Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Lord Xinling's tomb is located in the south of the city. Since he has come here, Xu Qing naturally does not mind going to pay his respects to the person he has never met but whose name he often heard back then.

Xu Qing walked slowly closer and saw that the area around the tomb was extremely clean, obviously someone took care of it regularly. Thinking about it carefully, it was quite normal. After all, Lord Xinling was a man of unparalleled loyalty. Although he was assassinated and died, it did not mean that those people had forgotten Lord Xinling's kindness.

There were also some offerings in front of the tombstone, which further indicates that someone came to pay their respects to him.

Unfortunately, even if some people haven't forgotten Lord Xinling, it doesn't change the fact that he is already dead.

Back then, Lord Xinling stole the tally to rescue Zhao and led the armies of five states to defeat the Qin army outside the Yellow River, shaking the world with his might. He recruited many talented people and had three thousand retainers under his patronage. He treated them all with courtesy, regardless of their social status. What a magnanimous spirit he had!

But now, only a solitary tomb remains.

Xu Qing looked at the tomb, said nothing, and prepared to leave.

Just then, footsteps came from behind. Xu Qing turned around and saw a middle-aged man walking quickly towards him.

This man was tall and broad-skinned with a mustache. He wore a coarse cloth short coat and carried an ordinary iron sword at his waist. Although his clothes were simple, he had an extraordinary air about him. He carried a cloth bag in his hand, walked to the tomb, and carefully took out the offerings inside. He placed a few small dishes and a pot of turbid wine in front of the tomb.

The man bowed deeply to the tomb and said, "Lord Xinling, I am Liu Ji, and I have come to pay my respects today."

After saying this, he poured a cup of turbid wine, sprinkled it in front of the grave, and bowed three times, his expression respectful and solemn.

After paying his respects, Liu Ji turned around and noticed Xu Qing standing to the side.

Seeing Xu Qing dressed in a blue robe, with an otherworldly air, unlike an ordinary passerby, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He took the initiative to step forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "Sir, seeing that you are also lingering here, could it be that you also admire Lord Xinling's virtuous reputation and have come to pay your respects?"

Xu Qing nodded slightly, without saying much, and simply said, "I have long admired Lord Xinling's name. I came here today because I am passing by."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji smiled broadly and said, "Sir, you are indeed a man of character. Lord Xinling was a chivalrous man who treated scholars with respect throughout his life. He was a true hero and a great man! It is a pity that he died young, which is truly regrettable."

When he spoke of Lord Xinling, his eyes shone with light, and his tone was full of admiration and regret. "Back in my hometown, I often heard people talk about the story of Lord Xinling, and I admired him greatly. I only regret that I was born at the wrong time and was unable to witness the Lord's demeanor in person, let alone serve under him. It is truly a great regret in my life."

Liu Ji was a very talkative person. Even though Xu Qing was not a talkative person, he took the initiative to start a conversation with Xu Qing, as if he had known Xu Qing for a long time.

Upon hearing the other person's words, especially their name, Xu Qing's feelings became somewhat complicated.

Chapter 317 A Chance Encounter, The Battle of Daliang!

In the battle of Daze Mountain, Xu Qing was appointed by the six elders of the Farmer's Clan. Although he was not the leader of the Farmer's Clan, he now secretly controlled the entire Farmer's Clan and could be called the "Hidden Leader." Of course, now that the Farmer's Clan is officially affiliated with the Qin State, the title of leader is no longer relevant.

In the farmhouse, Xu Qing was actually looking for two people.

One was Han Xin, and the other was Liu Ji.

In the original story, Han Xin was a skilled worker, one of his identities being a disciple of a farming family.

Unfortunately, it has not been found, and we don't know where it is now.

As for Liu Ji, he was a high-ranking member of Shennong Hall in the original work and wore the Five-Star Bead Grass. However, Xu Qing was unable to find Liu Ji in the farmhouse.

Without a doubt, Liu Ji at that time had not joined the peasant family.

This is not surprising, just like Dian Qing, another high-ranking member of Shennong Hall in the original work, who only joined Shennong Hall after the fall of Wei.

Xu Qing never expected that Liu Ji, whom he couldn't find in the farmhouse, would be encountered by chance in this place called Xinling.

"By the way, may I ask how I should address you, sir?"

After rambling on for a while, Liu Ji then took the initiative to ask Xu Qing a question.

"Xu Qing!"

When faced with Liu Ji's question, Xu Qing did not hide anything and revealed his name.

Upon hearing the name, Liu Ji murmured it a couple of times, confirming that he had never heard of it before. This was not surprising, as Xu Qing, though somewhat famous and even associated with the renowned "Master Xu" of Chu, was ultimately not the kind of person who would be famous throughout the land.

As for the title "Sword Maniac," it was still somewhat famous in the Yan Kingdom. However, after being ravaged by the Qin Kingdom, the Yan Kingdom was almost crippled. Who had the mind to care about Sword Maniac or not?

The Qin state is now the greatest enemy of all the other states in the world.

All they cared about was the Qin state.

In the current context of Qin's attack on Wei, the reputations of those Jianghu figures ultimately pale in comparison.

However, for Liu Ji, whether he had heard of Xu Qing or not was not really an important matter.

The important thing is that Xu Qing paid his respects at the tomb of Lord Xinling.

Based on this alone, he could be certain that Xu Qing was also someone who admired Lord Xinling, and such a person would definitely be a man of loyalty and righteousness.

"Sir, you possess an extraordinary bearing; you must be no ordinary person!"

Liu Ji then spoke to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing smiled and said, "I'm just an ordinary person."

“Whether you are an ordinary person or not, it is fate that we met you here today!” Liu Ji said again. “Although Ningyi is now in decline, there is an old tavern in the west of the city that brews a rather delicious turbid wine. Why don’t I treat you to a few cups? Would you do me the honor?”

Xu Qing had no intention of drinking, but since Liu Ji had said so, and considering that this chance encounter was also a matter of fate, he nodded and said, "Then I'll have a few drinks with you."

Liu Ji paid his respects to Lord Xinling again, and then packed his belongings.

He then left the place with Xu Qing.

The once prosperous Ningyi is now gradually declining, but the taverns are still doing good business.

Here, you can see many disheartened people, as well as many passionate individuals who denounce the tyranny of Qin, recount the latest developments in Qin's attack on Wei, and express their concern for the safety of Wei.

Liu Ji didn't seem to be new to Ningyi; he was quite familiar with the place.

Upon arriving, they immediately ordered some local specialties and drinks, and together with Xu Qing, they found a table on the edge of the room and sat down.

"Mr. Xu, let's have a drink first!"

After the drinks and dishes were served, Liu Ji immediately began to warmly entertain Xu Qing.

Xu Qing didn't say much, but he didn't disappoint Liu Ji's good intentions.

"...It is fate that we met in this vast sea of ​​people. If you have the opportunity to visit Pei County in the future, I will definitely treat you to the local specialty dog ​​meat."

Liu Ji was very talkative, and most of the time he did the talking while Xu Qing listened quietly.

After recounting some events in Ningyi, Liu Ji then mentioned his hometown.

Let's talk about it another time!

Xu Qing was certainly interested in Pei County.

However, he didn't show it.

He turned to Liu Ji and said, "Lord Xinling has been dead for many years. Your efforts to serve him are destined to be in vain. Now, Qin is attacking Wei, and it will probably not be long before Wei is destroyed like Han and Zhao. So, what are your plans?"

"Should we stay here, or go back to your Pei County?"

Hearing Xu Qing's question, Liu Ji did not hide anything and truthfully replied, "To be honest, when I was young, I always thought I could be like Lord Xinling, a great hero and a great man, treating the virtuous with respect, supporting the country, and allowing the people of the world to live in peace and prosperity. But as I grew older and saw the cruelty of the chaotic world, I realized that those ideas were nothing but wishful thinking."

Looking out at the bleak autumn wind, Liu Ji said with a hint of helplessness, "Under the iron hooves of the Qin army, cities are destroyed, people are displaced, and human lives are as worthless as grass. So-called heroes and valiant men are nothing but mantises trying to stop a chariot in the face of overwhelming forces. If I were to make a plan, my biggest plan would be to live a peaceful and quiet life in this chaotic world."

Yes, that's very Liu Bang.

Liu Bang in history was an extremely magnanimous person; otherwise, he could not have risen from a rogue to become Emperor Gaozu of Han.

In the beginning, he didn't actually have any great ambitions.

However, times make heroes.

It was the so-called "circumstances of the times" that gradually propelled him to the top.

For some reason, Xu Qing thought of Taoism.

In the original work, Liu Ji was a disciple of the Farmer's School.

But actually, Liu Bang's personality was quite suited to Taoism.

Do as you please, be unrestrained and free.

While admiring heroes and great men, they also thought about just getting by and trying to survive in the chaotic world.

If it weren't for the historical event of the escaped convict, he might have remained a minor official for life. But if faced with a real choice, he wouldn't back down; instead, he would take a gamble.

Historically, he won the gamble and became Emperor Gaozu of Han, while Xiang Yu committed suicide at the Wujiang River.

In any case, Liu Ji was a very contradictory person.

"In this chaotic world, to be able to hold onto one's principles and survive is a kind of courage in itself," Xu Qing said calmly. "If Brother Liu is ever unhappy in the future, you can go to Qin, to Xianyang to find me. I might be able to arrange a job for you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji's eyes lit up immediately. "Mr. Xu is from the Qin state?"

After saying this, he immediately realized his mistake and looked around.

Fortunately, no patrons noticed them.

It's no wonder Liu Ji was cautious. The reason is that Qin was attacking Wei, and the people of Wei hated the people of Qin intensely. Ningyi was only a little over a hundred miles away from Daliang, and the people there had always revered Lord Xinling, adhering to the principles of loyalty and righteousness. They held the idea of ​​being loyal to Wei, and compared to people in other places, their hatred for the Qin people was even greater.

"I am not from Qin, but I do live in Qin now," Xu Qing said calmly. In this chaotic world, which country one comes from is not really important, because in a few years, all six states will be destroyed, leaving only Qin.

By then, there would only be one country left in the world, and that would be the Qin state.

If history had not gone as planned, the Qin state would have been destroyed after that, and all seven states of the Warring States period would have ceased to exist. The new state built on its ruins was called "Han," and for the next two thousand years, all the people of the world would have been called Han people.

Liu Ji nodded, "I see!"

The meeting with Liu Ji was just a small episode in this journey.

Since we were just strangers who met by chance, there was no reason for us to have any in-depth conversations.

After having a drink with the other party at the Ningyi Tavern.

Xu Qing did not linger in Ningyi. After bidding farewell to Liu Ji, he left the place.

He did not give Liu Ji a sword.

Although Liu Ji in history was no ordinary person, it remains to be seen whether the Liu Ji of this world could have reached that level.

If Liu Ji is truly the chosen one, we will surely meet again someday; there is no need to rush.

The main reason is that even if Xu Qing wanted to forge a sword, he hadn't yet figured out what kind of sword to forge.

After leaving Ningyi, Xu Qing continued towards Daliang.

Even though the Qin army's attack on Wei was fierce, Wei was ultimately a large country and would not be driven to the gates of Daliang in a short period of time.

Of course, Daliang has indeed been besieged many times in history. In fact, the idiom "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" was born after Daliang was besieged once.

Even so, Daliang City was never breached.

In this era, it was the most fortified city in the world.