Misty Rain of the Old Times

The wide Qingping River flows quietly, winding its way into the distance. Months without rain have caused the water level to drop significantly, making the river water appear somewhat turbid.

The riverbanks were teeming with people, thousands upon thousands, who watched the six boys and girls drift into the river. Some gazed silently, others with anticipation, while still others knelt and chanted prayers, hoping the Dragon King would be satisfied with the offerings and bestow rain and blessings.

The six children had no idea what was going to happen to them. Instead, they found it amusing and were happy to see so many people watching. They even waved towards the shore.

Just then, several heart-wrenching cries rang out from the crowd, cries that were enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

"My son, I'm so sorry. I had no choice. It was a decision we all made together. The Dragon King is angry and won't send rain. Your birth date and time happen to match the Dragon King's preferences, so you should serve him well. I will think of you day and night. You are my precious little dumpling. If you ever miss me, come to me in my dreams."

"My daughter... this is terrible! Why won't they let me go? I really want to take your place, but they won't let me. Oh God, what should I do?"

"My dear grandson, Grandpa's coming to keep you company right now! You damned bastard, this old man can't live anymore!"

"Dad, calm down, what are you trying to do?"

"My child, my child, I'm coming to save you. Don't be afraid, your father is here..."

Shouts broke the solemn atmosphere, and a commotion broke out among the crowd that had come ashore. A dozen or so simply dressed villagers rushed toward the shore. It was no surprise that they were the family members of the six boys and girls who had been sacrificed.

What parent or elder doesn't love their child? No matter how ignorant they are, they can't bear to see their child die, especially since the child is still a child. Knowing that the child is gone forever, no one can happily offer their child as a sacrifice to the Dragon King.

However, they were blocked by several times their number of people and could not break free. They could only watch helplessly as their child slowly floated into the river.

The people who stopped them even tried to persuade them with kind words.

"Stop fooling around. The Dragon King is already angry and refuses to send rain. If you anger him again because of this, will we all be left to die?"

"That's right, that's right. If my child's birth date and time weren't incompatible, how could it be your child's turn to please the Dragon King? If the Dragon King is pleased, your family will prosper, and you'll have everything you need, with favorable weather and abundant harvests."

"This is a good thing! We should be happy. Once the Dragon King sends rain, everyone will have something to look forward to."

"Take it easy. As long as you survive, that's all that matters. You can have more children later. What's the difference between having one more child? As long as it rains, everyone in the surrounding area will remember your kindness."

"That's for sure, many people want this blessing but don't even have the chance."

"Hey, as long as we can get through this, what hurdle can't we overcome? Just pretend the illness is over..."

Everyone was talking at once, saying all sorts of things. People from the lower classes don't know how to hide their emotions; their thoughts are almost always written on their faces. Some were gloating, some were terrified, some were helpless, some were powerless, and some were genuinely saddened.

Unable to fight city hall, the children's elders were held back by the crowd and had no choice but to resort to loud cursing.

"You sons of bitches, you deserve to die a horrible death! Even as a ghost, my son will haunt you!"

"If there truly is a Dragon King, he would be the first to punish you for what you've done..."

The commotion immediately drew the attention of the elderly constable presiding over the sacrificial ceremony on the wooden platform. He turned and glared at the crowd, saying in a deep voice, "Tell them all to shut up! I finally managed to communicate with the Dragon King and offer him young boys and girls to please him and bring rain. If this displeases the Dragon King, it's all your fault. You will be the sinners who ruin everyone's lives!"

His words caused many people's expressions to change drastically. Many more rushed to stop the children's elders, disregarding everything else and pressing their mouths shut. Some even searched for something to knock them unconscious.

The situation on the riverbank also caught the attention of several children on the river. They panicked when they saw their elders being bullied and started crying, but they couldn't turn back at all.

"Mom, I don't want to play anymore, it's not fun at all. Take me home, I want to go home."

"Don't bully my grandpa! Waaah, I'll do anything you ask!"

"Father, Father, I'm scared, please don't hit him!"

The little princess, who had grown up in the capital, had never witnessed such a human tragedy. Even if she had heard of such things, no one dared to expose them to her. Unable to bear it any longer, she subconsciously looked at Chen Xuan and said, "Husband..."

Chen Xuan calmly shook his head and said, "Don't worry, my wife, with me here, nothing will happen."

She was immediately relieved; since her husband had said so, nothing would happen.

Without his permission, Du Juan and Xia Mei remained still, secretly keeping a close watch on the Chongyan Cult members they had identified and Chen Xuan had pointed out who were organizing this sacrificial ceremony.

Sacrificing to the Dragon King to pray for rain is a joke, but desperate people from the lower classes almost always fall for it. Don't the Chongyan Cult members know that it's meaningless? They know it better than anyone else.

But why do they do this? Anyone with a brain knows it's all for profit. If they're lucky enough to have rain, they can expand the influence of the Chongyan Cult among the people. Even if they fail, they have a million reasons to shirk responsibility. And they won't be wasting their time. They can decide which family's child to be sacrificed. How much can they profit from this? Besides, do they expect to pay for this sacrifice themselves?
In short, they are sure to make a fortune. If they are lucky, they will continue to make a killing; if they are unlucky, they will find an excuse to back out, pack their bags, and move on to another place.

Seeing that the children were about to drift into the deeper part of the river, someone couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and angrily cursed through gritted teeth, "The villagers are ignorant! You are spreading heresy and disregarding human life. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

"Who's talking nonsense and disrupting the ritual? If you have the guts, come out here!" The old man on the altar immediately roared coldly, his gaze turning icy as he looked in the direction of the voice.

His voice was full of energy, like muffled thunder. There was no trace of the fatigue he had shown after singing and dancing. It was clearly an act. He was obviously a skilled practitioner, with all eight extraordinary meridians in his body almost fully opened. He would be considered a formidable fighter even in a small-town martial arts world.

Since the person who dared to speak up was clearly not afraid of trouble, he immediately stepped forward and sneered, "It's your grandpa who's here. If the road is uneven, someone will step on it. We martial artists can't stand people like you swindling and cheating."

Upon hearing this, the people around him quickly made way, revealing a burly man with a long staff. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an upright demeanor. His dark skin was covered with scars, indicating that he had clearly done many acts of chivalry.

Upon seeing him, the old man on the altar sneered, "We have gone to great lengths to pray for rain for all the people, and you have jumped out to sabotage us. I think you are the one spreading heresy. Fellow villagers, be my witnesses. If the Dragon King does not send rain afterward, it must be because this person has angered Him. Where is he? Is he dead? Seize him! If it doesn't rain, kill him and throw him into the river to appease the Dragon King's anger!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the five or six members of the Chongyan Cult who were kneeling and praying around him immediately rushed towards the man with great momentum. Each of them was agile and had good skills. After all, they were doing this kind of thing. Where would they get the courage if they didn't have some skills?

The burly man with the stick felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't back down at all. He said, "I'm not afraid of you. I'll deal with you first, and then I'll publicly interrogate you about how you deceived and misled the people!"

They weren't far apart to begin with, and within the time it took to exchange two words, he was already fighting with the men who rushed over. He wielded his long staff with great force and speed, sending two men flying in an instant. However, his cultivation was limited, and even with some rudimentary internal strength, he was no match for four opponents. He was quickly beaten until his head was bleeding, his hands and feet were bound, and he was lifted onto the altar and thrown down with a bang.

The elderly man presiding over the ceremony scoffed, "With your meager skills, you dare cause trouble? You're practically asking for death."

"Pah! I admit defeat because I'm not good enough. But don't get cocky. There are plenty of righteous people who will deal with you sooner or later," the burly man spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and gritted his teeth.

The old man's gaze turned cold, and he was about to explode when he suddenly looked up at the riverbank and shouted, "There are still some bastards who want to ruin the villagers' livelihoods, they're asking for death!"

As he spoke, he leaped over the incense table with his whisk in hand and rushed toward the riverbank. He could cover two or three zhang in a single step, demonstrating considerable skill in lightness of movement. However, his posture was not elegant enough, and he looked like a grasshopper hopping around. Clearly, his lightness of movement was not very advanced, but it was not exactly commonplace either.

On the riverbank, a middle-aged man in a blue shirt took advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, kicked out a bamboo pole and slid quickly across the river. He then leaped onto the bamboo pole and rushed towards several children, intending to save them.

But his actions were noticed by the old man, and before he could get close to the children, the old man caught up with him. The two fought on the main pole in the river. The man in blue wielded a sword and had decent archery skills, but ultimately his cultivation was insufficient. The old man's whisk was specifically designed to counter swordsmanship. After two or three rounds, the tough whisk entangled the sword and flung it away. The man in blue was also struck by the old man's palm, causing him to vomit blood and fly backward from the muddy shallows. Covered in mud, the man in blue smiled bitterly, thinking that his efforts had been in vain. The villain had good methods; he had failed to save the children and had even gotten himself into trouble. He could only watch helplessly as the children suffered.

The old man in the flowered robe leaped to the man in blue, scooped him up in mid-air, and returned to the altar with a few more leaps. He casually tossed the man aside, causing him to vomit blood again. The old man's cold gaze swept over the surroundings as he said in a deep voice, "Let's see who else dares to cause trouble. I, an old Taoist priest, have compassion for all people and pray for rain. You have wicked intentions to sabotage this. Even if I spare you, the villagers will not tolerate you!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers around them, who had pinned their hopes on praying for rain, were immediately filled with excitement.

"They're so evil, they're trying to cut off our livelihood, kill them!"

"Aren't they about to die?"

"That means he's not dead yet."

If it weren't for the fear of harming the elderly man in the flower-robed robes on the altar, the surrounding crowd would have wanted to throw stones at him.

The old man raised his hand and pressed it down, and the surroundings gradually quieted down. He spoke again: "Fellow villagers, calm down. We owe this rainmaking ceremony to your kindness. I will certainly not let such wicked people have a good end. Now, the important matter is that whether it rains or not depends on whether the Dragon King is satisfied. If he is not satisfied, it must be because of their sabotage. In that case, we will have to hold an even grander ceremony later."

Goodness, although their methods of manipulating people are not particularly sophisticated, they are very adept at shifting blame, and have even laid the groundwork for their next round of profiteering.

Hearing what he said, people were uneasy and glared angrily at the two men. Even if there were any sensible people, they couldn't make a fuss. The two men were easily captured, and no one dared to stand up anymore. They could only feel helpless and frustrated.

The families of those children had just seen a glimmer of hope, but that hope was quickly shattered. Their emotions were so intense that some of them fainted.

The old man in the flower-robed robe, who claimed to be an old Taoist priest, was secretly pleased with his wicked scheme. He then knelt down and began to mutter incantations in prayer. The others on the altar echoed his prayers, and accompanied by a slightly mysterious accompaniment, it actually looked quite convincing.

Meanwhile, the boys and girls had already drifted far from the riverbank. It was obvious that someone had tampered with the raft, as it began to fall apart. The children, in a panic, cried and fell into the river. Their conscious family members, upon seeing this, were so grief-stricken that they all fainted.

Seeing this, the little princess felt a pang of anxiety and could hardly bear to look at him. No matter how much she trusted her husband, she couldn't help but turn back to look at him again, as if asking why he hadn't taken any action yet.

Chen Xuan shook his head slightly and said, "Let's go. As the saying goes, evil people will always be punished by other evil people. Since we've run into them, I'll be the bad guy today. We can't let these bastards get away with this."

The little princess nodded gently and followed, eager to see how her husband would deal with these obviously no good people.

So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, they swaggered onto the altar. Surprisingly, no one found it abrupt; they even ignored them as if they didn't exist, and all knelt down like the people on the altar, begging the Dragon King for mercy.

Several boys and girls who were sacrificed had already sunk into the river. Time passed slowly, and a quarter of an hour later, the sun was still shining brightly in the sky without any change.

The incense on the altar had burned out. The old man in the flower-patterned robe finished his prayer, looked up at the sky with a bitter expression, and got up, trying to shift the blame for the failed rainmaking to the uncooperative child's family and the two troublemakers, and then use words to seduce the next sacrificial ceremony.

Just then, a voice with interest came from beside him and asked, "Old man, what are you looking at? The sky is clear and cloudless, and there aren't any flowers. What's so interesting?"

Upon hearing this, the old man in the flower-patterned robe was startled. He turned around and noticed that Chen Xuan and the others were right next to him. Xia Mei and Du Juan's appearances made him momentarily lose his composure, but he didn't have time to think about it. Faced with Chen Xuan's playful smile, he felt a chill in his heart for some reason.

The key question is, when did they appear? With so many people watching, why didn't anyone notice?
Sensing something was wrong, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Who are you? When did you arrive? Who ordered you to sabotage the ritual? Don't you care about the lives of the villagers for miles around? What a vicious heart you have!"

Tsk tsk, I have to say this guy's mind works pretty fast. Realizing something was wrong, he instantly reacted by using moral blackmail, pushing Chen Xuan and the others to the opposite side of everyone. He even became more and more confident as he spoke, as if no matter who you are, as long as you stand on the side of righteousness, Chen Xuan and the others can't do anything to him.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been intimidated by him, but unfortunately, they encountered Chen Xuan.

With a dismissive smile, Chen Xuan curled his lip and said, "Old man, stop barking. It's useless. We couldn't have made such a fuss and let the villagers wait for nothing. You're all done, right? Now it's my turn."

On the altar, everyone, including the old man in the flower robe, was about to take action with trepidation, but suddenly found themselves unable to move or even speak.

It was at this moment that the people all over the surrounding mountains and fields noticed Chen Xuan and his group's presence, but they only whispered among themselves and did not make a fuss. They inexplicably did not have the courage to criticize, question, or target them when they saw them.

"Young master, you're too late," the bound burly man said with a bitter expression, knowing that he had encountered a master, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Chen Xuan respected people who would help others in such a righteous way. With a gentle wave of his hand, the restraints on the man's body were released, and a gentle force helped him up. At the same time, a pill fell into his mouth. The man had only suffered some superficial injuries and was not seriously hurt.

As for the other man in blue, Chen Xuan didn't even glance at him, because he knew in his heart that he and the person presiding over the ceremony were members of the Chongyan Cult and were just putting on an act. How could such a small trick escape his eyes?

With a slight bow, Chen Xuan said to the burly man, "Brother, please be patient. It's not too late. Please rest for a moment."

Seeing that the burly man had calmed down inexplicably from his composed demeanor, and returned the greeting with a bow while standing quietly to the side, he was secretly alarmed. What kind of pills had the other party given him that allowed his injuries to heal so quickly, and even his internal strength to be subtly improved?

Then, without further ado, Chen Xuan got straight to the point, looking at the river in front of everyone and saying with a smile, "Fellow villagers, this old man just said he has already communicated with the Dragon King, but even though the offerings have been made, it hasn't rained. We don't know where things went wrong. It seems we'll have to trouble them to ask the Dragon King. We don't know how they communicate over a distance, so it's better to ask them in person."

Everyone thought it made sense. They didn't know how the Dragon King communicated, so they decided to ask him directly in front of them if there was anything he hadn't done properly.

Then, in front of everyone, Chen Xuan looked at a trembling Chongyan Sect member beside him and smiled, "Then I'll trouble this young man to make the trip. Remember to ask clearly in person."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan kicked the man with his toe, sending him flying dozens of feet into the river with a splash. After a few thuds, the man sank into the water, creating a series of bubbles.

Go down.

When you treat people as sacrifices, have you ever thought that you might end up in the same situation?
Chen Xuan learned this trick from his ancestors in his hometown. The story was in his elementary school textbook, and he remembered it quite well.

No one knew that the Chongyan Cult members who fell into the water did not drown, but were scared to death.

Because after Chen Xuan kicked him into the river, he sank down and saw several children who should have drowned long ago pointing and talking about him with curious expressions. He was so frightened that he died.

"Who are you? What do you want? Do you know where we come from?" the old man in the flowered robe, unable to move, asked in terror, no longer able to maintain his previous mysterious and superior demeanor.

Chen Xuan looked at him and smiled, saying, "You're not qualified to know who we are. As for your origins, you're from the Chongyan Cult, right? I'm not blind, do you think I can't see the symbol on your clothes? Don't rush, take your time, it'll be your turn soon. You've been swindling and pretending to be a sage, none of you will escape today!"

"You... since you know our origins, how dare you do this?" the old man said in fear.

Ignoring him, Chen Xuan curled his lip and said, "Shut up. You're already incredibly lucky to have a few words with me. Don't bother me. I'm thinking of who to pass on the message next. Not to mention you, even your sect leader would have to kneel down and speak obediently in front of me!"

They all said they were going to be villains, so how could Chen Xuan easily end their lives? That would be too easy on them. They deserve to spend their remaining time in fear and despair.

Just then, the government officials who were helping to maintain order finally reacted, and said in shock and anger, "Who are you? How dare you interfere with the rain-seeking ceremony? This concerns the people's livelihood. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the imperial court?"

They were fine until they spoke, then Chen Xuan's gaze darkened slightly as he looked over and said calmly, "Shut up, it's not your turn yet, so stay quiet!"

...(End of chapter)