Misty Rain of the Old Times

They may not understand the situation, but doesn't Chen Xuan know?

That was the night he set up a stall to exchange Xiaoyao Pills for items like Fire Copper and Ice Silkworm Silk. In the first half of the night, anyone with connections came to buy Ice Silkworm Silk, worried that they would miss out if they were too slow. However, after what happened in the second half of the night, people avoided him like the plague. No one would dare to provoke him. No matter how good Xiaoyao Pills are, you have to be alive to enjoy them.

As a result, the goods from the Cold Mountain Sword Sect were urgently dispatched, but those people all refused them, probably because they hadn't even paid the deposit, so it was all for nothing.

Although there was no real loss, this whole thing is really annoying. When you need them, they're like they're on your deathbed, but when you don't, they won't even show their face. What do they take the Cold Mountain Sword Sect for? Servants to be ordered around?

Guo Qingxue's frustration stemmed from this: the young girl hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life and had misjudged the importance of herself or the Cold Mountain Sword Sect. She was a bit slow to grasp the situation, so she had emotions in her heart but couldn't vent them to them. No wonder she felt bad.

Despite being one of the five major sects of Jing Kingdom, the Cold Mountain Sword Sect may seem glorious, but in reality, it's just a small force in the martial arts world. In the eyes of truly important figures, it's nothing special.

Unless you have a grandmaster-level expert like the Tai Xuan Sect or the Wu Xiang Temple, they really won't take you seriously.

The people from the Martial Arts Prohibition Bureau went back on their word, so Zhao Qingluan was powerless to help them get revenge, let alone her master Ling Yunlai.

Guo Qingxue was secretly annoyed when her second senior brother, Fang Jing, comforted her, saying, "Junior sister, don't worry about such a small matter. Ice silkworm silk is unique to our Cold Mountain Sword Sect; there will always be people asking us for it."

Did they really ask for something? They came in acting like big shots, asking how much Ice Silkworm Silk their Cold Mountain Sword Sect had and demanding a price. They said they needed it urgently and that they were just messengers, and that keeping some people waiting would make things difficult for all of them.

They came in the middle of the night, and it wasn't just one person; one after another. Whenever she thought of that scene, if her senior brothers and sisters hadn't intervened, Guo Qingxue would have wanted to turn on them on the spot.

Letting out a breath, Guo Qingxue shook her head and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. How's the matter that Senior Brother was inquiring about?"

"This...we have no clue what to do," Fang Jing said cryptically, glancing at Chen Xuan.

Seeing this, the simple-minded Zhao Qingluan asked curiously, "Sister Qingxue, what kind of riddle are you two playing?"

"Let's talk about it later," Guo Qingxue said with a smile, glancing at Chen Xuan and letting the matter drop, seemingly realizing she had misspoke.

Zhao Qingluan immediately stopped asking questions and instead said with great interest, "Sister Qingxue, I suspect that the person who took out the Carefree Pill that night was that great hero Yang Guo from back then. Think about it, what are the chances of such a coincidence? Back then, someone was also selling the Carefree Pill in Mo City, and not long after, the great hero Yang appeared in the desert. Now he has reappeared, and he is also a grandmaster-level expert..."

"Ahem," before she could finish speaking, Qin Yun coughed loudly to interrupt her, then looked at Chen Xuan and changed the subject with a smile: "Young Master Chen, if I may ask, what brings you here?"

People are even trying to connect the drug dealer with Yang Guo, but with things being tense these days, everyone is avoiding the topic.

Chen Xuan guessed pretty much what they were implying, so he didn't care. After Qin Yun spoke, Fang Jing looked at Chen Xuan with wariness in her eyes.

Pretending not to see it, Fang Jing definitely had feelings for Guo Qingxue, but what did it have to do with Chen Xuan? Facing their gazes, Chen Xuan smiled and frankly said, "To be honest, I came for the Ice Silkworm Silk."

"Wait, Xiao Chen Xuan, what do you need the ice silkworm silk for?" Zhao Qingluan, interrupted, looked at Chen Xuan with a suspicious gaze.

"What kind of look is that?" Regardless of whether she was thinking the wrong thing, Chen Xuan didn't care and said matter-of-factly, "What else can I do with it? Exchange it for the Carefree Pill."

Fang Jing was stunned upon hearing this, and looked at Chen Xuan strangely. He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Chen Xuan wasn't after his junior sister. His physical body was under immense pressure.

The outspoken Zhao Qingluan said disdainfully, "Little Chen Xuan, how old are you? You already want something like this?"

Everyone knew the effects of the Xiaoyao Pill. Guo Qingxue, her cheeks slightly flushed, tugged at Zhao Qingluan, saying with a wry smile, "Sister Qingluan, what are you talking about?"

Even though everyone knows perfectly well that, as a girl, even if she's from the martial arts world, is this the kind of thing that can be brought up in public?

"Who said I needed it? It was my young master who sent me," Chen Xuan said irritably. Anyway, since it was under Gao Jingming's name, they couldn't possibly go and verify it.

With a sneer, Zhao Qingluan said disdainfully, "How old was your young master back then? He always brought two beautiful maids with him when he went out... Waaah..."

Before she could finish speaking, Guo Qingxue covered her mouth.

Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "Miss Zhao, what have you been through in the martial world all these years? I'm embarrassed to say anything, but my young master didn't bring the 'Carefree Pill' to eat."

"I've been practicing martial arts diligently all these years, where would I have time to travel the martial world? Everyone knows the effects of the Xiaoyao Pill, what's the use if I don't take it?" Zhao Qingluan pouted as she broke free.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "Has Miss Zhao forgotten that my young master passed the imperial examination with top honors and became an official? Taking the 'Carefree Pill' is obviously for networking. No matter how capable you are, without someone to help you, you'll still be a hidden gem."

Xiao Gao had already taken some Xiaoyao Pills from Chen Xuan, the purpose of which was self-evident. Chen Xuan wasn't lying; the accounts would even match up.

Hearing this, Zhao Qingluan realized she had misunderstood, but still shook her head and sighed, "Your young master seemed so innocent back then, I never imagined he would learn to scheme and plot after becoming an official."

How novel! In officialdom, if you don't scheme and plot, are you expecting others to promote you?
At this moment, Qin Yun, who was standing to the side, looked at Chen Xuan and frowned, saying, "Young Master Chen, you came here for the Ice Silkworm Silk, aren't you afraid of exchanging it for the Carefree Pill?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Chen Xuan asked, speechless.

After realizing that Chen Xuan's target was not Guo Qingxue, Fang Jing was less hostile and pondered, "Young Master Chen, do you not know how serious things were that night?"

"I know better than anyone else," Chen Xuan laughed. "So what if you know a little?" "Since Young Master Chen knows a little, why do you still dare to provoke that person?" Qin Yun was shocked. Is this what they call a newborn calf not afraid of a tiger?
Chen Xuan didn't seem to care and said, "Although I don't know what you're all arguing about, that person openly offered the Carefree Pill to exchange for items like Ice Silkworm Silk. What's wrong with me exchanging Ice Silkworm Silk for those items?"

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, sensing that something was amiss, but unable to articulate a rebuttal.

No one spoke, so Chen Xuan continued, "So, could your sect grant me some permission?"

"This..." Qin Yun hesitated and looked at Guo Qingxue, who was nominally in charge here.

Guo Qingxue looked at Chen Xuan seriously and said, "Since we've come this far, for Sister Qingluan's sake, it's not impossible. We don't care what Young Master Chen does with it, but let's be clear from the start: Ice Silkworm Silk isn't cheap."

“Of course, but I don’t have any money,” Chen Xuan nodded.

Zhao Qingluan chuckled and said, "Does Little Chen Xuan perhaps expect someone to give it to him for free?"

"How could that be? Although I don't have money, I can exchange it for something of equivalent value, and I've already brought it with me," Chen Xuan said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, the group felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Guo Qingxue didn't think too much about it. Since Chen Xuan wasn't joking, she nodded and said, "It's not impossible, but it has to be something we need. Otherwise, it's better to convert it into cash. So, may I ask how much Young Master Chen needs?"

"I just heard you say you have a full thirteen catties of ice silkworm silk. How about you give it all to me? I think what I brought is what you need," Chen Xuan said, offering to buy it all.

Fang Jing thought to herself, "What a boastful tone. You probably don't know the value of ice silkworm silk." But she smiled and said, "I wonder what Young Master Chen intends to offer in exchange?"

Chen Xuan smiled at him first, then looked at Guo Qingxue and said, "I can fully represent my young master. I wonder if you gentlemen can make the decision?"

Fang Jing frowned and looked at Guo Qingxue.

Guo Qingxue pondered for a moment and said, "If it's just about exchanging ice silkworm silk, I can still make the decision. My father asked me to take charge of the overall situation in the capital, so consider it as training. My senior brothers and sisters will supervise me, and as long as I don't make any mistakes, there won't be any problems."

"That's good," Chen Xuan nodded, then took out the things he had brought and placed them on the table, saying, "Gentlemen, take a look. I wonder if these things can be exchanged for thirteen catties of ice silkworm silk?"

He placed three jade bottles on the table, thinking to himself that this wasn't enough.

"Little Chen Xuan, what are you holding? You actually claimed you could exchange them for thirteen catties of ice silkworm silk. You should know that the market price of ice silkworm silk is over fifty thousand taels of silver per tael, and even then, you can't buy it even if you have the money," Zhao Qingluan asked curiously, looking at the jade bottles.

It's only valuable to those who need it; to those who don't, it's less useful than a steamed bun.

Chen Xuan pointed to the three jade bottles and said confidently, "Of course I know the value of ice silkworm silk, so I brought calming pills, qi-restoring pills, and meridian-opening pills, one hundred of each. I think that should be enough to exchange for thirteen catties of ice silkworm silk."

Although Chen Xuan has been refining pills for many years and cannot produce miraculous elixirs for the time being, he still has a large stock of these mid-to-low-level pills.

"what!"

Upon hearing his words, the expressions of the group changed, and some even stood up as they looked at the three jade bottles on the table.

They clearly know their stuff; they couldn't stay calm just by hearing the name.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Yun asked with a moved expression, "Young Master Chen, are you serious?"

"I'm not joking. Do you gentlemen think it's possible to exchange these three hundred pills for thirteen catties of ice silkworm silk?" Chen Xuan nodded and said.

Guo Qingxue said cautiously, "Young Master Chen, if what you say is true, it is indeed more than enough. However, could you please let us confirm it first?"

"Of course, please go ahead," Chen Xuan gestured for him to proceed.

Qin Yun stepped forward and said, "This matter is of great importance; I hope Young Master Chen will forgive us."

As she inspected the items, Zhao Qingluan withdrew her gaze with difficulty and looked at Chen Xuan incredulously, saying, "Chen Xuan, where did you get these things? Don't you know how precious they are to martial artists? If word gets out, it could cause a bloodbath. Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourself? Forget about exchanging them for ice silkworm silk, they're enough even for the white cloud wood that person needs."

I trained them myself, how could I not know how precious they are?
Chen Xuan said calmly, "Miss Zhao, have you forgotten that my young master was the top scholar in the imperial examination? This was a gift from His Majesty."

Anyway, the top scorer is awesome, so let's just put it on Gao Jingming. No one will verify it, and even if they do, given Gao Jingming and Chen Xuan's tacit understanding, they will definitely admit it without hesitation.

Chen Xuan then said, somewhat speechless, "Exchanging it for White Cloud Wood is probably out of the question. After all, that stuff is extremely rare, and not many people have even heard of it."

“That’s true. A few years ago, I went with my master to visit one of his old friends. They were exchanging martial arts and had a great time. When they drank too much, they mentioned the White Cloud Wood. I heard from that senior that the White Cloud Wood grows deep in the Misty Swamp in the northwest of Yuhua Kingdom. However, the place is extremely dangerous. There are even strange beasts that even grandmasters would avoid. Unless you’re suicidal, trying to get your hands on the White Cloud Wood is tantamount to courting death,” Zhao Qingluan said in deep agreement.

As the saying goes, what is said without intention may be taken to heart by the listener, and Chen Xuan was immediately delighted.

What do you call this? It's truly an unexpected stroke of luck; now we have a clue about the white cloud wood... (End of Chapter)