Misty Rain of the Old Times

Bending down to pick up the 'stone' that had rolled to his feet, about the size of a pomelo and quite heavy, Chen Xuan examined it briefly and recalled the information in his mind. He quickly confirmed that this thing was the geomagnetic essence he had been searching for for so long.

It had been burrowing underground for days, like a groundhog, but they couldn't find it. Its appearance in this way was truly unexpected for Chen Xuan; the surprise came too suddenly.

This thing is oval-shaped, like a stone egg, silvery-gray, with a faint metallic luster under the light, but it is not a real metal, it is somewhere between metal and rock. To be precise, it is a ore containing a special metal called geomagnetic essence. The one that Chen Xuan has is very high in content, with geomagnetic essence accounting for at least 70%.

Although the name of the Earth Magnetic Essence contains the word "earth magnetism," it does not possess magnetism itself, even after refining, let alone in its ore form. Without a specialized detector, it is hidden in the rocks underground, making it difficult to find. This is why Chen Xuan and his team have been searching for so long without success.

As the main material of the levitation array, it needs to be finely processed and then combined with other materials to form an array in order to give the target the effect of levitation in the void.

The ore in Chen Xuan's hand was originally an oval-shaped stone egg, but it was missing a part, about one-third of it, which was obviously bitten by teeth, and there were still teeth marks on it.

Looking at the eroded areas, the ore exhibits layers of varying shades of color along its internal structure, resembling a mille-feuille. This is a unique characteristic of geomagnetic elemental ore, and it even looks quite appetizing...

As Chen Xuan examined the ore, the dazed and disheveled man suddenly stood up and rushed towards Chen Xuan, his voice trembling with joy and excitement as he cried out, "How long has it been?! I've finally seen a living person! This is wonderful! I'm so happy!"

He covered a distance of a few feet and arrived near Chen Xuan in just a few steps. As he spoke, he excitedly opened his arms as if to give Chen Xuan a big hug.

This person is truly too lonely; he loses all composure when he sees someone.

However, before he could get close enough to hug Chen Xuan, Du Juan swiftly stepped forward, a short, gleaming knife pressed against his neck, her expressionless face saying, "Don't offend my master. This... sir, please have some self-respect."

If this guy hadn't been simply overjoyed and had no malicious intent, Du Juan's slash wouldn't have stopped him; it would have severed his head.

At the same time, Dujuan thought to herself, "You think you can offend my master in this disheveled state? I haven't even been able to hug you yet."

The cold blade pressed against his neck, and he felt its sharp, menacing edge. He realized that if he dared to continue, his head would be severed at any moment. His excited heart was instantly sobered up as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

Realizing that these people were able to arrive here unharmed, and that their attire was not at all disheveled, as if they were simply enjoying a leisurely outing, they could not be ordinary people.
He wasn't usually a reckless person, but after being trapped for so long, he became too excited and couldn't control himself. Now, regaining his composure, he slowly raised his hand, his words still brimming with excitement, and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm just too happy, I meant no harm. Please put your knife away, young lady. Swords have no eyes; it wouldn't be good if your hand trembled and you hurt someone."

Chen Xuan had no habit of hugging or cuddling with any man, especially since the other man looked more disheveled than a beggar and smelled so bad it could make anyone faint. Originally, Du Juan was going to move aside to clean up, but she stopped him, which saved her some trouble.

Turning his gaze away from the ore, and seeing that he was energetic and articulate, he smiled and said, "It seems you're in good spirits, brother."

"It's alright, it's alright. It's just that being trapped underground all by myself is too painful. I almost went crazy from suffocation. I lost my composure quite a bit before, so please don't laugh at me," the other person said with a cheerful expression.

As he spoke, he calmed down completely and hissed inwardly. Du Juan's knife had been removed from his neck, but it was still illuminating the area. That was clearly innate true energy, being used so extravagantly for lighting. Also, the place they came from had a passage cut through the originally solid rock, flowing like quicksand. Even if he could shatter some rocks, he could never do that. What was even more terrifying was that he hadn't felt a thing. What kind of technique was that?
Who are they?

Seeing that he had recovered, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "My name is Chen Xuan. These two are Du Juan and Su Roujia. They are now my only family. May I ask how you should address me?"

"Greetings, sir. We apologize for any offense we may have caused you harm to my master. We are merely his maids and servants, and he has shown us great favor by not treating us as servants," Du Juan nodded and stepped back behind Chen Xuan. Chen Xuan was aware of their attitude, but that did not mean he had forgotten his own status, so he made a point of reminding them.

The man nodded, straightened his clothes, and then noticed that he was dressed in tattered clothes. He gave an embarrassed smile and simply cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. I was too excited just now. Please don't laugh at me. My name is Jiang Hao. I've been trapped for quite some time and am in a rather disheveled state. I hope you can forgive me."

Chen Xuan returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said, "I understand. It's better to meet by chance than to meet by appointment. Brother Jiang, why don't you sit down and have a chat?"

This person, though trapped for an unknown period of time, remained clear-headed and without any malice. Chen Xuan had been somewhat bored underground for several days, and since he had finally encountered someone, he naturally didn't mind sitting down and chatting. Besides, he had something he planned to ask him for advice.

Jiang Hao slapped his forehead and said generously, "I couldn't be happier! Please have a seat. Um, I've been here for who knows how many days. I can't see anything except for creating some light when I'm feeling irritable. I haven't prepared any chairs, so please forgive me. Please make yourselves at home."

As he spoke, Du Juan went to the stone wall, brandished her short knife, and swiftly carved several stone benches. She waved one of the benches down in front of the man, and placed another one behind Chen Xuan. She looked on in surprise when she saw Jiang Hao.

Nodding to Du Juan, Chen Xuan turned back and gestured, "Brother Jiang, please make yourself at home and have a seat."

"Please," Jiang Hao smiled awkwardly and sat down, thinking to himself that after so long, why hadn't he thought of using the materials he had on hand to make some things to live more comfortably?

To his even greater surprise, Du Juan, having already set up the stool, began to build a table using whatever materials were available, while the little girl took out a portable charcoal stove to boil water, seemingly to make tea.

Jiang Hao felt a pang of bitterness. "Wait, did you guys come down here to play? What kind of awful life have I been living all this time?"

Unsure of what he was thinking, Chen Xuan took the initiative to speak, "May I ask how long Brother Jiang has been here? And why have you fallen to this state? I have no intention of investigating; I'm just asking casually since I have nothing better to do. If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"I'm so happy that Young Master Chen is willing to talk to me. There's nothing I can't say. It's all tears when I think about it. I regret it so much..." Jiang Hao shook his head, looking like he was about to cry.

From his description, Chen Xuan understood why he had ended up in such a predicament. The process was not complicated. Last August, he happened to hear that there was a magical place deep in Wanku Mountain where everything could grow to enormous size. So, out of curiosity, he came to explore it. As a result, he couldn't get out and got lost deep in the cave. If he had known this would happen, he would never have come here.

Since it was their first meeting, the other party was still wary and simply described what had happened without revealing much about themselves.

After patiently listening to him finish, Chen Xuan said sympathetically, "It's already February. If you count the time, Brother Jiang has been in this cave for almost half a year."

"Only half a year? I thought three or five years had passed. It's so dark and gloomy underground, there's no one to talk to, so time seems to pass very slowly," Jiang Hao said, slightly bewildered, unsure whether to feel fortunate or sad.

For a full six months, in a dark and gloomy place with no one to talk to, he didn't go crazy, which is truly remarkable.

As they spoke, with Du Juan's help, the little girl had already brewed tea and brought it over. After pouring tea for the two of them, she went to start cooking. The ingredients they had brought were almost gone; they would either have to forage for food locally or go outside to resupply. Feeling deep sympathy for Jiang Hao's plight, Chen Xuan gestured for him to drink some tea and asked with slight curiosity, "Brother Jiang, you seem to be in pretty good shape despite your current predicament. I wonder how you've managed to survive? Finding food in this deep underground cave is truly difficult. I didn't mean to bring up your painful past; I'm genuinely surprised."

Jiang Hao responded frankly, "There's nothing to be ashamed of. To be honest, before I got here, I could occasionally catch some poisonous insects and animals to barely survive. But as I got lost deeper into the area, even those things became hard to find. Especially recently, I don't know exactly how long it's been, I've found that it's more palatable to chew on rocks than to eat insects and animals. Besides, different rocks have different textures. Catching animals to eat is just something I occasionally do to change things up."

"Gnawing on rocks? Brother Jiang's appetite is truly admirable," Chen Xuan said sincerely, while shaking the Earth Magnetism Essence he was holding, indicating that he was going to eat this stuff.

He frankly said, "There's nothing I can do about it. Without any seasoning, eating animals and insects is really no better than gnawing on stones. To be honest, the cultivation technique I practice is a bit special, called the Swallowing Yuan Technique. As my cultivation deepens, I can eat and digest many things, and it can even increase my cultivation level. At a certain level, I can even chew iron and swallow gold. However, I'm still not quite there yet, so I can only gnaw on stones. By the way, there's a large area around here, and the kind of stone that Young Master Chen has in his hand tastes the best. Also, there's water seeping out from the water there. I can barely survive by gnawing on stones and drinking that water."

After listening to Chen Xuan, I was truly impressed. What a talent! He's incredibly capable. Being so poor that he was sick of eating is nothing compared to others who can survive by eating rocks and drinking water.

Of course, given Chen Xuan's current cultivation level, he can eat and digest most things in the world to sustain his life if he has no other choice, including stones and metals, but he would rather not eat these things on his own initiative.

According to his description, the Devouring Yuan Technique he practiced was truly extraordinary, undoubtedly a superior technique. After all, at a certain level, it could digest steel and even gold and silver to enhance one's power. It should be known that for ordinary people, eating that stuff would be tantamount to courting death.

As he spoke these words, even Du Juan glanced at him sideways. Even with her current innate cultivation, she couldn't refine and absorb the gold she swallowed; at most, she could only expel it from her body.

"Impressive, I admire you," Chen Xuan said sincerely, giving a thumbs up. He truly respected this kind of person.

Waving his hand, Jiang Hao said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do about it. We're just trying to find joy in hardship. If I had the means, I'd like to eat something better. Between practicing martial arts and living a normal life, I'd rather live a better life. By the way, Young Master Chen, how did you end up here? Were you also trapped in the underground cave?"

As he spoke, his gaze was unconsciously drawn to the direction of the little girl and the others. It wasn't that he had any inappropriate thoughts; it was just that the aroma of cooking over there made him keep swallowing his saliva. He hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.

There was nothing to hide, Chen Xuan said frankly, "We're not trapped in the underground cave; we've come specifically to find what we need. Here it is. Oh, and this is Brother Jiang's emergency rations. They ended up with me; please take them back."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan handed over the geomagnetic essence in his hand. He hadn't forgotten that it belonged to someone else. Without any enmity or grudge, he couldn't possibly take it by force without permission.

However, Jiang Hao didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Chen Xuan in astonishment and asked, "Young Master Chen, you said you weren't trapped in the underground cave, meaning you can still get out?"

“That’s true. If we want to get out… Brother Jiang, what are you doing?” Chen Xuan nodded, but before he could finish speaking, Jiang Hao knelt down in front of him.

However, Chen Xuan did not make him kneel down; he raised his hand from a distance to stop him.

At this moment, Jiang Hao stammered, "Young Master Chen, could you please take me with you when you leave? I'm begging you, I've had enough of this place. If you can take me out, I'll do anything for you, even be your slave. From now on, as long as it doesn't violate any moral principles, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation."

He desperately wanted to get out. Those who haven't experienced it can never understand how painful it is to be trapped in the dark underground. However, even with the chance to escape, he didn't cross his bottom line or conscience, and he wouldn't do anything just to get out.

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "Brother Jiang, please calm down. Since we've met by chance, we can go together when we leave. It's no trouble at all."

"What a small favor for Young Master Chen is nothing short of a life-saving grace for me. I am deeply grateful and will never let Young Master Chen down in the future. As long as it is not against morality, I will not flinch even if it means going through fire and water." Faced with the chance to escape, he was somewhat incoherent.

No matter how eager he was to get out, he needed Chen Xuan to take him, so he didn't dare to urge him at all, as he had finally seen a glimmer of hope.

No longer dwelling on it, Chen Xuan handed over the geomagnetic essence again, saying, "This is Brother Jiang's emergency rations; please take it back."

"Young Master Chen, please don't tease me. If I could get out of here, why would I eat this? It makes me nauseous just looking at it," Jiang Hao said with a wry smile. Then, he added, "By the way, Young Master Chen, weren't you specifically looking for this? Take it, don't be shy."

Seeing this, Chen Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll accept this item. It's exactly what I need, so consider it payment for taking Brother Jiang out. No one will lose out, and there's no need to talk about a life-saving favor."

“That won’t do!” Jiang Hao immediately shook his head.

While Chen Xuan was still in shock, he continued, "How can a mere broken stone compare to the debt of gratitude for being rescued? It can't be generalized. If Young Master Chen insists on distancing himself from the debt of gratitude for being rescued, then I'd rather not have you take me out."

He was a very honest man, and Chen Xuan didn't want him to feel indebted, but he became even more unhappy. Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. He deliberately steered the conversation in this direction and said, "Brother Jiang is so kind. I was overthinking it. This is something I need, but I don't have enough of it. May I ask where I can find more?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao smiled and, without asking what Chen Xuan needed it for, said with a laugh, "That's more like it. If Young Master Chen needs this, leave it to me. I'll go find more for you right away. Before you came, this place was a dead end for me because there's a water source here. I don't know exactly how long I've been here, but I've explored a large area around here and know where there's more."

As he spoke, he couldn't wait to get up and go into the darkness to help Chen Xuan collect geomagnetic essence.

Now that they had made progress, Chen Xuan was no longer in a hurry. He quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother Jiang, please wait. This thing won't run away. The food is almost ready; let's eat something first before we go to collect it."

Jiang Hao didn't stop there, but said, "Don't be surprised, this thing might actually run away if you go too late. It's not that it has legs, it's just that there's a kind of creature deep underground that specializes in collecting it. I just happened to run into it. I originally wanted to catch that creature for a meal, but I couldn't beat it, and it couldn't do anything to me either. We fought and separated. It left behind a few of these stones. I tasted them and was surprised to find that they tasted pretty good. I only have this half left. But don't worry, Young Master Chen, I've roughly figured out that guy's activity range recently, and I'll definitely be able to get it for you."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart stirred, and he became even more reassured, saying, "Let's eat first. Since Brother Jiang said there's a creature collecting it, and it's nearby, it definitely can't escape."

Although he didn't know where Jiang Hao got his meticulousness from, he still said, "I'll go, Young Master Chen, please wait a moment, I'll fetch it for you."

“Brother Jiang just said that you can’t beat it. If you get injured or something happens to it, I’ll feel really bad. Let’s eat something and go together. There’s really no need to rush. Besides, I don’t feel comfortable leaving Roujia and the others here alone.”

After Chen Xuan's repeated persuasion, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Alright then, I'll listen to Young Master Chen."

...(End of chapter)