Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

However, today, the thorn gate is only half-closed.

The scene had an eerie, unsettling quality to it.

Huang Xie frowned slightly, a strange feeling passing through his heart, but he did not stop and continued to walk forward.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a cold, sharp light flashing.

Huang Xie's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran through his head.

The next instant.

The assassins, lying in ambush, sprang up from the shadows like ghosts, their blades flashing and carrying murderous intent as they charged straight at Huang Xie.

"Protect the Prime Minister!" Several guards, who had also been disarmed, roared and, without hesitation, used their own bodies to shield Huang Xie.

A sudden change occurred.

Starlight descended eerily from the heavens, binding everyone like invisible shackles and instantly slowing their movements.

A sudden gust of wind rose from the ground, and several sharp wind blades slashed through the air. With a muffled hiss, the guards at the front had no time to scream before their bodies were torn apart, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Huang Xie witnessed this scene and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

At the critical moment of life and death, fear was suppressed by the instinct for survival. He turned around suddenly and tried to run away. As long as he could get out of this door and escape this deadly place, even if there were thousands of troops, they would find it difficult to kill him again in this forbidden palace.

However, all escape routes had already been cut off.

A figure that surprised Huang Xie greatly, surrounded by a group of chilling assassins, cut off his path to survival.

"Huang Xie, you stole the Xuanpu Sword and cut off the King's lifeline. Today you shall be executed!" Li Yuan's chilling voice echoed like ice breaking between the palace gates.

Huang Xie stared at Li Yuan, whose face, usually filled with weakness and submissiveness, was now filled with icy killing intent and determination.

“Li Yuan! You…” Huang Xie’s mind was struck like a thunderbolt, and Zhu Ying’s worried advice from that day suddenly surged into his heart.

Endless regret instantly engulfed him, but this belated realization was of no use; he could only desperately search for an opening to break free.

Li Yuan would not allow him to struggle.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the assassins surged forward like marionettes, fearless of death.

The sword light of the Stars shone as swiftly as lightning, and the sword technique of Boqiang was unparalleled in its fierceness, with cold light crisscrossing everywhere.

Huang Xie's guards were brave, but they were unarmed.

In an instant, screams erupted, blood splattered everywhere, and several loyal bodies collapsed to the ground, their bodies and souls gone.

Finally, a deadly, sharp blade of wind, in Huang Xie's desperate and horrified gaze, precisely kissed his neck.

*Crack!*

A sickening cracking sound of a neck bone breaking was followed by a torrent of blood gushing into the sky.

The head, its eyes wide open, still bearing traces of horror and resentment, was swept up by the wind blades and slammed onto the cold bronze rivets of the Thorn Gate like a heavy, broken football, before rolling off into the dust, a bloody mess.

Looking at Huang Xie, whose head was separated from his body, Li Yuan felt a mix of emotions.

He slowly approached, glanced coldly at the head that had once held immense power but was now hideous and terrifying, and without a trace of lingering affection, he quickly turned away.

Killing Huang Xie was just the beginning, not the end.

He knew that there were still many things that needed to be dealt with.

For example, "cut off the roots and exterminate the entire family of Lord Chunshen!"

Li Yuan strode out of the palace, and with the tiger tally and seal given to him by the queen, he instantly commanded the officials and dispatched the imperial guards.

"Lord Chunshen has stolen the sword and murdered the king, and has been executed! Now, by the Queen's decree, Crown Prince Han shall immediately ascend the throne, and the power of state affairs shall be temporarily entrusted to the Queen's brother, Li Yuan!"

In a single day, the political landscape of the Chu Kingdom changed dramatically.

Countless followers and disciples of Lord Chunshen were purged with swift and decisive measures.

Lord Chunshen's family and relatives in his Shouchun residence were all slaughtered by soldiers sent by Li Yuan.

He then dispatched his elite troops to Wu, the fiefdom of Lord Chunshen, determined to uproot Huang Xie's bloodline and influence in the Chu court and his homeland.

Faced with such a shocking change, the nobles of Chu reacted with surprising calm, even with a hint of cold "familiarity".

How could they so brazenly execute the chief minister at the king's funeral?

What's so new about this kind of thing in Chu? Wasn't that exactly what happened to Wu Qi back then?

Want to avenge Huang Xie?

Naturally, no one responded. After all, there was no profit to be made, so why invite trouble? Besides, Li Yuan held the Queen's seal and the tiger tally to mobilize the Imperial Guards, so he had both the right and the righteousness to do so.

Thus, with the collective selective silence of the Chu nobles, the death of Lord Chunshen, who was famous throughout the land, was quickly "cold-out".

……

Inside the Hidden Dragon Hall.

Situ Wanli was stunned speechless by this sudden and devastating change in the State of Chu.

He never imagined that just half a month ago, Lord Chunshen Huang Xie, who was all-powerful and held the reins of power in the State of Chu, would meet such an end in a single day, his head severed from his body, his death a tragic sight.

"My dear brother! You were right again!"

Situ Wanli looked at Xu Qing with a complicated expression. Thinking of his previous prediction, he couldn't help but sigh, his words carrying a hint of admiration and lingering fear.

Xu Qing's gaze was calm, but a barely perceptible smile curved his lips as he uttered a sentence that left Situ Wanli quite puzzled.

"Li Yuan is truly a good person."

When Lord Chunshen died, he gained an extremely terrifying reputation, not to mention the imperial edict that Li Yuan publicly announced, which made Xuanpu Sword famous.

Xu Qing thus gained a reputation that could be described as terrifying.

Situ Wanli was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly not understanding its meaning.

But then he remembered that he had indeed made a huge profit from Li Yuan... As for Huang Xie? He had no connection with this magistrate, let alone any friendship with him.

Whether it's pity or sympathy, it's of no value to a businessman.

So he immediately smiled and chimed in, "Indeed, Lord Li Yuan is decisive and a good man."

Just as the two were chatting, a steward rushed in from outside the hall to report a strange incident.

Upon hearing the report, Situ Wanli's face immediately displayed an extremely strange expression.

"Where is he?" he called out.

"Wait in the front yard for an audience," the steward replied respectfully.

Situ Wanli pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of curiosity:

"Brother, an old man has come to our door claiming to be a sword appraiser, requesting a sword appraisal. I wonder... should we see him or not?"

Chapter 107 The Perfect Sword, Yet Why Is It Without Spirit?

"A swordsman?"

Upon hearing this profession, Xu Qing was slightly taken aback.

Then some things came to mind.

There were some people he actually wanted to meet during his trip to the State of Chu.

However, once he arrived on this land, he realized that meeting them was not an easy thing, so Xu Qing did not force it and chose to let things take their course.

"I never expected that while I was sitting peacefully in the Hidden Dragon Hall, a sword appraiser would come looking for me."

"That's quite interesting."

"How could a sword appraiser know that there is a sword here that can be appraised? Could it be that when his sword was created, there was some unknown phenomenon? Such a phenomenon is completely unknown to him, and laymen cannot see it either. Only a sword appraiser who is skilled in this field can see the clues?"

Xu Qing couldn't help but have such thoughts. After all, although this place seemed to be a martial arts world, it often contained mysterious and unknown abilities.

"Since you're here, let's meet them." Xu Qing said calmly.

Then, together with Situ Wanli, they walked towards the front hall of Qianlong Hall.

In the hall, an elderly man with white hair and beard stood leaning on a cane, clearly having been waiting for a long time.

Situ Wanli caught a glimpse of this scene and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He had not expected that the visitor would be such a seemingly destitute old man. What displeased him even more was that the steward had directly brought in such a person.

Although Situ Wanli appeared kind and warm in front of Xu Qing, he was actually very practical and somewhat mercenary at heart.

Unlike Situ Wanli, Xu Qing was also surprised, but not because of the old man's appearance.

Instead, it was an all-too-familiar aura.

That's... sword energy!

As a swordsmith, Xu Qing has personally forged countless swords.

Having spent so much time with swords, he inevitably absorbed a trace of the sword's aura.

Today, he sensed the same aura emanating from this old man.

This aura belongs to either a swordsman who is inseparable from his sword year-round, or someone who frequently handles swords.

Considering that the old man had previously introduced himself as a "sword appraiser," he had a certain understanding of the old man's strength.

"Why have you come here, sir?" Xu Qing asked, taking the initiative to greet him.

Seeing this, Situ Wanli had no choice but to suppress his thoughts for the time being and stand aside with a composed expression.

"I have come here to examine the sword!" The old man's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "On my journey some time ago, I met a swordsman named Tian Guang. I noticed that the sword he wore was quite peculiar. Afterwards, he gave me some pointers, saying that if I wanted to find a famous sword, I should come here to visit."

Upon hearing this familiar name, Xu Qing remained calm, while Situ Wan's expression changed slightly before he forced a warm smile and quickly stepped forward.

"Oh dear! My apologies! It turns out you were introduced by Master Tian Guang. To be honest, Master Tian Guang has been a great benefactor to me. Since it was his recommendation, you are truly a distinguished guest of the Hidden Dragon Hall!"

His tone was sincere, showing great enthusiasm.

These familiar pleasantries reached Xu Qing's ears, causing a barely perceptible strangeness to flash across his eyes.

Situ Wanli's rhetoric was exactly the same as the opening remarks he made when he first met Qianlongtang in Korea.

However, he had no intention of pointing it out, and instead turned to the old man, saying, "Mr. Tian Guang is indeed our friend. Now that you have seen his sword, sir, what are your thoughts?"

The old man stroked his beard and pondered, "Judging from its appearance, it seems to possess the virtue of endless life; however, its malevolent energy is concealed and not unleashed. It uses the depletion of others' vital energy as a weapon to nourish itself, not a benevolent instrument..."

"You!" Before he could finish speaking, Situ Wanli could no longer contain his anger.