Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 222 Atmosphere
"Brother, please stay. What can I do for you?" Zhao Erhe stepped forward to stop him, not wanting to let a stranger approach Gao Jingming easily.

Chen Xuan and the others ignored this matter and went straight into the courtyard. Geng Hong, who stayed there, stepped forward to help get the things.

During the process, Gao Jingming asked curiously: "Master Geng, do you know what's going on with that person outside the door?"

Geng Hong took a look and smiled, "He's been coming here these past few days, saying he's looking for some Peach Blossom Prince. I told him there's no such thing as a Peach Blossom Prince here, but he refused to listen and said the address was correct. When I asked him for details, he wouldn't tell me, so I had to let him go."

Geng Hong hesitated and asked, "Master, you don't have a nickname like Peach Blossom Prince, do you?"

"How is that possible? I don't even have a pen name now, so where would such a nickname come from?" Gao Jingming shook his head.

Then Xiao Cai, who was standing next to him, looked at Chen Xuan with a puzzled look on her face and asked, "Xuan'er, why are you covering your face?"

"Ah, it's nothing, nothing. Young masters, please go into the house first. I guess that person is looking for me." Chen Xuan smiled awkwardly and then turned around and walked towards the door.

It was obvious that the other party was looking for him. Not many people knew the title of Peach Blossom Prince. The first was Chen Xuan himself, and the second was Master Tingfeng. Chen Xuan couldn't guarantee whether the other party had told others. Anyway, his real name was not mentioned in their correspondence.

The last time Mr. Tingfeng sent a letter, Jiang Kai received it and passed it to Chen Xuan. There was no signature on the envelope, only the address. Chen Xuan had told him in advance that any letters from the capital should be addressed to him. Jiang Kai did not ask, as he was conscientious about his duty and did not inquire too much.

Could it be that Master Tingfeng has sent another letter? Why didn't he just stay? Someone was waiting here to find him.

Watching Chen Xuan walk towards the door, Gao Jingming and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone was looking for Peach Blossom Monk, and Ah Xuan said he was looking for him. When did he get such a nickname? I'll ask later...

"...I'm here to find Mr. Taohua. I have something to hand over to him personally," the man at the door bowed to Zhao Erhe.

Zhao Erhe frowned and said, "Brother, you've come to the wrong place. There's no Peach Blossom Prince here."

"It can't be wrong, the address is right here. I'll wait a little longer. I have to negotiate with him in person anyway," the other party said stubbornly.

Zhao Erhe asked in confusion: "There are only a few of us here, all of us are here, there is no Peach Blossom Prince."

"The address is correct, he will definitely show up..."

Chen Xuan stepped forward and interrupted, "Brother Zhao, leave this to me."

"Okay, Brother Xuan, if you have anything, just let me know. We are not far away." Zhao Erhe thought for a while and nodded. He still had to listen to Chen Xuan's words. In many cases, he could represent Gao Jingming, but he was still a little worried. After all, it was a stranger who came to his door.

Then Chen Xuan bowed to the visitor and said, "Excuse me, uncle, please excuse me for a moment."

The other party hesitated for a moment and then took a step forward to catch up.

Arriving at a secluded place, Chen Xuan coughed dryly and said, "I am Peach Blossom Prince. What do you want from me?"

Hearing this, the other party hesitated. Chen Xuan looked too young. Even though he was taller than some adults, he still couldn't hide the childishness on his face. He was clearly a little kid. However, he had never seen a Peach Blossom Prince before, so as long as someone acknowledged him, he would be happy. So he asked, "Are you serious?"

"It's genuine," Chen Xuan said with a smile, but he was helpless. He was too young, so it was normal for people to be suspicious.

Since the address is correct and someone has come forward to admit it, then it must be true. He said, "In that case, here is a letter for you, please keep it."

As he spoke, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Chen Xuan. It was from the capital, but there was no signature or address. It was probably from Master Tingfeng.

If it was just a letter, there wouldn't be any need to go through so much trouble.

After Chen Xuan took the letter in surprise, the other party said, "Oh, by the way, I have something else to give you along with the letter, but I need to confirm your identity again. The letter is a small matter, but the other things cannot be neglected."

It really wasn't that simple. Chen Xuan smiled and said, "I wonder how you are going to confirm my identity?"

"It's very simple. If you want to reply, where would you send the letter?" the other party asked seriously.

Recalling the address given by Tingfeng Jushi, Chen Xuan said: "...Wanmin Hall"

"Well, that's right. This is for you. Please keep it. I have nothing to do here. I'll take my leave first." After hearing this, the other party confirmed Chen Xuan's identity, then took out a small box and handed it to him with a smile.

Holding the small, fluttering box, not knowing what was inside, Chen Xuan curiously asked, "I wonder if this uncle was arranged by Master Tingfeng?"

"No, I'm just a bodyguard. I don't know how many times this letter and these things have changed hands, but they are destined to be delivered to a man called Peach Blossom Master, that's you," the other person said with a smile, turning around.

He is quite cautious. He even asked an escort agency to deliver it, and it went through so many twists and turns. Did Mr. Tingfeng keep his real address so strictly secret?

"Thank you..." The other party also did the job for money, and left after delivering the things. However, after he left, he was still muttering, "Tingfeng Jushi, it sounds familiar. Where have I heard of it? Forget it, it has nothing to do with me. I am just a rough guy who escorts people. This job is easy. I can earn twenty taels easily. But the way back is a bit far."

After the other party left, Chen Xuan first put the letter away, then looked at the small box. It was about the size of a brick and not very heavy. It was sealed, but not locked. It was sealed with wax, so no matter who opened it in the middle, there would be traces.

After opening it easily, Chen Xuan was stunned when he saw what was inside, because there was a stack of silver bills lying quietly inside. After counting carefully, there were a full 20,000 taels!
"No, what's going on here? Twenty thousand taels of silver, bearer-name, spendable directly, delivered right to my doorstep. No worries about it getting lost along the way. Are escort agencies that reputable these days? Also, isn't it because of my idea that Lingyun Ji became a hit, and Master Tingfeng got a share of the royalties? So generous?"

Although his mind was full of doubts, Chen Xuan understood that the answers were all in the unopened letter.

After putting his things away, Chen Xuan returned to the courtyard. Gao Jingming approached him curiously and asked, "Xuan, when did you get the nickname Peach Blossom Prince?" He looked Chen Xuan up and down and said happily, "I'm not saying anything mean to you. You're only eleven years old. Although you're not as good-looking as me, you're still handsome. But isn't the nickname Peach Blossom Prince a bit inappropriate?"

How dare you say I'm less good-looking than you? I don't know where your confidence comes from. After all, I'm also an innate master. As my cultivation level improves, my life will also change for the better. This is the law of nature.

The reason why you are usually more eye-catching than me is that you dress well, which is a plus. Also, my Ze Yuan Jue has the characteristic of reducing the sense of presence. Otherwise, even though I am just a servant, I would have overshadowed you long ago. When we go out, others may think who is the young master between us.

Muttering in his heart, Chen Xuan laughed and said: "I was just joking, I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

"What's going on? Can you tell me about it? If not, forget it," Gao Jingming shook his head. He and Chen Xuan were childhood sweethearts and could talk about anything, but if Chen Xuan didn't want to, he wouldn't ask questions to satisfy his curiosity.

It's not something shameful, there's nothing to hide, and besides, Xiao Gao even told me about Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye's development, even though I interrupted him every time he finished speaking.

So Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Let's go to the study and talk."

It’s better not to let outsiders know about this.

Arriving in the study, Chen Xuan briefly described the incident. Gao Jingming was stunned and asked, "Is this true? Xuan, you actually exchanged letters with Monk Tingfeng?"

"Why would I lie to you, young master? It's absolutely true. I read the first volume of that book once, and on a whim, I wrote a letter to the other party and we got in touch. Now, he's writing to me again," Chen Xuan said with a smile, patting the letter in his arms.

Gao Jingming would not read the letter, as it would involve privacy. He was not curious enough to do that, but he shook his head in disbelief and said, "Lingyunji is well-known now. I never thought you were actually connected to the author. If people knew, they would definitely come knocking on your door."

"So I hope the young master can keep it a secret for me," Chen Xuan said casually.

He nodded and said, "Of course. Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself for you. It's strange, though. Lingyun Ji is so popular, yet no one knows who the author, Monk Tingfeng, is. He's so secretive. Ah Xuan, you've been exchanging letters with him. Do you know his identity?"

"Then I don't know. We only exchanged letters a few times, and neither side mentioned the issue of identity. I guess we are just gentlemen's friends," Chen Xuan shook his head.

Gao Jingming thought it was normal. So many people hadn't found out the identity of Master Tingfeng, so how could they easily tell Chen Xuan?

Then he waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's do this for now. I'm going to take a nap. We'll go out for a walk and relax later. After that, we'll come back to study..."

He was not that curious. Chen Xuan was just connected with Master Tingfeng. Could this matter be more important than Emperor Shang Xuan giving him a calligraphy?

Returning to the bedroom alone, Chen Xuan put down the box containing the banknotes and immediately opened the letter.

It was written by Mr. Tingfeng. It has a lot of content and fills up three pages.

Between the lines, one can tell that Mr. Tingfeng was delighted and even excited. He had not expected that by adopting Chen Xuan's suggestion, Lingyunji would become so popular in such a short period of time, and he made a fortune from it.

In the letter, the other party also explained what the 20,000 taels meant. It was indeed the royalties given to Chen Xuan. He said that without Chen Xuan's suggestions, the book would not have become so popular today, and he deserved it.

Then twenty thousand taels is only a part of it. With the sales of Lingyunji, more will be delivered continuously, about once a month. If it is less than ten thousand taels, we will make up the amount and deliver it.

Is it a relationship or a profit-sharing model? What kind of person is this person that makes the people at the bookstore value him so highly? Or is it that with the popularity of Lingyun Ji, they have to make concessions? After all, he still has to write the subsequent content.

Then the other party also talked about some ideas about the next content of Lingyun Ji, asked Chen Xuan for his opinions and suggestions, and hoped that he would reply as soon as possible after receiving the letter.

Chen Xuan planned to find time to reply. Since the broken engagement was already planned, shouldn't the subsequent plot of fighting monsters, leveling up, pretending to be cool, and getting slapped in the face be arranged? Anyway, it was the simplest and most direct cool novel routine. Chen Xuan had read so much and had rich theoretical experience, but he couldn't come up with it when he wrote it himself.

After that, he looked at the box containing 20,000 taels of silver in the royalties, and felt both amused and annoyed. Mr. Tingfeng was so generous that he was willing to share so much money with him. His mind was far beyond that of ordinary people.

But what kind of thing is this? I worked hard for so many days and earned enough money, but now something comes out of nowhere.

If I had known this, why would I have bothered?
Thinking about how I worked so hard for three thousand taels for so long, it was just for a plate of vinegar-wrapped dumplings...

(End of this chapter)