Chapter 114: Each Autumn Rain, A Dream

Jiang Pingchuan looked at the awkward expression on Fu Meiren’s face and truly felt he had appeared in the wrong place. He had not expected that in Yin City, his dream would actually lead him into this war.

As the City Lord of Yin City, Fu Meiren was also able to enter his dream. Jiang Pingchuan walked over to Feng Xiaoge’s side and took his hand; Feng Xiaoge looked at Jiang Pingchuan with a grievance-filled expression.

"Xiaoge, she is your mother."

Jiang Pingchuan looked at Fu Meiren, who stood before him. Fu Meiren nodded repeatedly at Feng Xiaoge, tears welling up in her eyes. It was not her first time seeing Feng Xiaoge, but it was the first time she had longed so desperately for him to stand by her side and call her "Mother."

"But Xiaoge doesn’t have a mother. Xiaoge has never seen a mother before."

Feng Xiaoge blinked his eyes, looking pitifully between Jiang Pingchuan and Fu Meiren as he spoke timidly. As soon as he finished, Fu Meiren’s face changed, shifting into one of profound regret.

"Xiaoge, Mother has failed you."

Fu Meiren knelt before Feng Xiaoge and reached for his hands, but Feng Xiaoge shyly hid his small hands behind his back, unwilling to be held by her. Fu Meiren gave a bitter smile, stood up, and walked into Yin City.

Her lonely silhouette fascinated Jiang Pingchuan. He had never known his own parents and did not know how he would face them if they ever met. As he watched Fu Meiren leave, he felt sure that she must have had her own hidden hardships.

However, in Feng Xiaoge’s heart, he was a child abandoned by his mother. He had been raised and pampered by the women of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and he had never felt any care from a mother. Or perhaps, in his heart, he simply never needed one.

"Pardon me, I have yet to ask for your esteemed name."

Seeing Fu Meiren’s sorrowful figure disappear, Long Qi finally approached Jiang Pingchuan, bowed, and asked.

"Jiang Pingchuan."

Jiang Pingchuan smiled as he spoke his name. Long Qi was so astonished that he could not speak for a long moment, his lips trembling as he pointed at Jiang Pingchuan.

"Thump..."

"Senior Jiang, please save us!"

Long Qi suddenly knelt before Jiang Pingchuan, speaking urgently. Jiang Pingchuan was startled; he pulled Long Qi up from the ground and looked at him with confusion.

"What is the matter?"

"Senior Jiang, do you remember the Dragon Guard Thirteen? I am Long Qi. Before we set out, my eldest brother asked me to find an opportunity to inquire about your whereabouts, but I found no news of you along the way. Now that I have surrendered in Yin City, the strategist must already know. My eldest brother and the others are in danger; I implore you, Senior Jiang, to go and save them quickly!"

Long Qi’s eyes were red as he looked at Jiang Pingchuan. He had finally found the man his brother spoke of, and he had witnessed Jiang Pingchuan’s power—the way the graveyard had vanished proved that Jiang Pingchuan could defeat the Barbarian King’s second wave of Yin soldiers single-handedly. This gave Long Qi hope, and upon learning Jiang Pingchuan’s true identity, he could no longer suppress his inner anxiety.

"Where are Long Da and the others?" Jiang Pingchuan asked. He naturally remembered Long Da and the Dragon Guard Thirteen, though so much time had passed that he assumed Long Da was either dead or had forgotten their wager. He had not expected to encounter one of them here.

"They are still in the Northwest," Long Qi said with frustration. To ensure he would fight steadily and obediently, the strategist had kept all his brothers detained in the Northwest. If Long Qi made any misstep, his brothers left behind would surely be killed by the strategist.

"What does your strategist look like? Does he wear a dark red robe with a spider pattern?"

Upon hearing "Northwest," Jiang Pingchuan suddenly thought of someone. It would take at least a month to travel there from here; he feared that by the time he arrived, Long Da and the others would already be dead.

"Have you met our strategist, Senior Jiang?"

Long Qi looked at Jiang Pingchuan in shock. Jiang Pingchuan nodded.

"The strategist does wear a dark red spider-patterned robe, but he never leaves the Northwest. How could you have seen him?" Long Qi asked, frowning in confusion. The strategist had never left the Northwest, and he could always be found there. Hearing that Jiang Pingchuan had met him was deeply strange.

"I have seen him three times. Just now, on the battlefield of the graveyard, he dissolved into a pool of blood."

Jiang Pingchuan pointed toward the void of darkness behind him. Long Qi’s eyes widened, and he stared in disbelief at the empty space.

"This... this is truly wonderful!"

The melancholy on Long Qi’s face vanished, as if the clouds had cleared, and he exhaled a long breath of relief.

"Have all those who set out with you died here?" Jiang Pingchuan asked. Long Qi nodded excitedly. As far as he knew, his entire contingent of Yin soldiers had perished here, and it was said that Zhao Chang in Yang City had already been killed by Su Qianyun.

What shocked Long Qi was that Su Qianyun had already reached Yang City; it seemed the Royal Capital had decided to strike back. His biggest concern now was whether his brothers could safely reach Yin City to find him.

"Return to the Northwest immediately to assess the situation. If you have the chance to rescue Long Da and the others, head straight to the Royal Capital to find me. I will be setting out for the capital within these two days," Jiang Pingchuan said after a moment of thought. Although the strategist Long Qi spoke of was dead, Jiang Pingchuan suspected that these strategists might be manifestations of the same entity.

Whether they were independent clones or connected, Jiang Pingchuan refrained from telling Long Qi that the Northwest strategist might still be alive. He feared that sharing his suspicions would only weigh on Long Qi, and excessive caution might lead to more errors.

"Senior Jiang, let us part ways here. If I, Long Qi, survive this, I will surely follow your lead in the future." Long Qi bowed deeply. His words reminded Jiang Pingchuan of Long Da, who had said the very same thing. And since Long Da still remembered their wager and had sent Long Qi to find him, Long Qi’s words further demonstrated the character of the Dragon Guard Thirteen.

"Take care on your journey."

Jiang Pingchuan patted Long Qi’s shoulder. Long Qi nodded, raised his spear, and sprinted off into the darkness. Jiang Pingchuan took Feng Xiaoge’s hand and slowly vanished from the spot.

"Father... Father..."

Feng Wuliang had been kneeling before Feng Xiaoge for a long time, watching him weep incessantly with a vacant expression, and was growing panicked. Just as he decided to wake him, Feng Xiaoge suddenly opened his eyes and shouted.

Startled, Feng Wuliang tumbled backward onto the floor, then pulled Feng Xiaoge into his arms, gave him a swat on the bottom, and began to gently stroke his hair.

"You brat, you scared me to death!" Feng Wuliang said with feigned anger, though a smile hung on his face. Seeing Feng Xiaoge return to his usual self was the best thing he could ask for.

"Father, let me go! The Boss is about to wake up!"

Feng Xiaoge broke free and turned to look at Jiang Pingchuan, who lay on the ground. Everyone present was taken aback, especially Jun Moyan, who quickly stepped forward and took Jiang Pingchuan’s pulse.

The moment he felt the pulse, Jun Moyan’s brow furrowed. It was remarkably similar to his own. *It seems this Jiang Pingchuan is truly a man of great capability,* Jun Moyan thought.

Years ago, his master had warned him that if he ever met someone with a similar pulse, he should form a deep friendship and never become an enemy, or he would die by that person’s hand. Jun Moyan looked down at Jiang Pingchuan with a chuckle. Upon hearing Jiang Pingchuan’s name, he had intended to befriend him, and now it seemed his master’s worries were unnecessary. Given Jiang Pingchuan’s temperament, he would surely want to be friends as well, precluding any future conflict.

"Xiaoge, where did you just go?" Feng Wuliang asked, looking from the contemplative Jun Moyan to the still-slumbering Jiang Pingchuan. Feng Xiaoge smiled mysteriously at Feng Wuliang, Jun Moyan, and Su Qianyun.

"The Boss pulled me into his dream and took me to Yin City. There, the Boss defeated a hundred thousand Yin soldiers and generals all by himself! It’s a pity he only let me watch from afar; otherwise, I could have joined the fray and killed enemies too," Feng Xiaoge said with pride. Feng Wuliang swatted his head again, causing the boy to giggle.

"A dream?" Jun Moyan looked at Jiang Pingchuan with even greater curiosity. This man was truly miraculous to be able to kill in a dream. He must indeed cultivate this friendship—never become an enemy, lest he be killed in his own sleep. That would truly be a "peaceful" death.

"Yes, a dream."

Just as Jun Moyan was pondering this, Jiang Pingchuan opened his eyes and met his gaze. Jun Moyan smiled awkwardly and extended a hand. Jiang Pingchuan took it and was pulled to his feet. Once standing, he released Jun Moyan and stretched his limbs, his bones crackling like firecrackers.

As Jiang Pingchuan released his inner energy and circulated the eight Dao Crystals within him, he froze. The positions of the crystals had shifted; the two that had been above the six were now aligned side-by-side, as if making room for something else.

He channeled all his energy into his Dantian sea, where the trickle of energy suddenly surged into a vast ocean. The eight crystals floating above trembled incessantly. Jiang Pingchuan noticed the outline of a ninth crystal taking shape, with a dragon pattern coiling continuously around its surface. He steadied his mind, exhaled, and when he opened his eyes, everyone present looked at him in awe.

"Is this the peak of power?" Jun Moyan watched as Jiang Pingchuan’s ragged robes transformed into pristine white ones. Feeling the aura of his strength, Jun Moyan smiled. Jiang Pingchuan nodded, and Jun Moyan gestured for him to proceed.

Feng Wuliang took Feng Xiaoge toward the courtyard, and Su Qianyun followed Jiang Pingchuan out. The three of them stood under the veranda, looking out into the pitch-black night.

"Late summer, early autumn. Each autumn rain brings more cold; the biting winds will soon be here," Jun Moyan remarked, looking at the drizzling rain.

"Each autumn rain, a dream," Jiang Pingchuan murmured softly.

"Yes, a dream... just a dream..." Jun Moyan replied with a chuckle. Su Qianyun stood beside them, silent, watching the rain and the two men.

None of them were simple figures.