Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Before long, the two arrived at the gate of the mansion.

Xu Qing took the lead and pushed open the door. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw three people sitting around the stone table: Jing Ke, Nian Duan, and Duanmu Rong. The three of them were getting along very well. This scene made Xu Qing pause in surprise, and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

He never expected that Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong would arrive in Xianyang at this moment, and that they would happen to come to his residence and meet Jing Ke who was waiting there. It was quite a coincidence.

"Mr. Xu!" Jing Ke was the first to stand up and greet Xu Qing.

Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong also quickly stood up, looked at Xu Qing with complicated expressions, and greeted him, "Greetings, Mr. Xu!"

Xu Qing stepped forward, his gaze falling on Nian Duan and her apprentice, his tone tinged with surprise: "Miss Nian Duan, Miss Duanmu, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to come here at this time."

Nian Duan said softly, "Thank you, Mr. Xu, for saving us back then. Now that the world is united, my master and I have come to visit you, following the address you gave us back then."

As for the reason for the visit, it was clearly not as simple as just expressing gratitude.

Because if I had said thank you, I would have already expressed my gratitude at that time.

The main reason stems from what Xu Qing said when he left.

It was those words that prompted them to travel thousands of miles to Xianyang.

Just then, the Six-Fingered Black Knight, who was following behind Xu Qing, also entered the courtyard.

His gaze swept over the people in the courtyard, and when it landed on Nian Duan, his body stiffened abruptly. A complex expression immediately appeared in his eyes, a mixture of surprise, guilt, and a touch of indescribable melancholy. His lips moved, but he ultimately failed to utter a word.

Nian Duan noticed the figure behind Xu Qing out of the corner of her eye. When she saw that it was the Six-Fingered Black Knight, her expression instantly darkened. A complex look flashed across her brows, a mixture of surprise, estrangement, and a hint of barely perceptible regret. The two stared at each other from a few steps away. The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze instantly. For a moment, they were speechless, and an awkward atmosphere quietly spread.

Jing Ke and Duanmu Rong, standing to the side, both looked puzzled, wondering what kind of past the two had that led to this situation, and neither dared to break the silence.

Xu Qing saw all of this and knew in his heart that these two must be old acquaintances.

He coughed lightly, taking the initiative to smooth things over, a faint smile playing on his lips: "It seems the two of you are old acquaintances. Such a chance encounter is quite a nice story. Why are you standing here motionless? Have you become estranged because we haven't seen each other for so many years?"

Upon hearing this, Nian Duan's expression remained complex. After a moment of silence, he spoke to Six-Fingered Black Knight with a somewhat cold tone: "I didn't expect that you were still alive."

As she finished speaking, her gaze unconsciously shifted downwards, landing on the legs of the Six-Fingered Black Knight. Although the two bronze prosthetic limbs were exquisitely crafted and moved in the same way as ordinary people, they were ultimately different from flesh and blood, and the difference was immediately apparent.

"However, judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be in much better shape either."

Upon hearing this, Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed, "I'm not much better off; I'm already crippled."

"But I'm still very happy to see that you are safe and sound."

"Hmph!" Upon hearing this, Nian Duan snorted coldly, clearly not appreciating Six-Fingered Black Knight's kindness.

Seeing that the two were about to fall into another cold war, Xu Qing, as the host, spoke up again: "Although I don't know what kind of grudges and past grievances exist between you two, please give me some face today and don't do this, okay?"

Six-Fingered Black Knight immediately stated, "Of course we must give Mr. Xu face."

Nian Duan naturally couldn't refuse Xu Qing's request. She pretended not to have seen the Six-Fingered Black Knight and turned her gaze back to Xu Qing. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Xu."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Guests from afar are all welcome. Since you're here, why don't you stay here?"

“My mansion is quite spacious!”

Upon hearing this, Nian Duan was about to speak again when Xu Qing spoke first: "It's getting late. If there's anything we need to talk about, can we talk about it tomorrow? After all, I've been busy all day and I'm quite tired."

Having said that, Nian Duan naturally couldn't say anything more.

She wasn't some little girl either. Although she harbored some resentment towards the Six-Fingered Black Knight, she ultimately considered the bigger picture and didn't lash out.

"I'll arrange it as you see fit, sir."

Thus, under Xu Qing's arrangement, Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong settled down in Xu Qing's residence.

Time flew by, and it was evening.

The night was deep, and Six-Fingered Black Knight remained in his room, unable to sleep.

Suddenly, a deep voice sounded in his ear, "What kind of grudge exists between you and Nian Duan?"

Six-Fingered Black Knight turned his head and found that Xu Qing had appeared in his room at some point. Clearly, what had happened earlier had aroused Xu Qing's curiosity.

After a moment of silence, Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed, "This is a story from many years ago..."

Chapter 378 Past Events and Healing the World

The flickering lights cast shadows.

Inside the room, Six-Fingered Black Knight spoke eloquently, recounting his past with Nian Duan. After many years, seeing Nian Duan again inevitably stirred complex emotions within him. The host of the room was Xu Qing, who was also curious. After some thought, Six-Fingered Black Knight decided to tell those past stories.

"In my younger days, I had a fiery temper. I couldn't stand the injustices of the world and often drew my sword in anger!"

Speaking of this, Xu Qing recalled the first time he encountered the Six-Fingered Black Knight, which was near the Taihang Mountains.

At that time, the Six-Fingered Black Knight was a lone man who intended to wipe out the bandits of Taihang Mountain. As he said, he had a fiery temper, or rather, he was somewhat reckless.

"However, in the martial world, one cannot avoid the clash of swords!"

"Even I get hurt, no, I should say, getting hurt is inevitable..."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight's tone suddenly became incredibly complex, "After being severely injured, I met her..."

Who she is needs no further explanation; who else could she be but Nian Duan?

"...After a while, we became quite familiar with each other."

"In fact, because we became more familiar with each other later, I even introduced some of the Mohist disciples to her for treatment."

Six-Fingered Black Knight was silent for a while, his thoughts wandering through his memories. After a long while, his tone became more wistful and guilty as he continued, "But as we got to know each other better, conflicts gradually arose. She was a healer who upheld benevolence throughout her life and could not bear to see killing, let alone agree with my method of stopping war with killing."

“Every time I went to her for treatment with my wounds, she would advise me to temper my sharpness, cherish myself, and stop drawing my sword to kill people at the drop of a hat. She said that killing would not solve the problem and would only bring more suffering.”

"But back then, I was extreme and went astray. I always felt that only by killing to stop killing could the chaos end and the people be protected. I didn't listen to her advice and continued to do things my own way, arguing with her every time."

Perhaps seeing an old friend stirred up too many memories for Six-Fingered Black Knight, who would pause after every few words, and this was the case now as well.

Fortunately, the pause was short, and he immediately resumed speaking.

"Later, due to a misunderstanding, I ruthlessly slaughtered a group of bandits who were harming the people, and she happened to see it. When she saw me covered in blood, she was completely heartbroken and had a big fight with me. She said that I had long deviated from the original intention of the Mohist school of non-aggression and universal love, and that I was nothing more than a bloodthirsty brute. At that time, I was stubborn and refused to back down or argue, so we parted ways on bad terms."

At this point, Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed deeply, his expression full of emotion: "Over the years, I have experienced the vicissitudes of life, witnessed the chaos of war, and seen people displaced. I have gradually come to understand that what I thought was the principle of stopping war with killing was just an excuse for self-comfort. In reality, it had already deviated from the path of non-aggression and had also hurt the person who sincerely advised me the most."

"Later, I gradually changed, concealing my sharpness and no longer drawing my sword at the drop of a hat, but the person of the past can never be brought back. I never thought that I would see her here again in my lifetime."

Xu Qing listened quietly, her expression calm, but inwardly she was full of complaints.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight, who once arrogantly wiped out bandits in the Taihang Mountains, is now more restrained in his nature.

If this had happened earlier, there would likely have been rivers of blood.

So, does Six-Fingered Black Knight's non-aggression strategy mean killing all those with offensive capabilities, rendering them unable to attack?

In another room, Nian Duan was also unable to sleep.

Duanmu Rong moved closer to her master, recalling how her master had met that person during the day, and asked curiously, "Master, who was that person during the day...?"

Nian Duan's expression changed slightly, and her voice was stiff and cold, "Just someone I know."

"Just someone I know?" Duanmu Rong carefully examined her master. "Judging from that person's appearance, he seems to be someone more than just a simple person!"

"His legs appear to be crippled, but through those special creations, he walks just like a normal person."

Duanmu Rong recalled the appearance of the Six-Fingered Black Knight she had seen before; his lower body legs were actually made of bronze, which was truly astonishing.

Nian Duan said coldly, "The Mo family's mechanisms are unparalleled in the world. Using mechanical techniques to create two legs is not a difficult thing for them."

"However, mechanical legs are no match for the original flesh and blood body."

In Nian Duan's view, the other party's transformation was entirely due to his aggressive and violent nature, and he was not worthy of any sympathy.

"That person is actually from the Mohist school?" Duanmu Rong learned some information from her master and immediately became interested. "...I have heard quite a bit about the Mohist school."

"It is said that the leader of the Mohist school is called the Six-Fingered Black Knight, whose chivalrous name is renowned throughout the world!"

Whether Duanmu Rong did it unintentionally or intentionally, she brought up the very thing she shouldn't have, directly mentioning the name of Six-Fingered Black Knight.

Nian Duan's gaze immediately sharpened, and her words carried a hint of tact, "Six-Fingered Black Knight, though his name is great, is not as great as you imagine."

"Master, what kind of past do you have with the Mo family? How do you know so much? From what you've said, it seems you know the Six-Fingered Black Knight?" One question after another came from Duanmu Rong's mouth.

Nian Duan, however, was unwilling to respond.

She was simply thinking about the past on her own.

She was only seventeen or eighteen years old back then, an age of naivety and ignorance, while he was already over thirty.

He hated evil as if it were his enemy, and would draw his sword to help those in need whenever he saw injustice. He possessed a unique chivalrous spirit that was so dazzling and amazing.

He possessed a unique allure for her at the time, making it inevitable that she would develop feelings of infatuation with him in her youth.

But in the end, that feeling gradually faded due to many subsequent events.

Now, Nian Duan has seen through it all.

The reason she still harbors resentment towards the Six-Fingered Black Knight is simply because he held a significant place in her life when she was young.

"After so many years, we meet again, but everything has changed!"

Nian Duan sighed inwardly.

Then, she looked at Duanmu Rong and, meeting the other's curious gaze, sincerely advised, "Rong'er, remember, never fall in love with a man who wields a sword. A sword is a weapon of death; it can hurt people, but it can also break their hearts. They walk amidst the clash of swords year after year, their hearts filled with the world and righteousness, but they often neglect those around them. In the end, they inevitably end up with nothing but regret."

"master……"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Rong was about to press for more information, as she didn't understand why her master would say such a thing.

However, Nian Duan remained silent, offering no explanation whatsoever.

That night, both people in their respective rooms were preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The next day, as dawn broke and the morning dew was still fresh, Xu Qing's courtyard was already bustling with activity. Servants were busy sweeping the courtyard, serving tea, and preparing meals. Dewdrops fell from the plants, splashing up tiny water droplets.

Six-Fingered Black Knight and Jing Ke arrived at the courtyard first. The former still looked somewhat melancholy, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the residence of Nian Duan and his apprentice, his expression complex.

Before long, Nian Duan came out with Duanmu Rong.

She was dressed in a plain-colored cloth dress, and her expression returned to its usual gentle and calm demeanor. However, when her gaze swept over the Six-Fingered Black Knight, it instantly turned indifferent, as if she were facing a complete stranger.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight paused slightly, his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't speak, simply turning his gaze away silently.

Xu Qing, who had just gotten up, saw all of this but did not point it out.

Then he asked Six-Fingered Black Knight and Jing Ke, "What are you planning to do today?"

Hearing this, Six-Fingered Black Knight gathered his thoughts and said to Xu Qing, "Today I plan to take a stroll around Xianyang. I haven't had a proper look around here yet."