In the banquet hall, everyone was surprised to know that Li Xiaotian had actually come to attend the banquet. Their expressions were filled with astonishment, followed by joy. They had been searching the entire capital for him to exact revenge, and unexpectedly, he had delivered himself to their doorstep.
"Hahaha, come on, let's go see Li Xiaotian being arrested by the War Department! I didn't expect him to be so arrogant, daring to show up knowing we're all attending the God of War banquet."
Li Weihai laughed heartily, got up, and prepared to lead the group towards the hotel entrance.
But they had only taken a few steps when Li Xiaotian and his entourage entered the hotel. The two groups met head-on.
The smiles on the faces of Li Weihai and the others instantly froze.
"Li Xiaotian, how dare you! Who gave you the courage to enter here? Get out at once!" Old Master Zhao's face darkened as soon as he saw Li Xiaotian, and he reprimanded him loudly.
In an instant, the guests in the hall were all drawn to the commotion, their eyes fixed on the scene.
"Li Xiaotian, you didn't happen to injure the hotel manager and force your way in, did you? Open your dog eyes and see where this is. This is not a place where you can act so recklessly!" Zhao Lu said with resentment in her eyes, then shouted at the hotel staff around her.
"Quick, call your hotel security and arrest this group of people!"
However, the hotel staff had clearly been instructed by the middle-aged man earlier. They remained unmoved, ignoring Zhao Lu's shouts.
Li Xiaotian narrowed his eyes, staring at Old Master Zhao and the others, his tone laced with a faint mockery.
"A bunch of barking mongrels. Haven't you been beaten enough?"
"Presumptuous!! Li Xiaotian, you're courting death!!" Old Master Zhao was furious at this remark. His face turned ashen. Li Xiaotian was calling him a dog?
Preposterous, absolutely preposterous!
Seeing this, Li Weihai raised his hand, and the Zhao family members immediately fell silent. Among this group, Li Weihai held the highest status.
Li Weihai sized up Li Xiaotian and then said with a slightly cold tone.
"You are Li Xiaotian? You crippled my Chao Yue and still have the audacity to come here? Speak, how do you want to die?"
"The Li family, heh heh." Li Xiaotian sneered, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his heart, before continuing.
"Did you receive the message I sent with that beast Li Chaoyue a few days ago?"
Ten days later, the Li family would be destroyed – that was what Li Xiaotian had told Li Chaoyue back then.
Upon hearing Li Xiaotian's words, the Li family members were enraged. Their faces turned ashen. Li Weihai, his face flushed red, pointed at Li Xiaotian and roared.
"You're outrageous!! What right do you have? You dare to destroy my Li family? Do you know how powerful my Li family is?"
"Grandpa, leave him to me. I'll take people to bring him out. This kind of person, dying here would dirty the place!"
Li Wenbo's voice was ice-cold as he stared intently at Li Xiaotian, his eyes flashing with intense killing intent.
"Why waste words with him? Since he's delivered himself to our doorstep, let's break all his limbs first, and deal with him after the banquet!" The head of the Zhang family said with a cold smile, waving his hand. The guards he brought stepped forward.
"Old Master Li, Patriarch Zhang, everyone, it's best not to cause trouble tonight, as this is a banquet hosted by Officer Li from the War Department." At this moment, the middle-aged man who had been reprimanded by Li Xiaotian earlier mustered his courage and walked over, trembling with nervousness.
On one side was Li Xiaotian, whose identity was mysterious, and on the other were the top aristocratic families of the capital. His speaking at this moment was clearly unwise.
However, he had already offended Li Xiaotian. Although the other party had not punished him, he was constantly uneasy. After all, someone who could make Jiang Hai refer to himself as a lowly person must have an extraordinary background. If that person were to think of today's events someday and decide to punish him, he would be utterly ruined.
Thus, the middle-aged man stepped forward to de-escalate the situation for Li Xiaotian.
"Who do you think you are? Do you have a place to speak here? Get lost!" Li Weihai glanced at the middle-aged man dismissively, his tone filled with disdain.
"Isn't he the manager of the Imperial Hotel? What, do you think your prestige is so great that our Li family will listen to you?" Li Wenbo said with a cold laugh.
The middle-aged man's head began to spin. He quickly said.
"Old Master Li, Young Master Li, please don't misunderstand. If we mess up the banquet, which the War Department has entrusted to our Imperial Hotel, what will happen if the War Department holds us accountable later?"
"Moreover, this Mr. Li is also a guest tonight. He is a guest of our Imperial Hotel, and we will not allow anything to happen to him."
"He's also a guest? What kind of joke are you telling? Didn't you just say his invitation was fake?" Zhao Lu exclaimed in disbelief, feeling as if she had been tricked. The Zhao family members also looked very displeased.
Li Xiaotian was actually a guest at the God of War banquet? How could this be possible? Why would the God of War Long Batian invite him to attend?
"It was the fault of this humble servant for misidentifying. Mr. Li is indeed a guest tonight, and he was invited by the War Department," the middle-aged man explained, bracing himself.
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone present became uneasy. Li Xiaotian was an honored guest invited by the War Department? How could this be possible? The person clearly had no connection to the War Department and was merely an insignificant figure without any background.
For a moment, Li Weihai and the others found themselves in a predicament.
"Hmph! So be it. We'll attend the banquet first, and then we'll deal with you!" Li Weihai said coldly, then instructed his grandson, Li Wenbo, who was beside him.
"Have someone guard the hotel and don't let him escape later!"
"Yes, Grandpa, rest assured. He might not even live until the end of the banquet. Don't forget who the main character of tonight is." Li Wenbo said with a cold smile.
Upon his reminder, everyone present suddenly understood. That's right, the main character of tonight's banquet was the God of War Long Batian, and Long Batian had already promised the Li family that if Li Xiaotian appeared, he would surely die!
Later, when Long Batian arrived and saw Li Xiaotian attending his banquet so brazenly, he would surely be even more enraged.
"Haha, perhaps we'll get to see a good show later?" Li Weihai laughed heartily, then led the group away.
A hint of disdain flickered across Li Xiaotian's face as he continued forward with Ye Qingmei and the others.
"Xiaotian, where should we sit? My invitation was torn up, do you remember our seats?" Fang Yuan asked with a pale face. The events of tonight had truly shaken her.
"I remember," Li Xiaotian said calmly. Their seats were at Table One, the foremost table.
Li Xiaotian led the group forward. Upon reaching Table One, he said to Ye Qingmei.
"Sit down. I'll introduce you to Li Shanhai later. He's a very good old man."
"Ah? Xiaotian, don't joke!" Ye Qingmei was stunned. They were sitting at Table One? And they would be dining with Li Shanhai later? How was that possible?
"Xiaotian, stop joking. The people from the Li and Zhao families are all watching us. At this point, don't give them any more opportunities," Fang Yuan's face turned even paler.