Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

There aren't that many coincidences in this world, especially since the person who gave the sword to the Confucian scholar was named "Master Qing," and coincidentally, Han Fei's friend also had the character "Qing" in his name!

Xu Qing naturally noticed his gaze. He looked at Zhang Liang, a faint smile playing on his lips: "This one seems quite interested in me?"

Fu Nian also noticed Zhang Liang's actions, his expression darkened slightly, and he reprimanded in a low voice, "Zifang, do not be rude!"

When Zhang Liang was exposed on the spot, a look of shame immediately appeared on his face. He quickly lowered his head and was about to apologize when Xu Qing interrupted him.

“Mr. Fu Nian, there’s no need to be so serious.” Xu Qing waved his hand and said with a smile, “I’m new here, so it’s only natural that he’s curious about me. This person who came with Mr. Yan Lu must be your new junior brother, right?”

Seeing that Xu Qing wasn't angry, Fu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained, "Yes, Zifang is Father's newly accepted disciple, and also my junior brother."

"I see." Xu Qing nodded, his gaze falling on Zhang Liang with a hint of admiration in his eyes. "To be accepted as a personal disciple by the Confucian sect leader, Master Zifang must be no ordinary person. Such a talent is indeed worthy of that weapon that can destroy mortals and transcend saints."

“Mr. Qing…” Fu Nian’s expression changed slightly when he heard the words “annihilation of mortals and transcendence of saints”. He was about to explain the matter of the sword when Xu Qing raised his hand to stop him.

“You don’t need to explain. I have no requirements for the sword master.” Xu Qing looked at Zhang Liang and said sincerely, “Moreover, I can see that my friend Zifang has great ambitions and upright character. It is not an insult to this sword for the sword to fall into his hands.”

He paused, then looked at Fu Nian, his tone somewhat pleading: "However, I would like to have a private chat with young friend Zifang. Would you mind leaving for a moment, Mr. Fu Nian?"

Although Fu Nian was curious about what Xu Qing wanted to talk to Zhang Liang about, he also knew that since Xu Qing had spoken up, he must have his reasons.

He nodded and instructed Zhang Liang, "Zifang, have a good talk with Master Qing, and don't be impolite."

"Yes, senior brother," Zhang Liang replied quickly.

Fu Nian cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Xu Qing before turning and leaving the reception room.

Once only Xu Qing and Zhang Liang remained in the reception room, Zhang Liang could no longer suppress his doubts. He looked up at Xu Qing, his voice tinged with both nervousness and anticipation: "May I ask, sir, is your real name Xu Qing?"

When Xu Qing heard his name spoken by Zhang Liang, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He then smiled and nodded, his tone tinged with admiration: "You're quite clever; you actually managed to guess it."

Today marks his first formal meeting with Zhang Liang.

Chapter 225 The Tangible Sword and the Invisible Sword

"I never expected to meet Mr. Qing here."

Zhang Liang's words were tinged with a sense of melancholy.

Back when the Quicksand organization still existed, it received a lot of help from Xu Qing. Wei Zhuang and Zi Nu were both given swords by Xu Qing, and Nong Yu also received Xu Qing's favor.

What truly made Zhang Liang remember Xu Qing was something he learned later.

The death of Bai Yifei!

Ji Wuye's death pushed the Quicksand organization to its worst point. Faced with Bai Yifei's relentless pressure, Wei Zhuang decided to take a risk: assassinating Bai Yifei.

This was done behind Han Fei's back at the time.

But after it was done, Wei Zhuang did not hide it from them.

Before Zi Nu left, the people of the Quicksand had a meeting.

That meeting answered many of Zhang Liang and Han Fei's questions.

Unfortunately, that was the last glorious moment for the quicksand.

Since then, Wei Zhuang has hidden himself in the shadows, and Zi Nu has stayed away from the state of Han.

He then began to assist his father and grandfather, hoping to change South Korea politically. Unfortunately, South Korea's deep-seated problems were too difficult to change, and it could not be saved in the end.

In the process, they even lost another friend.

Han Fei died in a foreign land.

Putting aside his thoughts of reminiscing about the deceased, Zhang Liang turned his attention back to Xu Qing.

He had long heard of this person's name, but had never seen his face.

Unexpectedly, it was a middle-aged man, and he was actually in the State of Qi.

“I never expected that after the fall of the State of Han, you would come here and become a follower of Confucianism,” Xu Qing said, revealing that he knew Zhang Liang.

"Did Wei Zhuang bring you here?"

Zhang Liang was taken aback again, and then he thought of the relationship between Xu Qing and Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang knew Xu Qing even earlier than Han Fei did. These two were extremely key figures in Bai Yifei's death. According to the truth he learned afterward, the one who truly killed Bai Yifei was not Wei Zhuang, but the person in front of him.

Therefore, it's not surprising that the other side knew some of Wei Zhuang's movements.

"Brother Wei Zhuang did indeed protect me for a while."

Xu Qing nodded slightly without saying anything.

Then they continued talking about swords.

"The Sword of Annihilation and Transcendence was left here when I last visited the Confucian school. At that time, I had not found a suitable master for it, so I left it as an opportunity for future generations. I never expected it to fall into your hands."

"However, as I said before, it is not an insult to this sword if it is you!"

"Although we are only meeting for the first time today, I know you very well and trust you a lot."

Xu Qing spoke gently and said quite a bit.

Zhang Liang was deeply moved after hearing these words.

"Don't worry, Mr. Qing, I will definitely not disgrace that sword!"

"That's good!" Xu Qing showed a satisfied expression.

"Oh, right..." Xu Qing remembered something else and said to Zhang Liang, "Now that you've joined the Confucian school, you should just stay here and live your life honestly."

"There are some controversies that are best left uninvolved in."

"National and personal grievances are certainly hard to forget, but when thinking about these things, we must also think about those who have been kind to us, and consider whether our actions might implicate them..."

Zhang Liang heard this and seemed to understand but not quite.

Xu Qing didn't offer much explanation.

Zhang Liang in the original work was indeed remarkable, possessing unparalleled strategic skills and being proficient in both literature and martial arts.

But it's actually a scam.

Confucianism is an even purer centrist than Mohism. After Yan Dan came to power, Mohism completely sided with the anti-Qin camp, while Confucianism was different. It never publicly advocated anti-Qin sentiment. Even if it disagreed with some of Qin's practices in private, it outwardly obeyed the rule. This was the Confucian way of life.

As a result, Zhang Liang, the third leader of the Confucian Xiaoshengxianzhuang, took the initiative to participate in the anti-Qin alliance and became entangled with Yan Dan and others.

This may seem like his personal behavior, but in reality, he is the third-in-command of the Confucian school.

This will undoubtedly drag Confucianism into a fire pit.

Although the original work was discontinued, various signs indicate that the Qin state had begun to suspect the Confucianism because of Zhang Liang's actions.

If Confucianism makes a wrong move in its subsequent actions, it will face utter destruction.

Not to mention, Zhang Liang also secretly harbored wanted criminals such as Tianming and Xiang Shaoyu, hiding them in Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

The two chatted for quite a while in the living room.

Xu Qing did not tell Zhang Liang that his current appearance was not his true form.

He told Zhang Liang a lot about his "annihilation of mortals and transcendence of saints" abilities and told Zhang Liang how to communicate with the sword.

As for further strengthening this sword?

Then there's no need for that.

Although this sword is only a third-tier sword, Xu Qing's sword-making skills had almost reached the peak of the third tier when he forged it. Now, unless he spends a great deal of money to reforge this sword into a fourth-tier sword, he will have to overcome any obstacle.

Otherwise, there would be no need for strengthening at all.

This sword is different from the "Spring Birth Sword".

The Spring Sword was one of his early works, so it naturally needed some repairs.

After chatting for a while, the two walked out of the reception room together.

Surprisingly, they did not find Fu Nian outside.

Fu Nian was not waiting outside.

This puzzled Zhang Liang.

Fortunately, Xiaoshengxianzhuang was only so big, and soon they found where Fu Nian was.

But that place was somewhat unexpected.

It is—a kendo dojo!

Confucianism emphasizes the Six Arts of a Gentleman. In addition to studying, these Confucian scholars also practiced martial arts. Even if they did not become top masters, they were at least not weak and helpless.

Xu Qing was no stranger to the kendo dojo; he had sparred with Fu Nian here when he last visited the Confucian Academy.

When Xu Qing and Zhang Liang arrived, they saw Fu Nian standing inside the kendo hall.

In front of him, in the place where Confucian scholars usually fought swords, were two other figures.

Jing Ni and Yan Lu.

These two people, who had a deep entanglement, unexpectedly ended up talking about this place after some conversation.

"Senior brother?"

Zhang Liang moved closer to Fu Nian and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It was Zilu who challenged this young lady..." Fu Nian explained to Zhang Liang, then looked at Xu Qing beside him.

After Fu Nian's explanation, Xu Qing and Zhang Liang finally understood what was going on.

While Xu Qing and Zhang Liang were chatting in the reception room, Yan Lu and Jing Ni were also having a conversation. What they talked about is unknown, but afterwards, Yan Lu took the initiative to challenge Jing Ni to a sword duel.

Fu Nian, having nothing to do, wandered around and happened to run into them.

Thus, he became a witness to this sword duel.

Before the sword duel even began, Xu Qing and Zhang Liang finished their conversation and arrived at this spot.

……

The central area of ​​the kendo dojo.

Yan Lu and Jing Ni stood facing each other.

The person before me hasn't changed much in appearance compared to years ago, but I myself have grown up over the years. However, in the process of growing up, my thoughts have also undergone many changes.