Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 101 Solving Doubts Under the Moon
The night in the countryside is quiet, the bright moon hangs high in the sky, like a mirror or a wheel, the chirping of insects and birds can be heard clearly, and the stars in the sky seem to be within reach.

After playing all day, Gao Jingming and his friends fully released their abundant energy and went to bed at night.

Chen Xuan was not sleepy. He was reading in the yard with a lamp. With a lampshade, he didn't have to worry about the warm wind at night blowing out the candle.

He has been practicing calming and health-preserving exercises. Not only has his physical fitness improved significantly, far surpassing his peers, but even his eyesight has improved a lot. Even though the light is not bright, he can still see the words on the book clearly.

But don't do this for too long, or it will hurt your eyes.

The moonlight danced, away from the hustle and bustle, and under the gentle warm breeze, the sound of flipping pages could be heard after a long time, which was quite leisurely. If there was a cup of tea and the fragrance of red sleeves, it would be even more delicious. Unfortunately, he was not qualified to enjoy such service, unless he came by himself, and his age was also a bit lacking.

He already knew most of the commonly used characters and had some knowledge of rare characters, but he was still a little confused about punctuation and did not understand some allusions. Therefore, he read the book very slowly, mostly guessing, but overall he did gain something.

Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear.

He would stop reading after a while to relieve his eyesight fatigue, and he would only turn two pages at a time. Occasionally, he would look up at the roof between the inner and outer courtyards of the manor.

There, a vague and burly figure sat alone on the eaves, drinking silently under the moon. It was undoubtedly Geng Hong. His physique was rare among all the guards of the Gao family, and his physique was the most outstanding among the guards who came to the manor.

He is one of the silent guardians of the manor at night. His guarding duties are often easy, but he doesn't have much leisure time to be alone.

"This man seems to be worried." Chen Xuan couldn't help but look at him again while relieving his visual fatigue.

Then his thoughts wandered off again, because he noticed that Geng Hong's angle was really wonderful. He was sitting alone on the eaves, with the bright moon right behind him, making his figure blurry. He was drinking alone under the moon. In this way, didn't the demeanor of a master appear?

It's because of his physique and the fact that his clothes are not fluttering that he looks a bit out of place.

'Did he do it on purpose, or was it a coincidence? Anyway, I've learned something. If I have the ability in the future, I'll have to find a good angle in some special occasions. Anyway, I can just do it with a bang,' Chen Xuan couldn't help but think to himself with amusement.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, it seems that many masters like this way of appearance, and you can find many similar film and television scenes in your mind. This should be the so-called creation of artistic conception, right?
"Brother Xuan is still reading so late, he is really hardworking." I don't know if he was bored, but when Chen Xuan stopped, he turned around and said, his tone seemed to be a little envious and regretful.

What I envy is that he can't concentrate on reading. He gets a headache just looking at the words on the book. Unless it's a martial arts secret book, he won't bother himself with it. What's regrettable is that Chen Xuan's identity almost means that no matter how many books he reads, his limit is already set.

Unless Gao Jingming becomes extremely successful in the future, his status and position will naturally rise as well.

But when he thought about it this way, there was no point in feeling sorry. Chen Xuan could win without any effort, so his life was probably over. After all, his physical condition, age, and even martial arts had reached their peak. He would gradually go downhill from now on. Unless he made a major breakthrough in martial arts, he would not be as good as him. The key point was that he was still working so hard.

This made Geng Hong feel quite depressed, and he couldn't help but take another big gulp of wine.

Chen Xuan looked up and smiled, "I don't feel like falling asleep. I'm just reading a book while the sun is turning. Uncle Geng seems to be in a very elegant mood."

It was only around eight or nine in the evening, which was a bit early for Chen Xuan to go to bed. After coming to this world and getting used to the pace of life, and spending most of his time in places like schools, Chen Xuan inevitably picked up a bit of the tone of a scholar.

"Do you mean to kill time? The way you scholars talk is annoying and a little hard to understand. It's not directed at you, Xuan Ge'er. I'm just a rough guy, please don't mind it," Geng Hong scratched his head in annoyance.

In this way, Chen Xuan felt that this iron tower-like man was quite upright. Well, he was the cute or contrasting kind that some fairies would call him. He felt a little creepy.

Now that the silence had been broken, Chen Xuan simply asked, "Uncle Geng, is there something on your mind? Drinking plain wine is bad for your health. Do you want the kitchen to send over some snacks?"

Chen Xuan still has this right. There is always someone on standby in the kitchen. After all, the young masters and young ladies of the Gao family may need to eat at any time.

"No need to trouble them. Are you worried? Not really," Geng Hong shook his head.

Chen Xuan did not ask any further questions. Once he opened his mouth, he would start talking. People with such frank personalities would start talking because they couldn't hold it in.

As expected, Geng Hong took a sip and said, "I met that old soldier today. How do you scholars say that word? Oh, right, it was inspired by your feelings."

"Why do you say that, Uncle Geng?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

He immediately said in frustration: "What can I say? After hearing about his experience, I can't help but wonder if I will live a life like him when I am old."

"Not really?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise. How old are you? You are so energetic and vigorous, yet you start thinking about this kind of problem?
He said seriously, "Of course not. To be honest, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, Brother Xuan. My two kids are quite afraid of me. I'm usually very strict with them. They treat me like a mouse meets a cat. If this continues, I'm worried that they'll hold a grudge against me. When I'm old and useless and can't control them anymore, they'll despise me and won't let me sit at the table for dinner."

After saying this, Geng Hong himself wondered why he was saying all this to a five-year-old kid. He actually didn't understand what atmosphere was.

Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "Uncle Geng, you don't have to worry about this." "What do you mean?" He asked subconsciously, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Chen Xuan asked repeatedly, "Uncle Geng, was your father strict when you were young? Were you afraid of him as a child? And did you harbor resentment and act unfilially, disrespecting your father and not letting him sit at the table?"

"How is that possible? I can't show my filial piety enough. If you dare to be unfilial, you will be struck by lightning." Geng Hong immediately retorted as harshly as a cat whose tail was stepped on.

Although the answer was a bit off topic, Chen Xuan spread his hands and said, "That's it."

To put it bluntly, their family education is a cycle. It's just that after listening to the veteran's experience during the day, he didn't understand the situation and his thinking was stuck in a dead end.

Hearing this, Geng Hong immediately murmured, "Yes, my father was also very strict with me when I was a child, beating and scolding me at every turn. I was afraid of him back then, but now I still worship him like my own father..."

As he spoke, he felt relieved, as if he had walked out of the dead end of his misconceptions.

Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. What kind of description is that? Did you pick it up?

He immediately said cheerfully, "Haha, it turns out it's that simple. Tsk tsk, you scholars are really amazing. I'm no longer depressed after just a few words. I still have to study. Studying is good. My two boys can't concentrate on studying. I'll beat them up later. I don't ask for a good score on the list, but at least they should understand things. If they don't study, I can't beat them to death."

Chen Xuan: “…”

Forget it, those two boys in your family can only wish you good luck. With a father like you, their childhood will definitely be perfect.

Although he couldn't figure out why he said all this to a little kid like Chen Xuan, and he didn't dwell on it too much, it didn't prevent him from changing his impression of Chen Xuan. In addition, Chen Xuan had always been polite to everyone, so he took the initiative to show his goodwill and said, "Xuan'er, you seemed quite interested in martial arts back then. I wonder if you are still interested now?"

"Why do you say that, Uncle Geng?" Chen Xuan was a little unresponsive for a moment.

He said bluntly, "What I mean is, if you are still interested, I can still give you some pointers in this area. Of course, I won't show you my superficial skills to embarrass you, but some basic things can still help you solve some problems."

The opportunity just fell upon my doorstep? It really never hurts to be kind to others; you never know when you'll be rewarded.

Chen Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Of course I'm interested, but will this delay Uncle Geng?"

"What's the delay? I've been idle for a long time except for honing my martial arts after I got off work. I can teach you martial arts, but I'm not that good at it yet. But you can ask me about the basics. You are still young, so lay the foundation first. There is no rush to practice martial arts. After all, you can get twice the result with half the effort if you have a basic foundation," he said very straightforwardly.

Since it has come to this, Chen Xuan simply said: "I don't know much about martial arts, so I'll just listen to you and learn the basics first. From now on, I'll trouble Uncle Geng to help me with my doubts."

"Haha, no problem," Geng Hong said indifferently.

With the situation already building to this point, Chen Xuan struck while the iron was hot. Just then, he realized he didn't understand something and recalled a technical term he hadn't understood from a previous reading. He said, "Uncle Geng, this is a book I brought out from the young master's study. It has some information on martial arts. What does it mean when it says 'left horse, right horse'?"

"Well, it's simple. The so-called left horse and right horse describes our legs, that is, the left foot and the right foot. The foundation of martial arts is to hone the lower body. If the lower body is not stable, you can't even stand, how can you fight the enemy? Wouldn't you fall down at the first touch? So you need to do horse stance to practice the lower body. Different martial arts have different ways of doing horse stance, but the names are the same. Horse stance is the foundation, so that's how left horse and right horse come from." He explained patiently, quite straightforwardly and clearly.

Chen Xuan immediately understood that this was the benefit of having someone to guide him. Before, he had made some guesses by reading books on his own, but he could not be sure without the confirmation of professionals, so he avoided many detours.

After thanking him, Chen Xuan understood and asked, "What about the big dragon? Does it mean the spine?"

"Yes, Xuan Ge'er figured it out himself, right? But there are also some things to pay attention to when it comes to dragons. The human spine is like a keel. If the keel is unstable, the frame will fall apart. It's like the keel of a ship. If it's gone, it will break at the slightest touch of wind and waves..."

Then one question was asked and one answer was given, which was quite enjoyable. Chen Xuan was also quickly absorbing the basic knowledge of martial arts to enrich himself.

As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. After asking more than ten professional terms, Chen Xuan used the excuse that it was too late to go to bed. Geng Hong would not run away anyway. Since he had made a start, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Seeing the lights in Chen Xuan's room go out and become dark, Geng Hong smiled to himself and took a sip of wine facing the moon. It seemed as if he was back to the time when he first went to the mountain to learn martial arts. He always had endless questions to ask, but his master would ignore him, which made him feel resentful. Now he has no feelings for the sect where he learned martial arts.

Chen Xuan was curious, so of course he was happy to answer his questions patiently so as not to let the other party repeat his mistakes.

No matter how far Chen Xuan goes on the road of martial arts in the future, just treat it as a good relationship. Gao Jingming's identity as a servant alone is destined to be beyond his reach. He doesn't ask for much in return. If he can give him a hand at the critical moment, what does this little thing mean? Even if he ignores it, he won't step on it. There is no loss in the end. Children are simple. They will remember who treats them well and who treats them badly for a lifetime. Geng Hong is very clear about this.

Although he is a rough man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, he also has his own little thoughts, which is just human nature.

After returning to his room, Chen Xuan also felt that he had gained a lot. Naturally, he remembered the other person's kindness. It was another fulfilling day. So he fell asleep peacefully while holding Madam Zhu...

(End of this chapter)