Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

As a martial artist and an ambitious person, the name itself represents awe-inspiring power and legend.

"Tiger..." Ji Wuye narrowed his eyes slightly, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through the jade tiger's skin. "Are you sure... that really is Bai Qi's sword?"

Emerald Tiger was clearly prepared, nodding his large head vigorously: "The Hidden Dragon Hall is backed by the Farmer's Clan, that can't be hidden from us. And according to martial arts secrets, when Bai Qi fell, many masters from the Farmer's Clan were behind him..."

He was vague, but the implication was clear.

The authenticity of swords related to Bai Qi that were handled by farmers must have some basis in fact.

A sense of silence permeated the brightly lit hall.

Ji Wuye pondered for a moment, then uttered a name.

"Ink Raven!"

……

"Sigh... Old Chen just died like that?" Inside the Qianlong Hall, Situ Wanli put down his teacup, his tone somber, tinged with an inexplicable regret.

The "Old Chen" he mentioned was the grain merchant who spent a fortune at the auction to acquire the "Heavenly Wrath Sword".

Xu Qing immediately predicted that this person would be in great danger, and unexpectedly, his words came true.

Xu Qing still resides at Qianlong Hall.

It wasn't that there were nowhere to go, but in Xinzheng City, it was indeed difficult to find a comfortable place. The inns were too secluded and quiet, and being alone would be quite dull. As for Zilan Pavilion? He rejected it outright.

After the Ghost Soldiers' robbery of the supplies, Han Fei had become a major threat to Ji Wuye, and his residence, Zilan Pavilion, naturally fell under the close surveillance of "Nightfall".

He really didn't want to frequently set foot in that troublesome place unless absolutely necessary, lest he cause trouble for himself.

In the spacious reception room, listening to Situ Wanli's sigh, Xu Qing said calmly, "It's all about timing and fate. Who told him to touch the meat in the Jade Tiger's mouth?"

Situ Wanli frowned deeply: "I know a little about the notorious reputation of this Jade Tiger. He is always greedy and insatiable. Once he sets his sights on a business, no one else can even dream of getting a piece of it. I just never expected him to be so domineering. Even the things he wins at the auction with his own strength have become his death warrant."

Situ Wanli was not a long-term resident of the Qianlong Hall in Korea. He had been in Korea for only a short time, compared to Xu Qing. He was an important figure in the main hall, and although he had not yet become the hall master, his status was extraordinary.

He came to South Korea only to inspect the local industries and originally did not plan to stay for too long. If it weren't for the fact that he had made a lot of money by cooperating with Xu Qing, he would have left South Korea soon. However, since he and Xu Qing are currently in a honeymoon period and their cooperation is going well, he naturally does not mind staying a little longer.

Jade Tiger's greed gave him a bad feeling.

Recalling the auction, Situ Wanli was already displeased by Jade Tiger's monopolistic behavior of possessing seven famous swords. If it weren't for the fact that the price offered by the other party was relatively fair... Thinking of this, Situ Wanli's expression became even more solemn.

He cast his worries to Xu Qing: "If what Brother Xu says is true, and Old Chen's death was caused by Jade Tiger... then in future auctions, who will dare to easily compete with this tiger? If we don't compete, we can only watch helplessly as he buys up goods at low prices; if we do compete, we will have to worry about our lives and fortunes all the time!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her brows furrowing slightly.

Chapter 67 The Sword That Devours Its Master

Xu Qing was all alone; he was an orphan in this world.

His sole goal was to continuously refine his sword-making skills until one day he could forge the legendary divine weapon.

Of course, acquiring some self-protection capabilities is also necessary on this long climb.

To achieve his goal, he traveled the world, selling swords everywhere.

Now residing in South Korea, part of his motivation stems from curiosity about the upcoming "plot" and a desire to witness it firsthand. However, his primary focus has never strayed from his goal.

The collaboration with Situ Wanli was quite pleasant.

Most of those swords were bought by Jade Tiger, but at the auction, there were quite a few onlookers who witnessed the exquisite beauty of that set of swords.

In other words, the name of the swordsmith "Xu" had already made a resounding name for themselves. As long as the quality of subsequent swords remained at the same level, there was no shortage of bidders. Not to mention that the last sword, the "Heavenly Wrath Sword," which falsely claimed to be Bai Qi's, actually fetched a price of ten thousand gold pieces!

Next, simply follow this path.

Xu Qing has already achieved most of his goal.

By leveraging the farmers' connections, he sold his precious swords at high prices to powerful and influential figures, accumulating prestige among the upper classes and reaping substantial wealth. This money, flowing through the farmers' hands, was then continuously transformed into excellent materials for sword forging. He was able to forge more swords, accumulating experience through repeated hammering and forging, gradually approaching the pinnacle of swordsmithing.

This also explains why he didn't care much about making a small profit from low-level martial arts heroes in the past.

Most of those people were illiterate, drank the cheapest wine while traveling the world, and were short of money, so they could only afford a limited price. Rather than haggling over a few copper coins, they preferred to forge a friendship. In any case, as long as a "sword contract" was signed, Xu Qing could always get something else from them, which could be considered payment for the sword.

The famous swords up for auction are different; since it is inconvenient to sign contracts, they are naturally priced high and exchanged for real gold and silver.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly in the direction expected.

But then, an unruly jade tiger suddenly appeared.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents.

If, as Situ Wanli fears, in future auctions, Jade Tiger will rely on his power to intimidate everyone, scaring no one into bidding against him, allowing him to seize everything at low prices... This is definitely not the situation Xu Qing wants to see. Of course, he could also change his tactics, since the Hidden Dragon Hall has more than one branch, and the Farmer's influence is spread throughout the world.

However, being forced to relocate so soon after just getting started is simply too humiliating.

"Let's wait and see..." Xu Qing murmured, a sharp glint in his eyes, "If that jade tiger truly doesn't know its place..."

Situ Wanli caught the fleeting sharpness in his eyes, and the corners of his lips twitched up almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing more.

Over the past few days, he had already realized how unfathomable this "Brother Xu" was.

However, there is no need to delve into his origins. Firstly, Xu Qing is a friend of the chivalrous leader, and secondly, Xu Qing can bring him a continuous stream of wealth.

Whoever can help him amass wealth is his brother.

……

Inside the general's mansion, a sword case sat quietly on Ji Wuye's desk.

When Ji Wuye wanted something, someone would either openly compete for it or secretly seize it and present it to him.

That grain merchant with Zhao Kingdom connections who won the Heavenly Wrath Sword? Hmph, don't even mention that he's a foreign merchant. Even if he were a nobleman from Han, in this night-shrouded Xinzheng, if he dared to get in General Ji's way, he would only have one path: death.

At this moment, Ji Wuye paid no attention to how the grain merchant had died tragically; his gaze was fixed on the sword box.

He reached out and, with a snap, lifted the lid of the box.

In an instant, a chilling, bone-chilling aura coiled around his neck like a venomous snake, and the illusion of mountains of corpses and seas of blood rushed into his mind. The mournful cries of ten thousand souls seemed to explode in his ears. Ji Wuye suddenly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw that the long sword in the box was as dark as a bottomless abyss, and the blood groove on the sword's spine twisted and turned, exuding a strange vitality.

"What a deadly weapon!" Ji Wuye's eyes gleamed brightly as he sincerely praised it.

He had previously harbored doubts about the claim by Jade Tiger that it was "Bai Qi's sword".

Only considering the background of the Hidden Dragon Hall and the secrets circulating in the martial arts world about Bai Qi's death and its connection to the Farmer's Clan, did he order Nightfall to seize the sword.

Upon seeing this sword, based solely on its fierce and domineering sword intent, he was already seven or eight parts convinced.

Such a vicious weapon seemed destined to be wielded by that butcher.

"This general wants to see what secrets this sword holds!" Remembering what Emerald Tiger had said about the sword containing strange power, Ji Wuye reached out and fiercely gripped the hilt.

The moment his skin touched the cold metal, the sword trembled violently, a buzzing sound arose, and a violent, bloodthirsty urge surged into Ji Wuye's mind like magma. He felt an unprecedented, immense power coursing through his limbs and bones, and he could crush any enemy in his path with overwhelming force.

Powerful! Absolutely amazing! Domineering!

This is the Heavenly Wrath Sword.

This is the "evil sword" that Xu Qing forged using characteristics such as "rage," "bloodlust," and "greed."

Since it wasn't the Heavenly Wrath sword from the TV series, Xu Qing could only follow his own ideas during the forging process, incorporating many "negative" characteristics into the sword.

Although it is a negative trait, as a level 3 trait that Xu Qing upgraded using "reputation", it still has its unique features.

For example, the characteristic of "greed" means that the stronger the greed of the sword wielder, the greater the power that the sword will unleash. Of course, this characteristic is considered negative because its negative effect is that excessive desire will devour the sword wielder. In other words, the sword will "devour its master" at that time. To prevent the sword wielder from noticing this and calming down in time, Xu Qing also incorporated the characteristic of berserk. This characteristic will transform the sword wielder into a "berserker," entering a berserk and irrational state. Because they lose their rationality, they will not be aware of their own abnormality. The benefit is that their power will increase after the berserk state.

As for the final Bloodlust, it was actually optional. After all, the Heart Sword he had forged for Wei Zhuang already possessed such an ability. Adding Bloodlust to the Heavenly Wrath Sword would seem to overlap the abilities, but after thinking about it, Xu Qing ultimately added it anyway.

One reason is that the original Skywrath Mage possessed a bloodthirsty ability.

Secondly, this characteristic enhances the sword's ferocity, making its backlash even stronger when it unleashes its ability to devour its master.

Ji Wuye himself was greedy for power and beauty, and his desires were insatiable.

At this moment, the power of the Heavenly Wrath Sword easily ignited and amplified the desires in his heart.

The violent power overwhelmed his reason, and the momentary intoxication and illusion of power captivated him.

His beloved sword "Yachi," which had accompanied him to rise to power and made great contributions, was suddenly forgotten.

How could those broken copper and scrap iron be worthy of his noble status as a great general? Only such peerless and fierce weapons are worthy of his authority!

Bai Qi earned his reputation as a butcher with this sword; why couldn't Ji Wuye use it to reach the same heights? Of course, he would never repeat Bai Qi's mistakes...

That night, Ji Wuye fell into a deep sleep, holding the Heavenly Wrath Sword close to his chest, the illusory feeling of surging power lasting all night.

However, this "wonderful" experience came to an abrupt end in the early morning.

A piece of terrible news suddenly arrived.

Liu Yi, the Left Sima, his capable henchman who controlled military power and the key pawn used to counterbalance the Blood-Clad Marquis, actually died in his own residence.

Chapter 68 Night Visit to Zilan Pavilion

"So, Liu Yi is dead?"

Xu Qing soon learned of this news as well.

Zuo Sima Liu Yi held a high position and wielded great power. Although not the top leader in the Korean army, he was still firmly among the top five.

The sudden death of such a prominent figure in his own residence could not be concealed in any way.

Since Situ Wanli had decided to temporarily reside in the Qianlong Hall in Korea and run it in partnership with Xu Qing, he naturally paid close attention to any disturbances in Xinzheng in order to deal with any unforeseen circumstances as soon as possible.

Upon learning of this, he immediately informed Xu Qing.

In his eyes, Xu Qing seemed to know the secrets of Xinzheng well, and his insight into Korea was often better than his own.

"This man was the Left Sima of Han, a high-ranking and powerful figure, a pillar of the army. His death... could it also be related to Ji Wuye?" Situ Wanli sipped his tea and looked at Xu Qing.

He quickly sketched out in his mind the scenario of Ji Wuye sending someone to poison him in order to eliminate dissidents and seize power.

After all, the feast of power can never accommodate too many people.

Xu Qing shook his head and categorically denied it: "Absolutely impossible. From the very beginning, Liu Yi has been one of Ji Wuye's most trusted confidants."

Situ Wanli paused slightly, then offered a second conjecture: "It must be the work of his enemies? Ji Wuye acts arrogantly, and his henchmen are extremely domineering, engaging in extortion and other heinous acts. Someone would eventually be unable to resist..."

He was clearly still bothered by the matter of grain merchant Lao Chen.

Jade Tiger broke the rules of the underworld. He dared to kill people behind the scenes for treasures won at auctions with real money, just because he had his eye on them. His despicable behavior was chilling.

Old Chen's body was barely cold when his grain shop was swiftly taken over by Emerald Tiger's men, further confirming Xu Qing's earlier assessment.