Misty Rain of the Old Times

"Where are you going, brother?"

"With my iron fists, I have conquered all eight prefectures and forty-three counties in Haozhou, and I have few rivals. I will go to the capital and take the military examination to win a bright future!"

"So that's how it is. Meeting is fate. Congratulations in advance on getting what you wished for. I'll treat you to dinner."

"Okay, okay. What about you, brother? Where are you planning to go?"

"As for me, I have mediocre abilities and I know that participating in the martial arts exam would only make me look ridiculous, so I plan to head north to the place where the Yuhua Kingdom and Shuangyue Kingdom are fighting. Perhaps there is a future waiting for me there."

"Well, I wish you good luck in advance. And what about you, brother?"

"As for me, my master said that my swordsmanship has reached a high level, and I just need some experience. So I plan to go to Rong Country. There are serious disasters there, and there are many evil people. It is a good time to punish evil and promote good, and by the way, save some young girls and wives who have nowhere else to go, hehe."

"Brother, you are truly a man of character. Aren't you worried about being punished for your crimes and rewarded for your good deeds?"

"That was just incidental..."

In the morning, Chen Xuan was walking around in the room facing the rising sun. When he went downstairs, he saw three people from the martial arts world gathered together to chat. He had seen them last night when he came to the inn. They were strangers then, but they ended up getting together now. He was really impressed by the social skills of these people from the martial arts world.

The three acquired masters were in harmony with each other and did not fight each other for a disagreement. The martial arts world is not all about fighting and killing. If they like each other, it would be easy for them to become friends.

After ordering some steamed buns, steamed buns, porridge and pickles, Chen Xuan ate silently while listening to their conversation, hoping to hear something interesting.

"Apart from the martial arts exam in two months, which is highly anticipated, nothing major has happened in the martial arts world lately. It's like a stagnant pool of water."

"Who says it's not true? Wuxiang Temple is closed for some reason. Taixuan Sect is active, but nothing eye-catching."

"Alas, ever since the incident in the desert seven years ago, the martial arts world has been quiet for too long."

"No major events, but small things have happened constantly. For example, a few months ago, all the bandits in Niu Shou Mountain were massacred, but it didn't cause much waves... Speaking of which, that Yang Guo disappeared without a trace after his brief appearance back then. I didn't have the chance to appreciate his charm."

"Rumor has it that he was a master. Even Liu Zhenwei, who was striving for the master level, couldn't withstand his sword and was killed."

"People like that come and go without a trace. How could we be so honored to see them..."

It was all just the same old stuff. Wasn't there something new and exciting in the martial arts world? Chen Xuan was very bored after listening for a while. He almost finished his meal and was about to pay the bill and leave, but what they said next made him sit for a while longer.

"Indeed, nothing major happened in the martial arts world, but I did hear two interesting things."

"Come drink, moisten your throat, and tell me something."

"It's not a big deal. Whether it's true or not is still unclear. Just listen to it for fun. One of the rumors is that a strange sword has recently appeared in the martial arts world. It's rumored to be indestructible, but it must drink blood every day, otherwise it will backfire on the owner. It has changed owners more than a dozen times. This story hasn't spread yet, so not many people know about it."

"Is this happening?"

"There's a saying that goes 'There's no smoke without fire'. I think it's true, but it's a bit strange. Some say the knife was deliberately released to harm the people, while others say someone is behind the scenes raising the knife in this way. Who knows?"

"This... Rong Country is in great trouble, and the armies of Yuhua Country and Shuangyue Country are facing each other. It's not surprising that some strange things are happening."

"Let's not talk about this kind of thing. What about another interesting thing?"

"That's even more interesting. I don't know where the news came from, but there's a mountain called Wanku Mountain in the east coastal area. Do you know about it?"

"I know. What's interesting there?"

"I heard someone accidentally wandered into Wanku Mountain and got lost in the intricate maze of caves. They ended up in a strange place where everything had become enormous. Mosquitoes were the size of tables, cockroaches the size of rooms, and chickens and ducks were several feet long. In short, everything was a hundred or a thousand times larger. Even the grass was the size of a towering forest. I couldn't figure out if everything had gotten bigger or if people had gotten smaller. It was very strange."

"Is there such a place? How did that person survive?"

"Who knows? Anyway, he went there without knowing what was going on, and came out without knowing what was going on. He told everyone he met about his experience. Some believed it, some didn't. Anyway, some people went to investigate, some never came back, and some confirmed it. I just heard it from others, so I don't know whether it's true or not. Anyway, it's a strange thing."

"Haha, if that's true, then everything has become bigger, and there will be endless food. If that's true, I'd rather believe that people have become smaller than everything has become bigger."

"Who knows? It's a good thing I don't have time, otherwise I would have gone to join in the fun."

"That kind of place sounds like it's full of dangers. It's a place where you risk your life..."

Chen Xuan, who had finished his meal, listened with gusto. A strange knife? And something about the gigantic size of everything in Wanku Mountain? It was quite interesting. I might go check it out when I'm bored.

Chen Xuan was not very interested in that kind of knife. He could make a similar one if given time, but the materials were hard to find. On the contrary, Wanku Mountain was quite attractive to him. He suspected that it was either a formation set up by someone, or a special area formed naturally.

The premise is that everything is true. Who can tell what is true and what is false in this world? There are always some people who pretend to be mysterious and make things mysterious, and no one knows what they are trying to do.

As the sun got higher, the buddies chatted for a while, ate and drank their fill, and then went their separate ways. Since there was nothing new to do, Chen Xuan also paid the bill and left.

He was drowsy on horseback, bathed in the morning sun. A dozen miles from the town, he was suddenly awakened by a gentle cry. "Die right here, you shameless wretch! I'll gouge out those filthy eyes of yours today!"

Chen Xuan was no longer sleepy. He pulled the reins and looked ahead with great interest. He had finally caught up with something he was happy to see. It was a pity that he didn't have any melon seeds in his hand. Well, he would always have some on hand from now on.

Suddenly, a man in gray clothes, about thirty years old, jumped out from the woods ahead. He was running away in a panic with a long knife in his hand. It turned out to be the guy Chen Xuan had seen in the inn before, who said he was going to Rongguo to fight against the strong and help the weak and save young girls and wives.

Behind him, a woman in her thirties dressed in blue was chasing him with a sword in her hand, her face frosty. The sword was sharp and had a dark blue edge about a foot long. It was so cold that there was even frost and fog wherever it passed.

The woman's eight extraordinary meridians were all open, and it was obvious that she had practiced a superior martial art. Her internal strength was strong and solid, otherwise she would not be able to manifest her internal strength into a sharp edge at the acquired level. She had excellent lightness skills, and Chen Xuan always felt that her internal strength was a little familiar.

"Where have I seen this before? Oh, isn't this kind of internal force unique to the Hanshan Sword Sect?" After a little thought, Chen Xuan recognized it.

The gray-clad fellow's martial arts skills were no match for those from a prestigious sect. He was about to be caught up in a few leaps and bounds, and was about to be killed by the sword. He immediately turned around, threw away his long sword, slid to his knees, and shouted, "Miss, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. I didn't see anything. I didn't even get close, and you drew your sword and slashed at me. Isn't this too unfair?"

"Unjust? How could I wrongly accuse you, a shameless man, of wanting to do something wrong? Tell me, how do you want to die!" The woman put the tip of the sword against his throat and sneered. However, she did not kill him immediately after the other party knelt down.

The man said timidly, "Young lady, please be steady. Are you from the Hanshan Sword Sect? Even a prestigious sect should be reasonable, okay? I'm really wronged. I came a long way and was going to the stream to get some water to drink on the way, but I didn't know someone was bathing there so early in the morning. What a fuss! They didn't even give me a chance to explain before they attacked me."

At this moment, another young girl walked out of the woods. She was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with skin as white as cream, bright eyes and white teeth. She was truly beautiful, at the prime of her life, with her hair a little wet.

She came gracefully with her sword in hand, performing Qinggong. Her clear voice spoke, "Wait a minute, Senior Sister. Perhaps this is a misunderstanding. That stream isn't ours, so why are we not allowed to approach it? Besides, he didn't know we were there in advance, so he was spotted by Senior Sister before he even got close."

"Yes, yes, this lady is sensible." The man kneeling on the ground nodded slightly. The tip of the sword was at his neck, and he really didn't dare to make any big movements.

Chen Xuan, standing a dozen feet away, was slightly speechless, thinking to himself, "Life is full of encounters, and yet they've even met here." Is Guo Qingxue, the eldest daughter of the Hanshan Sword Sect, planning to go to the capital? Coming from a prestigious sect, she wouldn't be participating in the martial arts examination, would she? Since Sect Leader Guo's death, the Hanshan Sword Sect seems to have struggled in recent years. Could she be hoping to restore its glory through the martial arts examination?

It's really possible. It's a girl's naive idea. If she gets the honor of being the top martial arts champion, her ability is there, and she will flock to the Hanshan Sword Sect to become a disciple, and she can also be connected with the government.

But forget about her ability.

When he saw her in the desert, she was still a little girl of ten years old. Now she has grown into a graceful young lady. Chen Xuan saw her once when he returned from Mo City and recognized her at the first sight.

Looking over there, Chen Xuan thought to himself that this was probably not a misunderstanding. People in the underworld are neither black nor white. They may be good people one moment and bad people the next. Who can tell?

The woman in blue sneered, "Misunderstanding? No matter how cunning and treacherous you are, you can't deceive me. Go and regret it now!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she shook her wrist, and the long sword slashed across the man's eyes with a "swish". Then she slapped his shoulder with a palm and released her internal force. Although she didn't kill him, she only destroyed his meridians.

As a result, the man was blinded, his cultivation was gone, and he would become a cripple from now on.

"Senior sister, why are you..." Guo Qingxue was suddenly shocked.

The blue-clothed woman raised her sword, and a small porcelain bottle in the wailing man's hand fell onto her sword. She presented it to Guo Qingxue and said, "Junior Sister, you are too young and lack experience in the martial arts world. Don't trust anyone easily. If this is really a misunderstanding, how do you explain the unopened drugs? If you believe him, I'm afraid we will be in his hands in a moment!"

Guo Qingxue's face immediately turned cold as she said with some fear, "Thank goodness my senior sister is here, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. This person deserves it. He has harmed countless people and deserves death. Now he has become a cripple, and he deserves it."

"It's good that you understand, Junior Sister. It's always better to be careful when you go out. Just consider this as gaining experience. Let's go and get the horses. We'll try to reach Beijing today," said the woman in blue with a smile. She threw the bottle of drugs into the woods with a shake of her hand and sheathed her sword without even looking at the miserable guy.

Guo Qingxue glanced at the man with disgust, nodded and said "hmm".

Then she turned around and saw Chen Xuan eating melons not far away. Half a year ago in Mo City, she had seen Chen Xuan upstairs when he was returning home from the south. She had some impression of him. At that time, her other senior sister was infatuated with Chen Xuan, so she smiled and said, "It's you?"

Chen Xuan, who witnessed the entire process, thought to himself that this was the true underworld. It was straightforward and efficient. A single disagreement would lead to a fight. It was either you chop me or I chop you. As for good or bad, they would judge for themselves. Evidence was a matter for the government.

Facing Guo Qingxue's gaze, Chen Xuan quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm just passing by. It's none of my business."

He was the first to distance himself from the matter, saying that he was just an unknown passerby, and then said dumbly: "Does this lady recognize me?"

"I don't know him. I just saw him once in Mocheng half a year ago. I never thought I would meet him here," Guo Qingxue shook her head.

Almost rolling his eyes, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "You don't even know me, what's the point of saying hello?" He smiled and said, "I see, you have a good memory, young lady. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

"Please," Guo Qingxue smiled. They just met by chance and didn't know each other, so there was no need to say much.

The senior sister beside her looked at Chen Xuan with a vigilant expression, and only withdrew her gaze after he left and said, "Junior sister, let's go. Remember, a good-looking man is not necessarily a good person. The more good-looking a man is, the more likely he is to deceive you. You are still young, don't be fooled by appearances."

"What are you thinking, Senior Sister? I don't even know him. He's a student from Liuyu Academy, not the same kind of person as us."

"Junior sister, you even know this?"

"I saw him by chance in Mocheng half a year ago. He's easy to spot. Let's go! I heard that Zhao Qingluan, who was once a disciple of Lingyun, the innate spearman of Yuhua Country in the desert, will be going to the capital to participate in the martial arts examination. I wonder how much of his true teachings he has learned in the past seven years..." (End of this chapter)