Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

A sharp blade had appeared in Xu Qing's hand, its edge gleaming coldly, a drop of crimson blood sliding down its tip. He glanced at the burly man writhing and groaning on the ground, his eyes filled with mockery. It was as if to say, "What era are we living in? Still choosing to fight bare-handed? Do you think you're some kind of armored man, invulnerable to blades and spears?"

Even the members of the Armored Gate use weapons.

The two burly men watching the fight paled in shock, never expecting the young man to be so ruthless and unpredictable. They exchanged a glance, their eyes no longer showing the slightest disrespect, and instantly drew their swords. Two streaks of cold light flashed from the left and right, like venomous snakes spitting their tongues, aiming for Xu Qing's vitals.

Xu Qing remained motionless, his wrist flicking lightly with his sword, the sword's momentum as unpredictable and treacherous as a dark, deep pool. Two soft hissing sounds rang out, blood spurted out, and both men felt excruciating pain in their wrists, their weapons falling from their hands to the ground.

Before the screams had even subsided, Xu Qing's figure had already swept past like a ghost, and his sword flashed again.

Pfft!

Pfft!

The two bodies collapsed to the ground.

Xu Qing also did not forget the burly man who had attacked him first. Seeing the man clutching his severed arm and screaming in agony, Xu Qing, being merciful, delivered another blow, giving the man a quick death.

In an instant.

Of the six burly men, nearly half were already dead.

The remaining three, while not necessarily horrified, certainly didn't look too good.

Even so, they did not give up on the girl they had captured. The two burly men who were originally going to tie her up immediately put down the ropes and attacked Xu Qing. They knew that if they could not deal with this troublemaker, they would not only be unable to take the woman back today, but they would also perish here.

They are very fast.

Because of the deaths of three of their companions, they dared not slack off in the slightest and went all out.

But their full effort was merely a casual action by Xu Qing.

The difference in strength is simply too great.

puff puff!

Blood splattered, and in an instant, two more people died.

"Only you are left."

Xu Qing held his blood-stained sword and looked at the burly man who had captured the girl's hands.

A strong stench of blood filled the forest. The burly man trembled violently, his fingers gripping the girl convulsing with fear. He yanked her forward, his withered fingers like iron hooks aimed at her snow-white neck, and roared hoarsely, "Don't come any closer! One more step and I'll snap her neck!"

However, he overlooked the fact that the girl herself was not weak and helpless.

The girl had previously displayed remarkable agility.

If these six men hadn't been so unethical and hadn't chosen to gang up on her, she might have actually managed to escape.

At this moment, only one person remained.

The girl felt she could put up a fight.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes. Taking advantage of his distraction while she was choking him, she stomped her long-prepared toe hard on his instep, and her elbow lashed backward like a serpent. The burly man groaned in pain, his grip loosened slightly, and the girl twisted her waist, like a slippery fish, instantly escaping her control.

"you!"

The burly man was filled with shock and anger. He reached out to grab the girl again, but it was too late.

A streak of light flashed and pierced his throat.

The gasping sounds stopped abruptly, and the body collapsed with a thud.

The forest returned to deathly silence, with only the lingering stench of blood and the mournful sound of the morning wind.

The girl stared blankly at the boy standing with his sword, her chest heaving violently. The faint light of the shrine fire last night, the fragrance of mountain fruits this morning, the killing and redemption in the blink of an eye... a thousand thoughts surged in her heart. The estrangement of meeting by chance, the wariness of fleeing in panic, were all shattered by the blood-stained blade, turning into a burning, throbbing feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

She took a deep breath, then cupped her hands and bowed to Xu Qing. Her clear, cold voice trembled slightly with emotion, yet it carried an unprecedented softness: "Thank you, young hero, for saving my life."

"I told you last night, I am not a chivalrous knight." Xu Qing sheathed his sword, his tone still calm, but his gaze fell on her still-shaken face.

"But to me, you are a hero." She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and unwavering. "May I ask your name, my benefactor?"

This was the first time she had asked on her own initiative, with a sense of solemnity that came after everything had settled.

"Xu Qing," he said frankly, his gaze softening slightly. "And you? What's your name?"

The girl initially wanted to reveal her real name, but after thinking about it, she ultimately omitted her surname, saying, "...My name is Xue!"

"Ah Xue?" Xu Qing chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the top of her silver hair, which cascaded down to her snow-white skin. "White hair like snow, skin whiter than snow... that's quite fitting."

He wasn't surprised at all by the girl's name.

Because he had already recognized the girl.

It's the Snow Woman, who else could it be?

It was quite a coincidence, but having encountered so many important characters from the original work one after another, Xu Qing was already used to it.

After all, I've already accepted things like time travel and having a system.

What else is unacceptable?

After hearing Xu Qing's words, Xue Nu didn't feel much. She composed herself, pointed to the corpses on the ground, and a worried look appeared on her face: "These people are the henchmen of Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao. If you kill them for me, I'm afraid you will bring about a great disaster."

In the past, she obviously wouldn't have revealed these things on her own initiative.

But Xu Qing killed these people to save her, so she had to inform Xu Qing about the potential dangers.

"Guo Kai? What a coincidence!" Unexpectedly, upon learning that the person she had offended was Guo Kai, Xu Qing showed no fear. Instead, she said something that surprised Xue Nu: "I won't hide it from you, Xue Nu. The person who asked me to forge the sword that day was also Guo Kai."

"He commissioned me to forge an incomparably magnificent sword to celebrate someone's birthday. I helped him accomplish this, but he was not satisfied and wanted me to become a craftsman's slave in his household. I have no intention of working for someone for free."

"So I chose to leave Handan."

Xu Qing also explained why he was in the mountains.

This made Xue Nu feel a sense of empathy for Xu Qing.

To be able to meet in the vast sea of ​​people is itself a kind of fate.

It turns out that the reason they left Handan was because of the same person, which makes the coincidence even more striking and touching.

A warm current of shared suffering and even common hatred quietly broke through the defenses in my heart.

Chapter 45 Walking with Snow, Using Jade Flute as a Sword

This is what happened.

The Snow Woman did not leave in a hurry.

However, she didn't take the initiative to invite Xu Qing to come along, even though they had both offended Guo Kai, their situations were still different.

She was filled with anxiety and fear when facing Guo Kai's subordinates, afraid that they would capture her and take her back.

Xu Qing, on the other hand, seemed to have no such concerns.

His strength was unfathomable; he effortlessly killed Guo Kai's subordinates.

If I were to rashly suggest traveling with Xu Qing, I would only become a burden to him. The idea of ​​mutual support was never going to exist in the first place.

Despite her delicate appearance, the Snow Maiden possesses a strong and stubborn spirit. This is precisely why, when she was chosen by Guo Kai to perform a dance for Prince Zhao Qian at the Music Bureau, she sensed something was wrong and, believing she would become a plaything, she chose to escape without hesitation. Of course, she also received help from others along the way.

Now, she is more worried about whether the person who helped her has been implicated...

Xu Qing looked at the Snow Maiden with a complicated expression, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Would Snow Maiden be willing to travel with me for a while?"

"Although I am not going to the State of Yan, I can still walk this part of the road with you."

The snow woman paused slightly, then nodded gently.

She was naturally willing.

An invitation from one's savior seems... harder to refuse.

Along the way, Xu Qingcai truly realized how vulnerable the Snow Woman was in terms of survival in the wild.

Her ability to survive in the wild is almost non-existent.

Hunting, starting a fire... she was incredibly clumsy with all sorts of ordinary skills. Xu Qing couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to survive those days alone in the wilderness.

With Xu Qing by her side, Xue Nu was relieved of the anxiety of searching for food and water, but this also added to her guilt. Without Xu Qing, she didn't know how much more miserable she would have been. This further strengthened her resolve that if the day came, she would do her utmost to repay him, but for now, the most important thing was to do her best to lighten his burden and never let herself become a burden.

For Xu Qing, this journey was quite interesting.

Previously, his companions were mostly chivalrous figures like the Six-Fingered Black Knight and Gao Jianli. Even when he traveled with Gongsun Liji, Jing Ke was there to take care of her. This time, caring for a bright and inexperienced young girl in the wilderness was a first-time experience for Xu Qing as a "nanny." Looking into her clear yet somewhat bewildered eyes, Xu Qing could only suppress the helplessness in his heart. Xu Qing knew that the Snow Maiden wasn't intentionally causing trouble, but genuinely didn't understand and was already trying her best to learn.

The two did not only travel through remote mountain paths, but also occasionally ventured into markets.

Xu Qing needed to replenish some necessities and also to buy some clothes for the Snow Maiden.

The Snow Woman fled in a great hurry, taking nothing with her.

This made Xu Qing unable to stand it.

On the surface, Xu Qing didn't seem to be carrying anything.

However, gold is also a type of sword-forging material, and there are quite a few of these things in its system space. When necessary, it can take them out and use them as money. This is actually a kind of exploiting system loopholes. As long as it is a sword-forging material, it can store it in its system space.

So, after a trip to the market.

The snow woman now had a large bundle on her body.

Naturally, she also changed her clothes.

Her previous dance costume, with its wide robes and flowing sleeves, was extremely inconvenient for moving through the woods. Now, she wore simpler, coarse cloth clothes, resembling the attire of a country girl. Yet, like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without adornment, this simplicity, set off her lovely face, created a unique and captivating charm.

While it may lack some of the exquisite and stunning qualities, it possesses a refreshing and pleasing aesthetic.

The further north they went, the colder it became, indicating that the two were approaching the border between Yan and Zhao.

As the time went by, the initial awkwardness and wariness gradually faded away.

Perhaps it was the feeling of indebtedness that made Xue Nu feel that she should no longer hide anything from her savior, so she finally told Xu Qing about her true identity and the reason for her journey north.

“…There are still old friends from my ancestors in the Yan Kingdom. Although many years have passed, if we can find them, we may be able to find a place to stay.” She paused, then added softly, “My real name is…Le Xue, and my grandfather…is Le Cheng.”

"Le Cheng?" Xu Qing's gaze narrowed slightly. He knew this person; he was a member of the same clan as Le Yi and Le Jian.

Le Yi was a famous general during the reign of King Zhao of Yan, who almost brought down the state of Qi. Le Jian and Le Cheng were originally generals of Yan, but King Xi of Yan was muddleheaded and did not listen to good advice, which led to a great defeat for the Yan army. Le Cheng was captured, while Le Jian went to Zhao to serve the state of Zhao.

Even after surrendering to Zhao, fate did not smile upon him. In the early years of his reign, the current King of Zhao heavily relied on Yue Cheng, intending to replace Lian Po with him. However, this angered the veteran general who was the bravest in the army. Lian Po brazenly launched an attack on Yue Cheng, who suffered a great defeat. In shame and indignation, Yue Cheng fled Zhao and disappeared without a trace. Lian Po was also not tolerated by Zhao because of this incident and went into exile. He was never able to return to his homeland until his death.

The Snow Maiden's voice was filled with undisguised sorrow: "My grandfather was originally a surrendered general. After his defeat and escape, the King of Zhao also pinned the blame for Lian Po's betrayal on my family... My clansmen scattered, some died, some fled, and I was thus confined to the Music Bureau..."

“Fortunately, I was protected by a noble person like Mr. Kuang Xiu in the Music Bureau.” Her tone was filled with gratitude. “I was spared and even fell in love with dancing, but I never expected…” Snow Maiden’s eyes flashed with hatred and lingering fear again, “That treacherous Guo Kai has entered the Music Bureau again… and he even took a fancy to me…”