Misty Rain of the Old Times

"It's quite lively over there, it's been a long time since it's been this lively. You handled it so quickly? There was even a murder."

When Chen Xuan returned to the island, the old white crane spoke from afar, chattering like a nagging old man.

After hesitating for a moment, he simply went directly to the island. Having had previous interactions, he found the old white crane to be quite easy to get along with, and it did not show any rejection or aggression towards his bold actions.

Looking up at the old white crane in the treetop up close, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "In the martial world, fighting and killing are normal. If one person isn't a good guy and another attacks me, I'm not so patient as to just wipe them out easily."

As he spoke, he thought to himself, "Was it really that fast? Actually, it took a little time."

This is indeed very fast in the long and lonely life of the old white crane.

The old white crane lazily stretched its wings and shook its head, saying, "Indeed, there's always conflict in the martial world. When I traveled with Baiyun, we often fought, sometimes with people, sometimes with other creatures. I've killed quite a few. But Baiyun has been asleep for decades, and it's rather boring to be left alone. Hmm, you can't touch any of the plants or trees around here without my permission, or I'll get angry. They're all memories of Baiyun."

"Don't worry, I'm not a robber coming to your door, I won't do anything," Chen Xuan said with a smile, making sure not to step on a single blade of grass.

There was something strange in my heart. The other party was just an old white crane. If you didn't look at it, it was as if you were communicating with a person.

Looking down at Chen Xuan, it said, "It's getting dark, and I don't like people disturbing the place where Baiyun used to live, so I won't keep you any longer. I'm very happy that you came to talk to me. Have you thought about what reward you want?"

I have no idea what you have to offer, Chen Xuan thought to himself, feeling both amused and exasperated. Considering that the other party was just a crane, how could it possibly consider everything so comprehensively? But he also understood that the other party was seeing him off, even though it seemed rather reluctant to leave.

Having already planned his purpose, Chen Xuan pointed to the white cloud tree and said, "Thank you for your generosity. Could you give me some of the wood from this tree? I don't need much, just a branch about the thickness of a wrist and a few feet long will do. It won't affect the overall condition of the tree."

Upon closer inspection, this tree is truly beautiful. It's as thick as a water vat, as white as jade, and its dense, needle-like leaves resemble clouds. It's a pity it already has an owner; otherwise, Chen Xuan would have liked to transplant it back to Peach Blossom Abode.

Perhaps in a few years, after the old white crane passes away, we can transplant it again. As for whether it will survive by then, we can simply move a large area of ​​land around it.

It looked at Chen Xuan and said in a hoarse tone, "Of course, no problem. It's just a branch. As long as you don't cut down the whole tree, it's fine. But Baiyun left behind a lot of good things, martial arts manuals, and his weapons. I've kept them all safe. There are also many good things in the herb garden. Back then, Baiyun collected and transplanted a lot of precious medicinal herbs, including ginseng that was over a thousand years old, as well as spiritual herbs that could improve one's cultivation and aptitude. Aren't they all better than this branch? Do you really only want a branch?"

It seems that the White Cloud Sword Master was quite wealthy eighty years ago, possessing so many valuable items. However, these must have been his life savings. If Chen Xuan were a bit more wicked, he would probably have become greedy and pocketed them all.

If that were the case, the old white crane probably wouldn't be so easy to talk to. It's just simple-minded, not stupid. Biological intuition is extremely sharp, and it can instinctively distinguish between good and bad people.

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "Even the best things belong to others. I only want what I need, nothing more."

"It's rare to see someone like you, not greedy at all. Back when Baiyun and I traveled the world, we saw too many people who wanted to have all the good things in the world. But I digress. How about this, I'll give you a branch today. If you have time in the future, I'll give you something every time you come and talk to me. When I fall asleep one day and go to find Baiyun, I'll give you everything here." It actually stood up from the treetop, stretched its body, landed gracefully, and circled around Chen Xuan happily.

Is there such a good thing?

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xuan said, "It would be a lie to say I don't want the good things here; even I wouldn't believe it myself. Of course, it would be great if I could get them, but I won't force it if I can't. But none of that matters. I've enjoyed spending time with you, and we can become friends in a different way. I'll come to see you often when I have time and bring you some gifts, as an exchange. I just suspect that what I bring won't be as good as what you give, so I hope you won't feel like you're missing out."

Normally, after living for several decades, you'll have plenty of good things to have, so there's no need to envy others.

"Haha, you're quite frank. There aren't many people like that. I really like your personality. These things are useless to me, so why not give them to you? But I'm quite bored. It's rare to have someone to talk to. I'm worried that you'll take everything and then never come back. So, I'll give you one thing each time you come. Until I go to find Baiyun, everything here will be yours," it said, gently patting Chen Xuan's shoulder with its wing.

Chen Xuanxin said, "You didn't just bluntly tell me to seduce me with good things, we're even."

Sincerity is the right way to communicate, especially with such a pure-hearted creature. Being insincere and evasive is simply a bad approach. Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "Thank you very much."

"Okay, it's settled then. Alright, go get a branch yourself. I don't know what kind you want, just don't cut down the whole tree. I need to go get something to eat, it's getting late. You can leave once you've got your branch. I won't keep you for dinner; I eat fish, I can't cook, and I doubt you'd be able to stomach it."

As it spoke, it gracefully spread its wings, moving so fast that Chen Xuan was astonished. He only saw a flash of white before it plunged headfirst into the bottomless lake, leaving Chen Xuan alone there without a care in the world.

With a smile, Chen Xuan didn't touch a single blade of grass or tree outside the White Cloud Tree. Regardless of whether the old white crane was spying on him, he only took a section of the White Cloud Tree branch he needed.

Finally, I've got it! The last key material for crafting the array flag is ready.

During the process, Chen Xuan glanced around the room and saw an old man with white hair and beard sitting cross-legged in the broken window. However, he had long since lost his vitality and looked as if he were asleep.

That must be the corpse of Sword Master Baiyun. No wonder Old White Crane kept saying he was asleep rather than dead.

This was clearly a natural death from old age, not an accident. The body of a Grandmaster-level expert remained incorrupt even decades after his death. It was fortunate that the old white crane was guarding it; otherwise, if some people practicing evil methods had obtained this corpse, they might have been able to refine it into a puppet with the combat power of a Grandmaster.

Without disturbing a single plant or tree, Chen Xuan bowed in the direction of the house after obtaining the white cloud wood, then turned and walked away. He would visit the old white crane often when he had time. To put it bluntly, it was no different from a lonely old man, except that for ordinary people, being around it would be deadly.

The white cloudwood is as white as jade, and the bark and even the internal texture are like cloud patterns. The clusters of needles are like clouds, and Chen Xuan, carrying the branches away, is like carrying a small cloud.

Not long after Chen Xuan left, the old white crane rushed out of the lake, not a drop of water on its body, with a white fish about a meter long in its mouth, and the fish was crackling with electricity.

It landed on the treetop, tilted its head back, and swallowed the fish whole, its neck bulging.

Tilting its head, it looked in the direction Chen Xuan had left and muttered to itself, "He said he had a flexible moral bottom line, but I think he's more of a good person. He's very polite and well-mannered. Otherwise, why would I waste so much time talking to him and even give him benefits? Everyone who comes here before is greedy. I hope he comes often in the future. Giving him what Bai Yun left behind is the right thing to do. It's a pity he probably doesn't even care about what Bai Yun left behind. Otherwise, he would be a good successor. Hmm, he should teach what Bai Yun left behind to the right person in the future, so that Bai Yun's legacy can be passed on. Bai Yun, I miss you so much. Life without you is so boring and so long. Why did I live so long? I really wish I could close my eyes and fall asleep to find you. But you have to let me live well. Sigh..."

Having obtained the White Cloud Wood, Chen Xuan stopped wandering aimlessly and headed straight out of the Misty Swamp. This trip not only yielded the White Cloud Wood but also discovered a copper mine and met Old White Crane. He figured they could become friends if he visited often, making it a very fruitful trip. The sun had already set, and he planned to go straight home for dinner.

On the way, he made a detour to the lair of the Crimson Flame Tiger. While the Crimson Flame Tiger was trembling with fear, he dug up some fire copper ore, refined it, and took about a hundred catties with him. Since he was already there, he might as well take it. It was free anyway, and it would be enough for him for the time being. He could use it to refine several kinds of artifacts.

Fire copper ore itself emits an astonishingly high temperature and actually contains very few impurities, but the refining method is still high-temperature calcination. Under Chen Xuan's Seven-Turn Blazing Sun Palm, he obtained fire copper that was almost pure.

To prevent this thing from burning the branches of the white cloud tree, and since he had no containers to store it, he had no choice but to use his icy cold technique to freeze it. He could then take it back and put it in the underground secret room without worrying about it starting a fire. It wouldn't take long to get back.

It took two days to get to Misty Marsh, which went more smoothly than I had expected.

When he arrived at Jinze County, he did not sense the presence of Ling Yun and the others. This was normal, as he guessed they were still in the Misty Swamp. They were not as fast as him. Even if a person at the Innate Realm traveled at full speed, it would take at least several hours to get out of the core area, while Chen Xuan only took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. He even dug up some fire copper along the way.

Without dwelling on it too much, he originally planned to head south directly home for dinner, but then he stopped and looked in a certain direction from Jinze County.

'There really is another knife. I don't know where Tang Yu got the one from. He was chased into the Misty Swamp. Since we've come across it, let's just deal with it.'

With that thought in mind, Chen Xuan headed straight for the Evil Blade. When he came here a couple of days ago, he hadn't seen the Evil Blade yet, so he couldn't tell the difference. But after handling it himself, he could sense the same aura within a ten-mile radius.

At this moment, he also realized that the three innate masters in Jinze County had also come to investigate the Evil Blade, but their target was not Tang Yu, and their target was different from Ling Yun and the others. However, their purpose was the same, after all, there was more than one Evil Blade.

Soon Chen Xuan arrived near another evil blade. It was quite lively. In the wilderness outside the city, four innate masters were fighting. However, compared to the battle between Ling Yun and his dozen or so innate masters, it was a small scene.

Two women wielding knives and a man wielding a stick were attacking a man with an evil knife.

The two women wielding knives were dressed in black clothes with red trim, clearly official attire, and were likely members of the government. Moreover, they were twins, and their combined attack technique was quite formidable, which made Chen Xuan take a second look. To be fair, their looks and figures were exceptional, especially since they were twins, which was an added bonus.

Although it's true that there are very few ugly people at the Innate Realm, the probability of beautiful women coming out of Yuhua Kingdom is too high; they're everywhere.

Chen Xuan sighed inwardly. Maybe he was just lucky and only saw beautiful women? Or maybe he was too ugly to remember? Just like that guy Zuo Kaichou arrested in Camel Bell Town.

The person wielding the evil blade and being attacked had an unstable aura, indicating that he had only recently reached the Innate Realm and was likely only able to advance because of the blade.

Although they were fighting fiercely, Chen Xuan thought it was no different from chickens pecking at each other. He still had to go home for dinner, so there was no need to waste time here.

After a quick glance, he noticed he was carrying a piece of white cloudwood on one arm and a frozen lump of fire copper tucked under his other arm. He said directly, "Excuse me, everyone, I'm in a hurry, so I won't keep you company any longer."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed at the man wielding the evil blade. The man was about to swing his blade to block the black staff coiled with snake-like true energy when suddenly a tremendous force appeared on the blood blade. He was unable to resist it, and the blade flew out of his hand.

Before he could even figure out what was going on, the knife flew away. The sudden turn of events left him with nothing to block it, and as a result, his skull was smashed open on the spot by a stick, splattering red and white matter all over the unexpected twin beauties.

'Although the person who obtained the evil blade is most likely no good, and clearly killed to increase his cultivation, so he deserved to die, his death has nothing to do with me.'

With a thought to himself, Chen Xuan caught the flying blood-red longsword. He had already studied the other one, so there was no need to examine it closely. He simply grabbed the back of the blade and squeezed it, instantly breaking it into two pieces. Then, he used the Seven Revolutions Blazing Sun Palm, and a gray-brown cauldron appeared. He threw the sword into it and burned it into scrap metal.

This is also a child knife; the mother knife is nowhere to be found.

At this moment, the three people looked over in shock, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Chen Xuan. To snatch someone's weapon from a distance and destroy it so easily—what kind of cultivation level was this?

"May I ask who you are?"

"That knife... we need to take it back to report."

The two twin beauties spoke almost simultaneously.

It's already destroyed. You're taking it back to report? What if Shangguan gets his hands on it and can resist the temptation of the evil blade's effects?
The grayish-brown cauldron in his hand vanished, and Chen Xuan tossed over a lump of molten iron, laughing, "You can probably take this to report back, right? Who I am isn't important. I probably won't see you again, so I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye."

After saying that, he shouldered the tree branch, turned around, and left. He moved as fast as a ghost in their eyes, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The group was terrified. It wasn't even dark yet; could they have seen a ghost? But the clump of evil blade slag hadn't cooled down yet, proving that everything that had happened before was real.

They exchanged bewildered glances, and the older twin took a deep breath, saying, "We've probably encountered a master."

"Needless to say," the younger sister said happily, "I never imagined this matter would be resolved so miraculously. Let's hurry back and report."

Looking at the ruins of the evil blade, a hint of regret flashed in the eyes of the man wielding the stick.

At the same time, from an unknown place, a voice roared: "Who is it that destroyed another one of my knives? Two knives in one day! Whoever you are, if I find out, I will make you wish you were dead!"

...(End of chapter)