Misty Rain of the Old Times

The next morning, Chen Xuan made some preparations and started robbing people... The preliminary preparations for robbing materials, although it was a reasonable and legal robbery, you need some bait to fish, otherwise how can you catch a sucker?

From Chen Xuan's own perspective, his next move was no different from robbery. If he succeeded, others might not see it that way. Whether he made a profit or a loss was a mess, and there was no need to take it seriously.

He was already very experienced in this matter, but he was even more ruthless than before. It couldn't be described as just being heartless; it was more like chopping up one's conscience and throwing it to the dogs.

Hmph, money can be earned, but if you lose your conscience, you can earn even more!
To prepare bait for catching suckers, he even made a special trip out of the city to the deep mountains and forests...

Meanwhile, as Chen Xuan was busy making preparations to catch a sucker, the sun gradually rose. In Yang County, Gao Jingyu, dressed in plain clothes, arrived at Taoyuan Residence, which Chen Xuan had built after moving out of the Gao family.

Standing outside the woods, looking around, a hint of surprise flashed in Gao Jingyu's eyes.

'This arrangement is indeed elegant, a tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle. It will surely be delightful when spring arrives and flowers bloom. But from this residence, one can tell that Chen Xuan is probably a free spirit, indifferent to fame and fortune. Moreover, judging from what I know of him, he is indeed a person without ambition, which is unlike an eighteen-year-old boy. Therefore, it will probably take some effort to recruit him. Those with desires are the easiest to manipulate, but those without desires are the ones who are impossible to win over.'

With these thoughts in mind, Gao Jingyu and her only trusted maid stepped into the path of Peach Blossom Residence.

'Planting so many peach trees and naming it Peach Blossom Spring Residence, implying good fortune in love? Could it be that Young Master Chen is lustful?' Gao Jingyu's trusted maidservant looked around and thought to herself. If that were the case, she might as well make a sacrifice for the sake of the princess's recruitment plan. Young Master Chen is really handsome...

The maid dared not say such frivolous things to Gao Jingyu, otherwise she would deserve to be beaten to death.

"That's the peach tree that Ah Xuan planted when he was little. Has it been transplanted? It's still so small. It must be a special variety," Gao Jingyu said, speechless when she saw Chen Xuan's small peach tree. She knew about it but didn't pay much attention to it; she had seen many exotic flowers and plants.

The maid glanced at it and smiled, "It is indeed quite special. It's still so lush and green in this season; it would be quite nice as an ornamental plant."

"Go and inform them," Gao Jingyu nodded, changing the subject. She had come directly to the door, so given the relationship between Chen Xuan and the Gao family, there was no need to send a formal invitation beforehand. However, since she was a guest, it was still necessary to have a servant inform her in advance. Etiquette must be observed; she was not here to overshadow the host.

However, Gao Jingyu was thinking that if Chen Xuan was truly a carefree and unassuming person, perhaps he could start by pursuing something unusual. No one can truly be without desires; everyone has things they like. As long as he catered to their interests, there was a good chance of winning them over, especially given the connection with the Gao family.

At present, only Su Roujia is in Taoyuan Residence. The little girl is very diligent. She gets up before dawn to work and does the cleaning twice every morning and evening before doing anything else.

Chen Xuan didn't come back last night, and he wasn't there this morning either. The little girl felt a bit empty inside, as if her pillar of support had been removed.

While she was diligently cleaning, she noticed a stranger visiting and immediately became alert. Her little hand instinctively went to the bell at her waist, ready to ring it at the slightest provocation. Her master had carefully taught her how to use it, saying that the sound of the bell should always be placed there. When she was home alone, she never let the bell out of her sight.

She had seen Gao Jingyu, but not the maid who had arrived earlier.

Working in the Prince's mansion, the maids were naturally not simple characters. Noticing Su Roujia's subtle actions, she was speechless. This maid from Young Master Chen's household touched the bell the moment she saw a stranger. Could it be that she was planning to remind Young Master Chen? Such a way of reminding him was quite special, but wouldn't it be more convenient to just call out to him?

"This must be Miss Su. The young lady has come to visit your master and will be arriving shortly. Please inform her," the maid said, bowing slightly to Su Roujia.

Both were servants. Even though she was a maid in the Prince's mansion, she did not consider herself superior and disregard Su Roujia. It should be noted that Su Roujia's master was a master of innate martial arts, someone that even the Princess Consort had to go to great lengths to win over, and someone that the Prince himself treated with utmost respect.

The young lady is visiting my master? The eldest daughter of the Gao family? Didn't we just meet yesterday? What's she doing here?
Startled, Su Roujia thought of the invisible pressure she felt facing Gao Jingyu, and with her husband not present, she immediately became nervous and hurriedly said, "Quickly, please invite him in, I'll go make tea right away."

She was the only maid in the house, and she had to do everything. She was about to turn away when she realized it wasn't appropriate, and said somewhat nervously, "Please let my sister know that my master is not home; he said he went to visit a friend. Please convey this to Miss."

After saying that, she went to open the door to welcome the guests and quickly boiled water to make tea, waiting for the guests to arrive.

She did learn etiquette and manners at the Gao family, but she couldn't manage it all by herself, and Gao Jingyu put too much pressure on her, so she seemed a bit flustered and disorganized.

Upon hearing this, the maid was taken aback. Young Master Chen wasn't here? Didn't he just return yesterday? Could it be that he knew the Princess was coming and was deliberately hiding?

She dared not interfere, and seeing that Su Roujia was busy with her work, she turned around to report to Gao Jingyu.

Upon learning that Chen Xuan was not there, Gao Jingyu remained outwardly unmoved, but inwardly a growing suspicion arose. Was Chen Xuan avoiding her? Had he already realized her thoughts? Was he thus politely declining to avoid an awkward situation for both of them?
'This kind of behavior, so mature for his age, if I could use it…'

She did not turn away. Even though Chen Xuan was not there, she still came to visit and brought gifts. Su Roujia offered tea but dared not accept it, and dared not make a decision. However, she dared not refuse Gao Jingyu's smiling eyes. She could only wait for the master to come back and make a decision.

Once Gao Jingyu confirmed that Chen Xuan was not home, she chatted with Su Roujia for a while, exchanging pleasantries and talking about everyday matters.

Gao Jingyu did almost all the talking, while Su Roujia passively answered. The little girl was no match for Gao Jingyu and couldn't keep up for long. Gao Jingyu extracted a lot of useful and useless information from her.

The young girl hadn't been with Chen Xuan for long, and they hadn't spent much time together. Aside from getting a glimpse of Chen Xuan from the sidelines, Gao Jingyu hadn't gained much of anything useful. After sitting for a while, she took her leave.

After carefully escorting them to the entrance of Peach Blossom Residence, the little maid fled back as if on the verge of tears. Looking at the rising sun, she cried out, "Master, where have you gone? Please come back! Miss is too terrifying. I don't know what I would do if it happened again."

Gao Jingyu remained calm as she left Taoyuan Residence, though she was actually quite displeased. She knew without a doubt that Chen Xuan was avoiding her, and his intention to do so made his attitude all too clear.

'Without the Gao family, where would you be today? Have you grown wings? Fine, I won't bother with you. I originally intended to give you a bright future, but you weren't fortunate enough. Do you think you can mess with a little princess like that? I was thinking of granting your wish if you knew what was good for you, but now you'd better pray for your own good fortune.'

With these thoughts flashing through her mind, Gao Jingyu was already planning to leave and return to the Prince's Mansion. Her purpose in coming to Yang County was to recruit Chen Xuan, and now was a critical time. As long as that day came, Prince Qing would make a big move, so every second counted and she didn't have much time to waste.

It's just innate talent. Even if someone is an innate talent at eighteen, what does it matter if they are exceptionally gifted? Who can predict the future? How long have they been at this level? They are still too young. How high can their strength really be? It's not worth her putting too much effort into it.

Upon returning to the Gao family, she was about to go to Madam Gao to say goodbye when one of her subordinates rushed over and handed her a note. After seeing the note, Gao Jingyu's eyes flashed, and she asked seriously, "Is the news true?"

"Your Majesty, this is a secret message from our people, it cannot be false," the subordinate nodded, somewhat incredulous himself.

Gao Jingyu hesitated for a moment before asking, "What time did Ah Xuan leave my house yesterday?"

"Your Majesty, it is evening, and the sun is about to set," the maid replied earnestly.

Nodding, Gao Jingyu knew, of course. The reason she asked was simply because she was a little surprised. Then she said, "So, he left my house yesterday evening, and our people received news that he had appeared at the Princess's residence that night? It was no more than two hours!"

No one spoke, because even they themselves found it unbelievable. Thousands of miles! What kind of lightness skill would that take?
Gao Jingyu fell into deep thought, her heart filled with doubt and uncertainty. Had Chen Xuan really reached the Innate Realm in the past two years? She knew she couldn't do that kind of speed; it would require top-tier Innate cultivation.

Thinking about this, she suddenly felt that it wasn't impossible to wait and try to win over Chen Xuan again. Could the cultivation of someone who had just entered the Innate Realm be the same as that of someone who had reached the top of the Innate Realm?

She was once a child prodigy herself, but due to her ingrained way of thinking, she still didn't dare to think of Chen Xuan at any level.

Not to mention her, even after witnessing Chen Xuan's methods firsthand, King Jiang only dared to suspect rather than confirm them. He wouldn't dare to provoke Chen Xuan even with just a suspicion. It was only after the old emperor personally verified it that he truly believed it.

After all, that was too incredible. An eighteen-year-old Grandmaster had never appeared in the land surrounding Jing Kingdom for ten thousand years.

Gao Jingyu didn't think about it in that direction, but top-tier innate cultivation was worth the high price to recruit, but she didn't have that much time to waste, so she was quite conflicted.

That's why she's a princess; she's quick-witted. Instead of hesitating, she'd rather make a decision directly. How to make a decision? Of course, by asking others. She might not know Chen Xuan's details, but her younger brother certainly does, after all, they've been together for many years.

So she quickly sent a secret letter to Gao Jingming through her special channels to inquire about the matter. She received a reply from Gao Jingming that afternoon, but it was not a direct answer.

Gao Jingming only said one thing: "Ah Xuan is my brother."

This answer, seemingly saying nothing, made Gao Jingyu understand her brother's meaning. Regardless of Chen Xuan's cultivation level, she had given up the idea of ​​recruiting him, but she still had to give her brother face. She only had one biological brother born of her mother, and she had to take his attitude seriously no matter what.

So Gao Jingyu decided to leave the next day and return to the Prince's residence, and Chen Xuan went with him...

Meanwhile, Chen Xuan, who was in the capital, had no idea how much trouble Xiao Gao had saved him. After working hard for half a day, he began his plan to catch a sucker after nightfall.

Next to one of the best brothels in the capital, he disguised himself, changed clothes, set up a small stall, and put up a sign that read, "Be a real man again, it's good for you and her, Xiaoyao Pills are worth having."

After many years, Chen Xuan returned to his old profession as a drug dealer, still with the same face he used to have when he sold medicine in Mo City. That's what you call a brand; he didn't even change a single word of his advertising slogan.

Xiaoyao Pills have long been renowned and proven by the market over many years; now they are truly in high demand but difficult to find.

Hilarious! This thing is practically free for him. When it comes to making money, nothing beats this. The Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce's 10,000 taels of fire copper is nothing compared to him.

Chen Xuan, who has returned to the public eye, did not create the Xiaoyao Pill in order to make money. He was already greedy enough to charge ten taels of silver per pill back then, and he was too embarrassed to raise the price. So this time, he did not sell it but exchanged it for something he needed. Although it was a disguised price increase, at least on the surface, it was not so ugly, and his conscience would not hurt. It was not a matter of forcing a sale, and those who were willing to take the bait would be taken.

It's about time the wealthy dogs of the capital were ruled by Xiaoyao Wan... (End of Chapter)