Misty Rain of the Old Times

Despite being busy late into the night, Chen Xuan got up early to stretch his muscles. He hadn't had enough sleep, and at eighteen, he was still growing. So after stretching, he opened the door and asked the busy waiter to bring him breakfast. He ate a simple meal in his room and then went back to sleep.

Lying in bed is so comfortable. I don't have to think about all the hustle and bustle outside. The sky isn't going to fall. What do other people's things have to do with me, Chen Xuan?
He didn't wake up until noon. He had booked the room late last night, and the hotel staff had asked him if he wanted to extend his stay.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. He was still "at home," so I simply checked out and left with nothing but my clothes and a stick.

Standing at the entrance of the inn, he touched his pocket. He had spent over a thousand taels of silver at the casino the night before last, and hadn't spent much money in the past two days, but he still couldn't afford to have a decent meal in the capital.

'I really am a poor wretch,' Chen Xuan thought to himself, looking utterly dejected.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Each autumn rain brought a chill, but it didn't affect him much. However, to others, his clothes appeared somewhat thin.

Playing with the stick, looking around, I couldn't appreciate the gentle, soothing rain on the street; all I saw were figures rushing about, busy with their lives.

It is true that the capital city is prosperous, the center of the entire Jing Kingdom's rich resources, but more than 90% of the people living here are ordinary people.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire capital, making it hard to breathe, but ordinary people felt nothing of it.

Such thoughts flashed through Chen Xuan's mind, but he didn't care about these things. He just wanted to let his neighbors know he was safe and sound after returning home.

How could someone living in Yang County know about any major events happening in the capital?

He's mastered the art of self-deception.

'What should I do next? Go home and relax? Going back and forth isn't strenuous, but it's troublesome. I still don't have enough ice silkworm silk, and the white cloud wood is nowhere to be found. Besides, I said last night I'd continue today; one can't go back on their word. What if someone's waiting with what I want?'

Despite the slight hiccup, he did not forget one of the purposes of his trip to the capital.

'I'll find somewhere to pass the day and see if I can get more Ice Silkworm Silk tonight. If I can get any White Cloud Wood or any information, that would be even better. Hopefully, what happened last night won't affect my trades...'

Not long after, Chen Xuan braved the rain to enter a decent-sized teahouse, where he could eat, drink tea, listen to music, and enjoy storytelling.

On the second floor, near the window overlooking the lobby, you can see the entire teahouse lobby when you open the window. On the stage, a grandfather and grandson are performing energetically. The grandfather plays the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument), and the grandson sings a slightly melancholic northern tune in a male-female voice, which is quite pleasant to hear and can not be heard in small southern towns.

Whether it was because of the rain or the large number of people gathered in the capital, the inn was 70% full at midday.

Although Chen Xuan didn't care about what happened last night, the story had already taken hold overnight. During the conversation among the tea drinkers, various versions of what happened last night flooded Chen Xuan's ears.

Some people spoke with great conviction, some based their opinions on hearsay, some exaggerated, and some acted mysteriously—there were many conflicting views.

The specific truth and events are known only to Chen Xuan himself. The subsequent developments have been circulated among the people in countless versions, and what the tea drinkers say is mostly unrelated to the truth.

However, Chen Xuan listened to the follow-up while holding the answer, and learned about some of the subsequent impacts from people's conversations.

There is no doubt that what happened last night was shocking enough. The lower and middle classes are just hearing rumors and getting excited because they want to participate. Those who know only part of the story remain silent.

The most talked-about topic is the aftermath of what happened this morning. It's inevitable that the truth will be suppressed, and what people are saying is incomprehensible.

Early this morning, news came from the imperial court that a master of evil arts had wreaked havoc last night, breaking into the home of the Vice Minister of Works and committing massacres, causing dozens of casualties. His Majesty was furious, and the murderer was apprehended overnight and publicly beheaded just half an hour ago.

The court barely mentioned the destruction of the entire Wu family, hastily closing the case and barely giving the people an explanation. It's unclear which heinous criminal was taken advantage of. As for what other people want to know, they don't know.
Regarding the unusual phenomena last night, the imperial court gave an explanation: the Imperial Observatory has confirmed that it was caused by changes in the stars, so there is no need to worry. A subsequent announcement will be issued, and it is destined to be left unresolved.

The truth is always in the hands of a few. Big issues are downplayed and small issues are ignored. This is the way things are done at all times. The "ignorance" of the lower classes is simply because they have no access to information.

Because villains broke into the home of the Vice Minister of Works and caused a lot of casualties, the Grand Commandant was so angry that he vomited blood and died. In the ensuing chaos, the Wu family's headquarters was destroyed by fire.

With just a simple sentence, the destruction of the Wu family's headquarters was covered up. Believe it or not, who would care?
Tsk, you know what, although the reasoning is clumsy, it actually makes a passable argument. It's a miraculously closed loop. I wonder which 'expert' came up with this ingenious idea. It's at least a sliver of an explanation for the common people.

Secondly, Grand Tutor Wei Xixiang resigned because an elder in his family had passed away and he needed to observe the mourning period. He was also getting old, so he proposed to resign. His Majesty was reluctant to let him go and tried to persuade him to stay many times. The Grand Tutor insisted, so His Majesty had no choice but to approve his resignation. It is said that His Majesty shed tears in the Golden Palace because of this.

This reason is irrefutable; someone has dedicated their life to serving the country, so you can't stop them from being filial, can you?

Everyone's putting on an act, so since they're sensible, they might as well give them some face. It's impossible for these three events not to cause an uproar. In a single day, the positions of two top-ranking officials, Grand Tutor and Grand Commandant, became vacant. How could they say it had nothing to do with last night's events? But he could at least offer a plausible explanation. The people had no choice but to accept it, whether they wanted to or not. What else could they do?

As for why this is the case, who do you think you are to explain it to me?

But what's strange is that, given the recent rumors that His Majesty is old and senile, these events don't seem too abrupt, which is rather far-fetched.

Ordinary people have nothing to do with these major events and have no access to them. They can accept even the most absurd claims. Haven't you heard that countless people believe that the emperor used a golden hoe to till the land?

In short, these were the major events that happened early that morning, each one enough to make one's scalp tingle. As for the changes in the court's power structure, these 'minor details' were secondary.

As they ate and drank, Chen Xuan listened to people discussing these matters and felt a little strange. He suddenly had a feeling of sneaking back to the scene of a crime after committing a crime.

'No, what does that have to do with me?'

Once he thought about it that way, he stopped worrying.

In fact, Chen Xuan knew in his heart that someone was trying to help clean up the mess. Did he need to say who it was?

Those who handle the aftermath will certainly not find it troublesome; on the contrary, they will be overjoyed and can imagine how much they can benefit from it.

After last night's events, probably few people will dare to contradict him. How long the aftereffects will last is none of Chen Xuan's concern. Such a vortex is beyond his comprehension. He sadly discovers that he seems to only know how to use violence.

Before I knew it, the day had passed. As for what happened last night, unless I was directly involved, it didn't have much impact on my daily life...

As night fell, the weather improved somewhat; the rain stopped, but the sky remained overcast, much like the heavy hearts of countless people.

Chen Xuan acted as if nothing had happened, still dressed in the same clothes as last night, and set up his stall in the same spot.

Leaning back leisurely in the chair, people come and go on the bustling street, enjoying themselves as they please, seemingly unaffected.

Look, the world keeps turning even if someone is missing. What does it matter if they are from a powerful family or a grandmaster? Can they provide ordinary people with an extra bowl of rice for every meal?

To Chen Xuan's dismay, while others seemed unaffected, his business was severely impacted. He had been setting up his stall for half an hour, and although many people passed by and watched, not a single person approached him.

At the same time yesterday, Ning Guiliang, Wang Le, and the others arrived one after another.

Could it be that Xiaoyao Pills are no longer popular?
Chen Xuan knew perfectly well why this was the case. Ordinary people couldn't afford the Xiaoyao Pill, nor could they exchange it for something else. And those who could exchange it for what he needed, didn't know their own limitations?

Do you dare to mess with him?
Although the news had been blocked, this drug dealer went to the Wu family and committed massacres without any attempt to avoid people. Countless people witnessed it. Even Wei Wuyai, a grandmaster-level expert, was stabbed to death by him. People couldn't even avoid him, let alone dare to approach him.

Even if the "Free and Easy Pill" is the best, you still need to be alive to enjoy it.

You have to admit that skill breeds daring. His abilities speak for themselves. Those who know him know that he was the one who did what happened last night, and how big of a deal he was, but he still dares to show his face openly. Who would dare to cause him trouble?
In fact, there is no shortage of officials in this world who hate evil as much as they want to kill. No matter how powerful Chen Xuan is, such people would risk their lives to uphold the dignity of the law. So why do they ignore Chen Xuan? Is it just because the higher-ups have found a scapegoat to close the case?

Of course not, and it wasn't because they were afraid of the drug dealer's power, but because they knew why he did it that way. They knew what kind of people the powerful families were, and they couldn't do anything about them anyway. The drug dealer did what they had always wanted to do but couldn't, and they were probably very pleased with themselves. They wished there were more people like him.

After sitting there for half a day without a single person coming, Chen Xuan almost sighed to the heavens. This deal was doomed to fail. Changing the name wouldn't help, because Xiaoyao Pill was a one-of-a-kind product with no other branches.

'Where am I supposed to get ice silkworm silk and white cloudwood? Should I go somewhere else? Like another country? But they wouldn't know how good the Carefree Pill is.'

It's quite embarrassing.

After a long, boring day with no customers, Chen Xuan decided to pack up and close up shop. The business was doomed, and there was no point in wasting time.

"First, get enough ice silkworm silk. With the Cold Mountain Sword Sect as our target, it shouldn't be a problem. Bai Yunmu can figure out a way later. There's no need to make a trip to the Cold Mountain Sword Sect. Guo Qingxue is in the capital, isn't she? After what happened last night, it might scare her. Let's change our identity. Someone from the martial arts world, especially from a prestigious sect, will be easy to find out."

As Chen Xuan packed up and left, countless onlookers breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure was immense, and they prayed he would never appear again.

Not far from the stall, a pebble flew towards Chen Xuan. He caught it; a note was attached to it. After reading it, he pursed his lips, knowing he couldn't dodge it... (End of Chapter)