Misty Rain of the Old Times

After leaving Xiaoming Residence, it was neither early nor late, and Chen Xuan was wondering where to go next.

'Go find the little princess to play with? She's probably already resting, so I won't bother her. We don't have enough ice silkworm silk; we'll have to find a way from the Cold Mountain Sword Sect. Guo Qingxue is in the capital, but it's not appropriate to visit her at this time. She's a girl, and we're not even that close…'

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan hesitated again.

Obtaining enough ice silkworm silk through the Cold Mountain Sword Sect is undoubtedly the most convenient way, but the question is, under what identity should one visit them?
Using the alias of a drug dealer is inappropriate and could cause trouble for others. Besides, Chen Xuan wasn't going to rob anyone.

So, should we use Yang Guo's pseudonym?
Chen Xuan still rejected the idea. After all, the Cold Mountain Sword Sect owed Yang Guo a favor, since it was essentially avenging Guo Jinglong. However, they killed Liu Zhenwei because the latter wanted to kill them, so the two shouldn't be confused. Liu Zhenwei didn't owe them anything, and Chen Xuan wasn't the type to seek revenge.

After much thought, Chen Xuan decided to visit Guo Qingxue normally. He had his true identity and wasn't someone to be ashamed of. Moreover, he quickly came up with a good reason, mentioning that he had met Guo Qingxue twice before.

Having made up his mind, Chen Xuan began to ponder another problem.

That's ice silkworm silk. It's not like cabbage. Why would someone give it to him if he came to the door with normal status? He could buy it with money, but such rare items are usually not worth money. Although the market price is not as exaggerated as ten times that of fire copper, Chen Xuan could not buy enough even if he spent his last copper coin.

As for exchanging it for Xiaoyao Pills? It's better to just go to their door as a drug dealer.

"No problem. After Guo Jinglong died, the Cold Mountain Sword Sect declined steadily, and its current status in the martial arts world is somewhat awkward. I have plenty of things they need, so it seems I'll have to go home. There's no need to find a place to spend the night."

After clarifying his thoughts, Chen Xuan retrieved the fire copper and other items he had secretly stored, and headed straight for Yang County that very night.

It had to be him. Despite the thousands of miles between the two places, he treated it like a casual stroll between neighbors. His dedication was so great that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was doing it all for a drop of vinegar to make dumplings...

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Xuan had traveled thousands of miles to get home. The maid was already resting, so he didn't disturb her. Chen Xuan put the fire copper ice silk he had brought back into the underground secret room, and then prepared to wash up and go to sleep. He was already home, so what was the point of not sleeping? The visit was for tomorrow.

The reason Chen Xuan stored the items in an underground secret room instead of a storeroom wasn't because he was worried about them being stolen, but because if the box containing the fire copper were opened even slightly, it would burn the storeroom to ashes, resulting in a huge loss.

When he was building the house, he also dug out a secret chamber a hundred feet underground, intending to use it as a place for alchemy and weapon crafting. However, before he could put it into operation, the little girl didn't even know about the secret chamber.

Chen Xuan, who was fetching water to wash up, paused and turned back speechlessly to look towards the second floor.

The little girl, holding a bell in one hand and a stick in the other, sneered, "You audacious thief, coming here to steal in the middle of the night, I think you're tired of living... Oh no!"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Roujia saw that the bell had already been rung, but the blurry figure remained unmoved. Her expression changed, and she decided to run away.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "There's no one else who can use the Soft Armor. Did I disturb you?"

"Ah? Master? You scared me!" Su Roujia paused in her running.

Continuing to wash up, Chen Xuan chuckled, "That's me, isn't it? The Soft Armor is quite alert."

Slightly relieved, the little girl dropped the stick and quickly lit the lamp. Only after seeing Chen Xuan's figure clearly did she feel completely at ease. She happily ran downstairs and said, "When did Master come back? Why didn't he say anything? I thought the bell he gave me had stopped working."

As she spoke, the corpses of insects and birds began to fall around her with a crackling sound; they had all been killed by the Nine-Tone Soul-Suppressing Bell.

The little girl took Chen Xuan's teachings to heart completely, and acted first before shouting.

But what kind of situation is this? The Nine-Tone Soul-Suppressing Bell was actually used on him. It's fortunate that Chen Xuan's cultivation is strong enough to be unaffected, otherwise an ordinary innate master would be lying down by now.

"We just arrived. The bell is working fine, but can't you see they're all scattered all over the ground?" Chen Xuan said helplessly.

"I'll clean up in a bit. Is the master alright? Oh dear, why use cold water? I'll go get you some hot water." The little girl was full of energy, chattering on and on.

How long will it take to clean up this late at night? We'll talk about it tomorrow. It covers such a large area.

After the little girl's caring words stopped her from making a midnight snack, Chen Xuan went inside, closed the door, and went to sleep, and only then did she finally calm down.

The next morning, the little girl was busy cleaning up, as if she had inexhaustible energy. After Chen Xuan finished his activities, she even prepared breakfast.

As soon as Chen Xuan opened his eyes at home, his toiletries were ready. When he was hungry, meals were already prepared. When he lay down, she would massage his shoulders and legs. With this kind of life, Chen Xuan felt that he would be ruined if he continued like this. He was already ruined, so it didn't matter.

While eating breakfast, Chen Xuan asked, "How's things at home these past few days?"

"It's fine, it's just that Master suddenly came back last night and gave me a fright. I thought I'd been robbed. By the way, is the bell Master gave me really not broken?" the little girl asked hesitantly. Having said all that, Chen Xuan said, "Of course it's not broken. Didn't you prove it by cleaning up that huge pile of dead birds and insects this morning? I made it, so of course it won't work on me. Don't worry."

The young maid didn't dwell on it much, and said with a bright smile, "Oh, that's good. By the way, sir, after you left the day before yesterday, Miss Gao came looking for you, but you weren't there, so she sat for a while and then left."

"Okay, I understand," Chen Xuan nodded, understanding Gao Jingyu's plan. He thought to himself that he would give Gao and his wife some face and then hurry to the capital to avoid them after finishing his meal.

With a smile, Su Roujia said, "Miss Gao left early the day before yesterday, but she came to say goodbye."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan immediately calmed down, thinking that she could take a nap after finishing her meal. She thought that if the news of what happened in the capital reached Gao Jingyu's ears, she would probably run away even faster. She was a smart person, and her ambition would not make her lose her mind.

After lunch, Chen Xuan actually went to take a lazy nap. He didn't get up until noon, feeling listless. Sleeping too much made him feel lethargic, which was a psychological thing.

Hearing the sound of digging in the woods, Chen Xuan glanced over and saw the little girl wielding a hoe, digging up tree roots. He asked in a daze, "Roujia, what are you doing?"

"Master is awake. It's not mealtime yet. Would you like some tea? Or a shoulder and leg massage?" Su Roujia asked, putting down her hoe.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, I'm asking you a question."

The little girl replied with an "oh," and said, "Didn't Master say that the trees that didn't survive would be replanted next year? I cut them down a couple of days ago when I had nothing to do. I've already chopped them into pieces and put them in the woodshed. The tree roots can't be wasted either, they can be burned, so I dug them up and dried them. Winter is coming soon, after all."

Where can you find such a hardworking and thrifty young woman?
Her diligence made Chen Xuan a little embarrassed, and he laughed, "Okay, then you go ahead and do your work. Don't fill in the holes you dug, so we don't have to dig them again next year when we plant trees. I'm going out for a bit later, don't worry about me. By the way, you were quite alert last night, keep it up. We should do that in the future too. No matter who it is, if they come without permission, we'll take action first."

After giving a few instructions, Chen Xuan went to the storeroom to get some things, said goodbye, and ran off to the capital again.

You could say he's lazy, traveling thousands of miles without finding it troublesome, but at home he's just a lazy bum who expects to be fed.

"Master is destined for great things. The books say a man's ambition lies in all corners of the world. I must help Master manage the household well," the little girl muttered after Chen Xuan left. She picked up a hoe and dug up tree roots with great effort. Compared to the days when she couldn't even get enough to eat, her current life was like paradise to her...

North of the capital, on Luofu Street, at the Autumn Frost Sword Pavilion, Chen Xuan, who had returned to the capital, inquired for a while before finally arriving here.

Almost all the businesses along this street are closely related to people in the martial arts world. There are martial arts schools everywhere, as well as shops selling weapons, martial arts manuals, medicinal herbs, and clinics. As for which one is genuine, it depends on reputation and personal judgment.

The Autumn Frost Sword Pavilion is a property of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect in the capital. After all, it is a prestigious sect, and there are many such properties in various places.

Along the way, Chen Xuan inquired and learned that the Autumn Frost Sword Hall of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect was open to apprentices. If you had money, you could come and learn real skills. The Autumn Frost Sword Technique was one of the sect's sources of income.

Of course, if someone is talented, this place will also recommend them to the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, and they can become a formal disciple through mutual consent, which is equivalent to a recruitment point.

If a sect wants to grow and expand, it can't stay holed up in the mountains. Good talents are scarce, and it's better to cast a wide net than to wait for them to come to you.

Chen Xuan found out that Guo Qingxue was staying here and had her own territory, so of course she wouldn't stay at an inn.

I glanced at the Autumn Frost Sword Hall from the entrance. It was quite impressive, full of the atmosphere of the martial arts world. There were dozens of hitching posts outside the door, as well as weapon racks, with swords, spears, and halberds gleaming in the sunlight.

The four burly guards on either side of the gate looked fierce and intimidating.

As this is the territory of martial arts practitioners, the gates here are not closed; they are wide open in the street, allowing one to see a group of people practicing swordsmanship in unison, which is quite eye-catching and clearly intended to attract apprentices.

"Does this young master have something to discuss?" As Chen Xuan paused for a moment, the guard at the door scrutinized him, his attitude not exactly polite. After all, there were too many people coming to challenge martial arts schools, ostensibly for friendly sparring. It wouldn't be normal if at least ten such incidents occurred on this street every day.

Even if you have the backing of the Cold Mountain Sword Sect, it's useless. They'll still challenge other sects as they please. If they win, they'll become famous; if they lose, they won't lose face. There are plenty of people who specifically seek out subordinate organizations of major sects, hoping to climb over them to rise to the top.

Don't underestimate people in the underworld; they're experts at bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Since he had come in person, not under a pseudonym, Chen Xuan stepped forward humbly, presented his visiting card, and said, "This student, Chen Xuan, greets you. I have come to pay my respects to Miss Guo. Please excuse me."

Sending a visiting card first is a matter of etiquette; arriving directly at the door is considered unwelcome.

Hearing this, the guard's gaze towards Chen Xuan became amused. What was a scholar doing at the martial arts school? Visiting the young lady? Is that what you call a visit? I'm too embarrassed to call you out on it.

...(End of chapter)