Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"The Hanging Garden Sword, starting price three thousand gold! Distinguished guests, please—"

Before the words were finished...

"Three thousand five hundred gold!"

"four thousand!"

"Four thousand three hundred gold!"

The sounds of scrambling erupted instantly, like thunderclaps. The Qu family representative was the first to offer a high price, followed by the Jing family, and the Zhao family representative was not to be outdone.

Among the merchants, representatives from other major families joined the fray, bidding incessantly, turning the entire auction hall into a boiling cauldron with an astonishing atmosphere.

Li Yuan, who was personally overseeing the operation, had a calm and composed expression, as if he were in another world.

He watched the surging tide of competition in the arena with a calm and unwavering gaze, yet inadvertently uttered a startling number.

"Five thousand gold pieces!"

Chapter 103 Swords Rise and Clouds Fly

The auction is over.

But Situ Wanli's excited heart was hard to calm down.

The reason is simply that the people of Chu were extremely wealthy.

Spending a fortune? That's just a warm-up before the starting bid.

Only by spending lavishly can one display the grandeur of a powerful family.

After the bidding for the Li Garden began, the noble families of Qu, Jing, and Zhao were not to be outdone, and their prices rose steadily, pushing the "Xuanpu" sword to an astronomical price of 15,500 gold coins.

This surpasses the record set by the "Heavenly Wrath Sword" auctioned in South Korea, setting a new record for the highest transaction value in the history of the Seven Kingdoms Hidden Dragon Hall.

As for the ownership of the sword?

Who else could it be?

It's Li Garden, of course!

While the Qu, Jing, and Zhao clans undoubtedly possessed profound cultural heritage, Li Yuan was no less impressive. Originally a renowned merchant from Zhao, he gained the strong support of Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, after entering Chu, leading to the rapid expansion of his business empire. Furthermore, as the emperor's brother-in-law, he wielded immense power and became incredibly wealthy.

More importantly, towards the end of the bidding, he revealed the reason:

The King of Chu was seriously ill, and the Queen was extremely worried. That's why she begged her brother to find this sword for the King, hoping that its magical power could cure him.

With these words spoken, how could the nobles possibly argue any further?

At that time, the price had reached its peak, and many people were already hesitant. Why not go with the flow and do this powerful imperial brother-in-law a favor?

The sword that had been hanging in the garden eventually ended up in Li Yuan's possession.

"Brother, you're not angry at all?" Xu Qing glanced at the overjoyed Situ Wanli and said with some surprise, "Back in South Korea, Jade Tiger used his power to intimidate people and forced bidders not to raise their bids. You were quite angry, brother."

Upon hearing this, Situ Wanli patiently explained, "Brother, people are divided into different classes and cannot be compared on the same day."

"Regarding the matter in South Korea, although the items were sold at the reserve price with a small profit, how could I not be angry at Jade Tiger's selfish and domineering attitude, his abuse of power, his breaking of rules, and his cutting off of our source of income? I am angry with him not only because I lost a lot of money, but also because I despise his bullying attitude."

"On the other hand, consider Li Yuan," Situ Wanli said, stroking his beard, his eyes gleaming. "Although he ultimately invoked the name of the King of Chu, which silenced the critics, the sword's price was already near its peak, with limited room for further increases. Moreover, he didn't resort to malicious price-cutting or intimidation; instead, he continuously fueled the price surge, driving it to an unprecedented high! For this alone, I should be thanking him, so why should I be angry?"

Xu Qing listened attentively, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

Thinking of the enormous profits from this auction, Situ Wanli's heart burned with excitement. He couldn't help but ask Xu Qing, "Brother, Song Yu's 'Sword Ode' mentions five famous swords. I wonder when the other four swords will be..."

He rubbed his hands together, wishing he could start filming immediately and turn those four swords into money.

As for why not film it all at once?

Of course, it's because these swords are different from the Big Dipper and Southern Dipper swords that Xu Qing once forged. Although they all come from "Heavenly Questions," none of them are the kind of precious swords that can be used as the grand finale.

Putting it at an auction would be far too extravagant.

We have acquired many treasures from Emerald Tiger's Emerald Manor, which can be auctioned together with these swords.

At the same time, a short interval also gives people time to prepare money.

"Let's wait a bit," Xu Qing said calmly.

"The sword has already been forged and is right there. Trying to sell it too quickly will only diminish its value. After all, rarity increases value. If a rare item appears too frequently and too easily, it becomes worthless."

Situ Wanli wholeheartedly agreed, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Brother, your insight is brilliant!"

The auction has come to an end, a resounding success.

Xu Qing returned to the sword-making workshop, leaving the turmoil in Shouchun City behind, and once again immersed his mind in the metal forging furnace.

After all, of the nine swords of Tianwen that were conceived, only five have been completed so far.

Four more remain to be forged.

While he spent his time with his sword, the aftershocks of the auction were already spreading rapidly throughout Shouchun City.

……

"How many?"

"Fifteen thousand five hundred gold?!"

Those with inside information were all astonished when they learned of the final hammer price for the Xuanpu Sword.

"Just one sword? Are you crazy?!" someone exclaimed incredulously.

"Brother, you may not know this," a bystander whispered mysteriously, clearly having discovered the truth, "An ordinary sword is naturally worthless. But this sword is no ordinary one..."

He then vividly recounted the events of the auction. Leaving aside the treasures mentioned earlier, the most breathtaking moment was the appearance of the Xuanpu Sword at the end. Situ Wanli tested the sword on the spot, and the servants of Qianlong Hall mutilated themselves in public, only to be instantly healed by the magical power of the Xuanpu Sword...

"Instant healing? Is it really that miraculous?"

"Absolutely true! Countless dignitaries witnessed it firsthand; otherwise, this sword could not have fetched such a high price."

In no time, the legend of the Xuanpu Divine Sword swept through the streets and alleys of Shouchun like wildfire, and then spread like wildfire to all parts of the Chu Kingdom.

The sword manual contains many famous swords, including some extraordinary ones.

For example, the famous Taoist sword Qiu Li is said to have been forged by Xue Zhu, a renowned sword appraiser from the Wu and Yue regions. He was commissioned by the King of Yue to find a matching sword for the famous sword "Chun Jun" forged by Ou Yezi. He traveled all over the mountains and rivers to find the perfect material for forging the sword. In the end, he used meteorite iron from the Yue region as the base and incorporated the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang to forge this sword. The day the sword was completed was also the day Xue Zhu died. Therefore, the sword is inhabited by Xue Zhu's spirit and contains endless vitality.

According to legend, the Qiu Li Sword is a sword that brings life.

But rumors are just rumors.

What you hear is never as good as what you see with your own eyes.

The extraordinary nature of the Xuanpu Sword has been witnessed by many.

As a divine sword imbued with vitality, it is inevitable that people will compare it with Qiu Li, which ranks among the top ten swords in the sword manual.

"In my opinion, this sword's power far surpasses that of the Daoist Qiu Li!" someone declared confidently.

"Absurd!" someone immediately retorted, though they had never seen either of the two swords, they firmly believed in the authority of the sword manual and Feng Hu Zi.

After all, the sword manual originated from the State of Chu and enjoys extremely high prestige in this region.

"Qiu Li has long been renowned as one of the top ten swords. How can you be so sure that a newly released sword has surpassed it?"

"It's true that the Qiuli Sword is among the top ten in the sword manual, but that's only because the Xuanpu Sword has only been around for a short time. Believe me, when the sword manual is updated next time, it will definitely be listed in the sword manual and surpass the Qiuli Sword." The proponents of Xuanpu Sword have no doubt about this.

Unbeknownst to them, an elderly man with a cane and a hunched back was slowly walking past them, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He traveled the world for a long time, searching for various precious swords and commenting on them.

Now, upon suddenly hearing about the swords of Xuanpu and the "Ode to the Sword" written by Song Yu, he naturally became interested in these swords.

After all, swordsmanship is something their lineage excels at.

The old man silently took a few steps forward, when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a middle-aged man by the roadside, as if by a magnet.

What attracted his attention was not the person, but the ancient longsword that the person was carrying.

He stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, sir, if I may borrow your sword for a look?"

The man was slightly taken aback. He looked the old man up and down and felt that although he looked old, his demeanor was extraordinary.

After a moment's hesitation, he laughed heartily: "Why not!"

As he spoke, he unfastened his sword and handed it over calmly.

The old man held the sword with both hands, his expression solemn as if on a pilgrimage. His fingertips traced the cool blade inch by inch, his gaze focused, not missing the slightest detail.

After a long silence, he asked in a deep voice, "What is the name of this sword?"

“Chunsheng,” the man replied.

……

Meanwhile, deep within the flower hall of Lord Chunshen's residence.

Ling Yin Huang Xie held a long sword that was entirely green, his fingertips brushing over the peach patterns on the hilt, his gaze burning as if he wanted to melt it.

This sword is indeed the Xuanpu Sword.

After succeeding, Li Yuan immediately handed the sword to him.

According to the normal procedure, after Huang Xie obtained the sword, he should have presented it to the ailing King of Chu. However, after obtaining the sword, Huang Xie seemed to have completely forgotten about this matter.

Not only did he not offer the sword, but he carried it with him at all times and never let it out of his sight.

The wondrous and vibrant life force continuously nourished his body and mind.

His initial disdain for Song Yu's "Ode to the Sword" had long since vanished. Having personally experienced the sword's profound mysteries, he was astonished to realize that the ode was indeed true.

This sword truly possessed earth-shattering power, and along with it, the other four swords mentioned in the "Sword Ode" also captivated his heart and soul like magnets, arousing his great interest.

He wanted to find those four swords and complete the set with the one in his hand.

But as the magistrate, why should he personally handle the task of collecting famous swords? This task naturally fell to Li Yuan.

Huang Xie was so engrossed in the cold vitality flowing between his fingers that he was completely unaware that, while he was reveling in the sword's miraculous effects, Li Yuan, who was ordered to search for the other four swords, was curling up a chilling sneer.

"Ha... Our Lord Chunshen has quite the ambition!"

I did bring up the excuse of "seeking the sword for the king" at the auction, even though it was just for show. But now that the sword is in your hands, how dare you keep it and not hand it over?

This clearly shows that they are eager for the one lying on the royal bed to die soon.

Coincidentally, Li Yuan felt the same way.