Misty Rain of the Old Times

The Carefree Pill was Chen Xuan's first foray into alchemy. It was simple to make and used common materials, so for him it was practically free. What he now considers simple was actually the result of countless days and efforts he spent mastering the process. Even now, he wouldn't dare say the success rate was 100%, and a success rate of 60-70% is hard to improve.

But this thing has a large production volume. After working for most of the day, he produced more than 5,000 pieces, which is more than the number that was initially released to the market in Mo City!

If all of these were sold at the current inflated price of Xiaoyao Pills, it would be a staggering and terrifying figure that would leave anyone speechless.

As the saying goes, scarcity drives up value. The Xiaoyao Pills that Chen Xuan sold for ten taels of silver each have been consumed after market testing and fermentation. The few remaining treasures have been inflated to over ten thousand taels of silver, and even then, there is no market for them.

A mere aphrodisiac... health supplements, the cost of one pill is almost zero, but now they are priced at a terrifyingly high price of at least ten thousand taels of silver. One can imagine how crazy and obsessed men are with that aspect of life.

Of course, this is not something that ordinary people can covet. For some wealthy and powerful families, money becomes just a number once it reaches a certain level. After enjoying many things, some of these people will revert to their instincts and try to regain their confidence through physical means. That's how the market came about.

Not everyone has an iron kidney. Even some highly skilled people can't guarantee their strength in that area. Most of them are just being stubborn and saving face. After all, privacy is usually impossible to verify, so who knows if it's true or not?

In the afterglow of dusk, in an ordinary street spot, with tables, chairs, a signboard, and a wooden box containing the "Xiaoyao Pill," Chen Xuan set up his stall and that was it—he was open for business. He lazily leaned back in his chair, put his legs on the table, and swayed back and forth, just waiting for a sucker to come to him.

He had observed this place before. It wasn't in front of or behind anyone's house; it was a public area that wouldn't obstruct pedestrians. Moreover, it was a busy area with high foot traffic, making it a good spot for setting up a stall. There were other small vendors doing small businesses around as well, so whoever took it could have it.

The moment is just like that moment, but Xiaoyao Pill has already made a name for itself and earned a good reputation. Now, Chen Xuan doesn't need to go crazy and create any gimmicks to attract people. The main thing is to let those who are willing take the bait.

Nowadays, it's not that he's begging others to buy it, but rather whether those who need Xiaoyao Pills have the right opportunity and luck. The focus of supply and demand has been reversed.

It was still early, so he wasn't in a hurry. Not far away was one of the best brothels in the capital. Those seeking pleasure would only act after dark. With the quality of Xiaoyao Pills, he wasn't worried about finding someone to take the bait.

Robbing money isn't this fast. If it's legal and legitimate, people will willingly and generously give you something, and they'll even thank you.

Of course, Chen Xuan wasn't doing this for money. With his abilities, there were plenty of ways to make money, so why bother? If those three materials weren't so difficult to obtain, he wouldn't have been interested in returning to his old ways.

Years later, the "Xiaoyao Pill" has long been forgotten by the general public. After all, ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet, so who has time to care about such things? And those in the middle and upper classes who need it can't buy the real thing even with money. Occasionally, swindlers will cause some trouble, but it won't make a big fuss. Such private matters are inherently difficult to talk about, so even if there are swindlers, they won't make a big fuss. They'll cheat whoever they can, targeting the wealthy. If they succeed once and dare to do it again, it will most likely result in someone's death.

To be honest, although the Xiaoyao Pill has long been out of popular use, Chen Xuan's stall is still quite attractive, mainly because his advertising slogan is so indecent. In this era where propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame are paramount, he can come up with such an advertising slogan. His shamelessness is as thick as a city wall.

"This person looks respectable, but I never expected him to be so shameless. How could he have the nerve to say those things so openly?"

"Exactly, exactly! Aren't you ashamed? I'd be too embarrassed to show my face in public..."

Passersby saw his signboard and began to discuss it, with many expressing their disgust. Chen Xuan didn't care at all. "You're disgusted by his face, by his drug peddler. What does that have to do with me?"
They may despise me now, but who knows when they'll need my help later.

Although his stall was attractive enough, people looked down on it and laughed at it, and no one even went up to ask him anything.

Could it be that the time hasn't come yet? Or perhaps Xiaoyao Wan has been out of touch with the masses for too long and has already been forgotten?
Chen Xuan wasn't worried about this at all. Really, his target customers weren't ordinary people or those who went out during the day. Many people would only tear off their daytime disguise if there was a layer of cover at night.

As darkness fell, fewer and fewer pedestrians appeared on the street, and most of the surrounding stalls and vendors closed up shop. However, as night descended, the street gained an even more lively atmosphere. It was a bustling street, and after dark, restaurants, teahouses, and brothels would be open for business.

While Chen Xuan leisurely waited for a sucker to take the bait, an old man selling calligraphy and paintings a few feet away had already packed up his stall. As he pushed his small cart past Chen Xuan, he glanced at the sign, hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and reminded him, "Sir, while no one is paying attention to you, I advise you to pack up and leave. Don't do this again."

"Why do you say that, sir?" Chen Xuan was speechless.

The other person shook his head and said earnestly, "I've heard of the Xiaoyao Pill. Countless high-ranking officials and nobles couldn't even get one, it's long gone. Now the market is full of fakes. Many rich and powerful people want to try their luck, but they almost never succeed in swindling anyone. After one or two times, they become resentful, and since they can't find anyone to cheat them, they vent their anger on those who swindle people using the Xiaoyao Pill. So you'd better leave quickly to avoid suffering unnecessary trouble. That's all I have to say, don't blame me for being nosy."

After saying this, the old man left without looking back. Almost all the calligraphy and paintings he sold were fakes, some even copies of Xiao Gao's works. He probably only reminded Chen Xuan out of kindness because they were "fellow swindlers." Watching his departing figure, Chen Xuan understood what he meant—he assumed Chen Xuan was a con artist.

"Wait a minute, I'm the original!" Chen Xuan realized and was speechless.

There are too many swindlers and not enough fools in this world. As a result, over the years, those bastards have ruined the reputation of Xiaoyao Pills. I bet even dogs would shake their heads if you mentioned Xiaoyao Pills on the street. No wonder no one has come to inquire about it after sitting here for so long.

It's clearly an authentic copy, but people treat it as a pirated product used to swindle people. Who can you complain to?
Chen Xuan didn't care about this. An authentic product is an authentic product. True gold fears no fire. If others don't recognize its value, it's because they're not lucky enough.

As for suffering an undeserved misfortune, with someone venting their anger at being cheated on him, well, we'll have to see if his fists will allow it.

"That's him! That damned swindler is openly selling 'Xiaoyao Pills' to cheat people! Arrest him and interrogate him properly! He's harmed so many people, he deserves to be severely punished!"

As Chen Xuan was idly passing the night, several people suddenly surrounded him. Among them were several constables, and the leader, a man in his twenties wearing a silk robe, pointed at Chen Xuan's stall with a furious expression.

Chen Xuan was incredibly frustrated. He had waited so long for a sucker, but instead, trouble had come his way. Who were these bastards who ruined the reputation of his Xiaoyao Pill, making it like a rat in the street, hated by everyone?

The commotion attracted a large crowd of onlookers who didn't believe in any of the supposed magic pills; they were just looking for a spectacle.

"This young master has accused you of openly swindling people in the street. We'll have to come with us," one of the constables said menacingly.

Chen Xuan looked up and smiled leisurely, "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Which eye of yours saw me cheat? Who did I cheat? How much did I cheat?"

Before the constables could speak, the man who exposed Chen Xuan, clearly a young master of some status, immediately sneered, "The Xiaoyao Pill is priceless and unavailable; you can't buy it even with money. How could someone be selling it on the street? And you, you're not even professional at swindling. You didn't even bother to change a single word on the shop's signboard. And you still say you're not a swindler? What are you waiting for? Arrest him right now!"

This person has definitely been deceived, otherwise where would they get such a big anger?

The constables stepped forward again to arrest the person. They had no choice but to follow the rules. The person who exposed them had some influence, and they couldn't afford to offend him. Moreover, there had been too many people swindling people using the "Xiaoyao Pill" over the years. They had no choice but to do their job as usual.

Waving his hand, Chen Xuan looked at the young master and smiled as the constable frowned slightly. "First of all, I have no grudge against you. You've come here to annoy me, but considering you probably have some public spirit and hate swindlers, I'll let it go. Secondly, my Xiaoyao Pills are genuine and of the highest quality, so how can you call it fraud? Finally, Xiaoyao Pills are made by me. I used this brand back then, and it's already well-known. Why should I change it? So go cool off somewhere else and don't bother me while I'm fishing for suckers—I mean, doing business."

"Haha, are all liars this brazen now? To paraphrase a line from Lingyun Chronicles, this is called having a strong mentality. But no matter how eloquent you are, you still let it slip. You can save your excuses for the people interrogating you. Hmph, if your Xiaoyao Pill is real, I'll eat ten pounds of excrement in the street. What are you waiting for? Take him away!" the young master mocked with a cold laugh.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan gasped, gave a thumbs-up, and said with admiration, "You're something else! Trying to freeload, huh? You'll probably stuff yourself to death!"

"Enough with the nonsense, just come with us obediently, or we'll force you to take action," the constable said in a deep voice. This street was frequented by wealthy and powerful people at night, and if they continued to cause trouble, someone might think they were incompetent and they'd be in trouble.

With a smirk, Chen Xuan said, "I am a law-abiding citizen, and I am doing something reasonable and legal. The government needs evidence to arrest people, and I understand that you are doing your duty. I am good-natured, but that doesn't mean I have no temper. I won't be happy if you frame me and ruin my reputation. Please leave before I get angry, so that we don't make things unpleasant for everyone."

After saying that, Chen Xuan ignored them and didn't bother to say anything more.

"Are scammers this brazen now? What are you all doing? Hurry up and arrest them!" the young master said, amused and exasperated.

Several constables stepped forward to forcibly arrest him, but Chen Xuan wasn't going to tolerate them. He waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind sent them sprawling. He frowned and said unhappily, "I advise you to stop now. If you keep making trouble, I really won't be polite!"

The young master's unreasonable behavior was probably due to being deceived before, and he also had a strong sense of righteous indignation, so there was some reason for it. As for the constables, it was their duty as government officials, and Chen Xuan was relatively restrained; otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just overturning and driving them away... (End of this chapter)