Misty Rain of the Old Times

As Yan Quan took away the two young girls who had been fighting over him, the crowd on the street gradually dispersed, and people began to talk about what had happened.

Before Chen Xuan could even ask what the little princess had seen upstairs and why she looked so shocked after leaving Yuexiang Residence, Dujuan and the little maid had already found them and joined them.

"Sir, we've temporarily rented a small courtyard house in the west of the city. The environment is quite nice. We've also hired someone to clean it quickly and changed the sheets and blankets. It's ready for move-in anytime," Du Juan reported earnestly.

Even if it's just for one night, the style and class will still be there. Perhaps Chen Xuan doesn't care about these things when he's traveling, but as a princess, he would try his best not to settle for a place like an inn that has been stayed by countless people.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Juan. It's getting late, let's go."

"It's my duty, sir and madam, please follow me," Du Juan said with a gentle smile, turning to lead the way.

The young maid chattered on, "Oh, right, sir, Juan and I saw a beautiful manor earlier. It's very large, covering at least ten acres. There's a sign for Miss Zheng's family at the entrance, so it must be Miss Zheng's property. If we're not satisfied with the courtyard we rent later, we can stay there. I remember Miss Zheng gave you a token when you parted ways, which means you can stay at any of her residences in different places at any time."

The Zheng family is so wealthy that they have businesses all over the world. It is not surprising that they own many manors and residences in various places to stay temporarily when doing business, especially in such an important state capital. Although Zheng Wanqian has already pledged her life to Chen Xuan, she has not yet entered the family. Therefore, the maid still calls her Miss Zheng instead of Madam.

As a matter of habit, the form of address is not actually important. For example, now that Du Juan has fulfilled her wish and is serving Chen Xuan wholeheartedly, the little maid still calls her Sister Juan and has never changed her title to Madam.

Ruffled her hair and shook his head, saying, "Wanqian isn't married yet, and we haven't had the wedding ceremony. If we don't stay at her house, people will gossip. Although I don't care about that, I still have to consider her feelings."

"Oh, alright then. Actually, I think Miss Zheng would be even happier if Master went," the little maid said, nuzzling Chen Xuan's palm with her head.

"You think you know so much?"

Soon after, they arrived at the small courtyard they had temporarily rented. The environment was quite nice, and apart from the house and furniture, some daily necessities such as bed sheets and blankets had been replaced with new ones.

There's a grove of banana trees growing well in the yard, but unfortunately it hasn't rained for a long time, so I can't experience the pleasant feeling of rain pattering on the banana leaves.

After settling in and getting familiar with the place, Chen Xuan wasn't in a hurry to rest since it was still early. He drank tea and admired the moon under the banana tree in the courtyard, while the little princess chatted with him and checked the things she had bought from Yuexiangju.

Remembering the little princess's unusual expression when she came downstairs, Chen Xuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Wife, what did you see upstairs at Yuexiang Residence? Why did you act so strangely after coming down?"

"It's nothing," the little princess said, her eyes darting away. Even Yunlan and Yunxin, who had been with her, blushed slightly.

This piqued Chen Xuan's curiosity even more, and he asked in a daze, "What is my wife hiding from me that you can't even tell me?"

Under his persistent questioning, the little princess, her cheeks burning, gave up and looked at the curious little girl, saying, "Roujia, why don't you go boil some water? I'm a bit tired from shopping today, I'll take a nice bath later."

"Yes, madam," the little maid obediently left, curious as she was, she still knew her place.

Chen Xuan could obviously see that this was an attempt to get the little girl away, and he became even more curious. "Can't Roujia listen?"

Rolling her eyes at him, the little princess covered her mouth and laughed, "We can't corrupt children. Dujuan and I are experienced. Yunlan and Yunxin are not young anymore; they will belong to their husbands sooner or later. They were with me before, so there's no need to avoid them."

Du Juan, who was sitting next to Chen Xuan, also looked curious. She pursed her lips to avoid making any strange noises, because under the dim moonlight, Chen Xuan used the table as cover to reach out and grope her plump, fleshy thighs.

Yunlan and Yunxin, who were standing next to the little princess, seemed to recall some 'frightening' experience. Their cheeks burned, and they avoided eye contact.

With the young girls all sent away, Chen Xuan said speechlessly, "Can you talk now?"

Recalling her previous experience, the little princess lowered her voice and asked in a terrified tone, her worldview shaken: "Husband, Yuexiangju is a business for women. Do you know what they sell upstairs?"

Before Chen Xuan could ask, she exclaimed in shock, "They actually sell those kinds of things! All sorts of sizes of 'horn men'! My God, it's terrifying! They can openly sell those things, and there are even women picking and choosing and commenting on them. If it weren't for someone from Yuexiangju watching over us, I think they would have wanted to try them out before deciding whether to buy them. Besides, there are all sorts of shameful things that defy imagination. Erotic pictures and bedroom techniques are displayed directly, and there are also various aphrodisiac drugs and items. We didn't dare to look at them for long and just quickly went downstairs."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's lips twitched. He thought to himself, no wonder the little princess and the others looked so frightened. It turned out they had come across a women's-only shop. Having received royal education since childhood, she had never been exposed to such things. Her worldview had been overturned, and she couldn't even imagine that those seemingly well-mannered noblewomen would be so promiscuous.

Clearing his throat, Chen Xuan knew it wasn't appropriate to discuss these matters with them, so he decisively changed the subject, asking, "My wife, what made you decide to buy this box of red thread?"

Rolling her eyes at him, the little princess gave him a reproachful look, clearly implying, "You asked me yourself, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to say these things." She decisively tossed those frightening things aside, picked up the box of red thread, and examined it, saying, "I didn't initially intend to buy it. After all, Yuexiangju only had this one box left today, and those two women even fought over it. It's a bit inappropriate to buy something multiple people like while they're distracted, but they've already left, so they obviously won't come back to buy it. The shopkeeper's description sounded really good, so I bought it."

"How did the shop owner describe it?" Chen Xuan asked with a playful expression.

The little princess confessed, "The shopkeeper said this scented powder has a light and elegant fragrance. If you sprinkle a little into the water when you bathe, the fragrance will last all day. It's very popular with women. I've heard that women who use this scented powder are very popular with men, and it has helped them find many husbands. The name 'Red Thread' is truly well-deserved. It sounds so good, and since I'm a woman too, I bought it to try and see if it's really that magical."

"Isn't this just marinating?" Chen Xuan thought to himself, amused. He said seriously, "My wife is already so beautiful that I can't bear to look away from her for even a moment. Using this kind of perfume, are you trying to bewitch me?"

"Stop trying to sweet-talk me. I'm a woman, and I love beauty too, okay? This tastes really good, and of course I want to smell nice too," the little princess said happily.

Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "My wife naturally possesses a captivating fragrance that mesmerizes her husband. There's absolutely no need for such external things; it would be superfluous."

"Really? I can't smell anything," the little princess said, raising her arm to sniff, but she really couldn't find anything special about it.

Before Chen Xuan could say anything, she asked curiously, "By the way, husband, you looked at this powder with a strange expression earlier. Is there something wrong with it?" After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xuan replied truthfully, "There's nothing wrong with it, but it does have its unique properties. When I said you didn't need it, I wasn't trying to flatter you. It's because its fragrance has a certain aphrodisiac effect, which is what makes men so infatuated with it. It's harmless to the human body, which is why I said you didn't need it. I can't just watch you use it and then not be able to eat it, can I?"

No wonder this scented powder is called "Red Thread," which has brought about countless marriages; it's clearly an aphrodisiac. Assuming it's harmless, once a man's desire is aroused, very few men can resist a woman's advances.

Only Chen Xuan, with the rich alchemy heritage left to him by Lao Liu, could see through it at a glance. Ordinary people would not be able to discover its true specialness. Even if they did know, it wouldn't matter, since it was harmless. It only used girls. If it could attract the man she liked and get what she wanted, she would probably be more than happy to do so.

Just like Yan Quan's two junior sisters, they fought fiercely to get it, neither willing to give it up to the other, because whoever got it first might be able to catch up with Yan Quan first.

After hearing Chen Xuan's explanation, the little princess glared at him. Considering her crucial pregnancy period, she realized the item was truly useless and handed it to Du Juan, saying, "Oh, is that so? Then why is Yuexiang Residence full of such frivolous things? Give it to Sister Juan, so it won't go to waste."

"It's too precious, Madam, please keep it for later use," Du Juan shook her head and declined. Although she didn't know how much it cost, she knew it must be very valuable because there was only one available and it was sought after by countless people.

The little princess placed it directly in front of her, noticing her strange expression. She knew perfectly well that her husband's hands were definitely not behaving properly, but instead of confronting him, she said generously, "Sister Juan, please accept it. We're family, no need to be so polite."

Chen Xuan nodded, gesturing for her to accept it. There was really no need for the family to keep refusing. He then said, "Actually, what I wanted to talk about wasn't the perfume powder itself, but rather one of the medicinal ingredients used to make it. It's extremely special. Yuexiangju is able to continuously produce red threads for sale, and it seems there's more than one store that can supply it long-term. There's a story behind this, but of course, it's none of our business."

"What kind of medicinal herbs are they that my husband values ​​so highly?" the little princess asked, speechless.

Under their gaze, Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "It's not that I value it. Let me make this clear first: the medicinal herb itself is innocent. Don't have any strange thoughts about this perfume powder because of it. After all, we paid for it. Don't think about throwing it away right after hearing this. But it doesn't really matter, it depends on my mood. If it's really bothering you, just throw it away so you won't have to see it and feel bad."

Having informed them beforehand, Chen Xuan continued, "That medicinal herb is called the Acacia Ice Moon Flower. Its growing conditions are quite demanding. While not exactly rare, it's still very difficult to find. This is because it grows in dark environments and only blooms and matures under moonlight at night. To put it bluntly, it usually grows on graves, feeding on corpses. It blooms and matures in just one night, its petals as white as ice. Graves hold the loved ones that the living yearn for, hence its name, Acacia Ice Moon Flower. The pollen of this flower has a harmless yet strong aphrodisiac effect, and it's probably diluted and used as the main ingredient in the Red Thread perfume. That's about it."

After hearing Chen Xuan's explanation, even though he had warned her beforehand, the little princess still looked at the box on the table with some disdain and said, "It's a good thing I didn't use it. No matter how effective it is, I'll stay away from it in the future. Putting aside the aphrodisiac effect, it's just face powder; there are plenty of those on the market."

"Everyone says that you don't need these things, my lady. You are naturally beautiful, and these external things are just superfluous," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Du Juan didn't care. Having been an assassin for so many years, she had personally killed countless people, let alone plants that grew indirectly. But she still looked at Chen Xuan hesitantly and asked, "Then, sir, should we keep this red thread?"

“Keep it here. We’ve already spent the money. Besides, as I said, the Acacia Ice Moon Flower cannot choose its own growing conditions,” Chen Xuan said dismissively.

The little princesses thought about it and realized it made sense, so their slight resistance disappeared.

Chen Xuan then pondered, "This kind of Acacia Ice Moon Flower is normally very difficult to obtain, but Moon Fragrance Residence is able to continuously produce and sell it. It's hard not to suspect that they have illegal activities behind the scenes. To cultivate it, they need a constant supply of corpses, and specifically female corpses. Animal corpses won't work. Reliable records show that it only grows in places where women are buried. But whatever, this isn't our concern. If there are illegal activities, that's a matter for the court's laws to handle."

Du Juan and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Could it be that Yuexiangju not only had an illegitimate business but was also engaging in wicked deeds behind the scenes? However, they didn't dwell on it too much. As Chen Xuan had said, the government wouldn't ignore a crime.

At this moment, Xia Mei also arrived, having followed the signs, and reported truthfully: "Master, our entry documents for Yuhua Kingdom have been processed. In addition, we have also sent a message to another team, who should be able to arrive and join us in five days at most."

Xia Mei will naturally handle these matters, so Chen Xuan doesn't need to worry. He nodded to show that he understood and casually asked, "Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Mei. This is our first time visiting Yuhua Kingdom. Are there any interesting things or fun places to visit?"

"My lord, I am not very familiar with Yuhua Kingdom either, and I know very little about its interesting places. Should I go and inquire about it?" Xia Mei shook her head and said.

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "Forget it, it's already late. If I make Aunt Mei run around, my wife will be upset and blame me. Let's stick to what we discussed during the day. We'll stay here for two days, and then head to Yucheng. I've heard a lot about those Golden Branches and Jade Leaves, so I have to see them for myself. I'll also see if I can collect a few leaves from that special tree for my wife."

Xia Mei nodded and didn't insist on asking where there were fun places. Suddenly, she thought of something and pondered, "By the way, sir, I don't know where there are fun places in Yuhua Kingdom, but when I went to the government office to handle some documents before, an official mentioned something that angered the Yuhua Kingdom court, who ordered a thorough investigation. As a result, the officials below were under a lot of pressure and couldn't help but complain."

With a sudden thought, Chen Xuan casually asked, "What's going on that's causing such a commotion for the Yuhua Kingdom's court?"

"Regarding a series of missing persons cases, it started five years ago. All the missing persons were beautiful women. At first, it didn't receive much attention, since such things happen every day. However, it has become increasingly serious in recent years, especially three months ago when a princess of Yuhua Kingdom disappeared. This caused a stir in the court and ordered a thorough investigation, but there are still no leads. Even the two female constables at the Innate Realm who were in charge of handling this case disappeared half a month ago. Some people are panicking. We are currently in Yuhua Kingdom, so we need to be on guard," Xia Mei said truthfully. She said this out of caution, as it was her duty as the princess's personal bodyguard.

Could it be that Yuexiangju was behind this, trying to cultivate the Acacia Ice Moon Flower? If that were all, an ordinary woman would have been fine; there would be no need for her to provoke the families of powerful and wealthy people.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Have both of the innate female constables who handled this case disappeared?"

Clearly, Chen Xuan's focus was on female constables. Xia Mei nodded and said, "Yes, sir. Yuhua Kingdom is somewhat different from our Rong Kingdom. It is relatively more lenient towards women. Although women cannot take the imperial examinations to become civil officials, many military positions are held by women."

At this point, she glanced at the Yunlan and Yunxin sisters beside the little princess and continued, "I heard that those two female constables are twin sisters, extremely beautiful, and together they are comparable to the ten beauties of Yuhua Kingdom. Their innate cultivation is extremely solid, and they can even use combined attacks, making them comparable to top-tier innate masters. However, they disappeared half a month ago and their whereabouts are still unknown. It is highly likely that they have been murdered."

Twin innate expert constables? It must be the two sisters I encountered when I went to Misty Marsh to find the White Cloud Wood and passed through Jinze County on my way back. They were chasing the Evil Blade. I casually shot one of them who was wielding the blade without even exchanging words or asking their names.

As this thought crossed Chen Xuan's mind, Yun Lan's eyes flashed with a defiant look as she said, "Master, my sister and I will reach the Innate Realm in at most six months, and we won't be any worse than them then."

With a slight chuckle, Chen Xuan looked at them and nodded, saying, "Of course. Lan'er and Xin'er are so young; their looks, figures, and martial arts talent are far beyond what they can match. Alright, it's getting late, let's rest. Tomorrow we'll wander around the city, and if we don't find anything interesting, we'll go straight to Jade City."

"To be honest, I'm actually a little sleepy. My husband has been quite restless lately, teasing Juan Jie until she's weak and barely able to stay awake. I won't disturb your good time, and don't stay up too late," the little princess said, covering her mouth and waving as she walked away with light steps, eager for the Chen family to have more children soon.

Her words made everyone present blush, and Du Juan was so ashamed she didn't dare to show her face... (End of Chapter)