Chapter 148: Dream Encounter

“Why are you alone today? Would you like me to read your fortune?” Gu Ning’an asked with a smile, looking at the burly man before him who wore a serious expression.

Without responding directly, Jiang Wanzhou sat down opposite Gu Ning’an. He placed one hand on the table, clenched his fist, and fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Mr. Gu, who exactly are you?”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Who else could I be? Just a fortune teller.”

“Mr. Gu, let’s not beat around the bush…”

Jiang Wanzhou slammed the long knife at his waist onto the fortune-telling table, his voice low and steady. “You write in the style of Great Qian, and now you have my son learning the blade. Who exactly are you?”

“And how did you end up in this small town?”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “You’re not slow to react… Do you know where you are right now?”

“Does it matter whether I know or not?”

Jiang Wanzhou’s gaze sharpened, his presence suddenly filled with a fierce energy, like a blade ready to strike. “I only know one thing: you shouldn’t be here, and you shouldn’t be interfering with my life.”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Don’t be so aggressive. If you keep this up, your dream might take an unexpected turn.”

Hearing this, Jiang Wanzhou froze for a moment. Gripping the blade handle, he spoke seriously. “If you don’t speak, I’ll have no choice but to drive you out of my dream.”

Clang!

The long blade was drawn, and the world around them shifted!

The bustling street, the merchants, the green bricks, and the tiles—everything vanished in that instant.

The entire world turned pitch black, with only a fortune-telling table, a man in a green robe, and a burly man holding a long blade remaining in existence.

“Does the depth of obsession allow one to control the changes of their own dream?” Gu Ning’an remarked with interest, his tone filled with a hint of admiration.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you destroy this place. After all, it’s just a dream—you won’t die…”

With those words, Jiang Wanzhou swung the blade toward Gu Ning’an!

Whoosh!

A yellow halo, spanning across the heavens and earth, materialized with a thunderous crash, like a blazing sun, charging straight toward Gu Ning’an!

Whoosh!

The blade’s light grew even more powerful, and it seemed to swallow Gu Ning’an whole.

Seeing this, Jiang Wanzhou let out a deep breath and bowed deeply toward Gu Ning’an. “Sir, I’m sorry…”

“You’re quite interesting,” Gu Ning’an’s voice echoed calmly. “You’ve just struck someone down and yet you apologize.”

Jiang Wanzhou’s face changed drastically. When he saw that Gu Ning’an, along with the fortune-telling table and chairs, was perfectly intact in the same spot, he instinctively took several steps back. “Who exactly are you?”

Gu Ning’an pointed to the chair in front of him. “Sit down and let’s talk.” Realizing that he couldn’t defeat the green-robed man before him, Jiang Wanzhou had no choice but to sit down.

“Mr… Mr. Gu, this is just a dream, which is why I acted…” Jiang Wanzhou tried to explain, but Gu Ning’an raised his hand to stop him. “No need to explain. I’m not really angry with you.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Jiang Wanzhou cupped his hands, his expression complex.

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Let me speak first…”

…

“Mr. Gu! I owe you an apology!”

“If you had told me this earlier, I would never have acted against you, even if it were just a dream…”

Jiang Wanzhou bowed deeply, his tone filled with sincerity.

Gu Ning’an waved his hand and smiled. “No need for such formality. If I had known your blade would just disappear after striking, I would’ve stopped you myself and taken action.”

Jiang Wanzhou paused, then said, “Actually, it’s a good thing you didn’t take action. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have had the chance to see Lianyi again.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an smiled and said, “Fate is ever-changing. In any case, I’m here to remind you… What you’re seeing now is nothing more than fragments of your own memories pieced together.”

“If you choose not to wake up, your body won’t last more than a few days, and this dream will shatter in the end anyway.”

Jiang Wanzhou sighed deeply, a bitter smile on his face. “Sir, even if I wake up, I’ll only be faced with the pain of being unable to avenge my great grudge. But here, in this dream, I can still have a few days of happiness… Tell me, what should I choose?”

“That’s up to you,” Gu Ning’an said lightly. “I’m not here to force you awake. If you choose not to, I won’t compel you.”

Saying this, Gu Ning’an pinched his fingers together in thought for a moment before continuing, “Your body, without food or water, can last at most two more days. If you haven’t made up your mind by then, you’ll never wake up again.”

“I understand…” Jiang Wanzhou nodded slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Mr. Gu, could you do me a favor?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“When Lianyi was pregnant, we met once. After that, the next time we met was after she gave birth.”

“The shift between these moments felt like an instant, yet also like an entire year had passed.”

“Did you accelerate my dream?”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Yes… But it doesn’t affect you. What you experienced still happened within that year.”

“Then, Sir, could you help me in this dream—let me accompany Lianyi for the rest of her life?” As he spoke, Jiang Wanzhou knelt before Gu Ning’an. “I beg you, Mr. Gu, help me just this once!”

Gu Ning’an raised his hand, and an invisible force lifted Jiang Wanzhou to his feet.

“This is no major task. But understand, although life spans only a few decades, if you fully live out an entire lifetime in your dream… you might forget your hatred. Or worse, completely mistake this dream for reality.”

“The result would still be that you’d never leave this dream. Think carefully before deciding.”

Jiang Wanzhou’s expression grew firm. “Please, Sir, grant me this. If I can spend a lifetime with Lianyi, I will have no regrets, even in death.”

“Very well. Then I wish you joy in your dream-bound lifetime.”

As Gu Ning’an’s words fell, the surrounding darkness instantly dissipated. The bustling streets, the cries of merchants, the green bricks, and the tiled roofs all reappeared, vivid and lively.

Jiang Wanzhou glanced around but could no longer see Gu Ning’an. He murmured to the heavens, “Thank you, Mr. Gu…”

…

“Over ten years have passed in a flash. Fengwu and Fengyi have grown into a fine young lady and a strapping young man,” Qiu Lianyi said with a smile, holding her husband’s arm.

Jiang Wanzhou nodded. “Yes, time flies before you know it…”

“How long do you think we’ll live?” Qiu Lianyi asked suddenly, a whimsical thought crossing her mind.

Jiang Wanzhou chuckled and raised a single finger. “At least a hundred years!”

“Ha, a hundred years sounds like a lot, but in this city, only one person has lived to a hundred in over a decade. I don’t think we’re that lucky.”

“If only Mr. Gu were still here, we could ask him to calculate it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Wanzhou smiled. “There’s no need to ask Mr. Gu. Before he left, I asked him, and he said we could walk through life hand in hand until the very end.”

“Really?” Qiu Lianyi asked, incredulous.

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Qiu Lianyi said playfully. But just then, she caught sight of something and gasped in delight. “Look at that huge, juicy pork knuckle!”

Before Jiang Wanzhou could react, his wife grabbed his arm and dragged him to the pork stall.