Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Then Mu Xuzi added, "I like any sword that you forged, sir!"

"Very good!" Xu Qing nodded. "I admire frank people like you."

"Wait for me here three days later, and I will hand the sword to you."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xuzi was stunned again, not because three days was too long, but because it was too short.

Is it really possible to forge a sword in just three days?

Mu Xuzi held a skeptical attitude towards this matter.

But since Xu Qing had already said that, he could only suppress his doubts and nod in agreement, "Okay!"

And so, the first meeting between Xu Qing and Mu Xuzi came to an end.

After Mu Xuzi left, Xu Qing returned to his residence, casually conceived some ideas, and then immersed himself in the system's space to begin forging the sword.

Mu Xuzi was just an insignificant supporting character with only average strength. In the original story, he was easily defeated by Xiaomeng. If it weren't for the fact that Xu Qing wanted to make contact with Taoism through Mu Xuzi, he wouldn't have bothered to pay any attention to him. For someone like him, the sword he forged naturally didn't need to be too good.

Don't even think about getting a fourth-tier sword.

Forging a fourth-tier sword, while not difficult for Xu Qing at present, still requires a considerable amount of resources, so it's impossible for him to forge such a sword for Mu Xuzi.

He would simply forge a third-tier sword for Mu Xuzi as a token gesture.

The sword's design is nothing special; it leans towards a simple and unadorned style.

Even so, when Mu Xuzi arrived at Xu Qing's door again three days later and saw Xu Qing, he was still startled.

"Your sword!"

Xu Qing casually tossed a sword, which immediately flew towards Mu Xuzi.

Fortunately, Mu Xuzi, as an elder of the Human Sect, possessed considerable strength and immediately reached out to firmly grasp the sword.

He glanced at the sword as soon as he got his hands on it, and saw that its sharpness was fully revealed and its cold light was flashing.

"A fine sword!"

Mu Xuzi quickly praised him.

As for whether Xu Qing forged this sword in the past three days or whether he had already forged it and was just giving it to him under some pretext, Mu Xuzi didn't care much.

On the contrary, he was very satisfied.

He deliberately approached Xu Qing, originally just wanting to build some rapport with him. Unexpectedly, he actually obtained a sword from Xu Qing, and it was an extraordinary sword at that. He felt incredibly lucky.

While cautiously observing Xu Qing, Mu Xuzi also admired the sword in his hand.

The more I look at this sword, the more satisfied I become.

Although Taoism has some famous swords, those swords are all held by the leaders of the two sects. The swords used by an elder like him are not bad, but they can hardly be called famous swords.

"Since it's a fine sword, let's sign a contract."

Xu Qing noticed Mu Xuzi's gaze and spoke again before Mu Xuzi could say anything more.

Following swords, sword contracts also appeared.

Mu Xuzi was clearly seeing Xu Qing's many moves for the first time and was completely bewildered.

However, he eventually signed the sword contract.

After putting away the sword contract signed by Mu Xuzi, Xu Qing said, "Since the sword contract has been signed, then to some extent, you and I can be considered friends."

"I have long admired Taoism, and you are an elder of the Human Sect..."

Since Mu Xuzi chose to dabble in this mortal world, he certainly couldn't be someone who didn't understand human relationships and social customs. On the contrary, he was extremely adept at these things.

Before Xu Qing could finish speaking, Mu Xuzi spoke up first: "Since you are interested in my Taoist school, why don't you come and visit us?"

"Although our Taoist school is isolated from the world and spends most of its time cultivating in seclusion on Mount Taiyi, we still welcome friends from outside."

"Is this a bit of a bother?" Xu Qing asked Mu Xuzi.

"Not at all!" Mu Xuzi quickly replied, "As an elder of the Human Sect, it's no problem for me to invite a few friends to visit the Human Sect."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing pretended to ponder for a moment before calmly saying, "Since you've put it that way, then I'll accept it without further ado."

When Mu Xuzi saw Xu Qing agree, his face lit up with even greater joy, and he quickly said, "It is truly an honor for our Human Sect that you would honor us with your presence, sir!"

The two then arranged a time.

Although Xu Qing wanted to visit the Taoist temple, he wasn't in a hurry.

Several more days passed.

Early that morning, Mu Xuzi hurriedly arrived at Xu Qing's doorstep and waited for Xu Qing there.

He certainly didn't set off from the Human Sect to Xianyang in the early morning; he arrived in Xianyang last night. It can be said that he humbled himself to the extreme in order to welcome Xu Qing to the Human Sect as soon as possible.

"Sir, please!"

Upon seeing Xu Qing, Mu Xuzi became respectful.

"You don't need to be so polite!" Xu Qing said calmly.

Mu Xuzi laughed and said, "Sir, your strength is extraordinary, and your sword-making skills are unparalleled. If our sect leader knew that I had neglected you, he would definitely reprimand me!"

"Of course we must be polite to such a distinguished guest as you."

In order to win Xu Qing's favor, Mu Xuzi even took the initiative to bring up Xiaoyaozi, whom he hated the most, as an excuse.

Xu Qing then said to Mu Xuzi, "Lead the way!"

Mu Xuzi then led the way.

Xu Qing was naturally familiar with Zhongnan Mountain, which Taoists call Taiyi Mountain. This wasn't his first time here; he had previously forged swords at Louguan. However, he had never actually been to a place where Taoists lived.

In the past, I wanted to go, but I didn't have a suitable reason.

After all, Taoists have always been detached from worldly affairs and are heavily guarded; it's impossible for them to just go and storm the mountain.

That said, in the original story, Xiaomeng ascended to the Taoist Heavenly Sect in this way, defeating several disciples guarding the mountain in succession, which attracted the attention of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, and only then was she able to successfully enter the mountain.

However, Xu Qing doesn't need to go through so much trouble right now. Under Mu Xuzi's guidance, he easily ascended the main Taoist peak, Taiyi Peak.

As they walked along the mountain path, Mu Xuzi explained the affairs of Taoism to Xu Qing, “Three hundred years ago, the Tao split into Heaven and Man. Our two sects have lived together in Mount Taiyi. Although we each have our own lineage, we have also adhered to the agreement of our ancestors and have not disturbed each other. On Mount Taiyi, to the south is the place where my Human Sect is located, and to the north is the place where the Heaven Sect is located.”

"After you go up the mountain, if possible, please try to avoid going to the north."

“Those guys from the Heavenly Sect are all arrogant and not easy to get along with.”

Because Mu Xuzi was an elder of the Human Sect, and Xu Qing was invited to the Taoist sect by him, it was natural that he spoke ill of the Heavenly Sect in his conversation.

Xu Qing sensed Mu Xuzi's ulterior motives but didn't say anything more.

Naturally, since the Celestial and Human sects each occupy half of the mountain, there are actually two paths to the main peak.

Xu Qing is now walking the path of the Human Sect.

Along the way, there were many disciples of the Human Sect who guarded the mountain.

Upon seeing Mu Xuzi, the disciples all bowed and paid their respects.

"Uncle-Master!"

"Uncle-Master!"

Mu Xuzi gladly accepted the disciples' courtesy, but did not forget to instruct them: "This is a distinguished guest of our Human Sect. When you see him, you must treat him with the same respect you would show me."

He didn't forget to remind these disciples of the sect, but then, realizing it wasn't quite appropriate, he continued, "No, they should show even more respect than they would to me!"

Although the disciples were puzzled, they still nodded in agreement.

For ordinary people, mountain roads are naturally difficult to travel, but for Xu Qing and his group, it's not much different from walking on flat ground.

Along the way, they encountered even more disciples of the Human Sect.

Although the Human Sect has an additional layer of worldly cultivation compared to the Heavenly Sect, and they value a person's acquired cultivation more than the Heavenly Sect's emphasis on innate endowment, they are still Taoists after all. In ordinary times, they spend most of their time in seclusion in the mountains.

Mount Taiyi is located in the heart of the Qin state. Because it was revered by the Qin state, it became a sacred place and was rarely visited by people.

Therefore, when they saw Xu Qing, who was clearly an outsider, climbing the mountain with their elders, they couldn't help but be very curious.

Mu Xuzi did not reprimand these curious people, but simply said something similar to what he had said before.

To avoid upsetting Xu Qing, Mu Xuzi added, "Please don't be offended, sir. We disciples of the Human Sect have been cultivating in the mountains for many years and rarely see outsiders, so we are a little curious about your arrival."

"It's nothing, it's only human nature!" Xu Qing said calmly.

As the two talked, they were almost at the heart of the Human Sect.

Along the way, all that could be seen were ancient pavilions and towers, scattered in a well-organized manner among the mountains. Disciples were either meditating and cultivating in the courtyards or practicing swordsmanship in the forest, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

Besides what is visible to the naked eye, Xu Qing can also see many things that are invisible to the naked eye.

"What a wonderful place!"

In his eyes, the earth is filled with many special nodes. These nodes are interconnected, causing the spiritual energy in the earth's veins to constantly converge and form a unique array. The existence of this array also draws in the essence of the sun and moon in the sky, making the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this place more concentrated than that of the outside world.

Zhongnan Mountain is a famous mountain in itself, rich in spiritual energy. With the blessing of the formation, the main peak where the Taoists reside has even stronger spiritual energy than other places.

While talent and temperament are certainly necessary for spiritual cultivation, the environment is also an extremely important factor.

With such a blessed place existing, it is not surprising that Taoist practitioners' cultivation levels advance by leaps and bounds.

In addition, Xu Qing noticed some other clues.

According to Mu Xuzi, the relationship between the Heavenly Sect and the Human Sect is not good, so they each occupy half of Zhongnan Mountain. The main peak is shared by the two sects, and some important buildings are located on it, one in the south and the other in the north.

At the top of the great formation, in the sky, two completely different forces intertwined, each containing the other.

Just like the two energies of Yin and Yang, they seem to be mutually destructive, but they also generate each other.

All things carry yin and embrace yang, and achieve harmony through the interaction of these energies.

The Heavenly School and the Human School are like Yin and Yang, while Taoism is the arc in the middle.

Both the Heavenly School and the Human School are part of Taoism.

This may explain why the two sects, despite their long-standing rivalry, have always coexisted on the same mountain. This protective formation was likely created jointly by the two sects.

Upon hearing Xu Qing praise the location of the Human Sect, Mu Xuzi couldn't help but puff out his chest proudly, but this time he didn't say anything.

He simply continued to lead the way, explaining everything about the mountains to Xu Qing along the way.

Xu Qing acted like a complete novice, full of curiosity about everything in the mountains.