In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Qi Sen's face was expressionless, his brows were furrowed, and his attitude was neither good nor bad.

"Please sit down."

Li Yuanchang slowly sat down and glanced around: "Chief, did you summon me here for something important?"

The tent was extremely quiet, with only the howling of the wind and snow outside.

Qi Sen glared at him, his eyes sharp, and suddenly asked, "Your name is really Li Zheng?"

Li Yuanchang clearly saw out of the corner of his eye that Ada on the side revealed a cold smile.

With Lu Ge being taken away, he immediately had a bad feeling.

"Great Chief, what do you mean?"

"I heard that a prince of the Tang Dynasty was besieged by the Xueyantuo army and fell into the Wuding River."

"And this prince is about your age."

"The most coincidental thing is that the Wuding River happens to lead to the Gena Grassland." His eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

Guo Chao immediately denied it.

But Li Yuanchang stopped him. Judging from the situation, the other party must have already guessed it, and denying it would only seem too fake.

"Great Chief, please forgive me."

"I didn't tell the truth at first out of necessity. I had no ill intentions; I just didn't want too many people to know and cause trouble for the Meng tribe."

Upon hearing this, everyone inside the tent paled, and an uproar erupted.

"That's true!"

"Truly the king of the Tang Empire!"

Li Yuanchang cupped his hands and continued, "If the Great Chieftain is worried that I might bring any danger to the tribe, then I may leave now."

"I will never be a burden to the tribe."

"Not only that, I will also fulfill what I promised you."

Ada sneered, "You're probably not going anywhere."

Upon hearing this, both Li Yuanchang and Guo Chao's expressions changed.

"Great Chief, what do you mean?" Li Yuanchang ignored Ada.

Qi Sen didn't look at Li Yuanchang, but instead swirled his wine cup and said, "Your Highness, don't blame me. You are a Han Chinese, and I am a Hu."

"If I help you, the tribe will be wiped out. The Xueyantuo are not people we can afford to offend."

Consider this meal a farewell meal.

Li Yuanchang squinted; he sensed that this farewell meal was not the same as the usual farewell meal.

"Why doesn't the Great Chief put it more directly?"

Qi Sen said angrily in a deep voice, "I have already notified the Xueyantuo people, and I will hand you over to them."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's face darkened.

Guo Chao roared in fury: "You!!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

All around him were the sounds of swords being drawn. Guo Chao instinctively wanted to draw his sword, only to realize that he had nothing.

In an instant, the banquet was filled with the glint of swords and the shadows of spears. Even outside, many tribal warriors poured in, surrounding Li Yuanchang and his companion.

This isn't a welcoming banquet; it's a trap!

Guo Chao was furious!

Li Yuanchang remained extremely calm, and Li could see that deep within his furious eyes lay a hint of guilt.

"Is it because of the heavy snowstorm on the grasslands today?"

Qi Sen glared at him angrily but said nothing.

Li Yuanchang poured himself a bowl of wine, the splashing sound of the water clear and distinct, truly demonstrating that he remained calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

"Has the Great Chief ever considered that the Xueyantuo are actually nothing? I can still solve your problem."

"Moreover, being close to the Tang Dynasty is far more beneficial than being close to the Xueyantuo."

"If you hand me over to the Xueyantuo now, how can you be so sure it won't bring annihilation to the tribe?"

Qi Sen's angry expression changed.

"Chief, it's alright, you still have time to consider."

"The choice is entirely up to you."

"As long as you are willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, I guarantee that I will bear all the losses of your tribe and that your tribe will be protected by the Tang Dynasty." Li Yuanchang offered an exorbitant price.

Qi Sennu was clearly tempted.

But at that moment, Ada came out.

"Father, don't listen to him!"

"No matter how powerful the Tang Dynasty was, it was too far away for them to reach it."

"But if you offend the Xueyantuo, who are also nomadic peoples of the grasslands, your entire clan will be wiped out!"

"Moreover, this child is all talk and no action. He may seem harmless on the surface, but who knows what kind of resentment he might hold against Father. He will surely settle scores with us later."

"That's how their Han Chinese dynasties have always been!"

"That's right, that's right!"

Many warriors spoke up in unison to agree with Ada.

"By exchanging this man for the Xueyantuo's grain and cloth, our people can survive this harsh winter!"

"Great Chieftain, the Tang Dynasty cannot be trusted. We must make our own decisions about the affairs of the grasslands!"

"What the Tang Dynasty wanted was to annex the grasslands!"

"Ada is right, we have no choice but to cooperate with the Xueyantuo!"

The voices were a cacophony of voices, all in unison, almost all advocating for handing Li Yuanchang over to Xueyantuo.

Qi Sen's previously wavering gaze returned to its cold indifference; he too had to consider the will of all his people.

"Your Highness, we have saved your life, which is more than enough."

"But now, I have to think about my people."

"If there is anything I have wronged you about, please don't blame me. This farewell meal is the last time the Qimeng tribe will treat you."

Li Yuanchang knew he could no longer persuade them, but he made no move to do so.

Given their current injuries, it would be difficult for them to even break out of this tent.

"Great Chieftain, can you tell me whether this was your idea or his?"

Ada squinted.

"Is there a difference?" Qi Sen retorted angrily.

Although he didn't answer, Li Yuanchang basically already had the answer in his mind.

"Great Chief, he has learned to make decisions on his own."

"Most of the people in your tent are echoing him. As the leader, you should be careful not to be betrayed."

"Some dogs will bite their owners," Li Yuanchang said quietly.

"You're asking for it!" Ada roared, making a move to attack.

"Stop!" Qi Sen shouted angrily.

Ada's hand, which was raising the knife, froze, and he instinctively became angry.

"Father, he's trying to sow discord!"

Snapped!

Qi Sen angrily slapped Ada hard across the face, causing his nose to bleed profusely.

Ada's fierce eyes flashed with murderous intent for a moment.

"How dare you speak to me in that tone?" Qi Sen said coldly.

Ada gritted his teeth, bowed his head, and knelt down: "Father, I dare not, I was wrong."

"snort!"

"Get out! No one is allowed to touch him until the Xueyantuo people arrive. No one is allowed to bully the weak. Let him finish his meal properly and then lock him in his tent." Qi Sennu was still somewhat law-abiding, so he wasn't a bad person.

The tribal warriors inside the tent all looked at Ada, seemingly listening to him.

"Walk!"

Ada gritted her teeth and left in humiliation, giving Li Yuanchang one last fierce look before she left.

Qi Sen glared at Li Yuanchang, then left without saying anything more.

Li Yuanchang said, "Great Chief, you still have a chance to turn back."

"Handing me over might be the biggest regret of your life. Don't trust him."

Qi Sen paused angrily: "The affairs of the Qi Meng tribe are not for outsiders to interfere in. He is my adopted son, and I, as the chief, know how to manage those below."

After saying that, he left.

Immediately afterwards, the Qisen tribe's forces made noise and surrounded the camp from the outside, sealing it off completely.