Misty Rain of the Old Times

Seeing that her attack had not achieved the desired result, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Fairy of the Misty Mountains. Driven by her competitive spirit, she simply plunged into the dark clouds that blotted out the sky and the moon, wanting to personally experience what was going on and what tricks Chen Xuan was playing.

Since her debut... well, since she achieved some success in martial arts, she has never been defeated. She has full confidence in herself and is confident that there is nothing she cannot solve. Every experience is just a stepping stone on her path to invincibility.

Under the cover of night, she could be seen walking in the air, her posture elegant and graceful like a fairy. With each step she took, a pure white lotus the size of a plate would appear beneath her jade feet, shimmering with light. With each step she created a lotus, she hovered in the air without falling. Such lightness skill was truly exquisite.

When she found herself in the misty maze, her gaze sharpened slightly, realizing she had been a bit rash, but she remained calm and composed.

Being there, all the sounds of wind, rain, and thunder disappeared from her senses. All around her, above and below, was a thick, impenetrable fog. Even with her Grandmaster-level cultivation, she couldn't see through the fog more than two zhang away, and she couldn't even tell which way to go. To her, it was no different from losing her sight and hearing.

Silence reigned, she couldn't tell which way to go, and she couldn't see anything. She felt as if she had been banished from the world.

Even so, she remained completely calm, and a strong interest even rose in her eyes, thinking to herself that this was quite interesting.

'It seems Chen Xuan does have some tricks up his sleeve. No wonder he made my disciple suffer such a great loss. Even I... had to put in some effort to resolve it. But it's just illusion magic, a crooked and unorthodox method. Perhaps it has some merit, but as long as I maintain a clear mind, what can it do to me? Once I see through its appearance, I'll realize that this trick is nothing special. In the end, cultivation and strength are the foundation. Relying on these fancy tricks is ultimately beneath us.'

Her mind flickered but she remained unmoved. Her undefeated confidence allowed her to face any environment with composure. She even felt a slight contempt for Chen Xuan, thinking that she had seen through Chen Xuan's strengths.

So she moved with lightning speed, choosing a direction and quickly leaping through the air, carefully sensing everything around her and thinking about how to break the spell. She thought that if she could break Chen Xuan's underhanded methods and suddenly appear in front of her, the look of astonishment on her face would be quite amusing.

"You're probably hiding somewhere, observing right now. You're just a coward. You can only bully people like my apprentice. You don't even dare to face someone of the same level head-on. That's all you are. I'll play along with you for a bit and see how long you can keep this up." A playful smile curled at the corner of her lips. She was best at attacking others' strengths. Seeing the panicked expression on their faces gave her an indescribable sense of pleasure. Is there anything more satisfying than slapping someone in the face?

After she entered the mist array, Chen Xuan, who was busy 'making clouds and rain', couldn't help but be slightly distracted and pay attention. He was speechless to himself. What was this old baby doing? I had already greeted you, but I didn't reply, which means I was busy. Shouldn't this be an unspoken understanding? I'll do whatever I want when I'm done. Don't you even understand this simple principle?
I guess it's because those who travel the world haven't read many books, and women are usually unreasonable.

It has to be said that Chen Xuan took a few more glances at Master Yan Quan's lightness skill. This was a superior and exquisite lightness skill that he had never seen before. Every move was pleasing to the eye. Putting aside its graceful appearance, the ability to move through the air for a long time without falling was extremely rare even among grandmasters. After comparing it to his own experience, Chen Xuan felt that he could only achieve this level when he first stepped into the realm of grandmaster.

He truly deserves to be called an amazing figure who reached the Grandmaster level in his forties, and he is said to have never been defeated, so he must have extraordinary abilities.

However, from Chen Xuan's perspective, after entering the area of ​​the mist array, Master Yan Quan was inevitably affected by her five senses. She seemed calm and composed, but in reality, she was jumping around in that area of ​​several hundred meters without realizing it.

Chen Xuan nodded inwardly. The large-scale fog array was remarkably effective, capable of trapping even a Grandmaster-level expert. This had been proven by Jiang Yuan. It should be noted that Jiang Yuan had reached the Grandmaster level decades earlier than Master Yan Quan. When he stormed the Imperial Palace, the fog array had been activated, and he was like a trapped beast, easily subdued by the Dark Dragon, who was at the Innate Realm. It was incredibly frustrating.

Jiang Yuan had fought his way through the battlefield, and his mind was incredibly resolute, yet he still couldn't break through the fog array. Could Master Yan Quan's mind be any purer than Jiang Yuan's?

Therefore, Master Yanquan's decision to venture into the fog formation was a futile endeavor.

Just kidding. What Old Liu left behind is no ordinary thing. He has one foot in the realm of human immortals. He said he was not good at formations, but who are we comparing him to? Even Old Liu's so-called most basic mist formation, can it be a simple thing?

To be honest, Master Yan Quan truly lived up to her reputation as the number one beauty in Yu Hua Kingdom, a country renowned for its beauties, for decades. Even though her figure and appearance were obscured, every move she made was a feast for the eyes. Chen Xuan couldn't help but glance at her again and again...

Since the other party's jumping around in the formation didn't affect him, Chen Xuan ignored it and took it as a treat, letting her have some fun while he was busy with his business.

Aside from affecting others' five senses and mental state, the mist array does not harm those within it. As long as it doesn't affect him, Chen Xuan will pretend it doesn't exist.

Actually, it would be quite simple for Master Yan Quan to escape. After all, they are in the air, and Chen Xuan is currently only at the Grandmaster level, so he cannot truly change reality. Therefore, the formation also needs to follow the basic principles. As long as she cannot maintain her airborne state, she can escape the formation area by falling down. It's just unknown how long she can stay airborne and when she will realize what's happening.

Let her be.

After another round of artificial rain, Chen Xuan has irrigated half of the farmland in Yang County, except for barren hills and wilderness. Two more rounds will finish the job. The consumption of water is a minor issue; the main problem is the time it takes. He can't just do a superficial job and rush through it. He has to thoroughly irrigate the land. If he just wets the surface, it's meaningless; the water will evaporate the next day when the sun comes out.

Chen Xuan may be lazy, but when he does something, he either doesn't do it at all, or he does it seriously—that's just his personality.

After using up the water balloons he brought the second time, Chen Xuan carried the 'dark clouds' that blotted out the sky and the moon to the Qingping River to fetch water.

To his astonishment, Yan Quan's master was still inside the formation, drifting with the current. He thought to himself, "This fog formation is really something. It confuses the mind and senses, and the people inside subconsciously follow the formation. And Yan Quan's master's true energy is really strong. It's been almost half an hour and he still hasn't fallen down. Is he really that persistent?"
At the Yang County government office, the three shifts of yamen runners, along with the registrar and clerks, all looked at the night sky with disbelief, whispering among themselves. They all felt like they were dreaming, mainly because the rain tonight was so strange.

How could God let it rain like this? The rolling dark clouds were like a brush, moving back and forth. But this is ultimately a joyous occasion, and we should be happy about it. There's no need to dwell on why God is making it rain like this.

The county magistrate, Shu Yao, looked up at the sky and understood what was going on. Who else but Chen Xuan could do such a thing? Even if someone could, who would go through all that trouble for the farmers who toiled in the fields?

He bowed deeply to the night sky, thinking to himself that Yang County was truly blessed with you, and that he was unworthy to serve as an official here. Based on Shu Yao's understanding of Chen Xuan since childhood, he knew that Chen Xuan disliked empty fame; otherwise, Shu Yao would have already mobilized the people to build a temple for Chen Xuan.

He withdrew his gaze, waved his hand, and said, "Disperse, all of you. Tomorrow morning, accompany me on a tour of the countryside to investigate any trouble."

"Your subordinates will take their leave. Your Excellency, please also get some rest..."

After everyone dispersed, Shu Yao smiled helplessly. He knew he was going to be bothered for a while. He could easily guess how many people would come to ask him for rainmaking techniques. After all, it wasn't raining anywhere else but in Yang County, so there must be some special rainmaking techniques. He couldn't just keep it a secret.

He certainly couldn't say this outright, much less bother Chen Xuan. He could only deal with it himself. It was a real headache. Chen Xuan had taken the initiative to help him alleviate the drought in his jurisdiction, giving him a huge favor and a great merit, but at the same time, he had also presented him with a difficult problem.

It should be noted that the common people at the bottom of society in this era were ignorant. Under the drought, they tried every possible method, and most of them prayed to heaven for rain. According to Shu Yao's knowledge from the government, in order to get rain, countless people spread rumors and even sacrificed people, resulting in countless tragedies!
Even before this, some people had suggested that Shu Yao organize the villagers to select young boys and girls to sacrifice to the Dragon King...

Chen Xuan, who was busy fetching water during the third round of rain, noticed Yan Quan's master, who was still jumping up and down in the formation when the water ball was almost half used up. He was slightly surprised and muttered to himself, "The old baby can actually change color."
The ethereal fairy, whose body was originally shrouded in a pure white halo, suddenly had that holy and gentle white light turn crimson, as if flames were rising. Not only that, but her pure white dress also turned fiery red, and even her hair turned the same!
In other words, she couldn't see clearly, and Chen Xuan even suspected that her pupils had turned red.

No, this old baby is quite interesting. It's normal for true qi to manifest different colors and characteristics through different cultivation methods. It's also reasonable for hair color to change, and the color of clothes can also change.

Do you run a dye shop?

Within the formation, the ethereal fairy observed carefully and racked her brains but could not find any way to break it. She could not hear any sound, could not see any direction, and there was only thick fog, as if she had been banished to the outside world.

As time went on, she gradually lost her initial composure and became somewhat irritable. Even though she repeatedly reminded herself to calm down, that this was all a trick played by Chen Xuan, and that the more unstable her emotions were, the more he wanted to see her, she still couldn't suppress her emotions.

Anyone in such a lonely environment would feel the same way after a while, let alone someone with such a volatile personality.

Driven by her strong personality, she refused to admit defeat and insisted on using her own methods to crack Chen Xuan's strongest area. Thus, amidst the conflicting emotions, she became frustrated and simply gave up on cracking the code.

Since normal methods don't work, let's use brute force!
Thus, under the influence of the special cultivation technique she practiced, as her emotions changed, the scene Chen Xuan saw appeared. Her entire aura changed, no longer the previous composure, but like a volcano about to erupt. Along with her appearance, she also completely changed her appearance. One moment she was holy and beautiful, the next she was as fiery as fire.

If Yan Quan, who was unconscious and unable to move, saw this scene, she would realize that her master was truly angry, and her emotions would be most directly displayed.

The ethereal fairy in the thick fog stopped moving about. Her whole body rose with a flame-like halo, standing in the void, with a fiery red lotus platform slowly rotating beneath her jade feet to support her.

A fiery red light flashed in her beautiful eyes, and a phantom of a burning lotus flower appeared, scanning the surroundings as if to incinerate everything. Unwilling to admit defeat, she suppressed her emotions and spoke in a clear voice: "Have you seen enough of hiding and hiding? You cowardly rat don't even have the courage to face me. It's truly laughable. Since you won't come out, then I'll drag you out!"

As she spoke, her aura surged, distorting the surrounding void. She raised her palm to her chest and thrust it out, revealing a dazzling, fiery red lotus in her palm. It seemed to possess the power to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, bursting forth from the sky and rapidly expanding. In the blink of an eye, it had grown to a hundred feet in size, its true energy solidified, as if carved from red crystal.

The next moment, the enormous red lotus spun rapidly, radiating a dazzling red light, like the sun shining in the sky. Petals shot out, transforming into dozens of solid blade beams, each a hundred feet long, sweeping indiscriminately in all directions. Each blade beam seemed to tear through the clouds, slicing open huge cracks in the thick fog that blotted out the moon!
'This is clearly a formation. Formations need a base. No matter where the base is, no matter what kind of crooked tricks or fancy schemes you use, your own strength is the key. Watch me break it with my own strength,' Fairy Piaomiao thought with a cold smile.

However, being within the formation, her five senses and spirit were affected by it. Despite her powerful attack, it vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea. She did not see the result she wanted at all. The formation remained unchanged, and she was still in the thick fog.

This won't work? Her gaze sharpened, a flicker of panic crossing her mind, but she would never admit that her heart was in turmoil.

The next moment, she heard Chen Xuan's impatient voice say, "Who's hiding here? I'm busy with important matters and don't have time for you. You come up here to blame me? I've been ignoring you because I respect you as a senior and you haven't bothered me before. But can't you speak properly, sir? I haven't even had a chance to speak before you started, seriously interfering with my life. If you keep this up, I won't be polite. Please take a break and we'll talk when I'm done with my work."

Upon hearing Chen Xuan's words, she instinctively sensed a sharp aura approaching from the thick fog ahead. It was silent, invisible, and intangible, causing her heart to skip a beat. Without time to discern its presence, she instinctively chose to dodge.

Red lotuses shimmered beneath her feet, and she flew backward with each step, inadvertently escaping the formation's range.

Having escaped the array's range, she stared at the rolling dark clouds that had been torn apart by her own blazing blade light and were rapidly healing. Her previously calm expression instantly turned frosty.

It wasn't because he realized he had trespassed into the formation's range and was jumping around like a monkey that he was angry, nor was it because Chen Xuan said he was busy and didn't have time to talk to him; he felt like he was outsmarting thin air.

It was because Chen Xuan actually called her "old lady" and treated her with respect as a senior.

This is unacceptable! I can't tolerate it at all!
...(End of chapter)