Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

He even hoped that Huang Xie, that powerful old fox who held sway over the court, would be buried with the one on the royal bed.

"Since you've ordered me to find the sword, then I'll do it," Li Yuan thought with a cold laugh.

As for whether to give the sword to Huang Xie after it is found?

Impossible.

Simply because someone in his mansion needed these weapons more.

Over the years, as his ambition grew, Li Yuan began to raise assassins in his mansion. These men had been lying in wait, waiting for the right opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

How can an assassin be without a sharp weapon?

Apart from the Xuanpu Sword, the other four swords in the "Sword Ode" are exactly what he needs.

As for how to find those four swords?

Li Yuan also had her answer.

He decided to pay a visit to Qianlong Hall.

Although Qianlong Hall is an auction house, some people may hide their identities and put their own items there for auction.

But this doesn't mean that Qianlong Hall is completely ignorant.

Since they were able to find the Xuanpu Sword, they might also be able to find the other four swords.

If those four swords were truly exceptional weapons, then...

Li Yuan didn't mind spending more money to buy it.

Because once he succeeds in what he wants to do, he will have everything. Replacing Huang Xie will be a piece of cake. What is a little money?

This is also the reason why he has achieved what he has today; he is not stingy with his money.

Chapter 104 The Xuan Shu Sword is drawn, and Heaven and Man resonate!

Situ Wanli fiddled with his counting rods, tallying up the recent profits, pondering when to start the next auction and which treasures to bring out as the grand finale. Just then, the steward rushed in to report: A guest requests an audience.

Upon learning who the visitor was, Situ Wanli was extremely surprised.

In an instant, the fat, ugly face of the Jade Tiger flashed into his mind.

Although the Jade Tiger was killed by Xu Qing with a single sword strike before leaving Nanyang after being drained of all its value, it could be considered that the hatred in his heart had been eliminated.

But Situ Wanli could not easily forget the past.

To be precise, it was actually not long ago.

"Could this person be trying to emulate Jade Tiger back then?" He thought of what Jade Tiger had done in the past.

The phrase "using power to intimidate others" flashed through Situ Wanli's mind, and his heart suddenly tightened.

However, I still need to meet with the other party.

Even with the powerful peasant clan behind him, Situ Wanli knew that he should not easily offend the nobles of Chu. He could only suppress his doubts and get up to go to the reception room.

After a brief conversation, the visitor took his leave, his steps carrying the hurried air typical of the nouveau riche.

Situ Wanli remained alone in the hall, his expression changing several times.

Not angry, quite the opposite, the other party's attitude was surprisingly calm, showing no signs of bullying the weak.

What truly complicated his feelings was what the other party wanted.

The visitor was none other than Li Yuan, the now-popular brother-in-law of the emperor.

Both being merchants, Li Yuan appeared much more refined and gentle compared to the greedy and domineering Jade Tiger. He had come to Qianlong Hall to seek cooperation.

He stated bluntly: since Qianlong Hall was able to find Xuanpu, one of the five swords mentioned in Song Yu's "Sword Ode," they must have had special channels. He was willing to pay a large sum of money to entrust Qianlong Hall with finding the whereabouts of the remaining four famous swords.

The price he offered was quite considerable. Although it couldn't compare to the uproar caused by the auction of the Xuanpu Sword, it far exceeded Situ Wanli's estimate of the true market value of the other four swords.

As a shrewd auction house owner, Situ Wanli knew that a priceless sword must possess two qualities: an extraordinary origin and legend, or unique practical abilities.

The reason why the Heavenly Wrath Sword was able to fetch such a high price was because it was falsely attributed to Bai Qi.

The Xuanpu Sword is prized for its miraculous healing and life-giving properties, which is why it attracts wealthy and powerful individuals to fight over it.

As for the other four swords, Situ Wanli had already seen them privately. While they were indeed extraordinary, they were slightly less attractive to the wealthy and powerful.

At this moment, a buyer actually came to the door and offered such a high price to take over.

Situ Wanli was tempted.

He decided to seek Xu Qing's opinion.

After all, the true owner of the sword was Xu Qing.

As Situ Wanli walked into the familiar sword-making workshop, Xu Qing happened to be in a state of leisure once again.

This surprised Situ Wanli slightly. Brother Xu was so calm when forging swords. The sword-making room was often unusually quiet, with no sound of forging, as if those world-famous swords were being conceived on their own.

But in the end, he suppressed his curiosity.

He knew that the secrets of sword forging were closely guarded secrets of every master, and that rashly investigating them would only damage this rare cooperation and trust.

"Li Yuan wants to entrust you with finding the other four swords in the 'Sword Ode'? He is willing to pay a large sum of money to buy them?" After hearing Situ Wanli explain his purpose, Xu Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.

“Exactly,” Situ Wanli said in a deep voice. “If he keeps his word, this is indeed a good deal, saving us the trouble and risk of organizing an auction. However, we still need your approval.”

Xu Qing's lips curled up, and his answer was crisp and decisive: "Sell! Why not sell? The sword just sits there doing nothing and won't generate any wealth. If someone is sincerely interested in buying it and the price is right, then give it to them."

He acted as if he didn't care at all.

Situ Wanli received confirmation and felt a great weight lifted from his heart.

Just as he was about to take his leave, Xu Qing suddenly spoke up: "By the way, the sword-forging materials that have been delivered recently seem to be a bit slow."

Situ Wanli understood immediately and assured him, "I will personally oversee the process, and the new materials will be delivered soon!"

"The sooner the better."

After a brief conversation, Situ Wanli left.

Xu Qing watched his retreating figure, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold sword case, his smile deepening.

"Li Garden..."

The powerful circles of the seven kingdoms were never short of treacherous and cunning officials who abused their power.

Guo Kai of Zhao, Ji Wuye of Han, the late Wei Yong of Wei, Hou Sheng of Qi... and Li Yuan, the rising star of Chu, is the future face of Chu.

However, Li Yuan has not yet replaced Huang Xie and has not yet made a name for himself.

But Xu Qing knew that if things proceeded normally...

The King of Chu probably won't survive this winter.

Once the King of Chu died.

Huang Xie's fate will be no different from Wu Qi's back then.

No, it should be said that his fate was even more tragic than Wu Qi's.

When Wu Qi was killed, the new ruler at least pretended to avenge him by executing some nobles.

With Huang Xie dead, the new emperor would not avenge him.

Who can blame them when Li Yuan is the new emperor's uncle!

Since Li Yuan was offering a large sum of money for the sword, Xu Qing didn't mind giving it to Li Yuan. Of course, he was also quite curious about what Li Yuan would do after getting the sword.

……

In the blink of an eye, several more days have passed.

Xu Qing devoted himself to forging swords.

Finally, the remaining swords of the Nine Heavenly Questions were forged in sequence.

The sixth of the Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry – Owl and Tortoise!

The phrase originates from the line "鸱龟曳衔？鲧何听焉", which means the image of a divine turtle carrying soil to control floods.

This is a heavy sword, its entire body as black as an ancient inkstone, with ancient and profound patterns of tortoise and snake intertwined on its spine. Its power lies in defense; when the sword's energy is activated, a heavy, phantom-like tortoise shell appears out of thin air, impossible to break even with immense force.

The seventh of the Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry – Shi Zhou!

The phrase originates from the question, "Why did you move the boat to the mountain?", meaning to inquire about the wonders of traveling by land and boat.

Its sword is so light it seems weightless, creating a myriad of afterimages with each swing. The wielder moves like a floating cloud, amplifying their agility, a stark contrast to the solidity of the sixth sword.

The eighth of the Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry – Spiritual Aura!

It comes from the question "Is Heaven's will fickle? What punishment or blessing will it bring?", and is a tool for divination regarding the unpredictability of fate.

The sword is slender, resembling the refined remains of an ancient beast, inscribed with intricate oracle bone script and divination texts. Its sword core is clear and bright, capable of sensing killing intent and danger in the surroundings in advance; a slight tremor at the tip of the sword is a warning. Even if the wielder's senses are slightly lacking, this sword can still perceive peril.

It can be said that the three swords mentioned above, along with the five swords that had already appeared and were praised in Song Yu's "Ode to the Sword," each had its own unique characteristics. Each of these swords, if placed in the martial arts world, would attract many people to fight for them.

However, these eight swords are still quite inferior to the last of the Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry.

Just like Xu Qing in the past, when he was a second-tier swordsmith, he forged swords that were at the second-tier Great Perfection and half-step famous swords.

Now that he's a third-tier swordsmith, he naturally wants to challenge his limits.

Therefore, in order to forge the final piece of the Nine Swords of Heavenly Inquiry, Xu Qing wanted to transcend his level and forge a "legacy" sword.

Ultimately, of course, it failed.

Even the fourth-tier characteristics did not help him forge a "legacy" sword. However, even so, this sword surpassed ordinary famous swords and reached the pinnacle of the swords Xu Qing had forged so far.

He sealed the three swords, Owl, Tortoise, Release Boat, and Spirit Aura, into the sword box in turn.

Finally, he retrieved the last sword from the void.

This last sword, over three feet long, is simple and dignified in design. The blade displays flowing patterns of black, gold, and blue, subtly reflecting the principles of Yin, Yang, and Heaven. At the core of the hilt is a constantly rotating Tai Chi symbol with hollow holes in the eyes.

Xu Qing looked at the sword, his wrist trembled slightly, and a faint sword aura was released.

In an instant!

The yin and yang fish at the sword's hilt spun rapidly, with the vast yin energy of the earth's veins, the blazing yang energy of the sun, and the clear primordial energy of the heavens converging from the void and flowing into the three-colored divine patterns on the sword's body through the fish's eye openings. The three energies intertwined and merged, transforming at the sword's tip into a profound and boundless chaotic primordial light, where all things were yet unborn.

An immense and unparalleled power surged and roared across the small sword, as if the heavens and earth were resonating with it.