Misty Rain of the Old Times

Before she could finish speaking, He Hongyi left the tavern like a dazzling flame, her face cold and frosty as she stared at the other person.

She was already extremely disgusted by the persistent pestering, but this person actually went to great lengths to provoke Chen Xuan in front of her, which made He Hongyi furious and even gave rise to murderous intent!
The good relationship that He Hongyi had worked so hard to build with Chen Xuan could be ruined by him, which could not only have made all her efforts go to waste, but could even have caused her to miss out on a good match. How could He Hongyi not be angry?
The key question is, this person appeared because of me, what will Chen Xuan think? What if he misunderstands something? Will he dislike me because of it?
As the saying goes, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. He Hongyi, who had long been in love with Chen Xuan, wanted nothing more than to kill him if she thought that he might make a mistake and drift further and further away from her.

Despite her initial rage, He Hongyi forced herself to calm down, ignoring the other person who was frozen in place by her words. She turned to Chen Xuan, her expression softening, and said, "Xuan, this man is called Tian Bin. He's a martial arts figure from Yuhua Kingdom. I met him twenty years ago during a sect exchange, and we've had several chance encounters since. Ever since then, he's been relentlessly pursuing me, driving me crazy and making me want to avoid him at all costs. Now he's actually come looking for me here. It's truly despicable. I hope this hasn't affected your mood."

Fearing that Chen Xuan might misunderstand in the slightest, she immediately stated her position and attitude, which can be summarized as: they are not familiar with each other, she dislikes him, and they have no relationship whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan nodded in understanding, thinking to himself that it was normal for pretty girls to attract attention, especially someone as beautiful as He Hongyi. It would be strange if she didn't have a bunch of admirers.

Speaking of He Hongyi, she's only in her early thirties, not much older than Du Juan. Twenty years ago, she was just a teenager. Did she already have suitors back then? And have they persisted until now? That's really quite... devoted.

However, considering that people in this era mature early, and that pretty girls are naturally not bad when they are young, it is normal for them to be loved. Back then, Guo Qingxue was only ten years old, and she has been thinking about him ever since she saw him. The same applies to the opposite of men and women.

With a flicker of thought, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "I don't even know him, so how could it affect my mood? It's you in red who seems quite conflicted."

Regardless of gender, people are especially sensitive in front of people they care about, and it's inevitable to overthink things in this situation. He Hongyi was no exception. At this moment, she was feeling uneasy, wondering what Ah Xuan meant by those words. Could it be that she had really misunderstood something?
So he said urgently, "Ah Xuan, I made it very clear to him from the beginning that I have no good feelings towards him whatsoever, but he seems to have no sense of shame and keeps pestering me. Originally, we should have dealt with this kind of person as soon as possible, but unfortunately, we have to maintain good relations with our sects. Doing so would definitely make our sects enemies, which is a serious matter. I can't act impulsively. Even though I feel disgusted and repulsed, I can only choose to turn a blind eye."

Understanding that He Hongyi was in a bad or even confused mood, Chen Xuan said understandingly, "It's just human nature, I understand."

He Hongyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ah Xuan clearly understood her predicament better and was extremely objective and rational, without misunderstanding anything.

Seeing them chatting so happily, Tian Bin felt incredibly bitter. In all these years, when had He Hongyi ever given him such a kind look? If only she treated him like that, he would be willing to die for it. Envy and jealousy drove him almost mad.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with a decent appearance. While not exactly dashing, he was certainly handsome and upright. However, given his innate cultivation, his appearance did not reflect his true age, especially since He Hongyi had said that they had known each other for over twenty years.

I wonder if it's because He Hongyi likes to wear red, but he was wearing a green robe. I guess he was playing the trick of using green leaves to set off the red flower.

He Hongyi's words made his heart tighten, especially her cold expression, which made him pale. It's true what they say, those who are deeply in love are often quite humble. At this moment, he disregarded Chen Xuan and said nervously in a fawning tone, "Miss Hong... Miss He, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything by it; I simply wanted to get to know this Young Master Chen."

He Hongyi, already in a bad mood upon seeing him, was even more displeased when He Chenxuan was interrupted. Turning back, she coldly said, "Tian Bin, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You naively claim to know Ah Xuan, but do you even know your place? You're clearly trying to make Ah Xuan misunderstand and distance herself from me. Stop with your pathetic little tricks. I was going to give you some face, but now you'd better get lost, or don't blame me for disregarding sect sentiments. That's all I have to say. You'd better watch yourself."

Chen Xuan was quite embarrassed at this moment, "I was just passing by."

Tian Bin felt as if the sky had fallen. His face turned pale, and he staggered back two steps. Looking at He Hongyi in disbelief, he said bitterly, "Hongyi, you want me to get out?"

"What, did I not explain clearly or did you not understand? I'm warning you one last time, 'Red Robe' is not a name you should use," He Hongyi said silently, having lost all patience.

Startled, Tian Bin, like a helpless child, said humbly with red eyes, "We've known each other for so many years. Even if you've never looked at me properly, I always think of you when I have something good. How can you be so heartless as to tell me to get lost?"

Have I ever accepted any favors from you? I made my stance clear from the beginning. You're the one who's been persistent, and I'm expected to be grateful for your one-sided kindness.
Too lazy to waste words with him, a cold glint flashed in He Hongyi's eyes as she drew her sword, pointing it at the other man and saying in an icy voice, "Do you think I'm easy to talk to after tolerating your ridiculous behavior time and time again? Have you forgotten my reputation in the martial arts world? If you don't get out of here, believe me, I'll kill you on the spot!"

Seeing this, Tian Bin opened his mouth, his eyes dimmed, and then he took a step back and said, "Miss He, please don't be angry. It's all my fault. I'll leave now. Can I ask you one last question?"

"Get lost!" He Hongyi replied in an icy voice, the light red longsword flashing with sharpness, fully expressing her emotions and attitude; she was unwilling to say a single word to the other party.

The pitiful and pathetic Tian Bin was instantly heartbroken. As the saying goes, things reach their extreme and then reverse. He simply gave up and said with red eyes, "Fine, fine, since you're so heartless, I've given up too. Kill me or torture me, it's up to you. I'll die at your hands without any regrets. But can you tell me, what is it about him that's better than me? He has a bunch of wives and concubines around him. Unlike me, who has always been faithful to you. Is he worth you coming all this way and willingly throwing yourself at me?"

Believe it or not, from beginning to end, this guy only had eyes for He Hongyi. He completely ignored any of the beautiful women beside Chen Xuan who were no less beautiful than He Hongyi. I don't know whether to admire or be speechless at someone who is so infatuated.

His attitude of "it would be my honor and happiness if you killed me" almost stumped He Hongyi. She felt a chill run down her spine and didn't even want to dirty her hands by killing him. She simply turned around and said coldly, "You dare to compare yourself to Ah Xuan?"

Chen Xuan looked up at the sky, scratching his toes in embarrassment. It seemed like nothing was related to him, but in fact, everything about him was related to him. What kind of situation was this?

Watching He Hongyi's retreating figure, Tian Bin, who had been heartbroken just a moment ago, smiled with infatuation again: "I knew you wouldn't kill me, Hongyi. All these years of devotion, even though you haven't accepted anything from me, and haven't even given me a kind look, it still proves that you have me in your heart."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "What a genius! I can't take it anymore. Maybe I should just kill him."

He Hongyi's face immediately turned extremely ugly. Her mood was unpredictable. Without turning her head, she struck out with her palm. Her innate true energy transformed into a dark golden palm print, which struck Tian Bin's chest in the blink of an eye, causing him to spit blood and fly backward, falling more than ten feet away.

As his expression froze in disbelief, He Hongyi said in a cold voice, "Get out! Get as far away from me as possible! If you ever show your face again and disgust me, I'll make sure you're reduced to ashes!"

On the street, Tian Bin collapsed to the ground, struggling to his feet. The surrounding crowd scattered. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, said nothing more, and with a reluctant look, staggered away. As he turned, a smug glint flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, "Red-Clothed finally couldn't bear to kill me. Since I can't have your heart, I'll leave my mark on your heart, no matter how, even if the whole world laughs at me." As he left, he couldn't help but look back. Although he hadn't spoken to Chen Xuan, he thought to himself, "Just looking at his appearance, I'm truly inferior. The difference is like heaven and earth. But is he really that good? Even with a harem of wives and concubines, Red-Clothed is still devoted to him, even willing to be his concubine. Rumor has it he has the cultivation of a Grandmaster, but he doesn't seem imposing at all. He looks weak and powerless. If the rumors are true, I probably wouldn't be able to tell his cultivation level either. It's the women around him who have an intimidating aura. Anyway, I didn't provoke him."

That guy finally left, and he probably won't show up again. He Hongyi said awkwardly, her face flushed with embarrassment, "Ah Xuan, I'm sorry, I made you laugh at me. You saw that person too, he was really disgusting and speechless."

Well, while this kind of person is a bit despicable, there are certain aspects that are quite admirable. Few people can take shamelessness to such an extreme. Chen Xuan wouldn't offer any comment or ridicule, instead saying, "Red-robed is joking. There's no need to bother with this kind of person and ruin your mood. Just pretend they don't exist."

“Ah Xuan, you saw it too. This kind of person is like a dead pig that doesn’t fear boiling water. There’s really nothing between us. I’ve already made things very clear. If he dares to show up in front of me again to disgust me, I really won’t care about the feelings between our sects. Both sects know about this. He hasn’t done anything improper to me. I’ve tried to persuade him and talk to him, but he’s still the same. I’m just helpless,” He Hongyi hurriedly explained, genuinely afraid that Chen Xuan would misunderstand.

Anyone would be speechless in this situation. After a moment's thought, Chen Xuan casually asked, "If you, Hongyi, really have too many concerns, do you need my help to make him give up completely?"

Although he and He Hongyi are not close now, they are more than friends. If He Hongyi needs help, he will not turn a blind eye, and it is not a troublesome matter.

Hearing this, He Hongyi felt inexplicably happy. She thought to herself that Ah Xuan was starting to care about her. After all, he had offered to help her. She was one step closer to being accepted. If he didn't care, it would mean that she didn't matter to him at all. It seemed that her performance during this period had been effective.

In He Hongyi's opinion, the best thing would be for Chen Xuan to completely accept her, so that others would have no reason to pester her. But their relationship hadn't reached that point yet, so she couldn't be impatient or it would only backfire. Of course, she wouldn't say such a thing. She was smart enough to prepare for a long-term battle in order to be able to rely on Chen Xuan.

Her mind raced, and she smiled and shook her head, saying, "No need to trouble Ah Xuan. I can handle things like this. Don't let me affect your mood, Ah Xuan."

It wasn't that He Hongyi was afraid Chen Xuan would step in and kill the other party directly; she genuinely didn't want to cause him any trouble. If this kind of thing displeased Chen Xuan, it would be a real loss. If they couldn't even handle this little thing, how would they live together in the future?
Nodding, Chen Xuan changed the subject, saying, "Alright then, I won't pry. By the way, I see that your wine shop is almost ready, Hongyi. When will you open?"

"Let's wait a while, there are still some drinks that haven't arrived yet," He Hongyi said, following up on his words.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Oh, I see. I'll let you know in advance before the opening, and I'll come and make sure you have a place to join me."

"Okay, I'll definitely let Ah Xuan know in advance. Your drinks will be free," He Hongyi said expectantly, secretly thinking that her heart already belonged to him and that everything in the future would be his.

After a brief pause, Chen Xuan avoided mentioning Tian Bin to prevent He Hongyi from feeling awkward, and hesitated before saying, "Then we won't bother Hongyi any longer. Come over to our house sometime; it's just a short walk."

He Hongyi, being very tactful, nodded and said, "Then I'll take it seriously. Please don't mind if we bother Ah Xuan later. The wine shop isn't ready yet. Would you like to come and sit down?"

"Let's do it another day. We were just about to go out for a stroll, so we won't keep you any longer," Chen Xuan politely declined. Besides what had happened before, He Hongyi was probably quite embarrassed as well.

She said with a hint of reluctance, "Then I wish you all a wonderful time, Ah Xuan."

After parting ways, Chen Xuan and the others continued towards their destination, planning to visit the foot of Qingliang Mountain, where the scenery was beautiful and the little princess had never been before.

On the way, the little princess covered her mouth and laughed, "My dear husband, after meeting Tian Bin, I realized that such a person really exists in the world. I thought it was all just made up in storybooks."

"There are plenty of people like this in the world, we just haven't encountered them before," Chen Xuan said, both amused and exasperated, realizing he had actually met a real-life version of Boiling Sheep.

The little princess didn't comment or object, not paying much attention, and instead advised, "Brother Xuan, I can see that He Hongyi has always cared about you. I was even a little touched by her nervousness in worrying that you might misunderstand. What's even more commendable is that she always thinks of you and doesn't want to cause you any trouble. Where can you find such a good girl? If you ask me, you should just accept her and avoid such trouble from happening again."

This is outrageous! Chen Xuan said, both amused and exasperated, "My wife, we've only been married for a few days, and you're already asking me to bring other girls into the family?"

"So what? Do you think Brother Xuan would abandon me? It's more lively when there are many people in the family," she said matter-of-factly.

Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "I would rather give up the whole world than lose Qian Ning..."

As they chatted, they had already left the county town. When they passed several memorial archways, Chen Xuan even told the little princess that one of them was built because of Xiao Gao's achievement in the imperial examinations.

Not far past the archway, Xia Mei reminded them, "Master, Your Highness, someone has been following us. It's not Tian Bin, and their motives are unclear. Should I arrest them and interrogate them?"

Du Juan immediately turned cold and scanned her surroundings.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "No need, the person has already arrived, let's hear what he has to say."

As soon as he finished speaking, a person used a very skillful lightness technique to pass by them and appear in front of them. Seeing this, Chen Xuan was speechless. Is this never going to end?

...(End of chapter)