Misty Rain of the Old Times

The person who was about to steal had just reached out when Du Juan noticed and kicked him away. Immediately afterwards, a group of people rushed out and surrounded Chen Xuan and his group. There were twenty or thirty of them, all young people in their teens or twenties, the youngest of whom looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.

Armed with knives, daggers, and iron spikes, they approached Chen Xuan and his companions with arrogant and sinister expressions.

These days, every industry emphasizes forming cliques and dividing territories. Unless you're a big shot from out of town, you can't get by by going it alone, and petty thieves are no exception.

As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. In addition, they had a large number of people and were considered to have some connections because the local gang often paid tribute to certain people. They thought they had a great advantage and set their sights on Chen Xuan and his group of people with accents from other places. They did not consider whether they could afford to offend them.

They bully the weak and fear the strong. First, they should show off their strength. Chen Xuan and his group look like fat sheep. How can they let them go? They should find a way to get some benefits. If they encounter tough guys, they can just scatter. What can outsiders do to them?
You know what, many seasoned veterans suffer losses when dealing with them. Of course, these people also often get a harsh reality check; not many people in this line of work last long.

"Where are you from? Don't think you can bully people just because you're dressed well and have some money. This isn't a place for you to act arrogantly. If you dare to hit someone, you'd better ask us, your kind-hearted fellow villagers, if we'll allow it."

"That's right, this isn't over yet!"

"Look what you've done to our brothers! They're spitting blood! Oh no, their bones are broken, they could die! You have to pay up, or this isn't over. We'll take this to the authorities and get an explanation..."

The crowd that surrounded them started talking all at once, some with their eyes gleaming. Since they couldn't steal it, they would try to extort money from them. They already had an excuse, and they had the upper hand in terms of numbers and the moral high ground. What were they afraid of? They could squeeze oil out of a stone.

This situation attracted onlookers; it's human nature to gossip and join in the fun.

Uninterested in paying them any attention, Chen Xuan didn't even glance at them, simply smiling and saying, "Don't block the way, get out of the way. Don't blame me for not warning you, or you'll be asking for trouble." Then, Chen Xuan said to his men, "Sister Juan, Roujia, if they don't listen, give them a taste of their own medicine, but don't go too far."

Considering their youth and ignorance, Chen Xuan didn't need to take it too seriously. Everyone has been young before, and this little thing wasn't worth getting so worked up about. If they really wouldn't listen to advice, he would just teach them a lesson.

However, his attitude was seen by those people as bluffing and fear. Otherwise, a truly capable person would not have let it pass so easily. How could those who mingled at the bottom of society understand such magnanimity and breadth of mind?

"Want to leave? No way, things haven't been explained yet," someone said, pointing at Chen Xuan's nose and sneering.

"You don't know how to cherish the opportunity I gave you," Chen Xuan said speechlessly. "Don't point your finger at me, that's very impolite..."

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking. A skinny, monkey-like young man holding a dagger arrogantly said, "Who do you think you are? What's wrong with pointing at you?"

Then someone else looked at Chen Xuan and his group and said with a bright eye, "Brothers, look, those girls are so pretty. If I mean, you know what I mean, right?"

Some things can't be said in broad daylight, but the meaning is already quite clear. He probably had lustful thoughts, but looking at the girl's appearance suggests he had malicious intentions. Think about it, how much profit can petty theft or extortion bring? If he could find a way to sell such a beautiful girl to some place, that would be a real fortune!
It's true that some people are just born bad. Originally, Chen Xuan was planning to let them off lightly if all else failed, considering their youth and ignorance. But now he changed his mind. Even if their crimes didn't warrant death, he absolutely couldn't let them get away with it. These guys should definitely stop doing evil things like cheating and swindling.

With his smile fading, Chen Xuan strode forward and said calmly, "Beat him up, beat him until his own mother wouldn't recognize him. It doesn't matter if he's injured or crippled. Then call the authorities to arrest him and put him in jail. He won't be out for three to five years!"

Upon hearing this, the people surrounding Chen Xuan and his group burst into laughter. "Do you think the government is your private property, where you can just order people around as you please?"
Someone pointed at Chen Xuan's nose and laughed, "My god..."

Before the word "Mom" could even be uttered, the person was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood along with his teeth. A clear footprint was imprinted on his face, and half of his face quickly swelled up. He crashed to the ground with a thud and fell into a deep coma, never to move again.

Du Juan and the little girl flashed and began to attack. Screams filled the air. Before they could even see them clearly, they were struck by excruciating pain and their bodies flew everywhere. Chen Xuan had only taken a few steps when they were all lying on the ground.

Du Juan cleaned up most of the mess. The little girl's cultivation was shallow, so she didn't manage to take many people down. They didn't kill them, otherwise those people wouldn't have just been lying on the ground. But they didn't get away with it either. Most of them had their legs twisted, and even if they received timely medical treatment, they probably wouldn't be able to live a normal life in the future.

Chen Xuan is usually very generous and easy to talk to, but if they dare to harbor ill intentions towards someone they care about, that's a different story. Du Juan and the little girl are familiar with Chen Xuan's personality, so they will give them a painful lesson that they will never forget, rather than just a minor scuffle or some suffering.

According to Du Juan's usual style of doing things, they would all die. It's only because Chen Xuan didn't give such an order that she didn't kill them. Following Chen Xuan, her personality has become much more restrained.

"Master, I'll be right back," Xia Mei nodded, glancing at the people lying on the ground before disappearing like a phantom.

As Xia Mei left, she was still thinking that the master was too lenient. Otherwise, given how these people had offended the princess, executing their entire family would have been the least of their worries!
Chen Xuan and the little princess continued walking without stopping. Du Juan, the little maid, caught up after finishing her work. Du Juan was clearly still a little displeased and said, "Master, isn't this a good thing? It's too easy on them."

Xia Mei remembered them from the last glance they gave her; none of them could escape, or the local government would be in trouble.

Chen Xuan said dismissively, "Let it be. Better a long, drawn-out pain than a short, sharp one. They'll regret it when they're in jail."

Du Juan knew what it would be like in prison, especially since she had offended a powerful figure and was going to jail, so she would be taken special care of. Thinking of this, she nodded and said no more.

Just moments before, many onlookers were planning to watch the show, but after Du Juan and her group made their move, they immediately realized that they were hidden masters. They were no longer in the mood to watch the drama unfold and were worried about getting involved. They wisely left quickly, shaking their heads inwardly. Those thugs were really unlucky to have messed with the wrong people. They really had no sense of propriety. But then again, how much knowledge do low-level thugs have?

"Husband...Young Master Chen, there seem to be quite a few bad people like this. I've encountered three of them in just a few days," the little princess said with some emotion. In just a few days, she had seen more bad people than she had in the previous ten years.

That's because she'd been too well protected in the past; such people never even had a chance to appear before her. Chen Xuan shook his head and smiled, "It's alright, we just happened to run into them. There are many more we haven't seen. Countless bad people are doing bad things all the time. Just because we haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist. Of course, where there are bad people, there are good people, and there are even more good people. Just now, there were a few people in the crowd who wanted to stand up for us, but we dealt with it ourselves before they could. People in the martial arts world usually prefer to avoid trouble, but there are also some who like to stand up for what's right."

"Is that so? I didn't notice," the little princess said, glancing around to see that no one seemed interested in meddling.

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "We've handled everything ourselves, so naturally, others don't need to get involved. With more experience, we'll naturally be able to see who has ill intentions and who genuinely wants to help. It's all about experience. It's better to avoid experiencing things that affect our mood like this."

During their conversation, they walked unhurriedly into the gates of Yinlong County. A group of officials carrying iron rulers and chains rushed out in a frenzy. They were panting and sweating, wishing they had two more legs. They rushed past Chen Xuan and his group and began to roughly arrest those who had been injured and lying on the ground by Du Juan and her group, ignoring their injuries and cries of pain.

Xia Mei returned to Chen Xuan's side, but instead of personally joining the officials in arresting the group, she reported, "Master, everything has been arranged. As you instructed, they will be reformed in prison for three to five years, and they will definitely repent and reform when they come out."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan nodded and asked curiously, "How did Aunt Mei communicate with the government?"

Surely she shouldn't reveal her princess identity, otherwise it would alarm countless people.

Xia Mei replied, "Sir, I simply showed the yamen the token of the Ministry of Justice's inspector and asked them to cooperate. Naturally, they dared not disobey."

"The Ministry of Justice has an Inspector?" Chen Xuan asked, speechless. "Aunt Mei has this title?"

"It's just a temporary post. In the past, it was to protect His Highness from any reckless intruders and to facilitate our actions. With this status, even if we were to kill someone, it would be justified. However, most of the time it's just a formality, but it can be quite useful in special circumstances," Xia Mei said with a smile. Then she added, "In addition, I also hold temporary posts in more than a dozen special agencies, and the position of Inspector of the Ministry of Justice is just one of them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan smiled inwardly. Could it really be done like this? Thinking about it, she understood. As the personal guard commander of the little princess, it was quite normal for her to have so many titles. Whether they were useful or not was one thing; the important thing was that they were convenient to act in critical moments.

That being said, a new emperor brings a new court. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, haven't all her nominal positions been revoked yet?

Then Chen Xuan asked curiously, "In that case, wouldn't Aunt Mei be able to receive more than a dozen extra salaries?"

“…Theoretically, that’s how it is, but I haven’t gone to collect it,” Xia Mei said, stunned for a moment. Firstly, she hadn’t thought of such a thing, and secondly, she realized once again that her master’s thought process was different from others.

She has always been single and has no relatives. In the past, she had nothing to ask for while living in the princess's mansion, so she never thought about receiving a salary. She had nowhere to spend so much money, and it was too early to be thinking about retirement now.

As they spoke, they arrived at the city gate. The guards noticed that they were dressed differently and did not queue up. Duty dictated that they should stop them and ask questions.

The young maid stepped forward first, hesitated for a moment, but then took out a few gold coins from her purse and tossed them over, saying, "My master and mistress are entering the city, please don't cause any trouble. Here, have a drink."

The soldiers hurriedly caught the five golden beans—exactly five of them, clearly enough for everyone. Their eyes widened in amazement; they dared not stop them, and immediately bowed warmly, saying, "Please come in, gentlemen. If you need anything, just let us know."

The little girl nodded and turned around, her face tense. To be honest, she was secretly pleased by such a generous gesture, but she also felt a pang of heartache. Those were precious coins, just thrown away like that. Before she worked with the master, she hadn't seen so much money in over ten years.

Having successfully entered the city, Chen Xuan thought to himself that money really does work. He thought to himself that the little girl was not the type to be so generous. But when he noticed his wife's satisfied smile, he immediately understood. Someone must have been secretly teaching the little girl how to behave without his knowledge. If she were still as stingy as before, wouldn't the princess have face? Wouldn't the royal son-in-law have dignity? Anyway, it wasn't like she was trying to put on a show; it was just her daily life.

While it's true that people should save where they can and spend where they can, some people consider dignity to be of paramount importance.

"Young Master Chen, where shall we go next?" After entering the city, the little princess unfolded her folding fan and looked around the streets, seemingly finding everything fascinating. She hadn't grown tired of being down-to-earth since marrying Chen Xuan. Chen Xuan wanted to say, "Wife, enough already! Are you getting addicted to acting?" But as long as she's happy, that's all that matters. He replied, "The martial arts tournament doesn't start until tomorrow. Let's wander around first and find somewhere to stay."

"Alright, then I'll trouble Brother Chen to make the arrangements," the little princess said nonchalantly.

Okay, you can dress up as a man now, and we'll be brothers during the day and husband and wife at night.

At this moment, Dujuan took the initiative to say, "Master, I'll go arrange accommodations and then meet up with you."

"Okay, then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Juan," Chen Xuan nodded.

"It's nothing, sir, you flatter me..."

Not worried about her not being able to find anyone, Chen Xuan and the others then began to wander around at will. Because of the martial arts tournament, many people from the martial arts world had gathered in Yinlong County, which was very lively. There were many street performers and entertainers. These people who earned a living by performing often had one or two special skills, but they could not be said to have real skills.

But the little princess couldn't resist stopping to look at the novelty from time to time. When she was happy, she would wave her little hand and generously reward people with gold beans, which made people so excited that they kept bowing and making obeisance.

As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth. It would be strange if such a way of spending money everywhere did not attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. However, having experienced something before entering the city, Chen Xuan secretly avoided it in advance to prevent it from affecting his mood. Anyone would find it unbearable if it happened every now and then.

After strolling around for an hour or so, the little princess's novelty wore off, and Chen Xuan said at the opportune moment, "Brother Zhou, you must be tired. Why don't we find a place to sit down and rest?"

"Well, it's good that you didn't mention it, Brother Chen. It's actually quite tiring now that you've mentioned it," the little princess nodded. She was a weak woman who had never practiced martial arts, and walking this far was really tough for her.

The little maidservant, with her sharp eyes, pointed ahead and said, "Master, there's a teahouse over there; it looks quite nice."

“Okay, let’s go there,” Chen Xuan nodded casually.

Then the little girl went ahead and made the arrangements.

Too many people have been flocking to Yinlong County lately, and the teahouse is already full. But money can pay the bills, and the young girl quickly arranged a private room on the third floor facing the street.

Business people are shrewd; no matter how full the restaurant is, they will secretly prepare a backup plan to avoid conflicts arising from special guests arriving without seats.

After the group arrived at the private room, the young girl refused the tea offered by the shopkeeper and only asked for a pot of boiled water. She had brought good tea leaves with her, but she still paid for it.

While she was making tea, the little princess, who had just sat down, took off her shoes, put her legs on Chen Xuan's lap, and said pitifully, "Husband, my feet are a little sore, could you massage them for me?"

Chen Xuan immediately laughed and said, "Weren't you quite energetic before? You're already tired? Speaking of which, you used to call me Brother Chen and Young Master Chen all the time, but now you know to call me husband. Oh, my wife, you're secretly wearing stockings. Won't your feet smell after walking so much?"

"It doesn't smell bad at all! You can smell it if you don't believe me, it smells wonderful!" The little princess immediately protested, raising her leg to bring her little foot close to his nose.

Chen Xuan immediately said happily, "This is a reward you're giving me, my wife..."

As he spoke, he grabbed the little princess's jailer and pretended to bite her. The little princess blushed, put her foot down, and said coquettishly, "Husband, stop teasing me! Quickly, give me a massage!"

"Alright, alright, I know a little about massage too. By the way, I've never seen these stockings before. When did you get them?" Chen Xuan didn't play along and asked curiously while massaging her calves.

The little princess gave a soft hum of comfort, then said, "My husband is really amazing. The soreness is gone in no time. You mentioned socks. After you gave me stockings the first time, even though I knew it was inappropriate, I felt you liked them. So you had the embroiderers in the manor make copies. It wasn't difficult, and they produced many new styles in a short time. They're in the closet at home. Didn't my husband notice?"

That's right. Although the massage technique is fake, the real energy is still soothing your calves with ease. While massaging, he's actually taking advantage of you. Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "Why is your husband rummaging through your wife's wardrobe? It's not like I'm trying to steal money to go out and have a good time."

"Oh dear, husband, stop touching me! Massage me properly. Speaking of which, last year my two older sisters came to visit me and accidentally discovered stockings. They begged me to give them two pairs, and guess what? They've quietly become a trend in many grand mansions, and even shops in the capital that specialize in women's intimate apparel are selling them!" the little princess said, somewhat amused and exasperated.

Hearing her say that, Chen Xuan clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself that before he made his move, there was no such thing as stockings at all, but now they were actually becoming popular. He could say that he was doing a good job for the men of this era, as it would bring them so much more pleasure in the bedroom.

After chatting for a short while, Dujuan returned. Closing the door, she said somewhat dejectedly, "Master, I've inquired around, and all the decent inns in Yinlong County are full. I've failed in my duty; please punish me."

Holding the little princess's tiny feet, Chen Xuan said nonchalantly, "It's not your fault. If it's gone, it's gone. We can always go back to the ship tonight."

Du Juan nodded, still feeling a bit guilty for not being able to handle even this simple matter. Then she hesitated and said, "By the way, sir, when I was looking for a place to stay, I passed by the center of the county town. Someone had set up a martial arts arena to invite people to spar and compete. There were a lot of people who responded. It's a warm-up for tomorrow's martial arts tournament. It's quite lively. Would you be interested in going to take a look?"

"It's inevitable that such things happen when people from all walks of life gather together," Chen Xuan nodded, then asked the little princess, "My lady, would you like to go and take a look?"

The little princess pulled her feet back and said, "Thank you, husband. My legs aren't sore anymore. From now on, you can call me Brother Zhou, Young Master Zhou, or Young Master Zhou. Let's go and see what the difference is between the martial arts arena and the martial arts examination."

'Why are you turning your back on me like this?' Chen Xuan said, both amused and exasperated. 'Then let's go take a look later, oh...'

Although he thought that the martial arts arena was probably just a bunch of weaklings fighting each other, it should still be quite interesting.

Seeing that he looked out the window at the street halfway through his sentence, the little princess asked curiously, "What's wrong, Brother Chen?"

"It's nothing, I just saw a familiar face and lost sight of it in the blink of an eye. What a small world," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

"How did I run into someone I know?" the little princess asked. "Who is it? Do I know them?"

“You’ve met her. Do you remember Zhang Yu, who challenged me when you went to the young master’s place to play last year? She was the one who was dissatisfied,” Chen Xuan explained.

After thinking for a moment, the little princess remembered and looked at Chen Xuan strangely, saying, "It's her! I remember, she was easily defeated by Brother Chen, and she even fell on her bottom a few times and almost cried. What, Brother Chen remembers so clearly? Are you still thinking about that girl? I remember her bottom was quite round."

Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "Wife, what are you thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Oh, just kidding, yes, yes, it's just that the girl is interested in Brother Chen, okay?" the little princess said happily. What she said was true. If her man really took a fancy to a girl, not many women could resist throwing themselves into his arms.

It's not surprising that Zhang Yu came to Yinlong County; she's also a member of the martial arts world, and her cultivation level isn't low—she's a Xiantian master. Then Chen Xuan thought of something and said, "I remember she's always been with Zheng Wanqian. Zheng Wanqian provides Zhang Yu with cultivation resources, and Zhang Yu reciprocates by protecting Zheng Wanqian. The two are like sisters, their relationship is incredibly close. Since Zhang Yu has appeared in Yinlong County, could Zheng Wanqian have come here too?"

Upon hearing this, the little princess raised an eyebrow, her face lighting up with a smile. "I see! I understand now. So Brother Chen is eyeing that rich woman, who's said to be richer than a country. If you could get her, you could squander her wealth for ten lifetimes!"

Chen Xuan felt exhausted and said dejectedly, "Wife, can we talk about something else? I've noticed that whenever we talk about girls, you practically want to bring them home for me, don't you?"

"That won't do. Only those I approve of are eligible," the young princess said without hesitation, quite seriously.

Chen Xuan almost sighed to the heavens, thinking to himself that he shouldn't have said that. He should have just pretended not to see it.

After resting for a while, the group paid their bill and headed to the arena to watch the excitement.

After walking just two blocks and not even reaching their destination, Chen Xuan heard an argument coming from the side of the street. Hearing the argument, Chen Xuan subconsciously stopped and looked over, then was slightly dumbfounded.

The little princess, unaware of what was happening, bumped into his arm. She patted her chest lightly and complained, "Couldn't you have given me a heads-up? Aren't you worried about hurting yourself?"

At this moment, Chen Xuan didn't care about any of that. He pointed in the direction of the argument and said with a strange sense of guilt, "Wife, look, I think I'm seeing things. Isn't that your old man?"

As he spoke, he cursed himself for being so useless. So what if he was Old Deng? What was there to be ashamed of? Was he going to eat him alive?

...(End of chapter)