Chapter 7: Eat as much as you can.
The next day.
At a small restaurant, Nangong Yi, awakened early by hunger, went out for breakfast.
After finishing his meal, Nangong Yi suddenly remembered something.
He had no money!
He'd hinted so clearly the previous night, but that damned old man, Qian Daoliu, still wouldn't give him a cent!
He hadn't even given him the money from the bet in Hanhai City!
First, he'd said it wasn't safe for a child to carry so much money, then he'd said it wouldn't be convenient for him to carry so many gold soul coins. He'd get him a storage soul guide when he got back to Wuhun City.
Damn! Isn't that a common excuse adults use to withhold New Year's money?
I'll hold it for you now, and give it to you later.
"Little boy, your meal costs one gold soul coin," the waitress approached.
Wuhun City, after all, is a city of soul masters. While its amenities may not rival those of the aristocratic Tiandou City and Xingluo City, it's still the most prosperous city on the continent, second only to the two imperial capitals. Naturally, the cost of living is higher.
One gold soul coin for breakfast—honestly, it wasn't expensive in a place like this.
But Nangong Yi couldn't even afford a penny right now!
"Uh..." Nangong Yi felt a little embarrassed.
He was the Young Lord of Nangong City, but from childhood on, he'd never paid for a meal in Nangong City. When he went out, he'd either go to deserted places in the wilderness or to other families' territories, where Dongfang Xiong, Bei Mingzheng, and the others would treat him. So, he didn't have the habit of carrying money.
"Little boy, you don't want to dine for free, do you?"
The waitress approached.
"Um, can we pay for it together next time?" Nangong Yi asked awkwardly.
The waitress leaned over with a smile and grabbed Nangong Yi's shoulder.
"What do you think?"
As she spoke, she pointed to the sign at the door.
Small business, no credit!
" ..."
"Thank you for saving me, young lady. When I have money, I'll definitely treat you to a good meal."
This world truly had many kind people.
Just as he was about to take out the Elder's Order to pay off his debt, the young lady appeared and paid for his meal.
"You don't have to treat me, but I'm curious, how do you eat so much?" Hu Liena asked in confusion.
Although the cost of living in Wuhun City is higher than in other cities, it's not too much higher. After all, although soul masters have high incomes, they are not suckers, unlike those nobles.
A child this old can actually spend one gold soul coin for breakfast?
At first, she thought the clerk was trying to cheat the child because he was young, but when she saw the empty plates on the table, she suddenly felt that this store was very conscientious!
"I'm hungry." Nangong Yi said.
"Sometimes you have to eat as much as possible when you eat. Who knows when the next meal will be?"
He had been looking for Yuanshi Tianmo for several years and had been to all kinds of wild mountains and wilderness. During that time, he really didn't know when the next meal would be.
Hu Liena was stunned. "Where are your family members?"
Hearing this, why did he sound so like a wanderer?
"They were hacked to death when I was a child." Nangong Yi said.
When he was three years old, Nangong City was invaded. His parents led the army out of the city to meet the enemy and never came back. If the Dongfang family and the Ximen family had not come to support them, no one would know whether Nangong City still existed.
It was for this reason that everyone in Nangong City was quite tolerant of him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Hu Liena looked ashamed.
Her parents also died because of a fight with others. If her teacher hadn't adopted them, she might not be alive today.
The areas outside the jurisdiction of the Spirit Hall are very chaotic, because the armies of the two empires can only manage ordinary people, and have almost no deterrent effect on soul masters, especially powerful soul masters.
Only the Spirit Hall with a strong military force can control soul masters.
...
"Yue Guan, are you sure this routine will work?"
In the shadows, Ghost Douluo, clad in black, stood with a charming man in golden armor, spying on Nangong Yi as he walked with Hu Liena.
"The hero-saving-the-beauty tactic is old-fashioned, but it never fails," Yue Guan said.
"But how old is that kid?" Gui Mei was skeptical.
If the kid were around Hu Liena's age, with Hu Liena's skills, he wouldn't doubt the trick would work.
But, the kid couldn't be more than seven or eight?
Would it work?
"What do you know? The essence of the hero-saving-the-beauty tactic is having someone to rely on in times of crisis, when a person is at their most tense and vulnerable. Even a child can be effective," Yue Guan said.
"Just watch."
If they wanted to extract information from this child without offending the High Priest, they couldn't resort to force.
They had originally thought that with Hu Liena's skills, they could easily get the information out of the child, but the child was too tight-lipped!
Hu Liena had been trying for a long time, but she hadn't been able to reveal the relationship between him and the High Priest.
Therefore, we have to help Hu Liena improve her relationship with this child.
A friend in need is a friend indeed, and when emotions are high, it's much easier to wink at her.
"Stop!"
With a soft shout, two masked men suddenly blocked the path Nangong Yi and Hu Liena were on.
"I built this road, I planted this tree!"
"If you want to pass this way, leave some money to buy your way through!"
"..."
The scene was awkward for a moment, as if crows were flying through the sky.
Hu Liena's eyes twitched at the red-haired masked man's poorly delivered lines. "
Are you an idiot? Where did he copy these lines from?"
But thinking of the goal this time, Hu Liena took a deep breath and decided to act.
"Xiaoyi, don't be afraid, I will protect you..."
Whoosh!
Before Hu Liena finished her words, an egg with delicate light blue patterns flew out of Nangong Yi's hand, piercing the air and perfectly hitting the red-haired masked man in the face, sending him flying.
"Broad daylight, robbery?"
Nangong Yi looked at him with a look of moron in his eyes. He extended his right hand, and the Sky Crystal Beast egg flashed back into his hand. "What's wrong with you?"
"..."
"Old Ghost, did you see that kid's speed?"
Yue Guan, observing from a high vantage point, was stunned.
From the moment the blue egg appeared in Nangong Yi's hand to the moment it flew out and knocked Yan away, it was a matter of a split second!
It was so fast!
Yan was completely unable to react!
"This kid is so decisive! I almost got hit by him last night," said Gui Mei.
Detecting a stimulus, judging it, reacting, and taking action—the process takes time, and combat training is about minimizing that time. Whoever can react faster in battle seizes the initiative.
But even a Titled Douluo of the Agility Attack system couldn't understand this kid's reaction!
It was too fast!
"Holy crap..."
Yan, who had been knocked away, climbed to his feet.
Feeling the burning pain on his face, and meeting the undisguised disdain in Hu Liena's eyes, Yan's pride was greatly stimulated.
"Boy! You pissed me off!"
"Flame Lord! First Soul Skill - Hell Rock..."
"Xiao Yi, be careful! Hide behind me..."
Whoosh!
A stream of blue light streaked through the air, hitting Yan's head at a faster speed than before, knocking him away again.
This time, Yan was unable to get up for a long time.
Although the Sky Crystal Beast's egg doesn't have any fancy abilities, it is quite hard!
(End of this chapter)