Misty Rain of the Old Times

Too lazy to argue with him, Old Deng clapped his hands lightly and said, "Dark One."

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared in the blink of an eye, kneeling on one knee and saying in a completely emotionless voice, "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

This person had been guarding the area before, and his concealment skills were superb, making his presence very low. Chen Xuan was not surprised at all by his sudden appearance, because the other party's concealment methods were no match for him. He simply chose to ignore them and pretended not to know anything about it. There was no need to dwell on Old Deng's private cards.

It seemed that Old Deng wanted him to teach him how to use the Fog Array. Dark One was probably just a code name. Now that he had already shown himself, Chen Xuan curiously took a few glances at him.

He was completely covered in black scale armor, and even his face was covered by a faceless black metal mask with only small holes for the eyes. Chen Xuan didn't have X-ray vision, so apart from being able to tell that he was a man, he couldn't tell his appearance or age at all.

His cultivation level is quite good, at the top level of the Innate Realm, not inferior to Liu Zhenwei who was trying to break through to the Grandmaster Realm back then. Moreover, the armor he wears is also a good thing, made of pure black gold. Black gold is rare and precious. Haven't you seen how the Yuhua Kingdom and Shuangyue Kingdom are fighting tooth and nail for black gold mines? It can be said that the value of his black gold armor is immeasurable. With such cultivation level and black gold armor, he alone is enough to fight three or five people of the same level without being at a disadvantage!
Old Deng is quite something. There are a few others like him around, but the others are weaker than An Yi. An Yi is definitely the most powerful one among them. I just don't know how many guards like Old Deng are in total.

Although An Yi is nothing to Chen Xuan, his cultivation level and equipment make him a formidable opponent in the martial world, capable of taking on any sect without a grandmaster-level expert.

In response, Chen Xuan thought to himself that they were indeed the royal family, the largest "elite family" in Jing Kingdom, with an impressive foundation. He estimated that what he knew so far was only the tip of the iceberg.

Old Deng first had Eunuch Wang hand over the betrothal flags Chen Xuan had given him to An Yi, then pointed at Chen Xuan and said, "Go with him from now on; he will teach you how to use them." He paused for a moment, then added, "After you've learned how to use them, in case something happens and the flags become useless, you can choose one person to teach them to you."

"Your subject obeys the decree," he nodded silently, speaking very sparingly, and then stood up and went behind Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan turned around and looked at him with a smile, "Brother, you're not thinking about where on my body you can easily cut me, are you?"

As one of the emperor's most loyal guards, An Yi truly thought so at this moment. It was his duty, and anyone who posed a threat to the emperor was a potential enemy to him or to people like him, regardless of whether you were His Majesty's son-in-law or son.

At this moment, Chen Xuan jokingly exposed him, but he didn't care at all.

This guy is completely devoid of emotion and has absolutely no sense of humor. Chen Xuan thought to himself that he was boring.

The old emperor looked at Chen Xuan with a hint of pride and said, "How about it? My guards are not bad, are they?"

It was only in front of Chen Xuan that the old emperor acted like a normal person. If it were anyone else, would they bring up such a thing?
Chen Xuan curled his lip and said, "Not so great. I'm not bragging to you, Father-in-law, but someone like this could crush a whole bunch of them with one hand."

An Yi didn't believe it when he heard this. Not knowing Chen Xuan's background, he thought to himself, "Do you think you're a Grandmaster? Even a Grandmaster wouldn't dare say that crushing me is as easy as crushing an ant." However, he didn't care and showed no emotional fluctuation. He didn't take it to heart at all and knew that Chen Xuan wasn't targeting him.

The old emperor knew, of course, that Chen Xuan wasn't bragging, but the two were like natural enemies. He couldn't stand Chen Xuan's smugness and snorted, "You brat, don't be so arrogant. An Yi is just one of them. There are eighteen of them in the Dark Dragon Guards, all of whom are at the Innate Realm. Together they can fight a Grandmaster. They also have a combined attack formation. When they use it, it's enough to kill most of the Grandmasters in the world!"

The eunuch Wang, standing to the side, pretended to be dead, and was already drenched in sweat. He was on the verge of tears, thinking to himself, "My lord, is this something I can't possibly hear about? Can you please keep me out of your squabbles between father-in-law and son-in-law?"
Raising an eyebrow, Chen Xuan exclaimed, "You've got something! If you're that powerful, why don't you include Grandmasters in your calculations?"

Chen Xuan believed Lao Deng's words. Eighteen innate Dark Dragon Guards, wearing black gold armor, not even all of them, half of them would be qualified to fight against a Grandmaster. After all, equipment can make up for a certain gap in cultivation. If they also use a combined attack formation, killing a Grandmaster is not impossible.

The imperial family's resources are no joke; otherwise, how could they suppress the entire country? Look at those martial arts sects; they're so lively in the martial world, but when facing the imperial court, which one of them doesn't keep a low profile? Otherwise, the Tai Xuan Sect and Wu Xiang Temple, which have grandmaster-level experts, would have stopped taking the imperial court seriously long ago. They wouldn't be obediently following orders as soon as an imperial edict is issued.

Ultimately, Old Deng didn't dare boast that eighteen Dark Dragon Guards could suppress a Grandmaster. After being rebuffed by Chen Xuan, he angrily glared at him and said, "I don't want to talk to you, you brat."

"Tsk, they can't afford to play this game anymore," Chen Xuan shrugged and laughed, then habitually retorted, "Didn't we say we couldn't let a third person know? Now that Eunuch Wang knows he's going to learn array control, and there are other guards, what's the difference between this and announcing it loudly?"

What did Grandpa Wang do to deserve this by just standing there as a background character? He's looking at Chen Xuan pitifully, almost in tears, practically begging, "Big brother, please stop messing with me!"

Old Deng rolled his eyes and said irritably, "I told you to read more books, but you're going to feed pigs. What kind of comprehension do you have? What I mean is that the method of control must not be known to a third party."

“Father-in-law, you just said that you would choose someone to teach after Dark One,” Chen Xuan retorted, being a contrarian. Anyway, he and Old Deng had never had a proper conversation since their first meeting.

Despite their apparent incompatibility, they both actually enjoy each other's company. If it weren't for the princess, they could probably have become sworn brothers.

At this moment, the old emperor angrily surveyed his surroundings and shouted, "You insist on going against me, don't you? Where's my knife?"

Then An Yi, being very shrewd, silently put on his dagger, and Old Deng pretended not to see it, continuing to look for a knife for himself.

Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "If we can't win an argument, we can't resort to violence, okay? It's obvious you've been spoiled by your subordinates, Father-in-law."

"Do you still want to marry my daughter?" Old Deng, who had been thoroughly outmaneuvered, pulled out his trump card.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan instantly forgot his previous argumentative behavior and asked curiously, "The Mist Array is nothing special to me, but if it falls into the hands of others, it will be quite troublesome for you, Father-in-law. So, are your Dark Dragon Guards reliable?"

"Do you think everyone's as unreliable as you?" Old Deng scoffed, understanding Chen Xuan's meaning, and then patiently said, "Don't worry, they're only loyal to the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "So, in other words, they are only loyal to the emperor, and they serve whoever is the emperor, right?"

"nonsense"

I understand. This is a force controlled solely by the emperor. It's highly likely that even Emperor Deng cannot directly command them to pledge allegiance to anyone. They will unconditionally pledge allegiance to whoever ascends the throne, provided that the emperor they previously served is no longer alive, since they cannot serve two masters.

The fog formation was nothing to Chen Xuan, but if someone used it well, it could be a force to be reckoned with. To be on the safe side, he scoffed and said, "I don't believe it."

"What don't you believe?" Old Deng didn't react for a moment.

Chen Xuan laughed and said, "Loyalty, indeed!"

“This is not your concern,” Old Deng waved his hand and said.

Chen Xuan, the villain, went all the way and continued, "If loyalty isn't absolute, then it's absolutely disloyal. So, can I give it a try?"

"Get out of here, you brat!" Old Deng roared, flicking his dragon robe sleeve.

He knew, of course, how loyal the Dark Dragon Guards were, but he was also curious about how Chen Xuan would test them. However, he couldn't say such a thing and had to refuse outright. Could one test the loyalty of their subordinates in the open?

So, one plays the bad cop and the other the good cop; the father-in-law and son-in-law have long since developed a tacit understanding.

So Chen Xuan decisively ignored Lao Deng and instead looked at An Yidao: "How about I see how loyal you are?"

An Yi remained unmoved, completely ignoring him. The eyes beneath the mask even held a disdainful look, questioning their loyalty and showing contempt. "Is it that you wouldn't hesitate to kill whomever His Majesty orders you to?" Chen Xuan asked casually.

An Yi was like a cold machine, unwilling to say a single word to Chen Xuan.

He didn't seem to care and continued, "If His Majesty gave the order, would you also kill your parents, wives, and children without hesitation?"

Perhaps annoyed by Chen Xuan's questions, or perhaps feeling insulted by his skepticism, An Yi coldly uttered a single word: "Yes."

Right now, a flash of purple light appeared in Chen Xuan's eyes. He activated his Purple Mystic Illusionary Eyes, seizing the fleeting opportunity to control An Yi's mind. In An Yi's empty gaze, he asked again, "Will you betray His Majesty?"

"No, we are only loyal to His Majesty and have no other intentions," An Yi, whose mind was controlled by Chen Xuan, replied. It was precisely because his mind was controlled that he spoke more.

Nodding, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Then there's no problem. Do a good job, and forget about the question I asked you."

"Yes"

The old emperor, who witnessed the whole thing, thought to himself, "Is that all?" Although he didn't know what Chen Xuan had done, he had clearly confirmed An Yi's absolute loyalty. He naturally trusted Chen Xuan, but he still sneered, "You brat, are you done yet? How dare you question my subordinate?"

"I was just joking, Father-in-law, why are you so upset? Forget it, let's not talk nonsense anymore. Dark One, right? Take the array flags and come with me. I'll find a place to teach you how to use them," Chen Xuan said, turning around.

Old Deng said, "That's more like it. Just remember, don't let a third person know."

"Don't worry, I'll only teach him. The rest is none of my business. Roujia, wait here for a moment. I'll be back soon," Chen Xuan said, waving his hand behind him.

The reason Chen Xuan used the Purple Mystic Illusion Eye to confirm An Yi's loyalty was that he was worried the Mist Array might fall into the hands of others or foreign countries, and he would have to clean up the mess himself.

An Yi's willpower is absolutely strong enough to withstand any test, even stronger than that of a death squad. Directly using the Purple Mystic Illusionary Eye would definitely not be able to control him. Chen Xuan had experienced this failure before at Niushou Mountain, so he used a trick to distract him by asking him a couple of unimportant questions. Since An Yi wasn't on guard, Chen Xuan took advantage of the situation and succeeded in one fell swoop.

An Yi, who followed Chen Xuan away, obediently forgot the brief conversation and had no idea that he had actually been 'questioned'.

While doing all this, Grandmaster Chen Xuan's will affected the senses of those around him. Only Su Roujia, the old emperor, and Eunuch Wang witnessed it all. Others had no idea that Chen Xuan possessed such a direct and insightful method.

As the two of them left, Eunuch Wang, who had witnessed everything, was once again drenched in sweat. He couldn't help but wonder if he had already been interrogated like this by Chen Xuan. He just had forgotten about it. It was very possible. Fortunately, he was loyal to the Emperor and at most only occasionally embezzled a little money.

Su Roujia was left alone in the palace, feeling anxious and fearful. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly, unlike her master who could be so carefree.

Old Deng was always finding fault with Chen Xuan, but he transformed into a kind, neighborly old man with Su Roujia, gently saying, "Roujia, don't be nervous. Make yourself at home. We had a great chat the other day, and you even roasted beans for me."

"Your Majesty, I am not nervous," the little girl said, her voice trembling. She knelt down immediately. That's how it's portrayed on stage; you have to kneel to speak to the emperor. In reality, Jing Kingdom doesn't have that many servile rules. Unless it's a special occasion, kneeling is usually not required.

The old emperor personally helped her up and said gently, "Don't be like that, just call me Uncle. Come, let's continue roasting beans. We had some the other day, and they were quite delicious." As he spoke, Old Deng turned around and said, "Bring a stool and prepare charcoal for the beans."

Eunuch Wang hurried to make arrangements, knowing that the Emperor was showing favoritism because of the Princess. Usually, only Princess Fuyao received such treatment. The little girl was so lucky; she had followed the right person, and her fate had changed dramatically. For a country girl to be treated like this by His Majesty, countless people would be envious.

The large-scale fog array has a wide coverage area, so it definitely cannot be deployed in the capital. Chen Xuan thought An Yi was too slow, so he used his true essence to grab him from a distance and quickly flew to a remote place hundreds of miles away from the capital. The array flag was also tested here before.

Even though An Yi was almost emotionless, a look of shock and emotion still flashed in his eyes when Chen Xuan took him hundreds of miles away in just a few breaths.

Ignoring his emotional changes, Chen Xuan started teaching immediately after arriving at the destination.

Setting up a large-scale fog array is far more complex than setting up a small-scale fog array for Xiao Gao, but the operation after setting up the array is simple. An Yi learned it very quickly, but although his cultivation level is high, he is not as smart as Xiao Gao. Chen Xuan was a little tired of teaching him. Some details had to be repeatedly emphasized, and he could not be perfunctory. He thought to himself that he would never do this job again. He wondered how the teachers at the school could tolerate those blockheads.

After teaching him how to use it and letting him operate it himself to make sure he had mastered it, Chen Xuan didn't want to spend another moment with this cold-blooded guy and took him directly back to the palace.

"Father-in-law, it's all settled. I'm not going to take care of this stuff anymore. No, I mean, you've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since I came here. You wouldn't even let me sit down, but you and Roujia were roasting beans like grandfather and grandson?" Chen Xuan complained as he returned, speechless.

Old Deng was roasting beans in the Imperial Study with a young girl, their mouths turning black from eating them. Is that even acceptable?
"I know, I know, why are you yelling so loudly? I'm not deaf. Go away and wait until you've eaten before you leave," Old Deng said impatiently, waving his hand while busy with his work.

"I'm your son-in-law, okay? Can't you at least give me a friendly look?" Frustrated, Chen Xuan muttered, "You're still feeding me? Father-in-law, you're really being nice."

Seeing that there were no chairs around, he casually slumped onto the dragon throne behind the imperial desk, much to the astonishment of Eunuch Wang, and muttered, "I must say, it's quite comfortable. No wonder so many people want to sit in this chair. Who designed it? I'll ask them to make one for me too. It's just that the design isn't very good; it's all just fancy and frivolous."

Old Deng was completely unconcerned about Chen Xuan's audacious actions. Instead, he scoffed and said, "You brat, you're starting to complain now? Who would dare make the chair I'm sitting on uncomfortable? Aren't the Ministry of Works people at your house? Let them make it, but the style can't be like this. I don't care, but my men will cause you trouble."

"Forget it, this chair is inconvenient to lie down in. It's only comfortable when you sit upright. I'll have them get me a reclining chair later, one that rockes back and forth for comfort. When are we going to eat?" As he spoke, he actually started to complain about the dragon throne.

"Eat, eat, eat! Are you a pig?"

"I'm your son-in-law. If you don't appease me, believe me, I'll whisper in your daughter's ear and sow discord between you and your father," Chen Xuan threatened.

"I think you're asking for a beating..."

Chen Xuan had a royal meal with his father-in-law at the palace. The two of them fought over the food like children. Surprisingly, his father-in-law ate an extra bowl of rice. However, Chen Xuan complained that the food his father-in-law gave him was too bland, which angered his father-in-law so much that he swung a stick and chased him out of the palace.

As he was leaving, Chen Xuan dropped his playful demeanor and blurted out, "Father-in-law, do you need any help?"

"I'm not dead yet. These few restless fellows can't cause any trouble. It's none of your business," the old emperor waved his hand and said.

Since that's the case, Chen Xuan shrugged and said, "Alright, I'll go home for the New Year in a couple of days."

Everything was left unsaid. Old Deng specifically requested the Misty Array as a betrothal gift, which was definitely a preparation for something. Moreover, he brought out the Dark Dragon Guard to supervise Chen Xuan. This was not just to show off to Chen Xuan, but to make sure that his subordinates would not make any mistakes.

He's old, his life is nearing its end, and he's been too ruthless lately; surely some people are getting restless.

Watching Chen Xuan leave, the old emperor thought to himself, "Come talk to me more often when you have time. I don't have many days left to live." He would soon revert to his former self-important, dignified self, completely devoid of the playful, witty demeanor he displayed when with Chen Xuan… (End of Chapter)