Misty Rain of the Old Times

On the official road leading to Yucheng, a constant stream of people hurried along, most of them wanting to enter the city before the gates closed at night.

They proceeded unhurriedly towards Yucheng, the setting sun casting long, overlapping shadows of Chen Xuan and Guo Qingxue.

Feeling the soft, bouncy texture on his arm, Chen Xuan lowered his head slightly and couldn't help but chuckle, "How long is Xiaoxue going to reward me?"

"A reward? What reward?" Guo Qingxue looked up blankly, quickly following his gaze. Her ears turned red, but she didn't loosen her grip; instead, she tightened it again. Her eyes darted around, not daring to look at him, and she said weakly, "I don't understand what Brother Chen is saying."

The little girl was definitely shy, but she didn't run away like last time. In fact, she was secretly delighted, thinking that Brother Chen must like her very much. She remembered that when she went to Brother Chen's house, Roujia said in private that Brother Chen liked big ones. Although she was already quite big, she couldn't compare to Sister Dujuan and the others at all. But she would still grow.

She had already made up her mind to take the initiative to pursue happiness, even at the cost of giving herself away, so naturally she wouldn't miss any opportunity to get close to Brother Chen.

Perhaps because of her emotional journey over the past few months, she understood her own heart. The young girl couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. There were so many beautiful women around Brother Chen, and there were even beauties like the one in red lining up. If she didn't be bold, when would it be her turn?
It's such an enviable trouble—my own damn charm.

As a man, Chen Xuan never denied his lustful nature, secretly pleased with himself. He patted the girl's head and chuckled, "I'm not a good person, I don't make promises easily. Let things take their course. If you insist on messing with me, don't regret it later."

"I won't regret it," the girl said, her cheeks flushed as she looked down. She thought to herself, "Let nature take its course, but how can that be? It seems I have to take the initiative. Boys almost never refuse girls who are pursuing them, and I'm not bad looking either. Otherwise, how long would I have to wait in line?"

Just as her mind was wandering, the earth trembled slightly, followed by a rumbling sound, accompanied by the scraping of armor and the neighing of horses.

Pedestrians on the street immediately became agitated, scrambling to the side of the road, their faces showing surprise and confusion.

Chen Xuan and his group also stopped by the roadside and looked back. They saw an endless army of fully armed soldiers rushing towards Yucheng, like a long steel dragon. The gleaming armor and cold spears were chilling, and the murderous aura was almost suffocating.

What happened? Why is the army being mobilized, and why is it heading towards Yucheng? That's the secondary capital! Something terrible must have happened!
People watched as the menacing army passed by, whispering and speculating amongst themselves.

Chen Xuan and the other man naturally knew the truth. It must have been the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi who had taken action, mobilizing the army to take over Yucheng to clean up the remaining forces after Qin Yan's death and regain power. This was destined to be accompanied by bloodshed and slaughter.

"I wonder how many people will die. Speaking of which, that old lady acted quickly enough. She's probably already back in the secondary capital's palace, taking charge of things," Chen Xuan said with interest. He wasn't interested in the power shift and reshuffling, especially since it was in another country. As long as it didn't affect him, he was fine with it.

The young girl, no longer able to contain her wandering thoughts, nodded and said, "I remember that there are four garrison cities in the four directions of Yucheng, each guarded by troops. It seems that the garrisons of all four garrisons have been mobilized, at least 100,000 men. Those are all elite troops. After all, it is a secondary capital, and its symbolic significance is extraordinary. The garrison can't just be for show."

With a smile, Chen Xuan looked at the Jade City in the distance, which seemed to be dyed blood red by the setting sun, and said, "After all, it is a large city with a population of over ten million. How can it be completely suppressed without an army of more than one hundred thousand? We also have to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble. This is not child's play. The change of power has always been accompanied by violence and bloodshed. Moreover, the royal family of Yuhua Kingdom has been oppressed for too long. Now that they have the opportunity, they will only be more ferocious when they start to act."

“That makes sense, but for unrelated people like us, as long as we behave ourselves, trouble won’t come knocking,” the young girl said, deeply agreeing.

After the army passed, Chen Xuan led her towards Yucheng, saying, "Let's go, we should be able to make it back in time for dinner."

The scene just now was quite impressive. Tens of thousands of troops rushed past, kicking up clouds of dust. Pedestrians who had to make way for them were covered in dust, but Chen Xuan and his men were spotless.

Upon hearing this, the little girl felt a little uneasy, but she quickly made up her mind. It wasn't like she hadn't met the princess and the others before; she would have to get past them if she wanted to enter the house in the future.

It is said that their Cold Mountain Sword Sect also has a base in Jade City. However, the young girl did not subconsciously think about being separated from Chen Xuan, whom she had finally met. What would she do if she went back after being separated? She couldn't even enjoy her meals without seeing Brother Chen.

When they arrived outside the city, the city defenses had already been taken over, and the gates were closed. All they could see were the cold, sharp blades and spears. From inside the city, there were frequent sounds of commotion and clashes of force.

Tens of thousands of people who had not yet entered the city were blocked outside. An army guarded the city at midnight. Looking at the oppressive city defenses, Guo Qingxue said with some hesitation, "We can't get in at all. Those soldiers are so tense. Anyone who dares to ask to enter the city at this time will probably be suppressed or even killed by force immediately."

"Although we won't provoke these sensitive and violent armies, it's not difficult for us to get into the city and go home," Chen Xuan said nonchalantly.

As soon as they finished speaking, their figures vanished without a trace, leaving the people nearby stunned. They rubbed their eyes, looking terrified, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

How could the army possibly stop Chen Xuan's advance? If he wanted to, the palace would be like his own backyard.

Guo Qingxue felt a blur before her eyes, and when she came to her senses, she found herself standing firmly in front of a courtyard gate.

It was obvious that the people living on this street were all wealthy and powerful, but at this moment almost every house was closed. The street was full of soldiers rushing around, and they would violently break into people's homes from time to time. As the soldiers entered, screams and shouts came from inside, and sometimes there were desperate screams. The uneasy atmosphere on the whole street was chilling.

Having witnessed the entire process in the imperial mausoleum, Guo Qingxue knew without a doubt that the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi was violently eliminating Qin Yan's remaining followers. This was only in Yucheng; once things settled down a bit, the real focus would be on the capital of Yuhua Kingdom. The old aunt Chen had mentioned would soon be personally going to the capital to support the royal family. Otherwise, without her, a Grandmaster-level expert, the royal family might not have been able to handle the mess left behind by Qin Yan after his death.

Although the whole street was in chaos, Guo Qingxue looked around and noticed something interesting: no matter how tense and chaotic the surroundings were, everyone was deliberately avoiding the small courtyard in front of them and didn't dare to get close at all.

Looking at Brother Chen, who was still clinging to her arm, Guo Qingxue realized that the old aunt must have given special instructions. Not only should the army not dare to come and disturb this place, but it should also be specially protected to prevent anyone from rebelling and coming here to cause trouble.

No joke. That old lady has such status and power. Just because she stopped Brother Chen, she was slapped back and didn't dare to fight back. If she displeases Brother Chen because of the purge of the remnants, the consequences are chilling. If Brother Chen is put on the opposite side because of this, the royal family of Yuhua Kingdom will not only be unable to regain power, but will probably be finished.

Unable to read minds, Chen Xuan had no idea what kind of nonsense was going through the girl's head in that instant. Chen Xuan stepped forward and said, "We're here. This is our temporary stop in Jade City. We bought it with money, but we probably won't be staying for more than a few days. We don't know if we'll ever come back, so it's a bit of a waste. Oh well, if it really doesn't work out, let Wanqian deal with it. We can't just leave it to collect dust." "Ah...we're here already?" Guo Qingxue suddenly stammered, subconsciously letting go of Chen Xuan's arm, seemingly still a little uneasy.

With a slight smile, Chen Xuan teased her deliberately, "What's wrong? Weren't you holding me so tightly just now? Why did you suddenly let go? To be honest, you seem a little unsatisfied."

"No...no, I just...oh dear, Brother Chen, please stop teasing me. If you want, I can do it, but what if His Highness sees this and gets angry?" the girl said shyly, her ears turning red, not daring to look at him.

The little girl is easily teased; if this continues, she'll probably want to disappear into a crack in the ground. Chen Xuan gestured, "Let's go. Don't tell me this is just a temporary stop; you've already been to my home in Yang County."

Since he was bringing guests—well, friends, I guess—Chen Xuan didn't just climb over the wall to get in; that would have been too inappropriate.

Before he could knock, the maid Su Roujia, who had clearly been waiting inside, opened the door and stepped forward with a bright smile, saying, "Master is back! Did you have a good time out? You didn't even take me with you, and you don't even have anyone to serve you. Oh, Miss Guo, why did you come back with Master? Oh dear, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just a little surprised. Please come in."

Ruffling the little girl's hair, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "Alright, let's go inside. What's the point of standing at the door? Is there any food left? I'm a little hungry. By the way, have you eaten yet?"

"Hehe, the food has been prepared and is on the table for a long time. We're just waiting for Master to come back and start the meal," the little maid said quickly. Then she waved to Guo Qingxue and said, "Miss Guo, it's been a long time. You left without saying goodbye last time. Did something urgent happen to you?"

The memory was stirred again, and when she thought about how she had run away last time, Guo Qingxue wanted to slap herself again. Why hadn't she just gone along with Brother Chen back then?

Still feeling a little embarrassed, she said somewhat awkwardly, "Hello, Roujia! I'm so sorry, something came up last time and I didn't have time to say hello. Please forgive me."

"No way, it's actually a bit surprising that you came back with the master."

"I ran into Brother Chen outside the city before. Since we rarely meet, I've taken the liberty of coming to bother you."

"I see..." The little girl blinked and drew out her voice, which was quite suggestive, making Guo Qingxue blush and almost run away.

He gently tapped the little girl on the forehead, exchanged pleasantries as he entered the room, and asked, "How has everything been at home while I was away?"

After they entered, Su Roujia looked around before following them, closing the door behind her. Her smile faded slightly as she truthfully reported, "Master, there was indeed a problem earlier. Someone tried to break in, using underhanded methods, even secretly drugging us. There were three innate masters among them, but they all failed. They didn't even set foot in the courtyard before Aunt Mei and the others dealt with them. Their bodies were dumped on the street, and we don't know who collected them."

Chen Xuan wasn't surprised by this. He simply nodded to indicate that he understood and didn't take it to heart. How could Qin Ruyu, who had people kidnapping young and beautiful women in Yucheng at the same time, let this place go? There was no doubt that this was her main target. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance, otherwise, he might have been able to succeed without her.

He didn't inquire about the specific details; he figured it was nothing more than someone attacking and being dealt with, and that was fine as long as nothing unexpected happened.

Although he had expected it, when he learned from the little girl that Qin Ruyu really had evil intentions towards his wife and the others, and thinking about her methods of devouring women, Chen Xuan immediately felt that slapping her to death was too lenient. However, since the person was already dead and there was no trace of her body, he couldn't drag her out and beat her up again.

Hearing the commotion, the little princess and the others came over. Chen Xuan was the backbone of this family, and everyone revolved around him. Even though they knew he had profound cultivation and didn't know what he was doing outside, how could they not have noticed the commotion throughout Jade City? Therefore, there was no shortage of worry in their eyes.

Du Juan, whose heart and soul were entirely focused on Chen Xuan, quickly stepped forward to examine him carefully. Only after confirming that he was alright did she visibly relax, still asking with concern, "Master, are you alright?"

"What could be wrong with me? Isn't it time to eat? Why are you all out here?" Chen Xuan said with a smile, and habitually patted her full, round buttocks lightly. It was purely subconscious. There were usually no outsiders at home, so this kind of behavior was commonplace for Chen Xuan, who was spontaneous and didn't bother to restrain himself.

However, after he had already made such a move, he realized that Guo Qingxue had also come back with him. He subconsciously looked at her, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. This hand of his was disobedient and had its own ideas.

Guo Qingxue's eyes widened slightly upon seeing his actions, and she quickly looked away, thinking to herself how embarrassing it was. Was everything in Brother Chen's family this harmonious?

The little princess secretly rolled her eyes, already used to it. As Chen Xuan's lawfully wedded wife, although she was worried, she wouldn't show her emotions in front of others. She smiled gently and said, "My husband is back! The food is ready, it would have gotten cold if you hadn't come back soon. Oh, Miss Guo, it's been a long time! Please come in."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and took Guo Qingxue's hand, then winked at Chen Xuan and silently said something.

With their tacit understanding, Chen Xuan naturally understood what his wife meant. She was clearly saying that her husband had actually taken the initiative to bring a girl home, which meant he had finally figured things out. It was a shame that she had been worrying about finding girls for him everywhere.

Chen Xuan was immediately at a loss for words, feeling neither guilty nor embarrassed. He said with concern, "Wife, slow down. Have you forgotten you're pregnant? Xiaoxue, don't be shy, make yourself at home."

The first half of his sentence was fine, but when the little princess heard the second half, her face lit up with joy. She thought to herself, "They're calling each other so intimately, it seems there's something going on." Her gaze towards Guo Qingxue immediately changed. That chest, that waist, that hip, those legs... Hmm, she's the type her husband likes. No wonder he brought her home. Could it be that he wants me to vet her? Then what's there to hesitate about? She's approved.

Unaware that his wife had already decided how many children Guo Qingxue should have in the blink of an eye, he nodded to Xia Mei and said, "Roujia told me what happened after I left. Thank you, Aunt Mei."

"It's our duty, sir, you're too kind of us," Xia Mei said, naturally not daring to take credit.

...(End of this chapter)