Misty Rain of the Old Times

Having understood the whole story, Madam Gao glared at the two of them and scolded them, "You two, do you really think you're children? If you wanted to experiment with the formation, couldn't you at least give us a heads-up? Or go somewhere secluded? Look at the mess you've made of the house!"

The two men lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound; indeed, they were in the wrong first.

They were slightly tipsy beforehand, and since the mist formation didn't involve killing and posed no danger, they didn't think much of it. Little did they know that they would accidentally cause such a mess.

"Alright, alright, they know they were wrong, let's just let it go," Old Master Gao said with a smile. He had been young once too, and it was quite normal for young people to act recklessly and make a fuss, as long as nothing serious happened.

The two brothers quickly nodded and said in unison, "We'll never do it again."

"Do you want a next time? You two will turn this house upside down!" Madam Gao was furious and almost rolled her eyes.

Waving his hand, Master Gao continued to act as peacemaker, looking at the two and saying, "Aren't you going to put away the battle flags? Don't let the fog rise again and turn it back to what it was before."

"No, no, the fog array is controlled by people. As long as it's not manipulated, it will remain as it is. I'll put it away right now," Gao Jingming quickly said. There was still a thin layer of fog around them, but it wouldn't cause any trouble anymore.

As he spoke, he made a hand gesture, and five array flags scattered in different places flew over from a distance, demonstrating that he had just learned how to use them.

"These are the array flags? They can create the same dense fog as before?" Master Gao asked curiously, examining the array flags in Gao Jingming's hand. He was quite knowledgeable, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a fog array flag.

Gao Jingming handed it over and said, "It's not that simple. We need to calculate the direction and formation based on the time and weather. Father, would you like to take a look?"

Chen Xuan let him show off. Xiao Gao was a pitiful kid. Although he was born into a wealthy family, he had never seen such high-end stuff before. He wanted to share it with his family like he had received a fun toy.

Noticing Chen Xuan's nonchalant attitude, Master Gao took it and examined it, unable to discern anything particularly remarkable about it, and could only ponder, "It is quite unique, though."

Chen Xuan almost burst out laughing. What kind of ridiculous description was that? But then again, judging by their appearance alone, the five array flags were works of art, with textures on their surfaces that were pleasing to the eye.

Madam Gao exclaimed, "I never imagined you, Xiao Xuan, possessed such skills. It seems like just yesterday you were an innocent child, and now you've grown up so much—it's unbelievable!"

"Madam, you flatter me. I am who I am, and I haven't changed. I was just thinking about this for no reason, it's nothing serious," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Gao Jingming was speechless. Ah Xuan, you're going a bit too far. You're still speculating. How come I can't figure it out?
Gao Jingyu, standing to the side, smiled without saying anything. He seemed calm, but in reality, he was extremely envious of the set of array flags. If only he had his own! If used properly, it could play a great role and help Prince Qing achieve his goals more smoothly. His own status would also be greatly enhanced, and Wu Shi would probably have to obediently abdicate and let him become the principal wife. His son could then rightfully become the heir apparent.

Unfortunately, it was a gift Chen Xuan gave to his younger brother. She wouldn't covet her brother's things, but could she borrow them if necessary?
She had no intention of getting anything from Chen Xuan, and she was very sensible. Maintaining the status quo was already quite good. If she really took advantage of their current relationship and went too far, it would definitely make Chen Xuan resentful, and that would be a loss.

Moreover, she knew in her heart that this kind of thing was definitely not easy to make. The materials alone were hard to find. Thinking back to what happened a few months ago, Chen Xuan not only destroyed the Wu family for this thing, but also killed a grandmaster.

This is truly unfair to Chen Xuan. The Wu family and Wei Wuyai were just by chance, not deliberately targeted.

The fog had now dissipated, and Zhou Jinlin, sensing something extraordinary, looked at the array flags in Master Gao's hand and said, "Grandpa, were my uncles playing this before? I want to play too."

"I can't let you play with this, and besides, do you even know how to play it properly, my dear grandson?" Old Master Gao said with a smile, returning the array flag to Gao Jingming. He couldn't understand why Gao Jingming would keep his son's things for himself. He figured the family could satisfy their curiosity when Chen Xuan wasn't around.

Gao Jingyu's face also hardened as she said, "Lin'er, how have I taught you? You must always be composed."

"Mom, I know I was wrong," the little boy said, looking down with a hint of disappointment, but more so with fear of his mother, Gao Jingyu.

The rules in a prince's mansion are so strict; look how they've put the children under such control.

Chen Xuan wasn't particularly fond of Gao Jingyu, but he kept things separate and wouldn't hold a grudge against a child. He pulled a pretty little white tag from his sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "Young Master Jinlin, it's our first meeting. I didn't prepare a gift, but here's a little something for you as a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won't find it offensive."

He only showed closeness because he was on the Gao family's side, and he addressed them accordingly, even calling them "young master of the maternal relatives" as if it were natural. If it were Prince Qing's side, they would have given him a gift upon meeting him. They'd be dreaming.

The gift given to Zhou Jinlin was nothing special to him—just a small wooden plaque, about an inch in size, smooth and warm like jade. It was a scrap of white cloud wood left over from making array flags. It was sealed with a Grandmaster's true essence protective technique. Having experience making fans for Gao Jingming, he was familiar with similar techniques and could carry it with him to block a fatal blow from a Grandmaster or below in a critical moment.

As the eldest son of Prince Qing, Zhou Jinlin had seen all sorts of fine things, yet he didn't recognize the value of this little token. It was indeed very pretty, and he somewhat wanted it. He glanced at Gao Jingyu, shook his head, and said, "My mother taught me that I cannot accept a reward without merit; I cannot take it."

"Your upbringing is quite good," Chen Xuan said with a smile. "Just take it; we're not strangers."

Perhaps those present didn't recognize its value, but they understood that anything given by a grandmaster was extraordinary, no matter how casual. Otherwise, how could it be presented so readily?
To avoid giving Chen Xuan the impression that he was greedy for small gains, Gao Jingyu immediately wanted to refuse.

But Gao Jingming spoke first: "Ah Xuan gave it to you, Jinlin, just accept it. It's definitely a good thing, you can't lose it. Why don't you thank Uncle Chen?"

Since her younger brother had said so, and understanding their relationship, Gao Jingyu stopped refusing. Under Zhou Jinlin's questioning gaze, she nodded slightly. The little boy then happily accepted the token from Chen Xuan's hand and said cheerfully, "Thank you, Uncle Chen."

“That’s more like it. Go find a sturdy rope to hang yourself on,” Chen Xuan said with a smile, then turned to Gao Jingming and rolled his eyes, saying, “Young Master, can you please stop making me sound so old? I’m not married yet. I was originally planning to trick the young master into calling me ‘brother,’ since we’re not that far apart in age.”

Gao Jingming said, both amused and exasperated, "Wouldn't that create chaos?" "What's the big deal? Everyone can do their own thing," Chen Xuan said nonchalantly.

The people present looked at each other, knowing Chen Xuan's unreliability, and burst into laughter. Even Gao Jingyu, who was not familiar with Chen Xuan, showed a relaxed smile.

After chatting for a while, it got late, and Mr. Gao stood up and said, "You two were drinking earlier, and I figured you wouldn't feel comfortable here, so I won't disturb you any longer. Please continue."

“That’s true. We won’t disturb you young people any longer,” Madam Gao said, rising to her feet.

Their arrival interrupted their drinking, and Chen Xuan and his wife lost all interest in drinking. However, not wanting to offend them, Chen Xuan stood up and said, "Master and Madam, I've never considered myself an outsider. Please forgive my boldness, but how about we have a drink together?"

"Haha, no, I just ate at my in-laws' place, I can't eat anymore, you guys continue," Mr. Gao said with a smile.

They insisted on leaving, and it was impossible to force the elders to stay. After they left, only Chen Xuan, Gao Jingming, and a few others remained in the courtyard.

Xiao Gao asked, "Continue?"

He was much more casual with Chen Xuan, scoffing, "What's the point of continuing? It's too late. Let's call it a day. Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"

"Going to work? That's more like it. Okay, whatever you want. We'll drink another day. But Ah Xuan, are you really not staying here?" Gao Jingming didn't insist, but still tried to persuade him to stay.

Stretching, Chen Xuan took a step forward and said, "It's just a few steps, not far at all. I'll come over after you start preparing for the wedding. If I can't help, I'll just freeload."

"You might as well stay here until the wedding is over; I'll see you off."

On the way out, Chen Xuan suddenly asked, "By the way, young master, you're about to get married. Are you nervous or excited? Do you feel anxious?"

"It was decided a long time ago, it's just a normal procedure, there's nothing like what you're saying, why do you ask?" Gao Jingming asked, puzzled.

"Haha, it's nothing, I was just saying."

After seeing Chen Xuan and Su Roujia off at the door and watching them leave, Gao Jingming was still wondering why he was so anxious about getting married. Could it be that Xuan was afraid of marriage? Well, I'm different from him. He's going to marry a princess. After the marriage, who knows who will listen to whom in the family?

On the other side, after parting ways with her family, Gao Jingyu instructed, "Lin'er, remember to keep the jewelry your Uncle Chen gave you safe. Never mind, I'll knit you a necklace myself."

Holding the wooden plaque with obvious delight, Zhou Jinlin looked up in confusion and asked, "Why, Mother? I already have a necklace. Do you really want to change it?"

"Trust me, you'll see later," Gao Jingyu said with a smile, affectionately patting his head. Actually, she herself wasn't sure if there was anything special about the gift Chen Xuan gave her. It wasn't high-level enough, so what could she tell? And she couldn't find another grandmaster to check it out. In any case, she would just take it seriously. Even if it was just a small trinket, Zhou Jinlin would be happy if Chen Xuan found out that he wore it close to his body.

Once Chen Xuan and the others returned to the house they had purchased and were inside, Chen Xuan slapped his forehead and said, "Oh dear, we were so busy chatting that we forgot to ask Xiao Gao to write a house number. We'll have him write it later."

"Master, does your ear still hurt?" the maid asked with concern, having witnessed Madam Gao twisting her master's ear almost twice.

Shrugging, Chen Xuan said, "It's alright, Roujia, laugh if you want. Madam Gao treats me like this because she doesn't consider me an outsider."

"I wouldn't laugh at you, sir. I can feel how good Madam is to you."

"That's right. Do you really think the rumors spread by the servants of the Gao family that Madam wanted to take me as her godson are just rumors? It's just that my cultivation progressed too quickly, so it was left unresolved."

If Chen Xuan were still at the Innate Realm, this matter might have been successful, but since he has already reached the Grandmaster Realm, Madam Gao gave up on the idea.

The new place I bought isn't as convenient as my old home, so I can only tidy it up a bit and make do.

The next morning, after some exercise and breakfast, Chen Xuan, feeling lazy in the dead of winter, decided to go back to sleep. As for taking the little girl to the floating island, he'd decide on that in the afternoon.

He was sprawled out in his sleep, half-asleep, when he felt a slight itch in his nose. He didn't stop sleeping, and when he groggily opened his eyes, he saw a bright, pretty face right in front of him, and could feel her warm breath on it.

At this moment, the little princess suppressed a laugh and tickled his nose with her hair. Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment, took a deep breath to clear his lungs, then closed his eyes, turned over, and muttered, "I actually dreamed about Qian Ning. Tsk, it's been a few days, and I have to say, I really miss her."

The little princess was speechless for a moment, then exclaimed cheerfully, "Lazybones, wake up! The sun's already high in the sky! Yay!"

Before she could finish speaking, she exclaimed in surprise and was caught by Chen Xuan, who pulled her onto the bed.

Holding her fragrant, soft body, Chen Xuan said with a smug look, "Qian Ning, you came to me of your own accord. Come on, have a taste first."

"Oh dear, Brother Xuan, stop fooling around! Let me go! It's broad daylight... um..." (End of Chapter)