Misty Rain of the Old Times

The crowd parted, and a handsome young man emerged, dressed in a dark blue robe, holding a white jade folding fan, followed by a male and a female attendant.

Of his two attendants, the man was a master of innate cultivation, whose skill was no less than that of Fu Heng, who had borrowed swords from Qingquan Temple. The woman, on the other hand, was at the acquired level, but she was carrying a bluish metal box.

The metal box exuded an extremely cold aura, its surface covered with frost, and even getting within a few feet of it made one shiver.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Wang Le raised an eyebrow and immediately cupped his hands in greeting, saying with a smile, "So it's Brother Wu Liu. You've arrived so quickly?"

"Haha, Xiao Le, it's you! Did I disturb you?" The newcomer chuckled and took two steps forward, patting Wang Le's shoulder affectionately.

With his smile unchanged, Wang Le turned slightly to the side and said, "What do you think, Brother Wu? There should be a proper order to things, right? I'm in the middle of a transaction, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to say 'wait a minute'?"

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't know it was you, Xiao Le, outside the crowd. Xiaoyao Pills are rare, so act fast or you'll miss out. I'm worried that someone else will take them all. You don't mind, do you?" the young man said with a smile, as if he hadn't noticed Wang Le's subtle rejection.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Wang Le's eyes, but he said calmly, "Sixth Brother Wu, do you think I mind or not?"

Anyone with a modicum of sense could see that although they appeared to be on good terms, they were actually at odds. They were probably just putting on a show because of each other's status.

“Then I’ll take it as Xiao Le not minding,” the young man smiled at Wang Le with a “you’re really something” look on his face, then turned to Chen Xuan and cupped his hands, saying, “Excuse me, sir. I am Wu Jinxun of the Wu family. I learned that you have once again come out of seclusion to bring out the Xiaoyao Pill to benefit the public, so I came here specifically to make a deal. I already know the terms beforehand, it’s an exchange only, not a sale, right? I’ve brought the fire copper, a full twenty-six catties and seven taels, which is certainly what you need. My family and the Wang family are old friends. Xiao Le was just joking with me earlier, he doesn’t mind cutting in line, so please make the deal with me first, sir. I know this is a bit inappropriate, please forgive me if I have offended you.”

Wang Le's heart sank. He thought to himself, "When did I ever say I didn't mind you cutting in line?" But everyone here is a person of status, so naturally they wouldn't start tearing each other apart like those street urchins did the other day.

'Old Wu, do you have any shame? The Wu family are all the same, bringing nearly twenty-seven catties of fire copper. How many people in your family are incapable?' Wang Le muttered to himself, feeling quite anxious. Nobody knew how many Xiaoyao Pills Chen Xuan had brought out this time. If others exchanged some, there would be less left. What if there were none left?

Although Wang Le arrived first, Wu Laoliu shamelessly cut in line. What if he gets there first?

He wouldn't be so rude as to argue with Wu Jinxun, but he looked at Chen Xuan, hoping that he wouldn't be so greedy as to abandon even the basic principles of doing business.

Despite being interrupted, Chen Xuan continued reaching for the goods. A thought struck him: Wu Jinxun from the Wu family? It must be the prestigious Wu family, not Wu Junyao's Wu family. Otherwise, how could they dare to cut in line with Wang Le?

Wu Jinxun is quite skilled with words, but more importantly, he can let go of the airs of aristocratic families and is unconventional.

It's said that the Wu family has targeted Xiao Gao more than once, but naturally, they wouldn't leave any evidence openly. Chen Xuan was secretly pleased and slightly raised his head, saying, "So it's Young Master Wu. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. Please wait a moment. I've already reached an agreement with Third Young Master Wang. We'll discuss things with you after we complete the transaction."

Upon hearing this, Wang Le breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Wu Jinxun, and seemed to be saying with disdain, "Does everyone disregard the rules like you?"

Wu Jinxun's expression remained unchanged as he chuckled and said, "Of course, of course. I was being presumptuous. Please go ahead, I'm not in a hurry."

Actually, he was quite annoyed. Chen Xuan was being incredibly disrespectful, but he couldn't show it in front of everyone. When he saw Chen Xuan open the wooden box, he immediately decided to let it go. What was wrong with letting Wang Le trade first? There were plenty of Xiaoyao Pills in the box Chen Xuan had opened, and Wang Le couldn't exchange them all. It would be his turn next. It didn't matter if it took a little more time.

As Chen Xuan opened the small box containing the Xiaoyao Pill, a buzzing noise erupted around them, and many people's eyes turned red, because the box was almost half full!

That's the Xiaoyao Pill, something countless people dream of, something priceless and unavailable. It's no exaggeration to say that, given how rare it is, the appearance of even one pill is enough to spark a fierce battle for it.

But now, a whole half-box of such precious things are just casually put in a box like a farmer storing soybeans. Don't you know how precious it is?

If we calculate based on the current inflated prices, how much would the Xiaoyao Pills in the box be worth?

If it weren't for the presence of two young masters from prominent families, and the fact that 'Chen Xuan' himself was no ordinary person, someone would probably have already tried to snatch him away. If they could have, they would have struck it rich.

At this moment, Chen Xuan's behavior was simply showing a complete disregard for his own safety.

He doesn't care what people think. If anyone dares to reach out and snatch something, will he tolerate it?

The pills themselves weren't very big, about the size of a soybean. Chen Xuan was somewhat considerate of others' feelings, since it was something that was ingested. He put on a glove, grabbed a handful from the box, precisely taking out two hundred and twenty pills. With a snap, under the envious and reluctant gazes of the people, he closed the lid and handed it directly to Wang Le, smiling, "Here it is. Keep it safe. After this transaction, we're done. I'm not responsible for any problems that arise."

Wang Le's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "You'd better treat my Xiaoyao Pill better. Is it really okay for you to treat something so cheap and rare like this?"
He stepped forward to catch it with his hand, but then felt it was inappropriate, so he raised his sleeve to catch it.

At this moment, Old Master Qin took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "Young Master, use this."

Clearly, he had come prepared. Wang Le immediately took the bag and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, would you please help me put it inside?"

“No problem, watch carefully, count them yourself, don’t blame me if the number is less than expected,” Chen Xuan raised his hand and quickly put the Xiaoyao Pills one by one into the jade bottle. There were many people with keen senses present, and as the last Xiaoyao Pill fell into the bottle, the number was exactly the same.

Wang Le held it in his arms like a precious treasure. Even Old Qin moved closer to him, as if afraid that it would be snatched away. How could he not be wary? After all, according to the current ridiculously high price, that bottle was equivalent to more than two million taels of silver!

That's outrageous! Of course, Xiaoyao Pills aren't worth that price, but the key issue is that even if someone has the money, they can't buy them if they need them.

Ning Guiliang, reluctant to leave, had reddened eyes and thought to himself, "If I were given this, I'd fucking live in a brothel from now on!"
The problem is that it doesn't belong to him.

At this point, the transaction was considered complete, but Wang Le still had no intention of leaving. He wanted his family to send more fire copper and even ice silkworm silk in exchange for more. He knew that he wouldn't get any of this little bit if he took it back.

Old Qin then spoke up, looking at Chen Xuan apologetically, "Please forgive me, sir. Everyone knows the current situation with Xiaoyao Pills. Just to be on the safe side, shouldn't we verify its authenticity first? After all, if problems arise later, the loss is a small matter compared to the loss of face."

Is it precious? It's practically free, okay? And what's more embarrassing is that you aristocratic families exchanged this thing in public? Don't you feel ashamed?

Is it that the adults are too embarrassed to show their faces, so they let the younger generation do it as a cover-up?

Muttering to himself, Chen Xuan nodded in deep agreement, saying, "That's true. Too many people have been swindling me and ruining the reputation of Xiaoyao Pill. I clearly told them repeatedly that only products bought from me were genuine, but no one listened. Now I have to prove it myself..."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan quickly took out a Xiaoyao Pill from the box. His gaze swept around, and amidst the envious and jealous expressions of the people, he looked at Ning Guiliang, whose face showed a look of utter astonishment. Chen Xuan said, "The talented Ning is the most qualified to speak on this, right? After all, he personally experienced it. Now that the talented Ning is an official of the court, I doubt anyone would think he's in cahoots with me. So, I'll trouble the talented Ning to verify its authenticity for everyone."

"Huh? Me?" Ning Guiliang looked completely bewildered, as if he'd been given such a good opportunity.

As he opened his mouth, Chen Xuan flicked his finger, and the Carefree Pill fell into his mouth. As he swallowed unconsciously, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, if it weren't for the great talent Ning's intervention, I would still be considered a swindler. So consider this Carefree Pill a token of my gratitude."

I was planning to give him a little something extra.

That's a Xiaoyao Pill worth at least ten thousand taels of silver, and you just let it go so easily? I should have stepped forward earlier.

At this moment, countless people roared in their hearts.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't really help much..." Ning Guiliang said apologetically. It was Chen Xuan who gave it to him, and he couldn't possibly spit it out now.

Before he could even finish his sentence, his expression changed drastically. Out of courtesy, he bowed slightly and said awkwardly, "Well, everyone, the Xiaoyao Pill is real, absolutely true. I tried it myself back then, and the effect was the same. I guarantee it with my life. Um, I have something to attend to, excuse me..."

As he spoke, he hunched over and squeezed through the crowd toward the brothel. Everyone knew what was going on, which immediately caused a burst of laughter. He didn't care about that, otherwise he would have embarrassed himself in front of everyone.

This, however, confirmed the authenticity of the Xiaoyao Pill.

Chen Xuan was speechless. He thought to himself that it was true that the Xiaoyao Pill was fast-acting and harmless, but just how weak was he that he reacted before he could even finish a sentence?
If one doesn't exercise restraint or consumes large amounts of "Xiaoyao Pills" to nourish the body, one might die one day from a woman's belly.

While Chen Xuan was secretly grumbling to himself, the authenticity of the Xiaoyao Pill was no longer in doubt. Wu Jinxun spoke again, "I have never questioned the authenticity of the Xiaoyao Pill, sir. Now that your transaction with Xiao Le is complete, isn't it my turn next?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Le frowned. He could easily tell that this guy was trying to sow discord, since he had previously questioned whether 'Chen Xuan' was a fraud.

Now that you know Xiaoyao Pills are genuine, you're eager to get them, aren't you?

With a smile, Chen Xuan said to Wu Jinxun, "I know Young Master Wu is in a hurry, but don't rush, my deal with Young Master Wang isn't over yet."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinxun's face darkened. "You've settled the payment in front of everyone? Are you trying to play me?"

Wang Le was stunned. Wasn't it already over? My family didn't send any extra fire copper or ice silk.

Ignoring Wu Jinxun's unpredictable mood, Chen Xuan looked at Wang Le and smiled, "Third Young Master Wang, your exchange of the Fire Copper for the Carefree Pill is indeed over. Now let's talk about this box."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan pointed to the cold stone box on the table.

Firstly, he was indeed toying with Wu Jinxun. Chen Xuan was petty; after all, the Wu family had targeted Xiao Gao before. He wouldn't actively seek trouble with the Wu family over such ideological and power struggles, but since they had come to him, he wouldn't be polite and would play with them.

Another thing is that Chen Xuan has always said that he can't completely be a bad guy, which is true. The Cold Stone is much more precious than Fire Copper. People don't know its value, and he won't go against his conscience and steal it directly. That's not his style of dealing with people!
He himself understood that with his martial arts talent, reaching the Tribulation Transcending Realm in the future wouldn't be a problem. Tribulation Transcending... who knows what he would encounter during the three tribulations of Heaven, Earth, and Man? So he should start accumulating good deeds now. Perhaps an unintentional act now could help him overcome a tribulation in the future. Who can say for sure... (End of this chapter)