Chapter Thirty-Two: Catching Up with Time, Keeping Pace with the Years

Chapter Thirty-Two: Catching Up With Time, Chasing the Flowing Years

Her name was Adele, the daughter of the chieftain.

He was young, handsome, and highly skilled in martial arts; she was the jewel of the grasslands, the chieftain’s daughter. It was only natural that the two of them would come together without much resistance from others.

During that time, Fang Junmei and Adele rode across the vast plains, stirring envy in countless steppe men.

“Adele, I am willing to die for you—right here in Longyin Goluk!”

That was his promise to Adele on a night when passion ran deep, both of them just past their twentieth year.

Fang Junmei still remembered that night. When she heard those words, Adele’s laughter was sweet as honey, yet she said nothing in reply, nor did she look at him. Instead, she gazed up at the star-studded sky.

Perhaps she never truly believed his vow. Though the chieftain’s daughter, she was no naive maiden. If anything, she was precocious, her eyes sharpened by witnessing death and slaughter, seeing through the truths of life with clarity.

Sure enough, not long after, conflict arose between Fang Junmei and the others.

This conflict was born from human nature.

The savagery of the steppe folk far exceeded anything Fang Junmei had imagined. Whether towards enemies or themselves, they survived by slaughter, trampling peace and justice underfoot—all in the name of survival. Adele’s father was among them, Adele herself included.

After every battle, all men of the defeated tribe were slaughtered—none were spared, not even the old or the young. Only the women were kept alive, to be made slaves.

Coming from the more civilized Kingdom of Pan, Fang Junmei could not bear it.

He tried to stop them.

He argued.

He protested.

But all to no avail.

Disappointment welled within Fang Junmei, and a rift grew between him and Adele.

In the end, on a night filled with revelry and celebration—a night marking yet another victory, another massacre of prisoners—Fang Junmei led a horse away from the grasslands, alone, never to return.

He had broken his promise.

He had not died for Adele in Longyin Goluk. Perhaps Adele had foreseen this day long ago.

For the next three years, Fang Junmei heard nothing of Longyin Goluk or Adele, only that chaos on the grasslands was growing ever worse.

“I remember now. You’re Bager—just in the blink of an eye, you’ve become a man. Back then, you were just a scruffy child trailing behind your sister.”

Bager—in the language of the plains, the name meant “warrior.” Now, this warrior sat sharpening his long blade, his face cold and complex as he fixed his gaze on Fang Junmei, silent as a wolf ready to pounce.

“How is Adele?”

Fang Junmei could not hold back any longer. The feelings he had buried for three years erupted at that moment.

“The Iron Cavalry Clan no longer exists. Longyin Goluk has long since been swallowed by the yellow sands. Tell me, do you think my sister is well?”

Bager’s expression was as unmoved as a still pond, his eyes deep and icy.

“That can’t be!”

Fang Junmei shuddered, his body turning cold, sobering instantly from his drunken haze.

“The night you left, the enemy struck from all sides. That so-called victory was nothing but a trap. Blood of my clansmen flowed everywhere; drunk and defenseless, they fell one after another. In the end, only I escaped, wandering ever since.”

Bager’s voice was slow and heavy with sorrow, seeping into Fang Junmei’s heart.

“As for my sister’s fate, you must know it well enough—there’s no need for me to say it. She was—”

“Enough. Don’t say it.”

Fang Junmei shouted, his body trembling, his gaze urgent and fierce.

“Why not let me say it? Do you want to pretend nothing happened, continue playing the hero in the Kingdom of Pan, or perhaps return to Sword North Mountain City to be the second young master?”

Bager roared, eyes blazing with fury as he strode forward and seized Fang Junmei by the collar. “You were supposed to die in Longyin Goluk—why did you sneak away that night? If you hadn’t left, our clan wouldn’t have been destroyed, and my sister wouldn’t have been taken as a slave!”

Bager’s tiger eyes brimmed with rage and tears.

But was all this truly Fang Junmei’s fault?

He could not answer. Only a crushing guilt rose in his heart.

“If you still remember your promise from back then, come with me to save her.”

Bager’s voice was low and hoarse. “She’s been in enemy hands for three years. I’ve risked my life a dozen times to rescue her, all in vain. If I had any other way, would I have come to you?”

Fang Junmei was shaken; flames kindled slowly in his gaze.

“…Let’s go. Come with me first to Sword North Mountain City—I’ll gather an elite force from the city.”

After a moment, Fang Junmei gave the order and strode away.

Having fought the people of the plains, he knew their ferocity well. Though he was highly skilled, two fists were no match for four hands. With Sword North Mountain City as his stronghold, he would use every advantage.

Bager followed after.

…

In the real world, eighteen hours had already passed. Chunyu Qian occasionally opened his eyes to glance at Fang Junmei. He did not look anxious, but there was a hint of anticipation in his gaze.

Deep down, perhaps he too hoped Fang Junmei would surpass Gu Xijin.

…

Out in the wilds, two riders galloped side by side.

Fang Junmei and Bager spurred their horses toward Sword North Mountain City. The distance from Wan Chuan Dock to the city was neither near nor far, but they would not arrive quickly.

Fang Junmei’s heart was filled with worry for Adele.

Yet the more he pushed his horse, the more restless he felt, as if he had forgotten something crucial.

No matter how he tried, he could not remember.

In the end, Fang Junmei could only shake his head, clear his mind, and focus on the journey.

More than half a month later, they finally reached Sword North Mountain City.

The old Sword Bearer, though aged and frail in appearance, was still alive and in good spirits. After all, in the real world, the old Sword Bearer had died when his strength was spent, not from illness.

He was naturally delighted to see Fang Junmei return.

Pressed for time, Fang Junmei explained his intentions directly.

“You little rascal, you’ve come to the age of heartbreak too,” the old Sword Bearer teased with a laugh, utterly unperturbed. At his age, he had seen too many storms—looking back, it was all trivial.

Fang Junmei managed a strained smile.

His expression was odd. For some reason, upon seeing the old Sword Bearer, the feeling that he had forgotten something surged up again, even stronger than before.

What had he forgotten?

The old Sword Bearer only thought Fang Junmei was embarrassed and laughed heartily, then gave orders to summon the commander of the elite guard. Though the city had already been handed over to Leng Qianqiu, the old man’s command still carried the weight of heaven.

Soon, the elite commander arrived.

“Go now!” After the Sword Bearer issued his command, the group quickly mustered their men and prepared to set out at once.

“Thank you, Master!” Fang Junmei bowed, and as he turned to leave, the Sword Bearer’s white hair and deeply lined face struck him deeply. The sense of something forgotten came closer than ever, as if separated only by a thin veil.

For a moment, he stood frozen, lost in thought.

“Junmei, don’t delay any longer!” Bager urged.

Startled, Fang Junmei frowned. Remembering that Adele was still waiting to be rescued, he forced himself to suppress the strange feeling and set out once more.

…

Three hundred riders set out from the mountain.

On the road to the grasslands, Fang Junmei continually pondered the odd feeling in his heart. The old Sword Bearer’s aged figure kept appearing in his mind, as if to remind him of something.

What was it?

What exactly had he forgotten?

Fang Junmei trembled, his eyes quivering.

The hoofbeats thundered, the earth itself seemed to shake. Fang Junmei’s mind returned to the present, watching the horse beneath him gallop with all its might, as if in pursuit of something.

The lost memory grew increasingly clear.

Boom!

The horse beneath him struck the ground with force, like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly, a phrase exploded in Fang Junmei’s mind.

“Catch up with time, chase the flowing years!”

Eight words burst from his lips.

As soon as he spoke them, memories from the real world flooded back, pouring into Fang Junmei’s mind.

In that instant, the world around him—Bager, the three hundred elite from the mountain city, all the wild characters—shattered like glass, dissolving into nothingness without a sound.

The strangeness of that scene defied description.

…

In the sealed great hall of the real world, Fang Junmei finally opened his eyes.

“Adele…”

Without glancing at his surroundings, Fang Junmei sighed deeply, his expression complex. The events with Bager in that illusory world, of course, had never happened.

But after he left, what had happened on the grasslands? Was Adele safe, or had she truly met with misfortune?

At this moment, Fang Junmei’s heart ached to know the answer.