Misty Rain of the Old Times

After working for most of the day, Chen Xuan finished making the cake and checked out. He left the temporary rental house carrying a large wooden box. He gave the remaining cake materials to the landlord as they were of no use.

The wooden box contained the cake he made by himself. The box was not exquisite and had no decorations. It only had pure wood texture and a faint wood fragrance. He made it temporarily. It was as thin as paper, almost transparent, very fragile, and tied with a silk ribbon.

He was walking on the busy street carrying a cake. It was already afternoon. He glanced into the distance and thought that the little princess' birthday party had probably started and would last until the evening. After all, what birthday party would start so early in the morning?

He only said that he would not attend the little princess's birthday party, but he didn't say that he wouldn't go to see it. These are two different things. Besides, if he didn't go, how could the gift be delivered to her?
That day he was wearing a long gown mainly in blue tones with some white embellishments. The fabric was high-quality and the style was simple without any gorgeous decorations. His long black hair was simply tied up at the vest, making him look neat and a little unruly.

When he slowly came to the street outside Princess Fuyao's mansion, the sun was already setting.

The security here is very tight, the streets have been blocked by guards, and no one is allowed to approach. Only those with invitations or visiting cards can enter the mansion.

Outside the princess's mansion were parked many carriages and mounts, some of which were low-key and luxurious, while others were ostentatious and extravagant. The mounts were not just horses, but included ferocious beasts like tigers and leopards, as well as birds like eagles and cranes.

However, no matter whether they are beasts or birds, they are almost all different from ordinary people's cognition. Not only are they larger in size, but their fur color and appearance are also different from their ordinary counterparts. They obviously have the blood of exotic beasts, and their eyes are full of spirituality, but not ferocious. Those kind of manic and harmful creatures simply cannot enter the capital.

'It seems that there are not many simple characters celebrating the little princess' birthday. There are only those rare mount creatures. Among them, there are no fewer than a handful of martial artists whose combat power is comparable to that of the innate realm, and there are also many guards who are already innate cultivators.' Chen Xuan looked at them from afar and was speechless.

He did not find it strange. The little princess was the only daughter of Emperor Shang Xuan who had not yet married and was eighteen years old. At least thirty percent of the powerful families in the capital of Jing Kingdom had sent people to her birthday. Even those who could not come would try to express their gratitude.

Furthermore, the situation in the surrounding countries is not good now, and only Jingguo seems to be relatively peaceful. If you want to get help from Jingguo, then the little princess is an extremely critical breakthrough point. Marriage is undoubtedly the simplest and most efficient way to get help.

It is undoubted that the surrounding countries have sent their princes or talented sons of noble families to come here to seek marriage, but there is only one little princess, and whoever can win her heart depends on his own ability, and open and secret struggles are definitely inevitable.

It's normal to have such thoughts, but whether or not they can be realized is another matter.

In addition, there were many people in Jing State who were eyeing the little princess. Emperor Shang Xuan had a daughter in his old age and doted on her. According to etiquette, princesses had no right to inherit the throne. It was precisely because of this that Emperor Shang Xuan could dote on her unscrupulously and no one could say anything.

But in this way, she occupies more affection in the old emperor's heart, and it is undeniable that she can affect some of the old emperor's moods and decisions. Now Emperor Shang Xuan is old. Whether it is the fight for the throne or the consolidation of the status and influence of the powerful families, the little princess is an extremely critical factor. Even for the top powerful families, it would not be too little to add icing on the cake and take a step further.

Therefore, it is normal to see so many young talents and martial arts masters gathering together this time.

This is a gathering of upper-class dignitaries, or even a contest between countries, so the martial arts sects and the like are not qualified to get close. No matter how great your influence in the martial arts world is or how high your cultivation is, you are not even qualified to get close.

The circles are different, and you can't squeeze in no matter how hard you try, unless you are strong enough to reach the level of a master, where a single word can influence the overall situation. At that time, your identity and background will become secondary, and you will be the one that others need to look up to.

"There are so many people here, half the street is blocked. Fortunately, they obviously arranged to clear the way in advance, otherwise it would have greatly affected people's livelihood. Many people who shamelessly approached didn't even have a chance to enter the door. Why bother to show up after carefully prepared gifts?"

Chen Xuan felt amused. It was probably that those people were thinking that the little princess might not know if they gave her a gift, but if they didn't, there would probably be people who would remember it for her.

Then Chen Xuan thought again, how many gifts will the little princess receive for her birthday? With so many powerful people coming, how could she afford to give out ordinary gifts? She must give them out. She must be a rich woman.

"Oh no, this is not good. Why is my stomach starting to feel uncomfortable again? I always want to eat something soft. No, no, I need to calm down. I am a grandmaster and my teeth are in good condition. If I want to eat something soft, I will be laughed at."

After calming his mind and taking a quick look at the princess's mansion from outside, Chen Xuan had to admit that the little princess was indeed the apple of everyone's eye.

The Princess's Mansion is located in the northern area outside the imperial city, covering an area of ​​hundreds of acres. The pavilions and towers inside are magnificent, and the scenery separated by a wall is simply unimaginable to the outside world.

Others already have a private floating villa, so this princess's mansion is nothing compared to it.

He stood on the street holding a box and looked at the princess's mansion unscrupulously, but no one came to drive him away or warn him. If it were someone else, he would have been arrested and imprisoned as having evil intentions.

It’s not that Chen Xuan has a special identity and some people recognize him and dare not offend him. It’s simply that he himself is not eye-catching, just like an inconspicuous grass or tree, and no one even takes a second look at him.

"Hasn't there been any Grandmaster-level figures here? That's right. For such beings, even the little princess's special status wouldn't matter to them. Her innate ability is enough to make her look down on princes and nobles. A Grandmaster is someone with the right to stand above the powerful and noble. Even the emperor would show him respect."

Chen Xuan smiled and vanished from the spot as he took a step, having already entered the princess's residence without a sound. Even though there were more innate masters here than at Qingquan Temple that day, no one noticed his uninvited arrival. "Does this count as trespassing? Not really. The little princess invited me, though I declined. Besides, she and I have been good friends for many years, so why should I be polite?"

Strolling around the princess's mansion and looking around, Chen Xuan was not at all shy.

Even on the little princess' birthday, there was no extravagance with lights and decorations. Instead, it was no different from any other day, quiet and elegant. The only difference was that there were more maids and eunuchs running around, and the pace was faster.

The green area of ​​the entire princess's mansion reaches more than 60%, and it can clearly be called a manor house built in the forest. Various rare trees are everywhere, many of which even Chen Xuan cannot recognize.

The little princess likes to collect all kinds of leaves, so it is normal for the princess's mansion to plant various trees.

"In such an environment, it would be a very pleasant thing to drink tea under the moon and listen to the sound of the breeze blowing the leaves, right?"

No one noticed the arrival of Chen Xuan, the uninvited guest. Even the maids and eunuchs who passed by him did not pay much attention to him. Although Chen Xuan's current cultivation level could not use his spiritual will to break the void of heaven and earth in the human body and interfere with reality, the master's spiritual will could silently influence the thoughts of others.

But he did not do so, because the Ze Yuan Jue he practiced was good at concealment. Now that he had reached this level, as long as he wanted, he could reduce his presence with his mind. Unless they were at the same level, no one would notice him passing by. As for the Xiantian realm, as long as he did not actively release his emotions, it would still be difficult to detect his presence.

Chen Xuan strolled to the core area of ​​the princess's mansion, where the little princess's birthday party was held and guests were entertained.

The place has been bustling with activity for a long time. Those who should have come have come, and those who should not have come have no right to come. Everyone is well-mannered and well-mannered, and their conversation is elegant. Chen Xuan felt that he was not suitable for such an occasion at first sight, and it made him feel awkward just looking at them.

A quick glance showed that, apart from the maids, eunuchs and servants running around, there were at least one or two hundred people coming to celebrate the little princess' birthday. More than 90% of them were young people, and there were very few older people.

It’s already a lot. After all, the top circle is only so big, and most of the people who come here are just supporting roles.

These guests are easy to identify because they all have separate seats, eat at separate tables, and have delicious food and fine drinks on the tables in front of them.

Everyone has a separate seat, but the difference is that the treatment varies depending on one's personal background. The higher the personal background, the closer they are to the little princess, and the lower the personal background, the further back they sit. Most of the people are seated in the open air.

A circular stage was built on the open space outside the main hall. When Chen Xuan arrived, someone was performing an opera on it. The sound of stringed instruments was so pleasant that some people pretended to be fascinated by it.

Chen Xuan guessed that the little princess' birthday party would only have some drama and acrobatic performances, and forget about singing and dancing, as those were for entertainment. The little princess was a girl, so where would she fit in if he arranged such a program?
Having said that, women of this era, whoever has a little family background, are not good at singing and dancing. They only focus on studying elegant things like playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. If you say that a lady from a noble family is good at singing and dancing, it is simply a great insult.

When he arrived here, Chen Xuan sat leisurely on a tree branch with the cake box placed beside him. No one noticed him, and he even took a pot of fine wine and sipped it with relish.

Looking towards the main hall, Chen Xuan saw the little princess at a glance, and subconsciously ignored the others.

She wore light makeup today. She was already a beauty, but wherever she sat, everything around her seemed to pale in comparison and become a foil.

'She's so beautiful, like a fairy walking out of a painting... I suffer from my lack of education and can't find the right adjective. Anyway, she's beautiful, so beautiful that it even makes me have evil intentions. Calm down, calm down. If this is snatched away, it will be a huge disaster,' Chen Xuan thought to himself as he drank a sip of wine with relish.

Then he smiled in his heart. The little princess appeared in a gorgeous dress today. The red hairpin and jewelry on her head must weigh one or two kilograms. Isn’t she tired?

She had a faint smile on her face, but no matter how Chen Xuan looked at her, it seemed a bit formulaic, especially her eyes, which seemed extremely bored, but she had to pretend.

Thinking of her usual casual and easygoing nature, Chen Xuan thought that this was really difficult for her. It must be very uncomfortable, right?
Then suddenly I felt like laughing. I found it funny to see my good friend suffer.

After all, it was her eighteenth birthday, a joyous and important day. The little princess wore a red long dress today, embellished with gold, silver and jadeite. It was luxurious and dignified, but not bright, but rather generous and gentle.

"Such an expensive dress is usually only worn once, which is a bit wasteful. But if she wears it a second time somewhere else, people might think she has fallen out of favor and can't even afford a dress."

Chen Xuan muttered to himself, and suddenly thought of something. He looked down at his blue gown, then at the little princess's red dress, and thought to himself that he really didn't mean it... (End of this chapter)