Misty Rain of the Old Times

The setting sun was a bit dazzling. Ling Yun's eyelids twitched and he woke up from a deep coma. Still a little groggy, he first smelled the aroma of food.

As a master of innate martial arts for many years, he quickly regained his senses. Thinking about what had happened to him, he gripped the broken gun, opened his eyes, and warily scanned his surroundings.

He was stunned for a moment. The first thing he saw was a stone stove with a stone pot on it. Steam was rising from inside, and something was simmering. The soup had turned milky white.

Beside the stove, a figure sat lazily with his back to him, drinking soup from a stone bowl in one hand and leisurely fishing with a simple fishing rod in the other.

This is the core area of ​​the Misty Swamp. How dare this person be so relaxed and carefree? He doesn't even seem to have any sense of vigilance.

Ling Yun abruptly stood up, took two steps back while holding the broken section of the spear tip, and stared at the retreating figure in surprise, asking, "Who are you!"

Hearing the noise behind him, Chen Xuan turned around and smiled, "You're awake. Your injury hasn't fully healed yet, so take it easy and don't give it a relapse."

The unfamiliar and young face, which seemed to have no cultivation, could hardly be an ordinary person who came to the core area of ​​the mist array.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yun's first thought was to look down and examine himself. To his astonishment, he found that his wounds had healed and scabbed over, and the bone-piercing aura that had pierced his heart was gone. His internal organs felt warm and comfortable, as if a strange power was repairing his injured internal organs.

Wasn't I already dead? Yet my injuries have recovered by 50%! What is that miraculous power within me? At this rate, I'll be fully recovered in two days at most!
Startled, he looked up at Chen Xuan in disbelief and asked, "Who are you? Did you save me?"

"You look to be several decades older than me. I am Chen Xuan. I have met you before, senior. I was passing by here and saw you floating on the water with a faint heartbeat, so I brought you ashore to treat you. You seem to be recovering well. Please sit down and let's talk. Would you like some turtle soup?" Chen Xuan said with a smile, raising the stone bowl in his hand. Normally, he would not know Ling Yun, so he did not become overly familiar with him.

Ling Yun then realized that the stone pot contained turtle. He relaxed and understood that it was this man named Chen Xuan who had saved him. If he wanted to harm him, he wouldn't have waited until now.

Taking a deep breath, he bowed deeply and said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Young Master Chen, for saving my life. I will never forget your kindness."

Does everyone in the martial arts world have the same story after being rescued? We need some fresh wording.

A smile touched his heart. Chen Xuan tossed aside the makeshift fishing rod and asked, "How's your injury? It's healing well, but you're still quite weak. Don't you want some turtle soup to help you recover? I can't eat that much by myself; it wouldn't be good to waste it."

"This..." Ling Yun wanted to say he wouldn't dare to take advantage of the fact that the other party had saved his life, but his stomach started growling uncontrollably, so he awkwardly said, "My apologies, please don't laugh at me, my benefactor."

"It's alright. It's only natural to eat when you're hungry. Senior, please don't call me your benefactor. Just call me by my name, or Xiao Chen. It's just that you weren't meant to die. I happened to have some healing medicine on me. It was no trouble at all." As he spoke, Chen Xuan picked up a large stone bowl that he had prepared beforehand and served him a bowl of soup, which was full of meat.

Ling Yun quickly placed the broken spear aside and accepted it with both hands, saying gratefully, "You don't deserve the title of 'senior,' Young Master Chen. You flatter me. It was just a small favor for you, but it was a life-saving grace for me. Thank you. By the way, what kind of pill did you give me, Young Master Chen? It was so effective, and it's still nourishing my body, enough to restore me to my original state."

It's two lives, Master Ling! You've narrowly escaped death. Your emotions are so turbulent that you forgot to introduce yourself for a moment. So how can I pretend to be surprised and get to know you in such a roundabout way?

Muttering to himself, Chen Xuan said nonchalantly, "We've only just met, no need to keep bringing up the life-saving grace. As for the pill I gave you, it's called the Nourishing Vitality Pill, which is quite effective for treating both internal and external injuries."

No need to say it out loud, just keep it in your heart, really.

"Nourishing Essence Pill!" Ling Yun exclaimed immediately, realizing his predicament, and quickly said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Young Master Chen. I've only ever heard of this kind of pill before. It's a rare and precious elixir that's worth a fortune. It can quickly heal even the most severe injuries for those below the Innate Realm. How could Young Master Chen be so willing to give such a precious pill to a stranger like me?"

Only then did he realize why he had recovered so quickly—it was because of such a precious elixir.

Actually, the pills were just an aid. What truly pulled him back from the brink of death was the Grandmaster True Essence of Chen Xuan. This Nourishing Essence Pill couldn't possibly be called a miraculous elixir. Chen Xuan had more than a dozen bottles at home, which he had refined himself.

There was no need to explain, as it might seem like showing off. Chen Xuan calmly said, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Life is the most sacred thing in this world. What's there to be reluctant about using a mere pill?"

Yes, life is the most sacred, the most precious, and also the most worthless thing in the world.

"Young Master Chen is so righteous! I wouldn't even be worth a single Nourishing Yuan Pill if I were sold. I'd go through fire and water for you without hesitation!" Ling Yun declared emphatically, practically swearing an oath to the heavens. Here we go again! Chen Xuan sighed helplessly and reluctantly changed the subject, asking, "By the way, may I ask how to address you?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ling Yun's face. He quickly stood up, holding the large bowl, and cupped his hands in apology, saying, "It was my rudeness. I forgot to introduce myself. Please forgive me, Young Master Chen. My name is Ling Yun, from Liangzhou in Yuhua Kingdom. I have a minor reputation, but it's nothing to mention."

"So it's Master Ling! No need for formalities, please have a seat," Chen Xuan said with a look of sudden realization and admiration. He quickly feigned surprise and said, "Master Ling Yun, it's actually you, senior!"

Ling Yun realized that Chen Xuan's first sentence was just polite, but his second sentence meant that he had genuinely heard of him, and he was speechless. "Young Master Chen has heard of me?"

"I've not only heard of you, we actually have a bit of a history. Isn't Zhao Qingluan your apprentice?" Chen Xuan slapped his thigh and said enthusiastically, but in his heart he was feeling melancholy. "I'm so tired of pretending."

This time it was Ling Yun's turn to be surprised. He asked, "Young Master Chen, do you know my apprentice?"

"Of course I know her. Not only do I know her, but we're also friends who've been through thick and thin together. It's been seven years already. Back when I was in Jing Kingdom, my young master and I went north to Mo City to study. We met her on the way and had a dangerous encounter together. But then she went off to roam the martial world, and I haven't seen her for seven years. The last time I saw her was in the capital of Jing Kingdom. She mentioned Master Ling. I only remembered you when you introduced yourself, senior. My apologies for not being more respectful," Chen Xuan said earnestly. If he didn't have any wine on hand, he would have toasted this senior.

Hearing this, Ling Yun was dumbfounded. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?

Realizing what had happened, he quickly said, "I never expected there to be this connection. It's truly unexpected. However, Young Master Chen saved my life. Your relationship with my apprentice is your own business. Let's each mind our own business. We're all men of the martial world; there's no need to be so formal."

Actually, Ling Yun was a little confused at this moment. He remembered that Zhao Qingluan had set off to return to Jing Kingdom a month ago, which should have taken at least ten or twenty days. Chen Xuan said that he met Zhao Qingluan in the capital of Jing Kingdom, which meant that he had only been here for ten days at most? This place is more than 30,000 miles away from the capital of Jing Kingdom. Did he travel without eating or drinking?

Each of us has our own opinion? Hey, Zhao Qingluan actually wants me to call her "sister." I saved your master's life. Next time we meet, I'll use that to make her call me "uncle." If she dares not to, then she's disrespecting her teacher!

A sense of relief washed over him, finally able to be honest. After they had built a closer relationship, Chen Xuan asked curiously, "I've heard so much about Master Ling's reputation. Back in Mo City, I heard that Master Ling had stood up for a complete stranger named Ning Zuiyue, which was truly admirable."

Back then, everyone knew that he had attacked Duan Nie in the desert for Ning Zuiyue, one of the ten beauties of Yuhua Kingdom. Chen Xuan was not making this up.

"I dare not accept such praise. It's all in the past. It's truly embarrassing to talk about. Back then, we joined forces with others to avenge Miss Ning, but she was harmed by villains and there was nothing we could do. Moreover, the murderer was found by the passing hero Yang Guo," Ling Yun said with a sigh.

Chen Xuan was present at the time and was one of the participants, so he naturally knew everything. He didn't dwell on that point and instead asked curiously, "By the way, how did you end up here, senior? You ended up in such a state. If I hadn't been lucky enough to run into you earlier, I'm afraid..."

At this point, Ling Yun said solemnly, "To be honest, Young Master Chen, I came here to punish evil. A wicked sword has appeared in the martial world and fallen into the hands of villains, causing bloodshed and chaos. To prevent further turmoil in the martial world, I joined forces with others to eliminate it, and we have been chasing them all the way here."

Nodding, Chen Xuan said with relief, "I see. I've heard about this too. I even spoke with someone named Xiang Qi yesterday. It seems you nearly died fighting with villains."

"Young Master Chen actually knows Brother Xiang? But I almost died not because of Tang Yu who obtained the Evil Blade, but because I encountered an enemy," Ling Yun said speechlessly.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "I saw Xiang Qi in a mushroom forest yesterday. He was poisoned, and I gave him medicine to wake him up. Senior, weren't you joining forces with others to fight evil? How did you run into an enemy?"

How much good medicine do you carry with you? Are you going to save everyone you see?

He pondered for a moment, then said without asking further, "Just now, Young Master Chen mentioned the matter of Miss Ning Zuiyue in the desert. The enemy who almost caused my death is related to that incident. Back then, a man named Duan Nie harmed Miss Ning. I joined forces with others to eliminate him, but he had an even more powerful younger brother named Duan Zui, who has been hunting down the person who killed his brother. This person also came because of the Evil Blade, and happened to recognize me, so he attacked me. I was no match for him and almost died. This person is extremely strong. Fortunately, his attention was focused on the Evil Blade, and he didn't finish me off, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to wait for Young Master Chen to save me."

"I see," Chen Xuan nodded. It turned out that the matter from back then wasn't over yet. No wonder the sword energy that almost killed Ling Yun seemed so familiar; it turned out that Duan Nie's younger brother had come to seek revenge.

At this moment, Ling Yun asked curiously, "Judging from your tone, Young Master Chen didn't come for that evil blade?"

...(End of chapter)