Chapter 0355: Hong Yan

Chapter 0355: Hong Yan

Qin Yun remained calm, having discerned that the youth was at the Martial Dao realm, albeit only at the first level.

His Great Dao Life Trace was still in its first stage, evident from the aura of the Great Dao's power.

In Wuhuang, there were indeed many at the Martial Dao realm, especially in such a mixed and bustling town.

"Seventh Prince of Hongwu Country, please show some mercy. If you start a fight here, my hotel will be ruined. We are just trying to make a living! If you must fight, please take it outside!"

A small, elderly man dressed in luxurious red robes descended from upstairs and hurried over to the youth's table.

The people on the first floor immediately changed their expressions, looking at the youth with shock and awe.

The middle-aged man who had been arguing with the youth was now drenched in sweat.

"Seventh Prince, I will accept your purple spirit coins for this meal! You can also go to the top floor and enjoy the best we have to offer, free of charge!" The innkeeper quickly offered, trying to defuse the situation.

Qin Yun glanced at the elderly man, whose aura indicated he was at the sixth or seventh level of the Martial Dao realm, yet he still spoke respectfully to the Seventh Prince.

No one had expected to encounter a member of the royal family here, let alone a prince!

"I'm not going upstairs because I'm poor, but because I enjoy being in places like this! I, Hong Yan, am not the type to put on airs! I don't need anything for free; I'll pay the exact amount of purple spirit coins I owe."

The youth spoke calmly, "Don't worry, I have principles. I won't wreck your hotel, and even if I do, I will compensate you fully."

The crowd couldn't help but admire the Seventh Prince of Hongwu Country. It was rare for the son of a Martial King to be so polite.

"The King of Hongwu Country is the Martial King Hong Ying. I heard he has hundreds of daughters. This Seventh Prince is only at the first level of the Martial Dao realm and should be quite young. How is he ranked seventh? After all, Martial King Hong Ying is at least a thousand or two thousand years old!" A young boy whispered curiously to his elder.

Qin Yun was also curious about this.

"Seventh Prince Hong Yan is only in his twenties! I heard he recently lost badly in a duel with someone," someone bravely whispered.

Hong Yan said indifferently, "Only sons recognized by my father can be granted the title of prince and receive a ranking. I was granted the title of Fire King at the age of ten! The Eighth and Ninth Princes, though hundreds of years old and with higher cultivation than me, are ranked below me."

Many people knew that the ranking of princes in martial countries was based on the king's personal preferences.

Some children didn't even receive a ranking, which was truly pitiful.

Qin Yun felt a headache just thinking about it. He was also born into an imperial family, with only a few brothers, and they had already fought fiercely.

In a vast martial country like Wuhuang, the king's children numbered in the hundreds or even thousands.

It was easy to imagine that the king's harem truly consisted of three thousand women!

"Martial countries are indeed formidable! Just the king's children alone might rival the strength of an entire Xuan-level sect!" someone suddenly remarked.

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent.

Qin Yun pondered this and was equally shocked.

The strongest son of a Martial King would undoubtedly be at the Xuan Martial realm, not to mention the others at the Martial Dao realm.

Such strength was truly terrifying!

Even though martial countries were so powerful, none dared to claim the title of Emperor.

Because claiming the title of Emperor would mean unifying all other martial countries, which would inevitably lead to war.

Currently, in Wuhuang, it seems there is no such level of power existing.

Everyone gained a deeper understanding of the status of the seventh prince, Hong Yan!

Hong Yan removed his straw hat, revealing his bald head with a cluster of flames atop it, a very peculiar sight.

"Is that Hong Yan's unique fire spiritual vein? Right on his head! No wonder he was recognized by the Martial King Hong Ying and titled as the Fire King!"

"I heard he also has a nickname, called the Thin King... because he is so thin!"

"His Martial Soul seems to be the Dragon Flame Martial Soul, somewhere between legendary and heaven-bestowed Martial Souls!"

Many people whispered about this seventh prince, only daring to speak because Hong Yan seemed easygoing.

Hong Yan suddenly stood up and walked towards Qin Yun's table.

"Brother, since we are both sitting alone, how about we share a table? This way, you can enjoy more dishes and it won't be as dull!" Hong Yan asked with a smile.

Hong Yan looked quite amiable, with a handsome face, but because he was too thin and small, he didn't give off a majestic martial aura and was easily underestimated.

This could actually help him disguise himself and play the fool to outsmart others!

Qin Yun smiled and replied, "I'd be happy to!"

Hong Yan smiled, sat down, and with a wave of his hand, used his powerful mental energy to lift several dishes from his table and move them to Qin Yun's table.

Qin Yun had just said he was happy, but soon regretted it because Hong Yan ate a lot and very quickly, almost like a man possessed.

Qin Yun wasn't one to lose out, so he quickly picked up the pace, devouring the dishes.

In no time, the two of them had cleaned out everything!

Many people noticed this and found it odd, as these two young men seemed like they hadn't eaten in ages!

"Brother, judging by your attire, have you just come from the Yunlong Mountains?" Hong Yan laughed, then called a waiter to settle the bill.

Qin Yun and Hong Yan each paid their own share.

"Yes, I'm looking to go to a decent city. Any recommendations, Fire King?" Qin Yun asked.

"The nearest one is Beiling City, governed by Yuewu Country, which is quite nice!" Hong Yan said, "If you want to go, we can travel together!"

"Great!" Qin Yun quickly agreed, confident in his strength and unafraid of Hong Yan.

Hong Yan chuckled, and they left the restaurant together. Everyone was a bit envious of Qin Yun for befriending such a prince.

Qin Yun followed Hong Yan as they wandered around the city.

"Brother, what's your name?" Hong Yan asked.

"Qin Yun!" Qin Yun smiled, "Seventh Prince, when do we head to Beiling City?"

"Well... let's first buy two tiger horses, so we won't be so tired on the road, and if we get hungry, we can slaughter them for food!" Hong Yan laughed, "I'll take you to buy the horses now!"

"Brother Yun, to be honest, I'm a bit short on funds and don't have many Purple Spirit Coins left!" Hong Yan said somewhat awkwardly, "Could you cover the cost of the horses for now? I'll definitely pay you back later! I, the seventh prince, won't renege on such a small debt!"

Qin Yun was stunned, stopped in his tracks, and scrutinized the person before him.

The seventh prince, actually broke and unable to buy horses!

"If you were the Seventh Prince, I wouldn't be afraid! But you don’t seem like the real Seventh Prince!" Qin Yun smiled and said, "Your father is the Martial King who can slay dragons, so how come you’re so poor?"

Qin Yun thought back to their shared meal and couldn’t help but curse silently. This Hong Yan was even more broke than he was!

Hong Yan sighed, "To be honest, I lost a duel earlier and lost everything—weapons, armor, storage spirit artifact, clothes, hair, accessories... all gone. This set of clothes I’m wearing was picked up! I spent a few days in the Yunlong Mountains and didn’t even find a single beast hair!"

Hearing this, Qin Yun’s mouth twitched in disbelief. He had thought Hong Yan shaved his head for style, to highlight his unique fire spirit veins, but it turned out he lost his hair in a bet.

"That’s... really rough!" Qin Yun forced a few dry laughs.

"Brother Yun, I took a liking to you, that’s why I befriended you!" Hong Yan smiled, "It’s settled then! Let’s go buy some horses!"

Qin Yun felt that Hong Yan only approached him because he seemed easy to fool.

"To be honest, I’m also broke. I spent all my purple spirit coins on that meal just now," Qin Yun said, and he meant it.

"Brother, you’ve got to be kidding! You’re broke, yet you blew your purple spirit coins on such a fancy meal!" Hong Yan laughed in disbelief.

Qin Yun chuckled, "Brother, aren’t you the same? You’re so poor, why bother buying horses? Just walk to Beiling City!"

"I plan to gamble the horses away once we get to Beiling City. Maybe I can turn things around!" Hong Yan said, "Brother, you’re not a royal member. Without enough purple spirit coins, you can’t even enter Beiling City!"

Qin Yun rolled his eyes and asked curiously, "Seventh Prince, your strength isn’t weak either! How did you lose so many times in duels? You must have lost a lot, right?"

Hong Yan coughed twice, "I lost in Beiling City, seven times in a row, all to the same person. It’s like I’m cursed! Losing isn’t a big deal, but my reputation... sigh, I don’t dare return to the Hong Martial King’s city for a while. My royal brothers would laugh their heads off!"

"By the way, I have a storage bag. How much is it worth?" Qin Yun took out a storage bag and handed it to Hong Yan.

He wanted to exchange it for some purple spirit coins; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get around in this place.

Hong Yan took it and looked at it, then exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Yun, you hit the jackpot! Where did you find this? This storage bag is of high quality. It could sell for five thousand purple spirit coins! If it had a master’s certification, its value could double!"

Five thousand purple spirit coins would be equivalent to five million spirit coins in the borderlands, which was still quite expensive!

"What’s this master’s certification?" Qin Yun asked.

"It’s recorded in the 'Runes Gold Book' of the Runes Hall. There are over two thousand Runes Masters listed in it. If this storage bag was refined by any of them, even the lowest-ranked one, its value would double!" Hong Yan explained with a smile.

Hong Yan, who seemed very familiar with the area, quickly found a place to pawn the storage bag. After some back-and-forth, they finally got five thousand purple spirit coins for it.

Hong Yan only borrowed a thousand and gave the remaining four thousand back to Qin Yun.

Qin Yun had been worried it might get stolen.

After that, the two of them headed to Beiling City together.

"Brother Yun, wait for me just outside the city. Once I get back on my feet, I’ll lend you some purple spirit coins to buy a pass," Hong Yan said with a smile.

Qin Yun didn’t expect Hong Yan to turn things around. He had lost seven times in a row, so the chances of a comeback were slim. After all, duels relied on strength, not luck.

Losing seven times in a row showed that his strength was inferior to that person.

"Who did you lose to? That person must have quite a background, right? And to make you, the Seventh Prince, lose so badly, they must be no ordinary person," Qin Yun said.

"It was a girl! A princess from the Xiao Martial Kingdom, named Xiao Yuemei. That girl is really something!" Hong Yan said angrily, "And she’s very cunning!"