Misty Rain of the Old Times

"My uncle has instructed that anyone who comes to his house is a guest. Thank you for your blessing, sir. Please come in quickly," the servant in green said warmly to Chen Xuan with a reserved bow.

The servant who greeted Chen Xuan had a simple and honest face, rough hands and feet, and no martial arts background. It was obvious that he was a farmer, which fully demonstrated the hospitality of the lower class.

It is undeniable that the poorer people are, the more frugal they are, but most of them are still very simple and honest to others.

Mr. Zhang called him Uncle, which definitely meant that when Mr. Zhang became rich, he helped his relatives and neighbors. When one person became rich, everyone around him would benefit. This helped the family escape the hardships of being at the bottom of society.

A good family will surely have good fortune, and Mr. Zhang deserves to be prosperous and live a happy life.

After tying the horse to the post beside the door, Chen Xuan bowed again and said, "I am so shameless to come to your house. I am sorry to bother you."

"I'm not very good at speaking, please don't laugh at me, my dear. You can tell at a glance that you are that... Yes, outstanding and promising. My uncle and sister, no, young lady and husband will definitely be happy," the servant scratched his head and led Chen Xuan out.

Although they don’t have the style of a wealthy family, their genuine simplicity makes them feel particularly cordial.

When ordinary people came to offer their congratulations, they were arranged to sit at a buffet outside. People like Chen Xuan were naturally arranged to sit inside the mansion. His servants were simple and honest, but not stupid, and they had the ability to judge people.

The Zhang family compound covers a large area, with almost no colorful landscapes to be seen. Instead, there are many fruit trees, and the open space has been reclaimed to grow vegetables and crops. It is simple to the core, and is completely different from the tall lintel outside.

Among the servants in the Zhang family mansion, there were hardly any handsome men or beautiful women. There were only men and women with rough hands and feet. They were nimble and hardworking, with no sign of being a noble family. To use an inappropriate metaphor, they were like beggars wearing official uniforms and coming to the throne room.

This is not something to be laughed at. People who can keep their original intentions should be respected. I am afraid that there are only a handful of such families in the world.

In addition, in Chen Xuan's perception, the Zhang family is not composed entirely of ordinary people. There are more than a dozen guards with cultivation scattered everywhere, and among them there are people who have opened up the eight extraordinary meridians. It is unknown whether they were hired by the Zhang family or arranged by Dongdao Tower. Although there are no innate masters, safety is still fully guaranteed in a place like Jinxia County.

An innate master cannot be hired to guard the house with money. That is an insult to the word innate master. Back then, the Gao family could barely be called royal relatives. There was not a single innate master among the hundreds of people. If it were not for Gao Jingyu's plan back then, Leng Bing would probably still be stuck in the acquired realm. It was not until Chen Xuan started to practice that the Gao family had such a foundation and relationship.

There were no particularly powerful figures among the Zhang family's servants, but Chen Xuan discovered five innate masters among his guests, one of whom was even as skilled as Liu Zhenwei and Guo Jinglong back then.

"The authentic energy is long and rich, like a turbulent undercurrent beneath the calm sea. This must be the head of the East Blade Tower that everyone outside is talking about. He actually came in person to the full moon banquet. It seems that what people said about the headmaster's wife being saved by Master Zhang is true. The noble and upright sects are indeed loyal and righteous. By the way, I once met a man from the East Blade Tower in the desert. His name was Haisha, but he is not here now. There is a familiar aura in him. Hu Feng is also here. He used to provide me with free labor to melt sand."

While feeling speechless, Chen Xuan also understood that the Zhang family certainly could not have invited these innate masters based on their size, and they must have been doing so for the sake of Dongdao Tower.

The fact is that the guests at the Zhang family's full moon banquet were almost all people from the underworld. After all, they were supported by Dongdaolou to repay their gratitude. They came from low-level peasant families and were incompatible with normal wealthy families. Those wealthy families who had been established for many years or even generations probably didn't like to play with nouveau riche like the Zhang family. It would take decades or even generations for them to truly integrate into the family.

Tsk, in this small Jinxia County, the Zhang family actually has five innate masters and two or three hundred acquired warriors gathered, just because the young lady of the Zhang family gave birth to a son. Who would dare to believe it? If you didn't know, you would think it was a martial arts conference.

"Oh, yes, a Grand Master has even arrived, none other than me. Wow, this is truly a prestigious position. Even princes and nobles don't receive this kind of treatment."

Feeling happy, the Zhang family servant took Chen Xuan directly to the banquet area in the middle courtyard. There was no garden or pond here, only cultivated land. However, chairs were set out for the banquet. There were about a hundred tables. It was still raining and the ground was trampled like a mud puddle, but no one cared. Everyone was eating and drinking happily.

A man in coarse linen clothes was standing by the door of the middle courtyard. He was obviously in his forties but looked like he was in his fifties. There were patches on his clothes, his hands were covered with calluses, and his face was full of traces of hard work. From time to time, he glanced at the bustling courtyard, then looked outside, with an unreal smile of satisfaction on his face.

"It's so busy so early in the morning? Are there so many guests, or did they all stay up all night last night?"

Chen Xuan bowed to the middle-aged man at the door and looked at the bustling courtyard, feeling speechless.

However, the servant who brought him here saluted the middle-aged man and said happily: "Uncle, why are you standing here? A guest has come to congratulate you."

This is actually Master Zhang? It should be said that his temperament has not kept up with the speed of development. Chen Xuan quickly bowed again and said, "Junior Chen Xuan greets Master Zhang. I am taking the liberty to come to your door to ask for a glass of water and wine. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

"I don't have much to talk about with them. Even though everyone is very polite to me, I just feel uncomfortable," Master Zhang shook his head at the servant, then looked at Chen Xuan and said with a smile: "Oh, young man, you are a guest. I am very happy. Please come in quickly."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Xuan and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Young Master, you're obviously a scholar, obviously different from them. I heard that scholars and people in the martial arts world are not of the same kind, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate to put you together with them. Hey, a scholar is coming, great, come with me, I'll help you arrange a table."

Master Zhang dragged Chen Xuan towards the living room, his enthusiasm unparalleled. He was overjoyed. Scholars were educated, not like the gangsters. He had to set up a separate table. If it weren't for his success at Dongdaolou, Master Zhang actually didn't like to interact with the gangsters. As a poor peasant in the past, he avoided such people. But now, there was nothing he could do. They came with gifts to congratulate him, so he couldn't just turn them away.

Being dragged away by Master Zhang, Chen Xuan felt amused. He probably understood one of the reasons why he couldn't find a good name for his grandson even after offering a high price of one hundred taels. With such a large group of fighting men gathered together, scholars would not be interested in coming.

In fact, it was Mr. Zhang who was stingy. If one hundred taels wasn't enough, then one thousand taels would do. It was a problem that could be solved by adding more money, so it was not like he couldn't afford it.

But then again, they probably don't know how painful it is to offer a reward of 100 taels for someone's name.

"Master Zhang, are we having guests? This handsome young man looks like a scholar, so we can't neglect him."

"Yes, please leave us, a bunch of rough people alone. It's rare to have a scholar here."

On the way to the living room, the people from the martial arts world around him greeted him one after another, very frankly. Knowing the situation of the Zhang family, they naturally did not think that they were being treated differently.

They are all a bunch of sharp-eyed people. Only those with official titles and status can wear boots. Although people in the martial arts world usually don't care about these things, they still know this common sense. When Chen Xuan wears boots, he can be seen as a scholar with official titles.

Chen Xuan felt a little embarrassed. He did have the title of Tongsheng, but that was just the threshold for being a scholar and was not something he could show off. Oh, my buddy was the top scholar, so rounding it off meant that I was the top scholar, so there was no problem.

Mr. Zhang dragged Chen Xuan all the way to the living room and personally arranged a table for him. Not only did he treat him to delicious food and wine, he even personally accompanied him.

People are not used to hanging out with people from the underworld, but they are particularly interested in Chen Xuan, a scholar. Wow, look at the people around him, they are all a bunch of "ugly guys", there is no such handsome young man who is well-educated and well-mannered.

People in the underworld are usually unreasonable, but scholars are reasonable, so scholars are more popular.

Chen Xuan felt a little embarrassed, so he bowed to the people around him before sitting down. This was a courtesy, and he didn't care about anything else.

There were only four or five tables in the spacious living room, one of which was occupied by several innate masters, including Hu Feng, as well as the head and head couple of Dongdao Tower. However, Chen Xuan didn't recognize any of them except Hu Feng.

The people sitting at the other tables were all masters of acquired skills. Almost all of them had opened up the eight extraordinary meridians and even the Ren and Du meridians. They were probably the leaders of some small sects.

"There are three men and two women at the Xiantian table. The man and woman with the highest cultivation levels are sitting relatively close together. They are in their sixties, but look like they are in their thirties or forties. They are very elegant and graceful. I think they are the head and headmaster of the Dongdao Tower. Besides Hu Feng, the other woman, judging by her attire and the fluctuations of her true energy, is from the Feiyu Sect. I can't tell what the last one is like. I'm not a Jianghu person."

After taking a quick look around, Chen Xuan raised his glass and congratulated Master Zhang, who was accompanying him. "The auspiciousness of the Qingyun has descended upon you, and blessings have gathered from all directions. I once again congratulate your family on the birth of their son. Thank you for your hospitality. I will drink first as a gesture of respect."

"Thank you for your blessing. I, an old man, would also like to have a drink with you, my dear." Mr. Zhang raised his glass and drank happily, smiling from ear to ear. You see, what scholars say is always nice.

Unlike the group of people fighting around them, they were speechless even for a single congratulation.

"I am ashamed to come here empty-handed. I hope you won't mind," Chen Xuan apologized again.

"No, no, I'm so happy," Mr. Zhang waved his hand.

At this moment, a gentle voice came from the side of the living room and said, "Dad, I heard that there are guests coming?"

"Madam, please go slower," another concerned male voice spoke at the same time.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang stood up and said to Chen Xuan with a smile: "My dear, my daughter and son-in-law are here, as well as my darling grandson."

That happy smile was as if she had eaten honey.

Chen Xuan looked in the direction of the sound, his eyes were dazed for a moment, and he smiled from the bottom of his heart... (End of this chapter)