The Turmoil Chapter Ninety-Nine: Attending the Banquet

Chang'an City was as bustling as ever, with crowds jostling shoulder to shoulder on the streets, just like the last time they had come. And now, Li Qiutong was about to face the moment of parting with Yun Luoxuan.

In an empty plaza, Li Qiutong still had to confront this moment.

"Brother Tong, let us part ways here."

Li Qiutong looked at the three before him, memories of the past few days flashing through his mind. "Very well, Miss Yun. Until we meet again."

Yun Luoxuan gently brushed her hair aside and said, "General Li, my real name is actually Yun Luoxuan. I apologize for not telling you sooner. I hope you will remember the real me, and most importantly, I want to thank you for risking your life to save me that night."

Li Qiutong let out a soft sigh, then smiled. "Of course I will remember you, but you must always follow your heart."

"Mm." After speaking, Yun Luoxuan bade farewell to Qin Shuyu and the others, then turned to leave—just as she had done twelve years ago.

"Miss Yun, the next time we meet, I will be the strongest martial artist in this world. By then, no one will have the right to harm you in my presence." Li Qiutong made this promise to Yun Luoxuan with the utmost seriousness.

Yun Luoxuan turned back to look at the utterly earnest Li Qiutong. That unexpected yet sweet smile was exactly the same as it had once been. "I believe you."

Their reunion had been brief, but for Li Qiutong, its meaning ran deep. The figure that had gradually faded from memory had once again come into clear view; the distance that had once seemed so vast had grown shorter, and the faint fondness he had once felt had deepened further.

That year, Li Qiutong was twenty, and Yun Luoxuan was twenty-four.

Yun Luoxuan and her companions were being led by a servant toward the residence of Wei Zheng, the Prime Minister of the Tang Empire.

"Brother Xu, don't you think that last line sounded a bit familiar?" Yun Luoxuan suddenly recalled something.

"You mean his words about becoming the strongest martial artist? That must be fairly common, right? Plenty of martial artists like to voice that dream."

But Yun Luoxuan shook her head. "No. That kind of resolute tone and confidence—I have only ever heard it from one other person. Ten years ago, a child said the very same words."

Xu Yue also remembered. "Young Miss is talking about the Medicine Sage's grandson?"

Yun Luoxuan nodded. "That's right. That shy but very brave child."

However, Xu Yue said dismissively, "Young Miss is overthinking it. That child was merely indulging in wild fantasies, while General Li is a genuine martial arts prodigy."

Xu Yang also nodded. "Indeed. Brother Li is truly the strongest young martial artist I have ever seen, whether in temperament, cultivation method, or talent. Even Lan Ke pales in comparison. I suspect that in a few years, he may well ascend to the pinnacle of the martial way."

"True. His dream and mine are very much alike. In the future, we will surely cross paths again on this road. But... where is that child now? Perhaps he has already become a physician renowned throughout the world." As she spoke, Yun Luoxuan gazed at the sky, as if lost in memory.

Meanwhile, Li Qiutong and the others arrived at the Qin residence, where Qin Shubao had been waiting for quite some time.

"Once you have a son, you forget all about your older brother, is that it?" Qin Shubao said with feigned jealousy the moment they met.

Qin Shuyu ignored her brother entirely and asked directly, "What does Tangzong really mean by this?"

"Alas, hard to say. But His Majesty clearly does not want a complete falling out with Li Qiutong."

"Then what should we do next?"

Qin Shubao looked at Li Qiutong, who wore an utterly indifferent expression, and said, "Tomorrow, you will come with me to see His Majesty and offer him an apology."

"Whatever you arrange. But regarding Prince Ming, we need to have a proper discussion."

"About that matter—"

"General, Prince Ming's steward is outside and wishes to see you," a servant suddenly entered and announced.

"Speak of the devil (Author's aside: I wonder if the Cao Cao in the book knows about this). Let me go see what he wants." With that, Li Qiutong walked out.

In the courtyard, an old man dressed reasonably well was looking around in every direction.

"Hey, old man, what did Prince Ming send you here for?" Li Qiutong cut straight to the point.

"You are...?"

"I'm Li Qiutong. You should know who I am."

Hearing this, the old steward's expression shifted slightly. He had not expected to come face to face with Li Qiutong so directly. "Ah, good afternoon, General. His Highness has sent me to invite you to the Prince's residence tonight, to share a dinner."

"Just me?"

"Yes, yes. If there is nothing else, this old servant will take his leave." With that, the steward quickly departed from the Qin residence.

"Xiaotong, what does Prince Ming want with you?" Qin Shuyu asked the moment she came out.

Li Qiutong watched the direction in which the steward had left and said in a low voice, "Prince Ming has invited me to dinner tonight."

"Why would he invite you to dinner?" Because of Qin Shubao's request, Li Qiutong had never told her about Li Baicao's past ordeal, and even the earlier assassination attempt, Qin Shuyu had simply assumed it was the work of one of Li Qiutong's enemies.

"Prince Ming? Xiaotong, you can't go. You should first resolve your conflict with His Majesty, and then deal with him afterward," Qin Shubao warned.

But Li Qiutong did not see it that way. Instead, he said with great interest, "Free food—why not go? I'm curious to know what this fellow is up to. And besides, what is he capable of doing to me?" Ever since taking the Yin-Yang Pure Blood, Li Qiutong's body had recovered at an extraordinary rate. Though he was not yet at full fighting strength, delivering a single punch posed no great difficulty.

"You... Sigh. Be careful in everything." Seeing that Li Qiutong had made up his mind, Qin Shubao could say no more.

Just as night began to veil the sky, Li Qiutong arrived alone at Prince Ming's residence.

A servant at the gate saw him and asked directly, "Sir, what business do you have here?"

"Your Prince invited me to dinner tonight."

"So you are General Li. Please, come in. His Highness has been waiting for some time." With that, the servant respectfully ushered Li Qiutong into the residence.

No sooner had he reached the inner courtyard than a somewhat familiar middle-aged man came forward to greet him.

"For General Li to grace us with your presence is truly my honor. Please, come inside." Hearing this, Li Qiutong guessed that this man was none other than the mastermind behind everything—Prince Ming, Li Shiyuan.

"Your Highness's information network is truly impressive. I had only just arrived in Chang'an, and your invitation was already waiting for me." Li Qiutong spoke without changing his expression.

Prince Ming laughed. "The General's return to the city is a major event; of course I would take note. Back then, I spoke carelessly and left you stationed in that godforsaken place, Beitong Pass, for so long. Thinking about it now, I truly feel for you. That is why, the moment you arrived, I prepared this grand feast to make amends."

"How did you know I was coming to Chang'an?"

"For that, I must thank someone. Come, allow me to introduce you." With that, Prince Ming led Li Qiutong into the main hall.

The moment he stepped inside, the scent of a woman's perfume greeted him head-on. As he was wondering about it, a woman who also looked familiar walked slowly up to him.

"General Li, this is my niece, the current Princess Jingning," Prince Ming introduced.

Jingning greeted him with proper decorum. "I am Jingning. A pleasure to meet you, General Li."

"Jingning? That name sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it." Li Qiutong searched his memory, showing her not a shred of courtesy.

Jingning's expression froze for an instant, but she quickly recovered.

"Come now, General Li, let us take our seats before the food gets cold," Prince Ming said hastily to ease the awkwardness.

A table laden with delicacies stretched before them, yet Li Qiutong remained seated with perfect composure.

"Earlier, the General asked how I knew of your return. That was Jingning's doing. As you know, Jingning had a bit of unpleasantness with your sworn brother before. But you are all young people, and a little impulsiveness is only natural. So tonight, both Jingning and I would like to have a proper talk with you—not only to offer our apologies but also to give the two young people a chance to cool down and have a good conversation."

Li Qiutong glanced at Jingning, who smiled and said, "Brother Li, I truly have fallen for General Yang. I hope you can understand."

"I remember you now. The last time I came to Chang'an, the unreasonable princess I encountered at Hailin Tower was you. As for someone like you—I will never like you, and my sworn brother will never like you either. You had better give up while you still can." Li Qiutong spoke coldly, showing not the slightest respect for the princess.

At that moment, Jingning's face looked as if she had just been slapped twice. Once, she had been the most favored little princess of the Tang Empire—who would have dared to defy her? But ever since she had encountered Li Qiutong and his party, whether it was Li Qiutong or Yang Ruiyun, they had completely ignored her. Even the last time she had asked Tangzong to betroth her to Yang Ruiyun, it was partly because she recognized Yang Ruiyun's value, but more than that, she had wanted to retaliate against his cold indifference. Yet nothing had gone as she wished. In that moment, her mindset seemed to undergo a great shift. How could Li Qiutong have imagined that this blunt, honest remark would bring him enormous trouble just a few years later?

But at that moment, Li Qiutong paid no attention to what Jingning was thinking, because his target was Prince Ming.

"Your Highness, I am most curious to know what grievance you have with my grandfather that you would go so far as to have him killed, and even refuse to spare me." Li Qiutong looked steadily at Prince Ming, completely unperturbed.

"What is the General talking about? I don't understand," Prince Ming replied with a puzzled expression.

Li Qiutong continued to stare at him, saying in a low voice, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Cijian has already been killed by me, and before long, I will uproot Jiandao completely."

Prince Ming took a deep breath, still smiling as he raised his cup. "The General speaks of official matters at a time like this? Come now, I heard that the General never drinks alcohol, so I had someone bring a fine tea from the south. Please, have a taste."

Li Qiutong smiled. "A fine tea, no doubt laced with poison. Still, I am somewhat thirsty." So saying, he picked up a cup of plain water that sat beside the dark green tea and took a small sip.

Seeing that his scheme had been seen through, Prince Ming stopped pretending. "Li Qiutong, I never imagined you would be so lucky to survive, and that you would even uncover my involvement. Today, I—"

"Uncle, he... he seems to be drunk," Jingning noticed something amiss and warned.

Prince Ming looked over. Li Qiutong had closed his eyes, his head swaying from side to side, and then, with a thud, he collapsed onto the table, fast asleep.

"So this is why the boy never drinks—he has no tolerance for alcohol at all! Heaven is truly on my side. Hahaha!" Prince Ming laughed heartily. He had thought Li Qiutong was about to turn the tables on him, but instead the fool had gotten himself drunk on a single cup of fine liquor.

"Uncle, then let us proceed with the original plan," Jingning said with a smile as well.

Prince Ming nodded. "But Jingning, have you truly thought this through? This is your lifelong reputation we're talking about. For such a small matter, is it really worth it?"

"Uncle still hasn't figured out such a simple question? Those who coddle themselves can never achieve great things. If you had understood this principle sooner, you would not have lost the throne to my father all those years ago."

For a moment, Li Shiyuan stared at his niece in shock. He could have sworn he had never seen her like this—but perhaps this was the real her.

"I never imagined you would be even more ruthless than your father."

Jingning smiled faintly. "It is no surprise that Uncle could not imagine it. You hired assassins to kill the Medicine Sage, Li Baicao; not long ago, you led the Mongols through the pass; and then you sent men to murder Li Qiutong. Right now, you and I are on the same boat."

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Prince Ming looked his niece straight in the eye. He had originally thought she merely wanted to destroy Li Qiutong's reputation to avenge the humiliation of Yang Ruiyun breaking off their engagement in front of the court. Now, it seemed, what she intended was far from simple.

Jingning turned to look at Li Qiutong and said in a low voice, "I did not want to do this originally, but reality has forced me down this path. Of course, as for Li Qiutong and Yang Ruiyun, I will strip them of everything until they finally become servants groveling at my feet."