Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251

by Translator: Yeow

However, just as he was about to test it, laughter was suddenly heard as a figure inserted himself between Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao.

  “Hehe, is miss Qingyu interested in flame rock gambling? If I had known, I would have brought you here to have fun long ago. Most of the flame rock gambling businesses in Black Flame Province are under my Flame Cauldron Sect after all.”

  Zhou Yuan frowned slightly as his gaze swept towards the figure. It turned out to be a young man dressed in purple and red. Several men followed behind him, creating quite an impressive sight indeed.

  The young man was smiling, but he only looked at Zuoqiu Qingyu, while completely oblivious to Zhou Yuan.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu also frowned a little. She knew this young man. He was one of the annoying flies that had been buzzing around her ever since she arrived at the Black Flame Province. However, he had a strong background; he was the junior sect master of the Flame Cauldron Sect, and was called Su Duan.

  The Flame Cauldron Sect was one of the strongest local factions in the Black Flame Province.

  “Do you want to return?” Zhou Yuan looked towards Zuoqiu Qingyu.

  Only after hearing Zhou Yuan’s voice, did the young man in purple and red turn around and smile at the former as he said, “Oh, it’s a friend from the Cangxuan Sect… I am Su Duan, the junior sect master of the Flame Cauldron Sect, and am truly sorry that I did not see you earlier… however, may I be so bold as to ask which Chosen from the Cangxuan Sect are you?”

  His gaze held a faint hint of hostility, evidently due to Zuoqiu Qingyu. After all, he had basically been shamelessly stalking Zuoqiu Qingyu for the past few days, but had barely made any headway. The sight of her being so familiar with Zhou Yuan naturally alarmed Su Duan, causing him to hurriedly rush over.

  Su Duan words may have seemed polite, but they held a deeper meaning to them. He obviously knew that Zhou Yuan was not a Chosen of the Cangxuan Sect, and yet he intentionally brought it up. He was implying that since you aren’t a Chosen of the Cangxuan Sect, while he was the junior sect master of the Flame Cauldron Sect, there was no need for him to be overly concerned about you.

  There were after all many disciples in the Cangxuan Sect. Although the Flame Cauldron Sect could not compare to the former, he was the junior sect master. If there was no grudge between them, there was naturally no good reason for him to be fearful of an ordinary disciple.

  Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed a little as he glanced at Su Duan.

  However, Su Duan paid no heed to the former’s gaze, and instead matched it as he pointed towards the rock gambling area in front of them with a smile that clearly hid ill intent.

  “Is this friend also interested in flame rock gambling?”

  “Do you have the courage to give it a try or two?”

  As he lifted his sleeve, a bracelet was revealed on his wrist.

  It seemed to be made from some kind of wood that was covered it grainy scars, making it appear quite ancient.

  Zhou Yuan’s expression had been uninterested since the beginning, remaining unchanged even under Su Duan’s hostile gaze earlier. However, when Zhou Yuan’s gaze swept across the bracelet on the latter’s wrist, his eyes suddenly widened a little.

  In that instant, he had felt the incomplete Taiyi Rune in his body vibrate for a moment as it gave off a certain pulse that felt like desire...

  A flash of bright light flitted across Zhou Yuan’s slightly lowered eyes.

  What concentrated Yimu Qi. this guy’s bracelet is at least a thousand year grade precious ancient wood...

  Wow… it’s like someone was sending him a pillow when he was feeling sleepy.

  Chapter 405 Incentive

  Amidst the noisy surroundings, Su Duan wore a faint smile as he gazed at Zhou Yuan with interlocked hands, the old black bracelet on his wrist appearing to give off a deep lustre under the lamp light.

  Zhou Yuan’s gaze merely paused on the bracelet for a split second, before turning away without anyone noticing.

  Su Duan was obviously here because of jealousy, and hoped to show off in front of the girl he liked, while also taking down this potential rival a peg or two.

  With regards to the little enchantress Zuoqiu Qingyu, all Zhou Yuan had were feelings of admiration for her. Thus, he was not really interested in involving himself in this matter.

  Therefore, his first reaction was to shake his head to reject.

  Until he saw the bracelet on Su Duan’s wrist...

  “The moment I saw your bracelet, I just knew that you and I are definitely going to be friends…” Zhou Yuan secretly said inside.

  His current progress in the Taiyu mark was way too slow. The root of the problem lay in the lack of rich Yimu Qi, because older precious ancient wood was really not easy to find.

  Su Duan’s ancient wooden bracelet was obviously quite an antique. The rich Yimu Qi within it was definitely better than all the ancient wood Zhou Yuan had absorbed before.

  If he could obtain it, he should be able to make a huge leap in perfecting his Taiyi mark.

  Zhou Yuan’s gaze faintly flickered in thought. But how should he express his desire for the bracelet without alerting Su Duan?

  After all, if Zhou Yuan came on too strongly, the other party would certainly make things more difficult..

  While Zhou Yuan was silent, Su Duan seemed to be under the impression that he had intimidated the former, causing a look of contempt to flash across his eyes. The truth was that he had long known of Zhou Yuan, and was thus aware that he came from a remote continent. Honestly speaking, if he was not a disciple of the Cangxuan Sect, Su Duan felt that a hick like Zhou Yuan would not even have the right to speak with him.

  After all, the people of the Shengzhou Continent usually felt superior to those from other continents.

  A smile appeared on Su Duan’s face as he said, “Relax brother Zhou, it’ll just be for fun. You don’t have to worry at all, I’ll cover all of the costs.”

  “In fact, if brother Zhou manages to open one with an old essence flame, you can go ahead and keep it.”

  With a confident smile, he said, “After all, we’re just having fun, winning or losing is not important at all.”

  “Brother Zhou is a Cangxuan Sect disciple, someone from such a prestigious sect can’t be afraid, right?”

  He stared at Zhou Yuan with a hint of ridicule in his eyes.

  The face off between the two plus the presence of the gorgeous Zuoqiu Qingyu beside them immediately turned them into the focal point of the place as countless gazes shot over.

  At the same time, a wave of imposing looking figures arrived behind Su Duan, grinning from ear to ear as they watched.

  “Are brother Zhou and brother Su having a little wager? Haha, that’s a good idea. This will be an eye-opener.”

  “But brother Zhou appears to be a little undecided.”

  “What rubbish are you spouting. Brother Zhou is a disciple of the Cangxuan Sect, how can he possibly lack the courage?”

  These individuals were not unfamiliar. They were the ones who had been crowding around Zuoqiu Qingyu when Zhou Yuan first arrived.

  They were also the geniuses from the top factions of Black Flame Province, and were clearly siding together against Zhou Yuan.

  Zhou Yuan’s relationship with Zuoqiu Qingyu had made them feel threatened. Moreover, he was merely a country bumpkin from some remote continent, and yet he had managed to enter the Cangxuan Sect. This made them feel both disdain and envious of him.

  As such, when they saw Su Duan step forward to try and shame Zhou Yuan, they were naturally happy to show their support.

  The thought of stepping over a disciple from a titan such as the Cangxuan Sect filled them with a strange sense of euphoria. After all, they did not have the balls to challenge the Cangxuan Sect’s Chosens, and it just so happened that this fourth layer Alpha-Origin stage Zhou Yuan was even from another continent. This undoubtedly made him an excellent target for bullying.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu’s expression darkened slightl
y when she saw the group’s continuous attempts to instigate Zhou Yuan, and was just about to speak up to berate them when she saw Zhou Yuan lift his head and give her a look.

  Their gazes had only met for an instant, but the eccentric and highly intelligent Zuoqiu Qingyu immediately understood that Zhou Yuan had some kind of a plan.

  Hence, an enchanting smile quickly appeared on her pretty face as she feigned a look of interest and said, “Opening flame rocks? It sounds like it’ll be fun.”

  The sight of an interested Zuoqiu Qingyu was an unexpected but pleasant surprise to Su Duan, while the other geniuses looked at him in envy. How is this guy be so lucky? To think that he haphazardly drew Zuoqiu Qingyu’s interest.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu smiled and said, “But a gamble like this will be quite meaningless if there’s no incentive.”

  Su Duan was stunned, before he quickly said, “Miss Qingyu is right. There should indeed be some kind of incentive, but what kind of incentive do you have in mind?”

  A slight smile was revealed on Zuoqiu Qingyu’s face as she responded, “Anything you currently have on you is fine…”

  Her gaze swept towards Su Duan, causing him to straighten his back slightly as he smiled warmly.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu’s gaze ultimately stopped on Su Duan’s wrist as a probing look seemed to flutter in her eyes.

  Su Duan immediately raised his hand, displaying the black mottled bracelet on his wrist. He hesitated a little, but quickly smiled and said, “This Genesis treasure was given to me by my father, and was crafted from a thousand year Jasper Pine. When worn, it will allow one’s body to gradually heal even if a serious injury is sustained.”

  “Since miss Qingyu wants to spice things up, allow me to wager this item as a bet.” He magnanimously waved his hand, a faint smile on his face as he looked towards Zhou Yuan. “If brother Zhou Yuan wins, I will gift this bracelet to you.”

  While he spoke, he secretly remarked in his heart, “Of course, that’s only if you have the ability, you country bumpkin.”

  Zhou Yuan gazed at the bracelet Su Duan had put on display for everyone, before sweeping a glance at Zuoqiu Qingyu, unable to stop himself from marvelling at her inside. His gaze had only changed briefly earlier when he saw the bracelet on Su Duan’s wrist, but she had still managed to detect it.

  Nothing could escape a woman’s eyes.

  Moreover, her acting had been perfect. Making Su Duan offer his bracelet without suspicion had seemed effortless for her.

  “I’ve already taken out my ‘incentive’, I wonder what brother Zhou Yuan has to offer us?” Su Duan suddenly asked as he grasped his bracelet.

  However, without waiting for Zhou Yuan’s reply, Su Duan turned towards Zuoqiu Qingyu with a seemingly joking smile as he said, “If I manage to win by some chance, how about miss Qingyu give me the opportunity to ask you out tomorrow?”

  The other geniuses immediately cried out in surprise. Su Duan had finally revealed his goal.

  Zuoqiu Qingyu merely smiled. Her long and narrow eyes seemed to glisten in a watery manner, making her look even more lovely. She swept a glance at Zhou Yuan, before she nodded.

  The smile on Su Duan’s face instantly brightened.

  While he was distracted, Zuoqiu Qingyu shot somewhat chilling look at Zhou Yuan, her red lips cracking open slightly as a voice was transmitted into his ears.

  “If you dare to lose, just wait and see how this little lady will deal with you!”

  For the sake of helping this fellow, she had even sacrificed herself this time!

  Chapter 406 Cheating

  When Zhou Yuan and Su Duan decided on their wager, the rock gambling area immediately became the most popular spot in the entire fair, as even more figures started surging over.

  Anyone could see that it was the most classic cliché of fighting over a beauty, but the identities of the two main actors, however, generated a great deal of interest.

  One was a disciple of the Cangxuan Sect, while the other was the junior sect master of the FLame Cauldron Sect.

  The Cangxuan Sect was an untouchable existence that was well-known throughout the vast Cangxuan Heaven. On the other side, although the Flame Cauldron Sect could not match up to the Cangxuan Sect, Su Duan was its junior sect master, a prominent individual of high standing.

  A clash between these two individuals was going to be rather interesting indeed.

  Thus, more and more people began to crowd over, turning this area into the most prominent place in the fair.

  ...

  While the love rivalry was intensifying, several gazes looked down from the second floor of the fair area.

  The second floor was not as noisy as the crowded ground floor, appearing rather peaceful in comparison. Those who were allowed here were no ordinary individuals after all.

  Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu, Feng Ying from the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace and the others were currently located in this area.

  There were also a few figures opposite Li Qingchan and gang, which was clearly led by two individuals. These two also looked quite young, but gave off a certain presence that showed that they were not simple at all.

  Even Li Qingchan felt a little wariness when she looked at the two.

  Because these two were the two Chosens dispatched by the Sacred Palace.

  Wang Chi and Cao Jinzhu.

  Wang Chi was the man wearing red clothes, whose features appeared slightly feminine. A smile hung from the corners of his mouth, but his gaze appeared exceedingly sharp. Two red metal balls sat in his hand, giving off a dreadful heat that could melt metal and stone, but he seemed completely unaffected as he casually grasped them in his hand.

  Cao Jinzhu on the other hand, had a strong and muscular body that looked akin to a metal tower. His eyes held a feral beast like ferocity which would make your hair stand on end.

  Beside them was Yang Xuan, whom they had met earlier in the day, still wearing a faint smile on his face.

  On the other side was another group of figures led by a wiry young man. Though he wasn’t an eye-catching individual, those familiar with him knew the astonishing battle power contained within that thin body of his.

  He was the Chosen sent by the North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall, and was likewise overwhelmingly strong.

  Gathered on the tiny second floor of the fair were the Chosens from the four titan sects. The quality of the disciples here was undoubtedly high.

  These four groups were also clearly separated, each party guarded against everyone else. As such, the atmosphere was naturally not very friendly.

  It was under this hostile atmosphere that everyone sensed the commotion below, as gaze after gaze was cast downwards.

  Feng Ying was the first to chuckle softly as she said, “Hehe, Qingchan, that little junior brother if your Cangxuan Sect is such a hot-blooded man, is he going to gamble flame rocks with the Flame Cauldron Sect’s Su Duan for Qingyu?”

  Li Qginchan had naturally also caught sight of Zhou Yuan’s figure, causing her to be a little taken aback.

  In contrast, Zhao Zhu frowned as he said in a disapproving manner, “What a trouble maker. It’s fine if he disgraces himself, but he’d better not bring shame to our Cangxuan Sect.”

  As he spoke, he beckoned towards Qin Hai with the intent of sending him down to pull Zhou Yuan out.

  Li Qingchan indifferently said, “Junior brother Zhao Zhu, this is his own affair, there shouldn’t be a need for you to be such a busybody, right?”

  Zhao Zhu’s eyes lowered slightly as he replied, “Senior sister Qingchan, the biggest business owned by the Flame Cauldron Sect is this flame rock gambling, and Su Duan can be said to be an expert in this field. It is clear to everyone that he is egging Zhou Yuan on to humiliate him in front of a certain someone.”

  “And yet, Zhou Yuan appears to be an ignorant fool. Does he believe that everyone will gave way to him just because he’s a disciple of the Cangxuan Sect?”

  Li Qingchan calmly said, “That is his choice, and the only one he
shames will be himself. The dignity of the Cangxuan Sect will never be at stake in such an insignificant affair.”

  Zhao Zhu was somewhat speechless. In the end, he could only let out an icy snort, before he said, “Then we’ll just watch and see how it turns out.”

  Beside Li Qingchan, Bai Li also looked down and said in a low voice, “But this kid does seem to be quite a womanizer. We’ve just barely arrived, and he’s already become so intimate with her.”

  It was obvious that she was also quite dissatisfied with Zhou Yuan. Since he was here for a freebie Heaven Credit, he should at least act as if he was working hard. And yet, he had ended up getting into some kind of love rivalry because of a Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace disciple.

  “I should tell you now that if he ends up doing poorly in the mission, I will report only the truth to the elder when we return. When that time comes, even you will not be able to influence anything.”

  Li Qingchan did not reply to Bai Li’s words, merely letting out a soft sigh inside. Her clear eyes swept towards Zhou Yuan below, as a look of disappointment flitted across them.

  Perhaps it was indeed a mistake to have fought so strongly to bring him along for this mission.

  In her eyes, Zhou Yuan’s actions and attitude were his petty revenge against how elder Wu had treated him.

  ...

  Down below, Zhou Yuan was naturally unaware of the attention from the second floor. He was unable to stop a smile from appearing on his lips when he saw Su Duan wager his ancient wood bracelet.

  “So how does brother Su want to play this?” Zhou Yuan’s voice seemed to become much warmer and friendlier at this moment.

  Su Duan grinned as he stared at Zhou Yuan, before pointing towards the rock gambling area. “We’ll follow the usual rules. Each of us will go forth and select five rocks, before opening them in front of the crowd. Whoever gets the older essence flames will be the winner. How does that sound?”

  He paused for a moment, turning towards Zuoqiu Qingyu and displayed an elegant smile, before he said, “Never mind, others will say I’m bullying you if we do this. How about I select five flame rocks, while you can do ten.”