Wrath Sword had already drawn many people to it, and now, upon hearing the story of the Virgin Sword, everyone was even more eager to find out more information and search for this mysterious sword.

Some people wondered why two famous swords related to the state of Han had appeared in the state of Qi in such a short period of time. But then they thought that since the state of Han had already been destroyed, it was normal for the treasures of the former royal palace to have fallen into other countries. So they stopped thinking about it and focused on finding the Maiden Sword.

In a short time, rumors about the Maiden Sword spread like wildfire throughout the Qi Kingdom, and another storm caused by the sword was quietly spreading.

Chapter 199 As a blind person, you're not bad!

The rumors surrounding the Virgin Sword were created by Xu Qing, who imitated the Demon Sword from "Chinese Paladin 3".

Since he was forging a sword of evil, Xu Qing naturally thought of the Demon Sword.

The Demon Sword was born during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Of course, with Xu Qing's current abilities, he naturally cannot forge a real demon sword. Moreover, the name of the sword is simply "Demon Sword," which feels strange and doesn't sound like a proper sword at all.

Therefore, he simply used the background of the Demon Sword as a template and rewrote the story.

The story of the conquest of Zheng by the State of Han dates back one or two hundred years.

Among the many states during the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Zheng was quite unique.

According to rumors, the State of Zheng once possessed the power of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions. Duke Zhuang of Zheng used the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions to transform the weak State of Zheng into a powerful force and dominate the region.

Some may scoff at these rumors, dismissing them as mere gossip, while others firmly believe in them, following in the footsteps of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions in an attempt to unravel this secret that has circulated throughout the world for millennia.

Against this backdrop, Xu Qing used the State of Zheng as a blueprint to create a short story.

Moreover, the story is logical and well-founded.

It is certainly convincing.

The problem remains the same: many things are buried in history and are difficult to verify.

After all, both the states of Zheng and Han had already perished.

The descendants of Zheng are still hiding somewhere, and Zheng has been gone for so many years. Even if they were to appear and give their accounts, it's uncertain whether the "Virgin Sword" ever existed in the former Zheng state. As for the descendants of Han, Princess Honglian is with Xu Qing right now.

Of course, she would stand on Xu Qing's side.

Xu Qing was not worried about her lie being exposed.

Some lies are exposed because the things mentioned in the rumors are not actually that great. But Xu Qing's sword is different. Even without those rumors, the Virgin Sword itself is an extremely evil sword. And after those rumors, it has become even more mysterious.

This was done intentionally by Xu Qing.

Not long after the rumors spread, a young swordsman actually obtained the Maiden Sword by chance.

Following the usual pattern, the next step is for this young swordsman to use the Maiden Sword to quickly establish himself in the martial arts world, make a name for himself, and then go from being well-known to being famous throughout the land, becoming a renowned hero.

Unfortunately, this is the most beautiful state in storybooks.

This world is far more treacherous than depicted in folk tales.

Human nature is even more wicked.

Not long after the Virgin Sword fell into his hands, before he could even get used to its power, he was surrounded and killed.

Then, the Virgin Sword, like the Dragon-Slaying Saber in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", was fiercely sought after.

It seems to follow the same pattern as the previous Heavenly Wrath Sword.

But it must be said that this kind of tactic is indeed very effective.

There's no easier way to gain reputation points than this.

While Xu Qing missed out on the benefits of signing the "Sword Contract" during this process, he gained immense prestige in return.

If the struggle for the Virgin Sword continues unchecked, it may very well end up in another country, just like the Wrath of Heaven.

But at this moment, an unexpected event occurred.

Just as the Virgin Sword was lost in the countryside of Qi.

An unnamed old man who had been living in seclusion in the village suddenly made a move, killing most of those who were vying for the Maiden Sword, with only a few managing to escape.

No one knows who the old man is.

But what is certain is that the old man became famous overnight after this battle.

Naturally, the Virgin Sword also fell into the old man's hands.

If there were no survivors, this would be the end of it.

Because of the existence of survivors, the old man's story quickly spread.

The Net learned of the old man's information.

Xu Qing also learned about this.

"Both a blind man and an old man!"

"If I remember correctly, what I forged shouldn't be the Dragon Slayer Blade!"

Xu Qing looked at the secret report in his hand and muttered to himself.

Although the struggle for the Heavenly Wrath Sword and the Maiden Sword is somewhat similar to the struggle for the Dragon-Slaying Saber, many martial arts practitioners frantically chased and fought for these divine weapons. In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Dragon-Slaying Saber eventually fell into the hands of Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, who was blind.

And now, the Virgin Sword has fallen into the hands of a blind man.

It has to be said that there are some coincidences.

Of course, Xu Qing only grumbled inwardly. But this blind man and this old man reminded him of a character in the original work.

Although there are many reclusive masters in this world.

However, there are really not many masters with similar characteristics.

At least, based on the information Xu Qing learned about the Luo Wang from Xuan Jian, there is no mention of the Six Sword Slaves within the current Luo Wang organization.

Clearly, the group of Six Sword Slaves, composed of members of the highest rank in the original work, never actually came into being.

"So, are you the blind man?"

A blind man, a top-notch expert, and an old man at that.

This reminded Xu Qing of the sword slave of the Six Sword Slaves, the one with the Broken Water Sword.

Originally, Xu Qing had no intention of getting involved after throwing the Virgin Sword away.

But the sight of this blind man suddenly appearing immediately piqued his interest.

If it really is one of the Six Sword Slaves from the original work, perhaps we could recruit one or two of them.

The other party probably hasn't joined the Luo Wang organization yet.

The fact that the other party was willing to act as Zhao Gao's lackey, and that Zhao Gao was happy to keep the other party by his side, suggests that their loyalty was quite reliable.

It's better to be your own dog than to be Zhao Gao's dog.

That's what Xu Qing thought.

He certainly couldn't do the job of finding the person himself.

Although the blind man had become famous because of the Virgin Sword, and the Virgin Sword was forged by Xu Qing, the swordsmith could sense something special when they were close by.

But that was only under close-range conditions.