People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 187, The Transaction, Cheng Ying Sword

"Brother Xu, you really do have an unspeakable relationship with the Taoist Heavenly Sect."

Han Fei looked at Xu Qing and shrugged. He had indeed suspected Xu Qing's true identity before. After all, Xu Qing's outstanding and ethereal temperament was too conspicuous. Anyone who saw him would think that he had some connection with the Daoist Heavenly Sect.

Previously, he had only speculated, but Xu Qing's willingness to keep the appointment and ask the question again today has indirectly confirmed his speculation.

"Brother Han, you should know that a secret is called a secret because it is not meant to be known by others."

Xu Qing looked at the smug Han Fei and wondered if he should just kill him right there.

Seeing Xu Qing's eyes gradually turn cold, Han Fei felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said...
"Hey, Brother Xu, you don't mean to kill me here, do you? Medicine and medicine are inseparable. If you really are a disciple of the Heavenly Sect, it's my country, Han, who will benefit."

"It was purely by chance that I learned your secret. After all, it's hard not to have some thoughts about your demeanor."

"I consider you a confidant, and I guarantee with my integrity that I will keep your secret. We are friends, after all."

Looking at the panicked Han Fei, Xu Qing compared himself with the Reverse Scale Sword Spirit and abandoned his plan to attack Han Fei.

As for his identity, Han Fei had no reason to reveal it. Firstly, Han Fei needed the power of this newly powerful figure in the court. Secondly, as Han Fei said, his identity as a disciple of the Heavenly Sect would benefit the state of Han.

If he leaves South Korea because his identity is leaked, the biggest losers will be Han Fei and South Korea.

Seeing that Xu Qing's expression had softened, Han Fei took out a box from his pocket and said to Xu Qing...
"Brother Xu, you are interested in Liezi's relics. This box contains information about the whereabouts of Liezi's relics. How about we make a deal?"

"If you want me to help you deal with the ghost soldiers robbing your pay, then I'm sorry, I can't oblige." Xu Qing said, preparing to turn his horse around and leave.

"Wait a minute, you've misunderstood me. The deal I'm talking about isn't about ghost soldiers robbing our pay. I will prove my abilities by solving this problem myself," Han Fei said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing looked at Han Fei with a puzzled expression and asked...
"What deal?"

"I want the position of Minister of Justice. If I successfully resolve the issue of the ghost soldiers robbing our pay, I hope you can get people to support me in securing this position," Han Fei said.

Although Xu Qing was an official in the inner court, he had people recommended by him in all six departments of the Korean court, and the Junior Minister of Justice was Xu Qing's protégé.

"It seems that Young Master Jiu is determined to get Sikou," Xu Qing said with a faint smile.

In the original story, Han Fei was recommended by Zhang Kaidi to become the Minister of Justice after robbing soldiers of grain supplies. However, the current incident has had a much greater impact than in the original story, involving more people, making it much more difficult for him to become the Minister of Justice.

"Having spent eight years at Xiaoshengxianzhuang, learning all the skills of Legalism, only the position of Sikou allows me to realize my ambitions," Han Fei said frankly.

"Brother Han's goal is indeed ambitious, but how can you prove that what you have is genuine and can impress me?" Xu Qing said.

Han Fei did not answer Xu Qing's question directly, but instead threw the box in his hand at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took the box, examined it for a while, and found that it was just an ordinary box.

"As for whether it's real or fake, I believe Brother Xu will know once he opens it and takes a look," Han Fei said confidently.

After glancing at Han Fei, Xu Qing opened the box directly, revealing an old piece of cloth.

The material of the cloth looked somewhat familiar; it was the same cloth used to record the Evergreen Merit.

After unfolding the cloth, Xu Qing looked at the small characters on it, her pupils dilated, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Cheng Ying Sword? You're saying this sword is a relic of Liezi!?" Xu Qing asked in astonishment.

Cheng Ying Sword, an ancient famous sword, is said to have once been the treasured sword of the Shang Dynasty emperor. Later, it was collected by Kong Zhou, a man from the State of Wei during the Spring and Autumn Period. It is known as one of the three swords of Kong Zhou, along with Han Guang and Xiao Lian, or the three swords of the Shang Dynasty emperor. It is said to be "the dragon divides Cheng Ying, the wild goose falls and forgets to return".

However, since the Spring and Autumn Period, the whereabouts of Kong Zhou's three swords have been unknown. Xu Qing knew, however, that Han Guang was in the hands of an unnamed man at Xiaoshengxianzhuang whose strength was no less than that of Xunzi, while the other two swords were nowhere to be found.

The cloth that Han Fei gave him contained the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying sword.

Seeing Xu Qing's surprise, Han Fei smiled, as if everything was under control.
"In the chapter 'Tang Wen' of Liezi, there is a chapter about the Three Ancient Swords. This is because Wei Heilu killed Qiu Bingzhang out of personal revenge. Qiu Bingzhang's son, Lai Dan, wanted to avenge his father's death, so he borrowed a sword from Kong Zhou, which led to the story of the Three Swords: Han Guang, Cheng Ying, and Xiao Lian."

"Brother Xu, you are a Taoist, don't you know the significance of Kong Zhou's Three Swords to Taoism?"

Xu Qing naturally understood the importance of Kong Zhou's three swords to Taoism. Rather than saying that these three swords were significant to Taoism, it would be more accurate to say that the realm hidden behind these three swords was what Taoism pursued.

"The three ancient swords mentioned in Tang Wenzhong are metaphors for the Dao, namely Han Guang, Cheng Ying, and Xiao Lian. The superior Han Guang represents the state of entering the Dao and merging with it, the middle Cheng Ying represents the state of encountering the Dao and being guided by it, and the inferior Xiao Lian represents the state of practicing and guarding the Dao."

"In other words, Xiaolian, Chengying, and Hanguang respectively represent the three realms of seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing a mountain as not a mountain, and seeing a mountain as a mountain again."

"Brother Xu is right. Are you satisfied with the conditions I proposed?" Han Fei asked.
"If I eventually find the Cheng Ying Sword, and you also become the Minister of Justice, I will have someone help you secure your position as Minister of Justice."

Xu Qing accepted the deal proposed by Han Fei. The deal seemed mutually beneficial, but in reality, he was the one who profited.

Even without his help, Han Fei could have secured his position as Minister of Justice based on his own abilities.

The reason the other party still proposed this deal was simply to gain control of the Sikou Mansion more quickly, while also wanting to create the illusion that he and Han Fei were close.

Xu Qing didn't care about Han Fei's little scheme; he knew that he and Han Fei's departure from the city today couldn't be kept secret from Ji Wuye and Han Yu.

The divination slip also indicated that there would be hidden dangers lurking outside the city. Xu Qing thought that these hidden dangers were most likely Ji Wuye and Han Yu.

“Alright, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond.” Han Fei extended his hand, and Xu Qing extended his right hand as well. Their hands clasped tightly, and the deal was struck.

"It's getting late, we should head back to the city!"

Xu Qing stuffed the cloth into his pocket, intending to search for the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying Sword when he had time.

Who would ever want too many precious swords? Although Lingxu Xuqing was very comfortable using them, they were not suitable for the Guixu Eight Swords.

During his sword practice, Xu Qing could sense that Lingxu was unable to truly achieve the state of being both tangible and intangible. Now that Han Fei had brought him the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying Sword, perhaps he could use it to perfect his mastery of the Eight Swords of Noble Void.

"We're colleagues," Han Fei nodded and said.

The two turned their horses around and headed towards Xinzheng City.

Touching the cloth in his arms, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt. The Cheng Ying Sword had been missing for a hundred years. How did Han Fei find out where it was hiding?
With this question in mind, Xu Qing looked at Han Fei and asked...

"Brother Han Fei, how did you find out the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying Sword?"

Han Fei glanced at the already darkening sky and spoke softly.

"When the State of Han conquered the State of Zheng, because Xinzheng surrendered, the State of Han took over all of Zheng's books."

"When I was young, I loved to immerse myself in these books and found many unexpected things in them."

As Han Fei spoke, his expression suddenly turned somber, and a trace of sadness appeared in his eyes, as if he were recalling some painful past events.

He discovered many secrets in the Zheng Kingdom's library, including the Cheng Ying Sword and his own sword, the Ni Lin Sword, which possessed a sword spirit. In addition to these treasures, he also came into contact with the power that controls destiny in the dark for the first time.

It's not true that the more secrets you know, the better. Some things, once you know them, can become the beginning of a lifetime of misfortune.

"I see."

Xu Qing nodded thoughtfully. He had also found the Evergreen Skill in the Zheng Kingdom's collection of books. It seemed possible that the other party had found information about the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying Sword in the Zheng Kingdom's collection of books as well.

Regardless, he has already accepted the item; he can find out whether it's real or fake when he comes back later.

As if he had thought of something, Han Fei suddenly looked at Xu Qing with a serious expression and asked in a deep voice.

"Brother Xu, do you believe that there is a force in the universe that controls destiny in the dark?"

Upon hearing Han Fei's question, Xu Qing also fell silent; it was indeed a difficult question to answer.

There are too many forces in this world that transcend common sense. Not to mention the ethereal Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, just consider the War God of Loulan and Han Fei's Reverse Scale Sword; each of them is an existence that transcends common sense.

“I think so. We Taoists call it the Tao,” Xu Qing nodded and said.

"Do you call it the Dao?" Han Fei looked at Xu Qing with a puzzled expression, seemingly doubting the answer.

"Any questions?"

Xu Qing looked at Han Fei in confusion. What was wrong with him now? Why was he acting so strangely?

"No, there's no problem. I asked my teacher the same question, and his answer was both the same and different from yours."

"Oh? What did Master Xun say?" Xu Qing asked curiously.

Xu Qing leans towards the power Han Fei spoke of being the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon. In the original novel, Han Fei was the guardian of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon in Han State, and possibly one of only two people who had witnessed this power.

"The teacher said that mountains turn into valleys, oceans turn into mulberry fields, the withering and flourishing of summer and winter, the rise and fall of nations, and the life and death of people are truly mysterious and unpredictable?"

"Ten years can prove the passing of spring and autumn, a hundred years can prove birth, aging, sickness and death, a thousand years can prove the change of dynasties, and ten thousand years can prove the shifting of stars."

"If a mortal tries to understand the world over millions of years with the perspective of a single day, is he or she just like a frog at the bottom of a well?"

Xu Qing looked at Han Fei speechlessly. How did their conversation suddenly shift from fantasy to philosophy? So, after all that talk, that power is time, right?

"Hehe, Brother Xu, please don't take offense. I was just expressing my feelings," Han Fei said with a forced smile.

"It's nothing," Xu Qing said, shaking his head.

“Actually, Brother Xu, we are the same, both unfortunate and fortunate,” Han Fei said suddenly, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was confused by Han Fei's sudden words. What did he mean by saying that the two of them were the same?

"Brother Han Fei, what do you mean by this?" Xu Qing asked.

Han Fei smiled without saying a word. He felt that it would be most interesting for Xu Qing to uncover this secret himself.

"Damn it, riddle makers deserve to die."

Xu Qing cursed inwardly but didn't press the matter further. If Han Fei wanted to say something, he should just say it, instead of playing games with him.

(End of this chapter)