Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Although he received the summons from Six-Fingered Black Knight that day and rushed to the Qin Kingdom, by the time he arrived, Six-Fingered Black Knight had already lost contact due to covering the rear, and he was not clear about the truth of the battle in the Qinling Mountains.

To be precise, the only people who truly understand that battle are Yan Dan and a few other Mohist disciples.

The rest either died at the hands of the Yin-Yang School or at the hands of the Luo Wang (a powerful organization).

"I have already sent people to search for the whereabouts of the Grandmaster..." Yan Dan delivered a piece of bad news. No news was bad news in itself, meaning that Six-Fingered Black Knight was likely in grave danger.

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the Mohist school looked quite disappointed.

Then they heard Yan Dan say, "Today, I invited you all here for another matter."

"What is it? Your Highness, please speak?" Master Ban, a senior scholar with white hair and beard, asked Yan Dan in a deep voice.

Yan Dan's gaze swept over the crowd, and he spoke in a deep voice: "The Qin state is tyrannical and ambitious, treating human life as worthless. The people of Han and Zhao have been enslaved by Qin and have suffered greatly. Now, Qin has its army at the Yi River, intending to destroy the Yan state. If it succeeds, the people of Yan will also be plunged into misery. The Six-Fingered Giant was benevolent and righteous, knowing my concern for the Yan state, so he traveled a thousand miles to see me off. I never expected that he would fall into the hands of Qin because of this, and now his whereabouts are unknown!"

"The reason for this is all because of Qin's ruler, Ying Zheng. It is because of his existence that Qin has committed so many evil deeds. If such a tyrant is not eliminated, the world will never have peace, and the Mohist principles of non-aggression and universal love will ultimately become empty talk!"

"Therefore, during this period of time, I worked day and night, racking my brains, and finally found a way to save the Yan Kingdom and all the people of the world!"

"It is—to assassinate the King of Qin!"

Yan Dan spoke each word clearly and forcefully, “Only by taking Ying Zheng’s head can we slow down Qin’s conquests and win a glimmer of hope for Yan and the world!”

"Assassination of the Qin Emperor?"

Upon hearing this plan, the various leaders exchanged bewildered glances.

They never imagined that Yan Dan would come up with such a crazy plan.

The commander thought of the destruction of the states of Han and Zhao, and the scenes of the common people he saw during his travels in those two states, where families were broken and people were displaced. This made him feel more resentful towards the state of Qin.

He immediately declared to Yan Dan, "Ying Zheng truly deserves to die!"

Some expressed concerns, saying, "While the Qin state is indeed tyrannical, it cannot conceal the fact that it is powerful. If the King of Qin dies, the entire Qin state may descend into madness, and their retaliation could cause even greater disasters..."

"Our Mohist school has always upheld the principle of non-aggression, and we cannot harm the people of the world for our own selfish interests."

“How can this be considered personal gain?” Before the first commander could finish speaking, another commander retorted, “Your Highness, you heard what was said earlier.”

"It is not that we are the ones who bring disaster upon the people, but that the very existence of the Qin state is the greatest calamity in the world."

"Ying Zheng was the root cause of everything."

Several leaders of the Mohist school expressed their opinions one after another.

Ultimately, this was tantamount to agreeing to Yan Dan's assassination plot against the King of Qin.

The main reason is that in recent years, the Qin state has destroyed two other states, and they have seen many innocent people, which has fueled their resentment towards the Qin state.

Although wars have been ongoing since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, this is the norm in this world.

However, the wars in recent years have all been caused by the Qin state.

Given their already unfriendly attitude towards the Qin state, the fact that the Grand Master was "harmed" by Qin has brought their hatred for Qin to an unprecedented peak.

In addition, there is another reason: Yan Dan himself is the successor chosen by Six-Fingered Black Knight.

If Six-Fingered Black Knight really is dead.

Then Yan Dan will be the next Grand Master.

They were merely receiving orders from the next leader.

"Excellent!" Yan Dan was also extremely excited as he looked at the crowd who agreed to assassinate the Qin emperor. "With everyone's help, what is there to worry about in achieving our great goal?"

"Rest assured, everyone, I will do my utmost to provide gold, silver, carriages, horses, and intelligence to help you select elite troops and forge hidden weapons. I only ask for two things: first, to avenge the Black Knight, and second, to save the people of the world. After the matter is accomplished, the Yan Kingdom will certainly treat the Mohists generously; if anything goes wrong, I will bear all the blame and will never let the Mohists fall into dire straits!"

……

Legend has it that in ancient times, Mount Hua and Mount Shaohua were originally one. When the Yellow River reached this point, it was blocked by the two mountains, causing floods and the evil spirits of the underworld to leak out with the water, resulting in the death of people on both banks.

The living were ravaged by the flood, and the souls of the dead had nowhere to go, causing chaos in the order of Yin and Yang.

The Heavenly Emperor then ordered the Yellow River God, Juling, to control the floods. This deity, born from the yin and yang energies, discovered that the tops of the two mountains had separated, with only their bottoms connected to form an obstruction.

After resting and recuperating for three days atop Mount Hua, the giant spirit grasped the peaks of Mount Taihua and Mount Shaohua in each hand, unleashed a mighty roar, and forcefully split the mountains apart. He then stomped on the base of the mountains, finally cleaving the two mountains completely in two.

The Yellow River rushes through the valley, forming the "Dragon Gate" canyon. The space between the two mountains not only becomes a natural passage for the Yellow River, but also forms an invisible boundary between yin and yang due to the infusion of divine power.

The fingerprints, handprints, and footprints left by the giant spirit when it split the mountain still remain on the cliff face of the East Peak of Mount Hua. These marks are regarded as "talismans to suppress evil spirits," constantly reinforcing the boundary between Yin and Yang between the two mountains and preventing Yin evil spirits from crossing the boundary and disturbing the Yang world.

Xu Qing originally thought that the legend of the giant splitting the mountain might not have spread until a later era.

As it turned out, after getting close to Mount Hua in person, I discovered that such legends had been circulating in the vicinity for some time.

Besides these kinds of legends, there are many other legends related to Mount Hua.

However, Xu Qing's main purpose in coming here was not to explore the legends and record them in a book.

It was for forging swords!

Back in the State of Qi, he forged a fourth-tier sword called "Spring and Autumn" atop Mount Tai. Today, he has brought Six-Fingered Black Knight, Jing Ni, Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and others to Mount Hua to forge a sword specifically for Six-Fingered Black Knight.

"It's just forging a sword, is it really necessary to go to all this trouble and come all the way here?"

The Six-Fingered Black Knight raised an eyebrow as he looked at the steep and precipitous Mount Hua before him.

He remained skeptical of Xu Qing's claim that he used his sword-forging skills to help him suppress the Six Soul Curse.

He wanted to contact the Mo family, but according to Xu Qing, it would be better to wait until the effects of the Six Soul Curse were completely eliminated before contacting the Mo family.

Contacting the Mohists before this was purely to cause them trouble and make them worry.

That makes sense, but the problem is, how do we break the Six Souls Curse?

What Six-Fingered Black Knight really wanted to do was hand over the Non-Aggression and Black Eyebrows artifacts to the Mo family.

Unfortunately, Xu Qing refused to help, leaving Six-Fingered Black Knight helpless.

Ultimately, with his legs crippled, the few extra days he can live depend on Xu Qing's help to suppress the Six Soul Curse. He has no say in anything and can only follow Xu Qing's lead.

"Mount Hua is a place where Yin and Yang are separated, an extraordinary place. Forging swords here will result in better swords."

Xu Qing turned his head and explained something to the Six-Fingered Black Knight.

Well, for some reason, Six-Fingered Black Knight can't climb Mount Hua, so at this moment, he's being carried on Xu Qing's back.

Xu Qing is a kind and honest person.

They didn't dislike Six-Fingered Black Knight because of his slovenly appearance. After taking him out, they even helped him clean up. Now, they are carrying the old man up the mountain.

Six-Fingered Black Knight doesn't understand any of this.

He was passively led by Xu Qing towards the summit of Mount Hua.

Chapter 249 Forging the Sword at Mount Hua

The South Peak of Mount Hua, the highest peak among the Five Sacred Mountains, is not only the highest point of Mount Hua, but also the undisputed first peak among the Five Sacred Mountains.

Many people praise Mount Tai for its grandeur, but they don't realize that it's only because the Qilu Plain lacks any other high mountains to contrast with it that Mount Tai appears so prominent and majestic.

In terms of altitude, Mount Tai is actually quite average among the Five Sacred Mountains, and the climbing path is gentle with not many dangers.

Mount Hua, on the other hand, is completely different. Its perilousness is unparalleled in the world, and it has been known as "the most dangerous mountain under heaven" since ancient times. Even during the Tang Dynasty, the great writer Han Yu climbed this mountain and saw that the cliffs were as if cut by a knife and axe, with bottomless depths shrouded in clouds and mist. He was so frightened that he was terrified, wept bitterly, and almost threw himself off the cliff.

If it was like this during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, then the roads to the main peak of Mount Hua during the pre-Qin period must have been even more rugged and steep, a perilous journey at every turn.

For ordinary people, the South Peak of Mount Hua is an unattainable and perilous place. A slight misstep could lead to a fall into the abyss, leaving no trace of their remains.

But this hardship was nothing to Xu Qing and his group. Even with the Six-Fingered Black Knight on Xu Qing's back, the group reached the summit with ease in just a short time.

At the mountaintop, the snow had not yet melted, the north wind was biting, and the cold was bone-chilling.

A rising sun hangs in the sky, its rays reflecting off the snow-covered peaks, bathing the entire summit in a white glow. Though there is no scorching heat, the scene possesses a unique, crisp, and magnificent beauty.

Xu Qing searched for a while on the summit but did not see the "Peak of Mount Hua" boulder commonly seen in martial arts dramas. He couldn't help but smile to himself. His thoughts on climbing the mountain were not on the legends and anecdotes of Mount Hua, but on the well-known "Mount Hua Sword Tournament." Unfortunately, reality is different from movies and TV dramas.

"The scenery here is quite nice."

As Xu Qing was deep in thought, Jing Ni beside him slowly walked to the edge of the South Peak and gazed into the distance from the cliff.

Just then, a gust of wind howled in, blowing away most of the clouds and mist surrounding the mountain peaks. Looking around, one could see rolling mountains, lush and verdant; the Yellow River and the Wei River meandered like silver ribbons, sometimes visible and sometimes hidden; the plains below stretched out endlessly, as smooth as silk, with countless scenic views spread out before one's eyes, making one's heart and mind expand.

Xu Qing put down the Six-Fingered Black Knight.

The latter took off the two canes from his back, circulated his internal energy, and used the force of the canes touching the ground to leap to the edge of the cliff, quietly admiring the magnificent landscape.

Since becoming disabled in both legs, he has had great difficulty moving around. If Xu Qing hadn't carried him, he would never have been able to climb this peak.

These two makeshift walking sticks, though insufficient to support him in climbing mountains and crossing valleys, allowed him to move around with difficulty on flat ground. Being able to enjoy such a magnificent view now made the trip worthwhile.

"What a magnificent and beautiful landscape!" Six-Fingered Black Knight exclaimed sincerely, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy. "To be able to see such a view in my lifetime is truly a life well-lived."

Ever since he was afflicted by the Six Souls Curse and his life began its countdown, he has often uttered these meaningless sighs, as if he wanted to pour out all the unfulfilled feelings of his life.

Xu Qing didn't say much, but simply led Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai to the edge of the cliff and quietly admired the magnificent view before them.

Even the most beautiful scenery can become tiresome after a while, especially when the wind whips up clouds and fog again, completely obscuring the view, and the initial awe fades considerably.

"We can begin!"

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on sensing for a moment.

In the next instant, his eyes snapped open, and his figure flickered like a ghost, landing on a flat area on the South Peak. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, an invisible surge of energy swept out, clearing the snow from the ground.

Six-Fingered Black Knight and Jing Ni stared intently at him. Although they had seen Xu Qing casually draw his sword before and knew that his sword-hiding skills were unparalleled, what they saw now still greatly shocked them. Xu Qing's storage ability was even more astonishing than they had imagined.

Xu Qing's hands flew, and one by one, he took out the materials needed to forge the sword from his sleeves. Some of the items were even larger than his own body, and it was unknown how he had hidden them.

In a short time, he completed the construction of an ancient and imposing sword-forging furnace.

The whole process was smooth and effortless. Six-Fingered Black Knight and Jing Ni wanted to step forward to help, but they didn't know where to start and could only stand aside and watch quietly.

They all knew that the swords forged by Xu Qing were incredibly powerful, but they had never witnessed the entire forging process. To have this opportunity today was a great stroke of luck on their journey.

After the sword-forging furnace was completed, Xu Qing took out several pieces of jade with strange colors. A gleaming carving knife appeared in his hand, and he bent down to carve on the jade.

What he carved were not words, but some mysterious and difficult-to-understand special symbols. The flowing lines of the symbols exuded a mysterious aura.

This process did not last long. After all the jade stones were engraved with symbols, Xu Qing got up and buried them in various hidden places on the mountaintop, and then returned to the sword-forging furnace.

"rise!"

With a low shout, Xu Qing's hand seals rapidly solidified.

In an instant, a fierce wind arose on the summit of Mount Hua. This wind was not the usual northerly wind in the mountains, but rather a wind that arose from the ground and carried a powerful momentum, sweeping across the entire peak.