Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

The reason he told those stories and so much was that after Xu Qing gifted him the Ximo Kunfeng sword, he also had him sign a sword contract.

If that were all, it wouldn't have led him to make that connection.

However, by sheer chance, he discovered that there were many famous swords in the world that he had never heard of before.

Xunzi immediately became interested in these matters.

Therefore, he secretly explored the clues, and in the end, he was able to connect many of them.

Originally, it was a secret known only to him, but after learning that Xu Qing had come to Xiaoshengxianzhuang again, Xunzi thought about it and decided to meet Xu Qing and have a chat with him.

"Mr. Qing, you are truly an extraordinary person!"

Xunzi looked at Xu Qing again and sighed.

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "I'm hardly an extraordinary person."

"With so many famous swords, ordinary swordsmen would spare no expense to obtain even one of them. Yet Mr. Qing discards them like worn-out shoes and gives them away casually. Isn't he an extraordinary person?" Xunzi's admiration had not yet faded.

Just as Xunzi had not been self-satisfied before, Xu Qing, upon hearing Xunzi's praise, also showed no sign of self-satisfaction.

"A sword is forged to be used by people."

"Even the most powerful sword is nothing more than a useless piece of scrap metal if it is kept as a treasure." Xu Qing said calmly, expressing his thoughts one by one.

Even though Xunzi guessed his identity and connected many clues, he didn't show much emotional fluctuation.

If he were still weak back then, he would naturally be afraid of becoming famous.

But now, he has no scruples anymore.

The reason he was unwilling to become famous was simply because he was indifferent to fame and fortune.

However, he would not care at all if someone were to reveal his identity.

Chapter 394 The Future of Confucianism

Xunzi's visit today was neither to interrogate Xu Qing nor to discuss anything profound with him.

He simply stated his findings truthfully.

Of course, that wasn't the main purpose. If we were to trace back to the main purpose, it would be to see old friends.

Even if he only met Xu Qing once.

But Xi Mo Kun Feng's sword has indeed been with him all these years.

The idea of ​​gaining enlightenment through swordsmanship sounds unbelievable and even absurd, but it was indeed Xunzi's personal experience.

Over the years, he has learned many new lessons from Ximo Kunfeng.

Now I understand why Zhuangzi borrowed the autumn horse to observe when he wrote "Free and Easy Wandering".

Some swords are truly different.

Afterwards, Xunzi chatted with Xu Qing for a while, as if he were talking to an old friend.

"Now that I've met you, it's time for me to leave!"

After Xunzi finished speaking, he slowly got up, straightened his Confucian robe, and walked with a crisp and decisive step, without any hesitation, clearly intending to leave.

He had lived in seclusion in the back mountains for many years and had long been accustomed to the quiet. Today, he made an exception to meet Xu Qing, which was only because of his old friendship and the bond with Xi Mo Kun Feng. Now that they had met and chatted, he did not want to stay any longer.

Just as Xunzi turned and took his first step, Xu Qing's voice suddenly rang out, calm yet carrying an undeniable force, gently urging him to stop: "Xunzi, please wait a moment."

Xunzi paused, his body stiffening slightly, then slowly turned around, looked up at Xu Qing with a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked bluntly, "Mr. Qing, is there anything else?"

In his view, the two had already finished their casual conversation, and Xu Qing should not have any other instructions. His sudden persuasion to stop him was somewhat unexpected.

Xu Qing sat upright at the stone table, his expression calm, his gaze fixed on Xunzi. He slowly spoke, “Old sir, you have lived in seclusion in the back mountains for many years, spending your days with poetry, books, and swords. You must be feeling a bit bored. If you are interested, why not take a trip to Xianyang and see what this unified world is really like?”

Upon hearing this, Xunzi was taken aback, his eyes filled with even greater doubt, before he slowly shook his head.

His tone carried a hint of age and resolve: "Mr. Qing is joking. Although the Qin state has unified the world and created a great achievement for all time, I am old and have long lost the interest in traveling the world. A bustling and noisy place like Xianyang is not suitable for me, so I will not go."

He paused, his expression darkening slightly, and his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible melancholy as he added, "Besides, there are people in Xianyang City whom I do not wish to see. Going there would only spoil my mood."

He spoke cryptically, not explicitly stating who the person was, but he didn't try to hide it either; the estrangement and resistance in his eyes were obvious.

Xu Qing understood, but showed no sign of it on his face, remaining calm and composed.

He knew, of course, that the person Xunzi was unwilling to see was Li Si.

Like Han Fei, Li Si was one of Xunzi's most accomplished disciples. However, Li Si betrayed his original aspirations and indirectly contributed to Han Fei's death. This betrayal and estrangement made Xunzi unable to let go of his resentment and unwilling to see Li Si again.

Xu Qing calmly said, "Xunzi is absolutely right. There may indeed be people in Xianyang that you do not want to see, but life is unpredictable, and there may be people you want to see."

Xunzi frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. Just as he was about to ask, Xu Qing continued, his tone carrying a subtle hint: "I advised you to go to Xianyang, not so that you could see its prosperity, but because I think there might be a surprise waiting for you there. You have always been unable to let go of Han Fei, but although Han Fei is dead, it doesn't mean that everything about him has disappeared."

The name "Han Fei" was like a pebble, instantly shattering the peace in Xunzi's heart.

He shuddered slightly, and his previously calm expression instantly turned serious.

However, there was still no urgency in his words; instead, his melancholy deepened. "Han Fei is dead. What can he leave behind?"

In recent years, the reason he retreated to the mountains and stopped caring about worldly affairs was not only because he was disheartened, but also because he could not accept the fact that Han Fei had died.

He knew that Han Fei was exceptionally talented and had developed his own unique school of thought, yet he met such an end. The regret and sorrow in his heart never faded.

Hearing Xu Qing say this, although he didn't seem anxious, his words showed that he cared a lot about what Xu Qing said.

Seeing Xunzi's expression, Xu Qing understood what Xunzi was thinking. He continued, "Some surprises lose their flavor if they are revealed beforehand. You only need to know that a trip to Xianyang will certainly not disappoint you."

Han Fei's remnant soul transformed into a sword spirit and attached itself to the Reverse Scale Sword. This was the surprise he spoke of. However, this matter was too incredible to be told Xunzi directly.

More importantly, Han Fei's condition has not yet been completely stabilized.

We'll figure out a solution once Xu Qing returns to Xianyang.

If Xunzi is willing to go to Xianyang at that time, that would be best.

If you don't want to, you can take "Han Fei" to Xiaoshengxianzhuang at that time.

After all, Xunzi was already quite old, and it would be difficult for him to travel such a long distance to Xianyang.

Xunzi stared intently at Xu Qing, trying to discern something from his eyes, but Xu Qing remained calm and composed, his eyes undisturbed, revealing no clue whatsoever.

He remained silent for a moment, weighing the options in his mind: on one hand, there was Li Si, whom he did not want to see, and on the other hand, there was the bustling and prosperous Xianyang, which he found repulsive.

On one hand, there was the surprise Xu Qing spoke of, which concerned the things left behind by his beloved disciple, Han Fei.

After a long silence, Xunzi sighed slowly, “This matter… I need to think about it some more.”

He neither agreed directly nor completely refused; this response was already a sign that he was softening his stance.

He couldn't let go of Han Fei after all, and he didn't want to miss even the slightest hope.

Xu Qing nodded, not pressuring him: "Of course, Xunzi, there's no need to rush into a decision. I'll be staying at the Confucian school for a while longer. If you've thought it through, you can come to me anytime."

Xunzi nodded slightly, said nothing more, turned around and started walking again. But this time, his steps were no longer as crisp and decisive as before, but were more hesitant and heavy.

Sunlight shone on his tall figure, yet he appeared somewhat lonely. Only the ink-washed Kunfeng sword at his waist continued to radiate a warm glow, keeping him company.

Time flies, and several more days have passed.

During these past few days, Xu Qing stayed at the Confucian school, mostly reading books.

Until this day, another old acquaintance came to Xu Qing's side.

"Mr. Qing has come from afar, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you immediately!"

After some time, Fu Nian, the leader of the Confucian school, finally returned to Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

"Sect Leader Fu Nian, you're finally back!"

Looking at Fu Nian who had come before him, Xu Qing said calmly.

Compared to when Xu Qing first met Fu Nian, Fu Nian now looks much more dignified, almost exactly like his appearance in the original work. He has a beard under his chin, and his face is serious, giving people a feeling of sternness without being intimidating.

"Mr. Qing, were you waiting for me on purpose?"

Before coming to Xu Qing's place, Fu Nian had already learned some things about Xu Qing from Yan Lu.

Xu Qing, who has now arrived at Xiaoshengxianzhuang, is his true self.

For example, what did Xu Qing do during this period?

Xu Qing had just arrived at Xiaoshengxianzhuang when he suddenly gave Zifang a lesson. Although it was unclear what exactly he had done to Zifang, according to Yan Lu, Zifang had undergone some changes.

From this perspective, it seems that the other party came to Xiaoshengxianzhuang for Zifang.

However, Xu Qing stayed at the villa and refused to leave, which made Yan Lu give up the idea.

He relayed his guess to Fu Nian.

Fu Nian was also a clever man, and he immediately came to his own guess.

"I am waiting for a Confucian leader to take charge!"

Xu Qing did not answer Fu Nian's question directly, but instead said the following.

Fu Nian immediately had the answer in his heart.

There are three leaders in the Confucian school. In some matters concerning the Confucian school, all three can make decisions. For example, when Fu Nian was not at Xiaoshengxianzhuang, Yan Lu and Zhang Liang were in charge of the various affairs of the manor. However, when the Confucian school encounters a really big event, only one person can make decisions.

That is Sect Leader Fu Nian!

Although there are predecessors like Xunzi within Confucianism, the lineage of Xunzi's teachings is different from that of Xiaoshengxianzhuang. Xunzi came to Xiaoshengxianzhuang later and was already old. He had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Confucianism. In Xiaoshengxianzhuang, he was more of a mascot.

"What would you like to talk to me about, Mr. Qing?" Fu Nian asked Xu Qing earnestly.

Let's talk about the future of Confucianism!

A few simple words sent a chill down Fu Nian's spine. He took a deep breath, his expression growing increasingly solemn, and slowly said, "Please speak plainly, sir."

Xu Qing remained calm, gazing serenely at Fu Nian, and slowly recounted what he had seen and heard: "This time, I am temporarily staying at the Confucian Academy. With the permission of Headmaster Yan Lu, I stepped into the library to browse through the vast collection of books. I felt both admiration and concern. The Confucian Academy's library has a vast collection of books, including many rare and precious editions. This is the foundation of Confucianism's thousand-year heritage, but it is also a potential source of trouble."

He paused, his tone slightly more forceful, getting straight to the point: "Many of the books in the library are written in the old scripts of the six states. Master Fu Nian should know that after Qin unified the world, it had already issued laws to standardize the script and weights and measures, abolish the old scripts of the six states, and promote the Small Seal script. Now that the world is unified and the six states have been destroyed, these books written in the old scripts are seen by Qin as an untimely and potentially dangerous threat. If Qin officials discover this, at best the library will be destroyed, and at worst, Confucian scholars will be accused of possessing the remnants of the six states, with unimaginable consequences."

Upon hearing this, Fu Nian frowned immediately.

As the head of the Confucian school, he was busy with Confucian affairs and cultivation all day long. Although he knew about the Qin state's law to unify the written language, he never paid attention to the old books in the library.

In his view, these books were the inheritance of Confucianism and a vehicle for knowledge, unrelated to politics. He never imagined that they would become a hidden danger threatening the survival of Confucianism.

Before Fu Nian could speak, Xu Qing continued, his tone carrying a hint of guidance: "Besides that, the biggest problem with Confucianism is not its collection of books, but its attitude. Now that Qin has unified the world and the four seas are at one, Confucianism, as the most prominent school of thought in the world, has disciples all over the world and its influence is far-reaching. However, you have always adhered to the doctrine of the mean and escapism, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs and standing aside. But in the eyes of Qin, this is the biggest mistake in itself."