The Blood Vine released the ball. The two sprouts that grew out of the ball turned into two small hands and started digging on the ground. In a short while, the little fellow disappeared. It burrowed into the ground and ran far away. It dug another small hole a few hundred meters away and revealed its head.

The Blood Vine relied on this ability to release dozens of small sprouts and let them go out to find similar places. Although these little fellows were very weak, they were very agile and their auras were weak. They did not attract attention easily and could generally survive for a long time.

For example, the furthest one had already run thousands of miles away. His ability really surprised Li Yuanqing.

“Master, I wonder when we’ll leave?” The Blood Vine looked at Li Yuanqing respectfully. He seemed to be especially concerned about this matter.

Li Yuanqing ignored him and put it into his domain.

On the other side, in the City Lord Manor.

The envoy from Sea City knelt respectfully in front of Hu Jiujiu without any arrogance.

“City Lord Hu, our City Lord has said that our Sea City will be Ping City’s vassal in the future. No matter what the City Lord says, we will do it without hesitation!”

Not only did the envoy bring expensive gifts over, but he also directly confirmed the vassal relationship of Sea City. Hu Jiujiu could not say anything else.

Minglun stood guard at the side and looked at the Sea City Envoy quietly. After Hu Jiujiu gestured to him, he said, “Our City Lord means that the situation in the entire catacombs is very complicated now. We can’t even take care of ourselves, so we don’t need such a vassal city yet.”

The envoy suddenly raised his head and looked at Hu Jiujiu in disbelief. Hai Changping had already lowered his attitude so much. He did not expect Hu Jiujiu to take them down a notch. It was beneficial to Ping City if Sea City was a vassal of them. Moreover, it would expand Ping City so much. How could anyone reject it?

“City Lord Hu, our City Lord is really sincere about combining the two cities. In the future, we can strengthen our cooperation and complement our advantages. This will be very beneficial to both our cities.”

Minglun suddenly took a step forward and blocked his way. He glared at him and said, “Why? Did you not understand what our City Lord means? Go back and tell your City Lord Hai that our Ping City is fine and doesn’t need such a useless subordinate.”

The envoy was not angry at being reprimanded. Instead, he smiled at Minglun and said, “Great General, you also know the situation outside. It’s chaos. If our two cities don’t strengthen our cooperation, then one of our cities will be destroyed first in the future. At that time, can you still say these words?”

Minglun sneered and looked at him. “Are you threatening me?”

“Great General, you’ve misunderstood. How would I dare to threaten you? However, I think that it’s a troubled time now. If we can become one, there will naturally be a more condensed power. It’s extremely beneficial to both of us. If the City Lord insists on doing this, I’m afraid there will be a day when you will regret it in the future.”

The envoy’s words were very convincing. He looked at Hu Jiujiu as if he had calculated that Hu Jiujiu would definitely regret her decision.

Hu Jiujiu was not very interested in their Sea City to begin with. If they took over that place, there would be no suitable candidate to be the City Lord. Although that place was still quite rich in resources, it was already a very important step for Hu Jiujiu to manage Ping City well. As for what happened after that, there was no hurry to do it.

The envoy from Sea City could not understand why Hu Jiujiu had such courage. It was very strange. He was clearly here to submit, but she did not appreciate it. Such a strange thing had happened.

This envoy originally thought that his words would be able to wake Hu Jiujiu up. However, not only was Hu Jiujiu unmoved, she even yawned. It seemed like she was not interested in his topic at all.

Hu Jiujiu waved her hand and instructed Minglun, “Take good care of the envoy. Don’t let him be neglected here, in case he reports me to his City Lord after he returns.”

“City Lord Hu, don’t misunderstand. Our City Lord has always respected you very much. As long as you give the order, the City Lord will immediately bow down to you. But why…”

“Didn’t you hear? Our City Lord said that you can go down and rest. Don’t tire yourself out. Don’t waste your breath here.”

“But…”

The envoy from Sea City never expected that his trip would end in failure. When Hai Changping gave this mission, he thought that he was confident that nothing would go wrong and did not take it to heart.

Moreover, he felt that the City Lord had lowered his stance too much, causing them to have no room to bargain at all. Therefore, he thought about it and wanted to obtain more benefits from this negotiation.

This was also the reason why he spoke a little more forcefully just now. He did not expect Hu Jiujiu to directly reject his suggestion.

This was his life. If this agreement could not be negotiated, then according to Hai Changping’s words, he does not have to go back anymore.

The envoy hurriedly knelt on the ground, wanting to stop Hu Jiujiu. However, Hu Jiujiu left without looking back, leaving Minglun holding a sword in front of him.

“What are you doing?”

“Great General, as long as you let us submit to you, you can become the King of Sea City. Isn’t this a good thing for Ping City? But why did you refuse?”

Minglun said to him angrily, “How would I know why? Of course, since the City Lord has already given the order, there’s no room for negotiation. Bring these words back obediently and tell Hai Changping. Also, don’t pretend not to hear our City Lord in the future. Otherwise, you won’t be able to withstand the anger of our City Lord.”

“But…”

The envoy wanted to continue persuading Minglun, but Minglun refused to listen. He glared at him and said, “I’ve already made it very clear to you. If you go down obediently now, I can arrange a guide for you. You can tour Ping City for the next few days. It’s possible to go back after you’re happy. But if you’re stubborn, I’m afraid there won’t be a guide for you.”

The envoy knelt on the ground paralyzed. He had never expected to be defeated so completely this time. He had thought that it was such a simple task, but why did he encounter a rash person like Hu Jiujiu? Sea City was such a huge city, but why did it seem like nothing to Hu Jiujiu? It was not tempting to her at all.

The worldview of the Sea City Envoy was about to be shattered. He did not know what he had done or said wrong. However, how was he going to explain this to the City Lord when he returned?

Even though the envoy of Sea City was extremely lonely, he was helpless. Now that the defeat was certain, he could only leave obediently. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain if he really angered the other party.

Although the business had not been completed yet, at least he had a chance. He did not want to seal off all these future paths.

After watching the Sea City Envoy leave, Minglun stood on the high wall of the City Lord Manor and pondered silently.

The subordinate who went out to send him off quickly ran back. A group of people gathered behind Minglun and lamented.

“What do you think is wrong with the City Lord? Why did the City Lord abandon such a fertile piece of land in Sea City just like that? I feel that this is too much of a loss. That old coward Hai Changping has already sent the entire city to the City Lord, but the City Lord just said that she doesn’t want it.”

“Isn’t that so? In my opinion, a person like Hai Changping isn’t qualified to be the City Lord at all. I’m afraid he won’t be able to survive for long.”

“Could it be that he can’t survive anymore because he lost his status in Sea City, so he wants to take the opportunity to cozy up to someone outside so that he can live a little longer?”

Everyone had their own opinions, but this argument made sense. Not only had Hai Changping violated his agreement with Hu Jiujiu, but there were also many dissatisfied voices in Sea City.

Although he had indeed done many things and allowed the demons to continuously harm the humans, there were still many people who took the opportunity to accuse him of being a profiteer. As a result, Hai Changping’s reputation in Sea City plummeted.

This time, he took a fancy to the rise of the human race in both Ping City and Rong City. On the other hand, his position was indeed in danger. Many people had already infiltrated to be his guards.

Minglun looked quietly at the bustling street below. No one knew what he was thinking.

“Captain, in my opinion, this is a good opportunity. If we can take this opportunity to take down Sea City, and if you can take this opportunity to nominate yourself to be the City Lord of Sea City, won’t we all soar into the sky by that time?”

“Instead of staying here as a small guard captain, why don’t you run to Sea City and become the City Lord? At that time, you will really be above everyone.”

Minglun looked down at the city tower silently. With his current strength, he was still lacking if he wanted to be the City Lord. However, it would be hard to say if he had Hu Jiujiu and the support of the Sword Immortal.

As long as Hu Jiujiu was willing to open her mouth, he could become the City Lord of Sea City. However, he was just a guard captain. How could Hu Jiujiu send him to be the City Lord?

Although Minglun was very tempted, this idea was indeed a little too radical.

“It would be best if that’s the case.” He muttered softly.

His subordinates behind him seemed to have heard his words and hurriedly came up.

“Boss, what are you saying? You must want to do this very much, right? Then let’s tell the City Lord together. I believe that the City Lord will definitely not give up so easily with such a favorable situation.”

“What are you thinking about? Behave yourself and don’t think about so many useless things. Remember?”

Minglun suddenly turned around and reprimanded them angrily before leaving.

The group of lackeys looked innocently in the direction their boss had left with aggrieved expressions. They originally wanted their boss to be able to achieve meteoric success, so they, as his subordinates, could follow suit. However, why was their boss so angry today and scolded them?

“What’s going on with Boss?”

“Cut the crap. Recently, Boss has been feeling uneasy. Perhaps he has gotten into a conflict with the City Lord. As his subordinates, we should be smarter. We can’t anger the City Lord.”

Minglun left the City Lord Manor and returned to his residence. Not long after, a black-robed figure left in a hurry.

The Sea City Envoy sat on the bed with a frown, not knowing what to do. He had thought of all kinds of ways, but it seemed like Hu Jiujiu no longer planned to see him. She instructed her subordinates to get the local demons to bring him here and send him back after two days. How could he have the face to go back?

The envoy’s face was filled with worry. When he saw the bustling streets and pedestrians outside, he was not interested at all. It was as if everything outside was only annoying and boring.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Lord Huang, it’s me.”

The person who came spoke very quietly. However, the envoy could immediately tell that it was the Great General, Minglun. He hurriedly jumped up from the bed and rushed to the door. He opened it respectfully and looked at Minglun excitedly.

“General, why are you interested in seeing me? Did the City Lord change her mind?”

Minglun walked straight into his room and poured a basin of cold water on his head. “Don’t think too much. The City Lord has already made up her mind. She won’t change her mind easily.”

“This…” The envoy looked at Minglun sadly, and his aura instantly withered. He had finally been happy for a while, but now that he heard this news, how could he be happy? He cupped his hands at Minglun. “Thank you, General. You were able to find time to tell me about this in your busy schedule. I’m eternally grateful.”

“However, there are other ways. Perhaps there’s still hope.”

Minglun suddenly gave him hope again, as if he could see light again.

“General, what did you say? There’s still hope?”

“I’m just saying maybe.”