Misty Rain of the Old Times

It was already the end of February, and there were only five days left until Chen Xuan's wedding on the third day of the third lunar month.

Compared to his past, he has been extremely busy lately, with his feet constantly on the go. He is needed everywhere, from decorating the house and trying on wedding clothes to planning the wedding route, and so on. He has been working on it again and again, leaving him no time to even take a break.

The entire mansion was almost completely decorated with lanterns and streamers. It was Lao Deng who ordered the Ministry of Rites to do the decorations. There were many details that needed attention, but Chen Xuan didn't know anything about these things, so he just did whatever he was told. After all, the Ministry of Rites was more afraid of making mistakes.

He learned from the discussions among the Ministry of Rites staff that even the lanterns hanging in the mansion had undergone hundreds of processes and took more than a month to complete. It was difficult to calculate how much money the entire setup cost, yet Chen Xuan didn't have to spend a single copper coin. This treatment was unparalleled, and that was just on his side; the scale and level of the Princess's mansion would only be even greater.

It was the old man's most beloved daughter getting married, and it was also his last concern. He wanted to give her the very best he could.

It must be admitted that the wedding arrangements alone were excessively extravagant, not to mention the dowry. However, not only did the court not voice any opposition, but the officials in the hall were more than willing to support it.

Anyone could see that the old man's days were numbered. At this point, he had to be pampered and supported in everything he did. The Ministry of Revenue was practically ready to hand over its savings. Seriously, what did it matter if the old man spent some money at this time? It was better than tormenting the officials.

It's fortunate that the old folks calmed down after Princess Fuyao's wedding. The officials are so relieved. They were so ruthless in the previous killings that many officials had to prepare their coffins before going to court...

That noon, Chen Xuan saw off another group of people. The palace embroiderers brought him wedding clothes to try on. This was the eighteenth time, and there were no more changes. Even so, they were still not satisfied.

After seeing them off, Chen Xuan slumped onto a deck chair in the garden, staring at the top of the pavilion with a look of utter despair, and said, "Getting married is such a hassle."

He's never been this busy before; it's driving him crazy and leaving him mentally exhausted.

The young maidservant massaged his shoulders and comforted him, saying, "Master, this is a joyous occasion. It's better to be busy. It only happens once in a lifetime, and it will only last a few days. Just bear with it, it will pass quickly."

With a weak laugh, Chen Xuan said, "Watching others get married is so much fun, but you only realize how troublesome it is when it happens to you. And that's with 90% of the details being arranged by someone else. Back in the day, Niu Le and Xiao Juan's wedding was so simple. When the time came, they were just led home through the back door of the Gao family, and that was it."

"You jest, sir. Marrying a princess isn't something that can be done so casually. You won't have to go through so much trouble taking concubines in the future," Su Roujia said with a radiant smile.

As they were talking, Dujuan returned. She looked tired after ten days of travel and, without even resting, replied, "Master, everything you asked us to do has been arranged. There will absolutely be no mistakes on the wedding day. When they learned it was you who arranged the wedding, they swore on their chests that the entire arrangement cost less than 60,000 taels of silver."

Upon hearing the reply, Chen Xuan exclaimed in astonishment, "So cheap?"

In his view, it was normal for the price to be several times higher, considering the considerable manpower and resources required for his setup.

Du Juan laughed and said, "Those powerful figures and merchants don't even charge money. Being able to add splendor to Master and Princess Fuyao's wedding is an honor they would much rather lose."

Chen Xuan immediately understood and nodded, saying, "We can't just take advantage of them. They probably charged us the lowest price. Sister Juan, please thank them for their hard work these past few days. There's nothing urgent going on, so get some rest. We'll be busy again in a few days."

"It's not hard work at all. It's only right to do things for the master," Du Juan said, shaking her head.

Looking at the sky, Chen Xuan originally wanted to lie down for a while, but he had to get up and say, "Judging by the time, it's about time. I need to get down to business so that I won't be caught off guard by anything unexpected."

"Master, please rest. Leave everything to us," Du Juan said proactively.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "Sister Juan is very kind, but I really can't handle it if I leave it to you."

Upon hearing this, Dujuan knew that it was definitely beyond her capabilities, so she stopped insisting.

The little maid beside him asked, "Master, where are we going? Do we need to prepare anything?"

"You all stay here and don't need to come with me. Someone will take care of you and handle the reception arrangements. I don't know if I can finish today, but I'll be back tonight. At the very least, I'll try to get it done by tomorrow. That's all, I'm heading out now."

After giving his instructions, Chen Xuan disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Du Juan and Su Roujia looking at each other in bewilderment. They used to follow Chen Xuan wherever he went, but this time, without him, they suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

Having planned his route and sequence well in advance, Chen Xuan headed straight northwest after leaving his residence in the capital. Carrying an invitation and a jar of wine, he traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, and soon arrived at the depths of the Misty Marsh on the border of Yuhua Kingdom.

On the white cloud tree, the old crane, lazily basking in the sun, sensed Chen Xuan's presence from afar. It revealed a human-like, hearty smile and looked in Chen Xuan's direction, speaking in human language: "Little Chen is here! It's been a while since we last met. You actually have time to come see this old bone of mine today?"

After spending many hours with Chen Xuan, it became more and more fluent in its speech. However, it was getting old, and if we were to compare it to a person, it was so old that the earth was about to bury its neck. Therefore, even though it was very strong, its originally snow-white feathers gradually lost their luster.

Arriving on the island, standing under a tree, Chen Xuan looked up, shook the wine jar in his hand, and said with a smile, "Old Crane, how have you been lately? I've been too busy with worldly affairs to visit you, please forgive me. Haven't you gone out for a walk? I brought you a jar of wine, the same kind we drank last time."

Upon hearing this, the old crane's eyes lit up. Despite his advanced age, he gracefully rose, spread his wings, and landed beside Chen Xuan, smiling as he said, "I'm old and too lazy to move. Little Chen, you're so thoughtful, knowing I have this kind of taste, so you won't stand on ceremony with me."

As it spoke, the old dog used its sharp beak to pick up the wine jar, placed it on the ground, pecked open the seal, and took a big, satisfying sip. It was truly unceremonious, treating Chen Xuan as no outsider.

In one gulp, it finished half a jar of wine, stretched out its wing, patted Chen Xuan's shoulder, and said happily, "Thanks a lot. I've been craving this for a long time, and I accidentally drank half of it. You should have some too. Like always, I'll catch a fish for you to grill and have with your wine?"

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "This was brought especially to honor you, so I won't drink any more."

The old crane, whose intelligence was no less than that of a human, was speechless upon hearing this and said, "Is Xiao Chen very busy?"

"It's alright. Besides visiting you, I mainly came to deliver an invitation. I'm getting married in a few days, a joyous occasion, and I had to let you know. I just didn't know if you'd be interested in joining in the fun. Plenty of drinks will be provided," Chen Xuan said, pulling out the invitation and presenting it with both hands. The old crane paused, and a gentle breeze carried the invitation to it, unfolding it. After quickly glancing at it, it exclaimed happily, "I thought young Chen had been busy with something lately, turns out it's been busy with its wedding! You mentioned it to me last time, but I'm old and my memory isn't what it used to be. Congratulations!"

"Thank you for your blessings, Elder Crane. Will you be attending?" Chen Xuan asked hesitantly with a smile.

It hesitated for a moment, then shook its head apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry, Xiao Chen, I won't be going. Don't you think it's strange for an old crane like me to attend your wedding? What if someone cooks me? Don't worry about me, I'm old and don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay here with Baiyun."

As expected, Chen Xuan understood and nodded, saying, "Senior is too kind. I didn't mention it before, but I actually came here specifically to invite you to my wedding."

Hearing this, it looked down at the wine jar and laughed, "I knew it! No wonder there's a big red 'double happiness' character on the jar. Although I won't be attending your wedding, I wish you a happy baby soon!"

"I have received your blessings, and I will work hard as soon as possible," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Nodding, the old crane walked towards the dilapidated hut and said, "Little Chen, wait a moment."

Under his questioning gaze, the old crane quickly retrieved an exquisite jade box from the hut and handed it to him. As Chen Xuan instinctively took it, the old crane said, "You mentioned last time that you were getting married soon, so I prepared a gift for you. But I forgot about it after a while. I only remembered it when you reminded me. It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."

"Thank you very much, senior. I dare not refuse such a generous gift from an elder. I will accept it without any hesitation," Chen Xuan said, bowing respectfully.

The jade box was clearly very valuable; it must have been left behind by Baiyun. The real gift was inside, but Chen Xuan didn't open it to look.

However, Old Man He instructed, "Little Chen, you must keep this safe. There's only one. If you lose it, it's gone forever. I can't find a second one. You can keep it yourself or give it to someone you consider most important. It's up to you."

Judging from the tone of the old crane, it seemed that he had given her some extraordinary treasure. Chen Xuan was surprised and asked directly, "May I ask what's inside, old crane?"

"You're lucky to have only one fruit. It was planted by Baiyun when he was young, and it only blossomed and bore fruit last year, which was before I met you. After it ripened, I picked it and stored it in a jade box. After all, it's useless to me; its effects are negligible to you, but it's something everyone dreams of. It's called... Oh right, Baiyun said it's called something like the Youth-Preserving Fruit. Eating it doesn't increase lifespan, but it can stabilize one's appearance and preserve youth forever. Its effects don't conflict with other pills or spiritual fruits that increase lifespan. Back then, Baiyun and I fought several Grandmaster-level experts to get the Youth-Preserving Fruit seedling, and we almost lost our lives. Ah, I get old and talkative. Anyway, I think this is what you need. You're married now, and you don't want to see your wife's beauty fade, do you? Since it's useless to me, I might as well give it to you to make the most of it."

After hearing its description, Chen Xuan was not entirely incredulous, but he was certainly surprised.

Such spiritual fruits with these effects do exist in the world; they were mentioned in the many pieces of information Old Liu gave him. However, they are extremely rare and hard to come by. Unexpectedly, Old Crane actually had a ripe one here.

Maintaining a youthful appearance and preserving one's youth is something any woman who cares about her looks would go crazy for, and would probably be willing to pay any price to achieve it.

The little princess didn't cultivate martial arts, and she will grow old one day. Chen Xuan has his own way to help her extend her lifespan and preserve her appearance, but that's a matter for the future. He never expected that bringing a jar of celebratory wine to Old Man He would bring such a surprise.

Holding the jade box, Chen Xuan said, "This gift is far too precious, but I truly need it, so I have accepted it without hesitation. I hope Elder He will not find it laughable."

"Haha, that's right! I thought you were going to postpone it. Well, look at the date on the invitation. Your big day is just a few days away. You must be quite busy. I'm so happy that you still took the time to invite me to your wedding. Go ahead and do your thing. I won't keep you any longer. Come and talk to me when you have time. I won't live much longer either. From now on, just take whatever you like here," Old Crane said cheerfully.

It was still early, so Chen Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and said, "Are you in such a rush to get rid of me? I was originally planning to tell you about my experiences lately; I'm sure you'd be interested."

"Did you encounter anything interesting? Tell me about it," the old crane said, taking a sip of wine with great interest. Since it was a wedding wine sent by Chen Xuan, it planned to drink it all by itself.

Then Chen Xuan said, "Senior, you don't know, last month I went to Wanku Mountain..."

After listening to Chen Xuan's description, the slightly tipsy old crane murmured, "There really is such a magical place! Giants, everything has become incredibly huge, a grotto opened up by a divine dragon at the Human Immortal realm, countless powerful beasts... It's a pity I'm too old to move, otherwise I would love to go and see it all. If Baiyun were still here, I'm sure he would take me there for a stroll, but he's already asleep. Little Chen, I understand your intentions, that you think I'm lonely and want to stay and talk to me. But it's really unnecessary. I'm used to it. Go on, go do your thing."

The old crane spoke calmly, but Chen Xuan could sense that it was trying its best to suppress its inner loneliness. It must be missing the white clouds. Like people, it was getting old, and drinking alcohol easily brought up the past.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now and come to visit you again another day."

"Go on, go on, my head is a little dizzy. The sun is shining brightly. I'm going to take a nap. Next time I come, bring your wife with me so I can see what kind of girl is so fortunate to be able to be with you forever." As it spoke, it swayed slightly, spread its wings, and landed in the bird's nest in the canopy of the white cloud tree. It closed its eyes and faced the direction of the dilapidated hut, where the corpse of the White Cloud Sword Master lay as if asleep.

Chen Xuan didn't disturb him further, bowed, and silently headed south.

Although Chen Xuan had never seen the Youth-Preserving Fruit given to him by the old man, he was familiar with it. As an expert in alchemy, Lao Liu had detailed records of it in several pill formulas, one of which contained it as the main ingredient in a Youth-Preserving Pill.

If this were used to refine pills, combined with other materials, and if successful, one batch could yield at least ten or more Youth Preservation Pills. However, those pills could only be refined at the Tribulation Transcending Realm. Chen Xuan currently lacked the ability, tools, and materials, so he could only give them directly to his wife, thus failing to maximize their value.

After leaving, Chen Xuan checked on the way and compared it with the information in his head. It was indeed the Youth-Preserving Fruit that the old man had given him.

Fortunately, the old crane preserved it well. Under normal circumstances, it would rot within two or three months after being picked. However, no matter how carefully it is preserved, it will only last for three to five years. Chen Xuan is not confident that he can reach the Tribulation Transcending Realm in three to five years to maximize the effect of alchemy. To be honest, giving it directly to his wife to consume is not a waste, but it is indeed a waste of talent.

But then again, this isn't something that's completely unique. We can find another way to get it later. Besides, there are also saplings of the Youth-Preserving Fruit in the herb garden on the island where the old crane lives. They will bloom and bear fruit again in the future.

It wasn't that Chen Xuan was greedy for anything; the old crane was getting old and would eventually pass away, so it couldn't be wasted.

Chen Xuan naturally hoped that his wife would stay young and beautiful forever, so he decided to give her the medicine on their wedding night to preserve her beauty on that most beautiful and happiest day.

Chen Xuan's next stop was Zhoushan County, where Gao Jingming and his wife were located. Naturally, their priority was to be brought to the capital... (End of Chapter)