Misty Rain of the Old Times

The moon was setting in the west; it was already past midnight.

On the long street, Wei Wuyai, dressed in gray linen clothes, still had a head of jet-black hair, which was neatly combed and held in place with a wooden hairpin, even though he was over twenty years old. Perhaps because of his status and strength, he seemed to be pursuing a return to simplicity.

Although there is no explicit statement, the Wei family is undoubtedly the number one among the five great families of Jing Kingdom. With a Grandmaster-level expert in charge, this is their greatest advantage, and everyone knows this.

It is said that Wei Wuyai was not outstanding in his youth. He was not particularly skilled in martial arts or academics and was always the background figure for many people. However, this 'mediocre' man is now someone that countless people look up to.

Compared to his prestigious family background, there were only two slightly noteworthy achievements in the first half of his life: passing the imperial examination at the age of thirty-three and accidentally assisting the government in suppressing a small-scale rebellion at the age of fifty.

Such a life experience is simply insignificant to people of his level. Although it would not bring shame to the Wei family, it would be difficult for him to be valued and receive the Wei family's resources for cultivation. As a result, despite his aristocratic background, he never entered officialdom and remained virtually unknown.

But as time went by, unknowingly, when he was ninety-six years old, whether it was due to his accumulated knowledge and skills or his diligence, he took one step at a time and worked hard, and actually reached the top level of martial arts in his later years. However, at that time his physical functions were already declining. Logically speaking, he should have faced life with equanimity and enjoyed his old age as he had in the first half of his life.

At that time, whether it was due to his restlessness or a sudden impulse, he left home alone, changed his name and traveled around, disappearing from public view. Three years later, he returned and surprisingly reached the Grandmaster level!

No one knows what he went through during those three years. After his return, he became the Wei family's greatest support. In the ten years that followed, he outlived the old master of the Wang family. In the decades that followed, under his influence, the Wei family gradually became the head of the five great families of Jing Kingdom. Of course, this was not officially stated.

It can only be said that everyone's life has its own wonderful aspects, but they are usually unknown to outsiders.

His life was uneventful, like countless ordinary people, yet he was able to radiate endless brilliance in his later years, truly a testament to the capriciousness of fate.

It would be inappropriate to say that he was an ordinary person in the first half of his life, after all, he enjoyed countless riches and honors from his aristocratic family background...

As for how Wei Wuyai reached the Grandmaster realm, he never said it publicly. However, there are many different opinions among the people. Some say that he went deep into dangerous places to explore the relics of the predecessors and obtained the opportunity to inherit them. Others say that he traveled all over the world and accidentally obtained rare and precious materials and broke through in one fell swoop. Still others say that they saw him sitting on the shore of the East Sea for a year, watching the tide rise and fall, and thus he broke through to the Grandmaster realm. No one knows the specifics except for himself.

He is now over 140 years old. If he cannot advance further, he can live for several more decades without illness or disaster. However, for a Grandmaster, his age is considered to be at its peak. After all, at this level, there is almost no weakness until the last few years of life. The longer one lives, the more powerful one becomes.

Reaching the Grandmaster level at the age of ninety-nine, you could call him mediocre, but he's a true Grandmaster. However, compared to a prodigy like Jiang Yuan who achieved Grandmaster status before the age of fifty, it's truly remarkable...

However, regardless of the circumstances, a veteran master with decades of experience is someone Chen Xuan has to take seriously. He is confident in his talent and martial arts, but that doesn't mean he's arrogant. He believes that anyone at the same level deserves to be taken seriously.

Calling him "senior" is not because of his status or strength, but simply because of his age.

Having received some education, Chen Xuan, though not particularly concerned with such matters, still possessed basic respect for the elderly and care for the young.

As the few pieces of information about Wei Wuyai flashed through Chen Xuan's mind, Wei Wuyai, who looked nothing like someone over 140 years old except for his weathered eyes, calmly said, "Young man, why be so sharp? You should know the principle that the too strong will break. It's always good to leave yourself a way out. Being too assertive and extreme, leaving no way out for others, is just blocking your own escape route. What do you think, young friend?"

He didn't know who Chen Xuan was, or perhaps he did, but sometimes not knowing is better than knowing. The name Huang Xiaochao sounded fake, but that didn't matter; stopping Chen Xuan was the goal.

There may be occasional frictions between aristocratic families due to factors such as ideology and interests, but he would not stand idly by and watch an aristocratic family be destroyed. That would be a trampling on their level, and it would never be allowed!

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan gestured for him to proceed and chuckled, "Senior's words are pearls of wisdom, surely forged from countless life experiences, and thought-provoking. I have no rebuttal. However, if Senior is merely here to impart these grand principles, then there's no need for that. Please excuse me, I'm in a hurry."

Shaking his head, Wei Wuyai sighed, "In my life, I've seen too many amazing people. They were incredibly famous for a time, but as time went by, we gradually stopped hearing from them. On the contrary, mediocre people like me have lived to old age. Why do you think that is, young friend?"

There was no one on the street at this time. Some people in the buildings on both sides were secretly watching, while others sensed something was wrong and moved away from this place of trouble. At the same time, countless people were rushing in this direction...

Chen Xuan believed he had made his stance clear, but the other party remained unmoved, so there was no need to waste words. Turning his gaze away, Chen Xuan said to Wu Hongliang beside him, "Go back first. Tell your family I'll be there shortly, very soon. Tell them to wash their necks clean and wait. Don't even think about escaping, or the consequences will only be worse. I'm a lazy person; if they run around, I won't bother searching for them one by one. Don't blame me for using my bloodline secret technique then. At that point, it won't just be your Wu family's direct line that dies, but everyone with the Wu family bloodline—more than nine generations and hundreds of thousands of people. Let them think twice!"

"Yes," Wu Hongliang answered mechanically, and then headed straight for the Wu family's headquarters, not stopping Wei Wuyai as he passed by.

Chen Xuan did indeed know the bloodline secret technique he mentioned. It was an extremely vicious curse technique that used blood as a catalyst. Even if they were separated by ten generations, anyone with the same bloodline would be implicated. Unless they were at the same level, they would surely die, and even those at the same level would not fare well.

Once it is used, no one in the Wu family, whether direct or collateral, including the descendants of married women, will be spared. The entire family will be wiped out from top to bottom!

This kind of secret technique is too harmful to nature, and Chen Xuan would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, if Chen Xuan were to actually use this secret technique, he would have to pay a huge price, and in severe cases, it could even backfire on him, so he should avoid using it if possible.

Upon hearing this, Wei Wuyai's heart tightened, his eyes flickering as he struggled to remain calm. He knew that the relationships between aristocratic families were complex, with countless intermarriages spanning generations. If such a bloodline secret technique truly existed, then after 'Chen Xuan' used it, it wouldn't just be the Wu family who would die; it was very likely that a large number of people from various aristocratic families would perish!
Exhaling slowly, Wei Wuyai said solemnly, "Young friend, is it really necessary to go this far? Is there any room for compromise?"

After Wu Hongliang left, Chen Xuan looked at him again and said indifferently, "I'll ask you one more time, senior, do you really want to meddle in other people's business?"

With a sigh, Wei Wuyai said, "It seems you're determined, young friend. Very well, I'm not yet at the point of being unable to move. I'll test your skills against you. If we can't fight back here, it might harm innocent people. How about we move outside the city? If I manage to win by a mere step or two, I hope you'll back down."

He came to stop Chen Xuan, but he didn't intend to fight to the death. He was just expressing his attitude. The Wu family wouldn't make him pay that price. His death would not only be his own.

Chen Xuan didn't think so. If the other party still refused to back down after he made his stance clear, then they were on the opposite side of him, so there was nothing to hesitate about.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "There's no need to go outside the city. I said I was in a hurry, and I called you 'senior' because you're old. Do you really think I was joking with you? I'm here to kill people, not to waste time reasoning with anyone. Since you won't make way, then I'll just have to ask you to get on your way!"

As he spoke, Chen Xuan raised his hand and made a gesture from a distance. A sword belonging to a master of innate cultivation who was watching from afar flew through the air and landed in his hand.

The reason he didn't use the blood-dripping longsword floating beside him was that it was a dog-slaughtering knife. Wei Wuyai was older than him, even if he wasn't of the same generation, so he didn't want to humiliate him.

Sensing Chen Xuan's undisguised killing intent, Wei Wuyai's pupils shrank. He truly hadn't expected things to escalate to this point, but now that things had come to this, he couldn't back down. Countless eyes were watching. If he retreated, it would mean the Wei family had bowed down, it would mean abandoning the Wu family, and it would mean the dignity of the aristocratic family had been trampled on. How could he stand on his own two feet in the future?

His expression remained calm, but he was furious inside. He said in a deep voice, "Arrogant! Young people with some ability don't know their own limitations. I hope your ability is as great as your words!"

Chen Xuan knew that someone would definitely try to stop him from wiping out the Wu family line. Wei Wuyai's appearance was both expected and unexpected.

Originally, the two sides had no enmity with each other, and there was no need to escalate the situation to the point of life and death. If he had listened to advice and left, Chen Xuan would have truly pretended that he had never been there and continued to keep to himself. However, since he had made a prior agreement and refused to give way, then he couldn't be blamed.

Killing Wei Wuyai will inevitably lead to a series of chain reactions, but the world will still function normally even if someone is missing.
Since the butcher's knife has already been raised, what difference does one more make? Even a grandmaster from a noble family will die if he is killed!

Furthermore, for Chen Xuan, Wei Wuyai's death was more beneficial than harmful. Although he did not concern himself with court affairs, Wei Wuyai's death would greatly reduce the old emperor's resistance. Since he could not help him prolong his life, he could do his part from another angle. After the old man cleaned up the court, it would be much easier for Xiao Gao and the others to implement fundamental solutions.

I haven't even reached out to you yet, and you've already jumped out on my own. You have to bear the consequences!
Standing with his knife in hand, Chen Xuan said calmly, "Why don't you try and see?"

...(End of chapter)