Misty Rain of the Old Times

Thirteen years have passed in a flash. The naughty little brat has now passed the imperial examination and entered the Imperial Hall, attracting the attention of all.

Time flies so fast, it seems like just yesterday, why is my pace so hurried?

Looking away, Chen Xuan sincerely congratulated him.

Of course, she is happy for him. The two have been together for more than ten years, and Chen Xuan has witnessed his growth, from a child, to a teenager, and now.

But I feel a sense of inexplicable emotion in my heart, for no reason, as if I have achieved a goal that I have never seen the end of, so my heart seems to be a little empty, a very strange mentality.

"Tsk, why do I feel like a grown-up son is no longer under his father's control?" Chen Xuan even found himself amused.

Having said that, although Chen Xuan is often out of tune, he has had an adult mentality since he was a child. He has been with Xiao Gao for many years and has witnessed his growth bit by bit. It is not surprising that he has this mentality until now.

"Brother Xuan, are you worried about something?" The little princess next to him suddenly spoke, her face full of concern. She could feel Chen Xuan's emotional changes, even though it didn't show on his face at all.

For some reason, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Slightly speechless, Chen Xuan asked, "Is there?"

"Let me have a drink with you. I'll have a drink, watch you drink, and stay with you, okay?" she said, very seriously.

No need to say much, although the answer seemed to be irrelevant to the question, he knew what Chen Xuan needed most at this moment.

Nodding, Chen Xuan glanced at the hall next door and said, "Okay."

Xiao Gao, you have to walk the road ahead on your own. I can only accompany you here. I wish you a smooth journey, a sunny day, good people in every encounter, and help for your troubles...

The little princess walked closer to him, and even took the initiative to grab his hand, holding it tightly, accompanying him, accompanying him, as if he would fly away in the next moment.

Feeling the softness in his palm, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Let's go and find a place to have a drink."

"Um"

Then the two left the side hall and returned to Fuyao Palace. The little princess changed into a relatively simple white long dress, put on light makeup, and there were no gorgeous ornaments on her head, only a simple jade leaf decoration.

They left the palace by car, without taking anyone except Xia Mei. When they arrived at the bustling street, they got off the car and walked together, strolling among the noisy crowd, as if it were just the two of them. She didn't care what others thought, nor did she care that her identity as a princess would cause trouble if others recognized her.

After walking and stopping here and there, they passed a five-story restaurant. The little princess said, "What a nice smell! Brother Xuan, can you smell the wine?"

Chen Xuan looked up and saw the three-character shop name "You Ran Ju" written on the plaque on the door. He smiled and said, "Let's go here."

So, at the waiter's attentive invitation, they went upstairs, reached the top floor and entered a private room facing the street. When they opened the window, they could see the imperial palace in the distance.

When they went upstairs, they heard the diners enthusiastically discussing who would be the top three in this year's exam. The imperial list had not been posted yet and the answer had not been announced, but Chen Xuan and the others already knew the result in advance.

Others were also secretly looking at them. The little princess was beautiful and Chen Xuan was handsome. They were a perfect couple.

Xia Mei was guarding the door, and delicious food and wine were served. The little princess glanced in the direction of the palace, then turned her gaze back to Chen Xuan and smiled faintly, "Brother Xuan, the third place winner chosen by our father is not as good-looking as you. It's a pity that you didn't take part in the palace examination, otherwise it would have been you."

"If I go, it will be too unfair to the third place winner." Although what the little princess said was true, Chen Xuan still said shamelessly.

Covering her mouth and smiling, she hummed: "Brother Xuan is so conceited"

Although she said that, she was actually thinking that Brother Xuan was so handsome, far inferior to the third place winner. Fortunately, I am not bad either. I wonder how many people will envy me when I walk with Brother Xuan, haha.

After pouring a glass of wine, Chen Xuan felt that the wine had no taste. He said to the door, "Shopkeeper, please change to stronger liquor and bring a big bowl."

"Sir, please wait a moment..."

The little princess sensed that Chen Xuan was in a bad mood, so she pretended to be generous and said, "Today, I will risk my life to accompany you, and I will not leave until I am drunk."

"You can't drink too much, otherwise I'm worried that your father will send troops to hunt me down," Chen Xuan warned.

The little princess pouted and said in a bored tone, "Brother Xuan is such a bummer!"

The wine came, and Chen Xuan drank it in big gulps, one bowl after another, several jars in a row, but he just couldn't get drunk. The little princess accompanied him, and she, being a kind and elegant girl, had a premonition.

The setting sun shone through the window, casting a layer of light on them and stretching their shadows very long.

There was a sudden uproar on the street outside, and countless people rushed frantically towards the street and the palace.

Chen Xuan took a look and knew that the imperial edict had been posted, announcing the results of the palace examination. So he raised his wine bowl towards the direction of the palace and toasted Gao Jingming from a distance. If he was the most handsome guy in the hall, then what was coming next was the most glorious moment of his life.

He withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look in another direction, raised his eyebrows and exclaimed.

The hotel they were in was on the side of Chunqiu Road, with one end leading directly to the Imperial Palace and the other to the East Gate, and Chen Xuan was looking towards the East Gate.

Under his gaze, in the distant capital city, white jade-like stone steps rose up, three meters wide, stacked up as if reaching the sky, connecting to a floating island high in the sky. That was where the Wen Palace was located, enshrining the sages and great virtues of the past.

The little princess followed his gaze and said, "Brother Xuan is looking at the Qingyun Road. It rises every time there is an imperial examination. Those who pass the imperial examination will walk on the Qingyun Road to pay homage to the sages and thank them for their inheritance. The younger generations dare not forget it." "So that's how it is. It's not a mechanism, but the magic of the formation." Chen Xuan nodded. Mountain-like floating islands can be suspended in the sky, so it's not surprising to create a Qingyun Road that leads directly to the sky.

Then Chen Xuan asked curiously, "Xian Ning, do you know who set up the formation in the capital?"

She shook her head and said, "I don't know about that. It's been there since the time of Taizu, and is now maintained by the Imperial Observatory, which has certain rights to use it. Perhaps Brother Xuan doesn't know that the true control of the Capital Formation lies in the hands of my father. I don't know the details, but my father told me that if the formation is activated, it will be enough to kill a master!"

Chen Xuan was not surprised at all. How could a country not have some foundation? How could the capital, an important place, deter the villains without such means?
The old emperor is holding a powerful weapon in his hands.

Of course, Chen Xuan also understood that unless it was absolutely necessary, the formation was almost a decoration and would not easily mobilize such power.

Is it only possible to kill the Grandmaster? Chen Xuan could only say that it was okay.

The art of formations is full of mysteries, and Chen Xuan has only dabbled in the basics now, but he understands that formations, when used at the level of the Capital City Formation, are equivalent to borrowing the power of heaven and earth through formations. Normally, that is a method only available at the level of transcending tribulation, but through formations, one can communicate with heaven and earth and achieve some of that power.

However, the formation in the capital is really ordinary. It can only exert the power to kill the masters, and cannot be compared with the real tribulation-transcending existence.

It's a pity that Old Liu was not proficient in the art of formations and did not leave him much information in this area. He could find time to study it in the future. After all, with Grandmaster Chen Xuan's cultivation level, he could live for one or two hundred years without illness or disaster. He always needed something to kill his boring time.

Moreover, when one's cultivation reaches a certain level, many things that seem out of reach are actually quite simple when they finally reach that point.

Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "You're telling me this kind of thing?"

"It's nothing, it's not a secret after all," the little princess said nonchalantly.

Come to think of it, things that ordinary people can't access, once your identity reaches a certain level, many things are no longer secrets.

However, this kind of thing only serves as a deterrent. Everything depends on human effort. No matter how powerful the formation is, it is not omnipotent. If you plan carefully, you can always find a way to deal with it.

At this time, countless people poured into the streets, and the crowd was crowded. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the first-class winner, especially some young girls and wives, who dressed up beautifully, clearly competing for beauty. If they were chosen by her, they would be so happy.

Soldiers came running from the direction of the palace, pushing aside the people and maintaining order, but they were almost unable to stop the enthusiasm of the people.

"I didn't pay attention to the imperial examination three years ago. I didn't know it was so lively among the people," the little princess said with interest, her chin in her hand and looking outside. Her cheeks were slightly red after drinking a little wine, and she was extremely beautiful.

The imperial examination is held every three years and has been counted clearly throughout the Jing Kingdom for hundreds of years. How can people not pay attention to it?

As the sun sets, the hustle and bustle of the streets reaches its peak.

The gongs were rung to clear the way, accompanied by the sounds of stringed instruments. There were also ceremonial guards holding incense burners and various ritual vessels, holding up signs saying "keep away and be quiet", and parading through the city a group of this year's successful candidates. Wherever they passed, people cheered excitedly.

The one walking in front is undoubtedly Gao Jingming, wearing a red robe, a red flower, sitting on a white horse with a silver saddle, looking very proud and happy.

At this auspicious moment, some bold women simply went all out, shouting "The number one or third place scholar should look at them", and then throwing sachets, handkerchiefs and flowers to them as if they were free. Some women even threw their bellybands, just for the fun of it.

When Gao Jingming and others passed by below, Chen Xuan raised a bowl of wine and gestured from a distance, said congratulations, and drank it in one gulp.

Xiao Gao subconsciously looked up and bowed to Chen Xuan, who was sitting by the window, with a proud look on his face, which caused countless people to scream, thinking that he was speaking to them.

Watching them slowly leave, Chen Xuan thought to himself that this kid must be very proud.

Chen Xuan drank a lot of wine, but he couldn't get drunk. He lowered his head and pondered, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Seeing this, the little princess suddenly felt a little sad for some reason. She pursed her lips and forced a smile, "Is Brother Xuan unhappy?"

Looking up at her, Chen Xuan opened his mouth to avoid her gaze and said, "No, I'm very happy, but... Xianning, I... I'm leaving in two days."

Xiao Gao no longer needs him today. After all, the capital is not Chen Xuan's home.

Her heart ached. The little princess lowered her head, not wanting Chen Xuan to see her slightly red eyes, and whispered, "Where are you going, Brother Xuan?"

"On the way home, I'll stop by Jinxia County. It's said that it's surrounded by golden clouds in autumn, so it must be extremely beautiful," Chen Xuan said with a forced smile.

The most heartbreaking thing in the world is separation.

In fact, Chen Xuan could have stayed in the capital forever, but this was just a place where he would occasionally stop on his life journey, even though there were people here that he cared about.

Nodding, she said, "Will Brother Xuan come back?"

"Yes, I will. I'll come for a stroll when I have time," he said seriously, and then added, "Because there are people here that I can't let go of. They are all in my heart and mind. How could I not come?"

She looked at Chen Xuan with her watery eyes, some of which sparkled, and smiled, "Is that me, Brother Xuan?"

"Yes," he admitted frankly.

She immediately smiled happily and said, "I will also be thinking of you and missing you, waiting for you to come, always waiting, I will always be here, looking forward to traveling together hand in hand..." (End of this chapter)