Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Through their conversation, these people identified the prime suspect.

I've decided on you, Robber Zhi!

Who told you to call yourself the King of Thieves?

The thefts at the royal palace and the prime minister's residence both occurred without a sound. Very few people in the world could do such a thing, and Robber Zhi was definitely one of them.

Soon enough, the name of the target suspect appeared on Guo Kai's desk.

Upon seeing this, Guo Kai immediately concluded that it was the work of Robber Zhi.

The title "King of Thieves" sounds impressive, so this incident must have been committed by Robber Zhi.

Because both the Prime Minister's residence and the royal palace were robbed at the same time.

The Prime Minister's residence is no longer the only place under lockdown.

It refers to the entire city of Handan.

As a result, martial law was declared in Handan.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing shouldn't be done during this period.

After all, this is a critical moment for Qin to attack Zhao. Because of Zhao's repeated defeats in the war, people in Handan are already in a state of panic.

Implementing a lockdown at this time will inevitably lead many people to new speculations.

For example, the State of Zhao might be doomed.

The blockade of Handan was a desperate last stand by the King of Zhao.

The key point is that, under these circumstances, this conjecture has actually been accepted by the vast majority of people.

As for Guo Kai and Zhao Qian's order to search the entire city for treasures in order to find Dao Zhi's whereabouts, it was considered from the beginning to be an excuse and a lie.

What kind of place is the Prime Minister's Residence?

What kind of place is the royal palace?

How could a thief possibly sneak into these two important locations one after the other, and steal so many treasures under such heavy guard?

What king of thieves? In the end, he's just a petty thief.

Therefore, Guo Kai and Zhao Qian's actions were seen as an attempt to cover up the truth.

Their true purpose was nothing more than to take the opportunity to gather treasures and grains in preparation for a final desperate attempt.

Regardless of what the people in Handan thought, with Zhao Qian as King of Zhao and Guo Kai as Prime Minister, the entire city of Handan remained under their control.

Even Li Mu, who had made outstanding military achievements, was sentenced to death because of these two.

Within the city of Handan, who could defy their decisions?

For a time, the entire city of Handan was plunged into a state of fear and insecurity.

However, Guo Kai's attempt to find Dao Zhi's whereabouts was destined to be difficult.

This is simply because Dao Zhi was not even in Handan City.

However, at this moment, he was indeed in the State of Zhao.

During times of war, bandits run rampant.

It was also the time when ordinary people were most innocent, as they lost their homes and families and were displaced because of the war.

The Mohists have always been compassionate towards the common people and naturally cannot bear to see such human suffering. Therefore, whenever there is a war, Mohist disciples will go to the place where the war breaks out to help the people. In this process, many people will also choose to join the Mohists and become new Mohist disciples.

Dao Zhi arrived in the State of Zhao under such circumstances.

What he didn't know was that as soon as he arrived in the State of Zhao, he became the State of Zhao's most wanted criminal.

However, Xu Qing, the one who started all of this, did not consider himself and Dao Zhi to be a pair of star-crossed lovers.

He himself was not suffering at all. Even though he was the most wanted criminal in Yan, it was up to the people of Yan to catch him.

On the contrary, at this very moment, he is making a fortune in the State of Zhao.

Chapter 235 The Prologue to the Fall of a Kingdom, A Tragic Couple

The martial law imposed on Handan City caused widespread panic.

But it had no effect on Xu Qing and Jing Ni.

After pulling off two big heists, Xu Qing hid among the common people, working in a fairly decent restaurant in Handan. Opposite the restaurant was a dance hall. The dances of Zhao were famous throughout the world, and even in this time of national crisis, the restaurant and dance hall were still packed with people, doing excellent business.

It can also be explained from another perspective.

The more a nation is in peril, the more it needs to drown its sorrows in alcohol and forget its troubles by enjoying the songs and dances of beautiful women.

If the Zhao state were to truly fall, and given the inability to leave Handan, one would naturally have to seize the time to enjoy life and spend as much money as possible. If Handan were to fall, the money in one's hands might not be one's own anymore.

Xu Qing simply drank quietly in the restaurant, showing no intention of going to the dance hall to spend a fortune.

As for the rumors, there are several pretty girls in the dance hall across the street.

Xu Qing turned his head and looked at Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and Jing Ni beside him. These three were not bad-looking either.

Instead of wasting your money on such things, you might as well think about what delicious food to eat today.

Although Handan still existed after the fall of the Zhao state, it became a city of the Qin state, and all its rules were changed to those of the Qin state. It was no longer the original Handan.

For the rest of the time, Xu Qing stayed in a guest room at the restaurant every night.

During the day, he strolled around the city of Handan.

In terms of its objectives, the trip to the State of Zhao, having plundered the treasures of Guo Kai and Zhao Qian, can be considered to have achieved its goal.

Even if they really wanted to do something else afterward, at most they would just kill a few people, seize their souls and blood essence, and use them as materials for forging swords.

For Xu Qing now, such things are not something he cares about much.

After all, he is different now than he was in South Korea. He has successfully become a fourth-tier swordsmith, and his methods are completely different now.

The existence of a living soul is optional; it's fine if it exists, but it doesn't matter if it doesn't.

Forging a fourth-tier sword isn't limited to the "human factor" option; there are also the favorable timing and location methods.

The solemn atmosphere in Handan did not affect Xu Qing's trip.

Sometimes Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai accompanied him, and sometimes Jing Ni was by his side.

He explored all the tourist attractions in Handan.

This includes, but is not limited to, restaurants, dance halls, brothels, theaters, and other similar places...

"It seems you're not just here for fun."

Jing Ni couldn't help but speak to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's travels did not involve staying in one place for long; he did not spend much time in any one place.

Anyway, she had never seen anyone relax and unwind like this.

"I just wanted to experience the charm of the Zhao Kingdom once more."

"After this war, the State of Zhao will cease to exist. At that time, even if Handan still exists, it will no longer be the original Handan."

Xu Qing spoke calmly, explaining the reason.

Jingni's eyes flickered; she had no sense of national pride or melancholy.

Whether the State of Zhao was destroyed or the State of Qin unified the world, it was not important to her.

All she wanted was freedom.

Even though she still needs to evade the net, she has indeed gained freedom.

……

Time passed, day by day.

After losing Li Mu, there was really no need to continue this war.

Zhao's victories over the years have all been supported by Li Mu. It is no exaggeration to say that Li Mu is Zhao's Great Wall. This Great Wall not only defends against the foreign tribes on the border, but also against the fierce Qin state. However, after Zhao destroyed its own Great Wall, the Qin army immediately had no more obstacles and marched straight in. Every few days, Zhao's cities fell.

In a short period of time, Handan was in dire need of help.

This time, the entire city of Handan was truly in crisis.

If the previous lockdown was because Guo Kai and Zhao Qian were searching for lost treasures and the whereabouts of "Robber Zhi", then...

The tense atmosphere in Handan now suggests that the State of Zhao is doomed.

Even so, Guo Kai did not give up searching for Dao Zhi's whereabouts.

So much treasure has been lost, especially the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations Bronze Box that he had gone to great lengths to exchange for from the royal palace. How could he just let it go like this?

Even as the state of Zhao was on the verge of destruction and Handan was in dire need of help, he remained completely calm.

After all, he had already prepared an escape route.

Even if the Zhao state were to perish, he would still receive a high-ranking official position and generous salary.

Therefore, he continued to send people to search for Dao Zhi within the territory of Zhao.

Meanwhile, Guo Kai once again privately received the Qin envoy.

"Rest assured, I will never fail when I take action!"

"I will persuade him, but you must also keep your promise!"

“That’s natural!” the Qin envoy said in a deep voice.

After seeing off the Qin envoy, Guo Kai began preparing for another matter.

Now, the Zhao state is doomed, and only the city of Handan remains in grave danger.

According to Zhao Qian, and many other ministers, the idea was to fight to the death while secretly contacting other countries and waiting for a long time to come.

This isn't the first time Handan has been besieged.

The State of Zhao may not be unable to turn the tide in adversity.

Qin seemed to know that people can unleash unimaginable power when they are in dire straits. After all, Zhao was not the same as Han in the past. When Qin conquered Xinzheng, it did not take much effort, mainly because Han itself had fallen into chaos first.

Han Yu and Princess Honglian became estranged, and Han Yu died at Princess Honglian's hands.