Misty Rain of the Old Times

After the snow around the grave was cleared, Chen Xuan was surprised to find that there was a patch of tender green grass sprouting on Old Zhou's grave.

"Is this how you're welcoming me, sir?" Chen Xuan asked with a smile, knowing full well it was just a coincidence and that Old Man Zhou wouldn't actually respond, but he still smiled genuinely.

In fact, Chen Xuan felt a bit emotional. This old man had suffered all his life, lost his son in his old age, and raised his two grandsons with great difficulty. One of them even suffered from a brain disease. The hardships he endured were indescribable. In the end, he didn't even have a proper funeral. To avoid troubling his young grandchildren, he prepared a coffin well in advance.

Now, he lies in a forgotten corner, a mound of yellow earth, his life has passed just like that. If it weren't for his grandchildren still alive, who would remember him after he passed away a few years ago?

Someone will remember, at least Chen Xuan will.

There are countless people like Old Man Zhou in the world, but none of them have crossed paths with Chen Xuan in his life.

Chen Xuan arranged the offerings he had brought, lit the incense, candles and paper money he had bought along the way, bowed three times while holding three sticks of incense, then sat down on the ground and poured two cups of wine. He poured one cup in front of the grave for Old Man Zhou to drink, and drank the other cup himself. He ate and drank, talking to himself and chatting with Old Man Zhou.

"Uncle Zhou, it's the start of a new year again. I've grown a year older, as have Xiao Miao and Fu Gui. I still remember that meal I had at your house years ago. Although it was simple food, it was your best hospitality. It was delicious. Really, I've experienced hardship before, and I'm content as long as I have enough to eat."

"You suffered your whole life, but now it's all over. Rest in peace. Don't worry about Xiao Miao and Fu Gui. I've received several letters from them in recent years. They're doing well. They're not rich, but they're comfortable enough to eat and wear."

"Judging by her age, Xiao Miao must be sixteen by now, a young lady. I'm a year older than her. She's very capable; she's already a master carpenter. In my furniture shop, she's one of the head craftsmen, with excellent skills. And she's also wealthy. Although he's not the brightest, he's very focused. He's mastered the rudimentary martial arts I taught him. He's young, but in just a few years, he's developed considerable internal strength. As long as he doesn't cause trouble, he's enough to protect Xiao Miao. They can live a peaceful life. He's not the type to cause trouble; he won't fight back unless someone bullies him to a certain extent."

"By the way, Uncle Zhou, you might not know this, but my young master has become the top scholar in the imperial examination. He's incredibly talented. The so-called Eight Great Talents of Jing Kingdom are nothing compared to him. You might not know how prestigious the title of top scholar is. Let me tell you, if the Eight Great Talents are geniuses, then they are nothing more than the threshold to meet the top scholar."

"A top scholar is someone who emerges only once every three years out of tens of millions of scholars across the country, young and old. They are not comparable to so-called talented scholars who can only dabble in literature and compose a few pretentious poems."

"I'm not showing off to you, but sharing my joy. After all, I watched Xiao Gao grow up, so I have a strange sense of parenting. Sometimes I feel like I'm a father figure to him. You understand that feeling, right?"

"And I'm not bad either, a Grandmaster level cultivator, I'm a dazzling presence wherever I go, oh, I've told you about this before."

"By the way, Uncle Zhou, I'm getting married in a few months to Princess Fuyao. It's a pity I won't be able to invite you to my wedding banquet. Come on, let's toast, consider it an early celebration."

"And there's more..."

Chen Xuan is not usually talkative, but at this moment in front of Old Zhou's grave, he seemed to have endless things to say. Perhaps it was because the old man was lying there all alone and was too lonely, or perhaps it was only when he was alone that he revealed his true self, whereas he was usually so carefree.

Amidst their rambling conversation, Chen Xuan finished the jar of wine he had brought. He drank half himself and offered the other half to Old Man Zhou. He also ate half of the food. He wondered who would get the rest.

Not to mention this era, even in Chen Xuan's hometown, there were people who stole and ate the sacrificial offerings.

By noon, Chen Xuan was too lazy to tidy up anymore. He stood up and said, "Alright, Uncle Zhou, I won't bother you any longer. I'll come to see you again next year if there's nothing urgent. There are countless people in the world, but only a handful can one actually meet in a lifetime, and even fewer will have meaningful interactions. And even fewer will leave a lasting impression. Every one of them is a regret, and someone has to remember them, right?"

After saying that, he stared at the tombstone for a moment, then turned and left. Not long after, he arrived in Mo City, the place where he had lived for seven years. It seemed that nothing had changed, yet it also seemed that a lot had changed.

Walking over to Xiao Miao's house, the door was locked. The siblings weren't home. The house was the same as before, but perhaps because Xiao Miao was now a carpenter, there were signs of repairs in many places. It was very clean, as Xiao Miao had always been a diligent girl.

No one was home, so Chen Xuan didn't sneak into the house. Instead, he headed towards the furniture store, thinking that Xiao Miao must be busy there. She never rests during the New Year; she's always so restless.

On his way to the furniture store, Chen Xuan passed by the riverside courtyard where he had lived for seven years. It had long been sold and had a new owner.

What brought a smile to his face was the constant stream of people stopping to watch, mostly students, who seemed to be on a pilgrimage. This was the former residence of the top scholar; perhaps they came here to absorb some of his talent.

According to the onlookers, someone has offered a high price of 100,000 taels for this courtyard, but the owner refuses to sell.

Tsk tsk, it cost about a thousand taels of silver to buy this courtyard back then, and now its value has increased a hundredfold. I shouldn't have sold it when I returned south last year. I lost a lot of money, I even lost my period blood.

With the shadow of a famous tree, and the fact that a student in the primary school became a top scholar, the value of this courtyard house is sure to skyrocket.

Chen Xuan was just passing through, taking a look at the place where he used to live. He didn't linger for long. Interestingly, Rong Sao on the other side of the river was beating her husband again, making him run away in a panic.

That couple never seemed to have a moment's peace, yet they remained harmonious after all these years of bickering and fighting. Could it be that their marital bond was forged through their rivalry?
The ladies at Wenxiang Pavilion have come and gone, and the girl with the red tears who became famous because of a fragment of a poem has long been forgotten. Perhaps only those who experienced it back then will occasionally mention her...

When Chen Xuan arrived at the furniture store, he still couldn't see Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother, and he couldn't even sense their presence around him. Could they have gone out to work?
As Chen Xuan entered the shop, he greeted Mr. Fang, who was doing the accounting behind the counter, "Happy New Year, Mr. Fang!"

Master Fang was Zhou Xiaomiao's master. It was only after Zhou Xiaomiao became his apprentice that her family's financial situation gradually improved. Chen Xuan opened this furniture store to secretly take care of Zhou Xiaomiao. Master Fang was the only one who knew the truth.

Upon hearing this, Chef Fang looked up, paused for a moment when he saw Chen Xuan, then left the counter with delight, saying, "Young Master Chen, no, Master, you've arrived! Please have a seat, I'll have someone bring tea right away."

Chen Xuan casually found a chair and sat down, then smiled and said, "Master Fang, you don't need to be so polite. I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by to see if this place is alright?"

“Master, everything is fine here. No one is causing trouble, and business is doing alright. As you instructed, the money earned is used to cover operating costs and wages, and the rest is used to secretly help the poor and widowed. Master, please have some tea first, and I will go get the account books for you to review,” Master Fang, who was personally pouring tea for Chen Xuan, said as he turned around.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "No need. I just happened to be passing by and didn't come here specifically to check the accounts. I trust Master Fang's work."

This deeply moved Master Fang. Trusting his character was the greatest recognition one could give. He retrieved the account book and said, "Thank you for your trust, sir. I still need to see the accounts."

Since that's the case, Chen Xuan pretended to take the ledger and casually flipped through it, asking, "By the way, Master Fang, why haven't I seen Xiao Miao and the others? Did they go out to work?"

The accounts for the past year are all here, very detailed, and everything is traceable. Even if Chen Xuan is not a professional accountant, he can understand it at a glance. He never expected this store to make money; it was only used to take care of the poor Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother. He didn't even mention to Su Roujia that there was such a store in Mo City.

Master Fang replied, "Xiao Miao and the others aren't in the shop, nor are they out working. She told me the day before yesterday that the two siblings went to visit relatives and friends for the New Year, and they'll probably be gone for a while. The exact return date is uncertain."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Chen Xuan nodded. No wonder he hadn't seen the siblings; they must have gone to pay New Year's visits. That's normal, after all, it's the New Year.

The beggar also has three friends. Zhou Xiaomiao and her friends also have relatives. People in this era value family ties very much and visit each other during festivals.

This means we probably won't see Xiaomiao and the others this time, since Chen Xuan doesn't know where they went to pay their respects during the New Year.

He doesn't insist. It's good if they see each other and say hello, but deep down, he tries his best not to disturb Xiao Miao and the others' peaceful lives.

"I'll tell them when they get back. Xiao Miao keeps praising the master, and even Fu Gui mentions you occasionally," Master Fang said with a smile, secretly envying Zhou Xiao Miao and the others. Chen Xuan was the right-hand man of the top scholar, yet he had condescended to come and see such a nobody.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "No need to tell them. Just pretend I was never here, so as not to disturb their peaceful lives. By the way, how have those two siblings been doing these past few years?"

“小苗长大了，手艺精湛，已经能独当一面，比我这个师父的手艺都好呢，出落得也越发标志了，只是没有人上门提亲，哎，说句不好听的，她有个拖油瓶弟弟，别人当面不会说，但娶了她就要多一份负担，以后估计嫁人都难，然后富贵还是老样子，东家别怪我说他坏话啊，他脑子不灵光，三棍子打不出一个屁来，倒是长得越发高壮了，一有空就闷头练功，像头牛似得不知道累，倒是厉害得很，年前一不小心就把一根合抱粗的圆木用手劈断，被小苗狠狠揍了一顿，那可是要打造家具的，知道做错事的富贵就再也没弄坏过东西了，他笨但很乖……”

Master Fang has endless things to say about the siblings. Although some of his words may not be pleasant to hear, as Xiao Miao's master, he has watched them grow up and genuinely cares about them. He considers them his disciples, as one disciple is like half a son.

Chen Xuan was also very happy to hear about the Xiao Miao siblings; they had grown up so much.

Is it possible that Zhou Fugui, who suffers from a brain disease, is so powerful just because of the rudimentary martial arts he was taught? He can chop a thick log in half with a single chop, which is barely considered a decent skill level for someone in the acquired realm. Deng Lingfeng's father, one of the "Five Tigers of Yang County," probably only reached this level after practicing martial arts his whole life.

However, on the other hand, although Zhou Fugui is not very bright, he is incredibly focused and serious when he does something. He is single-minded, persistent, and focused, which makes him a genius in another sense.

That's for the best. He's not the type to cause trouble. Being at the bottom of society, he only needs to protect himself from being bullied.

During their casual conversation, Chen Xuan pretended to flip through the ledger and put it down, saying, "Master Fang, you've put in a lot of effort. This place is all thanks to you. How about this, from now on, one-tenth of your monthly income will be taken as bonuses. You can decide how to arrange it; I won't interfere." "How can that be? The wages the employer pays are already more than enough, and we have this shop. Unlike before, when we had to run around everywhere, how can we dare to take the employer's bonus?" Master Fang quickly waved his hand and said.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "It's settled then. Master Fang, don't refuse. You deserve it. And I remember Xiao Miao mentioned that she wanted to open her own furniture store. How about this, if she still has that idea, you can try to arrange for the store to be transferred to her name. Anyway, the land deed is with you. Just don't mention me. It's okay if she doesn't have enough money; she can pay it back slowly. After all, this isn't charity."

"It's all thanks to the employer's arrangements. You're so good to Xiao Miao and the others," Master Fang said sincerely.

Chen Xuan stood up and said, "She's a sensible young woman. It was fate that we met back then. Helping her out is just a small thing. Alright, that's all for now. I won't bother you any longer."

Your small act of kindness has changed someone's life. Master Fang was deeply moved and quickly urged him to stay, saying, "It's a rare opportunity for you to come all this way, why rush off? Please stay for a meal."

"No, I have other things to attend to. Master Fang, please wait. I'll be going now," Chen Xuan said with a smile as he left.

Master Fang understood that the difference in their social status was too great, so he did not dare to force Chen Xuan to stay. He watched Chen Xuan leave and thought to himself that Xiao Miao must have accumulated a lot of good fortune in her past lives to be taken care of by such an important person as Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan wasn't particularly disappointed that he didn't get to see Xiao Miao and the others during his trip to Mocheng. He had kept his promise to come and pay his respects to Old Man Zhou every year.

After leaving the furniture store, Chen Xuan didn't linger in Mo City for long and headed south to his home. Even though he had lived there for seven years, there wasn't much to miss. Du Juan had become his maid, otherwise he would have gone to check out that abandoned house.

It seems that after Dujuan left, that abandoned house should no longer be haunted.

It was only noon when they got home. The little girl and Dujuan were turning over the soil in the vegetable garden. It would be easier to plant vegetables after the weather warmed up in a while. Dujuan, who had never done farm work before, was learning very seriously.

The snow has been melting rapidly since the Lunar New Year, and the weather is still chilly despite the warming trend. Remnants of snow can still be faintly seen on the distant mountains.

Without interrupting them, Chen Xuan wasn't the kind of person who couldn't live without someone massaging his shoulders and legs all the time. After returning, he thought for a second and decided that since they had already gone to pay respects to Old Man Zhou, they might as well go and see Old Man Crane as well. It was quite lonely living alone in the Misty Marsh.

After saying hello, Chen Xuan set off with a jar of wine, still without Su Roujia and the others. It wasn't that he didn't want them to meet He Weng, but mainly because He Weng was too strong and didn't know how to restrain himself. If they got too close, there was a high chance of something going wrong.

Heading straight to Misty Marsh, traversing mountains and valleys along the way, Chen Xuan soon saw Crane Elder again. It was still lazily perched on the white cloud tree, like an old man in his twilight years.

Chen Xuan, who had visited many times before, shook the wine jar he had brought and greeted him, "Old Crane, Happy New Year! I've come to wish you a Happy New Year and brought you a jar of strong liquor, knowing you enjoy it."

"Little Chen is here! I can smell the wine from afar. It smells so good. Is it New Year again? I haven't heard the word 'New Year' since I've been keeping Baiyun company here after he fell asleep. Same as always, I'll go catch a fish, and you're in charge of grilling it to go with the wine," it said happily as it gracefully came to Chen Xuan's side. It smelled the wine, and drool dripped from its mouth. Then, it couldn't wait to dive into the lake to catch a fish.

The saliva of the white crane, a beast with combat power comparable to a grandmaster, is a rare and precious medicine. However, Chen Xuan had no intention of collecting it, otherwise it would be too wasteful.

Since Chen Xuan came to collect the branches of the White Cloud Tree, he has come many times since. After eating the grilled fish once, He Weng has been longing for it ever since. No raw fish can compare to the aroma of grilled fish, so seasonings and the like are always kept on hand here.

While the old man was catching fish, Chen Xuan skillfully started a fire. Soon, the old man caught a large fish that was nearly two meters long, scaled it, gutted it, and seasoned it before grilling it.

Chen Xuan's cooking skills were really not great, but they weren't bad either. It's likely that Old Man He hadn't eaten any good food before, so the aroma of the seasonings was brought out by the charcoal fire and Old Man He's mouth kept watering.

"Can we eat now?" it kept urging.

Amused, Chen Xuan said, "We'll have to wait a while. Good food is worth the wait. Why don't you have a drink to satisfy your craving, Elder He?"

"Then I won't be polite," it said, taking a sip of the liquor from a distance, letting out a pleasant burp, its eyes never leaving the grilled fish.

Once the fish was cooked, it couldn't wait to start eating, and it didn't forget to share a piece with Chen Xuan. A bite of grilled fish and a sip of wine, it was incredibly pleasant.

Eating, drinking, and chatting with it, it was like a talkative old man. After getting to know Chen Xuan, it seemed to have endless things to say, mostly reminiscing about its past experiences traveling the world with the White Cloud Sword Master.

The former White Cloud Sword Master was once a dazzling figure, achieving fame at a young age and rarely suffering defeats with his sword. However, people are always forgetful, and now no one mentions that name anymore.

Chen Xuan had heard the old crane tell these things many times. It would repeat them every time it came to him, and Chen Xuan listened attentively each time. He knew in his heart that the old crane was very lonely and missed the white cloud that had accompanied it throughout its life.

Despite its formidable strength, the old crane wasn't much of a drinker. After just half a jar of wine, it was already dizzy and shivering. Full and satisfied, it spread its wings and flew to the top of the white cloud tree, nearly collapsing. It lazily lay down and said, "Thank you, Little Chen. I'm old; a little wine makes me sleepy. I'll take a nap. Do as you please. Take whatever you like; you can take it all. Anyway, I'll give it all to you after I go to keep company with the white cloud, so it won't benefit someone else..."

After saying that, it fell asleep, drooling as if savoring the 'fine wine and food' it had just enjoyed.

Don't be fooled by its drunken and unguarded state; there is absolutely nothing in this Misty Swamp that can threaten it. Unless you are a powerful being of the same level, anyone who tries to harm it will die without even knowing how.

Without disturbing it, Chen Xuan packed up and left without taking anything with him, even though the old crane had said he could take whatever he wanted. Chen Xuan didn't covet anything from its friendship with the crane, and besides, the crane was sentimental; every blade of grass and every tree here might have traces of the white clouds from the past, so he decided not to disturb its memories for the time being.

After leaving, Chen Xuan did not stay in Yuhua Kingdom, nor did he look for those he knew. He believed that chance encounters were better than planned meetings, and that was just the kind of casual person he was.

He traveled to two different places in one day, and when he got home it was already evening. With nothing to do, he started to slack off again.

The next morning, after some exercise and breakfast, he didn't go to sleep. Instead, he called out, "Roujia, prepare the brush and ink."

Now that he has maids to serve him, he's too lazy to even lay out paper and grind ink, a task he used to be very skilled at when he was a page.

Inside the study, under the watchful eyes of the two beauties, Du Juan and Su Roujia, Chen Xuan began to wield his brush. His handwriting was elegant and unrestrained, well, to put it bluntly, it was sloppy, but that could be considered his personal style.

To be honest, his handwriting isn't as good as Gao Jingming's. Gao Jingming was the top scholar in the imperial examination, while Chen Xuan couldn't even come close.

They've enjoyed the same educational resources since childhood, so why am I not cut out for academics? I seem to have put all my talent into martial arts.

After quickly writing the visiting card and blowing on the ink to dry, Chen Xuan put it away and said, "Let's go, we're going out for a bit, somewhere."

"Yes, sir, where are we going? What do we need to prepare?" Su Roujia asked obediently.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "We're going to the Tai Xuan Sect to pay our respects. We don't need to prepare anything for now; we'll see how things go later."

Du Juan said that the Tai Xuan Sect has a concealment formation, and Chen Xuan plans to visit the sect to see if he can get his hands on it. He won't force it, but if all goes well, he will go to Wanku Mountain to collect geomagnetic essence. In short, he still needs to get his floating island up and running, even if he doesn't have a concealment formation, he can temporarily use a mist formation instead.

When Chen Xuan said he was going to Tai Xuan Sect, the little girl didn't seem to mind, but Du Juan felt a pang of anxiety. As an assassin from the Shadow Killing Sect, she was naturally on the opposite side of a prestigious sect like Tai Xuan Sect. However, she quickly came to terms with it. Things were different now; she was no longer an assassin and had successfully cleaned up her act and changed her identity.

As usual, she took Chen Xuan's sword, and then the group set off towards the Tai Xuan Sect.

Tai Xuan Sect is located in Liuzhou, slightly north of the heartland of Jing Kingdom, while Wu Xiang Temple, which is of equal strength, is located in the south of Jing Kingdom, almost close to Rong Kingdom. The two sects, each with a grandmaster-level expert, dominate the martial arts world of Jing Kingdom, one in the south and one in the north.

As the geographical information about the Tai Xuan Sect flashed through his mind, Chen Xuan realized that it seemed that Xiao Gao's new post in Zhoushan County was in Liuzhou. However, the Tai Xuan Sect was not in Zhoushan County, but several hundred miles away. Since he was already in Liuzhou, he should go and have a drink with Xiao Gao on the way. If he didn't say hello when it was so close, Xiao Gao would definitely complain.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Xuan led Su Roujia and the others to the foot of the mountain where the Tai Xuan Sect was located. There was a small town there, and Chen Xuan first went to a teahouse to rest. He then arranged, "Sister Juan, could you please go and deliver this visiting card to the Tai Xuan Sect for me?"

"Yes, sir. It's my duty. Please don't say anything troublesome," Du Juan nodded, took the visiting card, and left.

When visiting someone's home with a request, there should be proper procedures; this is the rule. If you simply show up unannounced, it's considered impolite and like an unwelcome guest.

...(End of chapter)