Time passed, and only five days remained until the Seven Great Sects were reelected.
Spirit City had never been so lively.
The inns in the city had long been full, while the restaurants, teahouses, and eateries were packed every day. The owners were grinning from ear to ear.
The people of Spirit Hall were busy too. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were in charge of receiving the sect masters, greeting them as they came and seeing them off. By the end of each day, their smiles had frozen on their faces.
Gu Qingshan had been busy these past few days as well. His Holy Son Mansion had become the busiest place in Spirit Hall, with sect masters, elders, and representatives from all the sects coming to pay their respects every day.
Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armored Sect had been the first to arrive. He brought lavish gifts, said plenty of flattering things, and left grinning like a flower.
The new clan leader of the Breaking Clan had come too, bringing a box of freshly refined pills as a gift for His Highness the Holy Son. He had also taken the opportunity to ask about the immortal herbs.
Gu Qingshan accepted the pills and told him they could discuss the immortal herbs after the reelection assembly. The new clan leader had left, overflowing with gratitude.
Even Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had sent someone to deliver a gift. The gift list had been long, filling an entire page, and its wording had been respectful.
That day, Chrysanthemum Douluo announced that Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had come to request an audience.
Gu Qingshan recalled Yu Luomian from the original story. He was Yu Yuanzhen's younger brother and the second most important figure in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
He was ambitious, but not particularly capable, and had always been kept under Yu Yuanzhen's thumb. Deep down, he was deeply resentful.
In the original story, he had secretly pledged himself to Spirit Hall, providing them with intelligence on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He had been a key figure in the clan's downfall.
He had come of his own accord on the eve of the reelection of the Seven Great Sects. It wasn't hard to guess what he wanted.
"Let him in."
Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped aside, and two people walked in through the doorway.
The elderly man in front was in his sixties or seventies, broad-shouldered and imposing. His face bore some resemblance to Yu Yuanzhen's, but he lacked Yu Yuanzhen's commanding air. Instead, his features were marked by a few more traces of cunning, and his lips were thinner.
But the woman behind him made Gu Qingshan's eyes light up.
She wore a simple blue-gray cloth dress. Her features were exquisite and captivating, her large black eyes full of life, her cheeks fair with a rosy flush, and her lips full and sensuous.
The cloth robe hugged a voluptuous, perfect figure that no young girl could hope to match.
Her slender waist only made her already generous bust look fuller, as if it might burst through the robe.
And those long legs looked so powerful...
Hiss!
Scandalous!
Judging by that figure, could she be Liu Erlong?
She looked far prettier than the anime model, especially her figure—it was simply off the charts!
At the same time, he was a little puzzled. Weren't Liu Erlong and Yu Luomian on bad terms? In the original story, Yu Luomian hadn't cared much for his illegitimate daughter, and Liu Erlong had felt little affection for him either.
Why had she come with Yu Luomian?
Seeing Gu Qingshan stare fixedly at Erlong, Yu Luomian's eyes shifted.
Yu Luomian had lived more than half his life. He still had an eye for these things.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. It seemed that no matter how impressive the boy was, he was still a youth. A young man's admiration for a beautiful woman was only natural.
His own daughter was a beauty, and her talent was nothing to scoff at either: she possessed a mutated, top-grade Martial Soul with both lightning and fire attributes.
She might be a little older, but she was still an untouched young woman.
If the Holy Son was interested, why not...? Yu Luomian's smile deepened.
Yu Luomian stepped forward at just the right moment and bowed with cupped fists. "Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, accompanied by my daughter Erlong, pays his respects to His Highness the Holy Son."
Gu Qingshan composed himself and looked away from Liu Erlong.
"Second Master Yu, you're too polite. Please, have a seat."
Yu Luomian straightened and took a seat among the guests. He had long been thinking of relying on Spirit Hall.
Yu Yuanzhen ruled the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan with an iron fist, having the final say in everything. His younger brother couldn't even get a word in.
The elders only had eyes for their clan leader. What did Yu Luomian amount to?
A Soul Douluo, a younger brother forever held down by his elder brother.
His talent was inferior to Yu Yuanzhen's. He would never break through to Titled Douluo by his own efforts.
He was unwilling to spend his life in Yu Yuanzhen's shadow, forever being called "Yu Yuanzhen's younger brother," and dying as nothing more than a Soul Douluo.
But not long ago, Yu Yuanzhen had actually backed down in front of the Holy Son and publicly declared his support for Spirit Hall.
If Yu Yuanzhen joined forces with Spirit Hall first, what value would Yu Luomian have left?
He had to get ahead of Yu Yuanzhen.
Yu Luomian drew a deep breath. "Your Highness, there's no need for me to beat around the bush. I have admired Spirit Hall for a long time."
"This old man is willing to serve Spirit Hall."
Gu Qingshan looked at Yu Luomian's earnest, almost obsequious face as he chewed on a Blue Silver Leaf.
"How does Second Master Yu plan to serve?"
Yu Luomian's eyes brightened. His Highness hadn't refused, which meant he was willing to accept Yu Luomian's pledge. He was simply waiting for him to show his sincerity.
Yu Luomian pulled a thin booklet from his robes and presented it to Gu Qingshan with both hands.
"This is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's genealogy, along with detailed information on every clan member at Soul Douluo rank or above: their Martial Souls, ranks, Soul Skills, weaknesses, relationships, the clan's businesses throughout the land, and the blueprints for its fortifications."
"This old man knows these things may not amount to much to Spirit Hall, but they are proof of my sincerity."
Gu Qingshan took the booklet and leafed through a few pages. The information was extremely detailed.
Yu Luomian was certainly sincere.
"What do you want, Second Master Yu?"
"The Nine Crowns of the True Dragon. I want the Nine Crowns of the True Dragon."
Gu Qingshan tapped his fingers on the desk.
"The Nine Crowns of the True Dragon are the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's most prized treasure. Only the clan leader is entitled to wear them. Do you want them because you wish to become clan leader?"
Yu Luomian nodded without saying a word.
Gu Qingshan pondered for a moment.
"Second Master Yu, you should know that they're in Yu Yuanzhen's hands. If you want them, you'll have to take them yourself."
Yu Luomian's expression shifted, and his lips moved slightly.
"This old man knows, of course. But as long as Spirit Hall supports me, I'll find a way to get them."
The Nine Crowns of the True Dragon might be important to Yu Luomian, but they were of little consequence to Spirit Hall.
Trading something of little consequence for an inside man in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a good deal.
Whether Yu Luomian could get the Nine Crowns of the True Dragon was his own business.
Spirit Hall would provide support, but it wouldn't guarantee the outcome.
"Very well. On behalf of Spirit Hall, I agree."
At that, Yu Luomian put on another obsequious smile.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Erlong, why don't you pay your respects to His Highness?"
Liu Erlong stepped forward and bowed slightly, revealing a stretch of pale collarbone as her fiery presence swept over him.
Gu Qingshan chewed up the leaf and swallowed it.
"Miss Liu, you're too polite."
Yu Luomian saw it all, and the corners of his mouth lifted even higher.
His efforts to bring Erlong back and mend their relationship hadn't been in vain.
She was another useful bargaining chip!
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