Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 100: The End of the Ambitious Man

Gao Jingming took off his clothes while running and threw them away casually. Anyway, someone helped him clean up. When he arrived at the stream, he was already naked. The eight-year-old child didn't care about so many things at all. His sense of shame was not yet fully developed.

Girls still have to avoid suspicion to some extent, so Xiao Cai and the others did not follow, and even took Gao Jingxue and the others away, even though the two girls were clamoring to take a shower too.

But it was their duty as a guard and they couldn't avoid it, so several guards including Leng Bing also came to the stream. Among them was a female warrior who looked like she had arms that could run a horse.

In their eyes, he is just a little kid, there is no such thing as blushing or heartbeating, and it is not enough to cause any trouble between men and women.

After understanding Gao Jingming's intention, two guards arrived at the stream in advance and took a careful look. There was nothing dangerous in the water, and they also carefully checked for poisonous snakes and insects around.

As soon as Gao Jingming arrived at the stream and took off all his clothes, he jumped into the water. As a result, he sank to the bottom of the water. Even though the water was not deep, he could not stand steadily. He immediately panicked. Fortunately, Geng Hong was quick to go down and picked him up like a chicken.

It doesn’t matter if the clothes are wet, Gao Jingming is the most important, and things will dry quickly in this weather.

The water was not deep, only about the level of Geng Hong's waist, a little over one meter, and clear enough to see the bottom. If he stood firmly, the water would only be up to Gao Jingming's neck.

But people who can't swim are like rootless duckweed in the water, with no sense of security. They are prone to panic due to fear and are prone to accidents.

"Master, are you okay?" Geng Hong asked with concern after helping him up.

In fact, Gao Jingming drank two sips of water, but he said stubbornly: "Thank you, Guard Geng, I'm fine, but why can't I float?"

It was obvious that the courage training Mr. Yushan gave him last time was effective. After standing still, this guy was not afraid at all.

"Master, swimming is actually very simple, but you have to master the skills and learn slowly," Geng Hong said patiently.

He nodded and said enthusiastically: "Well, then you teach me"

"Of course, no problem. Come on, let's do this first..."

At this moment, Chen Xuan and his companions also arrived at the stream one after another. Several young masters were clamoring to go into the water. Only one servant or guard could be responsible for one of them, and the others had to disperse around to ensure safety.

Chen Xuan looked up and down the stream. There was only a water pond near where Gao Jingming was. The water in other places was almost as deep as a bend of the foot. The stream water was very clear, probably of drinking quality. You could see the pebbles at the bottom of the water clearly. There was a small beach next to the water pond, and even a piece of sand.

When he arrived at the stream, Chen Xuan saw fish swimming in the water, in groups, but they were not big. The largest one was no longer than a chopstick, but they soon disappeared without a trace.

Chen Xuan guessed that the fish were not frightened by the person who went into the water, but must have been scared away by instinctively sensing the aura of the dragon horn on Gao Jingming's neck. Creatures in nature are most sensitive to this kind of dangerous aura.

He had no intention of going into the water. Although he looked like a child, Chen Xuan really couldn't bear to walk his bird in public.

Gao Jingming seemed to have forgotten about Chen Xuan and was concentrating on learning swimming with Geng Hong. It was not known whether it was due to his talent or the blessing brought by the dragon horn pendant, but the guy was learning it quite well. It was only the basic dog paddle, but the progress was already very fast.

In just over ten minutes, he had mastered the technique and was able to swim on the water. His younger brothers were envious and studied even harder. Well, it was his younger brothers who envied him, not his younger brother.

After learning how to swim, he remembered Chen Xuan. He doggy-paddled and said to Chen Xuan, "Xuan, why haven't you come down yet? It's fun. Look, I can swim now. It's not difficult. The teacher said it as if he was giving birth to a child."

What kind of nonsense are you describing? Chen Xuan declined with a smile: "Master, just play with it. I'll just watch."

"Haha, Xuan, are you scared? Come down quickly, I will teach you," he insisted.

It was a clumsy and childish way of provoking him. Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "Forget it..."

"This is not up to you," Gao Jingming didn't know what was wrong with him. He ran ashore and started pulling Chen Xuan, as if he would not stop until he got off.

Chen Xuan said helplessly: "Hey wait, Master, wait for me to take off my clothes first."

Everyone saw it. He forced me to do it. It wasn't my own decision to walk the bird in public. I had no choice.

After being forced to go into the water naked, Chen Xuan felt relieved in his heart despite the hot weather. He immediately sank into the water and swam like a fish.

Geng Hong and the others had been worried about Chen Xuan at first, but were immediately surprised to see this. How could this kid be so agile in the water? But they still had to be vigilant and ready to rescue him at any time.

"Huh? I've been in the water for over a minute now, and I don't feel too short of breath. It seems I can still hold on for another minute or two!" Chen Xuan was quite surprised, but he didn't show any reaction and quickly surfaced. He knew that his ability to hold his breath for so long must be due to his long-term practice of calming qigong, which had indeed improved his physical fitness in all aspects.

"Wow, Xuan, you are so awesome. How did you do that? Teach me quickly." After Chen Xuan showed up, Gao Jingming exclaimed that it was amazing and shouted that he wanted to learn.

Chen Xuan shook the water off his head and thought for a moment, "This is very simple. Just hold your breath and sink into the water. Don't panic, or you'll choke easily."

He really had no experience in teaching others to do this, so he could only describe it as best he could.

"Oh, I'll try it," Gao Jingming nodded, then took a deep breath and sank down. Geng Hong hurried forward to prevent him from drowning.

Gao Jingming mastered the technique immediately, swimming freely with his eyes open. He was so agile that Geng Hong was stunned. Are all kids these days so skilled? He thought of his own swimming lessons, which required drinking a lot of water. His master simply pushed him into the water and wouldn't let him swim until he learned. He learned his martial arts from a Jianghu sect. He wasn't a disciple, meaning he didn't truly learn from a master. He paid to learn the art, and after completing his studies, he left the mountains to make a living. He couldn't act under the sect's banner. That's why he had told Chen Xuan that his skills were superficial, as he hadn't learned the sect's signature moves.

Swimming is a very physically demanding activity. After only ten minutes or so, even though Chen Xuan's physique far exceeded that of his peers, he was still a little exhausted. The same was true for Gao Jingming. So the two of them ran to the water's edge to lie down and bask in the sun, with only their heads exposed above the water.

As for walking the bird in public, Chen Xuan didn't care anymore after getting into the water. I'm just a child anyway, so I don't care if I'm shameless.

He felt quite refreshed underwater at this moment, it really smelled great.

As for Gao Jingming's younger brothers, they dared not leave the servants' protection in the water. They were scared to tears as soon as they let go. It was unknown how long it would take them to master the swimming skills.

They are born by the same father, but the difference between them is quite big. Chen Xuan seriously suspected that it was because Gao Jingming was cheating. After all, he really was cheating.

After resting for a while, Gao Jingming took Chen Xuan to catch fish and crabs. It was a rare trip to the countryside, and this was one of the few pleasures. As for his younger brothers, he naturally left them aside and had forgotten the advice to get along well with them and cultivate their feelings. After all, they didn't play together often, so they couldn't get along with each other. Even brothers have their own circles. If Zhou Lin and the others were here, Gao Jingming didn't know how much fun he would have playing with them.

There was no way they could catch any fish. Gao Jingming was wearing a dragon horn pendant, so the fish had already run as far away as they could, so it was a wonder they could catch any. After working for a long time, the two of them only caught a poor little crab. This thing couldn't run fast, which made Gao Jingming feel unlucky. He shouted that he had caught half a bucket of crabs in the creek last year, but this time he caught nothing.

They played in the creek until the sun went down and ended the game reluctantly. They said they would come again tomorrow and soak in the water during the holiday without worrying about becoming water addicts.

On the way back to the manor, Leng Bing suddenly came in front of Gao Jingming and protected him behind him, staring intently at the place not far away and said in a vigilant voice: "Everyone be careful, protect the young master and the others."

The guards immediately took action, quickly protecting the group of children in the middle. Geng Hong followed her gaze and asked, "Miss Leng, is there something wrong with that person?"

In the direction they were looking, about a hundred meters away, there was an old man leading a yellow cow. He was dressed in rags and had a broken leg. He was leaning on a crutch, carrying a backpack, and had an eagle-beaked hatchet on his waist.

Leng Bing stared at the other person and shook his head slightly, saying, "There's nothing wrong. I just felt that there was a strong smell of blood on this old man. He must have seen a lot of blood. I hope I'm overthinking it, but it's always better to be careful."

Hearing this, Geng Hong nodded thoughtfully and said, "Miss Leng, you have a very sharp intuition. After hearing what you said, I also feel a murderous aura about him. Although this person is dying, his eyes seem to look at everything with a ruthless look, as if he wants to save trouble with one blow."

Being stared at by so many people, the old farmer who was not far away suddenly became nervous. He immediately bowed and saluted and said nervously: "Did I disturb the nobles from their outing? I will leave now, please forgive me. I really didn't mean to do it. I was just herding cattle here and didn't mean to bump into you. I kowtow to you."

As he spoke, his disabled body knelt down towards this side.

Since the man was old, Chen Xuan and others naturally refused to accept his kindness and turned their heads away.

Geng Hong and his men were obviously repulsive. As common people, the old man was really scared. The poor were most afraid of offending the nobles. If they beat the nobles to death in anger, they would have no place to seek justice.

Geng Hong and Leng Bing exchanged glances, then quickly went over to help the old man up and apologized, "Old man, you can't do that. It's our fault. Please forgive us."

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. Maybe the noble man let me go?" The old man said nervously.

Geng Hong apologized and said, "Of course. Does the old man need help because of his mobility issues?"

"No, no, I can do it myself," the old man refused on the spot.

Watching him limp away with the cow, Geng Hong couldn't help but ask, "Is the old man from the military?"

"Ah? Your Excellency has a keen eye. I did spend 10 to 20 years in the army when I was young," the old man paused and turned back. Then, whether reminiscing or sighing, he said with a hint of pride and bitterness, "I spent 20 years in the army, beheaded more enemies than I could count on both hands, and retired only after a leg was broken. Unfortunately, there wasn't much pension, and I could only afford a cow. When I returned home, I was too full of murderous intent. My family was afraid of me and thought I was useless. Alas, they didn't even want to eat at the same table with me... Sorry, sorry, I've said too much. I'm leaving now."

"So you are a patriot who defends our country. I am sorry for being disrespectful. I and others have no intention of offending you and have wasted your time. Please accept this small token of my appreciation. Just think of it as me treating you to a cup of tea." Upon hearing this, Geng Hong bowed deeply, expressing his heartfelt admiration. He then took out a piece of silver from his pocket and forced it into the old man's pocket.

The old man was at a loss, tears welling up in his eyes as he asked, "How can this be..."

"Please accept it, senior. I'm taking my leave now." Geng Hong didn't give him a chance to refuse. He bowed deeply again and turned away.

He also has a family and cannot help much to these disabled veterans who are defending the country. Since he has met them, he can only try his best to show his gratitude. Although the other party's family has been a bit excessive, it is their family affair and it is not appropriate for outsiders to interfere.

The old man held the silver with an indescribably sad look on his face. He bowed to Chen Xuan and the others to express his gratitude, then limped away leading the ox.

Geng Hong quickly came back and explained the situation. Leng Bing relaxed his guard and nodded, saying, "So that's how it is. A veteran soldier with twenty years of military service, no wonder he's so fierce and fierce, with a sharp gaze."

This kind of person may not be a match for a martial artist in a one-on-one fight, but he is definitely more skillful than a martial artist in chopping people. And who can guarantee that his old body does not have one or two unique skills? After all, he is a veteran who has spent twenty years in the army and can still take off his armor alive after witnessing mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

To put it bluntly, even gods and ghosts would give way to such an old soldier when he walks on the street at night, and just standing at the door is enough to protect the house and make it safe!
However, it is sad and lamentable that such a respected veteran had an unhappy later life.

When Chen Xuan and others learned of this, they all turned their heads away when the old man bent down to thank them. How could they bear it?

……

(End of this chapter)