A loud thud echoed, much heavier than the sound of weapons clashing earlier. Qin Yi once again wrapped his arm around Li Qingjun's waist and floated back to the street corner.
Mang Zhan nearly lost his spear, shocked at the strength of this seemingly frail boy. He adjusted his stance, ready to strike again, but another spear came in from the side, blocking his attack.
That familiar spear had crossed paths with him many times on the battlefield... Mang Zhan recognized it without even looking. It belonged to Li Qinglin.
He shouted angrily, "What do you mean, South Li? There’s an assassin trying to kill me, and you help her? You South Li claim to be a civilization of a thousand years, and this is how you treat your envoy?"
"Sorry," Li Qinglin replied flatly. "When it comes to civilization, I only know that compared to my sister, you Mang Zhan are nothing. If you keep talking, I’ll kill you right now. If the West Wilderness wants to start a war over this, I’ll fight to the end."
"Sister?" Mang Zhan was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Li Qingjun with a strange gaze that slowly turned eager.
Mang Zhan lost focus, and a goat-bearded attendant beside him said sarcastically, "I’m afraid Prince Qinglin isn’t qualified to provoke a conflict."
Li Qinglin sneered, "You can certainly try."
With that, he waved his hand, and the archers of the South Li army immediately aimed their arrows at the West Wilderness group. The goat-bearded attendant turned pale and dared not speak again.
Mang Zhan snapped back to reality and laughed heartily, "So it’s Princess Zhaoyang. Since it’s a misunderstanding, let’s forget it. We came to pay our respects, not to provoke."
Li Qinglin pressed his hand down, signaling the archers to lower their weapons again. He then turned his anger toward Li Qingjun, pointing at her and scolding, "How old are you? Don’t you have any common sense? You can’t just attack in any situation. What if you got shot by your own people?"
Li Qingjun stubbornly retorted, "How many South Li people have died by that murderer’s spear? He just tried to assassinate my brother! Why should he be here pretending to pay respects?"
"That doesn’t justify your actions," Li Qinglin said meaningfully. He then cupped his hands toward Qin Yi and said, "Thank you, Brother Qin."
Qin Yi waved his hand, feeling speechless as he stood by. He had been watching Mang Zhan’s movements, worried he might suddenly attack, but seeing Mang Zhan’s eager and dazed expression upon hearing "sister" was unexpected.
So, this brute likes impulsive girls, huh?
Mang Zhan’s gaze shifted to Qin Yi, and when he noticed Qin Yi’s hand around Li Qingjun's waist, his eyes narrowed, and he coldly asked, "Who is that person?"
Qin Yi subtly withdrew his hand, ignoring the West Wilderness prince, and turned to leave with Li Qingjun. She seemed to realize she had acted too recklessly today and lowered her head, letting Qin Yi pull her away in silence.
Mang Zhan, feeling ignored, exploded in anger behind them, "Today, I’ve truly witnessed the demeanor of South Li!"
Li Qinglin replied indifferently, "That’s my friend. He doesn’t get involved in worldly matters, so there’s no need for formalities. I say, Mang brother, you invade South Li every year, killing and pillaging like a beast, yet suddenly you’re talking about manners? Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?"
Mang Zhan countered, "I came here intending to make peace with South Li, but it seems the so-called peaceful South Li doesn’t share the same intention."
Li Qinglin paused for a moment, then said, "Then please come to the palace. My father has prepared a welcome banquet, just waiting for you, Mang brother."
"Luncheon?" Mang Zhan suddenly became eager again. "Is the princess going to be there?"
Li Qinglin’s gaze became more meaningful. Turning around, he saw Qin Yi had already pulled Li Qingjun around the corner. He couldn’t help but find it funny, laughing heartily for a moment before suddenly straightening his face and saying, "My sister won’t drink with beasts."
"You!" Mang Zhan’s face darkened, and he clenched his fists, finally calming down and falling silent.
Around the corner, Li Qingjun leaned against the wall and sighed, "I feel like I always mess things up."
"It’s because you’re too straightforward," Qin Yi smiled. "Maybe all the calmness in your family went to your brother."
"I just don’t understand. Why is it that even though they are deep-rooted enemies, we can’t touch them under the guise of an envoy? Instead, we have to protect them?"
"I don’t know either. I always thought this kind of etiquette was strange, but it seems to be everywhere... Maybe it’s because there are no eternal enemies between countries, only interests. Who knows, you might end up as allies someday?"
"Impossible!" Li Qingjun exclaimed angrily. "Just because he tried to kill my brother, we will never become allies!"
Qin Yi couldn’t answer that. The West Wilderness indeed had a grudge against them, but at least the assassination of her brother wasn’t their doing.
"Still..." Li Qingjun hesitated for a while before finally saying, "Thank you. Otherwise, that spear would have been a bit of a problem."
"No need to thank me. We’re comrades who have fought side by side."
"Comrades?" Li Qingjun smiled slightly. "I guess so."
Qin Yi said, "I actually think your brother is quite reliable. He has a lot of face."
"Hmph, that’s how it should be! Otherwise, how could he be worthy of being my brother, Li Qingjun?"
Qin Yi’s mind raced back to when he heard Li Qinglin say, "He is my friend."
"Friend," huh?
Qin Yi felt that whether it was genuine or not, for a prince to use such a term to refer to a "country bumpkin" like him wasn’t easy. He could have just called him "guest" or even "noble guest," but he specifically chose "friend."
That word carries a different weight. It’s significant.
Lost in thought, he instinctively looked toward the other side of the street.
Li Qingjun was about to say something when she noticed Qin Yi suddenly turn his head. She followed his gaze and saw a stunning Daoist priestess walking toward them.
Like the moon breaking through the clouds, the empty street was suddenly illuminated with a soft glow.
Seeing the priestess’s enchanting beauty, Li Qingjun felt a twinge of discomfort and instinctively straightened up, seemingly trying to show off her own figure.
Liu Su commented, "Don’t puff up; the more you do, the worse it gets."
"..." Qin Yi almost choked. Weren’t you the one who didn’t dare to speak freely in front of Ming He?
"Young Master Qin, we meet again," Ming He said as she approached, bowing slightly. "I’ve been waiting for you for many days."
Qin Yi pretended not to understand, "Waiting for me for what?"
Ming He sighed, "The wooden sword changed hands unexpectedly, so I naturally wanted to know why. I was worried you might have been harmed, but after consulting an oracle, it seems it’s a good omen..."
Qin Yi became interested, "What kind of omen?"
Ming He glanced at Li Qingjun and said, "Auspiciousness of stability, responding to boundless land."
After saying that, she turned to leave, as if she had only come to tell Qin Yi this oracle.
It seemed she had already learned what she wanted from the oracle, so there was no need for further words?
Li Qingjun watched her retreating figure warily, feeling a chill from Ming He’s last glance, as if she had been seen through. It wasn’t until Ming He was far away that she remembered she had a spear. It was as if she couldn’t even think of fighting when Ming He stood in front of her.
"What does 'auspiciousness of stability, responding to boundless land' mean?" Li Qingjun asked Qin Yi.
Qin Yi didn’t know either. When Ming He approached, Liu Su vanished, and without her support, he couldn’t answer such a profound question. He could only say, "It’s a good omen, I suppose. Who knows?"
"This priestess comes over out of nowhere, saying a bunch of strange things. She doesn’t seem like a good person. Who knows if that omen is true!" Li Qingjun warned. "Don’t get too close to someone like her, or you might end up like Dong Huazi!"
Qin Yi chuckled, "That’s impossible."
"Why is it impossible? Isn’t that priestess very pretty? I saw you couldn’t take your eyes off her."
"Her? No matter how beautiful she is, she’s like the Milky Way in the sky—unreachable. I have beauty right beside me that doesn’t lose to her at all. Why would I look at her?"
Li Qingjun was stunned for a long time before suddenly realizing what he meant, her face turning bright red.
Liu Su’s voice suddenly popped up in Qin Yi’s mind, breaking the slightly flirtatious atmosphere: "A gentleman walks his path, first losing his way, then finding the way again. Friends from the southwest are of the same kind; losing friends in the northeast leads to celebration. Auspiciousness of stability, responding to boundless land."
Qin Yi wanted to ask if she just came back from searching online, but as he listened, his expression grew more serious, and he no longer felt like joking.
Someone rushed over and bowed, "Princess, the king commands you to attend the banquet." After a pause, he added, "The prince also invites Mr. Qin to join."
(End of Chapter)