Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Tian Meng's pupils contracted sharply, and the excitement and anticipation on his face froze instantly, replaced by undisguised shock and astonishment.

He looked at Tian Guang abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He thought he had misheard; he never imagined such words would come from the mouth of the chivalrous leader.

Who is Ying Zheng? He is the king of Qin, who conquered two countries, and is the most powerful person in the world. He lives deep in the Xianyang Palace, surrounded by a forest of guards and a cloud of experts.

To assassinate such an emperor is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, with almost certain death!

He originally thought that the leader of the chivalrous sect had summoned him to formally establish his status as the successor of the chivalrous sect. He was prepared for the possibility of being given important power or territory. However, he never expected that it would be such a deadly mission.

"Chief, this...this is impossible!" Tian Meng's voice trembled, his previous high spirits completely gone. "Ying Zheng is heavily guarded. The slightest mistake could result in our deaths. There is absolutely no chance of success!"

Tian Guang looked at him calmly, without the slightest emotion, and slowly raised his hand to gesture for him to sit down: "Tian Meng, please calm down. I am well aware of how difficult this matter is, but if it were not of great importance, I would not have entrusted such a heavy responsibility to you."

Tian Meng could only sit back down at his desk, his mind still churning, but he knew that arguing would be pointless at this moment, so he could only patiently listen.

"Do you know why the peasant family was able to stand firm in chaotic times, and why the Tian clan held such a pivotal position within the peasant family?" Tian Guang spoke slowly, his tone carrying an undeniable authority. "It is due to the hard work of the peasant family's ancestors throughout the ages, and even more so because the Tian clan has always shouldered the heavy responsibilities of the peasant family and enjoyed its most generous benefits. The peasant family's resources are preferentially allocated to you, and power and status are entirely under your control. All of this was not obtained out of thin air."

Tian Meng opened his mouth as if to say something, but Tian Guang raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Now, I am valued by the King of Yan and entrusted with important responsibilities. The King of Yan treats me as a national hero, and I must repay him. The Qin state is tyrannical, and their army has advanced to the vicinity of the Yi River. They may attack Yan at any time and destroy the Yan state. Ying Zheng is the King of Qin. Assassinating him will not only buy Yan a chance to breathe, but also win the hearts of the people for the peasant family. This is a matter of righteousness, and it is also the responsibility that the Tian family should fulfill."

Tian Guang's voice grew stronger, "With every bit of glory you enjoy comes a corresponding responsibility. When necessary, you must be willing to sacrifice yourself without hesitation. This is the responsibility that the Tian clan should have, and it is also why I chose you."

Tian Guang's words struck Tian Meng's heart like a heavy hammer.

He knew that Tian Guang was using moral blackmail, trying to coerce him with the status and benefits of the Tian family.

If he refuses, he will be betraying the Tian family and the peasantry. Not only will he have no hope of becoming the leader of the knights, but he may even be punished by Tian Guang for "disloyalty and injustice".

After all, Tian Guang is the true leader of the knights.

It's hard to ride a tiger.

Tian Meng instantly understood his predicament. Looking at Tian Guang's seemingly gentle yet sharp face, he knew he had no choice.

But deep down, he was burning with rage.

'That sounds nice, but you're the one valued by the Prince of Yan. Why should I be the one to sacrifice myself?'

'Why don't you sacrifice yourself?'

However, Tian Meng could only think these words in his heart; he could never say them to someone's face.

Even the chieftain had gone to such lengths that he had no chance of refusing.

“I…” Tian Meng took a deep breath, suppressing the unwillingness and fear in his heart, and said with difficulty, “I understand, Xia Kui. I, Tian Meng, am willing to accept this important task.”

Hearing his agreement, Tian Guang finally showed a satisfied smile: "Good! You truly are someone I value. Don't worry, I will arrange everything for you and provide ample assistance to help you accomplish this!"

"Thank you, Chief Hero," Tian Meng replied, bowing his head. His voice was emotionless, but his clenched fists and slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his inner turmoil.

Subsequently, Tian Guang arranged for Tian Meng to stay in Jicheng.

In the following days, Tian Guang had people teach Tian Meng various etiquette skills in preparation for him to enter Qin disguised as an envoy.

On the surface, Tian Meng was completely obedient and dutifully learned various etiquette rules.

Once those who had taught him had left and he was alone, his anger erupted again, and the words of the chivalrous leader from that day resurfaced in his mind.

"Trying to use righteousness to coerce me into becoming a scapegoat won't be that easy!"

He was no fool willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. His earlier struggle for the succession and his scheming against Chen Sheng were all for power and status, for the better enjoyment of wealth and honor, not for dying for someone else.

Tian Guang's words, though seemingly pushing him into a corner, also stirred a strange thought in his mind.

Why was Tian Guang so determined to assassinate Ying Zheng? Was it merely for the sake of the Yan state and the peasantry? It's probably not that simple.

He recalled what he had seen and heard in the farmhouse over the years. Tian Guang seemed to be delegating power to the various halls, but in reality, he firmly controlled the core power of the farmhouse. Moreover, he always acted mysteriously, and many of his decisions were strange.

In particular, when he chose himself and Chen Sheng as his successors, he didn't reveal anything, including what they were supposed to inherit.

The fact that he was suddenly summoned to be entrusted with the important task of assassinating the Qin emperor seems to conceal some unknown secret.

So, how do we break this deadlock?

Tian Meng quickly came up with a solution.

Previously, he and his brother had been ordered by the leader of the knight-errant to secretly assist the Mo family.

During that process, he learned some of the secrets of the chivalrous leader.

It was during that process that he made a friend.

The key to breaking the deadlock may lie with that person.

……

After leaving the city of the mechanical city, Xu Qing quickly headed towards the Qin Kingdom.

His speed was neither fast nor slow.

Previously, due to the urgency of the matter, they had traveled day and night through wind and rain with Six-Fingered Black Knight. Now, on the return journey, although they were somewhat worried about Jing Ni, as well as Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai, there was no need to rush.

If something really happens to them, it won't be something that the little bit of time gained by rushing along can stop.

People should treat themselves a little bit better.

As he traveled, although not much time had passed since he arrived, Xu Qing still noticed some changes when he passed through the State of Zhao.

The order in the State of Zhao is gradually shifting from chaos to order.

The people of Qin are governing the state of Zhao, and from time to time, soldiers can be seen besieging and suppressing bandits and the like.

The Qin conquest of the six states was undoubtedly a painful experience for the people of those states.

However, from the perspective of the world, unification is inevitable if we want to end the millennia-long war.

They returned to the territory of the Qin state.

When Xu Qing arrived at the place where Jing Ni, Xiao Hei, and Xiao Bai had been, he did not find them immediately.

This made Xu Qing frown slightly. He was thinking about whether to use the "Thousand Mile Soul Locking" method he had used to find the Six-Fingered Black Knight to locate them when he discovered the mark left by Jing Ni.

So, following those marks, he arrived at a market and found an inn.

Enter the inn, find the specific room, and knock on the door three times.

A deep male voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

"it's me!"

Xu Qing didn't change her tone and responded directly.

The door opened quickly, and Jing Ni came into view.

"You're back!"

Upon seeing Xu Qing, Jing Ni was subtly excited.

Xu Qing nodded and then walked into the room. He saw Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai in the corner of the room, looking wary, but they relaxed their guard after noticing that the visitor was Xu Qing.

"It seems something has happened."

Noticing the three men's wary posture, Xu Qing spoke, his expression gentle.

Jing Ni explained to Xu Qing, "Not long after you left, the people from the Luo Wang organization appeared in that area..."

"Both the Yin-Yang School and the Luo Net are forces of the Qin State, and there may be information exchanged between them. Since the Luo Net has appeared, the Yin-Yang School is also very likely to come looking for us, so we chose to relocate."

"A wise choice!" Xu Qing commented on Jing Ni's actions.

After the appearance of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), although the Yin Yang School did not show up immediately, it was really not worth taking such a risk.

Xu Qing was naturally not afraid of the Luo Wang and the Yin Yang School.

However, the strength of Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and Jing Ni did not support their unbridled behavior.

Within the Luo Wang and Yin Yang Schools, there are some experts of equal or even greater caliber than them.

"However, if you choose to travel with me, you may encounter some dangers. Of course, if I am by your side, I will ensure your safety."

Xu Qing then addressed the three people in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Jingni's eyes flashed with a bright light. "Since you've put it that way, I'll gladly oblige!"

Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai didn't say those words, they just nodded silently.

Unlike Jing Ni, the two of them actually had nowhere else to go.

After the State of Qi fell into Xu Qing's hands, and they were subsequently subdued by Xu Qing's powerful strength, they also experienced some conflicts with the high-ranking members of the Yin Yang School. For them, there is now only one path left to follow: the darkest of times.

The only option is to stay close to Xu Qing and seek his protection.

"Very good, then our next stop is Xianyang!"

In a daze, Xu Qing seemed to have returned to his youth.

After rescuing Jing Ke and Gongsun Liji, he led them to the next destination, which was Xinling. Now, however, he is heading to a place he has never been before, yet which is hidden in the center of the world's turmoil.

After years of developing in the shadows, it's time to go to Xianyang and meet those influential figures.

To be precise, he still owes Gai Nie a sword.

Perhaps even Gai Nie himself is unaware of these things.

However, for Xu Qing, he had forged a fourth-tier sword called "Ling Shuang" for Wei Zhuang. Since Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were destined rivals, they naturally needed to obtain a sword that could match the Ling Shuang sword.

The main reason is that Xu Qing ruined Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, and the Remnant Rainbow Sword did not enter Qin, which indirectly prevented the Abyss Rainbow Sword from being born. Xu Qing is preparing to make up for this.

……

Just as Xu Qing was heading towards Xianyang.

On the other side, some people had just left the State of Yan.

After a brief training period, Tian Meng successfully became an envoy of the Yan state.

He set off for the Qin state with the imperial insignia, an identity he had never held before. If it weren't for the mission given to him by the chivalrous leader, Tian Meng would naturally have enjoyed this identity immensely.

In the past, the head of a farming family's branch seemed to have a prominent status, but how many people were there in a farming family's branch?

But now things are different. As an envoy of the Yan state, his every move represents the Yan state. Although he does not hold a specific official position, he has indeed gained a very high social status in the Yan state.

Tian Meng gradually understood why the chivalrous leader had chosen to associate with the Yan Kingdom.

Although the State of Yan was weak, it was still a behemoth compared to the peasantry.