Chapter 659 - The Divine Mother’s Dream, The Primordial Emperor Still Lives - Part 2

Deep into autumn.

New recruits were arriving on the mountain, while others quietly slipped away to carry out their missions.

Li Yuan continued training the Divine Gale Battalion, and when he had time, he also taught the children.

Among them were Xiao Hu and Xiao Zhen, the kids who had traveled with him on the road. To them, Li Yuan wasn’t just a teacher, he was a god. After all, they’d come from the same village, and now he stood like a legend in the flesh.

Li Yuan was teaching a fusion skill to the children, a combination of the Skygale Sword and Li Clan footwork, a style he had carefully refined until it merged seamlessly into a new, unified discipline.

He wasn’t alone in this. Guo Qin, who had always loved working with children, had been sent over specifically by her father and Yang Jiang to assist, largely because she enjoyed any opportunity to be near Li Yuan.

The kids had adapted well to mountain life. They practiced basic forms with serious little fists, then dropped into deep horse stances, sweat beading on their brows.

“These little ones will be the backbone of the rebel army one day,” Li Yuan said with a smile.

Guo Qin smiled too.

She cherished every moment at Li Yuan’s side. And the more time she spent with him, the more certain she became that he didn’t see her

that

way. A woman’s intuition, perhaps, but she was convinced his heart already belonged to someone else.

And yet, she liked him even more because of that.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She knew she was far from plain, delicate, elegant, even beautiful by most standards, but here was a man who could remain untouched, who could stay true for the sake of someone in his heart. That kind of restraint was rare and admirable.

So she didn’t force closeness anymore. She stayed by his side under the guise of friendship, content just to be near him.

As the children practiced, a sudden yelp echoed from not far away.

They turned to see a girl in coarse linen, her hair tied in a little braid, stumbling as she lost her balance and toppled sideways to the ground.

She scrambled up quickly, her wide eyes full of panic and embarrassment.

Guo Qin’s expression changed the moment she saw her. “Ting Ting? What are you doing sneaking over here again?”

She gave Li Yuan a quick, apologetic glance. “That’s my younger sister. She’s got no talent for martial arts, but she’s always trying to sneak in and train. I’ll take her back.”

She hurried over and grabbed the girl’s arm. “Let’s go home.”

Ting Ting followed obediently, head bowed, looking utterly defeated.

It was the first time Li Yuan had seen Guo Qin’s little sister. Watching the girl’s forlorn expression, he smiled and said, “Let her try. Even if she doesn’t get it, at least it’s good exercise.”

Guo Qin gave a wry smile. “We’ve already tried. My father and I both taught her many times. She just can’t pick it up.”

“Let her try again anyway,” Li Yuan replied gently.

He turned to the little girl, ruffled her hair with a warm smile.

Ting Ting stared up at him blankly, her pupils locked in place like she was staring through him, entranced or lost in some dream.

Guo Qin nudged her. “Well? Aren’t you going to thank him?”

Ting Ting bowed her head, stammering, “Th-thank you! Thank you so much.”

Then she scampered back into the field, and under the sun’s gaze, planted herself down with fierce determination, trying once again to hold a horse stance.

But her balance was terrible. After only a few seconds, she collapsed onto her rear with a soft thud. Still, she grit her teeth, pushed herself up, wiped the sweat from her brow, and got back into position.

Clumsy as she was, her perseverance was remarkable.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

In the villages and settlements around Skyscale Mountain, the Divine Crow Church was quietly spreading its influence, offering aid and healing herbs to suffering commoners wherever they went.

Their followers were growing.

The church had existed for generations and had always remained harmless. Even within the imperial court, many still privately worshipped the Divine Crow, so the authorities had mostly turned a blind eye.

No one suspected that the Divine Crow Church was, in fact, one of the 18 factions of the rebel army.

They had originally backed a different uprising, but after Yang Jiang and Guo Xi’s brilliant display at the assembly and Yang Jiang's rise to leadership, the church shifted its support. After all, Yang Jiang was no worse than their previous choice and far more promising now.

In the Central Plains, faith in the Divine Crow ran deep. The church had begun as a loose group of devotees, but over time, it had grown into a true organization.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

One day, in the early days of winter, a light snow was falling.

A group moved silently along the mountain paths, their faces veiled in black veils beneath wide-brimmed straw hats adorned with feathered ornaments. Short blades hung at their waists, and their every step was disciplined, silent, and precise. The wind and snow lashed at them like knives, but not one of them flinched.

They marched up the winding trail to Skyscale Mountain, to the heart of the rebel camp, solemn as monks in a marble temple, approaching their god with sacred devotion. There was an eerie detachment about them, a kind of cold, otherworldly reverence. They were indifferent to themselves, to others, wrapped in a strange kind of holiness.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan had just finished training the Divine Gale Battalion and was now teaching the children.

Among them, for reasons even he couldn’t quite explain, he found himself paying special attention to the little girl who always managed to trip over flat ground.

Ting Ting reminded him of Sheng’er from long ago, hobbling on a cane as she learned to walk for the first time.

Because of that, he treated her with special gentleness, patiently correcting her stances, step by step.

Over time, Ting Ting had grown more and more attached to him, clinging to him every day. Even Guo Qin had begun to feel a twinge of jealousy.

Just as Li Yuan was adjusting Ting Ting’s footwork, a man hurried over and bowed respectfully.

“Someone important requests your presence.” He lowered his voice and added, “The High Priest of the Divine Crow Church has come personally. It’s a major matter.”

Li Yuan glanced down at Ting Ting, who was looking up at him with those wide, hopeful eyes.

“I won’t be going,” he said.

The messenger blinked. “But...this is...quite serious. And the High Priest specifically asked to meet the famed Lord Yu.”

Li Yuan held Ting Ting’s small hand and replied, “I still have to teach this child her martial arts.”

The man recognized Ting Ting too, of course. She was the second daughter of Guo Xi and Guo Qin’s little sister. He could only sigh inwardly, clasp his fists in resignation, and take his leave.

Li Yuan returned to teaching, though his mind wandered.

The Divine Crow Church reminded him a bit of the old Red Lotus Cult, but this one had named their god after Sheng’er.

He couldn’t help but wonder. Did these followers even know that the divine figure they revered so devoutly...had a serious weakness for sweets?

As he gently corrected Ting Ting’s posture, his thoughts drifted to her again.

Once he had firm control of the rebel forces, he would send people west to search for Sheng’er and east to investigate the Eastern Sea.

Of course, when he passed through Westgorge Province, he planned to stop by and see what the Tang Sect had become.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next day.

Yang Jiang sought Li Yuan out, eager to share what had been decided the day before quietly and in private.

“Lord Yu,” Yang Jiang said, voice low and solemn, “Among the rebels here on Skyscale Mountain, fewer than five people know what I’m about to tell you. But you must be one of them.”

Li Yuan smiled calmly. “I’m listening.”

Yang Jiang glanced around to ensure they were alone, then spoke with reverent seriousness.

“The Divine Mother could not bear to see the world suffer. She came to me in a dream. A dream so vast it felt like an eternity, and only now have I awakened to know who I truly am.

“I saw my past lives. I saw my essence. I am not Yang Jiang. I am Di Jiang, son of the Divine Mother. I descended from the Heavenly Court to walk among mortals, to save them. The Divine Mother sent her son to the mortal realm. The corrupt Zhou must fall, and the time is now.”

“...” Li Yuan raised an eyebrow.

“...What is it?” Yang Jiang frowned, clearly displeased by the silence. This was a sacred matter. Only a chosen few were allowed to know, and maintaining the reverence of the revelation was crucial. Any hint of mockery would be unforgivable.

Li Yuan gave a thoughtful nod. “Makes sense. The Divine Crow Church has followers across the Central Plains. With this divine mandate, you could rally countless others to your banner.”

“Exactly.” Yang Jiang relaxed, nodding in agreement. Then he added, “And if we succeed, you will always have a place in my divine court.”

With that, their brief exchange ended. Yang Jiang left to continue preparations for the uprising.

Li Yuan sat in the quiet that followed, equal parts speechless and amused, but not surprised. After all, history was full of rebels borrowing the names of gods to justify their cause. Claiming divine parentage had always been part of the script. If you were going to rebel, better find yourself a god for a parent. It added weight.

It just so happened that this time, the honored title of Divine Mother had landed on Sheng’er.

A

heavenly

Divine Mother, no less.

He sat cross-legged before the snow, gently warming a pot of wine. In front of him, little Ting Ting was practicing her forms in the snow, her movements awkward but earnest.

The sunlight glinted off the snow like golden silk laid across a white world.

Ting Ting wasn’t what you’d call pretty. She didn’t have the features of a little beauty-in-the-making. Her cheeks were raw from the cold, blotched with early signs of frostbite. Her eyes lacked the fiery focus of the other children. Instead, she wore a permanently dazed expression, like someone who had wandered into the wrong class and decided to stay anyway.

And yet, she practiced with stubborn seriousness, like a little snail trying its best to climb a mountain.

Every now and then, she’d trot over and ask Li Yuan this or that, eyes bright with curiosity.

The more serious she got, the more she revealed just how clumsy she was.

Li Yuan honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

Some of her questions were so basic they bordered on surreal. Movements that should’ve been instinctive, lift your foot, twist your hip, she simply couldn’t coordinate. It was baffling.

But Li Yuan never lost his patience. He answered every question, corrected every mistake.

It wasn’t just Ting Ting, either. Disciples from across the camp sought him out constantly, especially the warriors of the Divine Gale Battalion. Those ones trained like their lives depended on it because soon it would.

Li Yuan knew the imperial court was already watching.

Come spring at the latest, even before the armies moved, the martial world would be engulfed in blood and fire.

If, in the chaos of battle, one could cut down the enemy commander just like that, it might save everyone a whole lot of trouble.

Because the military manpower of the Great Zhou...was no pushover.