In the middle of the Xiangkong and Vermilion Bird Empires, there was a region that neither empire's influence reached, where many small kingdoms existed, each with only a city as their territory.
These single-city kingdoms were quite common across the continent, so the princesses and princes were of little value, relatively speaking.
Living in such a challenging environment had its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that due to the complex influences, no one bothered them, so they were safe and could also remain neutral, receiving certain benefits.
The disadvantage was that they were always stuck in this situation, with no new developments, at least not in terms of territory, for several hundred or even thousands of years.
In this area, there was an unknown small country among the many small kingdoms.
It was indeed unknown, even most of its own citizens didn't know the name of their own small kingdom.
They only knew that their kingdom was one of the thirteen allied kingdoms, and everyone directly called themselves people of the Thirteen Alliance Countries.
The Thirteen Alliance Countries is an allied organization that unites various kingdoms together, so that they can work together and have more ability to survive on this continent.
This alliance has a history of a thousand years. Over time, everyone got used to collectively calling it the Thirteen Alliance Countries and neglected the names of the member countries. In the end, they even forgot themselves.
People have forgotten the name of the small kingdom, but they know the name of the city because it's quite special - it's called Tianjiu City!
Tianjiu, isn't that the Tianjiu brand? Is it like that?
For this, one must ask the person who established this city and founded this kingdom. According to legend, he was born a little rascal and his favorite thing to play was Tianjiu cards, so he named the city after it. If it weren't for someone's opposition, he might have directly called this kingdom Tianjiu Country.
Of course, this is just a legend. It's been so long since then that people have forgotten whether it's true or not. Perhaps this is just a legend!
Whether it's a legend or a fact, such a small kingdom is something no one would care about. Many people who come here are just passersby.
This time, it seems there are more passersby coming and going...
This group of passersby is a little special; they don't look like simple characters. Although they seem a bit dusty, the aura they exude makes people feel that they are not ordinary.
Normally, it's rare for a person like this to appear here, and now there are so many of them, which makes it a bit confusing.
Of course, this aura is just a feeling, and most people wouldn't care. But among this group of people, the men are handsome and imposing, and the women are charming and dignified. Even ordinary people can tell that this group of people is extraordinary.
And these people are none other than Ye Lanyu and the others. After almost a month, they have arrived here and encountered various troubles along the way, which is why it took longer than usual.
Perhaps, some of it is because they deliberately slowed down, seemingly wanting to wait for Ye Lang to catch up, but Ye Lang has never caught up!
They have some confidence in their own abilities, or rather, they are very familiar with the layout of the flying empire’s forces. They know that after leaving the flying empire, they'll be safe and won't be trapped.
"After passing through here, it will be within the territory of the Vermilion Bird Empire, and then we should be basically worry-free!" Ye Chengtian looked ahead, saying thoughtfully.
"Let's find a place to rest. Everyone's been rushing for so long and must be tired!" Long Anqi also had some thoughts. The closer they got to the Vermilion Bird Empire, the more afraid she became.
It's a kind of fear, the kind of fear when you return home but dare not enter the door!
It has been so many years, and she has never gone home or met her parents. Now, if she were to face these things, she naturally would feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
"Oh..." Long Anqi sighed, and next to her, Ye Lanyu also made the same gesture. The expressions and actions of the two were almost identical.
"...Xiaoyu, what's wrong with you? Are you thinking about your little brother again?" Long Anqi understood that apart from Ye Lang, almost nothing else would make Ye Lanyu like this.
"Yes, it's been almost a month, and still no news. Do you think my brother has been taken back?" Ye Lanyu asked somewhat anxiously. Although she believed in Ye Lang, she couldn't help but worry, as that's the nature of being a girl, or rather, a person.
"It's no big deal if he's taken back. I believe the current Empress will be more lenient with him. As long as he's safe, he'll definitely find a way to escape. That's without question!" Ye Yi said casually.
"I'm not worried about him not being able to escape. I'm worried that the Eighth Sister may do something frightening! She's completely different now, no longer the gentle and obedient Eighth Sister we knew before." The Seventh Princess was very worried. She was a complete stranger to her Eighth Sister.
"In fact, you should believe in Thirteen. Despite usually being muddle-headed, he won't be ambiguous at critical moments. I've always had a feeling that he has a back-up plan, that's why he left the matter for us to handle on our own. As a result, he indeed managed to hold off those tens of thousands of troops alone!" The third in the Ye family spoke. He held Ye Lang in high regard, and it seemed to be true.
"Yes! Tens of thousands of troops held back by him alone. I still don't understand what that alchemy array really is and how it can have such power!" Ye Chengtian was still impressed by the situation back then, which was an unforgettable experience for him.
"We can ask him about it later. Right now, let's think about our own situation. After arriving in the Vermilion Bird Empire, how should we deal with the people of the Vermilion Bird? I believe they will definitely try to win us over." Ye Yi waved his hand.
Everyone knows that wherever Ye Yi and his group go, they will be sought after, not only because of their extraordinary strength, but also because of other abilities that everyone desires. This is probably also the main reason why Zhao Yarou wanted to kill them, because she doesn't want to have these enemies, which would make her headache!!
"This is something we really need to think about, where to go from here..." Ye Chengtian and the others began to frown, suddenly making the atmosphere very oppressive.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Ye Yi?" Suddenly, a person appeared and said to Ye Yi.
Ye Yi glanced at the person, seemingly not surprised that the person could recognize him. They hadn't deliberately concealed their identities on their journey, so anyone with a keen eye could tell.
"That's right, it's me!" Ye Yi replied, then looked at the person, wanting to see if the person was going to mention what he expected.
Along the way, many people have reached out to them. Ever since they left the territory of the flying empire, there have been people asking if they could join their camp.
Almost every neutral kingdom they arrived at, there would be some people inquiring.
"I am representing the Thirteen Alliance Countries!" the person said. "I want to discuss something with you all, about the potential cooperation between us!"
Sure enough, as expected, it was another force trying to win over Ye Chengtian and the others!
"I think since you know our identity, you should also know our stance. We are currently not going to join any force!!" Ye Yi straightforwardly refused, "Thank you for the offer, and we hope there will be an opportunity for cooperation in the future!"
"Wait! Mr. Ye, you may not know that this place is not a single kingdom, but an alliance formed by multiple kingdoms. You are not joining just one kingdom, and your position will not change!" the person hastily added.
The Thirteen Alliance Countries indeed have a special side to them, allowing them to transcend national boundaries; however...
"To not join a single kingdom, but to join thirteen kingdoms, it seems less profitable!" the Seventh Brother spoke up. He and the Seventh Sister happened to be outside at the time, so they had evaded the recent political upheaval. Facing the assassins sent by Zhao Yarou, they had dodged, and now they had come to meet.
This is where we have to mention the Seventh Brother. In the Ye family, although he seemed to be doing clerical work, making people feel that his strength would not be very strong, little did they know that he was a hidden master, with strength beyond everyone's imagination.
Among the generation of Ye Lang, he could definitely rank in the top three, and apart from Ye Lang, almost all of the younger generation of the Ye family are outstanding young talents.
After escaping, the two received secret information from the Ye family, knowing the ins and outs of the matter. He chose to come directly to Ye Yi and the others, not wanting to engage in futile affairs.
In the Ye family, the Seventh Brother is one of the people associated with Ye Chengtian, and although he could continue doing his work in the Ye family, now that his father has come, what would he stay for? Additionally, he feared that if Zhao Yarou came after the Seventh Sister, he would never return to the flying Ye family for the sake of his wife!
As for the Seventh Sister, she still can't quite believe that her Eighth Sister would do such a thing, so when she saw the Seventh Princess, it was an unexplainable feeling!!
"This, we guarantee, none of our kingdoms have the power to order you to do anything; instead, we are obligated to complete the tasks you give us!" the visitor explained immediately.
"Oh, that sounds good!" Seventh Brother said. He was the most adept at negotiations, so he had always been the one to handle such matters.
The visitor glanced around, then said respectfully, "This is not the place to talk. If you are interested, we can have a good conversation at the palace!"
"Let's have a conversation then. I want to see what unexpected conditions you have to offer!" Seventh Brother agreed casually, perhaps because he had been bored lately and wanted to take a look.
Of course, he only said he would go for the negotiation, which did not mean others had to. This was something Ye Chengtian and the others understood, so they did not pay much attention to his words.
Ye Chengtian and the others simply said, "Hurry back, don't delay the schedule!"
"What 'hurry back'? We all go together. Our negotiation might take an entire night." Seventh Brother said seriously, casting a meaningful glance to the others as he turned around.
"???" The others were a bit confused, but quickly Seventh Sister-in-law and Third Brother seemed to understand something.
"Ahem, yes, let's all go together. I believe the palace will have a place to accommodate us." Third Brother coughed and said.
"..."
At this point, almost everyone understood that Seventh Brother wanted everyone to go to the palace to eat and stay for free, letting others entertain them and saving the trouble of finding an inn. Most importantly, it would save money!
Seventh Brother not only knew how to negotiate, but also knew how to manage money. He had helped Ye Lang make money before, and now he regretted why he had considered the interests of the empire at that time. He should have been more ruthless!
Staying in the palace not only saved money, but also provided a group of free bodyguards. They all knew that these people would not have any ulterior motives towards them. Even if there were, they could not act directly.
"Well, then we'll all go!" Ye Yi, despite feeling helpless towards the younger generation, still liked their characters.
So, these people went to the palace, or rather, the mansion of the city lord, at least in front of these people, the palace was just an ordinary mansion!
To quote Ye Lanyu's words—
"Little Seventh, is this the palace? Why does it look so miserable, not even a tenth of my home! Can all of us fit in here?"
"It should be fine! It might be a little crowded, let's have three people per room." Seventh Princess replied. She had often traveled this way with Ye Lanyu and Zhen Xiaoyan.
"Not too bad, it's about the size of my home!" Zhen Xiaoyan said. Her family was just an ordinary noble family, much smaller than the Ye family, but even so, it was not much worse than this 'palace'.
"Not bad, at least better than a hotel!"
Though small, the complete facilities made it a relatively large mansion in the eyes of ordinary people.
After Ye Chengtian and the others entered the city lord's mansion (or what could only be called a city lord's mansion), they greeted each other and went to find rooms to rest, leaving Seventh Brother alone to negotiate with the others.
"Who are they?" The representatives of the Thirteen Allied Nations were a little stunned. They had initially thought they would negotiate with Ye Yi and the others, but they only met briefly and then left individually.
Seventh Brother smiled slightly and said, "They are a little tired from the journey, so I'll handle the negotiation alone. I have the authority to do so. As for them, feel free to prepare a banquet to entertain them!"
Seventh Brother's smile was sunny and genuine...