Chaos Conflict, Chapter Ninety-Six: An Encounter Around the Corner

A day later, Li Qiutong set out for Chang'an as planned, though the travelers beside him were not Yang Ruiyun and the others, but Qin Shuyu and Rose, the two women who accompanied him on the journey.

Since Yang Ruiyun had openly refused Tang Zong before the court and then resolutely returned to North Tong Pass, Tang Zong had not severed all ties with North Tong Pass in anger. Instead, the two sides had unexpectedly settled into a brief and uneasy calm. Li Qiutong made no explanation of the matter to the court in Chang'an, and Chang'an itself remained silent as well. The whole affair only made it feel as though some great storm were gathering beyond the horizon.

Fortunately, some time earlier, Qin Shubao had sent a letter to him, one that spoke of the court's recent situation. The letter explained that the reason Tang Zong had not moved against North Tong Pass was that Qin Shubao and the returning Xue Rengui had forcefully suppressed the matter and kept the conflict from breaking out. Even so, Tang Zong was after all the ruler of a nation. To lose so much face because of Yang Ruiyun, how could he possibly offer any reconciliation to North Tong Pass? Thus, in Qin Shubao's view, it would be best for Li Qiutong to come to Chang'an alone and personally apologize to Tang Zong, showing his loyalty in person. In that way, the matter could be brought to a close.

Of course, Li Qiutong had long since intended to rebel. What loyalty could there be? He merely used this as a way to buy time, and also to give the two old generals, Qin Shubao and Xue Rengui, some respect. That was why, in the end, he brought two women with him to Chang'an. As for how this matter would truly end, and what Tang Zong was really thinking, that remained entirely uncertain.

Along the way, Li Qiutong drove the carriage himself, while Rose sat outside with him. Madam Qin remained inside the carriage resting.

"Rose, do you think that bastard Prince Ming will make a move against us this time?"

"It's hard to say. Still, I've already had the Shadow sisters keep watch. If anything happens, they'll notify us at once."

Li Qiutong nodded. "Good. We still need to be careful on this road. General Qin said very few people know we're going to Chang'an, but I'm worried that bastard may have gotten wind of it too."

"Still, I have to thank you, Rose. We'll be relying on you all the way there." Madam Qin also spoke from inside the carriage.

"You flatter me, Madam. Protecting General Li is my duty. This just happens to be a good chance to make myself useful." Rose replied calmly.

"Actually, Mom, you really didn't need to come with us. How could Tang Zong possibly dare to lay a hand on me?"

Qin Shuyu said with the earnest air of someone delivering a serious lecture, "Xiaotong, this is no small matter. Your mother has a fair amount of standing in Chang'an, both in the court and among the common people. With me there, you'll be that much safer."

The group chatted as they traveled, and the journey never felt tedious.

When the carriage reached a fork in the road beside a forest, a voice suddenly rang out.

"This tree was planted by me, this mountain was built by me. If you want to pass this road, leave your toll."

"Fool, you said it wrong."

A foolish, earnest voice followed. "Oh, isn't it supposed to be..."

"Enough. We're robbers. Hand over all your money."

A thin bandit raised his blade and shouted sharply at the people before him.

Xu Yue looked at the two brainless bandits with utter helplessness, feeling truly speechless inside.

"Can you two at least figure out what you're trying to do?"

"We said it already. We're robbing you."

At that moment, another voice cut in and interrupted the two bandits.

"Hey, you're blocking my way. Could you move aside?"

Seeing that yet another person had arrived, and that judging by his clothes he was also accompanied by a strikingly voluptuous woman, the thin bandit immediately decided this newcomer must be rich as well. He shouted at Li Qiutong, "What's the rush? We're in the middle of a robbery. Wait your turn. You'll be next."

Li Qiutong was equally dumbfounded by these two bandits.

"General, should I kill them?" Rose immediately suggested.

Li Qiutong quickly waved a hand. "No, no. They seem pretty amusing, and they haven't offended us."

As he spoke, he looked toward Xu Yue on the other side. She was a sharply dressed young woman, refined and delicate in appearance, with a rare and spirited air and a long, graceful figure. She was quite striking at first glance, though still a little lacking when compared with Rose. Behind her was an exquisitely crafted carriage, comfortable and light, clearly the property of someone wealthy.

"Miss over there, don't worry. I'll handle them."

Xu Yue wore the expression of someone who had already given up on life. "Are there really this many fools in the Tang Kingdom?"

With that, Li Qiutong got down from the carriage and walked toward the two bandits.

"What are you doing? We're martial artists. Be careful or we'll beat you up."

Li Qiutong raised his hands, looking sincere. "May I ask why the two of you are robbing people? What do you do for a living?"

The shorter, heavier bandit said, "All the money from the land we farm gets taken by soldiers to fight the war. We can only come out and rob people. Otherwise, how are we supposed to live?"

"Fool, why did you say all that? We're martial artists now, understand? Powerful martial artists," the thin one reminded him loudly.

Only then did the fat bandit react. He hurriedly said, "Right, right. We're martial artists, not farmers. Hurry up and hand over your money."

Li Qiutong smiled helplessly. "How about this: if the two of you really have some ability, why not come work as my bodyguards? I'll pay you one hundred Tongyuan coins a month. How about it?"

"Really? That much?" the thin one asked in astonishment.

Li Qiutong said with certainty, "Of course. I never lie."

"But we don't have much strength at all. We only know how to farm," the fat one said the plain truth.

"Ah." The thin one sighed helplessly. Such a fine opportunity had been wasted by him.

Li Qiutong smiled. "It's fine. I can teach you martial arts. You two just need to have a little presence."

"Really? Old Black, that's great!" The fat bandit hugged the thin one tightly.

"Old White, easy. You're squeezing me."

Li Qiutong looked toward Xu Yue and spread his hands. "See? It's settled."

Xu Yue was speechless at the way he handled things. She turned her head away and refused to look at him. But at that moment, the curtain of the carriage behind her was gently lifted, and a woman in a pure white dress stepped out. Her face was covered by a thin veil, making it difficult to see her features clearly.

Under Li Qiutong's gaze, the woman slowly walked up to him.

"Thank you, young master, for your righteous rescue." Her voice was warm and gentle, leaving a deep impression on Li Qiutong at once.

"It's nothing. May I ask where you're from? You don't sound like a woman from the Tang Kingdom."

The girl smiled faintly. "We fled here from the Song Kingdom and were just about to head for Chang'an. By the way, my name is Yun Luoxuan. May I ask your honorable name?"

"Oh, I see. No wonder you sound a little familiar. I once stayed in the Song Kingdom as well. My surname is Li, my name is..."

Before Li Qiutong could finish, a surge of killing intent came straight at him. He instinctively threw himself backward, and at the very spot he had just stood, a flash of brilliant white blade light cut through the air, leaving a deep furrow in the ground. If he had been even a fraction slower, that strike would have nearly left him gravely injured once more.

Then a man dressed in white appeared, holding an ancient, unsheathed saber. His eyes blazed with murderous intent as he stared at Li Qiutong.

Yet when the two bandits saw this scene, they did not flee. Instead, both of them gripped their blades with trembling hands and stood before Li Qiutong. Rose also rose at once, ready to strike at any moment.

"Miss, are you all right?" Xu Yang asked anxiously.

"Big Brother Xu, I'm fine. Put your saber away at once. Young Master Li is a good person," Yun Luoxuan quickly stopped him.

Xu Yang was rather surprised to hear that. When he looked at Li Qiutong, however, he found that Li Qiutong was staring at him with a gaze so intense it seemed almost searing.

Li Qiutong's mind had gone utterly blank. He would never forget that ancient saber for as long as he lived. And the woman standing behind him had, at this moment, gradually overlapped with the one in his memory.

"Young Master Li, are you all right?" After signaling Xu Yang to step aside, Yun Luoxuan came forward and asked with concern.

Li Qiutong shook his head in confusion. "I'm fine."

Seeing that something was off in his expression, Yun Luoxuan explained further, "My guard was too rash just now and frightened you, Young Master Li. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Having just recovered himself, Li Qiutong smiled at her. "I'm fine, Miss Yun, don't worry. I hadn't finished introducing myself just now. My name is Li Zhenbei, and I'm from Chang'an."

In truth, Li Qiutong did not want Yun Luoxuan to know that he was the same youth from Autumn Light City. It was not only because he was now just an ordinary man, but also because he was afraid. Afraid that if he told her, she would have forgotten him, or that someone else had already taken a place in her heart.

"So Young Master Li is returning to Chang'an?" she asked.

"That's right."

"Then could you take us with you? We were actually lost and wandered into this forest by mistake," Yun Luoxuan explained.

"Of course. Traveling together will give us some company."

Yun Luoxuan smiled, though Li Qiutong could not see it, he could feel it.

She then introduced the Xu siblings to him. "These two are my guards. The elder brother is Xu Yang, and the younger sister is Xu Yue."

Li Qiutong politely shook hands with Xu Yang, while Xu Yue merely nodded to acknowledge him.

Li Qiutong also introduced the others on his side. Qin Shuyu was his mother, while Rose had become his maid.

"Then let us travel together," Li Qiutong said.

He climbed into Yun Luoxuan's carriage under the pretext of leading the way, while the Xu siblings rode horses on either side as escorts. As for the two bodyguards Li Qiutong had just recruited, they stayed outside Madam Qin's carriage together with Rose.

"Miss Yun, I heard that the Song Kingdom has already fallen, is that true?" Li Qiutong asked from the driver's seat.

"Yes. The entire Song court has already been captured, and the remaining territories are surrendering to the Heavenly Kingdom one after another."

"Then is the Qinglin Army of the Song Kingdom still around?" he asked with a question that clearly surprised Yun Luoxuan.

After a brief hesitation, Yun Luoxuan still answered, "It probably no longer exists. I heard it was wiped out while defending the city."

"Is that so? What a pity." Li Qiutong said with some regret.

"Why do you say that?"

"I used to have some grudges with the Qinglin Army. I had planned to train a force and seek revenge. But before the army was even ready, they were gone."

"I see. So Young Master Li still knows how to train troops?" Yun Luoxuan asked.

Li Qiutong gave an awkward smile. "Not really. I was only planning to spend money and hire people to help train them. I don't know much about the rest."

"So your army is mercenary forces?"

"Not exactly. I'm still technically part of the Tang Kingdom's regular army. I'm currently serving at North Tong Pass." Li Qiutong explained casually.

"North Tong Pass?" Hearing those words, Yun Luoxuan suddenly recalled what Long Tianya had said before about a martial prodigy who seemed to be the commander of North Tong Pass. "I heard that the commander of North Tong Pass, Li Qiutong, is one of the foremost martial geniuses on the continent. At only twenty years old, he had already reached the Saint Martial Realm. Have you heard of him, Young Master Li?"