Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

What's even more unsettling is that within the deep cracks, dark red veins are faintly visible, like congealed blood scabs or surging lava from the ground. In the dim light, they seem to pulsate slightly as if they were alive, exuding a gloomy and restless aura.

The hilt is shaped like the legendary mythical beast Xie Zhi, with a single horn, angry eyes, and fierce fangs. The grip is covered with dragon scale-like protrusions, each scale edge as sharp as a blade. The dragon eye inlaid in the center of the guard stares blankly upwards.

Xu Qing reached out and gently touched the sword.

Before meeting Han Fei, he had made unremitting efforts.

He finally succeeded in advancing to become a third-tier swordsmith.

After advancing to the next level, he naturally gained some new abilities.

Besides the brand-new forging techniques, there is also an ability called "Sword Language." As the saying goes, famous swords have spirits, and divine swords have even stronger spirituality. With this ability, Xu Qing can communicate with those existing famous swords, thereby comprehending the sword's heart and experiencing the emotions of the swordsmiths of yesteryear when they forged the swords. He can then draw inferences from these examples and comprehend brand-new forging techniques.

With this ability activated.

In an instant, Xu Qing felt the surrounding environment darken.

A fog, seemingly appearing from nowhere, enveloped it.

Chapter 49 The Sword Contains Its Spirit, The Forge is Reopened

Each of these extraordinary swords possesses its own unique characteristics.

When it falls into the hands of the swordsman, it is not only the person who chooses the sword, but also the sword that chooses the person.

Han Fei's sword is called "Reverse Scale." What is the Reverse Scale? It is a place on a dragon's body that cannot be touched. Once touched, it will provoke the dragon's rage and kill. By extension, this sword represents the core of power and the ironclad law that means certain death if touched.

In the original story, this sword protected its master several times, a memory that Xu Qing still vividly recalls.

The powerful sword spirit lurking within the sword acts as an invisible barrier for Han Fei. Regardless of whether the sword is nearby, whenever Han Fei faces a fatal crisis, the sword spirit will appear suddenly, like a shadow. Its strength is so great that even a ferocious individual like Tian Ze cannot gain the slightest advantage under its sharpness.

At this moment, as Xu Qing quietly activated his "Sword Language" ability, the surrounding world was instantly swallowed by an invisible mist. In the depths of the chaotic spiritual realm, a figure quietly emerged, with disheveled white hair, tattered armor covering his body, and his eyes tightly covered by a black cloth. It was none other than the terrifying Reverse Scale Sword Spirit from the original work.

Xu Qing stared at the other person, and a strange feeling arose spontaneously.

Even though his eyes were covered by a black cloth, he felt as if a cold, sharp gaze had pierced through his soul, leaving him nowhere to hide. The air seemed to freeze, carrying an invisible pressure.

But he remained calm. In the silence of his spiritual world, Xu Qing transmitted his thoughts to the silent guardian: "There's no need to be hostile towards me. I am a friend of your master. This time, I only wish to speak with you... I am quite interested in beings like sword spirits..."

He was eager to know the origin of this sword spirit.

The original text is vague on this point, with only the narration mentioning that he was "the most powerful and most compatible undead among all the previous sword masters."

The xiezhi totem on the sword hilt symbolizes law and justice, so the sword spirit was most likely a Legalist master in life. Some speculate that it was Shang Yang, who committed suicide by practicing magic and proved his Dao through death; others believe it was Shen Buhai, who failed in his reforms in the state of Han and whose ambitions remained unfulfilled, and whose soul attached itself to the sword, with Han Fei inheriting his will; still others have proposed an unbelievable hypothesis: the sword spirit is Han Fei himself from another timeline, who failed to save the state of Han and died, and crossed time and space to protect himself, but forgot all his past...

This last conjecture seems far too far-fetched.

Xu Qing prefers to seek a concrete answer.

However, although the "sword language" forcibly connected him with the sword spirit, the blindfolded undead ignored the thoughts he conveyed and remained silent as before.

Unable to reach an agreement, Xu Qing had no choice but to settle for second best. The sword spirit was a later creation that attached itself to the sword, shaping the sword's materials and craftsmanship; this was the original source.

As a third-tier swordsmith, his understanding of swords far surpasses their physical form.

Observing a sword allows one not only to study the techniques of sword making, but also to feel the primal will and spiritual brilliance hidden deep within its essence.

Only swords deemed by the system to be of the fourth tier, "legacy," can truly cultivate spirituality.

The broken scales may seem ordinary, but their hidden brilliance is far more than that.

……

In reality.

Han Fei watched as Xu Qing's hand gently stroked the Reverse Scale Sword, then fell into a dazed silence.

He frowned slightly, puzzled. Although he sensed the mystery of the sword, he had not yet experienced the life-or-death moments when the sword spirit saved him time and time again, so his understanding of its wonders was mostly vague.

He hesitated whether to interrupt Xu Qing's thoughts, but the other person suddenly opened his eyes.

"What a fine sword!" Xu Qing exclaimed sincerely, then closed the wooden box and handed it back to Han Fei.

His tone was certain, as if he had already confirmed some kind of value.

Han Fei took the sword box, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "This sword is so broken, yet Brother Xu calls it a 'fine sword'?"

He recalled the experience of acquiring the sword, its broken state, discarded like trash on a roadside stall, yet it alone touched his heartstrings.

"The quality of a sword lies in its heart, not its form; in its spirit, not its appearance." Xu Qing's words were profound. "Some swords, though broken in form, possess a restrained spirit. When their sharpness is restored, even in their crippled state, they can become peerless divine blades."

Han Fei seemed to be deep in thought.

……

They traveled for another two or three days, enduring wind and rain and sleeping in the open.

On a night of torrential rain, they crossed a dilapidated border pass and entered the heart of South Korea.

South Korea, with its already narrow territory and constant territorial losses, has a route from its border to its capital, Xinzheng, that is as clear and close as the bare branches of fallen autumn leaves.

Finally, the weathered outline of Xinzheng's city walls began to emerge faintly in the post-rain mist.

The carriage came to a stop on the roadside some distance from the city gate, the air thick with the smell of rain mixed with dust.

"Brother Han." Xu Qing jumped off the carriage and handed the reins to Han Fei. "We have traveled together for a long time, but we must part ways eventually. The road ahead is long, so you should go on your own. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you into the city."

Han Fei nodded, understanding perfectly. As the ninth prince of Han, returning to his country was like returning home, but also like walking on thin ice. After all, there were quite a few people in Xinzheng who disliked or hated him.

Beneath his prestigious status lies countless overt and covert fears and resentments. Otherwise, why would he have gone to study abroad in the first place? If Xu Qing were to enter the city with him in a high-profile manner, it would be tantamount to announcing his stance, which would inevitably incur the wrath of those forces who do not wish to see him.

Han Fei silently took the reins, nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude and a hint of imperceptible heaviness.

Immediately, the simple carriage creaked once again, rolling over the muddy road after the rain, carrying the preoccupied Korean prince, slowly heading towards Xinzheng, the capital city that symbolized both the glory of his family and the heavy burden of the nation.

Watching the carriage disappear into the crowd at the city gate, Xu Qing subtly shifted his body, like a drop of water merging into a stream, and silently joined the queue waiting to enter the city.

Stepping through the city gates, the hustle and bustle of the marketplace hit him immediately. At this moment, Xu Qing had two urgent matters to attend to: first, to find a warm inn to settle down and satisfy his rumbling stomach; and second, to wash away the fatigue and dust that had accumulated from his long journey.

These two things were easy for him.

Soon, he found a suitable inn in Xinzheng City and settled down there for the time being.

Before leaving, he had told Han Fei that he was coming to "visit a friend," but now he was in no hurry to arrive. The reason was simple: as a visitor, one should bring a generous gift to show sincerity. Recalling his time in Xinling, although he had used some "tricks" to get the two brothers to each take away a fine sword, those were merely the work of second-tier swordsmiths.

Now that I have advanced to the third rank, my sword-forging skills are on a completely different level, and it's time to open the furnace and forge a new sword.

Wouldn't it be even better to use this as a token of our respect when we visit?

After all, the Guigu lineage has a long history and can be described as an inexhaustible treasure trove of wisdom.

Xu Qing smiled slightly, naturally wanting to squeeze as much money as possible out of that "old friend".

After a hearty, warm, and delicious meal, wash away the dust of your journey with cool water.

As his body sank into the soft, clean bedding of the inn and he closed his eyes, Xu Qing's breathing quickly became steady and long. However, his consciousness did not fall asleep. With a slight thought, his spirit had already crossed the invisible threshold and entered the sword-making workshop that belonged only to him.

The fire was not lit, yet one could almost feel the presence of flames.

Everything within reach of this place is readily available.

The new traits gained after advancing to the third-tier swordsmith are perfect for forging swords.

Chapter 50 Heart Sword!

When Xu Qing was still a second-tier swordsmith, forging a third-tier "famous sword" was no easy feat. Not only did it require top-tier materials, but it also demanded the perfect integration of the corresponding third-tier characteristics. Only when the right time, place, and people were all in place could there be even a sliver of hope for success. If any of these three factors were lacking, even with all his efforts, Xu Qing could only forge a sword of the "fine" level.

But things are completely different now.

After advancing to the third-tier swordsmith, Xu Qing mastered a completely new forging technique. This technique was extremely profound. Even if the weather was unfavorable and the location was average, he could still make up for some of the shortcomings of the first two levels by relying on the skill of "human" and the subtlety of "harmony". Even those properties that seemed incompatible with the nature of the materials could be perfectly fused together into one piece through complex and precise techniques.

Inside the sword-making workshop.

clang!clang!clang!

The rhythmic tapping echoed continuously, each strike containing a profound melody.

Zhuangzi once mentioned the three sounds of heaven and earth: the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments are the sounds of man; the sounds of the resonance of all things are the sounds of earth; and the sounds of heaven originate from nature, such as wind, rain, thunder, lightning, frost, hail, and ice, all of which are the flowing sounds of heaven, forming a harmonious whole.

At this moment, the sound of Xu Qing's hammer strike, though not as heavenly as music, absolutely surpassed human music and reached the realm of earthly music.

Each note is simple and pure, perfectly natural, as if this rhythm was meant to exist in this world, a manifestation of nature's own will.

time flies.

In this foundry, there is no concept of time.

Xu Qing forged within it, and the only thing he needed to consume was his own physical strength and energy.

When his energy is exhausted, he will leave the foundry on his own.

After that, once you have rested and recuperated, you can enter again to continue forging.

However, Xu Qing now possesses an inexhaustible amount of naive energy, and he feels that he is in a better state than ever before.

Soon.

The shape of a sword was then hammered out.

Thinking of Wei Zhuang's eerie and unrestrained Shark Tooth Sword, Xu Qing made up his mind to give this "gift" an equally visually striking appearance. The Ling Shuang Sword from the "Demon Sword Life and Death Chess" game he had seen in his previous life came to mind. The appearance of that sword might seem a bit exaggerated in the live-action version, but in this world, it perfectly complemented the style of Shark Tooth.

Of course, although the shape was inspired by the "Ling Shuang Sword", it doesn't mean that the sword Xu Qing forged was exactly the same as the Ling Shuang Sword. Anyway, he didn't have anything like the Ten Thousand Year Ice Spring or the blood of the Demon Sword Clan.

Although these things are not available.

However, he was able to add some unique features.

Characteristics such as "bloodlust" and "healing"!

The former was a system gift pack he received when he advanced to the third-tier swordsmith. He hadn't originally planned to use it so soon, but after thinking about the Frost Sword and deciding to refer to swords in movies and TV dramas, he still chose this characteristic. After adding this characteristic, the sword would become a well-deserved "blood-drinking sword." After injuring an enemy, it would absorb the enemy's essence and blood, and then convert it into corresponding energy, storing it in the sword body. Combined with the "healing" characteristic he had accumulated before, it could be transformed into life energy to heal himself.

It looks somewhat similar to the "Chunsheng" sword that Xu Qing forged for Tian Guang, but there are still some differences.

The Spring Life Sword is considered one of Xu Qing's early works. Even though it is a famous sword like the one he is currently wielding, just as swords in a sword manual are ranked, the top ten and the swords outside the top three hundred are both swords in the manual, but their power is completely different.

This sword is undoubtedly going to surpass the Spring Life Sword.

"I'll call you Heart Sword!"

It took some time to perfectly integrate the characteristics into the sword.

The entire sword also possessed a touch of spirituality. Although it did not have a sword spirit like the Reverse Scale Sword, it still surpassed ordinary fine swords.

Xu Qing named the sword, and the name was copied verbatim. Since the appearance was copied, it was impossible for him to leave out the name.