Misty Rain of the Old Times

Inside the winding cave, illuminated by the only torch, eight disheveled figures approached Chen Xuan and his companions, each one emaciated and with a ferocious and crazed expression.

They had been trapped in the cave for more than two months and had long since run out of food. At first, they held onto the hope that they could escape and endured hunger and thirst. But as time went by, their hope was extinguished and they realized that hunger was the most painful thing in the world. In order to survive, they committed the insane act of cannibalism!
Once they crossed the line of morality, they almost lost their humanity and there was nothing they wouldn't do. Besides, in this dark and sunless cave, who would know what they did?

They were not originally a group; they were all trapped in the cave. They met by chance and came together. They all knew that most of them were just reserves of food, and the only difference was who would be next.

They have survived to this day by feeding on the flesh and blood of their own kind.

Among these people were three women. Although their appearances were average, they dared to venture into the underground cave, which meant they had a certain level of cultivation. Women who practice martial arts, unless they specialize in external martial arts techniques, almost all have good figures, so they were still somewhat useful. Unless absolutely necessary, they usually wouldn't eat them. So, they were unexpectedly doing quite well during this period, as they were getting plenty of protein.

They were once respectable women, but hunger drove them to the brink of despair. Furthermore, they were manipulated and turned into weapons, leaving them devoid of conscience and morality. They only sought to survive, living a life that was neither human nor ghost.

Previously, they had just been randomly searching for a way out in the cave, and they were reluctant to light their torches. This was their last torch, and no one knew what kind of accident might happen in the darkness, until they saw the candlelight on Chen Xuan's side.

In this underground cave, the presence of light meant the presence of people, which gave them hope. Even without proper food, encountering living people could prolong their lives.

However, they wanted to sneak over and launch a surprise attack, but before they could get close, Du Juan saw through their plan. They had no choice but to light their last torches and reveal themselves. Relying on their numbers, they planned to use force. Without lighting, they were at a disadvantage. None of them had the ability to see their surroundings clearly in the dark, even after being trapped underground for several months.

When they got a little closer and saw Chen Xuan and the others clearly, they were all overjoyed. Not only did they have food and drink, but they also had two beautiful women. It was a blessing from heaven. Was it a special compensation sent to them because they had suffered?

These people were all at the acquired level of cultivation, and Chen Xuan didn't even bother to look at them. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Du Juan who took action. After all, she had only been at the innate level for less than a year, and Chen Xuan would try his best not to let her take risks because they were his own people.

Upon receiving the order, Du Juan immediately vanished like a ghost. She didn't even need to use weapons to deal with several people with the cultivation level of the Acquired Realm. Besides, she was a professional at killing people. Putting aside cultivation level, even Chen Xuan couldn't match her professional skills in this area.

As she took action, she drew a handful of water from a pool of water inside the cave and waved it out, extinguishing the group's only torch. Having been an assassin for over twenty years, darkness was her domain, and even in a crushing defeat, she hadn't changed this habit.

Considering this was the first time the master had asked her to do something serious, Du Juan planned to do it beautifully. To avoid being too bloody and affecting the master's mood, she flipped her wrist and eight flying needles appeared in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she scattered them, and almost silently, the eight flying needles went straight for the foreheads of everyone.

As a former professional assassin, even Chen Xuan had no idea how many killing tools or poisons she carried with her at all times. After all, she had never been stripped naked for a check. Even if she had been stripped naked for a check, she would probably still be able to pull out a deadly weapon from an unexpected place.

The next moment, a few screams could be faintly heard in the darkness before silence fell. Those who were about to commit their madness were almost all wiped out before they even saw Du Juan's shadow.

The reason it was "almost" is because there was a slight accident. One of the people who was trying to break through the Ren and Du meridians was wearing a metal headband, so that although Du Juan's flying needle pierced through the headband, it got stuck on it and failed to kill him.

This made Du Juan feel secretly ashamed. She had only been away from the Shadow Assassin Sect for half a year, could she have already become rusty? The key point was that this was the first time the master had given her a serious task, and she hadn't handled it well. She felt that she had let the master down.

"Spare us! We meant no harm..."

The remaining person, realizing he had offended someone he couldn't afford to offend, immediately began to argue and turned to flee into the dark cave for his life.

However, Du Juan wouldn't let him escape. Another flying needle shot out, piercing his head from the back, and the man fell asleep with a thud.

She finished off the group in two breaths. As was her habit as an assassin, Du Juan did not approach the corpses. Instead, she took out a roll of silk thread, unfurled it, and used it to pull a long spear, throwing the corpses one by one into the deep pit. To avoid these rubbishes affecting the master's mood, she cleaned up the trash and threw it far away. Only after doing this did she return to Chen Xuan's side.

Chen Xuan, who was lying there leisurely, thought to herself, "Eating people really makes your eyes turn red. What's the principle behind that?"
He didn't understand, nor did he care much, and lazily looked at the little girl who was looking up and said, "Don't look at so much, little girl. Roujia, go do your thing."

"Okay," the little girl obediently listened and suppressed her curiosity to continue cooking.

In the short time that followed, Dujuan had already finished her work and returned. The little girl had no idea what she had done and realized that she was still far from being good enough. She would have to work harder in the future, otherwise she wouldn't be able to share the burden with her master.

Upon returning, Du Juan hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and said nervously to Chen Xuan, "I hope you will punish me, sir. I have failed in my duties; I had to deal with a few ants twice. I have disappointed you."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Sister Juan, what are you saying? As long as the matter is done, the process doesn't matter. Our family doesn't have such strict rules. Besides, do you think I'm such a harsh person?"

"Thank you for your forgiveness, sir. There will definitely be no similar accident next time," Du Juan assured. Back when she was an assassin, many clients had specific requirements for when and how the target should die. She had to follow those requirements, otherwise she wouldn't be considered professional. She had always been strict with herself and maintained this habit. She always felt that if she needed to take down a few ants a second time, it meant she hadn't done her job well.

Speechless, Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "It's okay, Sister Juan, you can continue with your work. I'm going to lie down for a while. Call me when the food is ready."

"Yes, sir," Du Juan nodded, fetched a blanket to cover him, and then continued with her unfinished work. She made use of the stone bed and stone table, which was very convenient for her given her cultivation level.

The little girl who was cooking over a fire nearby glanced at the pool of water, worried about disturbing Chen Xuan, and whispered to Dujuan, "Sister Dujuan, come and see if there are any fish in the water. It's too dark, I can't see very well."

After pausing briefly to take a look, Dujuan said with certainty, "There really are fish, and they're quite big, some are even two feet long."

"There are fish so deep underground? That's amazing! Sister Juan, can you catch a couple? We didn't bring much food. If you can catch some, we can make an extra dish for the master later," the little girl asked, speechless.

No problem at all. Dujuan was happy to make the master comfortable. She walked towards the pond and said, "I'll catch two now. I'll trouble Roujia to cook them later."

As she spoke, she squatted down by the water, put her hands in the water, and with a flick of her inner energy, she caught the two fish as if they had swum into her hands automatically. Originally, it didn't have to be so complicated, but she was worried that the noise would disturb Chen Xuan.

"Sister Juan is amazing, leave the rest to me," the little girl said happily as she took the two fish with genuine admiration.

With a smile, Du Juan said, "It's nothing. Actually, with your current cultivation level, Roujia, catching a couple of fish is quite easy. It's just that you usually neglect to apply your martial arts to everyday life. Besides, with Roujia's talent, plus the superior martial arts and elixirs taught by Master, it won't be long before you catch up with me."

Her "not long" was measured in years. Even with so many unique advantages, and even having a grandmaster like Chen Xuan to consult at will, it would probably take the little girl about ten years to reach the Innate Realm. After all, not everyone has Chen Xuan's terrifying talent.

This is fast enough. You should know that the little girl only started learning martial arts at the age of fourteen, while Du Juan has cultivated for nearly thirty years, enduring countless hardships and dangers, and finally took the help of the pills left by Chen Xuan to cross this threshold.

"Sister Juan is too kind to me, I'm still far from good enough," the little girl said with a smile, she was aware of her own limitations.

From Su Roujia's personal perspective, she didn't have a high pursuit of martial arts, but since her master wanted her to practice martial arts, she worked hard in that direction; it was just her master's task.

Just as Du Juan was about to continue her work, she saw Chen Xuan walking over and quickly asked, "Master, is the stone recliner uncomfortable?"

"No, it's not that. I just heard you guys say there are fish in the water, and I figured I'd be bored anyway, so I might as well cast a couple of lines. You don't need to worry about me," Chen Xuan said with a shake of his head and a smile, already busy at work as he spoke.

If you don't have fishing gear, just make your own. Take some gold-plated supplies, melt them down, and shape them into hooks. For the line, just pull a piece of ice silk from your clothes. It's very strong. For the fishing rod, just cut a stone strip. Don't worry about its toughness. If you get hooked, just pull hard. The bait is simple too. There are plenty of small insects in the cave. Just because they don't dare to get close to Chen Xuan and the others doesn't mean there aren't any. They can just take some from a distance.

After a few quick preparations, Chen Xuan sat down by the water and started fishing.

The result was that the little girls had prepared the meal, but they hadn't caught a single fish. When they reminded him that it was time to eat, Chen Xuan slammed down his fishing rod and muttered, "It's not that my skills are bad, it's just that the fish in this lousy place are blind. They can't see the bait at all, that's why they won't bite. That's it, that's it."

"Master, would you like me to catch two more?" Du Juan asked hesitantly, sensing that her master was in a bad mood and that she should help him out.

Sister Juan, you're so considerate! But is it really about the fish? He shook his head and said, "No need, let's eat first."

"Yes, sir, please have a seat here," Du Juan said, no longer insisting, feeling as if she had been too talkative.

The maidservant served Chen Xuan a bowl of rice and said, "Master, we only have three dishes due to limited resources. Please make do with these. Would you like some wine?"

“You all sit down and eat too. There are only three of us in the family now, so we don’t have to stand on ceremony. What more could you ask for than three dishes and rice in this run-down place? Roujia even brought some wine?” Chen Xuan invited.

She nodded and said, "I only brought a small jar, which probably isn't enough for the master to enjoy. I should have brought more."

“That little bamboo basket can’t hold much, and besides, I don’t get drunk, so it doesn’t matter how much.” At this moment, Dujuan had already poured him some wine and placed it in front of him. As they ate and drank, Dujuan hesitated, knowing Chen Xuan’s personality, and simply spoke her worries directly: “Master, I think I’m lost. I mean, I can’t tell where we are anymore. I’ve tried very hard to remember the way we came, but now I think about it and I just can’t remember it.”

Hearing this, the little girl paused for a moment, then said somewhat nervously, "Sister Juan, you didn't remember either? Me neither, what should we do?"

As they spoke, their eyes all turned to Chen Xuan. Getting lost deep in the underground cave and not being able to find a way out would be a fatal thing.

In response, Chen Xuan shrugged and pretended to be serious, trying to scare them, saying, "Don't look at me, I can't remember either."

He wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't deliberately try to memorize the route.

Du Juan suddenly became uneasy and said, "We can't remember the route. What if we can't get out?"

"Then let's not go out. Anyway, with two beauties like Sister Juan and Roujia, I'll be happy no matter where I am," Chen Xuan continued to scare them.

The little girl pursed her lips, becoming increasingly anxious. Looking at the basket on her back, she said, "We don't have much with us. If we can't get out, we'll have to be careful with our food. If... if we really can't get out, and Master is really hungry, I..."

"Alright, don't think so much. With Master here, you won't suffer no matter where you are," Chen Xuan interrupted immediately, probably knowing what she was going to say. It seemed she had heard what the others had said earlier.

Du Juan knew Chen Xuan was joking, and looked at the little girl to comfort her, "Don't worry, Roujia, I can always dig a way out."

"Hmm," the little girl nodded, thinking that if it really didn't work out, she would eat less and leave the food for the master and the others. It wasn't like she hadn't gone hungry before.

She was just a young girl, and her fear would be amplified in this environment. Chen Xuan said, "Roujia, don't overthink it. I can take you all flying through the air, how could a mere underground cave trap us? Just relax."

"It was me too, I was overthinking it," the little girl immediately relaxed, Chen Xuan's words seemed to have a magical power to reassure her.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Xuan had nothing to do. He calculated that it was already night, but he just couldn't fall asleep in the cave. He felt uncomfortable all over. He wasn't usually a person who liked to stay in bed, so why couldn't he fall asleep?

So she just stared at Dujuan and the others in a daze. Whenever she had free time, the little girl would ask Dujuan for advice on martial arts. Their graceful figures were truly a feast for the eyes.

Noticing Chen Xuan's gaze, Du Juan gave the little maid some pointers and told her to practice on her own. Then she looked at Chen Xuan and asked, "If you're really bored, sir, how about I dance for you to liven things up?"

"Sister Juan has this talent too?" Chen Xuan immediately became interested.

She nodded and said, "I know a little, I learned it before, but I'm not very good at it, I'm afraid it won't please the master."

"Then what are we waiting for? We're bored anyway, so let's trouble Sister Juan to show us some talent," Chen Xuan said impatiently.

Then, with a mix of trepidation and excitement, Du Juan began to dance without any accompaniment. Her figure was already stunning, and with her cultivation at the Innate Realm, she could perform any difficult move. Every movement was pleasing to the eye, and even the little girl was captivated by her attention, and her repeated reminders to focus on her practice were useless.

Seeing her captivating dance moves, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "Is this what you call not very good? To put it bluntly, many so-called courtesans are probably only at this level."
However, it wasn't that Du Juan was being modest. When she was an assassin, she had dabbled in various skills, which might come in handy at any time. It's just that she hadn't shown off her talents, so she had no idea how good she was. After all, in the assassin profession, it's not about how pretty you are, but whether you can complete the mission.

After the dance ended, Du Juan stopped and looked at Chen Xuan nervously, asking, "Master, is my clumsy dance acceptable?"

"Sister Juan danced so well, there's nothing to say about it. I'm just a rough and uncouth man, I don't know any good words to describe it," Chen Xuan praised, giving a thumbs up. Actually, there were many good words, but he was too lazy to rack his brains to think of any.

She became embarrassed and lowered her head, saying, "You flatter me, sir."

"Alright, it's getting late, you should all get some rest too. Sleep well and we can continue our stroll tomorrow," Chen Xuan waved his hand and lay down, thinking to himself that Sister Juan was so beautiful and smelled so good. He quickly drifted off to sleep with a pleasant feeling.

Seeing this, Dujuan dared not disturb him, nor did she take the liberty of serving him as she had done last time. She covered him with a blanket and continued to instruct the little maid. Only after the little maid had fallen asleep did she extinguish the candle and assume her duty as a night watchman.

"Sister Juan, you should rest too. You'll be fine. What you're doing is just delaying your sleep," Chen Xuan's voice came from the darkness.

Upon hearing this, Dujuan nodded, lay down fully clothed, and said, "Yes, sir, I was overthinking it."

Yes, with our master's cultivation level, how could he possibly be in danger?
Chen Xuan slept soundly through the night, even in the underground cave. It was a habit he had developed over the past ten years. When the time came, he still got up to practice his meditation and physical exercises to loosen his muscles and bones. Du Juan and the others got up even earlier and followed suit, then busied themselves making breakfast.

Strangely enough, Chen Xuan always felt sleepy when he was outside, and he would lie down rather than sit up, but he couldn't sleep in the dark and sunless cave.

After tidying up after the meal, he stopped lying down and said, "Let's go, let's continue our stroll and try to encounter the Earth Magnetism Elemental as soon as possible."

This thing really depends on luck. He doesn't even know where it is. Although the name includes the word "geomagnetic," the thing itself is not magnetic. It needs to be processed. Otherwise, it would be simple; you could use metal to detect it.

They continued heading deeper into the earth, feeling that the chances of finding a better place were higher. As they went deeper, they encountered fewer people, but witnessed countless bizarre and beautiful cave landscapes.

On the third day after entering the underground cave, Chen Xuan didn't see a single trace of geomagnetic essence. In fact, because they had gone so far underground, they hadn't seen a single person or corpse for a whole day. By this time, their supplies were almost exhausted, and the candles had long been used up, leaving them to rely entirely on their cultivation for light.

Wandering randomly into a cave, the stalactites there, illuminated by the light, were simply breathtaking. Chen Xuan exclaimed sincerely, "They're so beautiful! It's a pity that few people are fortunate enough to see such a sight."

They paid no attention to the azaleas, and the little girl wasn't focused on the scenery either. After hesitating for a moment, she said worriedly, "Master, the food we brought will only last for one meal, like before. What if we can't find our way out..."

She didn't know how to continue at this point, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Regaining his attention, Chen Xuan turned back and smiled, "Is that so? Staying underground is rather boring, mainly because we don't have a clear goal. Instead of searching aimlessly, let's go out for some fresh air and resupply. Let's explore this far for now and come back here to continue later."

Du Juan didn't mind being in the dark all the time; she was used to being underground. But the little girl wasn't used to it and was already quite bored. However, she didn't dare to say anything that would offend Chen Xuan, so she could only keep it to herself. Now, hearing what Chen Xuan said, she was happy but also asked nervously, "Master, do you know how to get out?"

In any case, neither she nor Du Juan could remember the way they came. With just the two of them, they would never see the sunlight in this intricate underground depths. Even with their innate cultivation, they would never be able to get out.

"That's easy, let's go out now, you guys come closer to me," Chen Xuan immediately said, he was also getting bored.

Then, as they approached, Chen Xuan led them into the sky, surrounded by invisible sword energy, which was not visible to the naked eye. They forcefully carved through the mountain and pointed straight to the ground. They were unobstructed along the way, whether it was rock or cave. It was even faster than when the innate realm used their full lightness skill!
No matter how complex the terrain, with Chen Xuan's cultivation level, the lack of a path is not a problem; there will always be a path within his sight.

If a trapped person happens to come to the passage he dug, they can escape along the way, but how many lucky ones will actually find this place in the complex underground? And even if they do, it's not certain they can get out.

In a mountain hollow, the ground trembled slightly, creating a crack nearly two meters wide. Chen Xuan and his two companions rushed out from it. Even though they were unsure when they would be able to get out, Chen Xuan's powerful reflexes prevented them from losing control and being thrown into the air.

Stepping onto the ground, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "I told you it would be simple."

"You're out already! Master is amazing!" the little girl exclaimed excitedly. Then, she looked around, took a deep breath, and said, "It's already afternoon. The sunset is so beautiful. It's so much more comfortable outside."

Chen Xuan nodded in deep agreement: "That's right, what Roujia said made me not want to go underground anymore, but we still haven't gotten our hands on the Earth Magnetic Essence. We haven't seen a trace of it in days. Could it be that I'm searching in the wrong way? Whatever, after being a rat for days, let's find a town to rest properly."

As he spoke, he randomly chose a direction and led them away from the ravine.

After being underground for several days, I had no idea where I was. The mountain I had entered that day was no longer in sight.

While others risk their lives exploring underground to find treasure, Chen Xuan enjoys good food and drink and is accompanied by beautiful women. It's like he's just going on a leisurely outing, relaxing in a different way when he gets bored.

...(End of chapter)