Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Xu Qing remained silent, but once he did speak, he revealed yet another matter.

He had only recently learned of the Blood-Clad Marquis's triumphant return to the capital.

Han Fei rushed back to Zilan Pavilion in the rainy night, and on the way, he bumped into the Blood-Clad Marquis who was returning to the capital in triumph.

“Take his body away, let’s go to Zilan Pavilion to talk.”

Xu Qing spoke to Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang's eyes flickered, but in the end, he listened to Xu Qing's words.

Carrying the vulture's body on their backs, the two of them braved the rainy night and returned to the Purple Orchid Pavilion.

Inside the Purple Orchid Pavilion, the warm light could not dispel the chill.

The warm wine rippled with an amber light in the bronze vessel. Han Fei leaned against the window, while Zi Nu stood quietly in the shadows, her gaze like needles, piercing the two who had entered the room, and even more so the dripping corpse on Wei Zhuang's back. But in the end, her gaze fell entirely on Xu Qing.

"Don't look at me like that, it makes me feel embarrassed."

Xu Qing held his cup and spoke softly.

"Now you can tell me what you know," Wei Zhuang said to Xu Qing without any politeness.

Xu Qing's lips curled into a faint smile. "If you want to get information from me, you'll have to pay a price."

"What do you want?" Wei Zhuang asked.

"For a swordsmith, what they seek is, of course, precious sword-making materials," Xu Qing stated his request.

"Zilan Pavilion makes a fortune every day. Miss Zinu has connections everywhere and knows countless powerful and influential people. These people all have treasures in their mansions. Items like these cannot be bought with money alone..."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu immediately understood what Xu Qing wanted.

Although she had previously acted like she was greedy for money in front of Xu Qing, she was actually not a stingy person.

She immediately offered, "I can try to help you gather a batch of rare sword-making materials."

“Once the materials arrive, I can tell you everything…” Xu Qing was prepared to offer cash on delivery, but after saying this, he felt the sharp gazes of the others and changed his mind, saying, “Okay, this joke isn’t funny.”

He then looked around at the crowd.

Where is Nongyu?

"What do you want with her?" Zi Nu asked Xu Qing.

"Of course, it's because she's one of the parties involved, and there are some things she's entitled to know," Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

Zi Nu raised her eyebrows.

In the end, they went to call Nongyu over.

When Nongyu arrived, a strange look appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing glanced around at everyone and said, "Now, everyone is here."

He picked up the drink, took a small sip to moisten his throat.

He immediately began his lecture.

"The guy on the ground is called Vulture. He's a member of Ji Wuye's Hundred Birds organization. His original identity was one of the Three Wolves of Broken Hair, a notorious bandit who roamed the Baiyue region..."

As he spoke, he looked at Nongyu.

"Miss Nongyu, do you still remember the story my friend told you?"

Everyone's gaze shifted to Nongyu at the same time.

Nongyu nodded softly.

"Let me tell you that story."

So Nongyu recounted the story that Li Kai had once told her in front of everyone.

After everyone had finished listening, Xu Qing continued, "That's pretty much the story."

"Liu Yi was one of the Left Sima."

"The disaster at Fire Rain Manor was caused by his greed for the manor's treasure, colluding with the Three Wolves with Broken Hair... After he succeeded, he discarded them like a used tool, but he didn't expect that one of them would survive."

"The other party hid in the darkness, watching Liu Yi for many years, always wanting to seize the treasure of Huoyu Manor. Until recently, due to some things, he became angry and then killed him."

"What happened to Hongyu?" Wei Zhuang asked Xu Qing again.

"If what you say is true, then the vulture's target is Liu Yi. Why then does it repeatedly infiltrate Zilan Pavilion?"

"It's all because of Nongyu's Fire Rain Agate!"

"Liu Yi's wife, Madam Hu, also has a piece of the same Fire Rain Agate. He therefore thought that you were related to Liu Yi, which is why he kept coming here."

“The Hu family?” Nongyu thought of something Li Kai had once mentioned: the Right Sima had commissioned craftsmen to carve two pieces of fire-rain agate, which he eventually gave to his lover.

"Could it be..."

Her expression changed slightly as she came to a guess.

Nongyu had previously told everyone the whole story without hiding anything, and now, everyone was starting to have their own guesses.

Xu Qing then revealed the truth in one sentence: "Miss Nongyu, you are the daughter of Li Kai, the Right Sima of the former Han Dynasty, and Lady Hu."

"After the destruction of Fire Rain Manor, in order to survive, Hu married Liu Yi. She secretly gave birth to a child but dared not raise it and could only abandon it. She then placed one of the two Fire Rain Agates on you."

“So that’s how it is…” Nongyu’s heart trembled slightly. The truth about her origins, which she had been searching for for many years, was finally revealed.

Chapter 74 He entrusted me to look after you!

"That's the whole story."

"There may be some hidden details, but with your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for you to discover the remaining minutiae on your own."

"I won't say anything more."

"After all, you haven't given me the sword-forging materials you promised!"

Xu Qing appeared extremely mercenary.

However, Han Fei and the others had no time to criticize or complain about Xu Qing.

At this moment, their feelings were extremely complicated.

After Liu Yi's death, Han Fei, as the Minister of Justice, tirelessly worked to solve the case, spending countless hours piecing together numerous scattered clues. However, he was unable to solve the case because a key person was missing.

That is, Li Kai!

In the original story, Han Fei solved cases much more easily because of Li Kai.

The vulture had sent men to kidnap Li Kai, thus revealing his true colors.

The situation is different now. Li Kai was persuaded by Xu Qing early on and left Xinzheng and South Korea.

This meant that Han Fei was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle in solving the case.

I thought it would take some time to complete the puzzle, but unexpectedly, Xu Qing revealed the truth directly.

are you happy?

After all, the case has been solved, and all the answers are clear.

But Han Fei found it difficult to feel happy.

Just as Xu Qing had said to Zi Nu before, he had lost the joy of solving cases.

Especially when you've racked your brains and solved most of the puzzle, only to be told by someone that you've wasted your time, that feeling is particularly unpleasant.

"There's one more question!" Wei Zhuang's icy voice rang out, his sharp gaze fixed on Xu Qing like a hawk's. "How did you learn these inside details?"

Xu Qing didn't mince words: "The one on the ground revealed part of it, and another part..."

He paused slightly, "A friend told me."

"Friends?" Wei Zhuang and Han Fei frowned simultaneously.

Upon hearing this, Nongyu's heart skipped a beat, and a figure flashed through her mind like lightning.

"Is it that person from that day?"

She then shared her guess with everyone.

That day, Xu Qing brought a man dressed as a merchant and wearing a half-mask to Zilan Pavilion. It was this man who told her the story of Baiyue.

“That person is no ordinary merchant, is he?” Zi Nu replied in a deep voice. She had already sensed the extraordinary nature of the follower that day, but she had not pointed it out.

"In that old story filled with love and hate, there were far more than one survivors." Xu Qing glanced meaningfully at Nongyu, who was still in shock. "If someone among the Three Wolves with Broken Hair survived, why couldn't that Right Sima, who was surrounded and died without a complete corpse, be spared a way out?"

Nongyu's delicate body trembled violently; the series of shocks that had come today had almost overwhelmed her mind.

If Liu Yi's wife, Lady Hu, is his mother, then the Right Sima Li Kai that Xu Qing mentioned at this moment... wouldn't he be her biological father?

The mysterious person who listened to her music at Zilan Pavilion that day was actually her father.

"Where...where is he?" Nongyu's voice trembled, her eager anticipation could no longer be concealed, and she looked straight at Xu Qing.

"He has gone to another country." Xu Qing's answer was calm but resolute.

Disappointment overwhelmed Nongyu in an instant.

She was puzzled. Since her father already knew of her existence and even told her about the past, why did he have to leave his homeland in such a hurry?

"Why?" Her voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Korea is not a place to stay for long." Xu Qing's expression hardened slightly, his tone deepening with a profound understanding of the world. "The waters of the Baiyue War were far deeper than imagined. Li Kai was trapped on the front lines, isolated and without support. Liu Yi and his ilk were merely the surface scum; behind them were undercurrents that fueled the flames. If certain people knew he was still alive, he would face endless pursuit. And those connected to him would also be swept into the storm, never to have a moment's peace. Therefore, sometimes hiding one's identity and fleeing into obscurity is not cowardice..." Xu Qing's gaze swept over Nongyu, "but rather another kind of invisible protection."

That's all I have to say.

Xu Qing said no more, walked straight to the window, and pushed open the tightly closed window.

A gentle breeze carried in the moist air after the rain.

"The rain has stopped," he murmured to himself, gazing at the bright morning light outside the window.

However, everyone in the hall remained immersed in the shock and their own thoughts, and no one responded.

Upon seeing this, Xu Qing turned and left decisively.

The long night is coming to an end, the turmoil has temporarily subsided, and he should go and rest.

The next morning.