Misty Rain of the Old Times

Since their grandfather died, Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother have depended on each other for survival. Their so-called home is nothing more than a place to eat and sleep.

Her gaze darkened, and she sat on the steps under the eaves, hugging her knees, looking at the northern sky ablaze with sunset colors. She nodded hesitantly and said, "Well, Brother Chen, I'm a little homesick. I've been away for so long, and there's no one at home. I wonder how they are. In this season of lush greenery, is Grandpa's grave overgrown with weeds that need clearing? I wonder if the shop is busy enough."

Zhou Xiaomiao did not hide her emotions. No matter how far she was from home, the little house in Mocheng was her root, and she would always go back there. No matter how good Chen Xuan's place was, she and her brother were just guests who had come from afar.

It took the siblings almost a month to travel from Mocheng to Yangxian. They didn't stay there for more than a few days, and it would take about the same amount of time to get back. All their time was spent on the road. She thought how wonderful it would be if they could travel faster so they could spend more time with Brother Chen.

Even though I'm extremely reluctant to leave, I still have to go back. Once I leave, the mountains are high and the roads are long, and I don't know when I'll see him again. Will Brother Chen still remember me then?
Sitting down next to her, Chen Xuan asked with a smile, "So what are Xiao Miao's plans?"

The thought of not knowing when she would see Brother Chen again filled Zhou Xiaomiao with sadness, but she still said, "Brother Chen, since the weather is nice, I plan to set off back tomorrow or the day after. I hope you won't mind if I bother you during this time."

"How could I mind? I'm overjoyed!" Chen Xuan said cheerfully. Then, after thinking for a moment, he added, "Stay a little longer. After all, you're already here. Brother Chen's house is big enough; it's just an extra pair of chopsticks. If you get bored, I'll take you back. You're welcome to come anytime you want."

She wanted to stay, but shook her head and said, "No, Brother Chen, you've already gone to so much trouble. How can I let you take us? It's too much trouble, and it's too far. Besides, my brother and I are fine. If we arrive safely, we'll return safely. Don't worry, Brother Chen."

For Chen Xuan, the world was vast, but the Jing Kingdom was small. The entire Jing Kingdom, from north to south, was only a short distance away. He kept everyone in suspense and said with a smile, "But Xiao Miao, Brother Chen is getting married in a little over a month. Don't you want to attend? You haven't met your sister-in-law yet. She will definitely like you. Why don't you stay and attend my wedding before going back?"

Although she was tempted, she still shook her head sadly and said, "Brother Chen, I really want to stay and attend your wedding, but it's going to take too long. It would be annoying to eat and drink here for free. Perhaps you don't mind, but I feel bad. My brother and I will go back first. If necessary, we can hire a security escort to bring us here day and night. If we don't make it in time, we can only offer our blessings from afar. I hope you won't be angry."

Seeing her so serious, Chen Xuan was both touched and amused. He stopped keeping her in suspense and said with a smile, "Alright, Xiao Miao, don't worry about it. Just treat this place as your own home. Whenever you want to go back, just let me know, and I'll take you back. Don't think you'll be a burden to me. You don't know how capable I am, do you? It'll only take me the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get you back to Mo City from here. It's much faster than you traveling day and night for a month or two. It'll be like visiting a neighbor. We'll be there in a flash. Also, if you want to come again in the future, just send me a letter in advance. I'll come pick you up after I receive it, so you won't have to travel so much. And you can't miss my wedding. I don't have any relatives in this world, and I only have a few friends, including you. I need you to witness it. I'll come pick you up then. How about that? Are you not sad now?"

After hearing her words, Zhou Xiaomiao turned around and stared at him in disbelief, saying, "Brother Chen, you must be joking. How could we have gotten from here to Mocheng in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? It's thousands of miles away!"

Such methods were truly beyond her comprehension. Having known Chen Xuan for so many years, she only knew that Brother Chen was studying with Young Master Gao. She had no idea about Chen Xuan's current cultivation level. Even if she did know, she couldn't imagine what kind of abilities he possessed.

"No jokes, it's settled then. Okay, cheer up. Have a good rest after dinner. Tomorrow I'll take you to Zhiwei Restaurant to meet Luo Erdan. Oh, by the way, his name is Luo Heihu now. He's a friend I met when I was down on my luck as a child. Now he's my partner in running a restaurant. He's a very good cook. After that, I'll take you boating and fishing on the Qingping River. There are few rivers in Huizhou, where Mocheng is located. I imagine you rarely have this kind of experience," Chen Xuan said, making the final decision and changing the subject to arrange the itinerary for the next day.

Zhou Xiaomiao really wanted to refuse. During the few days she stayed with Chen Xuan, she was terrified by the expenses she had incurred. She had never seen so much money in her entire life, and yet it was all spent without her being able to help at all. How could she possibly accept that?
Chen Xuan didn't give her a chance to refuse at all. He made up his mind and went to the pavilion to work on the geomagnetic essence. She could only nod and say "okay" to Chen Xuan's back.

She thought to herself that she was all grown up now and that she would definitely be able to repay Brother Chen for his kindness. At worst, she would just have to work harder and more to earn money in the future.

A girl has one more chance in her life besides being born, which is to marry into a good family. In fact, with Zhou Xiaomiao's looks, it would be quite simple for her to marry into a good family and change her fate. Moreover, according to this era, she has indeed reached the age of marriage. In fact, in recent years, some people have come to propose marriage, including wealthy and powerful families. Even some young masters from Liuyu Academy have taken a liking to her and wanted to take her into their families as a concubine, but in the end, none of them succeeded.

Firstly, having grown up in hardship, she has a strong inner strength and would rather endure hardship and fatigue than become someone else's appendage and live a life of subservience. Secondly, she has a younger brother with a brain disorder. Whenever someone proposes marriage, she suggests bringing her brother along, and the person immediately shakes their head in refusal. After all, no one wants to raise a burden; it's not just about adding another pair of chopsticks, but a lifelong burden.

After several attempts, Zhou Xiaomiao had given up on the idea of ​​getting married and had no intention of marrying anyone for the rest of her life. She couldn't just abandon her younger brother to fend for himself; he was her only remaining family member in the world.

Now her biggest dream is to work hard to earn money so that her younger brother can find a wife who doesn't mind his situation and continue the family line. As long as her brother is doing well, all her hardships and exhaustion are worth it.

The young girl was very innocent and kind. Even though she knew that Brother Chen was not what he used to be, she never thought of getting anything from him or changing her fate. She simply thought that Chen Xuan was good to her, so she traveled a long distance to visit him and wish him a Happy New Year.

After exchanging a few words with Zhou Xiaomiao, Chen Xuan went to the pavilion and absentmindedly played with the fist-sized geomagnetic essence.

He planned to build a floating island. Old Deng gave him the complete Seven Star Sealing Formation. With his current cultivation level, he naturally couldn't set up the complete Seven Star Sealing Formation, but the floating function it included could be used to build the floating island.

Building such a floating island is nothing special, but Chen Xuan didn't want to be high-profile and wanted to keep it hidden. So, the first thing he had to figure out was how to conceal the island using the hiding array he obtained from the Tai Xuan Sect.

To his amusement and dismay, the concealment array also required geomagnetic essence, which was one of the main materials.

When he received the Concealment Array from the Tai Xuan Sect, he promised them that once he had thoroughly studied it, he would help the Tai Xuan Sect set one up. They gave him a complete set of materials, including the Earth Magnetic Essence. At the time, Chen Xuan did not pay close attention to the materials in the box, which led him to go to Wanku Mountain to search for them. It was all for nothing. If he had checked carefully at the time, there would have been no need for such trouble.

Of course, the trip to Wanku Mountain wasn't a complete waste. They learned the source of the Earth's magnetic essence, which will be much easier to obtain in the future. They also witnessed the giant civilization of the underground world...

In short, the Concealment Array is really difficult. Even though he had experience in creating the Fog Array, he still couldn't figure out a complete solution after several days of pondering it.

This formation requires nine array eyes, and the coverage area can be adjusted and arranged according to the actual situation. The difficulty lies in the production of the array eyes; even with sufficient readily available materials, they cannot be conjured out of thin air.

All nine array eyes require the main material of geomagnetic essence. Each one is a non-sided polyhedron, but each one is different. Moreover, each array eye creation is a whole composed of nine parts, implicitly containing the meaning of returning to oneness.

The Tai Xuan Sect has possessed this formation for hundreds of years, and countless people have tried to set it up without success. The difficulty is unimaginable, and it's not something Chen Xuan can accomplish overnight.

The geomagnetic essence he currently holds is still in its raw state, without any further processing. After handling it for several days, its rough surface has become somewhat smooth. He is mainly figuring out where to begin.

After much thought, he realized he had to take the first step eventually, so he stopped worrying too much. Experience is gained through trial and error, and he was familiar with this, so he decided to start with the most basic materials.

'The materials required for each of the nine array eyes are different, all requiring geomagnetic essence. The simplest one requires three types, the second requires four, and so on. Let's start with the simplest one, which requires geomagnetic essence, iron, and gold.'

Thinking it over, Chen Xuan remotely summoned the other two metals. Since he didn't have a refining furnace, he could use his martial arts techniques instead. He then melted the three metals separately. The terrifying high temperature almost completely removed the impurities. After that, he fused them according to the proportions. After a series of operations, he finally obtained a silver-white alloy the size of a bowl.

'The weight and color are almost exactly as described for the formation, but whether they actually match needs further verification,' Chen Xuan muttered to himself as he examined the heavy alloy material in his hand.

After the alloy cooled naturally, he immediately released his true essence, which transformed into an invisible sharp edge to cut the alloy. Soon, according to the array description, it was cut into an irregular nine-sided polyhedron.

He then curled his lip in dismay, and saw that the original whole alloy, after he cut it, had the excess parts falling off with a crackling sound. Well, there was no need for any further processing; it was just a piece of junk.

'If it's a suitable alloy material, it should be magnetic. The cut-off parts shouldn't fall off directly; instead, they should stick together. Is it a matter of incorrect proportions or improper heat control? What followed was another process of trial and error, not to mention the subsequent carving of the array patterns on the nine different parts. This was just the simplest array eye; the array patterns would become even more complex and troublesome as the amount of material increased.'

Thinking about all this gave Chen Xuan a headache. Just like the previous times, he had the idea of ​​giving up. He was living a good life, so why make trouble for himself?

Forget it, let's take it slow. There's plenty of time. If one day isn't enough, try a month; if a month isn't enough, try a year. There's always a chance if we keep trying and failing. Anyway, we don't lack materials. He might want to give up—after all, he's lazy—but he always manages to persevere to the end.

Waste materials shouldn't be thrown away either, since there's only so much material available, and it can be restored at different temperatures and reused.

All that work for nothing, and it was already past dark when it was time for dinner.

The next day, after finishing his usual tasks, Chen Xuan took Zhou Xiaomiao and the others to Zhiwei Restaurant as planned. He met Erdan, had a meal together, and got along well. Erdan even gave each of Zhou Xiaomiao and her brother a small gift—nothing expensive, but it was a token of his goodwill.

Afterwards, Chen Xuan took them boating and fishing on the Qingping River. During the process, he did not set up any array points, but instead focused on thinking about things in his mind so that Xiao Miao and the others would not mistakenly feel neglected. Chen Xuan was very thoughtful in terms of human relationships.

They didn't return home until the afternoon, still full of joy.

Back in Yang County, just as they were about to turn the corner towards Taoyuanju, Chen Xuan saw a familiar figure and couldn't help but stop and call out, "He... Hongyi, what a coincidence, what brings you here?"

After their hug and farewell that day, the two never saw each other again, even though He Hongyi stayed in Yang County and had said she would visit Chen Xuan when she had time.

He Hongyi was still dressed in that bright red outfit, clearly showing her love for red, but there were subtle differences in the design.

At this street corner is a two-story shop, and He Hongyi is pointing at the building and negotiating with someone.

Hearing the greeting, her heart leaped with joy, and her mood inexplicably brightened. Turning around, she said with a graceful and meaningful tone, "Ah Xuan, how have you been these past few days? This is no coincidence."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan immediately understood, pointed to the building next to him, and laughed, "So, Red Robe, you bought the shop?"

“Yes, I bought it. I plan to use the second floor as my residence and the first floor as a small business. That way, we will be neighbors. Ah Xuan will pass by here every time she goes out, so we will see each other all the time. Ah Xuan, you know my intention, but I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, so please don’t mind.” She nodded and frankly admitted her true intention.

To put it bluntly, it's just a way to get in touch with the person I've been longing for. Even if we can't be together yet, it can still soothe the pain of longing. So this is not a coincidence, but an inevitable meeting.

Chen Xuan laughed and said, "That's your freedom, Red Robe. I have no right to interfere."

They didn't take advantage of their weakness to force or seize her; they bought her with money. What could Chen Xuan say? Besides, she wasn't the kind of person who would pester someone relentlessly; she was just approaching them in a normal way. What could Chen Xuan do?
Seeing that Chen Xuan didn't object, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly, saying, "Since Xuan doesn't mind, let's settle on this. Otherwise, I'll have to look elsewhere."

With a smile, Chen Xuan didn't dwell on the matter too much, but instead asked curiously, "Red-Clad, you don't plan to travel the martial world anymore?"

As soon as he said that, Chen Xuan realized it was utter nonsense.

Then He Hongyi gave him a somewhat resentful look, as if to say, "Isn't it obvious?" She then pursed her lips and said leisurely, "If you have someone you love, you should naturally fulfill your duties as a woman. It's not about retiring from the martial world and living in seclusion. I suppose a place like Yang County doesn't have that much trouble."

It goes without saying who she stopped for.

To be honest, her method is far superior to Guo Qingxue's. It seems ordinary, but it is actually extremely lethal. People are all made of flesh and blood, and even those with hearts of stone would find it difficult to remain unmoved.

Chen Xuan's heart sank, thinking to himself that if things continued like this, he might not be able to hold on for long.

After all, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

Putting those aside for the moment, Chen Xuan asked instead, "I wonder what kind of business Hongyi is planning to start? Does she need any help?"

Hearing this, she turned to look at Xiaolou and said directly, "When I was with Ah Xuan that day, I noticed that he clearly enjoys having a drink. So I plan to sell wine and try to collect all kinds of fine wines. I have some connections in the martial arts world and can get all kinds of good wines, including some that Jing Kingdom doesn't have. That way, Ah Xuan can taste different flavors, and I think he'll be happy. However, I don't plan to have anyone dine in. After all, people are prone to impulsiveness and causing trouble when they drink. I don't want to make this place a mess. I'll only offer takeout."

Hearing her say that, Chen Xuan's throat moved involuntarily, and he almost got a taste of something delicious. He even almost gasped inwardly, thinking to himself, "He Hongyi, you must be the legendary 'top succubus'. Why are you targeting my weaknesses? Who can resist that?"

Chen Xuan wasn't a heavy drinker; he enjoyed a little wine occasionally, but he never got drunk. Besides, he felt comfortable and relaxed after a few drinks. He Hongyi, noticing this, hit him where it hurt. Wasn't she deliberately trying to seduce him? If she had any fine wines he hadn't tried before, Chen Xuan would have come just by the smell, without her having to ask.

While Chen Xuan was secretly 'troubled', He Hongyi hesitated and said, "Xuan, I'm afraid I'll really have to trouble you if I want to sell wine here. If you find it troublesome, I'll think of another way. It's not a difficult thing anyway."

"Tell me about it. I'll definitely help if I can," Chen Xuan nodded.

He Hongyi thought for a moment and said, "It's like this, I'm not from Jing Kingdom. Buying property isn't a problem, I'll just have to pay more taxes to the government. The key is selling wine, which requires government permission. Selling wine privately is against the law in any country. I have no relatives or friends in Jing Kingdom, except for you, A-Xuan. So I wanted to ask if you have any connections to help me get a wine selling permit. I don't want to trouble you for nothing, so I'll give you 20% of the net profit, and you can drink as much wine as you want from now on. What do you think, A-Xuan?"

It wasn't a troublesome matter to begin with, and besides, Chen Xuan really couldn't refuse the conditions she offered.

So he said, "It's no big deal, I'll put in a good word for you later."

Let alone just a liquor sales license, even if Chen Xuan wanted the "general agent" status for Quan Jing Guo liquor, Lao Deng would probably be furious and give it to him. As for whether it would infringe on the interests of anyone, let's see how big his fist is first.

Of course, this little matter could be handled by simply relaying a message to Magistrate Shu Yao; it wasn't up to Lao Deng's level.

"Thank you so much, Ah Xuan. I'll leave this to you," He Hongyi said happily. It wasn't the wine itself that mattered, but rather the bond she had formed with Chen Xuan in this way, which was the most important thing.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "No problem, no problem. It's getting late, so I'll head back now. Hongyi, come visit me anytime you have time. I'll definitely come to support you when you open your business."

"Okay, Ah Xuan, you should go back first. I might be a bit busy for a while. I'll bother you when I have time, as long as you don't find me annoying," she said decisively. She disdained those childish tactics of pestering. To pursue the little man she liked, she had to win his heart. Little Ah Xuan, you can't escape my grasp.

After they parted ways, on his way home, Chen Xuan felt increasingly uneasy. He realized he should slap himself. How could he be so spineless? It seemed that He Hongyi had only made a slight move, and he was already on the verge of being taken down.

...(End of chapter)