Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 767 Come down and play!

"What are sunglasses? Are they black mirrors? But they don't look like them, they're too small," Guo Qingxue asked curiously, looking at the little gadget Chen Xuan was fiddling with.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, the temperature inside the carriage was pleasant. Guo Qingxue wore an ice-blue skirt that revealed a section of her fair, lotus-root-like calf. Her delicate, slender feet were dazzlingly smooth. Whether out of shyness or nervousness, her cute toes were slightly tense, but her pretty face remained nonchalant.

She probably had someone secretly giving her advice, as she's been dressing more and more daringly lately. Otherwise, even a woman of the martial arts world wouldn't easily expose her arms and legs. Anyway, there were no outsiders in the car, only Chen Xuan, a man. He'd already seen her and was eager for her gaze to linger.

The women in the carriage were all stunning beauties, with varying figures and shapes. Everywhere you looked, there were long, slender, or straight white thighs, which made no attempt to hide from Chen Xuan's gaze. He was dazzled and had nowhere to look.

These little vixens are getting bolder and bolder. They don't treat me like a man at all. Who can resist them?

Chen Xuan didn't pretend to be serious and openly admired her. Faced with his undisguised gaze, apart from Guo Qingxue who was still a little shy, the other women were already used to it. If they weren't worried about scaring Guo Qingxue, according to the usual way the women interacted with Chen Xuan, they probably would have already put on various styles of stockings and asked Chen Xuan which one looked better.

Ever since Chen Xuan invented stockings, they have quietly become a sensation. It was discovered that anyone who wore them was almost immune to his gaze. Du Juan and the others secretly prepared dozens of styles and would wear them intentionally or unintentionally in front of him.

Chen Xuan was just the beginning. Once girls discovered the appeal of this kind of thing that attracts boys' attention, there were naturally many people who improved and innovated it. Now it has developed into an important industry that is popular among women in various countries. Of course, due to the influence of the times, apart from those 'elegant' places, few girls dare to wear it on the street. What is the situation in private is unknown.

Continuing to refine the sunglasses, Chen Xuan shifted his gaze from Guo Qingxue's feet and explained with a smile, "It's a small gadget to filter light and prevent eye damage. You'll see when it's finished."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and looked into Guo Qingxue's beautiful eyes with curiosity, asking, "By the way, Xiaoxue, I remember that your Cold Mountain Sword Sect was built on the Ice Broken Mountain Range, right? Is it covered in ice and snow all year round?"

"It's alright. The main locations of the sect are all halfway up the mountain, and the changing seasons are not much different from those at the foot of the mountain. However, the dangerous peaks at the back of the mountain are indeed covered in ice and snow all year round. Why is Brother Chen asking about this?" Guo Qingxue nodded and said.

With his hands still busy, Chen Xuan said, "I see. At least the snow and ice cover the area for a longer period than at the foot of the mountain. Whenever your sect is covered in snow and ice, do you feel discomfort in your eyes when facing the snow and ice for a long time?"

“That’s true, but our Cold Mountain Sword Sect has a little trick for cultivating eyesight. With the help of special potions, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Brother Chen, do you mean that the sunglasses we’re making now can have the same effect as our eye-cultivation technique?” She was quick-witted and immediately grasped the key point.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "Pretty much. It's not as good as special eye-training techniques, but it's convenient and quick. This kind of thing only affects ordinary people and beginners in martial arts. People with a certain level of cultivation won't have much of a problem as long as they don't face strong light for a long time."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan thought about it and felt relieved. People living in such an environment, how could they not solve the problem of lighting? Otherwise, if they stayed there for too long, they would all probably go blind.

Sunglasses are no challenge for Chen Xuan at all. The frames and lenses are easy to make. As for the lenses, it's just a matter of burning sand. If you control the temperature and ratio well, you can easily make transparent glass of different colors. Compared to tinkering with formations from scratch, it's something anyone can do.

During their casual conversation, their caravan bypassed Sunset Town and headed straight for the desert. With an existing trade route, there was no need to wander around. Xia Mei easily passed through the border by showing a warrant she had obtained from who-knows-where, without having to undergo the checks that other caravans did.

Believe it or not, there were quite a few caravans setting off early in the morning, stretching for miles. The means of transport were almost all camels, carrying heavy goods. Familiar caravans formed groups so they could look out for each other after crossing the border.

Once you cross the border into the vast desert, you enter a wild and untamed land beyond the reach of the law. You not only have to face natural disasters that may occur at any time, but also guard against man-made disasters. There are many cases of gangsters and even robbers in the desert.

Chen Xuan's convoy seemed a bit out of place, but one should always be wary when traveling, and no one dared to approach them rashly.

Their group carried no heavy cargo and were unaffected by the rugged roads, allowing them to travel at a speed far exceeding that of caravans. Shortly after crossing the border, they left the nearest caravans far behind, and even without rushing, they quickly ventured deep into the desert.

"This is the desert! It stretches as far as the eye can see, the sky and earth are vast and boundless. Under the sunlight, the sand dunes are like golden waves surging. How small we feel in it!" the little princess exclaimed as she looked out the window.

She had never set foot in the desert before, so everything was new and exciting. Even in unchanging environments, she was reluctant to look away. Yunlan and Yunxin were the same.

On the contrary, the little girl and Du Juan didn't feel much. Even though they had never been to the desert before, they had experienced many magnificent scenes while traveling with Chen Xuan.

At first, it would get boring after a while, but Chen Xuan wouldn't spoil the fun. He tried on the first pair of sunglasses he had made, and finding no problems, handed them to the little princess with a smile, saying, "In this situation, if the young master were here, he could easily compose a couple of lines of poetry to express his feelings. Unfortunately, I don't have much literary talent, and I couldn't come up with a single line after a long time. Speaking of which, the young master isn't very good at poetry either, so in a way, we're about the same. Here, my wife, let me put these on you. The sunlight is too bright now, and the sand dunes are reflecting off the sand so brightly that your eyes will feel uncomfortable if you look at them for too long."

"Wow, it's so much better! It's not so dazzling anymore. My husband is amazing. He always manages to come up with some novel and interesting things unexpectedly," the little princess exclaimed in surprise, looking around and occasionally taking off her sunglasses to compare.

Seeing that she was getting playful, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "I must say, my wife looks quite cool in sunglasses. If you wore your majestic palace dress, just imagine the queenly aura that would instantly come out. And if you added a contemptuous smile and stepped on her... cough cough."

Chen Xuan almost blurted out his inappropriate thoughts, but quickly stopped himself. Seeing the curious and expectant looks in the girls' eyes, he decisively changed his words, saying, "Don't worry, I've got experience. It'll be quick. Let's each have a pair of sunglasses."

As he spoke, he quickly got to work.

Unaware of her husband's inappropriate intentions, the little princess turned around and noticed that the carriage was dimly lit, so she lifted her arm slightly and reminded him, "What 'Queen'? It's fine to talk about it in private, but you can't go around shouting it from the rooftops."

Her special status makes her very sensitive to words like "Queen" and "Empress," and she is always mindful of her words and actions. Having grown up in the treacherous palace, she is not as innocent as she seems. Some things are best left unsaid, and in certain situations, she must be extra careful with every word she says.

"There are no outsiders here," Chen Xuan nodded and smiled, without refuting anything. His wife was truly impeccable in terms of being a good wife and mother.

Guo Qingxue blinked and asked curiously, "Brother Chen, who is this young master you're talking about? Is he very powerful?"

She was genuinely curious. With Chen Xuan's cultivation level, he could treat even the emperor as an equal. Who else deserved his address as "Young Master"? Chen Xuan replied frankly, "He's incredibly talented. He's the top scholar in our Jing Kingdom last year. Xiao Xue, don't you think he's amazing? You've met him, Gao Jingming. As for the form of address, don't take it too seriously. I was his page when I was a child, so I'm used to calling him 'Young Master.' Sometimes I can't shake it. Actually, we're not much different from brothers. Here, take these sunglasses. Even if you don't use them, it's fun to experience something new."

"Oh, I remember now, Brother Chen, you suffered all those years. Hmm, these little sunglasses are really interesting," Guo Qingxue said with a touch of heartache, even losing interest in the sunglasses themselves. She knew that no matter how good the treatment was, being someone's page was still a servant. She didn't say anything more, worried that Brother Chen would be reminded of bad memories.

Before long, everyone in their group had a pair of sunglasses, including the eunuchs acting as guards outside and the palace maids accompanying them. Anyway, it was a simple matter, not difficult at all.

For the little princess and her family, sunglasses were just a trivial trinket, but for the accompanying eunuchs and maids, they were a gift from their master. They were all incredibly excited, afraid of breaking them, and treated them as family heirlooms.

As I said before, sunglasses aren't difficult to make, just like stockings. Once Chen Xuan comes up with them, they'll probably be everywhere in a few years.

As they ventured deeper into the desert, the initial novelty wore off. Faced with seemingly unchanging scenery, the group gradually began to experience visual fatigue, losing interest and becoming somewhat bored.

By afternoon, they had ventured four or five hundred miles into the desert. For a caravan transporting goods, this would have taken several days. Along the way, they passed a supply depot in the desert but did not stop there. They also overtook one caravan after another that was slowly making its way through the desert. Each time they overtook another, the atmosphere became tense. No one knew who was a good person in the lawless desert. Fortunately, no conflict occurred.

When they passed the supply station, the resting caravan mentioned that there were many bandits in the surrounding hundreds of miles, but Chen Xuan and his group did not encounter a single one.

It's not so much that they didn't encounter them, but rather that they were not to be trifled with; those people in that line of work are very discerning.

Survival of the fittest, or you could say the law of the jungle, means that as long as they don't provoke others, Chen Xuan and his group have no obligation to go and suppress bandits.

As the sun began to set, Chen Xuan noticed they seemed a bit listless and couldn't help but tease them, "What's wrong? Are you already bored after just one day?"

The little princess leaned back on the cushions, looking out the window with little interest, and said, "It's not that I'm bored, but the descriptions of the desert I've read in books are mostly about its vastness, wildness, and boundless grandeur. After experiencing it firsthand, I feel small and desolate, an eternally unchanging barrenness. If it weren't for so many people keeping me company, time would seem to lose its meaning. Okay, it's just boring."

With a smile, Chen Xuan blinked and said, "The reason we feel bored is because we've been sitting in the car the whole time. Seeing the same unchanging scenery outside the window for too long will definitely get tedious. But if we change our perspective and find enjoyment in it, we won't feel bored."

"Husband, have you thought of a way to pass the time?" The little princess, who had been feeling bored, suddenly asked with great interest.

There are plenty of ways," Chen Xuan said, keeping everyone in suspense, "You'll find out soon enough."

As he spoke, amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, he darted away from the carriage, his figure shooting into the sky. He quickly reached an altitude of several thousand meters, surveyed the surroundings briefly, then landed back inside the carriage and chuckled, "It's getting late. I'll take you somewhere; we can camp there for the night."

He then reminded the people outside not to panic. His true energy silently surged out, enveloping the entire caravan. It lifted off the ground and flew away like an arrow, heading towards the unknown uninhabited area.

A moment later, when the convoy landed again, they found themselves in an oasis more than 200 miles away from the trade route. There was a crystal-clear lake, about a dozen acres in size, with a tall cactus forest growing along the southern half of the lake and sand dunes a hundred meters high on the other side. The environment here was beautiful and no one had ever set foot here before.

Upon arriving here, Chen Xuan's powerful senses cleared away any dangers, such as poisonous insects, that existed within a radius of about 100 miles.

"We're here, everyone come down. I think you'll like it here, and you can stay overnight," Chen Xuan said, getting up to greet everyone.

After getting off the car and stepping onto the soft sand, with Yunlan and Yunxin's help, the little princess looked around happily and said, "This place is so beautiful, how did you find it, husband?"

"I found it with just one look from the sky. How about that, my wife, are you not bored now?" Chen Xuan said smugly, looking incredibly proud of himself.

The little princess rolled her eyes at him, then nodded and said, "My husband is so thoughtful."

“There’s something even more fun,” Chen Xuan blinked.

The little princess asked in confusion, "What's so fun? Oh dear, husband, why are you taking your clothes off?"

As he spoke, Chen Xuan quickly stripped himself down to just a pair of shorts, revealing a figure that would make any girl blush. This sudden action caused Guo Qingxue and the other girls, who were inexperienced in such matters, to blush and turn away to cover their eyes, though the gaps between their fingers were larger than an egg.

Wearing only shorts, Chen Xuan leaped into the crystal-clear lake with a splash, then surfaced a few times and called out, "It's so hot, want to take a bath? My ladies, do you want to come down and try it? It's very comfortable, don't worry, I'm here."

After saying that, he sank into the water and swam like a nimble fish, moving so fast that he almost dropped the bitter tea seeds.

Seeing this, the women looked at each other, very tempted but none of them dared to speak up, for if they went down there they would be seen naked.

The little princess was both amused and exasperated. Looking at the women with encouragement, she said, "My husband is just like a child who hasn't grown up. He's always been so playful. You can all go if you want. Don't be shy. He's probably so happy right now that he's forgotten about the differences between men and women. He doesn't treat you like outsiders. Do you understand what I mean?" (End of Chapter)