Misty Rain of the Old Times

The group eventually arrived at the Imperial Garden, where the old man went to change his clothes first.

Bored, Chen Xuan looked around. Although he had been to the Imperial Garden many times, he had never been here in this season. It was a beautiful and enchanting place, unlike anything in the human world.

After strolling around for a while, Chen Xuan noticed the pond and asked the guards waiting nearby, "I remember there were more than ten dragonfish in this water. They were so fat, like small submarines. Where did they go?"

The guard didn't know what a small submarine was, but he did know about dragonfish, so he quickly replied, "Reporting to the young master, this subordinate doesn't know. I suppose it's because of the season that they've moved to a different place to raise them."

Chen Xuan immediately understood and said speechlessly, "Father-in-law, really, is it really necessary? It's just a few fish, why are you treating me like a thief?"

No one answered. Who would dare to interfere in the affairs of the father-in-law and son-in-law? They might even be enjoying it.

The little princess beside her hesitated, thinking to herself, "Husband, you still have time to worry about the dragon fish? You should think about what you're going to do next and prepare to face your father's wrath. Oh well, I'm used to it. As long as you're happy."

Soon the old man changed his clothes and came over. He was dressed in coarse linen clothes and leaning on a cane, just like the old grandfather next door. He looked kind and approachable, without any trace of the imperial majesty he had shown before.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan chuckled and said, "Oh, Father-in-law, your level of attainment is quite impressive. Have you returned to simplicity?"

The old man waved his hand gently, and the guards, maids and eunuchs around him wisely left quickly, leaving only Eunuch Wang waiting not far away.

Noticing the "good luck to my son-in-law" look that Eunuch Wang was secretly giving him, Chen Xuan was wondering what was going on when the old man's expression changed. He pointed at Chen Xuan, his eyes blazing with anger, and gritted his teeth, saying, "You really are my good son-in-law! Don't say anything, just stand there obediently and let me give you a beating!"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the old man picked up his cane and strode towards Chen Xuan, looking as if he wanted to devour him.

Almost as if by reflex, Chen Xuan darted up a tree several meters high, hugged the trunk, and said defiantly, "Hey, wait a minute, Father-in-law, when did I offend you? Let's make it clear, even if you kill someone, you have to give me a reason, right?"

Old Deng almost laughed out of anger. "Oh ho, you're still not convinced?" He sneered, pointing the stick at Chen Xuan and gritting his teeth, "You want a reason? There's a saying that a son-in-law is half a son. I'm just beating a child on a rainy day. I'm just killing time anyway. Do I need a reason to beat you? What, you're not convinced?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was dumbfounded and unable to refute. He clung tightly to the tree trunk, shrank his neck, and shouted, "Father-in-law, I have nothing to say if you hit me, but we have to be reasonable in everything, right?"

"What a joke! In all these decades, when have I ever reasoned with anyone?" The old man sneered and continued in a cold voice, "Stop dawdling and get down here so I can give you a beating. Don't worry, I won't kill you, otherwise, we're not done here today!"

Good heavens, you're bullying me with your power! Fine, fine, you're the emperor, you call the shots, okay? With a raised chin, Chen Xuan snorted, "No, you think I'll just get down if you tell me to? Do you think I don't have any dignity?"

"You still want face in front of me? I don't think you have any..." He almost blurted out the words, but realizing the little princess was still nearby, the old man nearly bristled with anger. "Get down here right now! What kind of behavior is it to climb so high like a monkey? I was almost driven mad by you, you brat! I've practiced martial arts too, don't make me catch you, or it won't just be a beating. You'd better think it over."

Looks like he's determined to beat me up. No wonder I felt a chill down my spine earlier; it turns out he was just waiting for this. Chen Xuan was speechless. It seems like he and Lao Deng have never had a peaceful relationship; every time, there's always some chaos first. No, I didn't do anything wrong. Where did things go wrong?

If things didn't go his way, it would probably never end. Chen Xuan hesitated and said, "Fine, Old Deng, you don't need a reason to beat me up. I have nothing to say, I'll come down now."

Hehe, Old Deng, is it? I've got it. Just you wait.

The little princess watched them bickering with a smile. She was used to it and found it unsurprising. It would be strange if they stopped bickering one day. Anyway, they would quiet down after they had their fill of bickering. So she simply shifted her attention to admiring the flowers. These flowers around her were really beautiful. Who were these little slutty flowers trying to seduce?

Chen Xuan said he would come down right away, but he dawdled for quite a while, as if afraid of stepping on an ant. He hesitantly took small steps to a spot about two meters away from the old man, and said cautiously, with a fawning smile, "Father-in-law, it's only natural for you to beat me, but could you be a little gentler? I'm afraid of getting hurt."

While begging for mercy, he kept sending glances to his wife beside him, pleading, "Save me, save me!"

However, the little princess, who had already turned her head to one side, pretended not to see it.

At this point, Chen Xuan almost burst into tears and sighed to the heavens, "What a tragedy! There's not even anyone to help me."

Without saying a word, the old man swung his stick and started hitting Chen Xuan, making loud thuds as Chen Xuan begged for mercy and jumped around, as if he really wanted to beat Chen Xuan until he was seriously injured.

Screaming in pain, Chen Xuan jumped around with the old man, secretly thinking to himself, "Look, I've suddenly become more than ten years younger, and I'm being beaten like a grandson."

This made the little princess feel a little sorry for him. Her father was really serious. She hesitated, unsure whether she should try to persuade him. Even if her husband was in the wrong, he was still young and didn't understand. Her father shouldn't be so fussy.
It seemed like the old man wanted to beat Chen Xuan to death, but in reality, it was all bark and no bite. Although his cultivation level was not high, he had practiced martial arts for many years and still had some control. The formality outweighed the actual significance. The force of the stick he swung was so great that it wouldn't hurt an ordinary person, let alone Chen Xuan.

Believe it or not, the old man got better and better at beating him. He was in such a good mood that he couldn't stop. He didn't have any particular reason. He just enjoyed beating this kid. Who cares? He'd beat him up first. In fact, he almost forgot why he was beating Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan was speechless. In the past, he would just do a little bit, but it seemed like Old Deng was never going to stop. He was getting old, and if this continued, his activity level would probably exceed the limit.

After jumping around for a while, Chen Xuan simply stuck out his neck, stopped dodging, and shamelessly lay down on the ground, closing his eyes and shouting, "Father-in-law, hit me all you want, kill me if you want! My poor Qian Ning has only been married for a few days, what will she do if something happens to me?"

The old man was almost dumbfounded when he saw this. "You brat, do you have any shame? You're such a big man, and you're still lying on the ground. What do I call this? Trying to scam me?"

With a cold laugh, the old man swung the stick even more enthusiastically. "Fine, fine, so you want to play like this? Fine, I'll grant your wish. Anyway, you won't be a laughing stock behind closed doors."

"Oh ho, this trick isn't working?" Chen Xuan, who was secretly glancing at Chen Xuan, was frustrated and considered whether to continue his act of cheating.

Then the old man pretended to hit him a few times with the stick, but seeing that he still acted like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, he immediately lost his temper. It was too boring. He threw down the stick and huffed, "You brat, I hope you remember this lesson. Get up now!"

As he spoke, he walked to the side, stretched for a while, his face became rosy, his forehead was sweating, and he felt comfortable all over. When he sat down, the little princess served him tea and massaged his shoulders to relieve the discomfort.

Chen Xuan then gave the lazy, fish-like cricket a couple of whacks and yelled, "No way! If it's not a thousand or eight hundred taels today... sorry, wrong channel, but I'm not getting up!"

"Then you can lie there. Later, I'll have everyone in the capital come and see just how shameless this young Grandmaster is in their eyes," the old man said disdainfully, curling his lip. "You're still too green to play with me, brat," he thought. He was truly capable of such a thing. Playing around is one thing, but it's a family matter. What would happen if outsiders saw it?
Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "You're really ruthless, old man. Fine, I'm scared of you then." So he scrambled to his feet, fawned over him like a lackey, picked up the stick, and said with a fawning smile, "How could I? The ground is cold, and it's not comfortable to lie there. Father-in-law, please calm down and don't hold it against me. If I've done anything wrong, please forgive me."

"You're scared now? You think you're so capable? Then keep lying there," the old man said with a smirk.

He placed the stick aside and, rubbing his hands together cautiously, asked, "Father-in-law, now that you've hit me, can you tell me what I did to offend you? I'm completely baffled."

It would have been better if we hadn't brought it up, because the old man got angry as soon as we did, puffing out his beard and glaring at us, saying, "How dare you ask?"

"You don't even ask me what I did wrong, you just beat me up as soon as we meet. I'm used to it. Who knows what you're up to now?" Chen Xuan shrugged and whispered.

The old man closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was his own son-in-law, and he would never find another like him, and his daughter would be sad too. But he really wanted to beat him so badly that he wouldn't even recognize him.

Having such a son-in-law, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

The old man, who was secretly feeling melancholy, opened his eyes and pointed at Chen Xuan's nose, saying in an annoyed tone, "You ask me what I did wrong? Well, let me ask you, is this how you came back to your parents' home today?"

"Otherwise," Chen Xuan thought to himself, then smiled ingratiatingly, "That won't do. I brought you a gift, didn't I? Father-in-law, you beat me the moment we met, and I didn't even have a chance to present it. It's so unfair; I got beaten for nothing."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan waved his hand in the air, and the small box he had brought fell into his hands and was presented with both hands.

The old man looked at the box in his hand, then at his fawning face. He clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, one sentence echoing in his mind: "Should I just kill him?"
Taking a deep breath, the old man laughed in exasperation, saying weakly, "So you just came like this?"

Hearing the same thing again, Chen Xuan felt guilty and weakly replied, "I didn't come empty-handed; I brought a gift."

"You still have the nerve to talk back?" The old man, itching for a beating, pointed at his nose and scolded, "You brat, you're a married man now, can't you be a little more mature and stable? Can't you put some effort into something like your homecoming? Couldn't you bring more people back in a grand manner? I arranged for thousands of people to welcome you back, and even invited envoys from various countries to accompany you, and this is how you come here? Is this acceptable? No way, I'm so angry, I might as well just beat you to death... What are you doing?"

As the old man finished speaking, Chen Xuan, with a look of deep remorse... well, a genuine expression of remorse, picked up a stick and handed it to the old man, earnestly saying, "Father-in-law, I was wrong. I didn't think things through. You can beat me to death, I deserve it."

Princess's return home is no small matter; countless people are watching. Just like when Gao Jingyu visited his family, the scale of that event was enormous. Moreover, Gao Jingyu was a princess at the time, so the little princess's first return home after her marriage must be a grand affair.
Chen Xuan deserved the beating.

At this moment, Chen Xuan's attitude was sincere and earnest, and the old man was completely speechless. What could he do with such a son-in-law?

"Take it away, no need, you're driving me crazy, thank you," the old man waved his hand with a look of utter despair, then turned to the little princess and asked, "Little Fuyao, it's your responsibility to be a good wife and mother after you marry into the family. Do you know how unreliable your husband is? Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

The little princess blinked her innocent, beautiful eyes and smiled, "Father, as the saying goes, 'A woman follows her husband wherever he goes,' and since my husband is the head of the household, I will naturally obey him in everything."

Chen Xuan looked at his wife with deep emotion. Where could he find such a gentle and considerate wife?
The couple continued their banter, and the old man, unable to bear scolding the little princess, said helplessly, "Fuyao, you just spoil him like this, indulging him in everything. Don't blame your father for not warning you if he gets bullied later."

The conversation turned serious as it continued, the old man implying that he couldn't protect the little princess for long. Chen Xuan quickly changed the subject, saying, "Father-in-law, do you like the gift I brought you?"

The old man stopped worrying about it. The matter of Chen Xuan being unreliable was over. After all, he had already come all this way and beaten him up. What else could he do? He couldn't start all over again.

He glanced at the box Chen Xuan had brought and said with a look of disgust, "Tsk tsk tsk, brat, how dare you? The dowry I gave you could stretch for miles, and you try to fool me with this little thing?"

However, Chen Xuan retorted confidently, "Father-in-law, what are you saying? Can sentiment be measured by value? The gift I gave you was brought from the grotto world, and I personally crafted it over several months. It's full of heartfelt sentiment. Tell me, how can any ordinary thing compare to this?"

Rolling his eyes, the old man pointed to his face and asked, "You brat, do I look like I'm getting senile?"

Clearing his throat, Chen Xuan's eyes darted around, and he shrank back guiltily, saying, "Well, Father-in-law, why don't you take a look and see if you like it?"

"Hmph, let me see. I want to see what my good son-in-law has brought that can rival my ten-mile-long dowry," the old man said sarcastically.

Pretending to be confused, Chen Xuan opened the box, revealing two small, porcelain-white balls, about the size of eggs. They weren't perfectly round, and even looked a bit rough and ordinary.

He glanced at Chen Xuan, then at the two small balls, and asked with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, "That's it?"

Chen Xuan launched into a spiel, "Father-in-law, don't underestimate these two little balls. They're called fitness balls. I crafted them from the most precious spine parts of a Grandmaster-level beast in the Cave Heaven World. Holding and playing with them can strengthen your body. Plus, because of their material, they can nourish your physique, relax your muscles, and improve blood circulation. And think about it, isn't it elegant and refined to hold and play with these two little balls? The benefits are unimaginable, and they're full of my love!"

Ren Chenxuan blew the two small balls into the air, but Lao Deng still looked at him like he was an idiot. It wasn't that he didn't recognize these things; there were countless of them made of various materials, all gifts from his subordinates. He just didn't usually hold them in his hands.

After Chen Xuan finished speaking, he looked disgusted and said, "So this is how you fooled me?"

However, even though that's what he said, the next moment he reached out and said, "Give it to me."

Holding two irregularly shaped exercise balls, the old man twirled and played with them. At first, he was a little clumsy, but he quickly got the hang of it and showed no intention of putting them down. He subtly changed the subject, saying, "You little rascal, you're not a child anymore. What are your plans for the future?"

Looking at the empty little box, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "Didn't you say you were disgusted? What's the meaning of not putting it down now that you've picked it up?"

He dared not say that aloud, and subconsciously replied, "Father-in-law, you know me well enough, what plans could I possibly have... Oh, right..."

What was he planning to do? Just keep slacking off, right? But then he noticed the old man pause, squeezing the two exercise balls so hard they were making a cracking sound, and he seemed about to get angry. So he immediately changed his tune and said seriously, "I'm planning to do something big!"

"Oh? Tell me about it," the old man asked curiously. Chen Xuan's words only made him more worried... (End of Chapter)