Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 774 I will remember this grudge

The desert winds ultimately failed to cross the mountains and rivers to disturb the land of Huizhou.

Unfortunately, the prolonged drought has left the landscape desolate and barren. In the season when vegetation is lush, the grass and trees have withered and turned yellow. There are no lush crops in the fields, and weeds can hardly grow in the cracked fields. The soil can be crushed into dust with a pinch.

The convoy traveled at a leisurely pace along the official road leading to Mo City, with the towering city walls faintly visible in the distance.

The road was crowded with pedestrians, and scholars could be seen everywhere. Liuyu Academy, one of the three great academies of Jing Kingdom, was located on the outskirts of Mo City. The literary atmosphere here was thriving, attracting too many talented men and beautiful women.

In the height of summer, it is the best time for outings and picnics. Groups of tourists meet to chat, or pretend to recite a few pretentious poems, trying to attract attention and show off their talents.

In this era, those who could afford to read books, even if their family conditions were poor, wouldn't be too bad. The hardships caused by drought had little impact on them; they wouldn't starve to death and would have more time and money to travel leisurely.

Lifting the carriage curtain, the little princess gazed at the distant city of Mo with great interest, saying, "Is that Mo? My husband said he's lived here for many years. I wonder if it's just my imagination, but I can almost smell the ink even before we get close. My husband and Gao Zhuangyuan, two unparalleled geniuses, one a scholar and the other a warrior, emerged from here. I wonder what makes them so special?"

Not only her, but everyone in the group was also full of curiosity about Mo City. Perhaps it was because they loved the place that Chen Xuan had stayed there.

Chen Xuan felt a little embarrassed by what the little princess said, and smiled to himself. He thought to himself that it wasn't that Mo Cheng had anything special about him, but rather that he and Xiao Gao had achieved what they had today, so they wouldn't be forgotten anywhere.

With a smile, Chen Xuan reminisced, "To be precise, I stayed there for about seven years. I came here to study with the young master when I was eleven, and returned home to the south when I was eighteen. So, actually, I spent more time in Mo City than at the Gao family. And the smell of ink you smelled, my wife, shouldn't be an illusion. The ink from Mo City is famous throughout our Jing Kingdom; a third of the population is directly or indirectly involved in ink-related industries."

"I see. So that's where the name Mo City comes from," the little princess said with a sudden realization. This place is too far from the capital. If she hadn't come here, she wouldn't have paid any attention to it, even though it has one of the three great academies.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan recalled an amusing incident from years ago and couldn't help but laugh, "That's true. I remember there's a very famous lake in Mo City called Mo Lake. I don't know how, but it got rumored that the lotus flowers there grow better than anywhere else, and it's really true. One year during a vacation, the young master and I went there to visit. And guess what? The water was black and smelled like ink. But there were so many people there! What can you do when people just want a taste of it? Especially the description of the lake as 'rising from the mud unsullied' made it even more desirable. We even saw people drinking that dark lake water to taste how salty it was. Weren't they afraid of getting poisoned?"

Hearing him say this, the girls couldn't stop laughing. The little girl laughed so hard she almost fell over, saying, "According to Master, the lake water there must be polluted, right? How can anyone drink the lake water? Aren't they afraid of getting poisoned?"

“Among scholars, there are always a few who are not quite right in the head. There are too many ink-related industries in Mo City, so it is inevitable that the lake water will be polluted. Nobody pays attention to these things. Fortunately, Huizhou is close to the Bingduan Mountains and has a well-developed water system, so it will not affect normal life. However, after such a long drought, I don’t know if the Mo Lake has been affected,” Chen Xuan shook his head.

Speaking of drought, the little princess suddenly seemed to be deep in thought and said, "Husband, have you noticed that on our journey into Huizhou, we have hardly seen any refugees caused by the drought? Although many people have worried looks on their faces, they don't seem to be unable to survive. Is it because the disaster here is less severe, or is it because Lord Gao has governed so well?"

After her reminder, everyone realized what was going on and, upon careful reflection, found that it was indeed true.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xuan said, "Master Gao certainly has the ability to govern, that's beyond doubt. Otherwise, even if he were to gain the new emperor's favor for various reasons, he wouldn't have reached the position of a high-ranking official. But to say that he could manage a nationwide drought to the point of almost no disaster is a bit doubtful. I think we can find out more by going into the city."

He wouldn't blindly praise Master Gao just because of his relationship with the Gao family, but he also wouldn't rashly question him. He would only know the details after he had learned more about the situation.

“That’s true. In any case, it’s already remarkable that Lord Gao has been able to govern Huizhou so peacefully in just a few months since taking office, especially during a disaster, without any major unrest,” the little princess said in deep agreement.

When it comes to governing the country, the little princess is certainly no match for those officials, but she can still distinguish between those who are capable and those who are mediocre. She was able to govern Huizhou so well during the disaster that there were almost no disaster victims and no major riots occurred. There are probably not many people like her in the entire court.

If Master Gao is like this, what about Gao Jingming, who is even more dazzling and a top scholar? He must be just as good. I wonder how high the father and son will go in the future. They will definitely go beyond this, provided they are not influenced by Prince Qing of the South.

“Under the drought, the only things that can keep the country peaceful are water and food. With enough of these two things, stability can be maintained. Otherwise, no matter how great the ability, it will be in vain. Lord Gao has been an official for many years. To put it bluntly, last year he made many acquaintances with high-ranking officials in the capital. I suppose he has his own connections,” Chen Xuan said thoughtfully.

He was referring to the two weddings he had with Gao Jingming. Gao Jingming had a limitless future, and Chen Xuan's influence was undeniable. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't want to cultivate a good relationship with him? Now that he was facing difficulties in taking office in Huizhou, he had to be given priority.

The little girl didn't understand any of this, and scratched her head, saying, "Oh dear, why think so much? Given the relationship between Master and the Gao family, we can just ask them directly later. Didn't Master say he was going to pay a visit to Master Gao?"

“That makes sense,” Chen Xuan chuckled, no longer dwelling on it. He had a vague suspicion that things might not be so simple. Since returning to Jing Kingdom, although he hadn’t made a point of learning about the situation in various places, he hadn’t heard of any places taking advantage of the drought to stage a major rebellion!

Throughout history, this has been a rare occurrence. In every major disaster, war and chaos erupted. Take the Rong Kingdom in the south, for example. It was on the verge of collapse, but how did the Jing Kingdom manage to quell the unrest?

Could it be that the new emperor's brother-in-law really has such great abilities, and that old Deng's judgment is so good? If he really has such abilities, then that Prince Qing in the south might be in for a tough time.

Drought, peace, thoughts racing, the illogical yet real, Chen Xuan felt like he was growing a brain, as if there was something he hadn't grasped.

Just then, Guo Qingxue pointed to the sky and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, what a huge bird of prey! It's so beautiful and it's flying towards Mo City. That must be a strange beast! Even from this distance, I feel my heart pounding. What will happen if it enters the city? It's one thing to disturb the people, but if it goes berserk, how many innocent people will die!"

These words immediately attracted everyone's attention. Following the direction she pointed, they saw a huge bird of prey flying towards Mo Cheng in the sky.

It was a pure white raptor, resembling the legendary phoenix, with a wingspan of nearly ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Its long tail feathers shimmered in the sunlight, making it incredibly majestic. Even the little princess and her companions, who were quite knowledgeable about birds, were captivated by its beauty. Watching the raptor swiftly descend towards Mo City, and glancing at the direction behind it, Chen Xuan immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, that's Mr. Bai. It won't hurt anyone."

The enormous, snow-white raptor had already disappeared from Mo City. The little princess turned back, still wanting more, and asked, "Mr. Bai? Is anyone up there? Do you know them, my husband?"

Under their questioning gazes, Chen Xuan smiled and explained, "That raptor does indeed carry a person. We even know him—Mr. Pei Zhenlong, the headmaster of Liuyu Academy, who was also my wife and I's witness at our wedding. The Mr. Bai I mentioned is that raptor. It's very intelligent, and its knowledge is no less than that of the scholars who have dedicated themselves to their studies for many years. However, it rarely shows itself in public and usually stays deep in the back mountains of the academy. I spent many years at the academy and always knew of its existence, but I didn't know it personally and never had the chance to get close to it. There were occasional rumors that some students at the academy received guidance from Mr. Bai, but I don't know if it's true or not. Oh, by the way, back then there was an old lecher named Ning Guiliang at the academy who seemed to be quite compatible with Mr. Bai. They often came into contact, and I don't know what Mr. Bai saw in him. I often heard people say that Ning Guiliang went to the back mountains to find it, making those indecent cawing noises."

Chen Xuan's explanation left the little princess and the others stunned.

"Such a strange thing happens at Liuyu Academy? Mr. Bai is just a big bird, right? How can it communicate with people?" the little princess asked in surprise.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan asked in surprise, "There's nothing strange about that, is there? My wife, your family has a beast garden with many exotic beasts that are intelligent and can communicate simply with people, so it's quite normal for the academy to have a Mr. Bai like this."

The little princess was taken aback for a moment, then said speechlessly, "That's right, Father did have such a garden in the past, but I'm not very interested in these things, so I didn't pay much attention to it and forgot about it for a while."

You probably haven't forgotten, but you've been thinking about how to write storybooks all day long. Besides, girls aren't really interested in those fierce-looking animals, are they?

Speaking of Mr. Bai, Chen Xuan had never had close contact with him during his many years at the academy. After reaching the Grandmaster realm, he didn't know if Mr. Bai was deliberately avoiding him out of biological instinct or fear. He didn't go looking for him out of curiosity either. The matter was left unresolved until they graduated and went south to return home.

Mr. Bai is a mythical beast that can communicate with humans. It is no exaggeration to call it a spirit beast. In terms of combat power, it is probably at the top level of the innate realm. With it around, few people dare to cause trouble in the academy. Of course, many teachers in the academy are not simple, so it has no room to show its abilities because it rarely shows itself. Even in the academy, it is almost a legend.

Yunxin withdrew her gaze and pondered, "But according to Master, shouldn't it stay in the back mountain of the academy? How did it end up in the city?"

“I’m wondering the same thing. It almost never shows itself on its own. This time, it went to the city with Mr. Pei, so it must have had some urgent business. I’ll ask it later. Anyway, it won’t harm any innocent people,” Chen Xuan shook his head.

At the same time, Chen Xuan thought of the old crane who lived alone deep in the Cloud Mist Marsh. It was very old and had guarded the remains of Venerable White Cloud for many years. He wondered what its current situation was. He decided to take some fine wine and chat with it when he had some free time.

Guo Qingxue didn't pay attention to Mr. Bai. Their Cold Mountain Sword Sect raised spirit birds and exotic beasts. Back then, when she went to the desert to watch her grandfather's martial arts competition, she rode a magnificent snow leopard, which was very impressive and made Chen Xuan extremely envious. That snow leopard's combat strength might not be as good as Mr. Bai's, but it was no worse than most innate masters. If it were on the ground, Mr. Bai would lose the advantage of the sky, and he might not be able to emerge unscathed in a life-or-death battle.

At this moment, Guo Qingxue looked at Chen Xuan and hesitated before asking, "Um, Brother Chen, you mentioned that there was an old lecher named Ning Guiliang at Liuyu Academy back then. Are you acquainted with him?"

Chen Xuan's lips twitched; he knew what she meant. He chuckled wryly, "It's alright, our relationship is okay. Don't worry, Xue'er, I didn't learn anything bad from him. I was just a teenager back then, and I always protected myself. Besides, that guy graduated a few years before us, so we haven't had much contact and aren't very close. Speaking of which, he seems to be on a diplomatic mission to Frostmoon Kingdom now. I wonder if he's still frequenting brothels. That guy's really got it; he's living for the moment... cough cough."

"Why do I feel like Master seems quite envious?" the little maid said, blinking her big, watery eyes.

Chen Xuan flicked her forehead and said irritably, "If Roujia can talk, she should talk less. She's good in every way, except she has a mouth."

"Oh dear, sir, stop knocking! If you keep knocking, you'll really go crazy!" the little girl stuck out her tongue.

The little princess beside him seemed to have thought of something, her cheeks flushing as she glanced at Chen Xuan with some suspicion. Although she had always believed that her husband was virtuous, there were just too many tricks he used during sex. Had he really learned something bad from Ning Guiliang when he was little? Should she ask her brother, the emperor, to send him to a harsh, cold place to toughen him up...?

Noticing the little princess's gaze, Chen Xuan's lips twitched, and he felt utterly wronged. He immediately said, "My wife, don't you know me? I'm truly not that kind of person."

She gave him a charmingly disdainful look, her cheeks slightly flushed, and tilted her head, saying, "Of course I trust my husband, but please listen to me. Don't frequent brothels anymore. You have so many sisters at home, and they all dote on you. Those places are unclean. Even if you must go, find a respectable woman. Remember, never father a child outside the home. They don't deserve it."

The women blushed immediately. How could they talk about something like this? But they still looked at Chen Xuan expectantly, as if to say, "Master, please don't go out and mess around. Which of us sisters can't satisfy you, even if we have some special little fetishes that we're too ashamed to talk about?"

He hesitated to speak, yet hesitated again, and Chen Xuan immediately lost his composure, making it impossible to continue the conversation.

What was I thinking to go out and offer freebies to scantily clad young ladies? They wouldn't even do it if they paid me. Wait, how did we get onto this topic? Oh right, it's all Ning Guiliang's fault. I have to take advantage of him when I get the chance. I can't let him have it too easy.

I'll remember this grudge!

On the other side, Master Gao was also completely dumbfounded. He was dealing with official business when Pei Zhenlong, the headmaster of the academy, led by Mr. Bai, flew directly to his office and demanded an explanation from him in a menacing manner.

Master Gao was instantly dumbfounded. He knew nothing! Confession? What did he need to explain? What made him even more dumbfounded was that he had somehow offended this kind old man, so much so that this good-natured man would come to his door with a dark face and demand an explanation without even a greeting.

...(End of this chapter)