Misty Rain of the Old Times

The 'good nephew' is very good at handling things, but he's mostly doing it for his own benefit. From Chen Xuan's perspective, he doesn't feel much ill will towards him, and given their brief time together, there's naturally no goodwill to speak of.

Because of their familial ties and his good attitude, the matter was dropped.

But this is only from Chen Xuan's personal perspective.

After Zhou Tao left, Chen Xuan's smile remained unchanged. After a moment's thought, he tapped the table and said, "Sister Juan, would you please go and find out what kind of person Zhou Tao is?"

"Yes, sir, I'll go right away."

Du Juan responded and left. In her personality, there was no such thing as delay. She had an explosive drive to execute tasks. She would do whatever the master ordered, and nothing else was her concern. Before Chen Xuan could even say that there was no need to rush, she had already gone far away.

Seeing this, the young maid asked curiously, "Master, didn't you say you wouldn't hold it against me?"

"If I cared, would he even be able to walk out of this room unscathed? What I don't care about is his lack of opportunity to offend me. I'm not an official, so I can't control that much. But since we've run into him, if he usually causes trouble in the area, I might have to have someone discipline him. I'm lazy, but there are plenty of people to deal with these royal relatives. Most laws can't handle these kinds of people, but the Imperial Clan Court isn't just for show," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Su Roujia gave a vague "oh" and felt stupid for thinking about these things, as it was just creating trouble for herself.

Du Juan returned in about half an hour. Chen Xuan asked, "How did the inquiry go, Sister Juan?"

Du Juan truthfully replied, "My lord, after much inquiry and verification, Zhou Tao isn't exactly a good person, but he's not exactly a villain either. Being a prince, his behavior is rather eccentric, like when he kicked down the door earlier. That's just his personality; youthful impetuosity is to be expected. However, he hasn't done anything truly heinous. At least for someone of his status, he hasn't caused anyone's family to be ruined without reason. Even if someone offends him, he'll confront them directly. He can be considered somewhat upright, with a rough-and-tumble air about him. He doesn't rob or extort, and he doesn't run up debts when he goes out. However, he is undeniably lecherous, though he hasn't forcibly taken any women. Overall, given his high status, he feels entitled to do whatever he wants in this small town, and he's still somewhat reasonable. That's all I know for now."

After listening to her say so much, Chen Xuan smiled to himself, thinking it was quite interesting, and asked curiously, "So, Sister Juan, how credible do you think his reputation is?"

"I don't know, we need to observe more," Du Juan shook her head, not jumping to conclusions.

Nodding thoughtfully, Chen Xuan said, "His status is already incredibly prestigious among ordinary people, but it's rather awkward at a certain level. A persona is either something you direct and act yourself, or something you put on for others to see. According to what Sister Juan found out, he's at most a spoiled young man. He still has some bottom line, but he hasn't experienced the harsh realities of life and truly matured."

"Does the master mean that there are bad people around him, so he gradually went astray?" Du Juan asked, speechless.

“He’s not necessarily a bad person. He’s a prince who’s the center of attention, and everyone has to fawn over him. So naturally, he feels that everything should revolve around him,” Chen Xuan said, shaking his head.

Without thinking too much, Du Juan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Master, since you don't care about his actions anymore, why did you still have someone specifically inquire about his reputation?"

Since they were family, Chen Xuan didn't hide anything, saying, "Because my father-in-law is still alive, with him keeping things under control, looking at the entire royal family, who is truly rotten to the core? If there were, he wouldn't be blind; he would be the first to not tolerate it. Even Zhou Hong's coup was carried out under the high-sounding slogan of 'purging the court of corrupt officials,' not because the emperor was incompetent and forced him to abdicate, or because he murdered the emperor and his father. Of course, there are always exceptions; perhaps a very few are too good at pretending. But under my father-in-law's keen insight, very few members of the royal family dare to really act recklessly."

"Does Master mean that Zhou Tao was instigated today?" Du Juan asked, a thought flashing through her mind.

Shrugging, Chen Xuan calmly said, "Who knows? I'm not a schemer. But his actions today and the rumors I've heard about him aren't surprising. They seem like they were meant to be. If I didn't know my father-in-law is intolerant of any wrongdoing, I probably wouldn't have let him off so easily. I hope he's overthinking it. Whatever, I was just passing by."

"Does the master need me to keep an eye on him a little?" Du Juan offered her help, thinking that since she had already inquired about Chen Xuan, things shouldn't just end up fizzling out.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "There's no need. It's hard to say whether we'll even have a chance to meet again in the future."

Time passed by while they ate, drank, and chatted. As the sun began to set, Yu Dingbo and the others at Guyu Pavilion finished their discussion and agreed to meet again two days later in the morning. They would gather the complete map and explore the strange place deep within Wanku Mountain together. Then they went their separate ways, and there was no chaotic fighting or robbery.

With the excitement over, Chen Xuan and his companions, who had been merely observing the whole thing, also left the restaurant. Zhou Tao had already paid the bill in advance, which Chen Xuan took as a gesture of respect from a junior to an elder.

A few days ago, we went to the underground cave. We weren't well prepared, and although we didn't suffer much, we didn't have a very good time either. So, after leaving the restaurant, Chen Xuan and the others did a lot of shopping to ensure they could live comfortably in the dark underground cave...

The next morning, Chen Xuan and his group had breakfast and were about to check out and leave to continue their search for the Earth Magnetic Essence at Wanku Mountain when a sudden shout, like a thunderclap, caught everyone in the inn off guard and sent shivers down their spines.

"Something terrible has happened last night!" someone rushed in from outside, looking alarmed.

"What happened, sir? Tell me. Here, have some tea to soothe your throat," Good Things asked in bewilderment.

However, the man continued to shout, "Two things. First, just last night, King Zhou Tao of the Sea Shepherd suddenly died of a terrible illness. The news hasn't been contained yet. This matter has far-reaching implications and will affect countless innocent people. This settlement city is about to change!"

"How could this be?"

People looked shocked and could no longer remain calm. It was hard to say that the death of a prince would not implicate innocent civilians.

How could such a healthy person just suddenly be gone? Many people saw that prince yesterday.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Xuan stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave. Zhou Tao was dead? Just last night? Yesterday he had told Du Juan and the others that it was uncertain whether they would be able to meet again, and now his words had come true.

Is this reasonable?

Yesterday, Chen Xuan had close contact with Zhou Tao. That guy was perfectly healthy. He suddenly died of a terrible illness. What a joke!
At this moment, everyone in the inn was in a state of panic. Someone boldly asked, "What's the second thing? Can it compare to the sudden death of Mu Haiwang?"

"The second thing is certainly not as big as the sudden death of Mu Haiwang, but its impact is no less significant. This morning, a complete map leading to that strange place deep in Wanku Mountain was being circulated all over the city. Its authenticity is still unknown, but countless people who got the map went crazy and rushed to Wanku Mountain to verify it. Here, I even found one here." The person who came to make a fuss said, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. It was about two feet square and covered with dense lines.

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Before they could even process the news of Mu Haiwang's death, such a sudden turn of events occurred!
Yesterday, Yu Dingbo invited others who possessed map fragments to gather and discuss the matter, and this morning the complete map is already being circulated everywhere? Is this for real? Wasn't it agreed that the complete map would only be assembled at the appointed time? Could these two things be connected?
When the man took out the map, Chen Xuan glanced at it briefly. Even though he wasn't sure if it was real, he recalled the few fragments he had seen yesterday, and some of the lines matched. This meant that the map being circulated everywhere was very likely real!
“There’s no such thing as a coincidence, sir. There must be something fishy about this,” Du Juan said in a deep voice. In fact, she didn’t care about Zhou Tao’s death or the so-called map, but she felt that this matter was related to her master, which she could not tolerate.

The city is in an uproar, with rumors of Zhou Tao's death circulating everywhere. The cause of death is the subject of much speculation and cannot be taken seriously. However, people are more concerned about the map that has been spread around. It was deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives. People who are curious and want to explore that strange place have obtained the map and are flocking to Wanku Mountain to verify it. However, because of Zhou Tao's death, the settlement has been sealed off, which has led to constant conflicts of all sizes.

Yesterday, Zhou Tao, having heard of Du Juan and Xiao Yatou's reputation, came to kick down his door. He promptly backed down and offered to provide the complete map, even helping to find the Earth Magnetic Essence. However, he died just one night later, and countless maps, both real and fake, began to circulate. One thing after another kept him busy.

Suppressing his heightened senses, Chen Xuan calmly said, "We'll find out if there's anything fishy by going to check."

Even though Chen Xuan usually told Gao Jingming that he wasn't very bright, after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that the two things must be connected, as if someone was deliberately covering something up.

Well, he didn't care, but some people, feeling guilty, tried to cover it up and did something unnecessary.

After paying the bill and leaving, Chen Xuan and his group headed straight for the Prince's Mansion.

The place was already heavily guarded, with white silk and white sails hung up, and mournful cries could be heard from inside the palace.

They went straight to the mourning hall, and under the influence of Master Chen Xuan's will, no one around noticed their arrival.

Zhou Tao's body lay in the middle, dead beyond any doubt. Even with Chen Xuan's cultivation, there was no sign of being murdered. There were no internal or external injuries, nor any signs of poisoning. Everything indicated that he had simply died suddenly from a serious illness.

A group of people knelt in the mourning hall, crying so hard they were almost fainting. They were presumably relatives of Zhou Tao's deceased concubines, including a woman holding an infant in her arms.

When Chen Xuan and his group arrived quietly, the Imperial Guard and the government coroner were examining Zhou Tao's body. They were completely clueless, and all signs indicated that he had died suddenly. However, this was the most abnormal thing.

By opening his senses to perceive the actions of people in a large area around him, Chen Xuan quickly grasped the general situation and then withdrew his will to no longer affect the senses of others, directly revealing himself.

His appearance with Du Juan and Su Roujia was extremely conspicuous, and he was quickly discovered. Immediately, someone shouted in alarm and anger, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Prince's mansion? Guards, seize them!"

"Who dares to disrespect my master!" Du Juan immediately said in a deep voice, holding her knife and standing protectively in front of Chen Xuan.

He gestured for her to calm down, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Xuan merely glanced around casually, causing people to subconsciously dare not make any further rash moves.

Standing in the mourning hall, Chen Xuan summoned three incense sticks from afar and said, "I'm Zhou Tao's uncle, I suppose. I was suddenly struck by the tragic news, so I came to see what's going on."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan had already placed three incense sticks into the incense burner, for the dead should be respected.

No one dared to stop him, not because of Chen Xuan's identity—in fact, few people present knew who he was—but because his invisible aura was intimidating and overshadowed the main character. Even the originally sorrowful cries gradually subsided.

After finishing, Chen Xuan scanned the crowd and said, "Originally, although Zhou Tao called me uncle, strictly speaking, I was an outsider in this Prince's mansion. I shouldn't have been involved in his death. But someone still schemed against me, thinking they were clever enough to treat me like a fool. So now, is there anyone who will step forward to take responsibility for his death? And explain the course of events and the purpose behind it. Once the truth comes out, we'll handle it accordingly."

At this moment, the surroundings were completely silent, except for the baby's babbling. Although he appeared very calm, people felt an immense pressure, almost unable to breathe. They opened their mouths to speak, but for a moment, no one dared to utter a word.

A moment later, someone mustered their courage and said in a sorrowful, tearful voice, "The widow Liu pays her respects to Young Master Chen, no, to her uncle."

The speaker was a woman dressed in mourning clothes, with red and swollen eyes, holding a baby in her arms.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xuan said, "No need for formalities, who are you?"

"Uncle, I am Liu, the Prince's first wife," the woman said cautiously, bowing her head. As Zhou Tao's bedmate, she knew some things about Chen Xuan.

She dared not look Chen Xuan in the eye; as she spoke, her eyes held a mixture of hatred and, more than anything, fear.

"So it's the princess," Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Niece-in-law, could you tell me how he died?"

Upon hearing this, Liu's body went limp, and she trembled violently, saying, "No... I don't know, no, it's that my late husband's old illness flared up and he passed away."

"Is it because you don't know or you're afraid to say?" Chen Xuan asked calmly. He wasn't trying to bully the widow; he just wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Under Chen Xuan's persistent questioning, Liu gave a bitter laugh, glaring at Chen Xuan through gritted teeth and said, "Uncle, you are a magnanimous man. My late husband is gone, his body is barely cold, and he kicked your door. Yes, he acted rashly and deserved his fate, but do you want to drive him to the brink of death? Since you want to know, then I will tell you. After seeing you yesterday, my late husband came back and worked until late at night, and then suddenly died. No accident could be found. Don't you know how he died? Now, Uncle, what else do you want me to say?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "What a huge scapegoat!" He even bluntly admitted that he was petty and had killed Zhou Tao over a trivial matter, and that Zhou Tao was still not satisfied and had come to bully him. It was simply outrageous.

He died after seeing me, and the cause of death remains unknown. Isn't it obvious that Chen Xuan did it? With his methods, who could possibly see through it? And who could possibly seek justice and revenge?
It was definitely targeting them. On the surface, Zhou Tao died, but what was the real purpose of the person who orchestrated all of this?

There was no time for cat-and-mouse games. Chen Xuan's eyes flashed with purple light as he used his Purple Mystic Illusionary Eye to scan the crowd and said, "Now tell me what's going on. Those who know, come one by one, starting with you, Liu."

Now Chen Xuan is becoming more and more adept at this pupil technique. Under its influence, everyone present except Du Juan and the others has their minds controlled, but their consciousness is clear, only their words and actions are completely controlled by Chen Xuan.

...(End of chapter)