Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 338 Let’s go
Xiaoxuan Palace is located on a small hill in the south of the city. It is a subordinate organization of Taixuanmen and can also be called Taixuanmen’s office in the capital.

Although Taixuanmen is a martial arts sect, it is more of a Taoist nature. Not everyone in it practices martial arts. Most of them are actually Taoist scholars who often preside over major celebrations for the court.

In Jingguo, whether a Taoist priest or a monk, they all need a written certificate from the government, otherwise they will be regarded as wild Taoists and evil monks and will not be recognized by the public.

Ordinary monks and Taoists practice Buddhism and Taoism, and when they reach a certain level, they need to take an assessment. If they pass the assessment, they will get the corresponding title, such as Taoist Zhenren, which has nothing to do with martial arts practice.

However, most people who are proficient in Buddhist and Taoist scriptures often have impressive martial arts skills.

"... Yesterday, my third brother angered the emperor for some reason, and he ran to apologize late at night. When I left the palace today, I heard that he was kneeling outside the imperial study. It seemed that the emperor was really angry. He made him kneel there and didn't even let him drink a sip of water." As they chatted along the way, the little princess told Chen Xuan about what she saw and heard in the palace.

Chen Xuan was not surprised by this.

I immediately understood what was going on. Prince Jiang Zhou Hong found out about my meeting with the little princess so quickly. It was obvious that he had spies in the palace. And then I mentioned it yesterday. It would be strange if that guy didn't get into trouble.

For some things, if no one mentions them, the emperor can pretend not to know, but once someone brings them up, the situation will be different.

After hearing what she said, Chen Xuan pretended to be silent and said, "This is your family's business. It's not good to tell me, right?"

"What's the big deal? We are friends, just chatting. Besides, my relationship with my third brother is not very good. After all, you know my identity. We are from a big family, and we don't have such strong brotherly and sisterly affection like ordinary families," said the little princess indifferently.

After something like this happened, I'm afraid many people would be secretly happy. Prince Jiang would probably be a bit passive in the future, and I don't know if he would vent his anger on himself. Chen Xuan's mind flashed, and he didn't care. If he had the ability, he would give it a try.

After all, it was a royal matter, so Chen Xuan didn't follow her lead to ask more questions. It was better to stay out of it.

Changing the subject and chatting for a while, the little princess talked about her upcoming birthday party arrangements. Many people would come to celebrate her birthday, even from other countries. She felt bored and repulsed when talking about this, and said helplessly: "They say they are celebrating my birthday, but I still don't understand what those people are thinking. I'm speechless just thinking about it, but I have to deal with it."

"Haha, I can understand your feelings. It will be like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. You don't even need to see how fun it is. Now you know why I didn't go. If I were there, facing all the hypocritical faces in that kind of occasion, I probably wouldn't be able to help but beat people up," Chen Xuanle said.

The little princess said angrily: "You are still laughing, I am almost annoyed to death"

"Then you can take your time to get annoyed, but you have to deal with it no matter how annoyed you are." Chen Xuan didn't want to comfort her, but continued to tease her.

The so-called birthday party is nothing more than an excuse for the upper class to get together and have everyone actively show off, hoping to be noticed by the little princess. You can imagine how boring that would be.

Xia Mei, who was driving the car outside, secretly sighed out almost all the anger she had accumulated over the past few decades. The two young people probably didn't even realize it. What were they explaining to each other? Was that necessary for normal friends?
After a while, they arrived at the foot of the hill where the Xiaoxuan Palace was located. The carriage could not go up, so they could only walk up the mountain. There was a special place for parking carriages at the foot of the mountain, which was guarded by a special person.

As the small Xuan Palace of the Taoist sect, there are many pilgrims here, including many handsome men and beautiful women, but the appearance of Chen Xuan and others is undoubtedly the most eye-catching.

"You show up so openly without even hiding your identity? I think you should at least wear a veil or something," Chen Xuan asked curiously as they walked up the mountain side by side, three feet apart.

She said nonchalantly, "I'm not ashamed of myself. Besides, I've rarely appeared in public in the past two years. Not many people know me. The Taoist sect is a quiet place, no one dares to mess around here. The Taixuan Sect has masters and powerful people. Anyone who comes here must behave properly. Unless they are not afraid of death, otherwise if that person goes down the mountain, the whole capital will tremble."

Are Grandmasters that powerful? Why don't I feel anything? I've been wandering around the capital, and there's no earthquake.

The masters of Taixuan Sect would naturally not come to Xiaoxuan Palace for no reason. However, Chen Xuan felt the aura of several innate masters and thought to himself that this was worthy of being the capital city, where masters could be found everywhere.

"Then have you ever met the master of Taixuan Sect?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

She nodded and said, "Yes, I have. I have been to the palace several times this year to check on my father's health. He is a very kind person. I also often see the master from Wuxiang Temple. I even gave him a chicken leg. He actually eats meat and drinks alcohol."

Tsk tsk, she is worthy of being the little princess. She can meet the masters whenever she wants, just like her relatives. And now there is a grand master walking and chatting with her.

The little princess was talking excitedly. "Don't you always say that your cultivation is three stories high? I don't think it's that good. Do you want me to find an opportunity to introduce you to those two and let them teach you? The other three are not bad either, but one is guarding the border all year round, one lives in seclusion in the palace and I don't want to disturb him, and I don't like the other one very much."

"Let's talk about it when there's a chance. I also want to meet other masters," Chen Xuan said with a smile. He thought to himself that he didn't know who would guide whom after they met. In terms of pure cultivation, he couldn't show off anything else.

The little princess didn't understand the meaning of the word "other", but nodded and said she would not forget it.

There are many pilgrims going up and down the mountain. Xiaoxuan Palace covers an area of ​​hundreds of acres. The dense forests are full of ancient charm. The smell of burning incense is everywhere. The environment makes people feel peaceful.

It was a little crowded when entering the gate of Xiaoxuan Palace. A little girl of seven or eight years old almost fell down because she couldn't stand firmly. Chen Xuan was about to step forward to help her, but he noticed that the little princess was doing the same thing, so he stopped himself.

The little princess naturally reached out to support the other person, and after she stood firmly, she asked with concern: "Little sister, are you okay? Watch your step, don't fall."

"Thank you, sister. I'm fine. You are so beautiful," the little girl smiled sweetly.

Her family quickly thanked her, "Thank you, young lady. We are sorry for the trouble."

"You're welcome. There are so many people here, so be careful." The little princess smiled and turned to Chen Xuan and said, "Let's go. Everything has been arranged. I'll take you around after I pray. After visiting the Xiaoxuan Palace, you can have a delicious meal here and then go back."

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

Chen Xuan thought the scene of the little princess naturally reaching out to support the little girl was particularly beautiful. She was no longer a high-ranking princess, nor a noble person who had to rinse her mouth after eating, but a part of the human world.

This was just a coincidence, not even an episode, it was so natural, yet so special.

A little... Stop...

After entering Xiaoxuan Palace, the two went straight to the back of several major halls. The further back they went, the fewer tourists there were. When they arrived at the Wendao Hall, there were almost no tourists here, only Taoist priests in groups of three or four.

Chen Xuan probably understood that although the little princess did not have any ceremonial procession, her coming here to pray was definitely arranged in advance, so it was normal for her to enjoy some privileges without disturbing others.

A Taoist priest stopped the tourists from the back. Yikun stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. All the rituals are ready. When will it begin?"

The little princess immediately put away her casualness, looking dignified and generous, and returned the greeting and said: "Thank you for your trouble, let's start now."

She was serious about coming here to pray, and she wanted to have no distractions during the process. After that, she took Chen Xuan for a walk.

"Your Highness is too polite. Please follow me," Kun Dao said, stepping aside and then saying to Chen Xuan, "Sir, please stay. Your Highness needs to pray sincerely for blessings. I hope you will forgive me."

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "I understand." The little princess didn't think anything was wrong. She turned around and said, "I'm going to pray first. You can walk around. Don't go too far. I'll find you when I'm done."

"Well, go ahead," Chen Xuan smiled.

After watching her leave, she entered the main hall and prayed sincerely. Xia Mei was guarding the door meticulously. As the sound of ritual vessels rang out, the little princess began the sincere blessing ceremony.

Taoist rituals were different from the etiquette Chen Xuan had learned when he was in school. After taking a few glances at them, he didn't find them interesting. No one paid any attention to him, so he just wandered around.

There must be an innate master in charge of the Taixuan Sect, but he is not the Taoist Master Xuanqing that Chen Xuan knows. However, among the several innate masters he sensed, the true qi of two of them is from the same lineage as Taoist Master Xuanqing, and the others are probably occasional tourists and pilgrims. Under the feet of the emperor, the innate realm is not a rare existence.

After strolling for a while, Chen Xuan came to a quiet courtyard with a small pond. Lotus flowers were blooming in the pond, cranes were playing, and an old turtle was lazily basking in the sun.

There was a sign ahead saying no visitors allowed, but he wasn't that curious to go in and take a look.

I don’t know how long the little princess’ blessing ceremony will last, so I plan to slowly walk around the pond and then go back and wait.

But before he had finished his circle, he turned the corner and saw an old man sitting on a rock by the pond with a helpless look on his face.

The old man was in his seventies or eighties, with a white beard, but he was very energetic, with a kind face and a hint of majesty and nobility between his brows. He was wearing gray cloth clothes, but the fabric was of high quality. He also had good martial arts skills, and his internal energy was gentle and long-lasting. He had already opened up the eight extraordinary meridians, but he was too old, and he would never be able to open his Ren and Du meridians in this lifetime.

It was obvious that this old man had an extraordinary background, otherwise he would not have been able to come here. If Chen Xuan had not been accompanied by the little princess, he would probably have been stopped outside.

When he saw him, out of respect for the old man, Chen Xuan smiled politely and nodded.

The old man was holding a black wooden cane inlaid with jade, looking at the pond with a sad face. One of his bare feet had dropped into the pond, and an old turtle was swimming slowly with his shoe against his back.

When he saw Chen Xuan, his eyes lit up and he waved, "Young man, I'm in trouble. My shoes fell into the water. Could you help me pick them up?"

The pond has railings, okay? How could you fall in? Maybe the old naughty boy is trying to learn how to climb the railings like others, and he's not afraid of falling.

I felt strange. Although the other person was old, his cultivation was quite good. Wouldn't it be easy for him to pick up a shoe?
However, since the old man had already spoken, Chen Xuan did not think much about it and said with a smile: "Old man, you are too polite. It's just a small favor."

Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a simple thing to do.

As Chen Xuan spoke, he raised his hand and sucked through the air, and the old man's wet shoes were thrown in front of him.

The shoes suddenly flew away, and the old turtle in the pond, which seemed to be quite intelligent, looked around in confusion.

The old man looked at the shoes in front of him, his eyes slightly startled. He asked Chen Xuan to help pick up the shoes, but he had never thought that this was the way to pick them up. This was not in line with his expectations, but he still looked up and smiled and said, "Thank you."

"You're too polite, old man. It's okay, I'll take my leave now." Chen Xuan nodded politely and walked away leisurely.

Looking at Chen Xuan's back, Lao Deng thought to himself that this kid is quite capable. Humph, how can I let you go so easily? Look, I'm going to play a trick on you.

Then he picked up his shoes and threw them into the pond, pretending to be surprised and exclaiming, "Wait a minute, young man, my hand slipped and my shoes fell off again. How about you help me again?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan turned around, glanced at the shoes in the still rippling pool, and then looked at the old man with an expression that said, "I'm just teasing you, kid, do you think you can make me and this old man have a quarrel?" He laughed in his heart, "Is this how we play it?"

This is a deliberate attempt to find trouble, and it's clearly directed at me!

As his mind flashed, Chen Xuan also noticed some unusual situations around him. He thought to himself, "This is quite interesting. What's going on? This old man... he's clearly deliberately making things difficult for me."

And play with you.

So Chen Xuan walked over and said with a smile: "Oh, old man, why are you so careless? I will pick it up for you right away."

As he said this, he stretched out his hand again under Lao Deng's proud gaze, and the shoes flew back, but this time he didn't throw them in front of Lao Deng. Lao Deng was speechless, thinking that he would help him put them on.

"Hmph, you little rascal, you dare to mess with my daughter. Don't even think about trying to please me by helping me put on my shoes. I'm still going to tease you around," he said proudly in his heart.

But he only had this thought for a moment.

"Let's go"

As Chen Xuan spoke, he raised his leg and kicked the flying shoe. The wet shoe spun and flew away to who knows where, and the splashing water splashed on Lao Deng's face.

Looking at the flying shoe, Lao Deng waved his finger imperceptibly, slightly dumbfounded. He turned back to look at Chen Xuan, puffing his beard and glaring, "Young man, what do you mean by this? I was just asking for a favor. If you didn't help, that would be fine. But you actually kicked my shoe away. Do you still have the heart to respect the elderly and care for the young?"

Chen Xuan looked him straight in the face and said confidently, "Yes, but not much."

"You...!" Lao Deng raised his finger and pointed at him, shaking with anger. "You're still so arrogant, little brat? I've never seen anyone so shameless."

Chen Xuan crossed his arms and said, "What do you mean by 'I'? Didn't you play a trick on me first? I thought since you didn't want your shoes, I threw them away for you. Look, now the shoes are gone. How much easier is that?"

"Okay, okay, kid, this is how you play it, you made me angry, but have you thought about the consequences?" Lao Deng slammed his cane on the ground and glared, as if he was furious.

Chen Xuan wasn't afraid at all, and taunted him, "Why would I want that? What can you do to me? If you can't afford it, then don't play. Oh no, now my shoes are flying, there's nothing left to play with. Oh, yes, you still have one, do you want me to throw it away for you?"

"I'm so pissed off. No one can stop me today. I'm going to beat you to death, you little bastard." Lao Deng was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves, swung his cane, and rushed towards Chen Xuan, not caring that one of his feet was bare.

Chen Xuan jumped back and continued to taunt, "Slow down, be careful not to hurt your waist. You're still hitting me, it looks like you're struggling to walk. Oh no, are you serious? Believe it or not, I'll fight back!"

"You have one more chance to try. If you dare to fight back, the whole world will know tomorrow that you bullied a dying old man. And then you can't run away, or you will suffer the same fate," Lao Deng chased Chen Xuan and hit him with a stick.

Chen Xuan took a breath and dodged easily, saying, "No way, so cruel, actually playing moral kidnapping, I can't afford to offend, can't I just hide? I hide, I hide again."

"Are you scared now? It's too late. Don't hide. Let me beat you up. Otherwise, I won't be able to vent my anger." Lao Deng chased Chen Xuan and beat him while still arguing with him...

(End of this chapter)