Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 745

Looking Qin Ruyu up and down, now completely unharmed, Chen Xuan clapped his hands and said, "Haha, I knew it was you, you little wench, who was up to this. From the first moment I saw you in the square that day, I knew you weren't a decent person."

Chen Xuan was not surprised at all by what he had expected, but he found it amusing after witnessing it firsthand.

As he spoke, under the astonished gaze of Guo Qingxue beside him, he took a step in the air, spun around, and returned to his original position, which shows how bright his mood was.

It wasn't a wasted trip; although we spent a lot of time, we finally saw some fun things.

"Brother Chen, you can fly? That wasn't lightness skill at all, and there was no fluctuation of true energy," Guo Qingxue said incredulously. Chen Xuan was walking in the air in front of her, and she stared in disbelief, her eyes widening, which even overshadowed the tense situation at the moment.

Blinking, Chen Xuan realized what he had just done. He looked at Guo Qingxue and smiled, saying, "I'm still a long way from being able to fly. That was just an unconscious action, like when people encounter something and can't help themselves. It's nothing serious. You only need a little leverage, even a speck of dust, it's that simple."

Simple? Guo Qingxue opened her mouth but was speechless. The difference in their levels was too great. She thought to herself that she shouldn't bother herself with trouble.

Qin Ruyu, who was standing gracefully on the spider web, looked at Chen Xuan and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes. She said happily, "So, Young Master Chen has agreed to my request?"

Startled, Chen Xuan asked, puzzled, "Wait a minute, what did I promise you?"

"Be my male concubine? Didn't I make that clear just now?" Qin Ruyu frowned slightly, dissatisfied.

Rolling his eyes, Chen Xuan scoffed, "Dream on! When did I agree to that? I'm good-looking and capable, I'm good-looking and capable. Do you think I need to live off a woman? Even if your woman is tempting, I don't want her."

Is this woman out of her mind? When did I ever show any interest? Chen Xuan was utterly speechless.

With a cold snort, Qin Ruyu said with dissatisfaction, "I just said I wanted you to be my male concubine, and you didn't refuse or get angry. Isn't that an agreement?"

So, not refusing means agreeing? Well, if you ask a dead person for something and they don't refuse, does that mean they agreed?

Chen Xuan immediately retorted irritably, "The girls who covet my beauty could line up from Yucheng to Jingguo. It's nothing new for you to be eyeing my good looks. Why would I be angry? If I felt offended just by your words, I'd be miserable every day. After all, who knows how many girls are secretly hoping I'll reward them? How could I possibly keep track of them all?"

Over the years, Qin Ruyu had rarely been moved, and all others were beneath her notice. It wasn't that she had fallen for Chen Xuan, but rather that she was driven by a possessive desire to meet the most outstanding man. She decided to give him another chance, taking a deep breath and saying, "Why won't you agree? Is there something I can't satisfy you? In terms of family background, few in the world can compare to me; in terms of strength, I am confident that I am no weaker than any woman my age; in terms of appearance, I am also rare in the world. Moreover, I have an advantage that no woman has: I can become any girl you want. As I just said, becoming my male concubine is equivalent to being able to taste the flavors of any girl. Why won't you agree?"

Chen Xuan replied quite seriously, "It's very simple. Because of the soul, it's true that you can become any girl, regardless of appearance, figure, smell, memory, bloodline, or even personality. You can be anyone, but the soul is ultimately different. So you can never completely become someone else. If you truly become another person, then you yourself cease to exist."

"Is there a difference?" Qin Ruyu frowned.

Nodding firmly, Chen Xuan said seriously, "There is a difference. Wait, why am I discussing this with you? No matter who you are or what you look like, what does it have to do with me?"

"Why doesn't it matter? As long as you become my male concubine, it will be a huge deal," Qin Ruyu said with a coquettish smile, her greed in her eyes even more intense. She no longer pretended at all, as if she had completely let go of herself now that things had come to this.

Chen Xuan wasn't going to be led by the nose by her. He said to himself, "Stop talking nonsense. I'm more curious about how you can change size at will. Can you tell me?"

"Want to know? As long as you agree to become my male concubine, we'll have plenty of time to discuss it later," Qin Ruyu said seductively with a wink.

Scratching his butt, Chen Xuan decisively gave up, saying, "Not to mention something as profound as 'pulling the strings,' it's just a special application of energy, like the dantian in the human body, boundless inside and out. It's not something too profound; it's just lacking the key to its application. Who knows, I might have a flash of inspiration one day and figure it out."

Although he had given up asking further questions, Qin Ruyu's eyes gleamed even brighter, and he said greedily, "I must have you. If you behave, everything will be fine. But if you don't, you'll only become a real pet, and you won't be able to escape my grasp!"

"Even if you get my people... ptooey, you've led me astray. You won't say why you can change size at will. Well, I have another question: how do you manage to devour so many people's memories without your own thoughts getting confused? I doubt you'll tell me. I'm just asking out of curiosity. Actually, I'm not that curious; I just say what I mean," Chen Xuan said casually.

Qin Ruyu's infatuation with Chen Xuan grew stronger. She didn't mind ignoring everyone else and spending more time with him, smiling radiantly as she said, "It's very simple. I cultivate a technique called the 'Butterfly Transformation Heart Sutra,' which focuses on the spirit. Transforming into a butterfly is like transforming into myself, allowing me to do as I please, so I won't be confused by countless memories."

Although Chen Xuan didn't recall the Butterfly Transformation Heart Sutra technique Qin Ruyu mentioned, she understood it. It was probably similar to Zhuangzi's dream of becoming a butterfly, where the user could absorb memories and transform into anyone without causing confusion in their own mind.

However, as Chen Xuan said before, no matter who she becomes through memories and bloodline, she is still in control of herself. In the end, she has not truly become another person, even if there is not much difference in essence.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said with understanding, "I see. I have no other questions."

"But I have another question. I'll ask you one more time: Young Master Chen, would you be willing to be my male concubine?" Qin Ruyu licked her lips and pressed on.

With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Chen Xuan decisively shook his head and said, "Sorry, I refuse."

He was puzzled. Just a few days ago, Qin Ruyu was a sickly young lady from a respectable family. How could she have become a crazy old woman now? The contrast was really too great.

"That's not up to you," Qin Ruyu said with a grin, looking like she had him completely under her thumb. Chen Xuan was speechless. Qin Ruyu wanted him to be her male concubine, and the man in black wanted to take him as his dog. They were truly birds of a feather.

At this moment, Sun Qingzhu finally recovered from her shock. With disbelief mixed with a sense of loss and joy, she looked at Qin Ruyu and asked in a weak and complicated voice, "Sister Yu'er, is it really you?"

"My dear sister, what's wrong? Don't you recognize your younger sister? You're making your younger sister very sad," Qin Ruyu said, temporarily letting Chen Xuan go and looking at Sun Qingzhu with a resentful expression, pretending to clutch her chest.

Sun Qingzhu opened her mouth, her expression conflicted and complicated, and said, "But... what exactly happened? Why would you do this? Did you do everything?"

“Foolish child, don’t you understand?” Song Yuzhi shook his head and sighed as he supported Sun Qingzhu.

Sun Qingzhu wasn't unaware, but rather found it hard to accept, or even didn't want to accept it all. So many years of sisterhood, and everything had been turned upside down. She had never really known her younger sister, so how could she possibly bear it?

Without much explanation, Qin Ruyu said gently, "Sister Qingzhu, do you still remember our promise to be best friends for life? I haven't forgotten it. Actually, we could have been together just now, but Young Master Chen ruined it. We almost stayed together forever. But it's okay, we can still become one and never be separated!"

“Sister Yu’er, you…you are not my sister Yu’er at all, who are you!” Sun Qingzhu shook her head, her face pale.

Looking at his disciple, Song Yuzhi sighed again. If it weren't for wanting his foolish disciple to see Qin Ruyu for who she really was, he would have taken action as soon as Qin Ruyu was rescued by Chen Xuan. It would be almost over by now. If he were to provoke his disciple any further, she would probably go crazy. He would have to spend time gradually calming her down.

If my apprentice can overcome this ordeal, he will be greatly improved in all aspects. If he cannot, his future achievements will be limited. But as long as he is alive, nothing else matters.

Song Yuzhi gently patted Sun Qingzhu, who closed her eyes and fainted. Song Yuzhi waved again to send her to the women behind, asking Liu Yuehong and the others to take care of her. Then she looked at Qin Ruyu and the other woman, her phoenix eyes icy cold, and said: "You have disturbed the imperial mausoleum, harmed the innocent, and even tried to harm me and steal the country. Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good. After today, all your conspiracies will be in vain!"

As she spoke, she released her grip on the sword, and the green bamboo sword flew out with a light thud, landing in the scabbard at Sun Qingzhu's waist.

At the same time, her magnificent palace dress fluttered without wind, and a faint golden glow shone from her eyes. Petals, as if cast from gold, appeared around her and gathered behind her head. In the blink of an eye, countless golden petals formed a golden wheel behind her head and slowly rotated. She, who was already noble and dignified, looked like a goddess descending to earth under the support of that golden wheel.

Those golden petals were clearly those of chrysanthemums, each one extremely sharp and dangerous, accompanied by a faint floral fragrance.

At this moment, Song Yuzhi, besides exuding nobility and majesty, also displayed a sharp killing intent that looked down upon all living beings; he was about to get serious.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Indeed, true experts rarely use weapons, because at this level, ordinary weapons are no longer of much help."

"It seems Your Highness is truly enraged. I've long wanted to test your skills and see if your renowned Supreme Golden Palm is more powerful, or if my Overlord Three Lights Fist, which I acquired early from this imperial tomb, is superior. Speaking of which, these two unique skills were the foundation upon which the founding emperor of Yuhua Kingdom relied to dominate the world hundreds of years ago. Today, we must determine who is superior. In any case, none of you present here today will leave alive unless you submit to me!" the black-robed man arrogantly declared. As he spoke, the light around his body seemed to be swallowed up, and strands of radiance emerged, like starlight forming a nebula in the night.

At this critical moment, Chen Xuan suddenly spoke up: "You two can fight all you want, but take it easy. Don't destroy this place. That's secondary. There are so many people here. Don't expect me to protect them; I have no obligation or responsibility for that."

The man in black robes leaned slightly towards Chen Xuan and said in a deep voice, "No need for Young Master Chen to worry. The Imperial Mausoleum of the Great Ancestor is not a place that can be easily destroyed. Under the Myriad Star Formation, unless a Tribulation Transcending Realm expert intervenes, even if ten Grandmasters were to fight, they wouldn't be able to affect anything outside the dome."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan subconsciously glanced at the star-like glowing pearl on the dome and thought to himself, "I knew it! They've already emptied the imperial tomb, so why would they give up the glowing pearl on the dome that's clearly a treasure? It turns out that's an array they've set up."

Based on Chen Xuan's rudimentary understanding of formations, the formation primarily served a stabilizing function; otherwise, this place wouldn't have remained intact for hundreds of years. Such a large space would have collapsed with a single major earthquake. However, no matter how stabilizing it was, it couldn't withstand being dug up bit by bit like a rat. But the possibility of it having a destructive effect cannot be ruled out. If it did have a destructive effect, the possibility of it being controlled by the other side would be very small. After all, once a place like an imperial tomb is closed, it's gone forever. Why would it leave an opportunity for someone to control it? That would make it impossible to die in peace.

So Chen Xuan shrugged and said, "Do as you please, don't worry about me."

In the blink of an eye, Song Yuzhi's figure had disappeared from the spot, leaving only the afterimages of golden chrysanthemums that quickly dissipated in the void. She struck out with a palm towards the man in black robes. Her snow-white and slender palm was covered with a faint golden light. Even though the palm had the power to destroy mountains and shatter peaks, it still appeared incomparably noble and elegant.

The man in black robes did not passively take the beating; instead, he took the initiative to meet the attack, leaving a black trail in his wake. He threw a punch, and his pitch-black fist was surrounded by wisps of starlight.

Their movements were beyond the level of the naked eye, making them difficult to perceive. Even if one could clearly see their movements, one could not discern their skill.

In Chen Xuan's eyes, when Song Yuzhi made his move, golden rays shone everywhere, making everything appear golden and hazy. In the shadows, a supreme and unparalleled emperor, whose face was obscured, held a golden seal and decrees that determined life and death.

The man in black robes said that what she used was the Supreme Golden Palm, and it truly lived up to its name, containing an undeniable supreme and domineering true meaning. It was fortunate that Song Yuzhi was the Grand Princess of Yuhua Kingdom, otherwise she would not have been able to grasp the essence of this palm technique at all.

On the other side, the man in black robes was no less formidable. Centered on him, it was as if night had fallen, with countless rays of starlight converging in his palm. It was a strike that seemed to possess the power of the stars, equally domineering. Under the starry sky, everything would be destroyed in that punch.

Their respective skills, the Overlord Three Lights Fist and the Supreme Golden Palm, are both unique martial arts that the founding emperor of Yuhua Kingdom once used to dominate the world, and they clearly have many things in common.

The two instantly clashed fists and palms, a head-on collision with unstoppable force. The terrifying power produced no sound, as the sound of the collision exceeded the limits of what ordinary ears could bear. Only ripples of air spread out, sweeping everything away with overwhelming force.

Neither gained the upper hand in the initial attack, and they quickly engaged in a fierce battle. Their figures flashed and recoiled rapidly, leaving terrifying aftershocks everywhere. Chen Xuan's eyes practically bulged into propellers... (End of Chapter)