Chapter 125: A Meeting of Equals

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Lan Linger was walking down the street, holding Maoqiu in her arms. Suddenly, Maoqiu bared its beastly teeth and leapt out of her embrace, dashing swiftly toward the city gate. Lan Linger hurried after it, running toward the gate.

Jiang Pingchuan and Elder Gong stood before the royal city, watching two rows of stern-faced guards at the entrance. This was the capital of the Lan Dynasty, the heart of the vast Changfeng Continent, where the Lan royal family had ruled for countless generations.

Jiang Pingchuan gazed up at the towering city walls, steeped in a thousand years of history. Layer upon layer of protective city formation spells made the capital impregnable, so sturdy that even the barbarian king’s million-strong army would be forced to halt at its gates.

To breach the capital was like reaching for the heavens. Jiang Pingchuan thought that if the formation was activated, he might not even be able to touch the city walls. This was the foundation of the Lan Dynasty’s dominion over the continent.

If the capital was formidable, the royal city’s formation would be even more so. Elder Gong kept clicking his tongue and murmuring about revisiting old haunts, clearly reminiscing about his youth when he had come to see the capital’s grandeur.

“Finally here. For an old bone like me to return to the capital again is no small feat, haha,” Elder Gong said, stroking his beard with a smile filled with nostalgia.

Jiang Pingchuan stopped and glanced back. Behind him, a group of shifty-eyed men watched him and Elder Gong with ill intent. These men had followed him all the way here, likely hoping to take his head for wealth and glory.

Just as Jiang Pingchuan prepared to confront them, a powerful aura suddenly burst forth from the city gates with a mighty roar. Above him, a massive ghostly crimson tiger silhouette charged through the air.

With a strong, forceful swipe, the tiger’s paw struck the ground, sending the group of men running in all directions, blood spurting from their seven orifices. Elder Gong clutched his ears, swallowing nervously as he regarded the tiger. Aside from Jiang Pingchuan, this was undoubtedly another powerful being he had encountered.

Elder Gong stared dumbfounded as the tiger figure slowly vanished. Moments later, a plump, leisurely cat strolled out from nearby, its contrasting appearance nearly causing Elder Gong to stumble. There was no doubt in his mind that the ghostly tiger had come from this ridiculously fat cat.

Jiang Pingchuan chuckled as he watched the fat cat swagger toward him, its tail swinging with the air of a fierce tiger. Each step it took carried immense presence.

The closer Maoqiu came, the more oppressive Elder Gong felt, but Jiang Pingchuan seemed unaffected. Just as Maoqiu was about to reach him, a young woman suddenly dashed out from behind Jiang Pingchuan, pushing him aside and scooping up Maoqiu. She patted Maoqiu’s rear twice.

Jiang Pingchuan and Elder Gong were stunned by the scene. Maoqiu coughed awkwardly in its mind, sparking Jiang Pingchuan’s interest. The look in Lan Linger’s eyes clearly showed her concern for Maoqiu.

Elder Gong’s mouth dropped wide open, capable of fitting two eggs inside. It was unbelievable that Maoqiu could communicate mentally.

“You fools, stop looking so shocked. I’m just that awesome,” Maoqiu said cheerfully, lying in Lan Linger’s arms. Elder Gong, behind, gingerly lifted his sagging jaw and swallowed nervously.

“What did you say? I don’t understand,” Elder Gong said, confused by Maoqiu’s words. Jiang Pingchuan was curious as well. He recalled that when Lan Dao met him, the speech was full of unfamiliar expressions.

He had planned to ask Maoqiu about it when they met. But Maoqiu’s first words were incomprehensible not only to Elder Gong but also to Jiang Pingchuan. Lan Linger looked somewhat regretful and seemed to look down on Elder Gong.

“Calling me ‘Old Man’? When I was out chasing girls, you were probably not even born yet,” Maoqiu said with a sly grin, licking its paw and spitting out some dust. Lan Linger looked at the cat in her arms with curiosity.

Maoqiu rarely felt like talking so much, yet here it was, saying so much. When Lan Linger glanced at Jiang Pingchuan, she seemed momentarily dazed, as if recalling someone in her mind.

“You are Jiang Pingchuan?” she whispered, stroking Maoqiu’s fur as she looked at him.

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Jiang Pingchuan nodded. Elder Gong rubbed his eyes and slowly approached Lan Linger, reaching out to touch Maoqiu.

But as his hand neared, Maoqiu swatted it away with a paw. Elder Gong quickly retracted his hand, his face contorted in pain.

Jiang Pingchuan glanced at Elder Gong’s hand, now swollen and red like a pig’s trotter. Maoqiu jumped from Lan Linger’s arms onto Jiang Pingchuan’s shoulder, grinning mischievously.

“Jiang, you’ve been gone over half a year. Tell me, what have you been up to?” Maoqiu asked from his perch, a hint of melancholy in his voice. They had been separated soon after arriving on the Changfeng Continent. Over half a year had passed—almost a year now.

Though missing Jiang Pingchuan, Maoqiu decided not to seek him out, partly due to laziness and partly because he hadn’t finished enjoying Lan Linger’s tofu.

Later, from Lan Dao, Maoqiu learned Jiang Pingchuan was in Dongzhou City but still resisted the urge to find him, preferring to stay in Lan Linger’s bed and sleep beside her.

“I’ve been searching for you,” Jiang Pingchuan smiled up at Maoqiu.

Maoqiu twitched his nose, then wiped his eyes with the back of his paw.

“You, you—don’t get so sentimental, okay? Old people cry easily,” Maoqiu grumbled, reaching out to touch the half-mask on Jiang Pingchuan’s face, baring his beastly teeth in irritation.

“Excuse me, elder, are you human?” Elder Gong leaned toward Jiang Pingchuan’s shoulder, gazing at the sorrowful Maoqiu.

Maoqiu looked at the silly old man with a serious expression, as if he needed to explain something important.

“Damn it, I can transform, okay? How did you grow up so clueless?” Maoqiu snapped mentally at Elder Gong, who blushed and cleared his throat. Jiang Pingchuan patted Elder Gong’s shoulder sympathetically; this old man had surely met his match in Maoqiu.

“Hey, hey...” Jiang Pingchuan didn’t notice Lan Linger had come up beside him and was now tugging Maoqiu’s ear angrily.

Jiang Pingchuan suspected there was more to the relationship between Maoqiu and this woman. Despite her plain appearance, he sensed a faint aura similar to Maoqiu’s—kindred but also distinct.

“What are you doing? Show some respect!” Maoqiu frowned at Lan Linger, who forced a bitter smile with tears in her eyes. Slowly, she released Maoqiu’s ear, turned, and walked into the capital with a lonely demeanor.

Jiang Pingchuan and Elder Gong watched her retreating figure sadly, then glanced at the casually perched Maoqiu, sensing a story between the two.

“Don’t ask me. There’s nothing between us. We won’t stay here long. I have no ties to these people,” Maoqiu said lightly, unaware that his beastly eyes glanced toward Lan Linger’s disappearing form. Elder Gong smiled softly, and Jiang Pingchuan smiled faintly. To any observer, it was obvious—only the players were fooling themselves.

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“Maoqiu, let me introduce you. This is Elder Gong, my sworn brother,” Jiang Pingchuan said, pointing to Elder Gong. After a moment’s thought, he mentioned the brotherhood.

Maoqiu glanced at Elder Gong coolly but jumped up in surprise when he heard he was Jiang Pingchuan’s sworn brother.

“Sworn brother? This idiot is your sworn brother? What kind of taste do you have? Well... okay, brother, from now on you’re mine. I’ve got your back,” Maoqiu declared, shocked but resigned to the fact. Though he thought Jiang Pingchuan’s choice was tasteless, he had no say.

Elder Gong’s face flushed. Though he didn’t understand what “idiot” meant, Maoqiu’s tone and beastly expression made it clear he was being insulted.

“Brother Mao, I...” Elder Gong began.

“Call him Maoqiu. We’re brothers now. You’re older, so don’t mind his age,” Jiang Pingchuan interrupted. Elder Gong was Jiang Pingchuan’s sworn brother; Maoqiu had been a stray who stole Jiang Pingchuan’s pancake and was taken in.

If Elder Gong called Maoqiu “Brother Mao,” then Jiang Pingchuan would have to do so too. Jiang Pingchuan had named Maoqiu, after all. Elder Gong looked between Maoqiu and Jiang Pingchuan, unsure what to say.

“Fine, don’t overthink it. Call him whatever he says,” Maoqiu said impatiently to the distressed Elder Gong, who bowed politely but said nothing. He felt it best to remain silent, as anything he said would only draw Maoqiu’s disdain.

“Knock, knock, knock...” A steady knocking sound reached Jiang Pingchuan’s ears—sounds of forging.

Jiang Pingchuan and Elder Gong exchanged glances. Maoqiu shook his head. None knew where the sound came from. In all their time in the capital, they hadn’t heard anything like it.

Jiang Pingchuan listened, puzzled. The sound was rhythmic but unlike ordinary forging—deep, muffled, with a soul-penetrating quality.

Jiang Pingchuan strode into the city. The knocking didn’t grow louder as he approached; its rhythm and resonance remained unchanged. Elder Gong followed, scanning for the source.

Amid the bustling crowd, Jiang Pingchuan tapped a man on the shoulder. The man turned, eyeing Jiang Pingchuan’s half-masked face warily. But seeing Maoqiu on his shoulder, he exhaled deeply. Maoqiu seemed well-liked in the capital.

“Brother, do you know where I can find a forging shop in the capital?” Jiang Pingchuan asked politely, bowing slightly.

The man sized him up, then pointed toward a nearby alley.

“Li’s Ironworks,” he said.

Jiang Pingchuan looked in the indicated direction, sensing faint, translucent, ethereal currents flowing from the alley. The knocking was carried within these currents.

Without being told, Jiang Pingchuan doubted he could have found the source by sound alone. The currents enveloped the entire capital.

PS: Thanks to readers Summer Sky, Little Huang No.2, and Little Book Friend yyyyyy for their generous support. Endless gratitude.