Misty Rain of the Old Times

Most creatures in the world don't like to move when they get old, and it seems that this old white crane is no exception.

Chen Xuan didn't know how much longer it could live. After all, people often use the pine and crane to describe health and longevity, especially for such strange beasts. Although they are not immortal, they will definitely live longer than people of the same level. Its former owner, Baiyun, has been dead for at least several decades, while it is still doing well.

Although it is old, it does not mean it is weak. It is just lazy to move. If it were to move, Chen Xuan would not be entirely confident that he could stop it without getting injured. If it were a life-or-death battle, he would definitely pay the price.

This is why Chen Xuan tries his best to avoid conflict with it. Fortunately, that situation has not occurred, and the current communication is relatively friendly.

My personal intuition tells me that it is stronger than Wei Wuyai and Rong Lao, whom Chen Xuan has met. I just don't know if it was because its former master taught it well, or because cranes are gentle creatures, or maybe it was just too lonely and bored to communicate so calmly.

In truth, Chen Xuan understood that the senior named Baiyun, whom it spoke of, had bound it here with a lie, which was a form of protection—protecting those outside, and also protecting it.

Its simple nature makes it completely unaware of how dangerous its every move is. Once it goes to the outside world, it will probably die along the way. On the other hand, although it is powerful, it is not invincible. If such a beast appears, it will inevitably be besieged and hunted by many grandmasters. It is a treasure trove. Who would let the opportunity pass by?

So staying in this secluded place is good for both it and for people outside.

As these thoughts flashed through Chen Xuan's mind, the old white crane spoke again. Just like an old man, it became talkative with age. It said, "No one has ever talked to me this much since Baiyun fell asleep. I'm very happy today. What reward do you want?"

"A reward?" Chen Xuan asked subconsciously. Could it be that it thought he was being entertained and chatted with, and was planning to give him a treat?

As it turned out, he was right. The white crane nodded in a human-like manner and said matter-of-factly, "Yes, when Baiyun is still awake, if I do something to make him happy, he will reward me. Of course, if I do something wrong, he will punish me. Anyway, you talking to me now makes me happy, so I should reward you too."

It wasn't human after all, so its speech was always intermittent and sometimes incoherent. But perhaps after talking for a while, it seemed to recall the time it had spent with humans, because later it spoke more and more fluently, and aside from the jumpy content, it seemed to be communicating with a normal person.

"That's really true," Chen Xuan thought in astonishment. "It seems that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we can easily obtain the White Cloud Wood."

To prove that your attempt to communicate with it was the right thing to do, and that you can achieve your goal without conflict, why make it seem like you're trying to steal it from its doorstep?

Before Chen Xuan could speak, the old white crane continued, "Bai Yun told me before he fell asleep that I could decide what to do with the things he left behind. He left a few boxes and a medicinal herb garden, but I have no use for them. Since you made me happy, I might as well use them as a reward for you. But I can't give you everything. I'll only give you one thing. If you can still talk to me in the future, I will continue to reward you. What do you want?"

This is truly a talkative 'old man,' as if he wants to say everything he's held back for decades all at once.

The senior named Baiyun has long since passed away, so shouldn't it be in charge of what it left behind? It's like a legacy of opportunity passed down through generations. Unfortunately, the old white crane was completely unaware of this. Ordinary people would die just from hearing it speak, and it's highly unlikely that anyone could communicate with it.

If you call it naive, it also knows how to be cunning. It doesn't give everything at once, but keeps talking to you after dangling something in its mouth. If you call it clever, it reveals everything that the white cloud left behind all at once.

But it's just a crane, how smart can it be?

Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. He didn't even know what it was, and the other party had given a vague answer. How was he supposed to know what he wanted? Asking it to explain in detail would be too much to ask.

Of course, Chen Xuan's first choice was definitely white sandalwood.

The white cloud tree was several tens of meters tall. Chen Xuan didn't need much; one branch would suffice. Just as he was about to tentatively ask if it could give him some, the old white crane, seemingly forgetful, turned its head to look into the distance and said, "More people are coming. It seems like quite a few. Did they come with you? Can you talk to me like you do? I should greet them, right? Otherwise, it would be impolite. But will they, like the people before, fall into the water or stumble away after hearing just one word from me?"

Fortunately, Chen Xuan communicated with it for a while and roughly understood its situation, and its consciousness was strong; otherwise, he would not have been able to understand what it was trying to express.

At this moment, the fighting in the distance was getting closer and closer in this direction. It was about 10 or 20 miles away. If the old white crane really took the initiative to give a greeting, most of the dozen or so Xiantian cultivators probably wouldn't be able to survive.

The sword intent contained in its voice was like a gentle breeze to Chen Xuan, but deadly to others.

Although their arrival was a distraction, Chen Xuan wasn't angry. The white cloud tree was there and wouldn't run away. Besides, the old white crane was like a child with a wild mind. If he didn't go along with it, who knew if it would throw a tantrum?

Besides, Ling Yun and his group were probably among those people, and they wouldn't want Old White Crane to greet them. Chen Xuan quickly said, "They're not with me. If you greet them, they'll all probably fall into the water."

"Is that so? Since they can't even talk to me, I'm not happy that they came all this way. Let's just send them away," the old white crane said, shaking its head with considerable displeasure.

Is there a difference? Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. Even its owner, Baiyun, hadn't been able to teach it to restrain itself, let alone himself. To prevent it from suddenly yelling and killing everyone from afar, Chen Xuan immediately interrupted it, who was about to speak to the other side, and said, "You're too old for that. Why don't I chase them away?"

Upon hearing this, the old white crane suddenly became 'smart' and turned to look at Chen Xuan with a human-like scrutiny, saying, "Are you trying to keep my reward for yourself? Is that why you won't let them come and talk to me?"

Unable to explain it to its not-so-sharp eye, Chen Xuan simply said, "Then think about it yourself. How long has it been? Is it only me who can talk to you? Are there any other exceptions?"

"It seems so. Then help me chase them away. I'm too lazy to talk to them. The splashes in the water are nothing to look at. I'm tired of it. Hurry up, you haven't said what reward you want yet," it said lazily, lying on the treetop.

Relieved, Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Leave it to me, it'll be quick."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan darted towards those people. He didn't care about others, but he didn't want Ling Yun and Xiang Qi to die here without knowing why.

They all came to fight evil. Chen Xuan had no interest in chivalry, but he didn't mind if there were more good people like them in the world.

Despite talking to the old white crane for so long, even though they were four or five miles apart, at their level, it was practically the same as being face to face.

For Chen Xuan, a distance of ten or twenty miles was nothing more than a breath, and he quickly arrived near the battleground of more than a dozen innate masters.

They had clearly just landed on an island about a mile in circumference. A dozen or so people were in a chaotic frenzy, and amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, the once peaceful and lush island was riddled with holes. Patches of vegetation collapsed and were torn apart, and the ground was covered with marks from slashing, hacking, and punching, as if they were about to sink the entire island.

Of course, even if they all combined their strength, they couldn't sink the island into the lake, even if they worked themselves to death.

The scene was a bit chaotic, and Chen Xuan didn't quite understand what was going on at first glance.

They didn't have a unified goal. Sometimes they would team up in twos and threes to deal with one person, and sometimes they would be wary of each other and attack each other. It was a complete mess.

The scene of a dozen or so innate masters fighting each other was still quite astonishing. Huge flashes of swords and blades would frequently appear dozens of feet in the air. If it had happened in a city instead of a desolate wilderness, who knows how many innocent people would have been harmed.

Chen Xuan saw Xiang Qi and Ling Yun.

Xiang Qi's powerful body gleamed with a metallic black light as he charged and crashed about with wide, sweeping movements, like a ferocious humanoid beast. His exaggerated hammer was wreathed in black dragon energy, which occasionally surged out and destroyed everything in its path. Ling Yun held a broken spear, which flashed with a silvery-white edge and shot out like a meteor.

They did not join forces, but fought independently, subtly targeting a black-clad man wielding a blood-red longsword, while also guarding against others.

It wasn't just the two of them; everyone else seemed to be targeting the black-clad man wielding the blood-red longsword. However, their disorganized and indiscriminate attacks gave the black-clad man a chance to maneuver and even retaliate.

Although Ling Yun's target was him, Chen Xuan noticed that Ling Yun was more wary of a man in a silver robe holding a knife. The man's gaze towards Ling Yun was icy. If it weren't for the fact that his main focus was on the man holding the blood-red longsword, or more accurately, the knife, Ling Yun would probably have been the primary target!

In addition, Chen Xuan saw the woman in red again, He Hongyi, whom Xiang Qi had mentioned. She also used a knife. After only one day, she had actually returned to the Misty Swamp and even the core area, still wearing a fiery red dress, looking radiant and beautiful.

Her primary target was the black-clad man wielding a blood-red longsword, but she also had to be wary of a sneak attack from a bald, thin man wearing earth-yellow gold gloves.

There were other people whom Chen Xuan had no recollection of.

"The man in black must be Tang Yu. His cultivation is among the best of these people, only the silver-robed swordsman is his equal. His cultivation is unstable, clearly having increased rapidly in a short time. The sword in his hand is indeed strange, entirely blood-red, with blood seemingly flowing on its surface… Besides, if I'm not mistaken, the silver-robed swordsman is Duan Zui, who can't wait to kill Ling Yun. His brother, Duan Nie, died at the hands of Ling Yun and his group. The bald man wearing the metal gloves is probably the one who caused He Hongyi's injury when we met yesterday."

Chen Xuan only vaguely remembered these people. Everyone was on high alert, and they were constantly hitting each other, creating a chaotic mess.

Upon arriving here, people didn't notice Chen Xuan's presence for a moment, as everyone was busy with their own things and had no time to pay attention.

A quick glance swept across the crowd, and Chen Xuan, standing atop a treetop outside the melee, clearly heard them say, "Excuse me for disturbing you all, but could you please change direction? Continuing this way will kill you. Turning back now is still possible. I don't care whether most of you live or die, and I'm not discussing this with you, just stating a fact. By the way, Tang Yu, stay here."

...(End of chapter)