Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Even so, Xu Qing did not take the matter to heart.

Killing these soldiers with a single sword stroke only slightly soiled his clothes. Without pausing, he continued towards the Zhao Kingdom with Jingni, Xiaohei, and Xiaobai.

They have not yet reached the border of the Zhao state.

Then came the sound of horses' hooves.

A larger army launched a fierce attack.

Chapter 231 A World-Shaking Sword, A Thousand Armies Retreat

On the banks of the Yi River, smoke and dust billowed as more and more Yan soldiers marched toward this side.

Fortunately, there was a buffer zone between this place and the border of the Zhao state. Otherwise, if Zhao scouts had seen such a large-scale troop movement, it would have inevitably ignited a conflict between the two countries during the height of the Qin-Zhao war, creating unforeseen circumstances.

This was a crucial moment when the Qin state launched a major offensive against Zhao.

The Qin people's counter-espionage tactics were so vicious that they caused the Zhao state to destroy its own defenses. King Qian of Zhao listened to the slander and "ordered the death" of Li Mu, a pillar of the state, and instead appointed Sima Shang as the commander-in-chief of the front line.

Although Sima Shang was not an incompetent man and possessed some military leadership skills, he ultimately could not match Li Mu's foresight and illustrious reputation. The situation on the front lines immediately took a sharp turn for the worse. Meng Tian's Qin army seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, and the Zhao army's defenses suffered successive defeats, losing thousands of miles of territory.

The successive defeats at the front lines have put the Zhao border garrison on high alert, ready to face any threat.

However, this large-scale mobilization of the Yan army was not intended to take advantage of the Zhao state's crisis to launch an invasion. Their only goal was to capture a wanted criminal within the Yan state.

On his tall horse, Yan Yi, the general of the Yan army, had a face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Upon learning of Xu Qing's whereabouts, he immediately dispatched an elite squad to capture him. He thought it would be a simple matter, but unexpectedly, bad news came shortly afterward: the hundred-man squad he sent out had been completely wiped out!

The returning scouts described the battlefield as horrific, even more so than the bloodiest massacres on the battlefield.

But Yan Yi refused to believe this. He had climbed out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood to become the Grand General of Yan. What storms hadn't he seen?

At first, he thought the scout was exaggerating, but when he confirmed that none of the hundred-man squad had survived, his heart sank. No wonder this person could commit such a shocking crime; he was actually quite capable.

But the more this is the case, the more Yan Yi wants to take him down.

Otherwise, wouldn't those hundred soldiers have sacrificed themselves in vain?

More importantly, he had already considered capturing Xu Qing as a sure thing, and he would never allow such a prize to slip away.

The sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, reaching Xu Qing's ears like a thunderclap.

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed at the massive army approaching from the horizon behind him. A sneer curled at the corner of his lips, his tone laced with disdain: "What a grand display!"

Upon seeing this, Jingni, Xiaohei, and Xiaobai's expressions instantly turned serious.

Even the most skilled martial arts masters are ultimately insignificant in the face of a massive army, for human strength has its limits.

Once trapped in battle and unable to escape immediately, one faces endless encirclement and slaughter.

Even the most skilled fighters can kill one, ten, or even a hundred people, but when faced with the relentless attacks of thousands or tens of thousands, they will eventually die from exhaustion.

Moreover, the soldiers in the army were not like the chaotic fighting among the outlaws. They were well-coordinated, attacking with a mix of long and short weapons, and there were also powerful bows and crossbows that concealed deadly intent.

Even ordinary martial arts masters would find it difficult to escape being riddled with arrows under a dense barrage. Jing Ni was quite confident in her own strength, yet she only dared to assert that she could escape unscathed from an army of a hundred men; the combined strength of Shao Siming and the Black and White Sisters was probably only at this level.

The massive army before them numbered at least several thousand.

It can only be said that the generals of this Yan army were too cautious, and they did not hesitate to use such a large force to deal with Xu Qing alone.

However, considering Xu Qing's terrifying record of instantly killing a hundred people with a single sword strike, the opponent's caution is understandable.

"Let's go quickly!" Jing Ni said succinctly, her tone tinged with urgency. The army hadn't completely surrounded them yet; there was still some distance to go. If they moved fast enough, there was a chance they could escape the crisis.

Without saying much, Xu Qing moved swiftly and, together with Jing Ni, Xiao Hei, and Xiao Bai, quickly retreated, speeding towards the Zhao Kingdom's border ahead.

Although he had anticipated that the trouble would not end easily, it would be best to avoid unnecessary losses. Facing thousands of soldiers head-on was ultimately quite risky.

"Are you able to leave?"

On the other side, Yan Yi, who was galloping on his horse, saw that Xu Qing and the other three were trying to escape. He immediately shouted coldly, his eyes full of ferocity.

If he had encountered Xu Qing first, he might have considered sparing his life, especially considering the three women beside Xu Qing were quite beautiful. However, after the scout's embellished account, he was already burning with rage and only wanted to capture Xu Qing as soon as possible to console his fallen soldiers. He no longer cared about sparing any lives.

"Archers, fire!"

Upon receiving the order, hundreds of archers immediately nocked their arrows.

The next instant, a whooshing sound resounded through the sky, and countless arrows, like dark clouds pressing down, shot towards the location of Xu Qing and his companions. In the blink of an eye, the arrows were already overhead.

Without saying a word, Jing Ni drew her "Jing Ni Sword" from her body.

Although the Flying Shadow Sword is sharp and easy to use, it requires internal energy and is more suitable for surprise assassinations. Faced with such a dense barrage of arrows and a large army, it is ultimately not as handy as the Jingni Sword.

Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai instantly stood side by side, their inner energy surging forth and transforming into two swimming fish, one black and one white, which intertwined and condensed above the four people's heads, forming a Tai Chi Yin Yang diagram with flowing light, already prepared for defense.

Just then, Xu Qing slowly began to move.

He did not use the "Mo Wen Sword" he had previously used, intending to end his trip to Yan with that sword, but the commotion he caused was much greater than he had anticipated.

After much thought, I decided it would be more appropriate to change to a different sword.

As soon as I got my hands on the Spring and Autumn Sword, the cool touch spread from my fingertips.

Xu Qing's movements appeared slow, but in reality, with a thought, the longsword was already in his hand, and the speed he displayed was in no way inferior to Jing Ni and the Black and White Sisters.

With a single swing of his sword, invisible sword energy instantly filled the heavens and earth. The arrows that flew towards Xu Qing were frozen in mid-air as if they had been frozen in place, unable to move.

Then, the sword light surged, like the blazing sun in the heavens, dazzling and blinding the Yan soldiers below and Yan Yi on horseback.

In an instant, everyone's gaze froze, and time seemed to lose its meaning at that moment.

Before the vastness of heaven and earth, mortal beings are but dust and mustard seeds, and under this dazzling sword light, even their breath stops.

The world was silent, yet Xu Qing moved with lightning speed. He used the Lightning Speed ​​Step to its fullest extent, and a dazzling bolt of lightning stood out against the deathly stillness. In an instant, he traversed several meters and appeared beside Yan Yi.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Xu Qing caught Yan Yi off guard and pulled him directly off his horse, sending him flying involuntarily toward Xu Qing's location.

As the light of the Spring and Autumn Sword dissipated and the world returned to normal, Yan Yi was about to see how Xu Qing and the other three perished under a hail of arrows when he suddenly felt a dizzying sensation.

He suddenly turned his head and met Xu Qing's ambiguous smile. Then, he was violently thrown out, tracing a pathetic arc in the air.

Those arrows that had been suspended in mid-air were finally freed and fell like raindrops.

"Do not!!"

Yan Yi was in mid-air, watching the dense barrage of arrows shooting towards him, and only had time to let out an extremely shrill scream.

In the next instant, countless arrows pierced his body, turning this Yan general into a pincushion.

The arrows continued to rain down on Xu Qing and his companions, but Jing Ni and the Black and White Sisters were prepared. Their swords flashed and the Yin-Yang Diagram intertwined, deflecting all the incoming arrows. However, such intense defense was extremely taxing on their internal energy, and if the Yan army continued to fire arrows in rotation, they would eventually find it difficult to hold out for long.

But after the first volley of arrows, the Yan soldiers stood frozen in place, their eyes fixed on the corpse floating in the air in front of Xu Qing and the others. It was their General Yan Yi!

Suddenly, their commander appeared there and was killed by an arrow shot by their own hands!

"General!"

After a long silence, a heart-wrenching cry pierced the stillness; it was Yan Yi's deputy general.

This exclamation completely revealed the cruel truth, waking all the bewildered soldiers from their daze.

The general is really dead!

They were the ones who killed the general with their own hands!

The deputy general was filled with grief and indignation and was about to give the order for the archers to continue firing arrows and kill Xu Qing and the other three on the spot to avenge Yan Yi.

However, Xu Qing had already anticipated his thoughts.

Another sword was swung out, and a dazzling sword light burst forth, but it did not contain any terrifying killing power. Instead, it carried a strange and alluring power. This was actually the most advanced illusion technique in the world!

As the sword flashed, time seemed to stand still once more. All the Yan soldiers, including the deputy general, were frozen in place, their thoughts frozen in place.

"Let's go!" Xu Qing said succinctly.

Upon hearing this, Jingni, Xiaohei, and Xiaobai immediately activated their movement techniques at full speed and sped off into the distance.

Xu Qing followed closely behind. If it weren't for the need to look after the three women, his lightning-fast speed would have already left everyone far behind. In the blink of an eye, the four of them had already created a great distance between them.

Xu Qing's illusory sword light only slowly dissipated after their figures disappeared on the horizon.

The Yan soldiers snapped out of their daze, and the deputy general suddenly came to his senses, shouting sharply, "Kill them all and avenge the General!"

The soldiers hurriedly nocked their arrows, but when they looked up, all that remained on the ground in front of them was Yan Yi's corpse, riddled with arrows. The four murderers had already vanished without a trace.

……

"What a terrifying sword!"

He continuously used his agility to shake off the pursuing army behind him.

Only after she was completely safe did Jing Ni have the mind to examine the methods Xu Qing had used earlier.

Xu Qing used four sword techniques today.

Aside from the second sword strike, which only ended the life of a centurion from a distance, the other three sword strikes were more terrifying than the last.

The first sword strike instantly killed a hundred soldiers.

The third sword strike froze many arrows in mid-air. Then, Xu Qing used extreme speed to seize the enemy's commander, causing him to die under the arrows he had ordered to be released.

The fourth strike brought the army to a standstill, giving them a chance to escape.

"It's just so-so!"

Xu Qing acted very casually in response to Jing Ni's praise.

In his opinion, his previous move was not worth mentioning at all.

If he wanted, he could even choose to charge head-on into these few thousand soldiers, fighting his way in and out several times.

But after thinking about it, he gave up.

After all, this trip through Yan was not for revenge or anything. Killing Yan Yi was already an unexpected event. What would be the point of directly attacking so many troops, other than further enhancing one's reputation throughout the world?

On the contrary, it will expose too much of your true nature, and thus attract the attention of certain people or forces.

"Was that sword from before also forged by you?"

Seeing that Xu Qing was unwilling to say much about his personal strength, Jing Ni changed her approach and asked Xu Qing a different question.

During her trip to the Confucian school, she witnessed the "Oneness" sword in Yan Lu's hands and learned from Yan Lu that Xu Qing had gifted the Confucian school several famous swords.

Today, seeing Xu Qing wield the "Mo Wen" and "Chun Qiu" swords again inevitably reminded her of why she initially paid attention to Xu Qing. She had noticed him not because of his great strength, but because of his superb sword-making skills.