Murong Kuan had a bad feeling when he saw Master Long's gaze.
Master Long had looked at the people around Ning Caichen so many times. Ning Caichen probably interested him.
"Master Long, you're too kind," Murong Kuan immediately said.
His words immediately attracted Master Long's attention.
Master Long looked at Murong Kuan and smiled. Then, he looked at Jiang Ming and signaled for Murong Kuan to enter the door with Jiang Ming.
"Lord Ning Caichen, Prince Liang, please come in. It's tiring to stand outside."
Master Long was overflowing with enthusiasm as he thought of something.
The people around Ning Caichen were all capable people.
If he were to side with Ning Caichen, then he would be able to solve any problems he encountered quickly.
Jiang Ming felt as if someone was staring at him, and he secretly looked for the person who was watching him.
As he searched, he could not help but look at Master Long.
Master Long did not avoid his gaze. Instead, he looked at Jiang Ming and said, "Lord Ning Caichen, hurry up."
"Yes, yes. Let's enter the house."
Jiang Ming nodded and walked into the house with Murong Kuan and Master Long.
Master Long arranged Murong Kuan and Jiang Ming to sit opposite each other, while he sat on the main seat.
Murong Kuan and Jiang Ming's men sat beside the people who followed them.
Tea and snacks were served.
"Did you two come together?" Master Long asked curiously.
"No."
Jiang Ming was the first to reply.
"Lord Ning Caichen and I met by coincidence. We met at the same time and got acquainted with each other."
Murong Kuan looked at Jiang Ming with a half-smile. He had thought of all those tricks beforehand.
The people around Jiang Ming were attractive to Master Long. He had to use another method to make Master Long choose him.
"It was indeed a coincidence. When I saw the carriage, I thought it was the king of the Daliang Kingdom. I didn't expect it to be the king's brother," Jiang Ming said nonchalantly as he waited for Murong Kuan to tell him about the Dragon Sword so that he could recruit Master Long.
However, Murong Kuan also wanted Jiang Ming to bring it up first, so he kept quiet and continued to change the topic. "It's the first time I've seen anyone unable to distinguish between my carriage and the king's carriage."
This remark was obviously insulting Jiang Ming's intelligence.
Jiang Ming grinned.
Using such a minor detail to belittle him meant that Prince Liang was not kind.
He was about to say something, but Master Long looked at Jiang Ming and said, "Sometimes, even I can't tell. This is normal."
Why was he speaking up for him?
Jiang Ming was stunned. He looked at Master Long and met his gaze.
He did not know why, but he felt that Master Long's eyes were filled with kindness.
Hearing this, Murong Kuan was also dumbfounded.
Master Long was a reasonable person. It was said that he would never defend anyone when they were in the wrong.
Even his own grandson and son were not spared from this.
He was already speaking up for Ning Caichen on their first meeting. It would be better to delay the matter of the Dragon Sword until Master Long was willing to meet him alone.
Murong Kuan sighed.
He would have come here earlier if he had known this would happen. He had really missed his shot. Ning Caichen was a curse!
"Master Long, is this tea grown in a special place?"
Murong Kuan picked up the teacup and took a sip before changing the topic.
The fragrance of tea filled the air.
He was a little obsessed with this tea.
Jiang Ming had thought that he and Murong Kuan would have an argument. Now that Murong Kuan had not revealed his true purpose, he could not understand.
Why was he dragging this out?
Forget it. He would bring this up later.
"Yes." A hint of admiration flashed in Master Long's eyes. "An immortal gave it to me. It's said that it's a type of tea grown on a cliff. It's very rare."
It seemed that he had found the right angle.
Murong Kuan was pleasantly surprised and excited when he saw the look in Master Long's eyes.
If he continued to guide him patiently, the scales in Master Long's heart might lean toward him, and the matter of the Dragon Sword would be smoother.
Murong Kuan was getting more and more excited as he thought about it. He raised his teacup again, intending to take a few more sips.
This tea was not bad.
"The tea is good. Let's get to the point first. Master Long, I'm here today to discuss an alliance with you."
Jiang Ming looked at Master Long and directly cut to the chase.
These words directly knocked Murong Kuan back to reality.
He almost spat out a mouthful of tea and coughed repeatedly. He was filled with regret.
How could he have forgotten about Ning Caichen being here?
Ning Caichen really did not play by the rules!
"Prince Liang, are you alright?"
His cough shocked Master Long.
He heard that Prince Liang was mentally ill. If he died here, he would have to bear the responsibility.
He did not want to be charged for nothing!
Zhu Asi looked at Murong Kuan's face, which had turned blue and purple from coughing, and found it funny.
Murong Kuan had only coughed a few times and was already like this. No wonder he was rarely seen in the activities of the Daliang Kingdom.
Jiang Ming frowned when he saw Murong Kuan's attitude.
It was evident his heart was unhealthy, and he could not take too much excitement.
If this were not treated properly, he would die young sooner or later.
He immediately shook his head.
He was essentially cursing Murong Kuan!
"No… I'm fine."
Murong Kuan tried his best to calm himself down and waved at the two of them, but the purple color on his face was obviously not optimistic.
"Men, call the doctor over."
Master Long could tell that Murong Kuan was still ill, so he called for his servants.
"Ahem…"
Murong Kuan coughed again. This time, he almost fainted.
Master Long was shocked and anxious, but there was nothing he could do.
He had no medical skills, so he could only watch Murong Kuan suffer.
Jiang Ming and Zhu Asi looked at each other and saw a bitter smile in each other's eyes.
Who would have thought that the originally peaceful negotiation would turn so grim?
They had to wait for the prince to recover before continuing the negotiations.
Fortunately, Murong Kuan had not said that he wanted to form an alliance with Master Long.
Murong Kuan might not bring up the idea of an alliance for the time being, but he had a high chance of success.
Murong Kuan's vision was blurry. He was seeing doubles.
He had planned to do one last thing for Northern Yan's Murong family before leaving to recuperate, but he did not expect his illness to suddenly flare up.
