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

Chapter 227, The Nameless Guidance
Xu Qing looked at Wuming with some anticipation. Although he called him He Guanzi Lao Deng, he was still very concerned about the other party's situation.

Especially the gifts that He Guanzi left him at the end of his apprenticeship; they all seemed like he was making arrangements for his own death. As his disciple, he should have at least allowed He Guanzi to return to his roots.

"No, but Master He Guanzi looks as radiant as ever, so Junior Brother need not worry," Wuming nodded and said.

Recalling the state of He Guanzi when he met him, Wuming even felt that this senior might have taken a step that even his senior brother Xunzi had not taken, becoming a figure like a terrestrial immortal.

He Guanzi was a figure during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao. At that time, he was nearly forty years old and in his prime. He was a great sage who was famous throughout the world. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, only Mencius of the Confucian School and Meng Sheng of the Mohist School could compare with him, while his senior brother Xunzi had just begun to gain fame.

He first met He Guanzi through a divine agreement, and He Guanzi looked exactly the same then. Now, decades later, he still looks exactly the same, without the slightest change.

That's why he suspected that He Guanzi had broken through the Celestial Realm and become a legendary terrestrial immortal.

"That's good." Xu Qing nodded slightly, then asked...

"May I ask, senior brother, where is the letter that Master Xun asked you to deliver to me?"

Wuming didn't speak, but took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and handed it to Xu Qing.

"This is the letter that Senior Brother Xun asked me to bring you. If it weren't for some problems at Little Sage Manor that he needed to deal with, he would have come to find you in person," Wuming said with a calm smile.

Xu Qing was somewhat flattered by the sight of the cloth. Xiaoshengxianzhuang advocated frugality, and even Xunzi usually wore coarse cloth clothes. Now, however, Xunzi was writing a letter to him using expensive cloth, which clearly showed that Xunzi valued his theory of balancing etiquette and law.

“I am already flattered that Master Xun wrote to me. How could I dare to ask him to come to Xinzheng to see me? If I have the opportunity in the future, I will visit him at Xiaoshengxianzhuang.”

Xu Qing took the letter and put it in his pocket, saying...

Having finished his task, Wuming turned to look at Chengying in Xu Qing's hand, then pulled out Hanguang from behind him and said...

"If I'm not mistaken, your sword is the long-lost Cheng Ying."

"Senior brother's vision is indeed unique; this sword is indeed Cheng Ying."

Xu Qing smiled as he drew Cheng Ying from its sheath and placed it next to Han Guang. The two invisible swords seemed to have formed a strange connection, and bursts of sword sounds rang out continuously.

"Legend has it that Hanguang and Chengying are twin swords. When Kong Zhou obtained the Chengying sword, he found that the character 'Ying' in the inscription on the sword was slightly loose. He pressed it down hard but there was no reaction. He then pulled it outwards and heard a soft crack. The hilt split into two pieces, and a short section of the hilt was revealed. Thus, Hanguang appeared in the world."

"The two famous swords rang out in unison, seemingly in harmony with each other. Perhaps the legend of the twin swords is not unfounded."

Wuming stared intently at the Chengying Sword in Xu Qing's hand, and spoke softly.

“Senior brother, I’ve heard our teacher mention that you were the previous generation’s Sword Saint, and your swordsmanship is unparalleled. I am not very talented, but I would like to ask you for some guidance.” Xu Qing said to Wuming.

He hadn't forgotten his purpose in coming to see Wuming. Obtaining the letter was secondary; the main thing was to get Wuming to instruct him in swordsmanship. It would be best if he could learn a few moves.

Looking at Xu Qing's serious expression and determined gaze, Wuming knew exactly what the other was thinking and chuckled softly.

"No wonder Master He Guanzi accepted you as his disciple. I am, after all, your senior brother. I will repay the kindness of the master in enlightening and teaching me back then."

Seeing that his purpose had been exposed, Xu Qing was not embarrassed at all. He was He Guanzi's disciple and would naturally inherit all of He Guanzi's estate in the future, which naturally included all kinds of favors.

Having the nameless one guide him was simply a way of using his inheritance ahead of time, so he was naturally at ease with it.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother. I wonder how many sword techniques you plan to teach me? Ideally, they would be good enough for me to fight against opponents beyond my level. My teacher has set a date for this year's Heavenly Pact with me, and I have to fight against Xiaoyaozi."

Xu Qing stopped hiding her intentions and started making demands directly.

Looking at the shameless Xu Qing, Wuming saw a smaller version of He Guanzi, and his calm face showed an even deeper smile.

He once heard his master say through gritted teeth that the reason why He Guanzi was able to become the most popular retainer under King Wuling of Zhao was not because of his learning, but because of his shameless spirit and unparalleled strength.

As for why his teacher was saying this, he didn't know, but he knew that his teacher had also been a retainer of King Wuling of Zhao, and seemed to have been ostracized.

“I have a sword technique that, while not particularly sophisticated, will allow you to fight multiple opponents. It is the most suitable technique for you to learn,” Wuming said.

"One against many? Isn't the Covenant between Heaven and Man supposed to be one-on-one? When did it become a group battle?" Xu Qing asked, puzzled.

"This sword technique is not for you to fight against Xiaoyaozi, but for self-defense. When I passed through Wei, I heard news that Lord Xinling of Wei, Wei Wuji, was assassinated. The one who did it was Hei Bai Xuan Jian, a member of the Luo Wang.

"The Net has a history of targeting the sages of the six kingdoms. Now that you have risen to fame and have no one to protect you, it is inevitable that you will be targeted by them."

Wuming slowly explained to Xu Qing that the contest between Heaven and Man was not about swordsmanship and strength, but about the understanding of Heaven and Man Sects and their own Dao. Swordsmanship was just an extension of that.

If he teaches Xu Qing the sword technique, and Xu Qing uses it to fight against Xiaoyaozi, then the moment the sword technique is used, it will be the moment Tianzong is defeated.

At this moment, Xu Qing stared at Wuming in astonishment, completely oblivious to the rest of Wuming's words. His mind was filled with the news of Lord Xinling's assassination by Hei Bai Xuan Jian. According to the original novel, Lord Xinling should have been killed by Jing Ni. Hei Bai Xuan Jian killed Wei Wuji, so where was Jing Ni? In a daze, Luo Jing, dressed in a yellow and blue dress, appeared in Xu Qing's mind.

"Damn it, could Luo Jing be Jing Ni? Luo Jing, the name of the Luo Net?! I was wondering why Luo Jing looked so familiar at noon today, and her name when she was hiding in the farmhouse was Luo Jing."

Xu Qing was shocked. If Luo Jing really was Jing Ni, then all his previous guesses seemed to make sense. He had wondered how Qin could possibly let him go.

However, Jing Ni's appearance is somewhat different from the original work, so it's possible that she's just pretending.

Seeing Xu Qing's expression, Wuming assumed that the other party was worried about the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) and spoke.

"Now that you hold the position of the deputy head of the medical family, the Qin state will never allow the Luo Wang to openly attack you. Now, demonstrate the swordsmanship you usually practice and let me see."

Upon hearing Wuming's words, Xu Qing snapped out of her daze, suppressed her surprise, and prepared to ask Wuming for guidance.

"it is good."

Xu Qing leaped backward, landing in the back of the garden, brandishing the Cheng Ying sword in his hand, and began to unleash the Gui Xu Eight Swords.

Wuming stood in the pavilion watching Xu Qing practice his swordsmanship, his expression gradually becoming serious. Although Xu Qing's swordsmanship was mediocre, this particular sword technique was unfathomable, even more profound than the sword technique he practiced.

"His swordsmanship is elegant, his aura is refined, and his moves are unpredictable. He wields the sword as if it were not a sword, and he manipulates the illusory to create the real, like the flowing clouds in the void, leaving no trace."

Wuming commented on Xu Qing's Eight Swords of Noble Emptiness, and Xu Qing, who was practicing the sword technique, looked astonished upon hearing this.

"As expected of the previous generation's Sword Saint, his insight is indeed ruthless. He saw the essence of the Eight Swords of Noble Void just from my swordsmanship demonstration. This time, we have indeed found the right person."

After a moment of reflection, Xu Qing continued to use the Eight Swords of Noble Void.

"The swordsmanship is excellent, but unfortunately, the practitioner hasn't had enough time to learn it. Apart from the first two moves, the rest are merely superficial and lack the spirit. The swordsmanship seeks to capture the essence, but the practitioner's mental state is insufficient."

Wuming quickly identified Xu Qing's shortcomings and gradually came up with a solution.

Although he didn't know the origin of Xu Qing's sword technique, he could roughly guess that the realm of seeking truth from emptiness contained in the sword technique was related to the Taoist sage Liezi.

Moreover, this sword technique shares similarities with his "Sitting in Oblivion" mental cultivation method and sword technique. The "Sitting in Oblivion" mental cultivation method is based on the theoretical foundation of the "Sitting in Oblivion" state in "Zhuangzi: The Great Master" and combines it with the Confucian concept of transcending the world as its core, forming a unique martial art.

A moment later, Xu Qing finished practicing the Eight Swords of Noble Void, put away the Cheng Ying Sword, and walked to Wuming.

"Please enlighten me, senior brother," Xu Qing said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"If I am not mistaken, this sword technique is based on the principle of Liezi: the mind unites with the qi, the qi unites with the spirit, and the spirit unites with nothingness. It seeks to reach a state of emptiness and seeking reality. The moves are like flowing clouds in the vast sky, leaving no trace."

"You have thoroughly understood the first two sword techniques, but you have only grasped the form, not the spirit, of the subsequent moves. However, the core of Liezi's teachings lies in the idea that emptiness has no value, and his philosophy is largely based on..."

Listening to the nameless man's instructions, Xu Qing dared not be distracted in the slightest and listened attentively to his guidance.

It's more accurate to say that Wuming was not so much instructing Xu Qing on swordsmanship, but rather passing on the core essence of his own meditation technique to Xu Qing, allowing him to apply it to other situations.

As Xu Qing listened to Wuming's guidance, his eyes gleamed. Under Wuming's guidance, his understanding of the Eight Swords of Noble Void gradually reached a new level.

After explaining his views, the nameless figure disappeared in front of Xu Qing, and reappeared standing in the spot where Xu Qing had previously practiced his swordsmanship.

"I hope my experience will be of some help to you. Next, I will teach you a sword technique so that you can handle many enemies with ease."

Wuming gripped the hilt of the Han Guang sword in his right hand, his wrist slightly tilted. The bright sunlight shone down, and the invisible blade of the sword gradually became visible under the sunlight.

"Actions follow thoughts, qi transforms into nothingness, saving others without killing, sitting in oblivion without self."

Wuming chanted the sword technique, and with a flash of light in his hand, several sword beams slashed out in all directions from Wuming as the center.

Seeing this scene, Xu Qing immediately recognized the sword technique. In the original story, Wuming used this sword technique to defeat Jing Ni. Jing Ni comprehended the Dao through this technique and used it to instantly kill several Luo Wang assassins who were attacking her during childbirth.

Xu Qing repeated the mental cultivation method spoken by Wuming, urging the purple energy in his dantian to guide the flow of internal energy. He then swung Chengying in his hand, sending several sword energies flying in all directions.

In an instant, dust flew up, and wherever the sword energy reached, grass and trees were cut down. A large hole was punched in the top of the pavilion by the sword energy, and the four red pillars were covered with tiny sword marks.

Wuming stood in the dust, looking at Xu Qing with a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected that Xu Qing could perform the sword technique so well after hearing him recite the mental cultivation method once.

"The Taoist Heavenly Sect has produced an extraordinary figure. The Human Sect may suffer another defeat in this year's Heavenly Alliance." Wuming sighed inwardly, his figure gradually disappearing into the dust.

His letter had already been delivered, and his debt of gratitude had been repaid, so there was no point in him staying any longer. Besides, he needed to go to the State of Zhao to do his own thing.

(End of this chapter)