```
"Otherwise, do you think you would have been able to see me?"
Liu Erlong said, slowly downing the strong liquor in her cup in one gulp.
She had a straightforward personality but was not without brains.
Besides, if a problem could be solved with fists, why bother using your brain and tire it out?
However, today was different. She wanted to do something for Qin Xiao, she wanted to make Qin Xiao's revenge upon his return from overseas a bit easier, so she came up with this strategy to set the tiger against the wolf.
The Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan was the tiger, and the Star Luo Royal Family was the wolf.
She intended to have the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan and the Star Luo Royal Family both suffer, and as for who was left, did she care?
When Qin Xiao returned from overseas, he could easily annihilate either party.
Destroying one side was, after all, easier than destroying both, right?
Yet,
a look of indecision showed on Yu Luomian's face.
"Er Long, if our Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan does wipe out the Star Luo Royal Family, do you really think Qin Xiao won't hold a grudge against us?"
He didn't want to be used as a pawn by others.
Liu Erlong gently put down her cup, glancing indifferently at Yu Luomian, "Do you still have a choice? If you wipe out the Star Luo Royal Family and present the gesture, the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan might not be destroyed, but if you don't even have the gesture to present, does the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan still have a chance of existing?"
Yu Luomian saw through her thoughts, but Liu Erlong was far from flustered.
Because this was, to begin with, an overt scheme.
All she needed to do was tell Yu Luomian what the future held. She believed Yu Luomian would make the wise choice.
"Ah, you're right."
Yu Luomian was silent for a long time before he spoke again with a bitter expression.
Forced by circumstances, one has to bow one's head.
"Er Long, I will find a way to deal with the annihilation of the Star Luo Royal Family. Even though the Star Luo Royal Family's strength has weakened, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. It's not something our Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan can take down overnight...."
"So you want me to talk to Qin Xiao and buy you some time, is that it?"
Before Yu Luomian could finish his sentence, Liu Erlong interrupted him.
"Exactly."
Yu Luomian nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with hope.
Even if he wanted to present the gesture of allegiance, it could not be achieved overnight. It would take time and scheming.
This time, Liu Erlong didn't respond immediately, her eyes filled with hesitation as if pondering something.
In fact,
Edit Liu Erlong didn't know when Qin Xiao would return from overseas.
The look she was giving Yu Luomian was just for show.
She couldn't let Yu Luomian or anyone else know that Qin Xiao had already departed; otherwise, where would the deterrence come from?
"Er Long, please don't force me to kneel and beg you...." Yu Luomian, unaware of exactly what the situation with Qin Xiao was, had to set aside his pride and beg Liu Erlong for the sake of his sect's breathing space.
In contrast, Liu Erlong agreed with Yu Luomian's words and didn't reject him, "You need to act quickly."
"Don't worry!"
Yu Luomian was somewhat overjoyed, feeling his attitude was clear, he added, "Definitely."
Liu Erlong said nothing more, retracting her gaze and walking toward her small wooden cabin.
The matter had been satisfactorily resolved, and she had nothing else to say to Yu Luomian.
"Er Long, wait a moment."
After struggling internally, Yu Luomian still called out to Liu Erlong.
"And what else do you want?"
Liu Erlong didn't turn around, answering Yu Luomian with her back to him.
Yu Luomian asked, "I was wondering if you would consider rejoining the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan?"
"What, you think the gesture isn't secure enough and want to tie me to your Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan chariot as well?"
Liu Erlong turned around, smiling as she spoke.
However, her smile made Yu Luomian feel a chill.
It was like the harsh wind of late winter, blowing right through him.
"Don't, don't misunderstand."
Yu Luomian waved his hands frantically, "I just think that with your Purple Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, which is even higher than the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon, and the True Dragon Nine Crowns, no one is more suited to be the clan leader than you."
"Not interested."
Liu Erlong replied coldly with three words and walked straight into the room.
"Er Long..."
"Bang."
Before Yu Luomian could say more, the loud sound of the door slamming cut off the rest of his words.
Yu Luomian could only shrug his shoulders in resignation, "Well, then I'll wait until Qin Xiao changes his mind before asking again, if the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan still exists by that time."
With that, Yu Luomian's figure also disappeared into the night.
...
The sun rose at the crack of dawn.
A large carriage travelled across the wide continent.
Qin Xiao stood atop the carriage, looking into the distance, he could already see the three big characters of Hanhai City.
"Eh, where's that smell coming from, it's a bit salty, a bit fishy..."
Ning Rongrong also poked her head out of the carriage, puzzled.
With a faint smile, Qin Xiao explained, "That's the smell of the sea, we have arrived at the destination of the first part of our journey."
"Hanhai City? I think I've heard my father mention it, but what is Hanhai City for?"
Ning Rongrong frowned, trying hard to remember.
Too bad.
Aside from eating, sleeping, and playing, her little head had some stuff in it, but not much...
Remembering that Ning Fengzhi had mentioned Hanhai City was already quite an achievement.
"Hanhai City is the largest city at the western border of the Tiandou Empire, and it's also the largest coastal city on Soul Land, home to the biggest port on the continent,"
Qin Xiao looked out into the distance, explaining, "And the first step of our sea voyage to Sea God's Island starts from here."
```
"So it is..."
Ning Rongrong nodded, then stretched with a yawn, "Forget it, we still have a long way to go. I'll go back and catch up on some sleep..."
Having said that, her little head withdrew back into the carriage.
After a good while.
A carriage passed through the city wall and entered Hanhai City.
Without the blockade of the city walls, the salty sea breeze became a few degrees stronger.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, and Dugu Yan stayed inside the carriage without coming out, while Qin Xiao was driving the carriage like a coachman.
"Your Highness, where are we going?"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice came from inside the carriage.
Qin Xiao replied, "We are going to set sail, so of course we need to buy some secured items. Just in case, let's first check out the auction house to see if there's anything suitable."
Actually, Qin Xiao wanted to see if the Longyuan Boat, this soul tool, was available at the Hanhai City auction house at this time.
In his memory, it was a fairly good soul tool, capable of submersion and fast speed. If used in conjunction with the Boundless Universe Shield, it could have miraculous effects.
Once its invisibility function was activated, it would be a true lifesaving divine artifact, offering them some security on their maritime venture.
Before long.
Qin Xiao led the four ladies to the grand auction house of Hanhai City.
Instantly, he felt waves of piercing gazes.
Of course.
These gazes had nothing to do with him; they were almost all focused on Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, Dugu Yan, and Ning Rongrong.
It must be said, any one of the four ladies was top-notch in beauty, and when the four gathered together, they attracted even more attention.
However.
When Qin Xiao's large hand came to rest on the slender waists of Meng Yiran and Zhu Zhuqing, the atmosphere of the scene suddenly shifted.
The breathing of the onlookers became noticeably heavier.
"Is there no justice in this world? How can he have two such beauties?"
"This guy, he really has done all sorts of bad deeds."
"This is so unfair, this kid doesn't look like anything good. I am hardworking and rich, so why don't I have such beauties to be my wife?"
"..."
Various comments reached Qin Xiao's ears.
Envy, jealousy, hatred...
They fully displayed what is called impotent fury.
"I'll make anyone who speaks out again live a life worse than death!"
Qin Xiao didn't speak, but Dugu Yan's eyes were shrouded with a layer of aquamarine.
"They are all Soul Masters..."
Seeing this, the people around, whether commoners or Soul Masters, subconsciously retreated a few steps.
They could all sense that Dugu Yan was not one to be trifled with.
"May I ask if there is anything I can help you with?"
At this moment, an attendant finally appeared from within the auction house, approaching the group with a respectful inquiry.
"Discussing business."
Qin Xiao stated indifferently.
"You guys..."
The attendant hesitated, wondering what kind of business these people could possibly have.
Keep in mind, Qin Xiao and his companions were all quite young, and he did not believe they looked like they had much wealth.
"Looking down on people, huh? See what this is?"
Ning Rongrong snorted discontentedly, at the same time a Black Card swept past the attendant in front of her.
"What the..."
"There are only zeros on the Black Card..."
The attendant was bewildered; in his life of several decades, he had never seen so much money.
He immediately realized these were highly esteemed guests.
"Please, come in, come on in."
The attendant hastily said, bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle and gesturing toward the interior of the auction house with extreme deference.
Qin Xiao didn't hesitate and strode into the auction house.
"Glug, glug..."
It was only after Ning Rongrong and the others had completely disappeared from sight that the crowd slowly came back to their senses.
"I admit, I'm jealous. Not to mention that the kid can have his arms around both of them, just having such a wealthy girl following him is like eating a basket of lemons."
"What's the big deal? If I had that face, I could also..."
But, although his tone was dismissive, his eyes were filled with desire.
Without a doubt, at this moment, even though they outwardly disdained Qin Xiao, deep down they all wished they could be Qin Xiao.
Elsewhere.
Qin Xiao and the others had already been arranged into the VIP room and had conveyed their request to the attendant.
In contrast, after serving the group some exquisite refreshments, the attendant said, "Please wait a moment," and then rushed out of the VIP suite, heading straight for the manager's office.
Clang.
The office door was slammed open, startling the manager, who was as round as a ball.
"Snap."
The fine teacup in his hand, worth a silver soul coin, dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces.
"What's the rush for?"
"See those pieces on the ground? You can say goodbye to your salary for this month, the next month, and the month after that."
The chubby manager was livid.
"I'm willing to give up this year's salary, manager, but you must quickly bring out our town's treasure, the Longyuan Boat. A big customer wants to buy it."
The attendant was very anxious.
If this deal went through, his commission would be considerable, worth more than ten years of his salary.
"What? Someone wants to buy the Longyuan Boat?"
The chubby manager was also taken aback.
You see, the Longyuan Boat had been in the auction house for years and had jokingly been called the treasure of the town, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because the usefulness of the Longyuan Boat was somewhat limited.
In shallow sea areas, ordinary vessels were sufficient for travel.
A fairly nice yacht only cost a hundred golden soul coins. The only additional function of the Longyuan Boat was diving, yet it was a hundred times more expensive. Even nobility wouldn't be extravagant enough to buy it. And in deep seas, no one knows whether the Longyuan Boat could withstand the attack of a ten-thousand-year soul beast...
Another reason why the Longyuan Boat hadn't sold was due to the location of Hanhai City. Most of the soul masters living here were Sea Soul Masters, all with the ability to create storms at sea and swim as they please. So why would they need a Longyuan Boat?
"Wait, did the other party say what price they were willing to offer? They're not trying to pick up the Longyuan Boat at a low price, are they?"
The chubby manager suddenly became nervous.
They would rather let the treasure rot in their hands than sell it at a low price.
"Uh, I didn't ask that..."
The attendant was taken aback.
"Then they must be trying to get a bargain."
The manager huffed, thinking he had seen through the true nature of the situation.
"No way, absolutely impossible."
The attendant kept shaking his head.
His determination was so resolute that it caught the chubby manager by surprise. "Why are you so sure?"
The attendant countered, "Manager, have you ever seen a black card with all zeros?"
"Don't talk about seeing, I haven't even heard of such a thing, unless it belongs to the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the Imperial Capital, right?"
The manager said with a look of reverence.
The soul master world respects the powerful Titled Douluos.
The business world admires the wealthiest, Ning Fengzhi.
"Wait."
He belatedly asked, "It couldn't be Ning Fengzhi who wants to buy the Longyuan Boat, could it?"
"Not him, but that customer's black card also has all zeros..."
"Wait for me."
The manager spoke as he opened the safe and took out an item about a foot long, with a texture similar to jade, the front shaped like a dragon's head, the tail resembled a fish's tail standing upright, and on each side, there were four things like fish fins.
As soon as the item was presented, the room was filled with waves of soul power fluctuation.
Without a doubt, the Longyuan Boat was no ordinary object.
"Come on, let's go take a look."
The chubby manager said as he rushed out of the office.
Some time later.
Qin Xiao, Ning Rongrong, Meng Yiran, and the other five people left the auction house.
"Qin Xiao, ten thousand golden soul coins for this thing, are you sure it's not a loss?"
"It's so small; it's not even as good as buying a luxurious large ship."
Ning Rongrong played with the Longyuan Boat in her hand, unable to discern its significance.
"When it's not needed, of course it's useless. But when it is needed, even a hundred thousand or a million golden soul coins would be worth it."
"After all, this thing is for saving lives."
Qin Xiao said meaningfully.
If it had been before, in the vast ocean, aside from that near million-year soul beast, what was there to fear?
But now.
With his injuries unhealed, he had to be extra cautious.
The Longyuan Boat combined with the Boundless Universe Shield was enough to take everyone and run in case of danger.
...
I wish you all a new year filled with happiness and prosperity.
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