Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Ignoring Zhao Gao's departure, Ying Zheng resumed dealing with state affairs. After thinking for a while, he temporarily abandoned state affairs and took out a blank edict, preparing to grant Xu Qing a legitimate identity.

……

He returned to his own residence.

Upon entering his private space, Zhao Gao immediately changed his expression, becoming extremely gloomy.

"That's... a brilliant tactic!"

He recalled his previous meeting with the king in Zhangtai Palace. The king hadn't said much throughout, but those few words had completely ruined all his previous schemes.

After initially discovering Xu Qing's and Jing Ni's whereabouts, Zhao Gao sent out several groups of people to test Xu Qing.

Xu Qing also gave him a huge surprise.

All the top-ranking soldiers he sent out were defeated.

It was for this reason that he valued Xu Qing even more, and did not hesitate to personally take action and give Xu Qing many benefits, all in order to bring Xu Qing into the Luo Wang and make her a sharp blade in his hands. In addition, Zhao Gao also did not mind giving the Tianzi First-Class Jing Ni, who had once betrayed the Luo Wang, a chance to let her repent and start anew.

As a result, the problem arose because I gave Xu Qing a few extra days to consider things and was too friendly.

During this process, the other party secretly established a relationship with the king.

Although it is unknown what the other party and the king said.

However, Zhao Gao still had to obey the king's orders.

Therefore, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and temporarily forget Xu Qing and the traitor Jing Ni.

Meanwhile, he also began to speculate about how Xu Qing had gotten involved with the king.

"Is Gai Nie related to you?"

Xu Qing and Gai Nie had a brief conversation that day after the battle on the long street, which he was aware of.

That seems to be the key to the changing situation.

Chapter 273 The Power of Royal Authority

"Sir, this is what the King asked me to deliver to you!"

Inside the inn, a member of the Shadow Guard approached Xu Qing and handed him some items.

The items were proof of Xu Qing and his companions' identities in the Qin state.

In this era, we do have things like ID cards.

The checks aren't very strict, but in certain situations, they can be very useful.

In addition, there was a token.

This signifies Xu Qing's identity as a "court swordsmith".

Although it was unclear why Xu Qing was so obsessed with sword forging, Ying Zheng eventually gave him an identity. This was not an official position, but more like a "retainer," serving Ying Zheng personally. Although it was not a normal official position, once the token was displayed, out of respect for Ying Zheng, Xu Qing could basically travel freely in Qin.

In fact, at the very beginning, Ying Zheng planned to give Xu Qing the title of "court swordsmanship instructor," just like Gai Nie, a sinecure.

However, Xu Qing was not interested in the identity of a swordsmanship teacher, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Thank you for your help!"

Xu Qing said something to the Shadow Guard members, took the items, and then let them leave.

After putting away his token, Xu Qing handed the identification tokens to Jing Ni, Xiao Hei, and Xiao Bai.

It's funny, Jingni was once a top-ranking member of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), and Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai were Shao Siming (Lesser Master of Fate) of the Yin Yang School. But in the Qin Kingdom, they weren't even considered legal citizens and didn't have any official identification.

But upon closer reflection, it's not surprising.

The assassins of the Luo Wang organization are all hidden in the shadows; they are consumables.

When carrying out missions, they may have many identities to disguise themselves, but they do not have an identity of their own.

Because possessing that signifies that they are independent individuals.

This is unacceptable to the Luo Wang. What the Luo Wang needs is a sharp weapon. Once you join the Luo Wang, you must give up everything from the past. From now on, you will only have one name, which is the name of the sword. Their only symbol of identity is that sword.

The same principle applies to Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai.

Although the rules of the Yin-Yang School are not as strict as those of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), they are not much better.

The five elders, the left and right protectors, and their disciples are all disciples of the sect leader, Donghuang Taiyi, who are attendants of the gods. Because of the Yin-Yang School's tendency to pretend to be supernatural, they usually maintain a "detached" attitude in the Qin Kingdom. Of course, they would not take the initiative to integrate into the common people or create any identity documents or the like.

Perhaps for this reason, there are many cases of people taking lives lightly within the Yin-Yang School.

Anyway, those who died were all people without status.

As she took the things Xu Qing handed her, and recalling some of the things Xu Qing had said to her when he returned, Jing Ni couldn't help but feel a strange sense of emotion.

"So... this is the power of royalty."

Jingni's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

She recalled the cruelty she had witnessed in the net, the ruthless killing of her companions for the slightest mistake, and all the struggles she had made to survive.

She once thought that the Net was the most terrifying existence in the world, a black hand that manipulated life and death. But only now did she realize that in front of a true emperor, the so-called Jianghu forces and secret organizations were nothing more than pawns that could be manipulated at will.

Ying Zheng's words could render the rules of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) meaningless, and could also give her, a defector, a new life. This power to turn the world upside down was far more terrifying and awe-inspiring than she had imagined.

"So you'd better treat me better from now on." Xu Qing heard Jing Ni's sigh and couldn't help but tease her as he looked at her.

Jingni wasn't angry at Xu Qing's teasing; she simply said to Xu Qing in a deep voice, "Thank you!"

On the other side, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai looked at the objects in their hands. Although they did not exclaim like Jing Ni, they also had unusual feelings.

……

Before the power of the monarchy, many problems were resolved.

Xu Qing's life in Xianyang changed from bustling to peaceful.

On the other hand, it is difficult for some people to accept.

Zhao Gao was furious, but because of Ying Zheng, he chose to restrain himself. He acted as if he had never known Xu Qing, and as if the Jing Ni sword had never existed in the net, he ignored Xu Qing and Jing Ni.

At least for now, Zhao Gao cannot disobey Ying Zheng's orders.

Although he was the head of the Imperial Carriage Office, his position was not irreplaceable.

Compared to a handy weapon and the retrieval of the Jingni Sword, Ying Zheng's order was of course more important.

However, this matter is naturally not so easily resolved.

Zhao Gao was like a venomous snake.

He chose to lie low until he saw an opportunity. If one day he saw the opponent's flaws and weaknesses, he would not hesitate to take advantage of them.

This bite of snake venom is directed at both those below and those above.

Unlike Zhao Gao, who ignored Xu Qing, Donghuang Taiyi, within the Yin-Yang School at Mount Li, had a completely different experience.

After the Moon Goddess discovered the whereabouts of Xu Qing and Shao Siming, she immediately informed Donghuang Taiyi.

But Donghuang Taiyi made no move whatsoever.

It wasn't that he, like Zhao Gao, ignored Xu Qing, but rather that he wasn't confident enough at the moment.

The Moon Goddess was unaware that before this, Donghuang Taiyi and Xu Qing had already fought over the Six-Fingered Black Knight.

In that battle, Donghuang Taiyi was defeated and fled.

Of course, in Donghuang Taiyi's view, Xu Qing was despicable and shameless, having someone launch a sneak attack from behind.

But a defeat is a defeat, that's a fact.

Donghuang Taiyi wasn't as concerned about Shao Siming as one might imagine; what he cared about was Xu Qing.

These days, the question he's been pondering is how to defeat Xu Qing.

He even harbored some delusions, namely, to bring Xu Qing into the Yin-Yang School and refine him into his... "servant"!

Only in this way can the hatred in his heart be eliminated.

In terms of hatred, Donghuang Taiyi's hatred for Xu Qing was no less than that for Zhao Gao, and perhaps even greater.

Zhao Gao was only thwarted by Xu Qing's sabotage of some of his plans, plans that had not yet been truly implemented.

Unlike Donghuang Taiyi, whose plans had been underway for some time, his schemes were repeatedly thwarted because of Xu Qing.

Yan Dan was killed by Xu Qing.

He painstakingly refined Yan Dan into a corpse demon and used Yan Dan to plot against the Mohist school.

As a result, the Six-Fingered Black Knight, who should have died, did not die.

The latest news has come back that a major upheaval has occurred in the Yan Kingdom: Crown Prince Yan Dan has been murdered in his residence.

Sometimes, once you have even a few clues, the truth isn't hard to guess.

Donghuang Taiyi already knew in his heart who was responsible for those things.

"You have ruined my grand plan; you deserve to die a hundred times over!"

This was an idea Donghuang Taiyi had earlier.

However, just before that, he received a secret letter and learned some things, so he had to change his mind.

The secret letter stated that Xu Qing had met with the King of Qin, and it was unclear what they discussed. In short, Xu Qing was now the King of Qin's man.

This result isn't so hard to believe.

After all, Xu Qing's strength is undeniable, and Donghuang Taiyi acknowledges him. It's not surprising that such a master would be valued by the King of Qin.

What surprised him most was that there had never been such a master among the various schools of thought before; it was as if the other party had appeared out of thin air.

However surprising it may be, Xu Qing has now appeared in the world's eyes; he is there, impossible to ignore.

Yin and Yang are opposites, yet they can transform into each other.

“Enemies and friends are not necessarily permanent.”

Within the incredibly mysterious palace, Donghuang Taiyi's voice resonated high above.

Yan Dan is completely dead. This time is different from last time. Last time, his soul had not yet dissipated and there was still a chance to transform into a corpse demon. This time, Yan Dan's soul has been completely scattered and even his bones have been crushed to ashes.

Donghuang Taiyi had no choice but to completely abandon his plans in the Yan Kingdom.