Misty Rain of the Old Times

Feeling good after a good meal, Chen Xuan felt listless under the warm autumn sun. His lazy bones were acting up, and he needed to find a place to lie down. So he stretched and said, "I'm going to take a nap. Roujia, you should practice your skills whenever you have time. You've already developed internal strength. I'll teach you a light-body technique another day. Focus on mastering survival skills first; we can talk about fighting skills later."

It's autumn and mushrooms can't be grown, so the little girl spends all her time cleaning, hoping for Chen Xuan's return, and practicing her martial arts. Now, of course, she obediently listens to whatever Chen Xuan says.

Nodding, she said, "Yes, sir. You must be tired from your journey. I boiled some water while I was cooking. Would you like to take a bath, wash up, change your clothes, and then take a nap?"

"Okay," Chen Xuan said with a smile. Having a considerate maid is truly wonderful, as she has arranged all the little things for him in advance.

She immediately replied diligently, "Then I'll go set up the bathroom and prepare a change of clothes for the master."

Chen Xuan didn't go to the bathroom right away. Instead, he strolled to the edge of the woods around the house. There were many fruit trees planted around, especially the two paths leading outside the house, which were lined with peach trees. Otherwise, why would it be called Peach Blossom Spring?

Among the many peach trees, there is a small peach tree that grew from the peach pit that Chen Xuan brought to this world. Under normal circumstances, it would not be conspicuous, at most just a small plant. But now that it is autumn, the surrounding peach trees have all lost their leaves, while it is still lush and green, making it particularly eye-catching.

"Tsk, it's still not even three feet tall. At this growth rate, it will only grow one foot every five years. Why can't it grow any bigger? When will it flower and bear fruit? I'm afraid it will be a lifetime," Chen Xuan said, looking at the little peach tree with a sense of melancholy.

Now it's no longer in the flowerpot, but transplanted to the ground, and it's still the same, with no change, leaving Chen Xuan speechless.

Besides its slow growth, the peach tree is also quite extraordinary. Although the plant is not tall, the main trunk is strong and vigorous. If you look closely, the bark has a faint cloud-like pattern. It has three branches and 108 leaves, no more and no less.

The branches and trunk have a sense of "one begets three begets three begets all things," while the 108 leaves correspond to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

"So, did you mutate after coming into this world with me, or was there something wrong with the peach I ate to begin with? Is it a coincidence or inevitable?"

With his mind racing, Chen Xuan simply gave up thinking. These were things he couldn't understand at the moment. Perhaps he would be able to explore them when he was fortunate enough to reach the Human Immortal realm in the future.

The 108 leaves on a peach tree don't stay there forever; they are replaced every year to maintain the same number.

Over the years, Chen Xuan had collected a lot of fallen leaves and even gave them to the little princess. They were nothing special; they would still rot if left on the ground for a long time. He had even brewed them as tea to drink, but they were completely useless.

Touching the little peach tree, Chen Xuan hummed to himself. Now that he was a Grandmaster, even if he stopped progressing, he could normally live for at least 300 years. With the characteristics of the Ze Yuan Technique, he could live for 200 years without any problem. Let's see who can outlive whom!
"Master, the bathroom is ready," the maid on the second floor announced.

"Coming, coming," Chen Xuan said, turning and leaving.

Just like when she first arrived, the little girl wanted to serve Chen Xuan a bath, shy yet expectant. Chen Xuan flicked her forehead and chased her away. "What are you thinking, you little brat? Go cool off somewhere else. I'm a handsome guy like you. You think you can take advantage of me?"

Then the little maid went to wash the dishes with regret and grievance. She was already very pretty, even Madam Gao praised her, so why didn't the master want her to serve him? What was wrong with her?

After finishing the housework, she immediately went to organize the luggage that Chen Xuan had brought back. It was still temporarily placed in the house, consisting of some bedding, blankets, and a small package. It was so simple that it didn't seem like someone who had traveled a long way, as there wasn't even a change of clothes.

"The quilt is fine, just a bit dirty. Take the coat apart and wash it, and put the quilt out to air it. Oh dear, Master, you went to the capital and brought back so much money!"

The little maid was shocked when she was packing the luggage. It turned out that the master's package was full of money, with more than 300,000 taels of silver notes and several hundred taels of loose gold and silver.

With so much money, she thought it was quite normal for her husband to be so capable, but she wondered if he had gotten it from doing something bad.

While in the capital, Chen Xuan didn't spend much of the 300,000 taels given to him by Prince Jiang. He then demanded 30,000 taels in compensation from Fu Yuan, along with Xiao Gao's money, which he brought back with him. "We're family," he said, "what's yours is mine, why be so particular?"

If he doesn't run off with all the money, Xiao Gao will have a way to vent her frustrations; otherwise, she'll definitely be sad for a while if she leaves him quietly.

She did things with a nervous heart. By the time Chen Xuan came out after bathing and changing his clothes, she had already prepared a soft couch in the pavilion. Having spent some time with Chen Xuan before, she had figured out her master's ways. He would spend most of his days lounging in the pavilion when he wasn't going out.

"Roujia is so thoughtful, I'll buy you some candy later," Chen Xuan said lazily as he walked towards the pavilion. Seeing her hesitate, he suddenly said, "It's just the two of us in the family, so just say what you want to say."

“Sir, there’s a lot of money in your luggage. I’m a little worried about it,” she said, mustering her courage.

Arriving at the pavilion, Chen Xuan sprawled on the soft couch, habitually covering his belly button with a thin blanket. Closing his eyes and drowsily saying, "I thought something serious had happened. Don't worry, Master doesn't bully the weak or rob. It was a gift; just keep it safe."

"Oh, then I won't disturb Master's rest any longer," Su Roujia breathed a sigh of relief and continued to busy herself with other things, such as washing Chen Xuan's clothes as soon as possible. The little girl was very diligent.

She was worried about having too much money, but she would believe any reason Chen Xuan gave, no matter how outrageous it was...

As the sun began to set, Chen Xuan opened his eyes feeling refreshed. He saw the little girl sitting beside him, fanning herself with a fan. There was also burning incense and a pot of tea nearby. No wonder he slept so comfortably.

He stretched and said, "Didn't I tell you to practice your skills?"

"Master, I've already practiced for two hours. I stopped when my muscles and tendons started to feel slightly sore. Would you like something to eat, Master?" the little maid asked cheerfully.

That's right. Not everyone can cultivate like I can. Too much of a good thing can be bad. The little girl took my advice to know when to stop to heart.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and stood up, saying, "It's mealtime again. Don't bother with anything else. Go to the storeroom and get a bottle of Cleansing Pills. Tear off the label, put them in a nice box, and let's go to the Gao family for a free meal." "Yes, sir," the little maid replied and went to get busy.

The Cleansing Spirit Pill was a little gadget that Chen Xuan refined a few years ago. Its main function was to detoxify and beautify the skin. Taking one course of treatment could eliminate impurities in the body, such as mites and acne. Anyway, it was useless to him.

Having fulfilled Madam Gao's request to escort Xiao Gao to the capital, he felt he should at least say hello upon his return. He hadn't brought back any local specialties, so he decided to give the Purifying Spirit Pills as a gift. He had dozens of these little trinkets, but not many of each kind. In the past, when he was refining pills, he would switch to a different kind as he learned, since he didn't rely on any particular product to make money.

"Although I'm not short of money now, I don't have a stable income. And I'm used to spending lavishly; there will come a time when my savings run out. The royalties from my little princess's writing aren't a long-term solution either. There will be many expenses in the future, especially for her food, clothing, and other necessities—she can't be as carefree as I am. Besides, I'll have to raise her in the future… what should I name her…? Hold on, what am I thinking? So, perhaps I should find a way to create another source of income?"

While he was lost in thought, the little maidservant arrived with a sleek wooden box and said, "Master, I have prepared it as you instructed."

“Alright, let’s go, let’s head to the Gao family. Where’s my stick?” Chen Xuan asked, putting aside his thoughts.

"Here it is. I put it aside for the master before," the little maid handed the stick to Chen Xuan. She really couldn't understand why her master liked an ordinary stick. It was just straight, even, and easy to hold.

She had no idea what boys liked. Chen Xuan, holding the stick with obvious delight, led her toward the Gao family.

The streets were bustling with people, and the surrounding teahouses and restaurants were packed, all because of Xiao Gao, the top scholar.

The little girl following behind couldn't help but say, "It's so lively! There were never this many people before. It's suddenly gotten so much more in the last few days. It's a pity we can't grow mushrooms in the fall, otherwise we could definitely make a fortune."

He's a bit of a penny-pincher, more like a hoarder, but unfortunately his abilities are limited; after working hard for several months, he only managed to earn a little over two taels of silver.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "You can grow some mushrooms for your own consumption. Use that time to improve your martial arts. I can teach you any skill later, and making money will be easy. By the way, I think I also opened a restaurant with Erdan. I'll go check it out sometime."

"A restaurant? When did the master open a restaurant? I don't know. Who is Erdan? There used to be a few people named Erdan in our village. I heard that one of them was sold more than ten years ago. I don't know what happened to him now," the little girl said, speechless.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was taken aback. Could it be such a coincidence? Is the world really a circle?

"Let's not dwell on that for now," Chen Xuan chuckled. "It's a long story, so I won't go into details. You'll find out when you come with me. And let me tell you, opening a restaurant these days is sure to make money; it's a sure thing."

As the two chatted and laughed, they arrived near the Gao family's residence. Chen Xuan was speechless. He saw that the street outside the Gao family's gate was full of people, which was not as lively as before.

When they arrived, a line several hundred meters long had formed outside the Gao family's gate, filled with people bringing gifts or holding visiting cards, hoping to pay their respects.

"There are so many people! How long will it take to get there?" the little girl asked anxiously.

With a smile, Chen Xuan walked straight ahead and said, "Just follow me."

Are you kidding me? Does he need to queue to go back to the Gao family's house? It's just like his own home.

"Brother Hou, busy, aren't you?" Chen Xuan greeted Hou Jin, the busy doorman, under the surprised gazes of the people in line.

Tsk, his legs have been fully recovered for a long time, yet he's still doing this kind of work.

Hou Jin was taken aback, then immediately beamed, "Brother Xuan is back! Please come in quickly. Madam has been thinking of you and will be very happy to know you're here!"

He also wanted to ask about the young master Gao Jingming, but the current situation wasn't appropriate, so he could only invite Chen Xuan inside first.

"Alright, you go ahead with your work," Chen Xuan said with a smile, leading the little girl directly into the Gao family's residence in front of everyone.

Someone cautiously asked Hou Jin from behind, "May I ask who that person is, and why he was able to enter directly?"

"I have received your invitation. Please return home," Hou Jin said with a smile, declining the visit without any explanation. His attitude was rather cold, befitting the aloofness of a wealthy family. It wasn't that he was putting on airs and offending people; it was simply that too many people had come recently, and Steward He had instructed him to be aloof, otherwise he would be driven crazy by the inconvenience.

When Chen Xuan arrived at the Gao family, servants naturally notified Madam Gao immediately.

Heading straight to the central courtyard, Chen Xuan greeted acquaintances along the way in familiar surroundings. However, before even reaching the central courtyard, he stopped in his tracks. Instead of seeing Madam Gao, he encountered an unexpected person.

'She shouldn't be here right now, but since Xiao Gao has become the top scholar in the imperial examination, it's not unusual. Besides, she seems to be keeping a low profile.'

With a flicker of thought, Chen Xuan smiled politely and bowed slightly, saying, "Greetings, Miss."

Gao Jingyu, dressed in a gorgeous light purple gown, looked Chen Xuan up and down, then gracefully walked over with a warm smile, saying, "Ah Xuan, we meet again. I didn't expect you to still remember me after all these years."

Chen Xuan secretly curled his lip, thinking to himself that this woman probably had ill intentions... (End of Chapter)