Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The reason why Gai Nie was valued so highly by the King was because of his strength, right?

If he loses, Gai Nie will lose face, and the king's trust in him will also decrease.

Zhao Gao was right to think that way. Therefore, under his secret instructions, Luo Wang quickly spread the news. They not only made public Gai Nie's identity as the chief swordsmanship instructor in the palace, but also exaggerated Gai Nie's superb swordsmanship, claiming that he had killed dozens of top assassins from the six states on his own and was one of the most trusted guards of the King of Qin.

Gai Nie, who was originally unknown, became a household name in Xianyang City overnight, and people in the martial arts world had even more awe for this sword saint who was hidden deep in the palace.

To be valued by the King of Qin, one's strength must far surpass that of ordinary martial arts masters.

The news spread like wildfire and naturally reached the Qin Palace, where it also reached Gai Nie's ears.

At that time, Gai Nie was teaching Prince Fusu how to use a sword.

He was dressed in a simple, close-fitting outfit, holding a long sword. His movements were steady and powerful, each move concise and refined, yet containing boundless power.

Young Prince Fusu studied diligently, deliberately imitating Gai Nie's style in every move.

A eunuch tiptoed forward and whispered to Gai Nie about the commotion on the streets of Xianyang, including Xu Qing's display of his sword, his defeat of many martial arts masters, and his public challenge to him.

Upon hearing this, Gai Nie continued his swordplay without stopping, only his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

His longsword traced a precise arc, stopping steadily three inches in front of Fusu. His tone was calm: "Young Master, let's end our sword practice here for today."

Fusu stopped what he was doing, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked curiously, "Mr. Gai, has something happened?"

“It’s just a trivial matter in the martial world.” Gai Nie sheathed his sword, his tone still calm. “Someone is provoking and testing their sword in the street; it’s not worth mentioning.”

In his view, it was normal for people in the martial arts world to be competitive, and even if that person was arrogant, he was nothing more than a show-off.

He bears the heavy responsibility of protecting the King of Qin and the prince, so naturally he will not be easily swayed by such conflicts in the martial world.

However, in the following days, news about Xu Qing entered the Qin Palace more and more frequently.

First, someone reported that Xu Qing had been sitting quietly in the open space for three days. During this time, more than ten famous masters from the Qin Kingdom's martial arts world came to challenge him, and all of them were defeated. Among them were several swordsmen who were quite renowned in Xianyang.

Then someone else said that Xu Qing once again declared that no one in the Qin Kingdom's martial arts world could rival him. If Gai Nie continued to avoid the issue, it would be an admission that Qin's swordsmanship was inferior to that of the other six kingdoms, and that the entire Qin Kingdom would lose face.

On this day, Gai Nie had just come out of the Qin King's palace when he encountered several palace guards commanders.

These commanders, who also practiced swordsmanship, held Gai Nie in high esteem. Upon seeing him, they all stepped forward and said, "Mr. Gai, you must have heard about what happened. That madman was too arrogant in the streets, defeating many of our Qin's best fighters. Now he has even publicly humiliated our Qin for having no one to stand up for us. You can no longer sit idly by!"

"Indeed, sir! As the chief swordsmanship instructor of Qin, if you do not take action, the world will probably think that no one in Qin can defeat this madman!"

Gai Nie remained silent, his steps unwavering.

He wasn't afraid of Xu Qing; he simply didn't want to let the conflicts of the martial world interfere with his important business.

But these words landed on his heart like pebbles, creating ripples.

When he was very young, he entered the Guigu School, where he learned swordsmanship, fought against masters from all walks of life, and striving to reach the highest level of swordsmanship was one of his pursuits.

Now, Gai Nie is at the peak of his life, and he doesn't yet have the sense of vicissitude that the middle-aged Gai Nie in the original work had. Of course, he can't be indifferent to the world.

Someone has challenged him, and ignoring it would seem cowardly of him.

He was never one to back down from a fight.

That night, Gai Nie stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky. He held the hilt of his sword in his hand and suddenly swung it. The sword light and the moonlight intertwined, and his figure became ethereal at that moment.

The next day, on the long street.

Xu Qing stood holding the wooden sword.

Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and Jing Ni stood behind him, holding up signs.

These days, Xu Qing challenges various masters here, arriving and leaving on time every day, becoming an incredibly beautiful sight in this place.

"Is no one coming today?"

"It seems that the swordsmen of Qin are nothing special, just a bunch of cowardly lizards!"

Xu Qing opened his mouth and started making sweeping generalizations again.

In recent days, many people in the martial arts world have witnessed Xu Qing's unparalleled strength, as well as his foul mouth.

Although they didn't understand what "cowardly lizard" meant, considering what Xu Qing had said earlier, it was definitely not a good word.

However, it was also because of Xu Qing's incomparably powerful strength.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to restrain themselves.

Let them mock me if they want; after all, it's a fact that I'm not as skilled as them.

Just as they were thinking this...

On this day, a young man dressed in white, with his hair tied back, looking quite dashing and unrestrained, came carrying a sword.

It's unclear who spoke first.

"He...he is Gai Nie!"

"Is he the court's foremost swordsman?"

"Sword Saint Gai Nie?"

Upon learning the young man's identity, an uproar immediately ensued.

In the past few days, thanks to the spread of the Luo Wang (a powerful online network), Gai Nie's name has become famous throughout Xianyang.

In the past, only those familiar with the King of Qin knew that there was a master like Gai Nie by his side.

Over the years, many people have tried to assassinate the King of Qin, but all of them have failed.

Some didn't even get into Xianyang Palace, while others who managed to sneak in were all dealt with by King Qin's personal guards, Gai Nie.

The battle that truly made Gai Nie famous was the Battle of Yongcheng.

At that time, Ying Zheng came of age, and Lao Ai rebelled.

That battle was fraught with danger for the King of Qin, but thanks to Gai Nie, the assassins never managed to get within three feet of him.

Now, because of the Net, people in the common people also know of Gai Nie's existence.

Perhaps they don't know the details of those things.

But all you need to know is that Gai Nie is very strong.

As the top swordsman in the royal palace, protecting the King of Qin, and with Qin being the most powerful country in the world, why shouldn't Gai Nie be called the "Sword Saint"?

This is the view of some people in the Qin state.

Of course, there are also many people in the martial arts world who do not recognize the title of Sword Saint Gai Nie.

The problem is that none of them can beat Xu Qing, and Xu Qing undoubtedly acknowledges Gai Nie. Whether Gai Nie deserves the title of Sword Saint is not up to them to decide.

Gai Nie also heard the exclamations of the people around him and realized that they knew his identity.

But he didn't care.

His steps were steady, each step seemingly in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth. His long sword was not drawn, yet it already exuded an invisible sword aura, which suppressed the surrounding noise.

When he was about ten feet in front of Xu Qing, Gai Nie stopped and calmly looked at the wooden sword in the other's hand, his brows twitching almost imperceptibly.

He defeated many swordsmen in Xianyang with a wooden sword, which shows that he was highly skilled.

What concerned Gai Nie even more was the sense of familiarity he felt upon seeing the other person's face.

But he couldn't quite remember where the familiarity came from in a short time.

During this period of time, Xu Qing challenged various masters from the Qin state.

However, due to the clandestine operations of the Luo Wang organization, and because Xu Qing himself did not reveal it, others did not know his name and were unaware that he was the famous "Sword Maniac" Xu Qing in the Yan Kingdom.

If Xu Qing reveals his name, Gai Nie might remember who Xu Qing is.

Although they had only met once in the past, for Gai Nie, that meeting with Lord Xinling was a memory he could never forget.

"Gai Nie, you've finally arrived!"

Seeing Gai Nie slowly approaching him, Xu Qing spoke first.

Responding to Xu Qing's words, Gai Nie said in a deep voice, "I had no choice but to come!"

"Sir, you have recently defeated many swordsmen of my Qin state and have repeatedly said that Qin's swordsmanship is inferior to that of the other six states. As the chief swordsmanship instructor of the Qin Palace, I cannot sit idly by."

"Well said, 'We cannot stand idly by!'" Xu Qing couldn't help but praise. "As far as I know, you are not from Qin, yet you stepped forward for the sake of those swordsmen from Qin. You truly embody the spirit of 'being born to the emperor and bearing the emperor's burdens' to the fullest extent."

So how did Gai Nie come up with the idea of ​​defecting to the Qin state in the future?

He was in a state of repentance because he killed Jing Ke in Xianyang Palace?

To atone for his mistakes, he chose to defect without hesitation after discovering Tianming's whereabouts, determined to protect Tianming.

As Xu Qing was lost in thought, Gai Nie, who was opposite him, spoke up again.

He didn't say much, but slowly raised his hand and said three words to Xu Qing, "Please enlighten me!"

Xu Qing showed no reaction after hearing those three words.

But those watching from the sidelines felt a chill run down their spines.

Their eyes were fixed on the two people in the arena, and they didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

On one side is the Sword Saint, hidden deep within the palace, protecting the King of Qin. His swordsmanship is divine, and he has experienced countless battles. On the other side is a mysterious powerhouse who appears out of nowhere, defeating all rivals in succession. He wields a wooden sword and is arrogant and unruly.

This duel is destined to be a rare and grand event in the Qin Kingdom's martial arts world in recent years.

Let's begin!

Xu Qing said something to prevent Gai Nie from being unwilling to make the first move.

He chose to strike first.

Even when facing Gai Nie, he had no intention of changing his sword; he still used that wooden sword.

Without any earth-shattering momentum, it was extremely fast. The afterimage flashed by, instantly covering a distance of several feet, and pierced straight into Gai Nie's heart.

This sword strike was simple, precise, and swift, without any unnecessary moves.

Those watching the battle couldn't help but worry for Gai Nie.

Even though Xu Qing calls Gai Nie "Sword Saint," to be precise, Gai Nie's fame has only been around for a few days.

Gai Nie's actual strength remains to be verified.

Under their watchful eyes, Gai Nie suddenly drew his sword.

He actually wanted to say a few more words to Xu Qing, such as persuading Xu Qing to change to a different sword.