Misty Rain of the Old Times

In early spring, everything is bursting with life. Tender grass shoots can be seen everywhere by the roadside, and small flowers occasionally bloom, creating a thriving scene. The warm midday sun is just right, making it the perfect time for tourists to enjoy the gentle breeze.

Even on such a joyful day, there are always some things that spoil the mood.

On the main road, a dozen or so burly ruffians, swaggering and arrogant, bared their chests and bellies, their bodies covered in tattoos, practically writing "I'm not a good person" on their faces. Passersby avoided them like the plague.

These hooligans must have practiced some martial arts, judging from their calloused hands. To put it nicely, they might call themselves江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world), but in reality, they're just a bunch of low-level thugs, adept at bullying ordinary people. If they really encounter a tough guy, they're nothing.

However, these bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong are the most hated by everyone. There are all kinds of people, and there are bound to be such scoundrels everywhere. It's just that most people don't come into contact with them usually, since they don't belong to the same circle. Even thugs have their own circles.

Most of the people passing by on the road are ordinary people from the lower classes. They don't look like good people, so I keep my distance from them, afraid of getting into trouble. These people may not be considered extremely wicked, but the things they do are disgusting and frustrating.

They surrounded a young couple, laughing and joking, who were clearly from out of town.

Encountering these hooligans and being targeted by them, the two young men were incredibly unlucky. Passersby shook their heads and sighed inwardly, realizing they were clearly being bullied by outsiders. People were angry but dared not speak out, wanting to help but lacking the ability. If they got into trouble, they would be left with nowhere to turn. They could only silently hope that the bullying wouldn't be too severe.

But who can say for sure? The world is in chaos, especially for outsiders. If they are taken to illegal kilns for hard labor or sold to brothels, who will stand up for them? The key is that the two young men are a bit dim-witted but have a lot of strength, and the woman is slender and beautiful.

Even passing dogs have to run fast, otherwise they might get cooked and eaten. How could these hooligans not bully two outsiders like these?

Judging from their clothes and appearance, they were from the poorest of the poor, unfamiliar with the place, and helpless. Who would stand up for them? The thugs looked at them with malice, their eyes constantly lingering on the girl, clearly attracted by her looks and figure.

These bastards, reeking of alcohol in broad daylight, what wouldn't they do if they were driven by evil?
In the crowd, the little girl looked nervous and uneasy, clutching her luggage tightly. She was pursed her lips and looked helpless. She probably knew that she was beautiful, so she deliberately made herself look ugly. She covered her body with loose, patched clothes and smeared ash on her face, but even so, she was still being watched.

They had carefully traversed countless mountains and rivers, experiencing many twists and turns along the way, but overall remaining relatively peaceful. They had also encountered some kind-hearted people. Unexpectedly, such an accident occurred just as they were about to reach their destination. This is probably a case of "the last mile is the hardest," meaning that things are more likely to go wrong the closer you get to the end.

The boy with her shielded her behind him, holding a stick. His dull and dazed face was filled with ferocity, like... like a stray dog ​​baring its teeth on the roadside.

Judging from their appearance, the boy was smaller than the girl, but he was quite sturdy and a head taller than her. They looked about 70% alike, clearly indicating that they were siblings.

"You...bad guys, get out of here, or we'll fight!" the boy said fiercely, his words broken and he clearly not good with words. Even this simple sentence was stammered out.

Seeing this, the surrounding thugs immediately burst into laughter. One of them crossed his arms and taunted, "Oh, you want to hit us? How are you going to hit us? With that firewood stick you're holding? Saying we're not good people? If you don't give us an explanation, you're not leaving today!"

"Exactly! Do you think we're bad people? We're good people! Go ask around, everyone in the surrounding villages says we're top-notch heroes! These two outsiders are slandering us! We can't let this go!"

"Haha, who are you two kids trying to scare? You look like refugees begging for food. It's tough these days when food is scarce. Do you want me to find you a place to eat and live? Everyone says we're good people, right? Kind-hearted, aren't we?"

"Oh dear, why waste words with them? One's an idiot, the other's mute. We offered to help, and they turned on us. Let's just take them away and be done with it. If they don't satisfy us, hmph!"

A group of thugs chimed in, completely disregarding them, their intentions obvious.

Those who work in this line of work must have some connections, otherwise where would they get the capital to be so arrogant? They also need to be able to read people's expressions and moods, otherwise they wouldn't even know how they died.

They usually get things done by paying money, and even when they bully people, they'll find a plausible reason, whether it's reasonable or not, there has to be one. But he targets locals, while these two young men are obviously from out of town, they're clearly just asking for trouble. So what if they're bullied? Who can do anything about it? Will anyone stand up for them?

Actually, these bastards aren't very discerning. They didn't realize that the young man possessed considerable internal strength. Despite their numbers, they might not be able to defeat him in a fight.

That being said, if the two young people didn't have some skills, they wouldn't have made it this far.

However, low-level thugs are usually not good at fighting, but prefer to use dirty tricks. In a fight, the two young people are more likely to suffer losses, especially when a conflict arises. They have ten ways to deal with two young people from out of town, such as using connections and bribing the government. Once they fall into their hands, they can be easily manipulated.

The anxious little girl pursed her lips and whispered behind her younger brother, "I'm not mute."

She wasn't saying this to outsiders, but to her younger brother. Only she herself probably understands why she said it; her brother has a disability, and she cares a lot about that.

Then, mustering her courage, she looked around but said hesitantly, "Please don't make things difficult for us. We're not refugees begging for food; we're here to find someone. Besides, my brother is very strong. If he bullies us, he'll hit us. You'll suffer. My brother doesn't know his own strength; if he kills one of you, we'll face legal trouble. So please, please let us go, okay?"

These words were clearly meant to warn others, but the tone was too timid and lacked any deterrent effect.

The surrounding thugs immediately burst into laughter. One of them shouted, "Your little brother's pretty tough, huh? Try hitting him! Come on, hit me on the head. My head's already hurting, I'm not afraid of breaking it!"

The words spoken were undeniably malicious; they were clearly mocking the other person's mentally challenged younger brother, and were practically stabbing him in the heart.

Then someone else said, "Tell us, who are you looking for? We know Yang County very well, we can definitely help. Why don't you come with us first, we'll help you find them slowly, no rush."

"Hehe, they might have come looking for us. What do you call fate, as scholars say?"

"Let's go, let's go, don't waste time here," the person who said this winked. After all, it was broad daylight, and they had to be careful. The new magistrate of Yang County was not one to tolerate any nonsense. It wasn't that they were afraid of the magistrate; the other party was, after all, from out of town, and they had their own connections. It was just that it was best not to make a big fuss about this.

The others immediately understood. They had been working together seamlessly for a while. Someone secretly drugged the siblings under the cover of their companions, planning to take them away, have some fun, and then sell them for a profit.

Just then, a rascal subconsciously touched the back of his head, spat, and said, "Damn it, the weather hasn't really warmed up yet. It feels chilly in this cold wind."

Little did anyone know that at that moment, Chen Xuan was eating. He heard from Du Juan that a master of innate cultivation had come to town, so he opened his senses to pay attention to his surroundings and noticed what was happening here. That's why he got angry. From childhood to adulthood, there were very few things that had truly angered Chen Xuan.

The two young people had little experience traveling, and it seemed they were about to be kidnapped. But to the thugs' surprise, the expected drugging of them did not happen. Could it be that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction?
For them, the easiest way to abduct someone would be the best; they would avoid physical violence if possible, and if all else fails, they would have to resort to force.

Just then, a gentle voice rang out from outside the crowd, saying, "Xiao Miao, Fu Gui, what brings you here?"

The one speaking was naturally Chen Xuan, who had noticed the situation and rushed over immediately, accompanied by Du Juan, while the little girl stayed at home.

He was genuinely surprised that Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother would actually come to Yang County. How did they manage to travel such a long and arduous journey? Back then, Chen Xuan and his friends had faced numerous setbacks when they went to study in Mocheng. Let alone Xiaomiao and her brother, there were too many unexpected things that could have happened if they weren't careful. Just thinking about it made him very worried.

At the beginning of the year, Chen Xuan went to pay respects to Old Man Zhou and learned from Master Fang that Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother had gone to visit relatives and he had no chance to see them. Now that they were here, Chen Xuan knew without guessing that they had come to find him. They had set off at that time and only arrived today.

As for how they knew his address, it's simple: Chen Xuan had told them. They had occasionally exchanged letters over the years, though Xiao Miao and the others had their letters written by someone else.

I haven't heard anything wrong with them. They seem to be doing well. Why would they travel all this way to find me?

Having watched Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother grow up, Chen Xuan knew they were pitiful from a young age and were one of the few people he cared about. Yet, when they came to him, they were bullied. Although it had only just happened and he hadn't managed to bully them yet, Chen Xuan was still furious.

Ignoring the group of thugs, Chen Xuan only had eyes for Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother, his gaze gentle as if looking at his younger siblings, just like when they had met countless times before.

Zhou Xiaomiao and Su Roujia are about the same age and are now grown-up young women. They are quite beautiful, and even if they try to make themselves look ugly, they can't hide their good looks. No wonder they were targeted by thugs. It's fortunate that they live not far from the county town. In the wilderness, the thugs probably wouldn't even bother to pretend.

Zhou Fugui had grown up too. Though mentally challenged, he was diligent and focused. He had clearly mastered the rudimentary martial arts Chen Xuan had taught him, and now he had even developed considerable internal strength, no less than Deng Lingfeng. If he were a normal person, he could already make his way in the martial world with that kind of power. Even though it had been over a year since they last met, Zhou Xiaomiao recognized that voice instantly. She instinctively looked towards the source of the sound, immediately breaking into a bright smile, exclaiming with surprise and joy, "Brother Chen, what are you doing here? It's wonderful to finally see you!"

Even Zhou Fugui looked at Chen Xuan with a simple and innocent smile. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word. He clearly had so much to say and so many emotions to express, but his flawed thinking made it difficult for him to speak.

As Zhou Xiaomiao was speaking, she tried to move closer to Chen Xuan, but was stopped by a group of thugs.

The bald, burly man at the head of the group, with his bare chest and belly, sporting a blue dragon on his left and a white tiger on his right, and a red lotus tattoo on his bald head, turned to look at Chen Xuan with a slight frown. Noticing Du Juan beside him, he raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice, "This young master looks unfamiliar. Where do you work? I hope you won't meddle in other people's business."

They were trying to find out Chen Xuan's background. Their eyes were gleaming; they could tell at a glance that Chen Xuan was no ordinary person, but more like a scholar. They would avoid offending him if possible, because hooligans like them usually didn't end up badly messing with scholars.

However, they also had powerful backers and were not afraid of ordinary scholars. Even if they listened to Chen Xuan, they still did not want to give up on Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother. If Chen Xuan had no background, they would have been bullied, and they even wanted to take advantage of Du Juan.

Just a moment ago, Chen Xuan was eating at home, dressed very casually. Especially after taking a nap, his clothes were messy and his hair was unkempt. If Madam Gao saw him like this, she would definitely scold him like a grandson.

This was no small matter, but Chen Xuan didn't even bother to glance at these bastards. He waved to Zhou Xiaomiao and the others and smiled, "I'm asking you guys how you are. Come on, come home with me. Have you eaten?"

Zhou Xiaomiao nodded and was about to bring Zhou Fugui over, but she was stopped by the thugs and became a little uneasy. However, the next moment, the thugs who were blocking the way suddenly moved aside.

They seemed unaware of their subconscious behavior. The leader of the hooligans glared at Chen Xuan and said in a deep voice, "Young master, I'm asking you a question. Which gang are you from? Mind your own business and you'll regret it!"

Du Juan said in a stern tone, "Where did these blind bastards come from? You dare to speak to my master? I can't be bothered with you. You'd better get lost and be grateful."

If Chen Xuan hadn't remained silent, these people would have already been chopped into minced meat by her.

Xiao Miao and the others had already come to his side, signaling them to calm down. Chen Xuan wondered to himself if he was just too unnoticed, or perhaps he was just too low-key.

So he looked at the group of thugs and asked speechlessly, "You don't recognize me?"

"Who are you? Who do you think you are? What are you acting like?" a thug said in an unfriendly tone.

With a smile, Chen Xuan turned around and said, "Although your attempt to commit evil failed, I am really a little angry. You went to the yamen to turn yourself in and admitted that you had abducted an innocent woman in broad daylight, and you took the initiative to accept a heavier sentence. I won't hold this against you. I'm happy to see Xiao Miao and the others, and I don't want to ruin this mood. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll get my hands dirty dealing with you."

Since her master had already spoken, Dujuan decided not to take action. She thought to herself that her master was too lenient. To punish them for such crimes would at most mean hard labor until death or exile for five thousand miles. In any case, they would die anyway, so it was too lenient for them.

Reaching out to stop his enraged companion, the ringleader coldly stared at Chen Xuan's retreating figure and said in a deep voice, "Young master, you have quite the nerve. Do you think the yamen is your private property? Daring to say such things, you must have some connections. You want us to confess our crimes? That's not impossible, but it depends on how strong your connections are. Do you even know who we are to dare to speak such arrogant words!"

Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. The government office is run by Lao Deng, and the little princess is his wife. So, rounding up, it really is his own business... right?

Chen Xuan had never noticed that there were such arrogant people in Yang County before. Hearing this, he turned around and said with interest, "Tell me, who are you working for? You actually dared to say that you can't be dealt with. You seem to have quite a background. Maybe I know someone."

A chill ran down his spine, but the thug leader seemed emboldened, coldly saying, "You only know a few people? Listen carefully, it'll scare you to death if I tell you. We are guests of the Gao family. What, do you still want us to turn ourselves in? Now you know how ridiculous your words were."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan blinked and asked Du Juan in confusion, "When did the Gao family have such a group of retainers? How come I didn't know?"

Chen Xuan knew everyone in the Gao family. Where did this nobody come from? No, he had only left the Gao family a year ago. With the Gao family's current status, how could they be going backwards?

Of course, Chen Xuan wasn't stupid. These guys were definitely trying to make themselves look good. If they were really guests of the Gao family, how could they not recognize him and dare to bark at him like dogs?

With a sneer, the gang leader, brimming with superiority, said, "I can tell you don't even know which way the Gao family's door opens, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly to me. Do you even know the Gao family? Not only is Master Gao's official career so successful that he's become a prefect, but the eldest daughter is the Queen of Qing, and the young master is the top scholar in the imperial examination. The Emperor's favor is boundless, and victory is assured in the Emperor's heart..."

"Who knows the Gao family's situation better than me?" Chen Xuan waved his hand to interrupt the other person, saying, "Give me all this rambling, so who do you think you are?"

Zhou Xiaomiao looked on with a strange expression. This guy was talking so eloquently, yet he didn't recognize Brother Chen, who was standing next to Young Master Gao.
Even the usually stern-faced Du Juan almost burst out laughing, looking at them as if they were looking at idiots.

"Kid, don't be so rude. Although those people aren't within our reach, we're working for Young Master Gao Jinghao, so we have influence. Believe me, we can ruin your family with a single word. Do you still want us to turn ourselves in? If you don't give us a straight answer, this isn't over yet," the thug sneered again.

I really don't believe it.

Chen Xuan was speechless. So that's his background. No wonder he was so arrogant. He was actually Gao Jinghao's errand boy. I must say, that can really fool a lot of people.

Gao Jinghao has already started his own family and established his own household. He doesn't have much ability on his own, but with the Gao family as his backing, he is a big shot wherever he goes. It's easy for him to thrive in small places. After all, his abilities are mediocre, so it's not surprising that he has some mixed people under his command.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan was speechless. How embarrassing! Gao Jinghao was using such a guy to do things. Did Madam Gao know? If Madam Gao found out, she would definitely break his legs.

'I'm just bored and have nothing better to do than waste my breath on them.'

Muttering to himself, Chen Xuan casually tossed out a remark: "Without a bunch of scoundrels like you under Gao Jinghao, he's practically tarnishing the Gao family's reputation, making his crime even more egregious. If you're not satisfied, can't you speak to Gao Jinghao directly? Tell him to come find me."

With just a few words, Chen Xuan had made clear arrangements for them. It seemed like he hadn't done anything, but if they didn't follow his instructions, their fate would only be worse. Chen Xuan didn't need to worry about the aftermath at all.

What happened here was in full view of everyone, so it was bound to spread. The Gao family was so special in Yang County that anything about them would quickly become known to everyone, and some people even took the initiative to handle the aftermath.

Seeing Chen Xuan and his group leave, the group of thugs were unsure of what to do. They didn't want to let the matter rest, but instinctively they couldn't muster the courage to continue, and could only watch them leave.

A moment later, someone asked, "What do we do next?"

"Hmph, do you think we're easy to scare? Let's go, prepare a generous gift and head to Young Master Gao Jinghao's residence. We hope to get a meeting, or at least if one of Young Master Gao's men says a word, that guy's finished!"

Chen Xuan, who was walking away, almost burst out laughing when he heard their conversation. It turned out they were a bunch of scoundrels. He, a grandmaster, would never have associated with such trash if it weren't for Xiao Miao and the others. It was enough.

Chen Xuan didn't take this to heart at all. Looking at Zhou Xiaomiao, who was following excitedly beside him, he asked with concern, "Xiaomiao, you still haven't told me why you thought of coming to Yang County?"

Zhou Xiaomiao looked at his face nervously and said, "Brother Chen, it's been almost a year since I last saw you. I didn't know how you were doing, so I wanted to come and wish you a Happy New Year. I was delayed on the way and only arrived today. I originally wanted to go into the city to ask where you lived, but you showed up here. I'm sorry, have we caused you any trouble?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. The two siblings had traveled thousands of miles just to wish him a Happy New Year. This sentiment alone surpassed everything else.

With a touched expression, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Don't overthink it. There's nothing to cause trouble. I'm very happy that you came. You must have had a long journey. Come on, let's go home. Are you hungry?"

"Hmm, not hungry. We brought our own food and haven't gone hungry at all along the way," she said, patting her luggage.

Chen Xuan could smell the sourness. The siblings, who came from poor backgrounds, were content as long as they could fill their stomachs; they didn't care about anything else. They had endured countless hardships along the way, feeling both heartbroken and moved, their eyes almost getting bricks in them... (End of Chapter)