Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 221 Walking on Thin Ice
"Luckily I ran fast, these people are too crazy"

In a dark corner, Chen Xuan patted his chest and muttered to himself, "I'm still scared," while wiping away the non-existent cold sweat.

Some people who didn't buy Xiaoyao Pills chased him across half the city. Those who didn't know thought they were catching a thief and made a huge mess. Fortunately, he was more skilled and was able to get away easily.

Looking at the box in his hand, he smiled again.

It was originally filled with Xiaoyao Pills, but now it is filled with money, banknotes and silver. The box is almost full, almost forty thousand taels.

With this much money, if he lived a good life and didn't spend it lavishly, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for hundreds of years. After all, an ordinary family of five could not earn more than ten taels of silver a year.

"This thing can't be bought or sold anytime soon. I'll wait until I'm really short of money. Those people are too crazy. It's scary just looking at them."

Having made up his mind, Chen Xuan disappeared silently into the night.

Xiaoyao Pills were just a practice for him, and he had many other good things in mind. If he stopped selling this thing in the future, he could change the name and sell something else that would be more valuable. However, if other things didn't meet the right person, they wouldn't have as big a market as Xiaoyao Pills.

Calculating the time, the academy will have a short holiday in a few days, and the transaction date agreed with Wu Sanniang will also be approaching. I have money in hand and no need to panic. I can go and trade directly when the time comes...

Life in the academy is always peaceful. It is a place for learning, and the chaos of the outside world has no impact on it.

I don’t know when these three memes became popular in the academy. Although there is no such thing as memes in this world, it does not prevent people from summarizing and discussing the hot topics of the moment.

They are "Don't look down on the young and poor", "Junyao continues the poem when drunk", and Ning Guiliang said both are good.

The third volume of Lingyun Ji was published and sold. As time went by, it became a complete hit. The sayings about the fall of a genius, the broken engagement and the saying "Don't bully the poor young people" completely ignited the topic in this era of somewhat monotonous entertainment. The popular saying was circulated among the people and became a warning on the desks of many people to motivate themselves.

The bookstore outside the academy was selling like hot cakes. The book could not be kept up with the demand even after several restockings. The price of the book was high. Although it was not to the exaggerated extent that every student in the academy had a copy, everyone knew about the book Lingyun Ji.

After all, there are only so many people in the academy. In fact, the sales are most exaggerated in Mo City, which has a population of over one million. According to incomplete statistics, in Mo City alone, the sales of Ling Yun Ji have reached a terrifying 10,000 copies. Among them, the third volume has the best sales, exceeding 30,000 copies!
This is really a lot. After all, it is just entertainment reading material, not a necessity. Looking around the country, it can be called a hit.

There are even rumors that Lingyun Ji has been translated into multiple languages ​​and sold in other countries.

The book was generally viewed as entertainment by the general public, but in the intellectual community, it was almost universally criticized and denigrated, with the wording and sentence structure being immature, the plot being illogical in many places, and the book subtly slandering the aristocratic family and instilling in people the idea of ​​getting something for nothing...

In short, there are overwhelming negative opinions, but you just can't resist the popularity of this book. It even gets worse under such criticism. Who can you complain to?
Anyway, whenever there is a conflict between people, they will always say "Don't bully the young and poor", which has become a phenomenal catchphrase.

The topic of Wu Junyao's incomplete poem has not yet been resolved. From that day on, he has been living in Wenxiang Pavilion, getting drunk all day long, and dreaming of having a flash of inspiration to complete the incomplete poem.

People were very much looking forward to it at the beginning, but gradually he failed to produce any follow-up, and the number of people paying attention to him gradually decreased. However, this still did not hinder the popularity of the untitled incomplete poem, and the incompleteness made it more topical.

Not only did countless people want to continue the poem and become famous overnight, but countless poetry gatherings were also held. I heard that the poem had already spread and was being discussed in cultural circles across the country. I also heard that many wealthy people who loved poetry were offering sky-high rewards in the hope that someone could complete the poem. I don't know whether this is true or not, but it has added fuel to the fire on this already lively topic.

In the end, Ning Guiliang said it all, this man understood everything.

A rumor got out of nowhere that Ning Guiliang had obtained a "miracle drug" and he praised it highly, even writing a poem in praise of it. This completely ignited the topic and Xiaoyao Pills became all the rage in an instant.

However, that thing is no longer available for purchase, and the salesperson is also a wicked person. He set a fire and then disappeared without a trace, leaving countless people waving their banknotes but not knowing where to buy it.

At first, people were still trying to avoid such things, but when it became known to everyone, who cared anymore?

Therefore, those who had the opportunity to buy many Xiaoyao Pills became the objects of flattery by countless people. The doorsteps of their homes were almost broken down, and it was difficult to get a pill.

The price of Xiaoyao Pills was originally ridiculously expensive, but as the supply was cut off, the price continued to rise. In just a few days, it was hyped up to a terrifying level of nearly two hundred taels per pill, and it is still rising. Rich people really don't treat money as money. You can't buy it without certain connections and identity background.

Hearing the subsequent topics about Xiaoyao Pills, Chen Xuan was terrified and felt that he had lost a lot of money. Two hundred taels per pill, I have already lost my conscience and would not even dare to offer that price to a dog. How much loss will I have to bear?
But he also understood that scarcity makes things valuable, and without a source, the market would naturally inflate the price, which was unreliable. However, this product was so popular, it was more than a money-grabbing scam, so it was inevitable that counterfeit and shoddy products appeared, defrauding countless people.

Even though Chen Xuan repeatedly reminded every customer that only the goods purchased from him were genuine, there were still some people who wanted to try their luck after the thing became popular.

What could Chen Xuan do? Those who were cheated deserved it, and it was not his fault anyway.

He only made a little over 4,000 Xiaoyao Pills, but now, with their popularity spreading from Mocheng, at least tens of thousands of them circulate on the market every day. Those things are consumables, so where do they come from? It's conceivable that 99% of them are counterfeit and inferior products, just like the 1982 Lafite, which you can never finish.

The latest news is that Ning Guiliang has been placed under house arrest.

He is one of the signature figures of the academy, and it is because of him that Xiaoyao Pills have become so popular. This is simply too embarrassing. It is clearly a discredit to the academy. How can he continue to be embarrassed if he is not restrained?

The teacher of the academy has already said that if Ning Guiliang dares to go out and have affairs with other women until he finishes his studies and passes the imperial examination, he will give him a discount on his legs.

Then, the Xiaoyao Pills he originally bought were confiscated by the master. "What do you need this stuff for at such a young age? It's embarrassing. Aren't you weak and powerless? I'm here to practice martial arts and strengthen my body. What's the big deal about taking medicine?"
But he did buy that thing at a high price after all, and the teacher didn't confiscate it in vain. He personally supervised his learning and taught him martial arts, which was considered compensation. Anyway, its value far exceeded his hundred or so Xiaoyao Pills.

Well, the person who issued the house arrest order to him was Pei Zhenlong, the headmaster of the academy, and the one who supervised his studies was also this gentleman, and it was also him who taught him martial arts.

Anyway, according to the gossip, after Mr. Pei issued the house arrest order to Ning Guiliang, he looked rosy-cheeked and energetic every day, and treated Ning Guiliang very well, just like his own son, and even officially accepted him as his disciple!

It is no exaggeration to say that Ning Guiliang turned a disaster into a blessing and soared to the sky. With the connections of his master Pei Zhenlong, not to mention his own literary talent, even if he was a piece of mud, he could be stuck on the wall.

There was also a rumor that Mr. Wang and Mr. Pei from the academy seemed to be having a conflict. The reason was unknown, but it seemed to be because Mr. Pei was greedy or something. Anyway, the two of them would quarrel every time they met. Mr. Wang would curse Mr. Pei as an old man, saying that he was disrespectful and shameless. Mr. Pei would smugly fight back, saying that he was old and useless. At one point, the two of them were about to roll up their sleeves and fight...

These three things have become phenomenal topics in this special circle of the academy.

In these three topics, Chen Xuan lived in fear every day, because if he traced back, all the sources were from him. If he was investigated and his source was exposed, he would be "dead without a burial place"!
Fortunately, he did it secretly, so the possibility of being exposed was almost zero.

The three matters were separate and independent. He had only given suggestions to Mr. Tingfeng under the pen name of Taohua Gongzi in Lingyunji. It was the other party who came up with it. What did Chen Xuan have to do with it?
The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and it is already the hottest time of the year, midsummer.

After the academy had a short break, Chen Xuan and his friends went to their residence in Mo City as usual.

During this period of time, the hype surrounding Xiao Gao's painting had long since died down, and his life had returned to normal. He had also made a few friends in the process, provided that the incident of the calligraphy awarded by Emperor Shang Xuan was not exposed, otherwise he would definitely be pushed to the forefront.

On the way back to Mocheng by chartered car, they heard students along the way enthusiastically discussing the incomplete poem. Xiao Gao said in a tone that only they could understand, feeling both amused and annoyed: "A Xuan, what do you think we should do after we have such a telepathic connection with the incomplete poem?"

Still not giving up, it's been so long, and he keeps asking about it every now and then. Chen Xuan was speechless and sighed, "Who knows? I'm so uneducated, how can I be qualified to continue this poem that has been passed down through the ages? I really have to admire the great poet Wu. I hope he can come up with the complete poem as soon as possible. I don't know how many people are waiting for it."

Gao Jingming wanted to say something but stopped himself, feeling extremely conflicted. The answer was right in front of him, but A Xuan just wouldn't say it. Wasn't this just torture?

Of course, he also knew that Chen Xuan was doing this for his own good. If he knew what was going to happen next, his mentality would be different and he might end up making things worse. After all, when a few good friends get together, they are bound to mention the incomplete poem. What if he blurts it out? He had finally managed to calm Wu Junyao down, and it would definitely cause him to retaliate wildly. It would be better not to know.

They returned to the courtyard in Mocheng, and before they reached the door, they saw someone wandering outside. It was a stranger and they had no impression of him.

Chen Xuan felt the other party's aura and found that he was quite powerful, even stronger than Mr. Yushan.

The situation was unclear, so he was cautious.

When they arrived at the door, the other party came over on his own initiative.

When a stranger approached, Zhao Erhe, who had been following him, immediately stopped him...

(End of this chapter)