Chapter 87

"Devil's Island!" Upon seeing the message on the note, Fengxian's expression changed drastically.

"Is there something wrong?" Bai Cangdong asked.

"Whether it's Fenghua City, Zixiao City, or Daolun City, they all fall under the jurisdiction of the Sky Pillar Marquis. However, the sea is the domain of the Seven Seas Marquis. I've heard of Devil's Island before. Most of Zixiao City's influence is within the Sky Pillar Marquis's territory, but Devil's Island is in the Seven Seas Marquis's territory. This means that Zixiao City must pay resources to both the Sky Pillar Marquis and the Seven Seas Marquis. Devil's Island has very few resources to offer, not even many Undead creatures. Only the Devil Crystals are somewhat valuable, but they can only be used in medicine to refine a poison called Devil Pill, which is not very valuable."

"Since Devil's Island offers no significant benefits, why does the Zixiao Marquis still have to pay resources to the Seven Seas Marquis for this island instead of simply abandoning it?" Bai Cangdong asked, puzzled.

"If it could be abandoned, Zixiao City would have done so long ago. When Devil Crystals were first discovered, they were very expensive. Zixiao City used many means to please the Seven Seas Marquis to obtain Devil's Island. However, it was later found that the poison from Devil Pill could be neutralized with a common herb, causing the value of Devil Crystals to plummet. Despite this, the benefits promised to the Seven Seas Marquis cannot be reduced. Devil's Island has thus remained under the jurisdiction of Zixiao City, but in reality, Zixiao City has not set foot on Devil's Island for years. One reason is that Devil Crystals are no longer valuable, and the other is the rampant piracy at sea. Zixiao City is not a maritime power and has no influence at sea, so pirates often plunder their goods. Therefore, Devil's Island has been left idle."

"The Seven Seas Marquis does not care who divides Zixiao City, but if the resources due to him are reduced, Fenghua City and Daolun City will face his wrath. Therefore, the two cities must clarify the归属 of Devil's Island to determine who will pay the resources to the Seven Seas Marquis."

"In that case, it seems that the Fenghua Marquis is preparing to take over Devil's Island and exile us there." Bai Cangdong's expression was not good. If they really went to Devil's Island, a place where even birds wouldn't defecate, with no resources and no population, surrounded by pirates, it would be a place where it would take 500 years to advance a level.

"It seems the Fenghua Marquis is determined to drive our Feng family out of Fenghua City." Fengxian sighed.

"Strange, the Feng family has fallen to such a state, and our ancestors were veterans who fought alongside the Fenghua Marquis. Why would the Fenghua Marquis target the Feng family so much?" Bai Cangdong was very puzzled.

"Do you know why the Fenghua Marquis is not surnamed Feng or Hua, but his title is Fenghua, and the city he built is called Fenghua City?" Fengxian said, "It's because the Fenghua Marquis was once a knight of our Feng family. The old ancestor of the Hua family and our old ancestor were sworn brothers. The title of Fenghua Marquis was given by the two old ancestors when he was ennobled as a baron. The Fenghua Marquis has always been troubled by his origins, but because the Feng and Hua families were extremely powerful at the time, even after he was ennobled as a marquis, he still needed to rely on the two families to manage everything. It seems the Fenghua Marquis has never let go of this grudge."

"I see, so we are definitely going to Devil's Island." Bai Cangdong frowned slightly.

"You don't have to go to Devil's Island. You can leave Fenghua City and go to another city." Fengxian said.

"Let's see how it goes." Bai Cangdong shook his head.

Although Fengxian was the special envoy, the person truly responsible for the negotiations was a viscount with the title "Nine Heroes," one of the true confidants of the Fenghua Marquis.

"Once you arrive in Daolun City, you must be self-disciplined and not tarnish the reputation of Fenghua City." Before the convoy set out, the Nine Heroes Viscount lectured Fengxian and Bai Cangdong.

"Nine Heroes Viscount, you should take care of yourself." Fengxian was in a bad mood, about to be exiled to Devil's Island, and naturally didn't want to give the Nine Heroes Viscount a good face.

Seeing Fengxian and Bai Cangdong leave without looking back, the Nine Heroes Viscount's expression was very unpleasant.

"Knight Hua, keep an eye on them. They must not run away." The Nine Heroes Viscount said to Hua Qianwu.

"The Marquis has already given orders." Hua Qianwu said indifferently.

Seeing that Hua Qianwu did not want to deal with him, the Nine Heroes Viscount left in a huff, shouting at the convoy personnel outside to get everything ready for departure.

Fengxian and Bai Cangdong were assigned to a low-quality carriage, showing that the Nine Heroes Viscount was quite "caring" towards them.

Bai Cangdong did not care about the Nine Heroes Viscount's provocation and was thinking about how to face the Daolun City Lord and Lotus Lady once they arrived in Daolun City. He was once the president of the Daolun Society and had fled to Fenghua City, now returning to Daolun City as a special envoy of Fenghua City. He wondered if the Daolun Marquis would have any grievances against him.

What troubled Bai Cangdong the most was the Lotus Lady. He knew some of her secrets, and that woman would not let him off easily.

"I haven't done anything to harm Daolun City. The Daolun Marquis and Lotus Lady shouldn't be so angry as to want my life." Bai Cangdong thought, believing that the Daolun Marquis would not be too harsh on him, as there was no need to flee for betraying Fenghua City.

The only thing to do was to find a reason that would satisfy both the Daolun Marquis and the Lotus Lady, to ease their anger and give them a way out.

The two cities were neighbors, and the journey was not long. The Fenghua City convoy arrived at Daolun City in a few days and was warmly received.

Li Xiangfei and the Silver-Armored Knight led the knight corps to welcome them at the city gate. The Nine Heroes Viscount and Fengxian went forward to exchange pleasantries, and the entire convoy was welcomed into Daolun City, arranged in the Daolun Society's guesthouse, and a banquet was held in the evening.

Bai Cangdong hid in the carriage the whole time and did not show his face. When he got to the guesthouse, he had to get out of the carriage. Coincidentally, he was seen by Zheng Hao as soon as he got out.

Zheng Hao was shocked to see Bai Cangdong, his face showing disbelief. He rubbed his eyes several times to confirm he wasn't seeing things.

However, Zheng Hao did not dare to approach Bai Cangdong in the Fenghua City delegation and could only keep his doubts to himself.

"Fengxian, you and I will attend the banquet. As for you, stay in the guesthouse and don't wander around, to avoid causing trouble." After everyone settled down, the Nine Heroes Viscount found Fengxian and Bai Cangdong and said in a commanding tone.

"I'm not feeling well, you go by yourself." Fengxian did not give the Nine Heroes Viscount any face.

"You... are fine..." The Nine Heroes Viscount slammed the door and left.

After the Nine Heroes Viscount left, Bai Cangdong also left the guesthouse. Rather than wait for the Lotus Lady to come to him, he decided to seek her out.

"Is it you, Brother Bai?" As soon as Bai Cangdong left the guesthouse, he saw Zheng Hao and Ma Fei peeking from a nearby alley. Seeing Bai Cangdong, Zheng Hao called out uncertainly.

"Who else could it be?" Bai Cangdong smiled and walked over.

"Really, Brother Bai, we thought you were dead." Zheng Hao said with surprise.

"Spit, spit, spit, I have great fortune and a long life. How could I die so easily? Even if you two died, I wouldn't." Bai Cangdong laughed and scolded.

"Brother Bai, if you're not dead, why haven't you returned for so long, and how did you become a special envoy of Fenghua City?" Ma Fei asked.

"Now is not the time to talk. Let's find a quiet place tomorrow to chat. I have something important to do now, to visit the Lotus Lady at her residence." Bai Cangdong said.

"The Lotus Lady will be attending the banquet. You won't find her at home."

Bai Cangdong then remembered that, given the Lotus Lady's status, she would attend the banquet. If not for encountering Zheng Hao and Ma Fei, he would have made a wasted trip.

"Brother Bai, don't worry. The Lotus Lady usually doesn't go to the banquet early. She should still be on the way. If you really need to see her urgently, we can intercept her on the road." Ma Fei suggested.

"Good, let's go now."

The Lotus Lady's mood had been bad recently. Since Bai Cangdong went to the Lonely Sky Cliff and disappeared, her plans had been temporarily put on hold, and she had not found another suitable person.

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the Lotus Lady, in a very impatient mood, asked, "What happened?"

The knight driving the carriage had not yet answered when a familiar voice came from outside the carriage: "Madam, may I trouble you for a moment?"

The Lotus Lady abruptly opened the carriage door and saw Bai Cangdong, dressed in black, standing beside it, with a smile that made her feel somewhat irritated.

"Get in the carriage." The Lotus Lady's face turned cold, and she retreated into the carriage.

Bai Cangdong got into the carriage with a bitter smile and closed the door.

"Back to the residence." The Lotus Lady's cold voice came from inside the carriage.

The knight driving the carriage was surprised. "Madam, are we not going to the banquet?"

"Let the banquet go to hell."

Hearing the Lotus Lady's voice, which seemed to come from between her teeth, the knight, though unable to see her face, could imagine her gritting her teeth.

At the banquet, the Nine Heroes Viscount and the Silver-Armored Knight were chatting and laughing, but their eyes kept darting towards the entrance.

Since learning that the representative for Daolun City was the Lotus Lady, he had been eager to meet this woman, rumored to be as alluring and dangerous as a poisonous rose, hoping to catch a glimpse of her at the banquet.

He even fantasized about winning her favor with his charm and becoming her intimate guest, which might give him an advantage in the upcoming negotiations.

"Silver-Armored Knight, has Lady Lotus not arrived yet?" After the banquet had been going on for some time without seeing the Lotus Lady, the Nine Heroes Viscount could not help but ask.

"Lady Lotus must have been delayed by something. She probably won't come to the banquet today." The Silver-Armored Knight said indifferently.

"Oh." The Nine Heroes Viscount's face showed disappointment.