Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Xu Qing, however, knew that Xue Zhu's integration into the sword was not due to lingering obsession, but rather a true fusion with heaven and earth. This was also the source of Zhuang Zhou's enlightenment from this sword a hundred years ago: "Heaven and earth are born together with me, and all things are one with me."

In the past, he visited the Taoist temple several times, and although he did not get as close to the sword as he did now, he still secretly observed it.

After all, this sword had previously been held by Bei Mingzi.

It wasn't until Chisongzi lost the Miaotai Sword Viewing competition and lost the Xueji Sword, and Beimingzi acquired the Wuya Sword, that this sword was given to Chisongzi.

Xu Qing glanced at the sword one last time, closed his eyes, and gathered a wisp of divine intent at his fingertips, slowly channeling it into the Qiu Li Sword. As a fourth-tier swordsmith, he possessed unique methods for observing and comprehending swords. This time, he not only wanted to feel the spiritual essence within the sword, but also to use his own profound techniques to trace the origins of the Qiu Li Sword and glimpse into that era sealed by time.

His divine will gradually merged with the spiritual essence of the Qiu Li Sword. The sword trembled slightly, gleaming with a soft blue light, and the white dust on the tassel danced gently, as if responding to his exploration.

In my mind, the scene gradually became clear, and a scene from hundreds of years ago slowly unfolded.

An old man dressed in simple clothes, with a thin face and eyes full of determination, traveled all over the world and crossed famous mountains and rivers in order to find a piece of material that could be used to forge an unparalleled sword. He endured hardships and dangers, even when his hands and feet were worn raw by rocks and his body was eroded by wind and rain. He never wavered in the slightest.

At that time, he was deeply obsessed with the idea of ​​"forging a sword that will be passed down through the ages." This obsession supported him through countless difficult years, but it also trapped him in a shackle, making it difficult for him to break free.

The scene shifts, and Xu Qing sees the old man finally finding a strange stone containing the vitality of heaven and earth in a deep mountain. The stone is smooth and lustrous, radiating a faint spiritual light, and it is the sword material he has been searching for.

For the next three years, the other party stayed in the mountains, refining himself day and night, pouring his life's blood into every move he made.

The process of forging the sword was not smooth sailing. He was on the verge of failure several times, but the old man never gave up. His perseverance was etched into his very bones.

Until the moment the sword was successfully forged, the old man looked at the long sword in his hand, which gleamed with a clear, bright light. The obsession in his eyes suddenly disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of relief.

He spent half his life seeking the sword, his obsession driving him, but now he has finally achieved fulfillment, and his heart is free of all attachments.

He smiled and closed his eyes, his body surging with deathly energy. Yet his spirit slowly detached from his body, flowing through his fingertips and merging into the sword, becoming one with it. This sword was completely different from his deathly body, containing boundless vitality.

He had no regrets, no lingering attachments, only the clarity and freedom that came with liberation.

At that moment, the sword seemed to come alive; it was connected to heaven and earth, inseparable from them.

Chapter 383 Searching for the Sword Across a Thousand Miles

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes, a hint of understanding in them.

The entire story of the Qiu Li Sword's creation was clearly imprinted in his mind. From Xue Zhu's persistence in finding materials to the hardships of forging the sword, and finally to the enlightenment of returning to the sword, he understood every detail perfectly.

He raised his hand and grasped the Qiuli Sword, his fingertips gently caressing the blade, feeling the vast vitality flowing within it. Then he closed his eyes and focused his mind once again on analyzing the sword's mysteries.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, already having found the answer in his heart.

The reason why Qiu Li Sword became a famous Taoist sword, containing vast vitality, is by no means accidental.

Firstly, it lies in Xue Zhu's sword-making skills. He has devoted half his life to the art of sword-making, pouring all his heart and soul and Daoist essence into the sword. His technique is exquisite and unmatched. Secondly, it lies in the unique material used to forge the sword. The strange stone containing the vitality of heaven and earth is inherently rich in spiritual energy, making it the best choice for forging a sword. Thirdly, it is also in accordance with the timing of heaven. When Xue Zhu forged the sword, it was at the height of the gathering of the primordial energy of heaven and earth. On the day the sword was completed, he drew the primordial energy of heaven and earth into the sword, making it one with heaven and earth, which is why the sword has a continuous vitality.

It is precisely because this sword is in harmony with heaven and earth, and is one with heaven and earth, that it perfectly embodies the Taoist principle of following the natural way. Therefore, after it fell into the hands of Taoists, it became a famous Taoist sword.

The seemingly boundless vitality within this sword is not inherent to the sword itself, but rather originates from the nourishment of the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Xue Zhu's spirit merely plays a guiding and fusion role, perfectly binding the vitality of heaven and earth with the sword body, making the Qiu Li Sword a carrier of the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Furthermore, Xue Zhu's own spirit is fundamentally different from Han Fei's.

When Xue Zhu died, he had already let go of his lifelong obsession and had no more worries in his heart. His spirit shed all self-awareness and transformed into pure spirituality, completely merging into the sword. He became one with the sword and with heaven and earth, without distinction, without independent thought or complex emotions. He was just a part of the sword and the embodiment of the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing gently shook his head.

His intention in borrowing the Qiuli Sword was to study the formation and nourishment of the sword spirit by observing the Xue Zhu spirit within it, thereby better resolving Han Fei's problem.

After all, Han Fei's soul also became a sword spirit by attaching itself to a sword. He originally thought that the two had something in common and that he could find something to learn from each other.

But now it seems that his idea was destined to fail.

Han Fei's spirit retains complete self-awareness, has its own emotions, can recognize relatives, and has past memories. Essentially, it is still Han Fei, but in the form of a soul residing in the Reverse Scale Sword. Xue Zhu's spirit, on the other hand, has long lost itself and transformed into pure spirituality, coexisting with the sword. It is more like the spirit of the sword than a true sword spirit with independent consciousness.

Both appear to be swords imbued with the spirit of the inhabitant, but in reality they are worlds apart and cannot be compared. Therefore, it is impossible to find the key to nourishing Han Fei's spirit by studying the Qiu Li Sword.

Although the core objective of the trip was not achieved, making it a failed exploration, Xu Qing did not come away empty-handed.

For him, witnessing the birth of the Qiu Li Sword was nothing short of a profound enlightenment.

This deepened his understanding of swordsmanship.

Previously, when he advanced to the fourth-tier swordsmith, he actually gained the corresponding ability to communicate with swords and trace their history through special techniques, but he rarely used this ability in the past.

This was simply because, at that time, he believed that his sword-making skills were unparalleled in the world.

This fourth-tier sword is comparable to, and even surpasses, the top ten swords in the past.

Naturally, he wasn't particularly interested in the swords of this world, nor did he intend to deliberately seek them out.

However, after this sudden idea to come to Tianzong and borrow Qiuli's place for a look, Xu Qing suddenly felt that in the past, he had been blinded by a leaf and had not seen the world.

The sword-making techniques used to forge these swords are not actually the most important thing.

Most importantly, it carries the history it embodies.

Isn't that also a kind of universal principle?

In this vast world, there are not only swords with spirits, such as the "fourth-order sword" forged by Xu Qing, nor only the Qiu Li sword.

Within the sword manual compiled by Feng Hu Zi, and throughout the vast river of history, countless legendary swords exist.

These swords may not be very powerful.

But the heavy history recorded on it is truly a valuable treasure.

Put away the Qiu Li sword carefully. Although the sword has a very unique design and looks extremely elegant, Xu Qing could forge an even more beautiful sword if he wanted to.

Leaving the cliff, it moved at an extremely fast speed, and soon arrived at the place where Chisongzi was again.

Bei Mingzi has not yet left.

Although his disciple is a bit old, he is still his disciple. Since the disciple has recently gained some insights, as his master, he should naturally give him some guidance.

What a touching scene!

When Xu Qing arrived, he saw Bei Mingzi preaching to Chi Songzi.

Judging from his appearance, Chisongzi was even older than Beimingzi. Of course, Beimingzi wasn't much younger either. Both of them were old men with white hair and beards. Therefore, this scene, although touching, was also extremely strange.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's voice, Bei Mingzi immediately stopped preaching and turned his head to look at him.

"What, is there anything else?"

He asked Xu Qing.

Xu Qing met Bei Mingzi's gaze and calmly said, "I've already used up the sword; I've come to return it!"

As he spoke, Xu Qing released his hand, and the Qiu Li Sword flew out, landing in front of Chi Songzi.

"You used it all up so quickly?"

Chisongzi was somewhat surprised when he learned of Xu Qing's purpose.

He had even prepared for Xu Qing to borrow this famous Taoist sword for a year or two.

"Time isn't important; as long as you can finish what you want to do within the limited time, that's enough," Xu Qing said calmly.

"The sword has been returned to you, so we're even now!"

Xu Qing didn't mention the matter of payment. Although he had borrowed the Qiu Li Sword, he didn't owe the Daoist sect anything. On the contrary, the entire Daoist sect owed him. After all, the Wuya Sword was no ordinary sword. Even with a sword contract, the boost that this sword gave to the Heavenly Sect couldn't be compensated by a single sword contract.

After saying this, Xu Qing turned around and left without lingering.

Chisongzi was taken aback as he watched Xu Qing leave.

Bei Mingzi stroked his beard and exclaimed, "What a free and easy person!"

Coming like a gentle breeze, leaving like a gentle breeze.

……

This trip to the Heavenly Sect was very short, and for Xu Qing, it didn't take up too much time.

After all, the place where the Taoists lived was not particularly far from the Yin-Yang School.

After returning to the Yin Yang School, Xu Qing did not rush to forge the sword. After all, in such a short time, the Spirit Gathering Array was of little use.

Han Fei's soul needs to be nurtured for at least several months or even several years.

However, this trip to the Heavenly Sect gave him a completely new idea.

Perhaps we no longer need to travel the world to see all those different kinds of swords.

Back at the Yin-Yang School, life was exceptionally leisurely.

Xu Qing spent his days either catching up with old friends or taking a stroll around Xianyang. Occasionally, he would enter the Zhangtai Palace and chat with Ying Zheng.

Such leisurely days were unprecedented.

Although he hadn't reached the pinnacle of the swordsmith profession, and there was a fifth tier above the fourth tier, after experiencing so many things, Xu Qing was no longer as concerned as he had imagined.

He was no longer persistent, and instead showed a sense of inaction.

During this period, Xianyang became quite lively. Previously, Emperor Qin Shi Huang issued an edict to summon all the physicians in the world to gather in Xianyang, intending to integrate the medical skills of the world and compile a world-class medical book to benefit all people.

Once the imperial decree was issued, physicians from all over the country responded one after another, some going alone and others in groups. For a time, on the official roads leading to Xianyang, one could see physicians wearing medicinal robes and carrying medicine boxes everywhere.

Now, the first batches of doctors have arrived in Xianyang one after another, and the city has become bustling with activity. The aroma of medicine and the lively atmosphere of everyday life are intertwined, creating a prosperous scene.

Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong, master and apprentice, had already settled in a specially designated medical institution in Xianyang City.

Previously, they had impressed many imperial physicians with their superb medical skills, and afterwards they had been studying medical books in the medical office.

After physicians from all over the country arrived in Xianyang, Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong were ordered by Ying Zheng to become examiners to assess the physicians' abilities.

Since Ying Zheng wanted to compile a medical book that would last for generations, he naturally could not tolerate those who were deceitful and charlatans infiltrating the field. He had to first select physicians with genuine talent and learning in order to ensure the quality of the medical book.

The master and apprentice, along with many imperial physicians, established strict and reasonable examination standards, testing pharmacology, diagnosis and treatment, and prescriptions, carefully screening out the candidates and eliminating those who were not qualified, leaving only the best medical professionals from various regions.

Undoubtedly, this assessment is not something that can be accomplished overnight, and compiling a monumental medical book is an even longer and more arduous task. Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong, master and apprentice, are destined to stay in Xianyang for a long time, devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the assessment and the compilation of the medical book.

Just as Xianyang City was becoming increasingly bustling due to the gathering of doctors, Xu Qing had the idea of ​​leaving temporarily.

He had long harbored the idea of ​​traveling the world and seeing all kinds of famous swords. Now that Han Fei's spirit body was being nurtured by the spirit-gathering array, he didn't need to watch over him all the time. It was also impossible for him to forge a sword in the short term. Xu Qing didn't need to worry about the affairs of the Mo family or Nian Duan and the others. Everything was fine, making it the perfect time to travel.

As usual, after exchanging a few words with familiar people, he quietly left Xianyang.

At this moment, the world belongs to the Great Qin. The six states have been unified, and the world is at peace. The smoke of war from the past has long since dissipated, official roads are open to traffic, and the people live in peace and contentment.

Xu Qing walked slowly along the official road, and all he saw along the way was the prosperous scene after the unification.

Smoke curls from chimneys in the village, farmers work on the ridges of the fields, the market is bustling with activity, and children chase and play by the roadside—a scene of peace and tranquility.

He was no longer the unparalleled swordsmith, nor the leader of the Yin-Yang School, but just an ordinary traveler, stopping and starting along the way, seeing all the mountains and rivers, and also wanting to find those legendary swords scattered in the world. He was very interested in the stories hidden on those famous swords.