Facing Dong Huazi

On the way to the royal palace, Qin Yi's mind was still circling around that divinatory verse.

With Li Qingjun beside him, he could not pry Liusu apart and ask for a detailed explanation. Going by his own speculation, almost all his attention was drawn to the words "lose friends." No matter how auspicious the rest sounded, it was useless.

Where would he find any friends in this world?

Li Qinglin, who had just said, "He is my friend"? He called Qin Yi a friend, but everyone knew that might not count for much. In Qin Yi's own heart, Li Qinglin was merely a collaborator, so it should have nothing to do with him.

Liusu? They now seemed close enough to talk about anything, yet both knew there was still a barrier between them. It was hard to say whether they counted as friends. Of course, that barrier was growing smaller and smaller. If Qin Yi had to name one friend, it could only be Liusu—he simply did not know whether Liusu saw it the same way.

His relationship with Ye Ling was still shallow.

Li Qingjun? Qin Yi knew he liked Li Qingjun a little. Did that count as friendship? Perhaps it did, for now?

Lose friends... Whether it was losing Liusu or losing Li Qingjun, Qin Yi shuddered whenever he thought about it. He knew he could not accept either outcome.

"Hey, what are you brooding over?" Li Qingjun could not help asking.

"Oh, nothing." Qin Yi forced a smile. "Wouldn't it be a little awkward for me to show up at a state banquet?"

"What's awkward about it? You're my brother's friend and mine. If even you can't enter, who can? Mang Zhan is the one who doesn't deserve to be here."

That word again—friend... Qin Yi pressed his lips together, suddenly finding that he did not want to hear it at all.

On second thought, he still found it strange that Li Qinglin had summoned him to the banquet. He could not help asking the palace attendant who had delivered the message, "Do you know why the Crown Prince called for me?"

The attendant hesitated, as though wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Li Qingjun finally realized something was wrong. She grabbed him at once. "Quit hemming and hawing. What is it?"

After hesitating for a long while, the attendant said in a low voice, "The Western Wilderness Crown Prince proposed marriage to the King, saying that the two nations should forge an everlasting alliance..."

Li Qingjun's expression changed drastically.

Qin Yi narrowed his eyes as well, coldness unconsciously filling them.

"Stop." Two palace guards blocked the entrance, pointing at the Wolf Tooth Club in Qin Yi's hand. "Remove your weapon."

"Get lost!" Li Qingjun had a spear in hand as well. With one sweeping strike, she sent both guards flying far away, then strode inside. Qin Yi took the chance to slip in behind her.

What kind of joke was that? The Wolf Tooth Club was his actual body, all right? If he took off his weapon, what the hell was he supposed to go in for...

As they neared the banquet hall, Li Qinglin's sharp rebuke rang out from within. "Southern Li has stood as a nation for a thousand years. The royal descendants have always practiced martial arts and relied on themselves; princesses of every generation have chosen their own husbands, free and unbound. Such is the bearing and dignity of the imperial house. Even those who married abroad were wed to great nations in the Central Lands, enjoying every honor. Never have I heard of a marriage alliance with an enemy, of being humiliated and toyed with by one's foes! You are the National Teacher, yet you play tricks with spirits and ghosts, collude privately with foreign enemies, and disgrace the nation?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince overstates the matter." An aged voice came from inside. "Southern Li and the Western Wasteland have warred for a century. Do you not see how countless lives have been reduced to ash and ruin? Must we care only for the imperial house's dignity? Besides, this poor Daoist cast a divination. Our nation is Li, while the Western Wasteland is Dui. Li and Dui form Opposition; small matters are auspicious. This signifies harmony between husband and wife. Where does this talk of humiliation and abuse come from?"

The King nodded repeatedly, thoroughly convinced by this so-called "divinatory symbol."

Li Qinglin's face was icy, though anger had already clogged his chest. It was always like this. Reason or no reason, all it took was some random divinatory verse, babbled out nonsense, and his father would treat it as an unshakable rule. Yet finding someone who truly understood divination to refute him would not mean much either, because such people lacked "immortal arts." Whom would his father trust? That went without saying.

An incongruous voice came from outside the doors. "Princess, who's the one doing the divination inside? Isn't that utter nonsense? Dui above and Li below is Ze Huo Ge—lake water below pouring down while fire surges above. That means they'd quarrel every day until they came to blows, doesn't it? Ge means change. If husband and wife are discordant, the household suffers upheaval; if ruler and ministers are discordant, the realm changes dynasties. It's a downright inauspicious hexagram. To force it into meaning good fortune—did he take money for this?"

The hall erupted in an uproar, and everyone turned toward the entrance.

A smile appeared on Li Qinglin's face. He had originally been standing and pointing angrily, but now he slowly sat back down.

A man and a woman stood outside. Everyone in the hall naturally recognized Li Qingjun at a glance, but who was the man? He was a rather fair and handsome youth, dressed in ordinary cloth robes that were nevertheless clean and tidy. His figure was tall and elegant, though slightly slender. His eyes were clear and bright, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips, adding even more to his dashing air.

The only strange thing was that this handsome youth carried a Wolf Tooth Club in his hand. Fortunately, Li Qingjun was holding a silver spear as well, which at least diluted the sense of mismatch somewhat.

He stood more than half a head taller than Li Qingjun. Side by side, they looked remarkably well matched.

Of course they matched. Li Qingjun was slender and graceful, her skin whiter than snow. Compared to Mang Zhan, who was broad and burly like some savage, Qin Yi's handsome and fresh appearance suited Li Qingjun far better no matter how one looked at it...

Quite a few people in the hall unconsciously thought, What a perfect pair. Then they looked at Mang Zhan, whose eyes shone as he stared at Li Qingjun, and secretly shook their heads. "Savage."

Li Qingjun immediately said, "Father! I won't marry him!"

"Zhaoyang." Upon the Dragon Throne, the King temporarily avoided the question of whether his daughter would marry or not. Instead, he asked in surprise, "Who is this young man?"

Li Qingjun said, "This is Qin Yi, my friend."

The assembled ministers whispered among themselves.

Southern Li's thousand-year history was an exaggeration, but it had existed for several centuries. For those centuries, the royal family's customs had been just like this. Princesses had even concealed their identities to roam the martial world. There were as many princesses who had run off with wandering martial men as hairs on an ox, and there had been no lack of those who returned home as yellow-faced wives, weeping bitterly. It was not quite the noble royal style Li Qinglin had boasted of, but free choice in marriage was indeed customary. Under such customs, for the Princess to suddenly bring a boy around her own age before the King and ministers and announce him as her friend... Was that not practically the same as publicly declaring that she wanted him as her consort?

If running away with a martial drifter was acceptable, then Qin Yi's plain clothes were not much of an issue. The issue was that his appearance came at a rather convenient time... Everyone quietly looked toward Mang Zhan and saw a face dark with suppressed rage. His huge hand gripped his wine cup so tightly that the veins nearly burst.

Qin Yi sighed. He understood why Li Qinglin had called him here: he was meant to be the spear used to ruin Mang Zhan's plans. Only Qin Yi could be pulled out and called Li Qingjun's friend, and only he had the confidence to denounce Dong Huazi's nonsense. Whether a commoner like him could marry the Princess afterward was still controllable. That was far better than dragging out some son of an official.

Probably everyone in the entire hall now understood what was going on except Li Qingjun, that silly girl... Wasn't she just introducing a friend?

Once he understood Li Qinglin's intentions, Qin Yi felt no resentment whatsoever, because he was more than willing to serve as that spear this time.

The only problem was... Qin Yi turned his head slightly, his gaze falling upon a chair beneath the King.

An elderly Daoist in robes sat there, with crane-white hair, a youthful face, and the bearing of an immortal. He was watching Qin Yi too, smiling faintly, though his eyes carried a trace of chill.

Dong Huazi.

Qin Yi took a deep breath. He could feel the agitation in his heart.

It had nothing to do with anything else—not obsession, not an inner demon. It was only because, ever since he had crossed into this world, this was the first boss he had always held in his heart as a target. To be honest, Qin Yi had never expected his first face-to-face encounter with Dong Huazi to come on such an occasion. He did not think he had made sufficient preparations yet.

He knew this had not been Li Qinglin's original plan either. Circumstances had changed, forcing him to improvise.

Though all this had been said at length, each person's thoughts had taken no more than an instant. The King on the Dragon Throne was saying, "Since he is Zhaoyang's friend... grant him a seat first."

Li Qingjun pulled Qin Yi toward Li Qinglin's side, where attendants added a seat for him. Just as they reached the center of the hall, Dong Huazi leisurely spoke. "Is this young friend Qin also a Dao cultivator?"

Only then did everyone come to their senses. They had nearly forgotten the real issue while eagerly devouring the gossip about men and women: this youth had just openly refuted the National Teacher's divination!

That was a grave offense against the National Teacher!

Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat, but he did not retreat. He stopped in the middle of the hall and raised his voice. "That's right. I do not know who spoke that divinatory verse just now, but it was utterly ridiculous. I hear that National Teacher Dong Huazi's Daoist Arts are profound. Surely he should be the one to divine this matter, rather than listening to some beginner spout nonsense."

The ministers' expressions became exceedingly marvelous. Right before the National Teacher himself, Qin Yi had called him a beginner and denounced him for spouting nonsense!