Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Chu Nan Gong's withered fingers trembled slightly. He truly hadn't expected that the young man before him would be so greedy.

Who can we blame?

He was the one who made the first move, but after witnessing the profound mystery of the Xuan Shu Sword and the skills of the swordsmith, he realized that everything he was doing now was paying the price for his past delusions.

Ultimately, it's because one's state of mind is not yet perfect, and the poisonous roots of greed, anger, and ignorance are deeply planted in one's heart.

In the past, he prided himself on being superior to his fellow practitioners of Yin-Yang School, but when it came to coveting precious treasures, was he ever any different?

They never think about amicable transactions, but rather about sinister schemes and plundering.

Even when the other party relented and agreed, he still hesitated and made futile bargaining, ultimately ending up losing both his wife and his money.

If he had used the "Yellow Stone Heavenly Book" as leverage from the beginning, along with a few more trump cards, his opponent wouldn't have been able to figure out his trump cards and would never have been forced into such a predicament.

Unfortunately, due to a careless conversation earlier, he revealed all his knowledge and skills, and then ran into this opportunistic person who would take advantage of him... In the predicament of not being able to hand over the Heavenly Book and only being able to borrow it for three years, in order to pursue the Great Dao in his heart, Chu Nan Gong finally gritted his teeth and agreed to Xu Qing's exorbitant demands.

I have copied down all the knowledge, techniques, and strategies I have learned previously.

In fact, some of the classic texts were preserved on bamboo slips at his place of seclusion.

But the person in front of me clearly had no patience to wait and was unwilling to let things drag on.

After all, the other party was so impatient that after he agreed, they even took out a pen and cloth.

I have no idea what the other person meant by carrying these things with them.

What else can Chu Nan Gong do?

All I could do was obediently copy it down.

Fortunately, the Yin-Yang School has a well-preserved lineage.

It is divided into five levels.

He just needs to copy it down from the bottom to the top.

Of course, this will take a long time.

Chu Nan Gong hinted several times that organizing the classics would be time-consuming and laborious, but the young man was unusually patient at the moment, and simply said: "It's alright, I can wait."

Before he could finish speaking, he added casually, "However, that sword... perhaps it can't wait any longer."

The veiled meaning in those words was clear to Chu Nan Gong. He could only suppress his frustration and diligently copy them down.

Chu Nan Gong's learning throughout his life was vast and boundless. Even in this era of profound meaning in concise language, even though he deliberately condensed his words and strived to convey the deepest meaning with the simplest characters, copying them day and night, it still took him several days.

Rolls of ink-stained cloth were piled up in front of Xu Qing, weighing heavily on Chu Nan Gong's dignity.

"Now, they are yours." Chu Nan Gong's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. "The sword, shouldn't it be given to me now?"

His cultivation had reached a state of perfection, and his physique was far superior to that of a young man. However, after days of painstakingly copying the secret text and proofreading for errors, his spirit had long since withered like an autumn leaf.

What's even more infuriating is that the young man was extremely picky.

"Are you sure these manuals are safe?" Xu Qing's fingertips traced the fabric, a half-smile playing on his lips. "If I were to practice them, wouldn't I suffer a qi deviation, my meridians shattered?"

"I swear on my life that every word is true!" Chu Nan Gong's beard trembled slightly as he practically spat out these words through clenched teeth.

Xu Qing then suppressed his doubts and went straight to the point: "When will that scroll of heavenly book be delivered?"

"We need to wait a little longer," Chu Nan Gong said in a deep voice, "until this old man... finishes using this sword."

Although he could no longer comprehend the Heavenly Book, it still had one last use for him.

Xu Qing's gaze was sharp as lightning. After lingering on his face for a moment, he uttered only four words: "The sword is yours."

After saying that, he took out the sword contract and wanted Chu Nan Gong to sign it.

After reviewing the sword contract, Chu Nan Gong signed it without hesitation.

After all, so much has been paid, and it's a contract without any harsh terms, so why not just sign it?

After the sword contract was signed, Xu Qing simply rolled up his sleeve, and the sword contract and the many pieces of cloth covered with writing disappeared into thin air without even causing a ripple.

Chu Nan Gong's expression remained unchanged, but he was extremely surprised. Even though his skill had reached a state of perfection and he could use his internal energy to connect with heaven and earth and freeze a space, he still could not see through the mystery of this storage method.

Clearly, this person is not as simple as he appears, and is hiding a great secret.

However, he soon accepted the matter, because the world is vast and full of extraordinary people. In the eyes of ordinary people, Yin-Yang magic is also unpredictable.

Bringing his thoughts back, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound shackle had been removed.

Every moment of this deal was agonizing.

Fortunately, I finally got what I wanted.

Having acquired the Xuan Shu Sword, Chu Nan Gong did not rush into action. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing. He needed to rest for a while and recuperate.

In the wilderness and mountain cave, the campfire crackled as Xu Qing slowly roasted the game, the oil dripping into the fire and sizzling.

An old man and a young boy, one still and one in motion, create a strange yet distinct scene.

After a night's rest, my energy and spirit are back to their peak.

The next day, Xu Qing wisely left the cave.

Curiosity is understandable, but the price Chu Nan Gong has already paid is heavy enough. To pry now would be tantamount to playing with fire.

Inside the cave, only Chu Nan Gong remained.

He sat cross-legged, the Xuan Shu sword lying across his knees.

Unlike his previous cursory observations, he now poured all his mind, energy, and spirit into the sword without reservation.

A scroll of radiant bamboo slips lay open before him; it was the Yellow Stone Heavenly Book.

The pages are blank, except for a five-colored, flowing light that shines only on the eyes of those with affinity. To those without affinity, it is a wordless, stubborn stone.

This is a treasure left behind in this world by the ancient celestial beings.

As for the three years of borrowing the sword, could Xu Qing glean any secrets from it? What kind of visions would he witness? Chu Nan Gong neither wanted to know nor wished to know. He only knew that once the three-year period was up, even if Xu Qing hid at the ends of the earth, he would have a secret method to follow the mysterious guidance of the Heavenly Book and find him. After all, these decades of comprehension had not been wasted.

"Can it truly become the vessel for my Dao?" As his fingertips brushed against the cold spine of the sword, a barely perceptible wavering crossed Chu Nan Gong's heart.

Immediately, this wavering was resolutely crushed.

Once a move is made, there's no going back!

He traded all his knowledge for this sword, so he must succeed!

Concentrate, focus your mind, and draw in your breath.

He drew upon the five-colored mystical light, an extraordinary power from the Heavenly Book, and slowly channeled it into the seemingly ethereal blade of the Xuan Shu Sword.

In the past, he had searched the world for rare treasures to bear this power from beyond the heavens, but all the gold, stone and jade were destroyed, because how could mortal things bear the might of heaven?

But this time—

hum!

The sword emitted a clear and long hum, as if a slumbering ancient beast had been awakened. Five-colored light flowed like mercury, instantly permeating the sword. The three colors that were already present on the sword also resonated with it. Finally, all five colors of light were absorbed into the sword, merging with it into one, and could no longer be distinguished from each other.

"It's done!"

He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with joy.

Outside the cave, Xu Qing was resting against a tree when he suddenly felt a suffocation around him. The clear sky was instantly swallowed by leaden clouds, and a strange, whirlwind swept up from the ground, making the trees dance wildly like ghostly shadows.

Immediately afterwards, the sky seemed to split open, several pale white lightning bolts ripped through the clouds, and thunderous roars exploded close to the ground, shaking people's internal organs.

Strangely, this cataclysmic scene came quickly and went even faster.

In less than ten breaths, the clouds dispersed, the wind subsided, the thunder disappeared, and the lightning vanished, leaving the sky clear and blue, as if the wrath of heaven and earth just moments before was nothing but a dream.

However, while things have calmed down here, the situation is not so good in the world.

Zhongnan Mountain is also known as Taiyi Mountain, the latter being the internal name used by Taoists.

Taiyi is another name for the Dao.

Inside a pavilion, an elderly man who had been cultivating in seclusion slowly opened his eyes, somewhat surprised.

Who has stolen the secrets of heaven?

In the secluded valley of Mount Li, in the Starry Palace, the thousands of gems and pearls inlaid in the dome now seem to flicker and flow like a real star map.

On the high platform, a figure draped in black robes and wearing a black iron mask slowly raised his head, and the eyes beneath the mask suddenly focused.

The surrounding space also froze at this moment.

A certain place in the State of Chu.

Previously, he had appraised swords at Qianlong Hall and told Xu Qing a lot about Feng Hu Zi.

His expression suddenly changed, shifting between joy and sorrow.

"What an amazing sword!"

He sensed a sword aura.

The sword energy flashed and disappeared in an instant, then vanished without a trace.

Inside the Yunmeng Marsh, when Xu Qing walked back to the cave, he saw Chu Nan Gong standing quietly at the entrance, the Xuan Shu Sword casually hanging at his waist, his aura unchanged, as if he had only been sitting quietly all night.

"Is it over?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow.

"It's over." Chu Nan Gong nodded.

"He doesn't seem to have changed much." Xu Qing's gaze swept over the other man. He was still that old geezer, and hadn't become any more unfathomable.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't seclusion take a long time? How did you finish so quickly?" he asked Chu Nan Gong again.

“If one seeks answers in seclusion and gets stuck in an unsolvable problem, it will naturally take a long time,” Chu Nan Gong said calmly. “But I already have the answer in my heart. What I seek is merely a vessel to hold it, so it will not take long.”

After speaking, he raised his hand, and the scroll of bamboo slips, with its understated brilliance, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

"The Yellow Stone Book is now yours. I will come to collect it in person three years from now!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed instantly. The moment he received the Heavenly Book, a strange, warm yet vast sensation spread through his fingertips.

His gaze immediately fell back to the sword at Chu Nan Gong's waist.

"This sword seems to have changed."

He forged this sword, and his aura is connected to the sword, so he can naturally perceive some of the sword's changes.

Chu Nan Gong was not stingy either.