Misty Rain of the Old Times

Guo Qingxue, who was walking quickly over, was excited and overjoyed. Even though she was a woman of the martial arts world, she had forgotten all her usual modesty. She took light steps and rushed towards Chen Xuan like a swallow returning to its nest, pretending to hug his arm as if afraid that he would fly away.

Chen Xuan was puzzled. When did we become so close? We can't be that intimate, can we?

After much thought, we realized that we had only met a handful of times and spent very little time together. This didn't seem right.

With a natural step, Guo Qingxue easily dodged the attack and failed.

She seemed not to have expected Chen Xuan to avoid her, so much so that she lost her balance and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, her cultivation was not bad, so she was not in such a sorry state.

After adjusting her posture, her excited expression immediately turned resentful, like that of a young wife who had suffered a great injustice.

Amused and exasperated, Chen Xuan looked at her aggrieved expression and said gently, "Miss Guo, is there some misunderstanding between us? I don't think I've ever lied to you about anything, have I?"

"You big liar! You still say you didn't lie to me? You've lied to me for eight whole years! Eight years!" She looked at Chen Xuan with her beautiful eyes and scolded him, her eyes red and her nose sniffling. She emphasized it again, looking as aggrieved as could be.

It made Chen Xuan feel as if he had really done something heinous like seducing and abandoning her. He immediately found it both funny and speechless, and said, "Can we make things clear first? What exactly did I lie to you about?"

At this moment, He Hongyi also came closer, making no attempt to hide her feelings. She looked at Chen Xuan with eyes as clear as water, almost to the point of being drooling. However, she was much older than Guo Qingxue and couldn't throw herself at Chen Xuan like a young girl.

She didn't say anything to disturb them, showing her gentle and considerate side.

Guo Qingxue didn't think about all that. At this moment, she only had eyes for Chen Xuan. Her petal-like mouth opened and she said urgently, "How could you not lie to me? I've been looking for you for eight whole years. You've met me so many times. Why won't you acknowledge me?"

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'recognition'?" Chen Xuan raised his hand in surprise, thinking to himself, "Is our relationship that special? We've been separated for many years as husband and wife, or even siblings. How can you describe it as 'recognition'?"

I've been looking for you for eight whole years, and this is your reaction? It's like you don't even know me.
Guo Qingxue felt a pang of sadness and grievance. Her beautiful eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Chen Xuan, her voice choked with emotion. "Brother Chen, wasn't it you who disguised yourself as Yang Guo and sold me kebabs in the desert back then? Wasn't it you who killed Liu Zhenwei? You saved all of our lives and avenged my grandfather. That's why I've been looking for you all these years."

After listening to his explanation, Chen Xuan nodded and said, "It's true that I disguised myself to observe your grandfather's fight with Liu Zhenwei back then, and I was forced to kill Liu Zhenwei as well. But I didn't lie to you about anything, did I? It's completely unrelated, okay?"

“What do you mean by ‘completely unrelated’? I’ve been looking for Brother Yang, which is you. Everyone in the martial arts world knows about this. Don’t pretend you haven’t heard about it. From last year until now, we’ve met several times. You knew I was desperately searching for you, but you pretended not to know. Isn’t that deceiving me?” Guo Qingxue argued.

"What kind of twisted logic is this?" Chen Xuan was speechless. He waved his hand and said, "I have indeed heard something, but you are looking for Yang Guo, not me, Chen Xuan. There is a big difference. Would I tell you that I am Yang Guo and why you are looking for me? Do you believe that? If you did, you would definitely think that I have ulterior motives, right?"

Oh right, I'm looking for Yang Guo, not Chen Xuan. Why would Brother Chen impersonate him?

Guo Qingxue was a little confused, but the clever girl quickly realized what was going on and glared at me with a look that said, "You're clearly the same person. I'm looking for you, so why can't you just say so?"

"You didn't ask," Chen Xuan said, shrugging as if to say, "How can you blame me?"

Slightly hesitant, Guo Qingxue opened her mouth and then said, "I didn't know you were Yang Guo at the time, and besides, would you admit it if I asked?"

"Why wouldn't I admit it? It's not like it's anything shameful. In other words, I can't just go around shouting that I'm Yang Guo, I'd feel embarrassed myself," Chen Xuan nodded frankly.

So the person I've been searching for has been right in front of me time and time again, but I just haven't connected the dots? Is it my fault?
Guo Qingxue was a little dumbfounded. After hesitating for a moment, she said with a bitter heart, "Now that I'm here, there's nothing I need to hide from you, Brother Chen. You're the one who caused all the trouble in the capital, right? And you're the one selling pills, right?"

“That’s right,” Chen Xuan shrugged and admitted, maintaining the same attitude: he wouldn’t make a public announcement, and he wouldn’t shy away from the question if someone asked. He didn’t care what anyone said.

"You knew I was looking for you, but you avoided talking about it. Isn't that lying?" Guo Qingxue stared intently at Chen Xuan, her face saying, "You're a big liar." The topic was inexplicably steered back to her.

These things are not important at all, Chen Xuan simply asked bluntly: "After saying so much, so Miss Guo, what brings you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Guo Qingxue's eyes flickered, and she became a little shy. Her cheeks were slightly red, and with tears in her eyes, she looked shy and coquettish.

Leaning back tactically, Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow and said strangely, "I know I'm handsome and charming, loved by everyone, and also multi-talented and highly skilled in martial arts. Could it be that you've fallen for me?"

"No...can't I?" Guo Qingxue was embarrassed but stubborn as she looked at him and admitted it when the question was asked directly. She was indeed a woman of the martial arts world. Her heart was in her throat.

Chen Xuan, with an expression of complete indifference, murmured in a slightly melancholic tone, "My damn charm."

"Brother Chen, what do you mean?" Guo Qingxue stamped her foot anxiously. "I've already made my feelings clear, can't you at least give me an answer?"

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan found it both amusing and speechless. He earnestly advised, "How old were you back then? Just a child. After such a great upheaval, you felt safe when someone stood up for you. From then on, you searched desperately, just trying to find that sense of security again. Saying you like someone is pure nonsense. No matter how precocious a girl is, she's not that precocious. Over time, this desperately sought-after sense of security took root in her heart. Unable to find it, it became an obsession. As you grew older, you mistook it for love. After all, how many people have you actually met? It was just a glimmer of hope you saw when you were young and filled with fear and anxiety after such a great upheaval. What you thought, what you searched for, what you sought was just a desire to return to the carefree days of your childhood, a desire that you could not obtain."

"Brother Chen, what are you talking about? What does this have to do with me liking you?" Guo Qingxue asked shyly and bewilderedly, her heart filled with trepidation. She had been so bold and unreserved, yet she hadn't gotten the answer she wanted.

That's how we are when we're young. We think we can get everything we want just by asking. How naive! So, you can't reason with young people. They always think that all the good things in the world exist for them, and that they can get them as long as they persist. They just haven't experienced enough.

But that innocence can never be found again as time goes by.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan decided not to dwell on it and smiled, saying, "You're still young and don't understand anything. What you call 'liking' is just an illusion and impulse formed from years of persistence. What you've been looking for all these years isn't me, but the carefree time when your grandfather was still alive."

"I'm not young anymore, I'm old enough to be talking about marriage, and my liking for you isn't just a passing impulse," Guo Qingxue said, her face slightly pale and her heart pounding with anxiety, but she remained stubborn.

This is why young girls are so easily fooled; they don't understand anything and assume that what they think must be right, so they don't think too much about it.

With a smile, Chen Xuan countered, "What does that place like about me?"

"I..." Guo Qingxue was momentarily speechless and couldn't answer. The two had only spent a few hours together and could count on one hand the number of times they had spoken. She thought she had found everything by finding Chen Xuan and hadn't thought much about it at all.

Seeing her looking confused, Chen Xuan turned to He Hongyi, who was waiting quietly to the side, and said, "Miss He, guests are guests, and I shouldn't say anything that might offend them. But I can't recall ever having made any agreement with you. Is there some misunderstanding?"

He Hongyi is no longer a child; she is not naively self-righteous. Of course, she knows why she is here, and she is not as presumptuous as Guo Qingxue.

Faced with Chen Xuan's question, she did not hide her feelings and her burning gaze, saying frankly, "Last year I was fortunate enough to see your face, which surpasses countless others in the world. I think of you every day but cannot see you, and I am filled with sorrow. When we parted, I said that I would seek you out after all the trivial matters were settled. Now that everything is settled, I long to be by your side. Life is short, and even if I die, I will have no regrets."

These words were not euphemistic at all; they directly expressed his feelings.

However, Chen Xuan was a bit overwhelmed by what he heard. He thought to himself, "Are you reciting something to me? I don't know where you learned this. It's obviously just pieced together. You're a woman of the martial world, not a young lady from a wealthy family. What are you pretending to be so cultured for? It's really hard to believe you can say something like this."

Amidst the mix of amusement and exasperation, Chen Xuan, knowing she was likely more emotionally resilient than the young Guo Qingxue, bluntly stated, "So, in other words, after our brief, chance encounter, Miss He fell for me?"

All that effort I put into learning how to act gentle was for nothing? But it is indeed quite easy to talk like this.

No longer pretending, He Hongyi nodded without avoiding Chen Xuan's gaze and said, "Although Young Master Chen's words are somewhat inconsiderate of a girl's feelings, it is indeed true. I was amazed by her beauty the day I saw her. Life is short, and once it's gone, it's gone forever. We should cherish the present, so I shamelessly sought her out. I am but a plain-looking girl, and I entrust my life to her. I have no regrets in this life, and I hope Young Master Chen will not find me unworthy."

Unlike Guo Qingxue, who expressed her feelings and waited for the verdict, she made her decision directly.

Guo Qingxue, who was still struggling with whether she liked Brother Chen or not, nodded secretly upon hearing this, thinking to herself, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it. But why can't I say such things myself?"

Then she quickly realized that this was her love rival, someone who coveted Brother Chen. So she glared at He Hongyi, thinking to herself that it was a pity she couldn't beat her, otherwise she would definitely drive away this stinking woman who stole her man. Humph, so what if you have high cultivation? So what if you have big breasts and long legs? So what if you're so seductive, with those red eyes, you look like a ghost. I'm younger than you!
They were quite frank, and Chen Xuan genuinely admired the courage of these women of the martial world; they were truly bold in love and hate.

Chen Xuan was used to this kind of thing. As a normal person, he was indeed happy, but it got a headache after happening so many times. So he said frankly, "I understand Miss He's feelings, but don't you know that I'm already engaged? I'm getting married in two months."

Upon hearing this, Guo Qingxue's face turned pale, her heart ached, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

Of course she knew that Chen Xuan was engaged to Princess Fuyao, who was far more noble than herself, but she chose to ignore it. After learning that Chen Xuan was Yang Guo, she came straight here without thinking much about it. One can imagine how tormented and painful it was to face reality.

The person you love, you searched for for eight years. At first, it may have just been a simple desire to find them, but as time went by, it became an unwavering goal. Why did you end up marrying someone else?
Despite her unbearable pain, He Hongyi calmly nodded and said, "I've heard a little about it."

Chen Xuan was speechless for a moment, then he said, "Since Miss He knows, then why did you..."

“It’s inevitable that someone as outstanding as Young Master Chen would have many admirers. It’s perfectly normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. I consider myself to be no less than you, and I’m not here to ruin your marriage. I’m willing to be your concubine and serve you,” He Hongyi interrupted, her understanding words immediately dispelling Chen Xuan’s concerns.

Heartbroken, Guo Qingxue looked up in shock. This He Hongyi, one of the ten beauties of Yuhua Kingdom whose cultivation was no less than her own sect leader father's, was actually willing to become a concubine to follow Brother Chen? Well, I might as well do it too.

I'm just a nobody, yet I managed to make such a beautiful woman humble herself to this extent.
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xuan said, "I don't raise fish."

"What do you mean by that, Young Master Chen?" He Hongyi asked, puzzled. Despite her calm demeanor, as a girl, she had traveled a long way to find him, which showed how much courage she had mustered. Even if she had prepared for the worst, getting what she wanted was her ultimate goal.

While Guo Qingxue was still bewildered, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "It's very simple. Since ancient times, it has been hardest to accept the kindness of a beautiful woman. It is both an honor and a burden. I can't do something like toying with other people's feelings. I can't just accept a girl's affection for me, otherwise what would that be?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Qingxue felt a sharp pain in her heart. Simple yet not stupid, she understood that Brother Chen had already been quite tactful. Had this been the result of her rushing here despite everything?
He Hongyi's gaze darkened, but her smile grew even brighter as she said, "Young Master Chen is of upright character. I haven't misjudged you. If you were truly the kind of lecherous man who would accept anyone, then I would have been blind."

Waving his hand, Chen Xuan said frankly, "I think Miss He has misunderstood me. Let me put it this way, I'm not exactly a saint either. As a normal man, I also appreciate beauty. There's nothing shameful about that. All crows are black, and I'm no exception. But beauty, though it may be beautiful, is like a splendid flower that will eventually wither and fade, leaving only a pile of bones in the end. Only mutual affection can last. To be honest, this may be hurtful, but I understand your feelings. However, currently, apart from her appearance, there's nothing about her that moves me. So, I can only apologize in my heart."

...(End of chapter)