Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 307 Take your life
After entering Wancheng, Chen Xuan led his horse towards Yunlai Restaurant. The rain continued to fall, getting heavier and heavier, and the rain flowed along the edge of his hat.

In such weather, there are not many pedestrians on the streets. Even if there are, they are in a hurry. The small vendors have already closed their stalls to avoid the rain.

As a big city with a population of over one million, apart from the different people and slightly different architectural styles, it is actually not much different from Mo City in the north.

After glancing in two or three directions, Chen Xuan thought to himself that it was indeed a big city, as there were actually three innate masters that were rarely seen in normal times.

As a grandmaster, his perception is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Even if he is ten miles away, he can feel the aura of the innate realm. But it is just a feeling. He cannot know the details unless he sees it with his own eyes.

Thinking of a map of Wancheng that he had seen in a bookstore shortly after entering the city, Chen Xuan roughly analyzed the auras of the three innate realms and concluded that they were respectively in the government office, a busy street in the south of Wancheng, and the Forbidden Martial Arts Division branch in Wancheng.

"It's not surprising that there are innate masters in the government office. Otherwise, who would guarantee the safety of the governor? There seems to be a very famous brothel in the south of Wancheng. So is that innate master a young lady hiding in the brothel, or a patron seeking pleasure? It's normal for the Forbidden Martial Arts Division to have innate masters in a place like the provincial capital. Otherwise, how can they intimidate the people in the martial arts world under their jurisdiction?"

At Chen Xuan's level, although he usually acts messy and doesn't make sense, if he pays a little attention, he can easily judge a lot of things based on the vague aura.

But that's all. Those innate masters didn't provoke him, so he naturally wouldn't look for trouble with them.

The Yunlai Restaurant where Gao Jingming was located was located in the northwest of Wancheng. Chen Xuan had to cross half of Wancheng to get there. If he didn't take the small road, he would have to pass by the Forbidden Martial Arts Division branch...

After walking and stopping for a while, Chen Xuan soon saw the Forbidden Weapons Bureau branch in the distance. It was raining and there were few pedestrians on the road. A violent organization like the Forbidden Weapons Bureau is despised by even dogs, so the surroundings seemed very deserted.

He just took a look from a distance and did not get close. He left and continued to head towards Yunlai Restaurant.

'Just' when Chen Xuan passed by the Forbidden Martial Arts Division branch about a hundred feet away, several people came out of the Forbidden Martial Arts Division office and then hurriedly disappeared in another direction under the rain. When they walked far away and even out of the city, they came to a remote building. The leader reached into his arms, but felt nothing. Where was the thing?

Seeing this, his companions were surprised and asked him if he had lost it accidentally. The man said that it was possible, but it was not a big deal, so he could just go again.

On the other side, Chen Xuan was holding the horse with one hand, looking at a stack of papers in the other hand with a smile on his face. The rain did not fall on the paper to blur the ink on it. He glanced at it and then casually stuffed it into his arms.

Of course, he "borrowed" this thing from those people, without anyone noticing, and the other party didn't even know how they lost it, even though they were hundreds of feet away.

In fact, it is not a big deal. It is just a list of major criminals and dangerous members issued by the Ministry of Weapons. It has no value to ordinary people. Instead, it is a very sensitive and dangerous thing.

Originally, Chen Xuan was a non-staff member of the Forbidden Martial Arts Bureau and could have gone directly to collect such information with his token, but he did not do so because it was easier to borrow a copy.

After all, he had registered using Yang Guo's identity. If he really used that identity token to collect it, it would not be an exaggeration to say that not only the entire Wancheng, but even the entire Jing Kingdom would be shaken.

Who is Yang Guo? Seven years ago, the master who instantly killed the leader of the Chongyan Sect, Liu Zhenwei, and has not been seen since then, if such a figure were to show up, countless people would be on edge.

So Chen Xuan was too lazy to create unnecessary trouble, but he couldn't underestimate the name Yang Guo. The chain reaction might affect his next trip to Beijing. What if someone wanted to target Gao Jingming and changed the plan because of Yang Guo's appearance?

On the other side, there is a separate small courtyard at the back of Yunlai Restaurant. The restaurant has specially arranged several people to serve there because the champion of this year's provincial examination lives there. The mere fact that this champion lives here has more than doubled the restaurant's business recently. It is no exaggeration. Who wouldn't want to admire the style of the champion?

Therefore, the restaurant not only treated Mr. Jie Yuan to delicious food and drinks, but also did not charge any money. They hoped that Mr. Jie Yuan could stay there forever.

In the room, by the window, in the flickering candlelight, Gao Jingming was writing with a trace of fatigue between his brows.

There was no other way. Winning the title of Jieyuan was naturally glorious, but the constant comings and goings on also made him a little exhausted. Some interpersonal relationships had to be dealt with, otherwise being too aloof would not work, and it would be a taboo to set foot in officialdom in the future.

He had been writing like this for over half an hour, finishing a thick stack of books. When he was almost done, he put down his pen and said habitually, "Ah Xuan, please help me send these letters out. After all, I'm leaving tomorrow, and I need to explain the unfinished business."

As he finished speaking, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy stepped forward with a hint of helplessness in his eyes and said, "Okay, young master, but Master Chen is not here. I am Wei Song."

This Wei Song is the person who took over Chen Xuan's job. He took office after Chen Xuan moved out of the Gao family. Now he is always by Gao Jingming's side. He is down-to-earth, smart and capable. After all, he is the right-hand man carefully selected by Mrs. Gao for her son.

What made him helpless was that his young master often called his name wrong during this period, confusing him with Chen Xuan. But he had no complaints at all. After all, he knew that the Xuan the young master was talking about grew up with the young master, and they were like brothers, with a relationship closer than that of real brothers.

As for Wei Song, he came later and it was only a few months, so it was normal that the young master could not adapt for a while. Gao Jingming smiled and said, "Sorry, Xiaosong, I'm used to it. I will pay more attention in the future."

"It's okay, young master. I understand." Wei Song smiled and asked curiously while sorting out Gao Jingming's writings: "What kind of person is Mr. Chen? How many times do you call my name wrong every day? I want to get to know him."

Gao Jingming said: "That guy is a very interesting person. You will have the chance to meet him soon."

"Oh, by the way, young master, Madam wrote to me a long time ago saying that Master Chen would come to meet us and go to Beijing together. I have already planned the route and will set off early tomorrow morning, but he hasn't come yet. Could something have happened?" Wei Song said worriedly.

As the person who succeeded Chen Xuan, he did not have the same cultivation as Chen Xuan. His fate in this life was tied to Gao Jingming. They shared the same fate, and even if they had to suffer the death penalty, they would suffer together. Therefore, he naturally worked wholeheartedly for Gao Jingming, and Chen Xuan, as Gao Jingming's brother, was naturally within his concern.

Gao Jingming curled his lips and said, "What can happen to that guy? Even if the sky falls, he will be fine. It hasn't even arrived yet. I think he is probably too lazy. I don't know where he is lying down and taking a nap right now. He may rush over when we set out tomorrow. Anyway, from what I know about him, he won't be anxious unless the situation is dire."

Wei Song smiled dumbly and said, "Mr. Chen turned out to be such an interesting person. I want to get to know him even more. It's late at night. Young Master, you should go to bed early. I will take these things to Uncle Geng and the others to send out."

"Well, go ahead, you should also go to bed early," Gao Jingming nodded.

Although they were both close study companions, he could not be as casual and natural with Wei Song as Chen Xuan. After all, they were only following him halfway, and the relationship was no match for those who grew up together. He knew this, and Wei Song also understood it, so they could only slowly adapt and get used to each other in the future.

Turning back, Gao Jingming rubbed his tired brows and looked at the wind and rain outside the window in a daze. He thought to himself, who knows what Ah Xuan is doing right now. He might be sleeping soundly on the bed, and his little maid is busy serving him. He will only think of meeting up with him at dawn tomorrow, and then run all the way using his lightness skills. By then, he won't even bother to find an excuse and will just say that he overslept.

Thinking of this, Gao Jingming smiled subconsciously. When he was about to look away and go to bed, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky where it had been drizzling all day, illuminating the sky and the earth with a pale white.

At the same time, Gao Jingming's pupils shrank as he saw a man standing on the wall of the courtyard, with his back to him. He was wearing a black cloak and a hat, and his whole body was dripping with water.

"The one who was supposed to come has finally arrived. Why is he so impatient? Ah Xuan is an unreliable guy. I don't know if we two brothers can meet again," Gao Jingming murmured.

A hint of helplessness and vigilance flashed in his eyes. His hand beneath his sleeve silently grasped something. He calmly looked at the figure on the wall that almost blended into the rainy night and said, "Who are you, sir, and what do you want to do here?"

The man didn't even turn around, and said with a hoarse and sinister smile, "Is this Gao Jingming from the Gao family in Yang County?"

"My name remains unchanged, it's Gao," Gao Jingming continued calmly.

Then the man on the wall said bluntly, "Since it's you, then it's correct. Someone paid a lot of money to let me kill you. Are you ready?"

"I don't ask who paid you to kill me, but it depends on whether you have the ability to do it," Gao Jingming said coldly.

The man slowly turned around, reached out to remove his hat, and said in a fierce voice, "You ignorant boy, you are so arrogant! Do you know that I have already taken care of all your subordinates? You have no one to rely on anymore. Even if you scream at the top of your lungs, no one will notice. Take it!"

As he spoke, the man on the wall threw his hat towards Gao Jingming, splashing rain wherever it passed.

Gao Jingming's mouth twitched. He took in Chen Xuan's face, which was smiling. He easily caught the hat, letting the rain soak his clothes and cheeks. He curled his lips and said, "Is this all you can do? Your moves are so weak and powerless that you're trying to scare a three-year-old child."

Chen Xuan squatted against the wall and said disdainfully: "Humph, you little scholar are ridiculous. I haven't made a move yet. But, I said I would take your dog's life, but you don't have a dog, so forget it."

Throwing away his bamboo hat, Gao Jingming said with a helpless smile: "A Xuan, have you had enough fun? You didn't even take shelter from such a heavy rain, are you sick?"

"I'm too lazy to take shelter from the rain, okay? It's boring. I thought I could scare you. By the way, my horse is still with the waiter at the hotel entrance. I'll ask Uncle Geng and others to take care of it and bring my luggage to me." Chen Xuan jumped over the wall and entered.

Gao Jingming went to open the door and said, "I've been trying my best to play along with you, and you're still not satisfied? You're really good at picking the right time to show up while Master Geng and the others aren't here. I'll ask the hotel to bring your horse over later. By the way, I thought you weren't going to arrive until tomorrow, Xuan."

Chen Xuan walked into the house like a stray dog, shaking his fur. He deliberately splashed rain all over Gao Jingming and said, "If I come tomorrow, I don't know what you'll scold me for. I have very sharp ears. Were you calling me lazy just now? I'm telling you, don't think I won't sue you for defamation just because you're the young master."

……

(End of this chapter)