Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

A faint smile appeared on Nongyu's lips as she nodded slightly: "You flatter me, sir."

Her voice was like a clear brook, gentle and melodious as ever. With slender fingers, she placed the guqin in her arms on the table, her fingertips casually plucking the strings, producing a few delicate, clear notes, as if tuning the instrument, or perhaps an unintentional prelude. "I've made a fool of myself."

The sound of the zither, delicate and subtle, quietly spread throughout the room.

Xu Qing had a basic understanding of music. He listened intently, his fingers tapping silently on his knees in time with the rise and fall of the melody.

Li Kai, however, seemed oblivious to the flowing music.

In his world, at this moment, only the figure of the zither player remains.

His gaze greedily traced Nongyu's lowered eyebrows and eyes, her fingers playing the zither, and the luster of the fire rain agate burning brightly in his eyes, an irrefutable piece of evidence.

is her.

The gentle woman playing the zither before him was his own flesh and blood.

Chapter 60: An Old Story, Buried Love and Hate

The last lingering notes of the strings slowly dissipated in the elegant room, like wisps of smoke, returning to tranquility.

Xu Qing couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "Excellent! The music is clear, melodious, and lingering, captivating all who hear it. The music is beautiful, and the person is even more beautiful. You truly deserve to be called the most renowned zither player in Zilan Pavilion. Hearing it with my own ears today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved!"

His words were full of sincere admiration, his gaze intense, as if he were still savoring the music that had just flowed by.

Upon hearing this string of praises, Nongyu blushed slightly, lowered her head, and said humbly, "Sir, such high praise is too much for Nongyu to bear."

"You deserve it!" Xu Qing emphasized without hesitation, her tone firm. "In my opinion, not to mention Zilan Pavilion, even in the whole of Korea, your musical skills are enough to be 'the best in the country'!"

This assessment is undeniably high, and it is also true.

Imagine the ethereal "Birdsong in the Empty Mountain" in the original work, which made flocks of birds swirl in low voices, and even the stringless music that still touched people's hearts even after the strings were broken. Nongyu's talent and mastery in music have long been beyond question.

Nongyu was speechless for a moment, never expecting that this complete stranger would speak so highly of her.

She could only bow slightly, her face showing a hint of shyness and helplessness, her slender fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the table.

Li Kai, sitting next to Xu Qing, had his gaze never leaving Nongyu since she appeared.

When Xu Qing began to praise him, his lips trembled several times, as if a thousand words were welling up in his throat, and the longing hidden deep in his eyes was almost about to burst forth.

However, whenever the impulse surged, Xu Qing's heavy admonition would be poured over him like cold water.

He has long been the embodiment of "trouble".

Recognizing each other at this moment would not only be of no benefit, but might even draw a deadly storm towards this pure and flawless flower.

All those words were swallowed back down, turning into a single, difficult roll of the throat.

Xu Qing certainly couldn't ignore Li Kai beside him.

Even though at this moment he is playing the role of an admirer of Nongyu.

But if we really want to trace it back to the source, Li Kai is the source of Nongyu's bloodline and her biological father.

The reason for bringing Li Kai here was simply to fulfill Li Kai's "wish".

So he deliberately changed the subject.

"Eh?" Xu Qing's gaze seemed to fall casually on Nongyu's waist, his voice revealing just the right amount of surprise, breaking the subtle atmosphere in the room caused by the praise, "Excuse my boldness, but is the pendant on Miss Nongyu's waist a fire rain agate?"

Nongyu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

She was raised by Zi Nu, and her background is a mystery. Only this warm and lustrous agate is like a mark on her life, accompanying her from the very beginning of her childhood.

It would be a lie to say that she didn't want to find her parents' whereabouts.

However, relying solely on a single ornament to find kinship is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Hearing Xu Qing's words, it seems this person knows the origin of agate.

"Does the gentleman recognize this?" Nongyu unconsciously raised her hand, her slender fingers gently stroking the agate hanging at her waist. The cool touch seemed to awaken something dormant deep within her heart. She looked at Xu Qing, her voice soft and carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation.

"I know a little about it." Xu Qing nodded, his gaze also falling on the agate. "Ordinary agate, no matter how exquisite the carving, is still just a common thing. But this Fire Rain Agate is different. It is made from the finest minerals that contain the essence of heaven and earth deep in the Baiyue region, and was exquisitely carved by the skilled craftsmen of the once-famous Fire Rain Manor. Its color is like the flowing light of a raging fire, and it feels warm to the touch. It can be called a rare treasure among agates. Therefore, the mine is produced in the manor, hence the name Fire Rain."

He paused, his tone tinged with a touch of melancholy: "Unfortunately, a raging fire more than a decade ago reduced the once glorious Fire Rain Manor to ashes. This item has become even rarer and more precious, almost a lost treasure."

Xu Qing's words gave Nongyu a glimmer of hope.

If this piece of agate is indeed fire rain agate, and fire rain agate is extremely rare, then perhaps I can find my parents through this clue.

Just as Nongyu was thinking this...

Xu Qing changed the subject at the right moment and gently patted Li Kai's arm, who was silent beside her.

"That's all I know, but this friend is something else."

He looked at Nongyu and introduced her, "He once personally experienced the Baiyue region and spent a long time in Huoyu Manor during its heyday. He knows a lot about the manor's past. Why don't you ask him to answer your questions?"

Li Kai's body jolted violently, as if he had been awakened from a deep gaze.

Xu Qing's light touch brought him back to his senses. He slowly raised his eyes and met Nongyu's curious gaze.

Because his throat was dry, he cleared it again, and the voice that came out was old and hoarse, like rough sandpaper rubbing against the years.

"In that case, allow me to tell you an old story."

He tried his best to suppress his fluctuating emotions and make his voice as steady as if he were telling someone else's story, but the unforgettable feelings he had experienced were not so easily concealed.

"The story begins..." His deep voice filled the room, carrying the scent of time, "...going back to more than a decade ago..."

"At that time, the State of Han, together with the State of Chu, attacked the Baiyue region..."

Even though Li Kai tried his best to be objective in his words and his tone was plain, the war scenes, details, and the pervasive smell of gunpowder that he described brought an inescapable sense of visceral connection to Nongyu's sensitive ears, as if the narrator himself were a soul lost on that battlefield.

Nongyu had some fragmented knowledge of the war, but she had never heard such a detailed account, as if she had personally experienced it.

She had thought the story would revolve around the end of the war, but unexpectedly, after Li Kai outlined the battle situation, the tone of his voice suddenly changed.

"The army traveled a long and arduous journey, passing through a prosperous place called Huoyu Manor in Baiyue. At that time, the manor's owner was generous and hospitable, and warmly entertained the two commanders from Han..."

"The young Right Sima among them secretly fell in love with the young lady of the manor and made a vow of eternal love."

"He once found a pair of exquisite agates with divine charm deep in the Baiyue region and entrusted them to the most skilled craftsmen in the manor to carve them into a pair of pendants, which they used as tokens of their love."

"The war was pressing, and he wanted to rush to the front lines, but he had no choice. So he entrusted the pair of fire-rain agate stones to the woman for safekeeping..."

At this point, Li Kai suddenly stopped.

His throat felt as if it were being tightly choked by invisible vines, and he could no longer utter a single word.

On the aged face exposed beyond half of the mask, a complex emotion that was hard to conceal surfaced.

Even though he tried to restrain himself.

But these things had lingered in his heart for more than a decade, echoing in his mind day and night. This emotion was not so easy to suppress.

Nongyu keenly sensed the intense emotional fluctuations that Li Kai was forcibly suppressing but were about to unleash.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and more and more doubts gathered in her mind. Her intuition told her that the story was far from over, and the withered old man in front of her seemed to be closely connected with that story.

"Sir..." she couldn't help but speak, her voice soft yet carrying a persistent inquiry, "May I ask... what happened next? What was the ending...?"

"The ending..." Li Kai seemed to be stung by these two words, and remained silent for a long time until only the slightly heavy breathing of the three people remained in the room.

He spoke haltingly, his voice low and muffled, almost a whisper: "It's nothing more than that Right Sima, who died on the front lines, a soul that will never return..."

"I don't know what happened after that."

"All I know is that Fire Rain Manor was ultimately destroyed in a fire, and the fire buried many stories."

Nongyu also fell silent.

She thought she would have a chance to uncover the truth about her origins, but little did she know that the story would end without a conclusion.

However, she eventually learned some of the truth about her background.

That's enough.

"Thank you both for informing me!"

Nongyu spoke softly to the two of them.

Immediately, he gently plucked the guqin and produced a completely different melody.

The melody of the zither was melodious, yet the sorrow within it was difficult to conceal.

Xu Qing and Li Kai listened quietly.

Now that Li Kai has told the story buried deep in his heart, he is finally in the mood to listen to music.

His thoughts seemed to drift back to Baiyue more than a decade ago.

That place where all his love, hate, and passion were buried.

Chapter 61 The Old Father's Entrustment

Because of the Fire Rain Agate, Nongyu's buried emotions were stirred up.

Next, the piano piece will be played.

Without exception, they all carried a hint of sorrow, not at all cheerful.

After a long while, perhaps because some of her emotions had been released through the music, Nongyu gradually calmed down.

"I apologize for the disordered playing, gentlemen." She bowed slightly, her voice still clear and melodious, but veiled with a thin layer of apology. "Perhaps my mind is unsettled, and my fingers have lost their rhythm. I'm afraid I will be unable to play for you two today."

“Music arises from the heart, so what’s there to laugh about?” Xu Qing waved his hand, his gaze gentle yet insightful. “A master of the zither like you, young lady, makes music the voice of your heart. Since you have no heart for it, forcing a performance would only make it less beautiful.” He changed the subject, his smile composed. “Why don’t we take a break and have a chat?”

Nongyu nodded in acquiescence.

The guest before her was quick-witted and knew about the past of Fire Rain Manor. Although she was still puzzled, she was unwilling to leave rudely.

Xu Qing is a very good conversationalist.

After all, he had met countless people of all kinds in order to sell his swords.

In a way, he has seen all walks of life.

He avoided heavy topics, only using the local customs and musical anecdotes of Xinzheng as a starting point. His words were witty and humorous, like pearls falling on a jade plate. He also casually inquired about the daily life of Zilanxuan, Nongyu's favorite tea snacks, and even some of the unique decorations of Zilanxuan.

Nongyu answered cautiously, but when she spoke of the sisterhood of Zilanxuan, the genuine warmth in her eyes was undeniable.

“They treated me…like family,” she said softly, her expression sincere and earnest.