Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The middle-aged man waited for a long time before finally receiving a response from Xu Qing.

He quickly replied, "That's only right."

"Once the sword is completed, His Majesty will certainly not treat you unfairly."

……

So, on the first day after arriving in Handan.

Xu Qing was invited by the middle-aged man to visit Guo Kai's residence.

Guo Kai's residence was not located within the city of Handan, but rather atop a hill on the northern outskirts of the city. Built against the mountainside, it offered a panoramic view overlooking the surrounding landscape, making it a rare and exceptional location within a hundred li of Handan. This land originally belonged to a royal nobleman of the Zhao state, but after Guo Kai was promoted to prime minister, he forcibly seized it and subsequently carried out extensive renovations. Its scale far exceeded what a subject could possess; for example, lanterns hung high on the walls, "bright as day," the gates were lavishly decorated, and within it lay magnificent gardens and nearly ten li of grassland suitable for hunting and horseback riding.

Unfortunately, it is located outside the city of Handan.

Because Guo Kai and the current King of Zhao have known each other since their youth and have a deep friendship. In fact, the fact that the current Queen of Zhao, a courtesan, was able to become Queen was the result of Guo Kai's planning. The King of Zhao, the Queen, and the current Crown Prince Zhao Qian all favor Guo Kai.

Even though some people ridiculed Guo Kai for being "richer than kings and princes, and acting like a usurper," Guo Kai remained steadfast in the State of Zhao.

On the contrary, his adversaries, facing his attacks and retaliations, were frustrated and unsuccessful.

Xu Qing followed the middle-aged man up the hill and arrived at this place.

He looked at the vast mansion and sensed the aura within it.

A conclusion was reached.

Hidden within the mansion is a large private army.

There is no doubt that Guo Kai values ​​his safety very much.

If someone comes here rashly without knowing the truth and tries to assassinate Guo Kai, they will definitely suffer a terrible fate.

"Please rest here for a while, sir."

"I will go and inform His Majesty immediately," the middle-aged man, whose name was still unknown, said to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded and rested at the middle-aged man's residence.

On the other side, the middle-aged man soon met the God of War, Guo Kai.

As a war god, Guo Kai did not have a burly physique or a handsome face. He looked ordinary, and even appeared somewhat bloated and fat due to the good food he ate, with an oily face.

Although the middle-aged man hadn't been under Guo Kai's command for very long, he was highly skilled in martial arts and knew how to get along with people, so he was trusted by Guo Kai.

"A swordsmith?"

"What is his skill level? Can the sword he forged compare to the Zhenyue Sword in Li Mu's hands?"

Guo Kai leaned against the jade couch, his obese body wrapped in a black silk robe, like a solidified ink stain. Hu Ji combed his sparse hair with an ivory comb, and oil condensed into beads at his temples. He looked at the retainers who were prostrate in front of him and asked them this question.

"The sharp blade I used was made by him."

"Although he is young, his sword-making skills are absolutely among the best in the world."

The middle-aged man responded in a deep voice.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Guo Kai immediately became interested. He then had someone bring over the sword of his retainer for him to see. The sword was sharp and gleaming. Although he didn't know how it compared to Li Mu's Zhenyue Sword, as a greedy person, Guo Kai was certainly able to recognize a treasure and knew that the sword in front of him was quite good.

Then, his brows furrowed again. "But the Crown Prince's birthday is approaching. Is it too late to forge the sword now?"

The middle-aged man said, "I suggest that they give it a try. Even if it's too late, they can still find a skilled craftsman to serve the emperor and help him forge a sword."

Guo Kai thought about it and realized that it made sense.

"If that's the case, then let him give it a try." Guo Kai waved his hand.

The middle-aged man then asked, "That man is currently resting at my place. Would Your Majesty like to see him?"

"Forget about seeing him. Since you admire him so much, you can take care of these things."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately became extremely excited, "Thank you for your high regard, Your Majesty. I will do anything for you."

Chapter 39 The Showy but Impractical Sword

"In other words, the swords being forged only need to be ornate, with no other requirements?"

Xu Qing ultimately failed to meet Guo Kai, the God of War of Qin, at Guo Kai's residence, which left him with some regret.

He then learned the client's specific requirements from an unknown middle-aged man.

“You can consider other aspects as you see fit, but the most important thing is that it must be magnificent enough.” The middle-aged man bowed and said, “That noble person has an extremely distinguished status, so the sword should be commensurate with that status.”

What kind of sword is worthy of a powerful and wealthy person?

In this era, the sword was not only a weapon of war, but also a ceremonial object, symbolizing the noble status of the aristocracy. Initially, only nobles were entitled to carry swords and walk the streets, but now, even wandering knights carry swords, which is a kind of "collapse of etiquette and music." But even so, the tradition of nobles carrying swords has not been broken.

For them, whether the sword is sharp or easy to handle is not important.

Importantly, it must be magnificent enough to reflect the owner's status and position simply by its appearance.

"I see, I understand." Xu Qing nodded, then made his request to the middle-aged man.

"I need a workshop to forge swords."

If this were anywhere else, Xu Qing could simply enter the system space and forge his sword in the system's sword-making workshop. But this is Guo Kai's residence, and Guo Kai is no benevolent person. Although Xu Qing has not yet met him, he is likely already being monitored for his every word and action.

Therefore, Xu Qing decided to show off his skills here and let the other party witness his abilities firsthand.

"All you need to do is find a sword-making workshop for you, sir?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"Of course not." Xu Qing smiled slightly and then listed a variety of sword-making materials.

The main materials were ordinary, nothing more than refined iron and copper. But the auxiliary materials were extremely exquisite, such as fine jade, pearls, gold and silver threads... Xu Qing didn't mince words and said bluntly, "A magnificent sword naturally needs a lot of decoration."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned deeply.

"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow at him.

"I..." The middle-aged man was indeed in a dilemma.

Although Guo Kai entrusted him with full responsibility for this matter, how could he be qualified to arbitrarily use the treasures in the mansion? Moreover, even if he could really produce these materials, would the sword forged by the person in front of him truly be worthy of them?

Previously, he had taken the initiative to recommend Xu Qing's sword-making skills to Guo Kai, but now, upon hearing Xu Qing's request, he began to doubt whether the person in front of him was capable.

"If you can't do this, and you can't do that, then what's the point of forging a sword?" Xu Qing said with a half-smile, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

The middle-aged man was startled and quickly said, "Sir, please don't be angry! It's just that His Majesty has not yet witnessed your sword-making skills firsthand. Even if I tell him your request, His Majesty will inevitably have some doubts..."

He made no mention of the fact that he had already presented the sword that Xu Qing had forged to Guo Kai for his viewing.

"So, I still need to cast a sample first?" Xu Qing squinted.

Before the other party could answer, he added, "Never mind, it's because your master is of such high status."

"Find me a workshop first, don't tell me that's impossible." He glared at the middle-aged man.

Of course it can be done.

Guo Kai's mansion was enormous, resembling a city. He not only kept a private army but also had a weapons workshop.

The middle-aged man, having received Guo Kai's orders, quickly found a workshop and handed it over to Xu Qing for use.

Upon entering the workshop, Xu Qing's first task was to familiarize himself with the forging tools.

To be honest, after spending so much time in the system space, he felt somewhat out of place returning to the real world and seeing these rudimentary forging equipment.

But it's okay, I'll just make do with it.

Anyway, what the client wanted wasn't sharpness, but rather something flashy.

"Then let's stack up the Damask pattern." Xu Qing didn't hesitate any longer and started working directly.

Within the system space, he had wielded the hammer countless times, and with each upgrade, new forging knowledge would emerge in his mind. It could be said that among swordsmiths of the same rank, his skills were top-notch. Although he was only a second-rank swordsmith, with one foot already in the third rank, he had already mastered many techniques that even high-rank swordsmiths had not yet mastered.

This is also why Master Xu held him in such high esteem when he was in the Mechanical City.

Soon, a short sword took shape.

With its all-over Damascus pattern, this style was truly unique for its time.

Although some bronze swords also have special patterns, they are still far inferior to the magnificent patterns created by acid leaching and forging of Damascus steel.

According to the system's evaluation, this sword can only be considered "crude," with average toughness and sharpness.

But it's undeniably beautiful.

When the middle-aged man first saw the short sword, he was immediately taken aback.

"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"

"This is just a sample. If you think it's good, I can forge an even more beautiful sword," Xu Qing said calmly.

The middle-aged man's gaze was intense, his heart filled with even greater shock.

"Sir, your skill is truly divine!"

Without further hesitation, he immediately handed the short sword to Guo Kai.

Guo Kai's eyes lit up when he saw the sword.

"It is truly remarkable that such a magnificent sword could be forged in such a short time." He nodded in satisfaction. "You deserve credit for this."

"To be honest, Your Majesty, this is just a sample," the middle-aged man explained.

Upon learning that even the sample was so amazing, Guo Kai became even more curious about Xu Qing.

However, he ultimately did not go to see Xu Qing, but simply had the middle-aged man fulfill all of her requests.

Pearls and precious jade? He has plenty of them; some were gifts from others, and some he amassed himself.

Compared to these treasures, pleasing the crown prince is the most important thing.

After all, the king's health was deteriorating day by day, and he could pass away at any moment. When that happened, the crown prince would ascend the throne, and his power would be entirely in the hands of the new king.

Thinking of this, Guo Kai pictured a woman, a woman who was oblivious to her own mortality.

In the courts of various states, there were already departments specifically in charge of music and dance. In the Han Dynasty, this department was collectively called "Yuefu" (Music Bureau). However, in this era, the names used by different states vary. For example, the Jixia Academy in the State of Qi was famous for its academic achievements, but it also gathered musicians, singers and other entertainers. Some of them served the court entertainment. In the State of Chu, shamanism was prevalent, and there were professional musicians and dancers in the court, such as "shamans," who were responsible for sacrifices and banquets.

The State of Zhao certainly had similar situations.

Furthermore, since the current Queen of Zhao came from the Music Bureau and was once a court entertainer, the status of the Music Bureau in Zhao rose accordingly after she became Queen.

Among them was Kuang Xiu, a musician renowned throughout the land.

However, Guo Kai's eye was on one of the budding beauties.