Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Li Kai listened quietly to Nongyu's story, gaining a more detailed understanding of her upbringing.

When he first learned that his daughter was working at the Zilanxuan brothel and was its top courtesan, he was furious, feeling that this was outrageous.

But when I actually came here, I found that it wasn't like that at all.

He is indeed the top performer, but he is the top musician.

He watched the gentleness in her eyes as she talked about her home, and listened to her describe the mundane joys of practicing the zither and cultivating flowers.

These lost years, like fine needles, pierce his heart, yet also bring a bittersweet solace.

Furthermore, he didn't understand why Madam Hu abandoned Nongyu at first, but after thinking about it for a long time today, he finally had an answer.

The fact that she left a piece of fire-rain agate on Nongyu shows that Madam Hu cared about this child.

It was only out of necessity that I had to abandon it.

As night deepened, Nongyu rose to take her leave.

Xu Qing looked at Li Kai beside him and asked, "Should we order some drinks and find a few girls to keep us company?"

"This place has always been a place of pleasure and debauchery."

Li Kai shook his head, his hoarse voice coming out, "Let's go."

"Don't you want to stay a little longer?" Xu Qing asked again.

“My obsession is over, and seeing her safe and sound is enough.” He spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wall, following his daughter’s departing figure. Suddenly, he turned to Xu Qing, his single eye shining brightly in the dim light: “Sir, I am now a broken and adrift person, and I fear I will be unable to protect her in this lifetime.”

His Adam's apple bobbed as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. "Could I... entrust this to you?"

Before Xu Qing could answer, he added, "If there's an opportunity, help her leave this place."

"A place of pleasure and debauchery is not a place of lasting peace."

Could this be considered a request from his elderly father?

Xu Qing couldn't help but think to himself.

……

The night in Xinzheng is as black as ink, the long street is deserted, only the wind sweeps away the withered leaves and across the empty stone pavement.

The lights and music of Zilan Pavilion were left far behind as Xu Qing and Li Kai's figures blended into the dark alley, like two wandering ghosts.

Suddenly, a cold wind swirled up along the ground, carrying with it the chill of decaying earth and rust.

Xu Qing paused slightly, tilting his head as if trying to catch any unusual sounds in the wind.

“Something,” he whispered, his gaze sweeping sharply across the shadows on the rooftop diagonally ahead. “A little crow, playing tricks.”

He then decisively told Li Kai, "You should avoid this area."

Without hesitation, Li Kai's gaunt figure darted into the shadow of the broken wall in the corner, instantly blending into the mottled bricks.

Xu Qing lightly touched the ground with her toes, and like a wisp of smoke, she swept up to the rooftop and silently disappeared into the deeper darkness.

At the other end of the long street, Han Fei carried a solitary lamp, walking with unhurried steps. The lamplight was dim and yellow, illuminating only a small area beneath his feet.

He recalled his previous private conversation with Zhang Kaidi.

The deal has been struck. All that's left is to help Zhang Kaidi solve the case of the ghost soldiers, and in return, he will be recommended to the imperial court and become the Minister of Justice.

He is about to take the first step in making his mark in South Korea.

Suddenly, the lamp flame flickered violently, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

Thick, black mist appeared out of nowhere, churning and coalescing into several twisted, ghostly figures with menacing claws. They rushed towards the scene, accompanied by a biting, eerie wind, and the air was filled with the stench of blood and decay.

Han Fei looked at the hideous ghostly figure before him, but felt no fear.

Instead, they became even more certain of one thing.

There were never any ghost soldiers; it was just people pretending to be gods and ghosts.

He had only just made contact with Zhang Kaidi when he encountered the so-called "ghost soldiers" on his way back. This could only mean one thing: from the very beginning, someone had been watching Zhang Kaidi's every move.

Afterwards, no one was allowed to get involved or help Zhang Kaidi solve the case.

"Is this... a warning?"

Han Fei thought to himself.

A sense of danger was also quietly creeping towards him.

Within the black mist, ferocious ghost soldiers reached out their claws towards him, intending to take his life.

Just then, a bright sword light struck, severing the ghost soldier's claws.

A graceful figure pierced through the fog and stood in front of Han Fei.

The soft sword, as serpentine as a viper, slithered and clashed several times with the figure in the mist.

Ultimately, it seems to be because they didn't want to reveal their true identity.

The figure in the mist could only retreat temporarily.

Just as he was about to make an easy escape.

Another sword light came from afar, making his hair stand on end and sensing a powerful sense of crisis.

Left with no other choice, he could only forcefully turn around.

However, the sword light followed closely, one after another.

Swish!

A piece of flesh was torn off.

Crimson blood, mixed with a few black feathers, flew down. He finally seized the opportunity and fled the place with unprecedented speed.

"Brother Han, and Miss Zi Nu, what are you two up to?"

The fog dissipated.

A gentle voice came from the other side of the street.

Xu Qing's hands were empty, and he was not holding a sword. His gaze swept over the still trembling lamp in Han Fei's hand, the humming soft sword in Zi Nu's hand, and finally landed on the few blood-stained raven feathers. A playful smile appeared on his lips.

Han Fei and Zi Nu were slightly taken aback when they saw Xu Qing.

Chapter 62 The Final Sword

The moonlight was hazy, and a thin mist lingered in the dark alleys of Xinzheng City.

Han Fei stared at the figure stepping out into the night, his eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.

"Brother Xu? Is that you?"

He never expected to reunite with Xu Qing under such circumstances.

They met by chance on their journey back home and traveled together. Although the time was short, Han Fei had already considered Xu Qing a friend. However, because he intended to undertake extraordinary tasks upon returning to Han and did not want his friend to be involved in the trouble, he bid farewell to Xu Qing at the city gate.

Xu Qing walked with ease, his face still bearing that usual calm smile.

Han Fei's gaze shifted between Xu Qing and Zi Nu, who stood with her sword in hand. Recalling Xu Qing's earlier words, his thoughts stirred slightly. "I didn't expect Brother Xu and Miss Zi Nu to be old acquaintances? Could it be that Brother Xu's old friend in Han is Miss Zi Nu?"

“That’s not it.” Xu Qing approached and shook his head slightly. “I haven’t known Miss Zi Nu for very long, but my old friend has a very close relationship with her.”

Upon hearing this, a familiar figure immediately flashed through Han Fei's mind, and the answer became obvious.

That's it!

Tonight, after meeting with Zhang Kaidi, he originally planned to leave Zilan Pavilion, but after unexpectedly seeing Wei Zhuang, he had a new idea. So, he met with Wei Zhuang and Zi Nu to express his gratitude. The box that Zi Nu gave him at the Treasure Exchange Meeting had given him a clue to solve the case.

Secondly, seek help.

After all, he was powerless, and even if he wanted to break the deadlock, he would still be powerless to resist if he really encountered danger.

Unexpectedly, this request worked so quickly.

Danger struck as soon as I left Zilan Pavilion.

Then, Zi Nu offered her help.

That being said, it's surprising that the seemingly delicate Zi Nu possesses such remarkable skills.

What a coincidence!

Han Fei expressed his feelings with emotion.

Xu Qing ignored his sighs and, upon approaching, his gaze fell upon Zi Nu's chain snake soft sword. "Is this Zi Nu's sword?"

"So it's a soft sword!"

Zi Nu smiled slightly, recalling Xu Qing's previous mention of sword forging, and cleverly countered with a question: "So, you're still determined to forge a sword for me?"

"Why not?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, "Having more swords means having more options. In times of danger, who says two swords aren't more effective than one?"

After speaking, he turned to Han Fei with a smile, "It seems that we should also prepare a weapon for Brother Han to defend himself."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei smiled wryly and said, "Brother Xu, please don't make fun of me. Even if you gave me divine weapons, without martial arts skills, wouldn't it be in vain? It would just be a waste of resources."

"That's your problem, it has nothing to do with me," Xu Qing said calmly.

This startled Han Fei once again.

Xu Qing then explained why he was there: "I was relaxing at Zilan Pavilion tonight when I caught a glimpse of a furtive figure on my way home, so I quietly followed him. I never expected that his target would be you, Brother Han Fei."

He subtly changed the subject, glancing meaningfully at Han Fei, "So, Brother Han, when exactly did you offend Nightfall?"

"Nightfall?" Han Fei quickly caught the key name, his eyes narrowing. "Brother Xu, do you know the origin of that person just now?"

Even though the ghostly soldiers in the mist looked ferocious, Han Fei did not believe they were ghosts. Later, Zi Nu's fight with them and Xu Qing's long-range sword strike confirmed this.

"Who else could it be?"

"Mo Yabei is the leader of the White Bird Squad of Ji Wuye's Nightfall Organization. It is said that he is Ji Wuye's personal bodyguard and has extraordinary lightness skills."

"Mo Ya..." Han Fei murmured, savoring the name.

Having only recently returned to Korea, he was still unclear about the deep undercurrents within the Korean court and had not yet formally confronted "Nightfall," so he was not very familiar with Nightfall.

Zi Nu was quite surprised to see Xu Qing easily reveal the origins of the person from before.

She and Wei Zhuang had some guesses about the person's identity, but they weren't sure.