Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

In this respect, Xu Qing is somewhat similar to the deceased Zhao Gao.

Zhao Gao was fond of pursuing famous swords and searching for swords scattered throughout the land.

However, there are still differences.

In any case, Xu Qing didn't like being associated with someone like Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao was a notorious person, and even though Xu Qing didn't consider himself a good person, his reputation hadn't fallen to the point of being compared to Zhao Gao.

Furthermore, Zhao Gao's search for the sword was for the purpose of training sword slaves.

He was an extremely selfish man who sought famous swords only to satisfy his own desires.

They would even resort to any means to obtain a famous sword.

Xu Qing's search for the sword was a matter of chance; he only wanted to observe the sword, not to seize it.

Of course, saying "go with the flow" doesn't mean Xu Qing wanders around aimlessly.

Unlike the search for famous swords by Luo Wang, which requires gathering clues from all over the world and casting a wide net, Xu Qing, though without any clues, possesses an intuition, or rather, an insight into the mysterious sword energy between heaven and earth.

This ability is not actually unique to him.

Feng Hu Zi also possesses similar abilities.

Feng Hu Zi, a sword appraiser, certainly couldn't rely solely on clues to find the sword.

It was also through observing the invisible sword energy between heaven and earth, and following its patterns, that one could find the sword.

The sword exists between heaven and earth, and it possesses a subtle sword aura. This sword aura is like the stars observed by a stargazer. Just as a stargazer can calculate the heavens through the veins of the stars, this sword aura can be used to find the location of the sword in the eyes of the corresponding person.

Ordinary people can see the stars, but they cannot see this aura.

That's why Feng Hu Zi was so authoritative and had such a great reputation throughout the world. His sword manual was sought after by many swordsmen.

That said, Zhao Gao made a mistake back then. Although the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) had a wide reach and could be used to find famous swords, some swords were hidden by people and could not be found even by the Luo Wang.

They could totally find a way to cooperate with the Feng Hu Zi family!

The Feng Hu Zi family possesses a unique ability to find swords. In order to compile a sword manual, they can even find swords hidden in corners and then rank them.

If they could get the help of the Feng Hu Zi family, finding the sword in the Luo Wang would be extremely easy.

As for the Feng Hu Zi family disagreeing?

Of course, we have to find a way when we encounter difficulties!

During the journey, I was lost in thought.

Xu Qing followed the sword energy between heaven and earth, continuing to move forward.

He had no specific goal or direction; he simply followed the trail of the sword.

Therefore, rather than saying that he was very similar to Zhao Gao, it would be more accurate to say that Xu Qing was very similar to Feng Hu Zi.

On this day, Xu Qing arrived at a small town.

This place was originally within the territory of the Zhao state, but after the Qin state unified the world and standardized the writing system, the Zhao state's writing system was abolished, and many etiquette rules were forcibly replaced. After arriving in the town, Xu Qing immediately felt the unique feeling brought about by the change of customs and traditions.

The invisible sword energy extended to a blacksmith shop in the village.

Chapter 384 Time Has Dusted the World, Swordsmanship Remains Unchanged

Xu Qing stepped into the blacksmith shop.

The stove inside the shop was still burning, casting a faint red glow. The air was filled with the smell of rust and charcoal. In the corner, there were several red-hot iron billets and some finished farm tools, such as hoes, sickles, and plowshares, neatly arranged on a wooden shelf. Business seemed rather slow.

His entry immediately caught the attention of someone inside the shop.

A young blacksmith was sitting on a rock in the corner, seemingly resting. He was strong and his skin was a bronze color from years of blacksmithing.

Upon seeing someone enter, the young blacksmith immediately straightened up and quickly stepped forward: "Sir, please come in! What would you like to have made? Farm tools or household ironware?"

As he spoke, he quickly added, "However, sir, you must understand that I would never forge weapons. Now that the world is unified, the First Emperor has decreed that it is strictly forbidden for civilians to privately possess or forge weapons, and those who violate this decree will be severely punished."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing nodded slightly, naturally aware of Ying Zheng's prohibition.

Although Han Fei was dead, his saying that "knights-errant use martial arts to break the law" had long been regarded as a guiding principle by Ying Zheng. In order to stabilize the world, it was only natural to confiscate weapons from the people and strictly prohibit private manufacturing.

At present, many things are still unresolved. Once they are, Ying Zheng will probably use the weapons that have been confiscated to cast twelve bronze statues.

He glanced around the shop and said calmly, "I haven't decided what to make yet, I just came in to take a look."

"Hey, what does that matter!" The young blacksmith laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Sir, please feel free to look around. If you see any farm tools you like, or anything you want to be made, just let me know."

After saying that, he retreated to the corner and continued to rest, without disturbing him any further. He treated Xu Qing as an ordinary passerby who came in to rest and take a look at something new.

Xu Qing didn't stop, but slowly walked along the wooden racks and piles of iron billets in the blacksmith's shop. His gaze calmly swept over each piece of ironware, and his fingertips would occasionally lightly brush against the cold iron tools, feeling the faint metallic scent within them.

His attention remained fixed on the invisible sword energy as he walked step by step toward the innermost corner of the blacksmith's shop.

In that corner lay a jumble of scrap iron and broken iron parts, covered in a thick layer of dust, clearly having been forgotten for a long time.

Xu Qing crouched down, brushed aside the scattered iron filings and scraps, and a broken blade appeared before him.

The broken blade was about half a foot long, and the blade was covered with rust. The once sharp edge was now broken and covered with small cracks. The hilt was also severely worn, and the hemp rope that wrapped around it had long since rotted and fallen off, leaving only the bare wooden core. It looked dilapidated and no different from a pile of scrap iron.

Xu Qing reached out and gently picked up the broken blade. His fingertips brushed against the rust and cracks on the blade, and a faint but still clear sword aura entered his senses through his fingertips.

Even after years of erosion and the accumulation of dust, the broken blade still retains the sharpness and aura of its former glory.

He gazed at the broken blade in his hand, a hint of melancholy slowly rising in his eyes, and murmured softly, "Even though it was once a renowned weapon, after the passage of time, it still cannot escape the fate of being covered in dust and falling into obscurity."

He could vaguely sense that this broken blade carried a heavy history, perhaps the bloody battles of the Warring States period, or the unfulfilled ambitions of a certain swordsman. But all of this had been covered by rust and dust with the passage of time. Only the faint trace of sword energy remained, silently telling of its former glory.

How much is this sword?

Xu Qing, holding the broken blade, walked to the young blacksmith's side and asked him a question.

The young blacksmith looked up at the sound, and when his gaze fell on the broken blade in Xu Qing's hand, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face. He then waved his hand and said casually, "Sir, you're joking. This thing isn't worth much money. It's just a broken sword that no one cares about if it's lying in a corner. If you like it, just give me some change and take it."

As he spoke, fearing that Xu Qing might have some concerns, he quickly added, "Don't worry, this is just a broken sword, not even a complete weapon. It's not under the jurisdiction of the government at all, so taking it won't cause you any trouble."

In his view, the broken blade was no different from the scrap iron piled up in the shop. He had obtained it by chance when collecting scrap iron parts on weekdays, and he had planned to melt it down and remake it into farm tools in the future. Being able to exchange it for some small change was already an unexpected bonus.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes remained unmoved, and he said nothing more. He casually tossed a few Qin Banliang coins from the money pouch at his waist, and the coins landed on the stone next to the blacksmith with a crisp sound.

He had no intention of getting entangled with the blacksmith. From the man's words, he was already certain that the man didn't know the value of the sword and was completely unaware that this seemingly broken blade was once a famous sword that carried a piece of history.

It's likely that he acquired the broken blade unintentionally while collecting scrap iron, much like how blacksmiths in ancient times often collected scrap iron for recasting; he simply treated it as ordinary scrap iron.

Seeing Xu Qing's decisiveness, the young blacksmith quickly got up to pick up the coins, repeatedly saying "too many, too many." But Xu Qing had already turned around, carefully put the broken blade into his pocket, and walked straight out of the blacksmith's shop without stopping. His figure quickly disappeared into the streets and alleys of the town.

The young blacksmith picked up the coins, looked in the direction Xu Qing had left, scratched his head, and muttered in bewilderment, "What a strange gentleman. He had perfectly good farm tools but insisted on taking this broken sword and even paid so much for it."

After saying that, he put the coins away and sat back down in the corner to rest. He quickly forgot about the little incident and just thought he had encountered a strange person who liked to collect scrap metal.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing, carrying the broken blade, arrived at a relatively quiet wilderness.

Here, he gently brushed his palm across the broken and tattered blade of the sword. As his palm moved across it, the rust quickly fell off, revealing a faint glimmer of sharpness.

"Pity!"

Xu Qing sighed.

Even though the sword's sharpness has been revealed at this moment, it cannot change the fact that it has been dormant for many years and is in a broken state.

The sword's spirit did not grow stronger over time; instead, it diminished completely, leaving only a wisp of indomitable sword energy remaining between heaven and earth.

Even if Xu Qing allowed it to briefly display its brilliance, he could not bring it back to its peak period unless the sword was reforged.

But after being reforged, is it still the same sword?

It is clearly not the original sword.

Perhaps reforging will make this sword even more powerful; however, the stories and traces of time on it will also disappear with the reforging.

Xu Qing had previously reforged many swords.

Just like the "Heart Sword" that was forged for Wei Zhuang in the past, it was reforged into the Frost Sword.

Just like the Eight Swords of Yue King in the net, many of the swords were secretly reforged by Xu Qing. On the surface, those swords were no different from the original swords, but in reality, from then on, those swords could be controlled by Xu Qing. He was the true master of those swords.

Naturally, those who wield the swords are also true sword slaves.

From this perspective, Xu Qing secretly tricked Xuan Jian, since he was the one who reforged Xuan Jian's pair of swords.

However, from Xuan Jian's perspective, he did not believe he had been taken advantage of.

Perhaps Xu Qing will eventually control the two swords of Hei Bai Xuan Jian, but at that time, he did need the reforged swords. The soul-suppressing and mind-concentrating abilities of those two swords could eliminate his mental hidden dangers and make him more like a normal person.

Xu Qing gripped the broken blade tightly, closed his eyes, pressed his fingertips against the blade, and activated the abilities of a fourth-level swordsmith, focusing his mind to touch the remaining sword energy and trace the past of this broken sword.

In an instant, countless images flooded his mind, clearly unfolding the life of this sword.

This sword is not some extraordinary legendary weapon. It was forged by an ordinary village swordsmith with mediocre skills. The materials he used were just ordinary refined iron, without the nourishment of the heaven and earth's vital energy or the blessing of exquisite Daoist charm. When he forged it, he did so simply to earn some money to supplement his family's income.

After the sword was completed, it was bought by a traveling peddler and eventually sold to a remote village, where it ended up in the hands of a young boy.

That young man was the first owner of this sword, and the one who made it a legend.

In his youth, he was fiercely independent and had witnessed the bullying of the village by local bullies and the displacement of its people. So he took this ordinary iron sword and traveled through the countryside, upholding justice and chivalry.

He lacked superb swordsmanship, but possessed unwavering courage. With a heart full of passion, he slew bullies and rescued the weak. This sword accompanied him through his youthful years. The first scar on the sword was left when he fought against a bully to save his neighbors.

As the chaos intensified and war spread to the countryside, the young man bid farewell to his neighbors, took up his sword, joined the army, and went to the battlefield.

In his middle age, he has shed his youthful naiveté and gained more composure and fortitude. This sword has accompanied him in his campaigns, slaying countless enemies. Its blade has been stained with blood and honed by the flames of war, becoming ever sharper.

With his martial arts skills and extraordinary courage, he rose from an ordinary soldier to a colonel, but he never forgot his original aspiration. He never bullied the people and often used his military pay to help displaced refugees.

This sword witnessed his passion and loyalty, as well as the cruelty and tragedy of a chaotic world.

When the fighting subsided, he was old and frail, and weary of the battles on the battlefield and the infighting in the officialdom. So he laid down his armor and returned to his hometown, becoming a chivalrous knight again, wandering between the city and the countryside, still holding his sword, punishing evil and promoting good, and settling scores with gusto.

When he was very old and could no longer hold the sword, he died in a thatched hut in the mountains, embracing the sword, with a peaceful smile on his face, as if he were just sleeping.

It was still a chaotic time. The thatched hut was destroyed by the war, and his body was hastily buried by passersby. However, this sword was picked up by a scavenger and passed through many hands. After many ups and downs, the sword gradually broke down in the collisions and abandonment. The blade cracked and the hilt rotted. In the end, it was treated as a piece of scrap iron and ended up in the hands of a young blacksmith. It was casually piled up in the corner of the blacksmith's shop and left to gather dust and remain silent.

Xu Qing slowly opened her eyes, her expression filled with even more sorrow.

He finally understood that the wisp of sword energy remaining on the sword was not formed from the primordial energy of heaven and earth, nor was it enhanced by the Daoist charm of the swordsmith. Rather, it was the remaining essence and obsession of that nameless swordsman who had wielded the sword all his life and remained true to his original aspiration.

That knight-errant was neither a world-renowned hero nor a swordsman of exceptional skill, but simply one of countless ordinary people who remained true to themselves and stepped forward amidst the chaos of war.

Xu Qing sighed softly: "In the chaotic world of the past thousand years, how many nameless heroes and how many swords with spirits have been buried by time, covered in dust and silence, with no one knowing their past and no one remembering their integrity."

He gently placed the broken blade into his bosom, no longer thinking about reforging it. The value of this sword lay not in its sharpness, but in the ordinary yet passionate years it represented, and in the courage and perseverance of that nameless knight-errant.