Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chen Xuan had naturally heard He Hongyi's words, but he pretended not to hear them. He clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself, "Another one. What can I do about this?"
It must be admitted that, as a normal person, it would be quite gratifying for such a thing to happen to you, but to put it sentimentally, it would also be a nuisance if it happened too often, though most people just don't realize it.

Compared to Zheng Wanqian's reserve, He Hongyi was straightforward and passionate, not hiding her thoughts at all, like fireworks illuminating the night sky, blooming freely.

Different people express themselves in different ways.

This wasn't the first time Chen Xuan had experienced something like this, so he didn't take it to heart. He had already made it very clear that he didn't have a "never take the initiative, never refuse" mentality when it came to raising fish. After a while, they would all be just passersby. Having one or two companions on a long journey in life was enough.

Just as Chen Xuan was about to return to get the White Cloud Wood from the old white crane to end his trip, he noticed that Ling Yun had actually followed him. He hadn't gone the wrong way; he was clearly following him.

Having roughly guessed his thoughts, Chen Xuan stopped on a small island, only a few feet in diameter. As the other man approached, he said in a daze, "Senior, why did you follow me? What I said before was true. Going any further in this direction would be mortal danger. I will find a way to get the white cloudwood myself. I appreciate your kindness."

Ling Yun's old wounds had not yet healed, and he had many new injuries. Although none of them were fatal, he was in a very sorry state.

However, Chen Xuan was wrong. Ling Yun approached and, to Chen Xuan's surprise, bent both knees in a deep bow, about to kneel, and said, "There were many people before, and I dared not make a sound for fear of displeasing you, senior. Junior Ling Yun greets senior."

This almost threw Chen Xuan off balance. Naturally, he couldn't let him kneel down. He raised his hand to stop him, and no matter how much Chen Xuan insisted, he couldn't continue. Chen Xuan asked in surprise, "No, Senior, why is this?"

Unable to perform a full bow, and after several attempts to break free, Ling Yun had no choice but to give up. He lowered his posture considerably, saying, "Senior, please forgive me. This should be the third time you've saved my life. Back in the desert, if you hadn't eliminated Liu Zhenwei, we would all have died there. Then there was the lake earlier, and just now you eliminated Tang Yu and Duan Zui. I don't know if I'll survive Tang Yu, but Duan Zui will definitely kill me. Three lives gone. If I don't show my gratitude, I won't be able to eat or sleep peacefully."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan was almost stunned, and asked hesitantly, "Wait a minute, what do you mean by this, senior?"

No, how did Ling Yun recognize me? Could it be that he, like Zhao Qingluan, has such a terrifying intuition? After all, they are master and disciple; birds of a feather flock together, right?

Ling Yun hesitated, seeing that Chen Xuan's answer was irrelevant, and said, "I don't know whether I should address you as Yang Guo, the Great Hero, or as Chen Xuan, the Young Master Chen?"

Why don't you mention the drug dealer Huang Xiaochao? You probably haven't heard about the Jingguo incident yet.

He actually recognized me. I didn't make a fuss because there were many people around. After all, among those people, he was the only one who went to the desert in the northwest of Jing Kingdom and experienced the Liu Zhenwei and Guo Jinglong incident. Just because others can't make the connection doesn't mean he can't.

"You can still call me Young Master Chen," Chen Xuan said with a smile, without denying it. It wasn't anything shameful, and he didn't need to be as low-key as he used to be.

Since he didn't deny it, that meant he admitted it. Ling Yun looked at Chen Xuan and sighed, "Young Master Chen is truly a celestial being, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. After so many years, I never expected to meet you here again. By sheer coincidence, you saved me once more. I'm afraid I can only repay your kindness by serving you like a slave for countless lifetimes."

He followed Chen Xuan's lead in addressing him, but didn't take it seriously. Back then, he could transform into Yang Guo, so it wasn't surprising that he was now using the alias 'Chen Xuan'.

I never imagined this was Chen Xuan's true identity, because who knows what kind of different face he would have the next day? As for his supposed interactions with Zhao Qingluan, or whether he was the young master's servant, I wouldn't take it seriously, and I wouldn't bother to investigate.

How could he possibly fathom the actions of someone like Chen Xuan? He probably just enjoys life, blurring the lines between truth and falsehood. There's no point in getting caught up in all that; all he needs to do is understand who he owes a debt of gratitude to.

"A great favor can turn into an enemy"—you can't say things like that.

Since we've already come this far, and a little more time won't make a difference, Chen Xuan simply plopped down on a rock and casually asked, "Why did you connect me with Yang Guo from back then, senior?"

Ling Yun stopped worrying about the form of address, knowing that Chen Xuan was a free spirit who didn't care about such things. He sat down beside him and said directly, "Actually, when Young Master Chen rescued me from the lake, I didn't even realize it until you intervened again just now. That's when I suddenly realized that you are the great hero Yang from back then."

"Tell me about it," Chen Xuan said with great interest. He was curious that these things could be connected. Now he didn't need to deliberately hide anything, but he wouldn't actively tell others either. In any case, he didn't care.

After thinking for a moment, Ling Yun said, "There are two reasons. First, strength. There are only a handful of grandmasters in the world. Generally speaking, such beings don't bother to hide themselves. Only you, Young Master Chen... are somewhat different. Back then, you could easily kill Liu Zhenwei with a sword from a distance, and now you casually killed Duan Zui Tang Yu. Your strength is commensurate with your abilities, and your style of doing things is exactly the same. You don't care who they are or what they did. You were just dragged into this, so you did it on the side."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan nodded inwardly. No matter how a person's appearance changes, their style of doing things will not change much unless they do it intentionally. It is not surprising that he made the connection.

Moreover, as he said, there are only a handful of Grandmaster-level experts, and their every move is closely watched. Adding an outlier makes it easy to make connections. Ling Yun then added, "What truly confirms my suspicions is the second reason: you carried an ordinary stick back then, and you still carry one now, albeit a different one. It seems to be a hobby. There aren't that many coincidences in the world. Combining these two points, it's not hard to guess your identity, Young Master Chen."

After listening to him, Chen Xuan looked at the stick tucked crookedly at his waist, the stick he had traded a piece of candy for from the boy. The problem lay there.

He was both amused and exasperated; this was a lucky accident.

There was no need to deny it, nor was there any need to show off. Chen Xuan smiled and said, "So, Senior deliberately chased after me just for this?"

He nodded frankly and said, "Yes, how could I live in this world if I didn't show any gratitude to my benefactor in person? After recognizing my benefactor, I know that my strength is too weak, and I'm afraid I can't help you with your request for the White Cloud Wood, lest I make a fool of myself. But if my benefactor has any requests, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Is that all? What should I do? Since that's the case, alright, if there's nothing else, shall we call it a day? How about we meet again sometime in the future?" Chen Xuan said with a smile. He was a man who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment, willing to risk his life for the sake of justice. There weren't many like him in the world, and Chen Xuan didn't mind getting to know a few more.

Later? Who knows how many years later?

In truth, Ling Yun was somewhat inclined to repay the debt of gratitude, but considering that Chen Xuan was a loner and probably didn't need a burden, he decided not to provoke him and cause trouble. So he said, "Then I won't bother Young Master Chen any longer. It seems that Young Master Chen has made progress in finding the White Cloud Wood. I probably won't be of much help and will only cause trouble. I wish Young Master Chen all the best. In the future, if you have any requests, just spread the word in the martial world, and I will gladly cross mountains and rivers to serve you."

Before he guessed Chen Xuan's identity, he was worried about his safety. Now he doesn't need to worry about it. Why should he, a grandmaster, need to worry about such things?

He didn't inquire about Chen Xuan's whereabouts or whereabouts. People will come to him if they need something. Why should he ask? He might be mistaken for taking advantage of the situation.

Intending to part ways there, Chen Xuan suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "By the way, senior, have you ever heard of someone named Baiyun?"

"White Clouds? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before..." Ling Yun frowned in thought, then quickly exclaimed in surprise, "I remember now, I have indeed heard of it!"

Then, as Chen Xuan gestured for him to continue, he said, "I've only heard snippets of information. Legend has it that eighty years ago in our Yuhua Kingdom, there was a grandmaster with unparalleled swordsmanship named Baiyun, respectfully known as the White Cloud Sword Master. He also kept a crane whose combat power was no weaker than that of a grandmaster. He was a free-spirited lone wolf, and there's no record of him having any family or descendants. It's been so long, and that level is beyond my reach. In short, some say that eighty years ago, he was old and wanted to go into seclusion to break through to a higher realm, and since then, there has been no news of him. That's all I know."

White Cloud Sword Master? White Cloud Wood? White Crane?
After hearing what he said, Chen Xuan suddenly realized that the small island not far away was where the other party was in seclusion. No wonder that old white crane knew swordsmanship.

With his carefree and unrestrained personality, raising white cranes and planting white cloud trees that match his name, it doesn't seem out of place at all.

However, it seems that the other party has definitely failed to break through. It is not easy for a Grandmaster to cross over to the Tribulation Transcending Realm. Besides, the old white crane is still guarding his remains.

If we calculate it this way, the Grandmaster's lifespan is three Jiazi years, and more than eighty years have passed. Doesn't that mean that the old white crane is probably almost three hundred years old? Even if a mythical beast lives longer than a human, it can't withstand the test of time.

As Chen Xuan pondered, Ling Yun looked into the distance and said in surprise, "Could it be over there...?"

Nodding, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "As expected, it's pretty much what you guessed, senior. What, do you have any ideas?"

"I wouldn't dare. How could I possibly be qualified to covet it? I never imagined that the White Cloud Sword Master, who was famous throughout the world eighty years ago, would ultimately perish in the depths of this Misty Swamp. If the news were to spread, it would surely cause a huge uproar, and countless people would flock here," Ling Yun said with a moved expression.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that he dared not; that was human nature. Chen Xuan didn't think too much about it. Instead, he stood up and said, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. Old Crane is already old. It's best not to disturb him unless you're at the Grandmaster level. Otherwise, you simply can't withstand his voice and will die. Don't risk your life for something unrealistic. What suits you best is the best."

"Don't worry, Young Master Chen, I'll keep this to myself," Ling Yun assured him.

Chen Xuan waved his hand dismissively and said, "That's none of my business. Senior probably still has to deal with the Evil Blade matter, so I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell."

After saying that, he left decisively. Ling Yun did not follow him, but instead bowed deeply in the direction he left before turning and leaving.

...(End of chapter)